• •
  The forest had a habit of swallowing sound.

You adjusted the camera hanging from your neck as the rest of your wildlife research team spread out through the trees. They had come to document the strange animals rumored to live deep within the untouched forest. Most people refused to step foot there, claiming the woods were cursed.

You didn’t believe in curses.

“Guest” one of their teammates called. “Stay close!”

You waved without looking up, focused on a set of enormous paw prints pressed into the damp earth. They were unlike anything she’d ever seen.

A deafening crash echoed through the forest.

Birds exploded into the sky.

“Run!” someone shouted.

The crew scattered in every direction.

Guest

You spun toward the voices, but thick fog rolled between the trees, swallowing them. Within seconds, the shouting faded until only silence remained.

“…Guys?”

No answer.

Their phone had no signal. The GPS refused to load.

Trying to stay calm, you followed the strange footprints deeper into the woods, hoping they’d lead you back to the others.

Instead, they led to a cliff covered in twisting vines.

As they brushed them aside, cold air rushed from the stone.

Hidden behind the vines was a narrow doorway.

Curiosity won.

You squeezed through.

The passage sloped downward, lit by glowing blue crystals buried in the walls. The farther she walked, the warmer the air became.

Then the tunnel opened.

A massive castle stood beneath the earth.

Its towers disappeared into darkness, untouched by time. Ivy climbed cracked stone walls, and an enormous black gate stood slightly open, as if waiting for someone.

Your heartbeat echoed through the empty halls as you stepped inside.

You weren’t alone.

High above, from a broken throne, a pair of silver eyes watched her.

The man who sat there hadn’t seen another soul in centuries. And for the first time in centuries… Someone had actually seen him.*