I dared not to look. The sounds were enough to power me forward.

After running what felt like the length of a football field, I entered a clearing encircled by the tall shrubs. My exit was blocked.

A seven-foot shadow emerged from the undergrowth, sprouting from the earth several feet in front of me. I halted to stop, preventing a collision with the colossal being looming in front of me.

I turned, but the opening I’d come through was gone. Spinning, I looked up at the hooded monster as the army of creatures that had been chasing me clawed their way back into the hedges.

A sigh escaped from between my lips as I rolled my eyes. “Well, shit.”

Chapter

Three

Cloaked in a long black robe, the massive entity stretched out its arms and twisted its palms down toward the earth with an unsettling grace. Blood-red radiance seeped from its half-hidden eyes, which dripped down its cheeks, leaving behind a trail that soaked its skin.

In the cataclysmic silence, its voice boomed like the wrath of an ancient forsaken god. “You… are… the… one,” the being rumbled, as if each word caused physical pain. “Death… must… find—”

“Enough!” Noah bellowed as he floated down from the sky.

My eyes widened as my stomach clenched, letting me know I wasn’t dreaming. Noah was surrounded by a pure white capsule of light, which made him glow like a light bulb in the darkness. Descending behind him were several wispy balls that pulsed and grew larger as they floated down to the earth.

“You will leave now,” Noah said to the robed entity.

The creature unleashed a bone-chilling hiss, its mouth gaping impossibly wide while its hands twisted into menacing claws, poised for a deadly strike. Each ball of light behind Noah swelled, gradually taking on the form of ethereal warriors. They sprouted arms, legs, and wings, becoming a formidable army of light beings. None of which I recognized from other encounters, which made me wonder how many of them were out there.

The hooded entity unleashed swirling, smoke-like tendrils, like dark coiling webs, toward the light beings. In a dazzling display, the light enveloping Noah and his army sparkled as it easily resisted and then repelled the black vines, forcing them to dissipate into the air as if they hadn’t ever existed at all.

“As I said, leave this place,” Noah said, stiffening his jaw. “I insist you heed my warning.”

“I… shall… take… her… with… me,” the black entity said as it glided toward me with its arms stretched outward.

The entity’s robe brushed against my arm, sending an icy bolt down my spine, freezing every muscle in my body. My head spun, and I struggled to maintain my balance. It was like I was sick with the flu and drunk at the same time.

Before I toppled over, a wall of light appeared in front of me, stopping the massive creature before he could get any closer. I suddenly felt like myself again and took several quick steps away from the dark entity.

“We will not let that happen,” Noah said, his stretched-out hand shaking as it held the shield of light in front of me. The army of light beings copied Noah, and the wall of light grew brighter, thicker, and stronger.

“This… is… not… over. We… will… not… give… up,” The entity’s words seemed to vanish into the air to the point I wasn’t even sure if I’d heard them at all. With a blink, the dark entity released a thunderous howl before turning into a cloud of thick smoke that sank into the ground.

The light shield glittered as it floated up toward the sky. Noah rushed to me, taking my hands in his as he peered into my eyes.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, studying me.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. My eyes darted over his shoulder to the army of light beings that stepped back against the shrub wall to give us more privacy. “You are one of those things?”

“Sort of,” Noah said, pressing a finger to his temple.

I scoffed. “Sort of? It doesn’t really seem like something you just dip a toe in.”

Noah looked down and exhaled. I could tell he hadn’t wanted to talk about his connection to the light beings.

“I’ve been working for years to earn a place in the Kingdom,” Noah said reluctantly. His eyes shifted down to the medallion. “It’s really hard to explain.”

“You’ve been keeping this a secret from me,” I muttered, clasping my hand over the medallion, blocking it from his view.

“It’s not like I wanted to,” Noah said, rubbing his palms together. “There are rules when it comes to what can and can’t be revealed. We are not allowed to tamper with one’s faith.” Noah met my gaze. “And to be fair, you haven’t been completely honest with me about everything either, have you?”

My eyes shifted from his heavy stare. “I figured you’d think I was crazy if I told you what I knew.”

“You’re not. All of this is very real, too real, but everyday people are completely oblivious to what we do on a daily basis to keep things in line. It’s really quite miraculous and puzzling that you have discovered certain things,” Noah said, squinting slightly as he cocked his head to the left. “I want you to know that joining the Kingdom means everything to me. If you let me tell you more, perhaps you would be interested in our quest for good as well. I know that some would be beyond overjoyed to have that medallion locked away to stop the evils of the world.”

We both abruptly turned toward the shrubs as the branches wildly shook. Noah protectively stepped in front of me and began glowing.

“Jesus Christ,” a voice chimed, laced with a sinister chuckle.

My heart thudded as I watched Nightmare emerge from the shrubs. He strode confidently toward us, wearing a wide smirk.

Nightmare nonchalantly brushed the leaves and pine needles off his purple-collared black short-sleeved shirt that showed off his muscles. He ignored the foliage clinging to his sleek, form-fitting black pants.

Noah glared at Nightmare as he took a step back, allowing the light to grow brighter around his body. Nightmare rolled his eyes as he waved him away and turned to me.

“Sorry I’m late,” Nightmare said, raising a brow. “I was tending to a particularly important matter.”

“Late?” My eyes narrowed.

“To help you,” Nightmare said, flicking Noah a flippant look before his eyes shifted to the medallion. “Not that you needed any help, of course.”

I crossed my arms and sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“Causing problems,” Noah muttered, causing Nightmare to snicker.

“Well, like I said, I was going to help you if you needed it,” Nightmare said, dragging a finger across his brow to straighten his hair, which was already perfectly in place. “But I’m here because I also need your help.”

“She’s not helping your kind with anything,” Noah replied without hesitation.

“Is that right?” Nightmare asked, keeping his eyes on me as if he thought Noah was as annoying as a pesky mosquito. “Will you help me?”

I looked around at the shrubs surrounding us as if hoping they’d swallow me and take me out of the situation. “I kind of just want to get out of this place. Where am I anyway?”

“Somewhere you shouldn’t be,” Noah said.

“I was pulled through the mirror,” I said as if only suddenly remembering how I’d gotten there. I turned to Nightmare. “Is this a dream?”

He shook his head. “It is not.”

“I think I just want to go home,” I said, swallowing hard and wincing at the sourness.

Noah took a step closer, keeping his eyes fixed on Nightmare. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and the light shield enveloped me.