Chapter 60: The Nursery
"I see you've made up your mind..." Truman said, his chin dropping as he looked at them with tired pity.
"I can't just tell you what happened. But if you do what I say, you'll figure it out."
A small, weak smile touched his lips.
Alina and Nuri just nodded.
"Go back down to the second floor. That thing will lead you to a room. Look around inside, and you'll find most of the truth. After that, come back up. Then I can explain the rest."
Alina frowned.
The monster was going to guide them?
She raised an eyebrow, her mouth twisting at how ridiculous that sounded.
"I know," Truman murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Hard to believe. But it will."
He let out a dry breath.
This was completely out of left field. But they didn't have any other leads anyway.
Nuri didn't wait around. He turned and headed straight for the door.
Alina blinked, surprised to see him take the lead for once, before catching up.
"We'll be back," she called over her shoulder.
Truman's eyes widened slightly. As he dropped his head back onto the pillow, a faint smile stayed on his face.
"This is insane," Alina hissed, her voice barely a breath as they moved down the corridor, eyes darting toward every shadow. "You actually trust that thing to help us?"
"If it turns on us, we just run back to the stairs," Nuri muttered. "It doesn't come up to the third floor."
Alina grunted. True enough, but her stomach still felt knotted.
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"Wait. How does Truman even know about that thing?"
"They're tied together somehow." Nuri shot a look back down the hallway toward the boy's room.
"Tied together how?"
"I didn't say anything earlier, but... there's something about that monster's face that looks like Truman. I can't put my finger on it, but it's there."
Nuri rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a long, heavy breath.
"So I'm guessing it won't attack."
They reached the second floor landing.
Right on cue, the shadow in the corner shifted, and the creature dragged itself out into the dim light.
Calling it a monster didn't even feel right anymore.
Nuri flinched, his boots sticking to the floorboards. Up close, the sight was nasty. The skin was peeling away in dry, cracked strips, showing red muscle underneath.
He forced himself to look away from the raw spots.
Alina, who had been complaining two seconds ago, just fell into step behind it as it turned its back on them.
Nuri stared at her. She was just calling this insane a second ago.
He shook his head and kept his mouth shut. He gave up trying to understand how his sister's brain worked a long time ago.
The creature limped down the central hall.
It wasn't tearing through the darkness like it had earlier. It moved slow, dragging one leg behind it like a dead weight.
What happened to it in such a short time?
Nuri's hands twitched in his pockets. He couldn't just stand there and watch it struggle.
He pulled one hand out, closing his eyes to whisper a quick prayer to the God of Fate. Warm, golden light flared at his fingertips and washed over the creature's back.
Then it just vanished. The light dissolved into nothing.
Nuri tried again, pressing his magic harder.
Nothing.
"Hey," Alina muttered, seeing him sweat. "What are you doing?"
"I can't heal it," Nuri whispered, his fingers trembling. "The spell is dissolving. That shouldn't happen."
Alina looked at the creature's hunched back, its long, twisted arms brushing the floorboards.
"Is it cursed? Like Truman?" she asked quietly. "If it's under a curse, maybe your God just refuses to touch it."
Nuri froze, the cold air hitting his lungs like ice.
Refuses to help?
The thought bit deep. The gods gave out power, but only let you use it when it suited them. They treated people like tools on a string.
What are we to them? Just—
No.
Nuri snapped his mouth shut, a sudden wave of panic hitting him so hard his knees went weak.
Cold sweat ran down his spine. If he let those thoughts take root, if he doubted his faith out loud... he'd lose the only magic keeping him alive.
"Nuri!"
"Ah—"
"What 'ah'? Look. It stopped."
Alina's voice cut straight through the noise in his head, pulling him back.
Nuri blinked, wiping his clammy palms on his pants, and looked up.
The creature stood still outside a heavy wooden door at the end of the hall. The frame was carved with faded painted animals and little stars, a nursery door.
This was it. Whatever was sitting behind that wood was going to break this whole place open.