WALL MEN: A Haunted House (The Wall Men 1)

“As you wish.” Alwar raises his arm.

My eyes go wide. “No! No! Please don’t drop m—”

I fall backwards, my arms windmilling. I hit the water, which is thankfully warm, but I land at the worst kind of angle. Instead of a belly flop, it’s a back flop. The wind is knocked right out of me, and I go under.

I can’t breathe, and while that might be a good thing at the moment, the panic is instant. I try to suck in air where there’s none.

Fingers wrap around my body and lift me out just as I gasp and successfully take a lungful of air.

“Are you all right?” Alwar’s giant blue eyes are inches from my face.

I reach out and slam my fist into his nose. “You sonofabitch!”

He smiles. “You are fine.”

“No. I’m not fine. What the hell was that? I could’ve died.”

Master barks violently from somewhere in the room. Now he’s chastising the warlord.

“I would never allow that to happen, not while you are under my care.”

I sit up in his hand, dripping wet and smelling worse than ever. Wet garbage comes to mind. “Why would I believe you when you brought me here to die?” I yell.

“Watching you die is the last thing on my mind. I brought you here to win and live a long life. In fact, nothing would please me more than seeing you have many strong babies. I’d give them to you myself if I could. That is how much I admire your strength and beauty.”

I freeze. “What?”

“I said that I would bed you. A thousand times if I could. I find you very beaut—”

“Alwar! It is happening.” Tiago appears in the doorway. “Why is she wet and still smelling so bad?”

“Never mind. What is happening?” Alwar says.

“The Mountain People are climbing the outer stairs to the keep, carrying ladders and heavy weapons.”

“The Mountain People? You mean all two of them?” Alwar asks.

“Thousands, Alwar. There are thousands.”

“I do not understand.” Alwar sets me down on the stone floor beside the tub. “Only a few got away.”

“Those few have been busy the past one hundred years.”

I remember Uhrn telling me how Alwar ran the Mountain People off. I assumed it was a few decades ago at most. But if they’ve “been busy” for a hundred years, then how old is Alwar?

Does it matter?

Because from the confused look on Alwar’s face, I can tell we’re in deep shit.

“They have already taken out twenty of our men,” Tiago adds.

“Twenty?” Alwar says.

I’m grasping that it’s unheard of.

“Fucking Blood King.” Alwar rubs his forehead. “Leave it to him to find a way around the Proxy Vow.”

“What’s going on?” I ask.

For the first time ever, Alwar looks at me like I’m his ally. Not an “it,” not a proxy, but like an equal. “His human assassin failed at killing you. This is his plan B—the Mountain People never took the Proxy Vow. They can war with anyone they like, exterminate any kingdom they like.” Alwar looks at Tiago. “Everyone to the gate. Direct the weapons at the stairs. Place the rest of the keep in lockdown.”

“On it.” Tiago holds up a key ring the size of a hula hoop with hundreds of skeleton keys. “What about her?” Tiago asks.

Alwar looks down at me, charged with intense emotion. “You will have to get to safety and cross the bridge, Lake.”

“You said I wasn’t strong enough.”

“Let us hope I was wrong. Come quickly,” Alwar says.

Tiago marches, and Alwar follows, the two discussing how many men are manning the gate and the stations inside the wall.

It never occurred to me that when those Fliers attacked, the harpoons were operated by his men. Those stations stretched for miles in both directions, which means thousands of War People must be here.

It’s a massive city.

No wonder Alwar wants to defend it. His people live here. It makes perfect sense. What better place for a people who live for fighting than our worlds’ biggest fortress.

Master follows close behind me, the hair on his back standing straight up like a mohawk. I’ve never seen him do that.

“Master, whatever happens, just please act like a normal dog. I’m begging you.”

He ignores me, and it’s just what I need.

I follow Tiago and Alwar up a narrow staircase, but instead of heading to the bedroom where I’ve been staying, they go in the opposite direction.

We stop at the first door.

Tiago takes the huge key ring and unlocks the door. How did he know which one to use?

“Hurry.” Alwar waves me inside the room.

I’m too afraid to question, so I go in and stand in the middle of the empty room. I honestly don’t know what I’m looking at. The wall in front of me is filled with hundreds of wooden doors—some as tall as Alwar, some as short as me, each with a keyhole.