“‘Only those who recognize and immediately resist a mirage have lived to share their experience. Because of this, anyone who beholds one must flee at first sight; if they look twice, they will succumb. This has proven true—and fatal—100% of the time.’”
“What do these mirages do to their victims?” Rex wondered.
Jade raised her eyebrows. “No one knows. The bodies are never found.” She shivered as she continued reading. “Because of their intrigue, these creatures draw the attention of the curious and are a popular method of suicide. However, they are not to be trifled with. Some have sought them out, thinking they could escape after the first glance. Under no circumstances should you seek them out. Only inadvertent encounters have produced survivors, and the best defense is to flee the moment one is seen.’”
“Whoa,” Rex said nervously. “How do we recognize them?”
Jade pursed her lips and scanned the page. “‘There are no pictures of them because no one who has attempted to photograph one has lived. But survivors describe them as intoxicating, more than anything experienced before. Their strong aura stirs a warning only to those on guard. Different survivors have different accounts. The important thing to remember is if you pause to consider the temptation, you will fall.’”
A long silence followed. “That’s pretty freaky,” Rex said.
“Listen, this is even freakier. Sounds like they aren’t the worst,” Jade said, reading on. “‘The most dangerous of all creatures is the nightstalk. It’s so named because of how it hunts its prey. The nightstalk attacks at night and uses fear to capture its victims. Nightstalks are human in origin. They’re a puzzle to scientists because of their deadly nature, yet they carry no poisonous serum. Their terrifying features, combined with their gruesome killing methods, have made them the most feared of Sampson’s creatures. They haunt all regions of Carthem. People describe them as living nightmares, and some believe it is this reputation that gives them their power.
“‘The first sign of an approaching nightstalk is sudden and unwarranted fear. If possible, flee immediately, while you can still move. The fear paralyzes the muscles and slows the brain, allowing the nightstalk to overpower the victim. It then skins the victim’s body with its long nails and consumes the heart in a slow, painful death. They also have a mysterious telepathic connection, so if one nightstalk is killed, others are alerted, and they unite to find and kill whoever threatens them. Though it hasn’t been proven, Carthem scientists believe these creatures can be defeated if one can overcome the fear.’”
Jade stopped reading, and a chilling silence filled the room. Alina knew this creature; she’d seen it in the Gordian laboratories. She’d felt its paralyzing terror and how difficult it was to overcome. Would being immortal make it less overpowering, as there was no possibility of death? She didn’t know.
“Does the book explain if Sampson uses people from his dungeons?” Alina asked. “He mentioned something like that to me.”
Jade stared at Alina for a long moment, then picked up the book and cleared her throat. “Alina, I should warn you—” she broke off.
“What?”
“Just—prepare yourself.” She hesitated and took a deep breath.
“‘Sampson uses his prisoners in Gordian as puppets in Carthem. These victims’ minds have been altered by his experiments. Their mental conditions differ, so they are unpredictable in their behavior, but some of the most common traits we see are self-mutilation (though never to the point of death) and aggression toward others. Like the animals, this seems to be ingrained in them. Sampson often equips them with weapons, and, despite their incoherence, they are powerful fighters because of their hostile nature.’”
Jade looked up and met the wide eyes of Rex and Alina. “I’m not as surprised as you because I knew this already. He’s an evil man.”
She turned back to the book, her hands shaking as she held the pages. “‘Sampson exploits his prisoners to enact revenge. Occasionally one will be found haunting the outskirts of a town, only to be recognized as a beloved friend of someone living there. If any of Sampson’s traitors left a lover behind in Pria, they can almost be certain to meet him (or her) as a deranged killer sent to finish them. If a confrontation takes place, they are left with a heart-wrenching decision: kill the loved one, or be killed by him or her.’”
Alina jumped off the bed and darted to the bathroom, her sob escaping her mouth before she could close the door behind her. She crumbled to her knees and muffled her cry in her tight fist.
The repercussions for leaving Zaiden behind were worse than she imagined. Endless life in a dungeon seemed merciful now. She gripped her hair at the scalp and wept.
The serum! I’ll get back at Sampson by helping Lance. She took out the vial from her pocket and held it against the side of her nose until it spilled over.
Rex left the apartment, his fingers tapping on the door as he passed, and a few moments later she heard a soft knock.
“Come in,” Alina choked out. Jade entered and gently pulled Alina up, leading her back into the room. She helped her onto the bed and sat crossed-legged next to her.
“Maybe I read too much tonight,” she whispered.
Alina shook her head. “You can’t hide the truth from me. The sooner I know, the better. The hardest part is, I finally accepted I might never see him again.” Her voice shook as the tears returned.
It was true, she had accepted this, but Zaiden still occupied her mind every free moment. “I–I don’t think I could bear seeing him like that when it’s my fault he’s imprisoned in the
