Piper pushed Ophelia behind her protectively as she raised her hand to cast [Umbral Terror]. In hindsight, it had probably been a bad idea to save Justina. But she would never have been able to live with herself if she had murdered a defenceless woman in cold blood—even if that woman was a bloodthirsty vampire.

  Justina stopped a short distance away and lowered her weapon slightly. “What are you?”

  “I’m a human,” Piper said, and wavered slightly. “I know I don’t look it, but I really am.”

  “Drop your illusions,” the vampire commanded. “All of them.”

  “I’d really rather not.” Right now, she appeared as a level 601 shadeling demon. That was probably the only thing giving Justina pause at the moment. As long as the vampire believed she was a high-level demon, she had a chance of walking out of here alive.

  Justina seemed to chew over her words before she nodded tersely. “As you wish. Now, why didn’t you kill me while you had the chance?”

  Piper shrugged. “Because you saved my life in Alderwick. And you tried to protect my friend, back in the cave. I guess I thought I owed you.”

  “But you’re a demoness…”

  “And? Just because I look like a demoness doesn’t make me some kind of monster.”

  “Demons lie,” Justina said harshly. “This is all some sort of trick to gain my confidence. What do you want from me? Do you plan to use me to infiltrate the empire?”

  “All I wanted was to live on my farm in peace,” Piper replied bitterly. “I didn’t want to infiltrate the empire. I didn’t want to trick anyone. But then your friend, Ransford, showed up and tried to kill my family and drink my blood.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would a demoness want to live on a farm?”

  “Thank you,” Gorebark crowed from her grip. “I’ve been saying that for months. She should be out there terrorizing humans and trying to take over the world.”

  “You’re not helping,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to her bow. “Now shut up before I gag you again.”

  Gorebark chuckled. “I’d be a pretty bad demon if I helped you come to a peaceful resolution.”

  The tall vampire sighed and lowered her sword slightly. “Give me the girl, and I’ll allow you to leave in peace. I still suspect your motivations, but you did save my life. However, should we meet again, we will meet as enemies.”

  Ophelia popped her head over Piper’s shoulder. “There’s no way I’m going with you.”

  “Has the demoness bewitched your mind?” Justina raised her brow slightly. “Why would you want to remain with a fiend from the abyss?”

  “Because I’m her best friend,” Ophelia shot back. “Or is that too hard for a jerk like you to understand?”

  “Can you guarantee her safety?” Piper asked quietly.

  “I most certainly can…” The vampire trailed off before shaking her head. “Actually, that may not be completely true. I am currently at odds with Ransford. Though I believe the situation will be quickly rectified upon my return.”

  Piper suddenly realized that Justina hadn’t jumped down the shaft of her own free will. At first, she’d thought that it had been some sort of suicidal attempt to reach them. But instead, it looked like Ransford had tried to murder the woman.

  A massive chunk of ice tumbling from the shaft in the ceiling interrupted them. The frozen mass struck near the lava pit and shattered into a thousand shimmering shards.

  Justina held up her hand as Piper took a step backward. “I summoned the ice to slow my fall. There may yet be pieces within the hole, but it was not meant as an attack against you.”

  Piper exhaled with relief. For a second, she thought the vampire was summoning some sort of powerful attack from above. Though if she’d used the ice to slow her descent, it explained how she’d survived the fall. While Crimson Guards were supposedly tough, she couldn’t imagine one surviving a straight drop of almost a kilometer. Then again, who knew what higher levels were capable of in this world?

  After a deep breath, Piper continued, “If you can’t promise that Ophelia will be safe, then she’s staying with me.”

  “The duke will eventually catch up with you,” Justina said plainly. “The safest option is for her to accompany me out of the mountain. Regardless of what you claim to be, you cannot stand against the might of the duke. He will slay you. And your… friend may be caught in the crossfire. If she truly is your friend, then tell her to come with me.”

  The thought of Ophelia dying because of her felt like a knife driving into her heart. She would do anything to keep her friend safe. But she didn’t completely believe that she would be safe with the ridiculously tall vampire. “Tell me what happened to you first. How did you fall down that hole?”

  Justina furrowed her brow. “I was betrayed by Ransford. However, once I leave this place, I plan to have my vengeance.”

