Little Saint Bride [Death and the Maiden, #1]

Chapter 6: Cave Canem

'That thing likes you?' Mercer says accusingly, 'And you're stroking him?'

'This is Cerberus, and he's not a thing! He's a he!'

Cerberus whines, and his heads shake in a way suspiciously like he's saying no.

'Not a he...?' I say, wondering if he understands. 'A...a she?'

Cerberus gives a happy woof.

'I'm so sorry, girl!' I clap her on her sides, tickling her playfully. The dog yips and nuzzles me back. Mercer is watching us as if he can't believe what he's seeing.

'I think I preferred it when it was trying to kill us,' he says, and Cerberus stops playing to give him a surprisingly human glare.

'Ignore him,' I say to her, 'I do. It's for his own good.'

The dog snorts with all three noses.

'Don't start ganging up on me! First it was you and Hadrian, now you and a bloody animal!'

I turn my back to the complaining boy, exaggerating a huff, and Cerberus shifts to face away as well.

'Do you know how to get to the palace, Cerberus?' I ask, and the dog looks down at me, knowing. She leans into a stretch with her front paws, and glances at me as if to say, get on then.

I place my hand on her strong shoulders, and pull myself up in one motion. I swing my leg over her, so I straddle her middle, and I rub her neck in thanks.

'Can Mercer get on too, Cerberus?' I ask her gently, and the boy comes waddling up to her side.

'Please!' he says, 'Don't leave me here...I'll...give you all my leftovers?'

The dog looks thoughtful.

A pair of shoes and several promises later, and Mercer has given up anything remotely delicious to Cerberus in return for his travel fare. Barefoot, he now clambers up behind me, slipping and pulling at Cerberus's fur in a way that makes her flinch and yowl. I hoist him by the arm, and he manages to land sat at my back, his shaky arms wrapping around my waist.

And Cerberus begins to move.

She moves fluidly, more like a giant cat than any dog, prowling over the end of the bridge and into the land of the Underworld.

And the mist fades as we enter.

The pathway is rocky and narrow, and lined by lanterns that light up as we move through it. The land is dark, as if night is only ever cast here; a great moon sits low in the sky, lying crookedly and tinted pale and red. The reddish glow illuminates the kingdom below, set overlooking the waterfalls of the Afterlife and amid the rush of the waters. As Cerberus continues to walk, the kingdom becomes larger, and buildings become distinguishable from the dark shapes they had been before. Rows of slanted houses and streets, all amassing towards the foci of the kingdom, a great turreted palace of dark stone and brightly burning torches.

The palace is large, but surrounding it is the largest drawbridge and gardens I've ever seen. Leafless trees shoot into the sky, identifiable only from their spindled branches that haunt the town. Frost crunches underfoot. Plinths line the road that runs into it, signifying that the person that lives there is not only important, but godly.

And now I live there.

I swallow. Hard.

Forever.

As we pass through the houses, I notice shadows stepping from them, curious to see us. A whisper arises from the figures, but they do not take form; I realise that they are shadows, shaped like humans. The lights that awaken as we pass seem to wake the whole town, and soon crowds of shadows are coming to watch proud Cerberus and the two humans astride her back.

'What is this place?' I hear Mercer whisper, and his hands grip my waist a little too tightly.

For once, I don't have a snappy retort for him. My throat is dry, and my energy has lagged since seeing the enormity of my task. And as to the shadows...I can only guess as to who and what they are.

'It's the palace,' I whisper in reply. 'The King lives there.'

Mercer double-takes. 'Your husband? That's his house?'

A small sardonic smile tries to creep across my face. House?

I can think of many ways to describe the picturesque castle on the cliffs in front of us, but "home" is not one of them.

Prison was one of them.

We reach the drawbridge, and someone must have seen the giant dog, because it soon comes clinking down, the great chains running free as the boards slam to let us pass. Cerberus bounds across the bridge, and my thighs ache from trying to stay on her back.

At the entrance of the palace, Cerberus stretches down once more. Getting the idea, I jump in an expert fashion to the ground beside her, and Mercer falls beside me.

'Thank you,' I say to the beautiful dog. 'Can you stay with us? Or do you need to return?'

The dog whines, one of her heads nudging me. She was telling me to go inside.

'Okay, okay,' I agree, before turning to rap my hands three times on the ornate metal door.

As we wait for an answer, my mind trails to my attire, which has grown considerably shabbier over the journey. My corset is now ripped and torn in several places, my stockings are filthy, and my hair is a mess of tangles down my back. I'm certain that there's mud smears across my cheeks, but I set my jaw, stand up straight, and hope for the best.

The door slowly swings open, and my heart rises in my chest.

Is this it?

Am I about to meet the man that cost me my life?

--

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger! But finally...the moment you've all been waiting for (okay, maybe just me...)!

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the long delay on updating- I normally update once a week, but I'm busy revising for 3rd year finals, and writing has to get pushed to the back of the queue :/

What do you think of Cerberus? If you haven't heard of him, he's a three-headed hellhound in Greek/Roman mythology, and has been used over the years by many writers (Fluffy in Harry Potter, for instance).

Did you like it?

What do you think will happen next?

Please click the star if you enjoyed! It makes me smile!

Larissa xxx