Night Warden by Amber R. Duell

Author:Amber R. Duell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amber R. Duell
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It only took a few uninterrupted turns before a gentle humming filled the air, the sound as soft as a mother’s lullaby. I blinked, instantly charmed, which was always dangerous in the Nightmare Realm. “Is that something good or something I’ll need to fight?” I asked in an airy voice.

You don’t need to fight anything, the Weaver answered.

“You…” I blinked again as my thoughts turned fuzzy. “You didn’t say it was good.”

It’s the Wish Granter, he said, sounding slightly mystified himself.

“Good,” I breathed. Surely, she was not good if the Weaver refused to answer the question, but I needed to see her regardless. “That’s good.”

Very good indeed because my feet were already carrying me toward the warmth and comfort the song promised. My mind conjured up an image of a beautiful woman, curvy and tall, with a welcoming smile. In my mind, she sat in rocking chair with a warm mug of chocolate. She held it out to me, her lap an open invitation, and a bedtime story waited on her lips.

Wrong, the Weaver promised.

It felt right. I wanted it to be right.

I rounded the curve to find a red glow waiting where the path widened into the heart of the maze. The color faded as I approached the source. When I finally stepped into the very center of the maze, I found out how right he was. There was no woman. No human-like nightmare at all.

Instead, a heart twice my height greeted me. Veins clung to the ground like roots and blood sprayed in a fine mist from the artery. The organ contracted, revealing bluish shapes nestled within. Was that…a squelch?

“Some warning would’ve been nice,” I told the Weaver as I clutched my churning stomach.

The mist ceased, leaving no trace on the ground or surrounding hedges. For one awful moment, nothing happened. The following second, my definition of awful changed drastically. Veins plucked themselves off the grass with sickening pops, and without their support, the heart fell to its side with a wet splat. The organ twitched violently. Flickers of blue and red emanated from its center, and a tiny trickle of white pus dribbled from the artery. The humming resumed, mixed with the mere whisper of a voice. “Lady Nightmare. Why have you come?”

I swallowed bile. It talked. Did it have to talk? “I need something from you.”

“Do you?” It sounded intrigued. “What can I possibly give you that you could not take?” I opened my mouth to answer. “Hush now. Show me your wish or I cannot grant it.”

“Err…” I patted my jacket, hoping I still had my mini sketchbook in one of the pockets. “It’s a—”

No, Keeper. Show her.

“I didn’t know I needed a photo of the thing,” I snapped.

“Come now,” the Wish Granter beckoned. The veins crept across the grass toward me. “It will only take a moment.”

I stared at the heart, willing myself to step back, but I needed the knife if we were going to stop Mara. “Am I…I mean, I can draw

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