  “And what if my friend gets caught in that crossfire?”

  “Umm... excuse me,” Ophelia said. “Why is everyone acting like I don’t get a say? I’m going with Piper, and that’s that. I’m almost 13, you know.”

  “Neither of you will make it across the mountains.” Justina lowered her sword further. “The Black Pyramid stands between you and the Arissian Empire. Only the very strongest individuals have any chance of surviving its dangers. I’m not aware of anyone making it through in at least a decade.”

  “I’ll find another mountain pass,” Piper countered. “The pyramid can’t block all the routes.”

  “You have no idea how large it truly is.”

  “What is the Black Pyramid?” Piper asked, her curiosity aroused. “And why is it blocking the mountains?”

  “I thought if anyone knew it would be you.” Justina shrugged. “No one knows why it was built. It had already stood for millennia when my kind arrived on the shores of this land. All we know is that the entire structure is swarming with summoned demons. Everyone who has attempted to explore its depths has disappeared without a trace. However, there is a corridor at the bottom that leads across the mountains to the Arissian Empire.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Why can’t we just go through there?”

  “Because the corridor has numerous high-level demons blocking the path. And no matter how many you slay, a dozen more will take their place. Even I wouldn’t survive for long in there.”

  Piper’s heart sank at the mention of high-level demons. While she’d grown much stronger, she had no illusions about defeating even a single demon in combat. Even if she only faced imps, they’d probably overwhelm her in short order.

  She turned toward her friend. “Maybe you should—”

  “Nope,” Ophelia interrupted her. “I’m going with you. You promised that we were going to be adventurers together. Remember?”

  “I remember.” Piper smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that means she’s staying with me. We’ll just have to find a safe route through the Black Pyramid.” While others may have had trouble crossing the pyramid, she doubted any of them had her illusions. She might be able to traverse the entire structure without being noticed.

  “Until we leave this place, I will strive to make you change your mind,” Justina said. “But right now we should depart with all haste. If you would be so kind as to do the honors?” The vampire pointed at the door where they’d first entered the room.

  “There are probably about a hundred oozes waiting for us out there,” Piper replied. “Plus, an angry mob of vampires. I’m going in the opposite direction.”

  “Very few of those chasing you are vampires. Most of them are human auxilia.”

  “I thought humans couldn’t have combat classes?”

  “Certain… exceptions are made at times.”

  “Well, like I said, I’m going this way.” Piper pointed at the bronze door behind the melting wall of ice. “You’re welcome to stay here or come with us.”

  “It looks like I have no choice but to accompany you,” she said. “These doors have remained unbreached by my kind for centuries. If I remained here, I would likely be entombed for eternity. Will you tell me the secret of how you managed to open them? The archaeologists and inscribers in the capital would be most interested in exploring this place.”

  Piper could have lied, but she decided there was no harm in telling the truth. “I just touched my hand against them, and they opened.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced slightly. What if the vampire decided to cut off her hand to use it like a key? Then again, Justina didn’t seem the type.

  At least I hope she’s not the type, she thought to herself. She might not be as cruel as the other vampires, but humans are still nothing but cattle to her.

  “Interesting. And you still claim that you’re not a demon?”

  “I… was reincarnated a short while ago into a demon’s body,” she said haltingly. “Before that, I really was a human girl.”

  “You lie,” Justina hissed, her mood suddenly changing. “If that was true, then it was the hand of Infernus that brought you here.”

  “I don’t know if it was Infernus,” Piper said defensively. “It just said a god wanted to summon me to this world.”

  “If Infernus was able to pierce the Dragon Aegis, then we face the end of all things,” Justina said. “However, it is far more likely that you are simply lying to me. Which means I can’t trust a word you’ve said. Yet your actions don’t seem to reflect a cruel nature. What should I do with you, Piper?”

  “You could always let me go?”

  “I refuse to believe your reincarnation story. However, you did save my life. I will allow you to leave this place unchallenged. Still, I believe the young girl would be better off accompanying me once we find a way out.”

  “I’m not a little girl,” Ophelia piped in. “Like I said, I’m almost 13.”

  “Very well,” Justina continued. “This young woman would be better off accompanying me.”

