The Night Unfurls Novels & Stories

But not tonight. My heart is racing so fast and anxiety is threatening to take over again. Every time I blink, I see Kristy lying on the ground, eyes half open and unmoving. Ruth strides forward, going to the tree where the demon tied me up and tried to burn me. The bark is still singed from the fire and the grass and weeds around the tree are just now starting to grow back. “I can feel his power!” She puts both hands on the tree. “Call him forth.”

It was the altar, however, that drew the eye. It was obviously supposed to be the centerpiece to the whole… what's the right word? Scene seemed almost too mundane… maybe art installation? No, that isn't right either…I don't know what to call it, but it doesn't really matter anyway, except the altar was the focal point. Real candles surrounded it in long holders, which I imagine Julia didn't mention to the fire marshal, who clearly signed off on all of this. The altar itself was a table covered in runes, and laying on it was what I actually mistook for a real naked woman, made up to look almost exactly like Rachel Meers, the moment we first see her murdered body.

The Night-Blooming Garden was the most beautiful and popular place in the Cloud City. More than a garden, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a forest, but as it was located in the heart of the city and a long road crossed it, many would go there, especially at night, when the most beautiful flowers would open with the beginning of each season.

“You’ve got tonight to fall apart. But tomorrow? We rise. Together.” Mirabella tosses me a fresh towel. “Wash your face..”