Cosmo Prison - Book 1: The Edge of Earth

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

*Jack Frost*

Trying to ignore the chattering of my teeth and the chill in my bones, I pull Leo along with me as I stumble through the dense undergrowth, feeling as if I were a blind camel navigating the Arctic.

We’re very near Christy’s fortress -- I can feel its miasmatic manifestation lurking in the darkness, a panther waiting to strike. It takes all of my will not to turn and flee.

The mission, I remind myself. I have to stop Christy; only then will Courtney be safe.

A tiny voice nags at the back of my mind. What if it’s too late? You’re not around to protect her anymore. How do you know Christy hasn’t gotten her already?

I oppress the thought. I can’t afford to think like that.

Leo breaks the silence. “How much longer?” His voice seems to be muffled by the darkness.

“Not too far,” I answer. “Almost there.”

“Yeah,” he says. “I can feel it. It’s so cold.”

I nod absentmindedly, letting the silence fall back upon us once more. We trek on wordlessly until we emerge from the forest.

And my jaw drops.

Christy’s fortress is looming as far up as the eye can see, right in front of us, its smooth obsidian walls radiating pure malevolence. It’s so massive, so overwhelming that it almost blocks out the starlit sky.

Leo vocalizes my thoughts. “Holy. Shiz.”

I give myself a few seconds to stare, then force myself to snap out of it. “Okay. Big black tower thing. What do we do now?”

As if the fortress has heard me, the gates creep open, revealing an interior not unlike the maw of a lion. An all-consuming vengeful black hole, and we’ve got to enter. As my pupils adjust to the shadows, I manage to make out a slim, feminine figure standing within. Christy.

I turn to Leo, seeing my own fear and awe reflected in his eyes. His mouth is still gaping. Gently, I reach out and shut it.

“I guess we go in.”

*Christy Qian*

My eyes narrow as I instantly recognize Leo Qi, the insolent boy whom Sid captured and brought to me -- the boy who turned my own servants against me.

He will pay for that.

Accompanying him is another boy, Japanese something-or-other, short dark hair framing a pale face. I don’t recall seeing him before.

Before I can question him, however, he calls out to me, “Christy? Is that you?”

Slowly, I step forward to reveal myself. “I am she.”

The Japanese boy strides towards me boldly, Leo trailing behind him hesitantly. “I brought someone to visit you.”

“I see.” I’m careful to keep my face completely placid. “And who are you to come traipsing into my fortress with one of my worst enemies?”

He doesn’t flinch. “I’m Jack Frost.”

I snort with derision. “No, really.”

“Yes, really,” he replies, raising an eyebrow and mirroring my tone. “My name is Jack Frost.”

“Very confident, aren’t you?” I say in a mocking voice. “We’ll see about that. What are you doing here?”

“I told you,” Jack says. “People told me you were looking for Leo, so I brought him.”