  Piper motioned to the wall of ice blocking the door. “Could you do something about that?”

  Justina waved her hand, and the ice vanished. One second it was there and the next it was gone. There wasn’t even any sign of it melting. It was as if it had never existed.

  As Piper marvelled at the powerful spell, she decided that she was going to learn everything she could about magic when she reached the Arissian Empire. There had to be a library there where she could read about how magic worked. Just think of the deeds she could get if she learned more about the mechanics of casting.

  Justina spent the next few minutes gathering up her things that had been scattered during Piper and Ophelia’s search for blood. The woman moved with the speed and grace of a geriatric turtle. But then again, she had been a vampire pretzel only a short while ago.

  Once Justina had her possessions tucked away in her many pouches, the three of them approached the great bronze door.

  Piper pressed her palm against the surface, and it swung open to reveal a broad hallway beyond. A line of aetherstones sprang to life and bathed the corridor in harsh red light. Luckily, no mob of oozes awaited them.

  Piper stepped aside to allow Justina to lead the way. While the vampire had claimed she would let her go, she still didn’t completely trust the woman. Plus, it was probably always a good idea to keep a vampire in front of you. That way you could see a bite coming.

  Clearly, Justina felt the same way and didn’t want to have her back to a demoness. The stalemate dragged on for nearly a minute before the vampire finally threw up her hands and marched down the corridor. She continued onward, throwing furtive glances over her shoulder.

  Striding after the vampire, Piper froze when she heard a crunch. She glanced in the direction of the sound, only to see Ophelia taking a bite out of one of the sweetmeats that they’d found in Justina’s pouch.

  “Is that my treat?” Justina glowered at the young woman.

  “Maybe…” Ophelia replied with a full mouth.

  With a shake of her head, Justina spun around and continued down the hallway. As she walked, she mumbled something about ‘humans’ under her breath.

  Piper rolled her eyes at her friend.

  “What?” the young woman said. “I was hungry.”

  The corridor ended abruptly at another door, with a simple picture of glowing spheres carved into the bronze. When the doors swung open, they revealed a room with hundreds of black stone rings floating near the ceiling. A narrow walkway spanned the room over what looked like a bottomless pit. In the depths, she could hear the sound of something moving around, its claws scraping on the stone.

  They hurried across the walkway—none of them looking down—and kept a safe distance from the floating rings. One disk moved to hover above Piper, but then it simply drifted away. If they had served some purpose in the past, they seemed to be inactive now.

  Beyond the room with the walkway was another corridor. They continued on for several hours, moving through rooms with images displaying the outside world, rooms with chairs positioned in front of darkened spheres, and a vast chamber with a throne at the center.

  Some of the areas showed signs of damage, while others were in pristine condition. But they didn’t see a single other demon corpse. Which was strange since so many remained near the entrances. Perhaps the winners of the battle had disposed of the dead.

  Or maybe something ate them, she thought as she remembered the sound of claws on stone. And maybe it's still hungry.

  Finally, they reached another great bronze gate. This one was completely blank, the surface smooth burnished brass. But just like the other entrance, the walls here were covered with paintings of an immense black dragon and its many worshippers. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

  Piper moved to open the door, but Justina reached out to stop her.

  “Once we leave this place,” the vampire said. “I cannot guarantee that should we meet again I will remain friendly to you. My loyalty is to my duke, and if he orders me to slay you, I will obey. However, I will tell him about our interactions. Perhaps his mind can be swayed.”

  “I won’t hold my breath,” Piper said, before adding. “But thank you for trying.”

  Justina nodded and stepped back.

  Piper raised her hand and pressed it against the door’s surface. The machinery creaked as the gate began to rise, and brilliant sunlight flooded into the room. Beyond was a valley choked with boulders leading to the most massive structure she’d ever seen.

  Between two towering mountain peaks, someone had constructed a colossal pyramid. The structure’s pinnacle was lost among the clouds, and the walls shone like black glass. Lights twinkled from the thousands of openings dotting its surface. The sheer scale of the building was almost incomprehensible.

  But they had done it. They had reached the Black Pyramid. And behind the colossal structure was the Arissian Empire and their salvation. Now, all Piper had to do was figure out a way to get through it alive.