The Dragon's Descent Read Online Free Page B

walls grew closer, Vero closed his eyes, placed his hand over his heart, and began to pray with such intensity that beads of sweat dripped down his face. With all his heart, he beseeched God to guide him. After a few moments, a confident smile formed on Vero’s lips. He stretched out his arms. His fingers spread apart on the dense walls and then he simply pushed.
    They fell away easily. The sidewalls crumbled upon the ground, yet the ceiling held above him. It had stopped moving. Vero had no idea what was holding it up, but he was grateful. He climbed over the rubble for a few feet then stood and looked around. Before him was a narrow space, wide enough that maybe only three people standing shoulder to shoulder could pass through. Dark, curved stone walls—easily fifteen feet tall—stood on either side of him. Somehow, this place felt very surreal to Vero. As if he were inside someone else’s dream . . . a feeling he was familiar with. During the angel trials, Vero and his fellow fledglings—Greer, Pax, Kane, X, and Ada—had all been inside one of Greer’s dreams. Vero remembered how quickly things could change in that sleep-induced world; how frightening it could be, and how not everything made perfect sense.
    A short distance ahead, he saw that the walls formed multiple pathways—here was the maze that Raziel spoke of. When Vero looked up, he saw that terrifying gargoyles lined the tops of the walls, appearing to leer down at him. The pathways were so narrow that the stone creatures nearly touched one another overhead. He could see slivers of sky sneaking through, enough to provide light below. Only a few inches separated the frightening statues, which meant Vero could not fly out. His only way out was to find his way through.
    As Vero walked ahead, he stared at the gargoyles. It appeared to him that no two were alike. Some were winged. Some were half human, half animal. Others resembled human ghosts. One appeared to be a dragon while another looked like an oversized bat. All were grotesque, with distorted human or animal forms. Each was scary, especially the monkey with sharp, webbed wings that held a dagger in its paw while baring its teeth. Vero shuddered.
    After just a few yards inside the maze, he came upon a fork in the path. Vero had no idea which way to turn, as both options looked the same. Vero looked left, then right, and left again, totally perplexed. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. As he turned his head toward it, a shadowed blur quickly disappeared. Were his eyes playing tricks on him?
    Vero then heard what sounded like the slow inhale and exhale of a person. A blast of hot air hit the back of his exposed neck, sending chills down his spine. He spun around, looking for the source, only to see a shadow that flickered out of his peripheral vision. Vero was suddenly overcome with the unsettling feeling of impending doom. He needed to get out of there! Again, he considered left, then right, but when he looked back to the left, fear seized him. A strange, human-shaped silhouette with glowing green eyes stood staring at him from only a few feet away.
    The decision resolved, Vero sprinted down the path on his right. As he ran, he continuously glanced over his shoulder, catching glimpses of darker-than-night shadows pursuing him in earnest. He couldn’t outrun them, but after several minutes the shadows disappeared. Vero’s legs burned, and he needed to stop for air. He turned his back to the wall for protection and put his hands on his knees, catching his breath.
    Moments later, Vero lifted his head. His eyes drifted up to the eerie gargoyles above him, then suddenly he felt ice-cold hands closing around his neck. They felt bony, yet Vero could only see dark shadows tightening around his throat. The hands squeezed harder and harder until Vero thought he’d pass out. Losing air, he jerked away from the wall and landed in a heap on the ground. His eyes