Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key) by Skeleton Key, Ali Winters Read Free Book Online Page A

violent existence.
    Everything she saw was void of any signs of life and nothing moved, time stood still, trapped in a never-ending moment in the most desolate winter, frozen in a single moment of time. But even that was wrong, as flakes continued to fall from above, dancing and swirling in a non-existent wind, independent of the world around them.
    Ice formed in knife-like shards, growing up from the ground as though it were organic. Stalagmites climbed, source-less, from the soil, striking in their glistening, and dangerous beauty.
    “Weirdest dream ever,” Evvie mumbled under her breath. The dreamscape took her breath away as she took it all in. Everything about it was unusual and different.
    The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, as an unmistakable feeling that she was being watched, crawled over her skin and wrapped itself around her like an anaconda squeezing its prey, ready to devour it at any second.
    Evvie spun around as the snap of a branch sounded behind her.
    “Hello? Is someone out there?” Her voice echoed in the empty space as she called out into the dark stillness of the night. White smoky plumes of her breath curled before her eyes, dissipating into the air.  
    Paranoia reared its head, as thoughts of strange unknown beasts lurking in the shadows came to mind, waiting for her to get close enough—claws reaching out, catching her and slicing at her. The shapes of her imagination twisted and morphed into more familiar shapes—shapes of insane men escaped from a horror movie formed to take their place. “Stop it, you’re freaking yourself out,” she scolded.
    A branch from a tree moved, lowering and then slowly rising, Evvie’s eyes widened as she watched the invisible force move the limb.
    “Who’s there?”
    Only silence answered.
    “Look, I know you’re there. Come out and show yourself!” She turned in a slow circle. “Answer me!”
    Still, nothing but an unnatural emptiness was the only reply.
    “This is just a dream. This is just a dream,” she chanted over and over, wanting to believe the words, but the rapid racing of her heart told her it was the last thing her mind was willing to do.  
    The open vastness of this frightening world left her exposed, and helpless, like a haunted house gone wrong. All the fears normally trapped in the winding dark halls and rooms were now in the wide open—something Evvie would have thought would lessen the fear, in fact only increased the terror she felt by adding the vast open space making her feel even more vulnerable.  
    Logic here, in this place, didn’t stand a chance against her imagination.
    Shelter, I need to find shelter. I need to stop and think. Find a way out. I can do this. I can do this.  
    Her thoughts rushed through her mind in a jumbled to do list.  
    Safety—I have to find a safe place to think. I need to think.
    “Why are you out here alone?”
    Evvie turned, facing the way too familiar voice. Her mother, dressed in all black—a far cry from her usual colorful wardrobe—stood yards away, her hand resting casually against a dark, twisted trunk.
    “Mom?” Evvie reached her hand out and stepped forward. The second she’d moved, her mother turned and walked behind a tree.
    “Mom!” she cried and ran in the direction that she’d disappeared in. Evvie followed her away from the path. The trees grew thicker as she chased on. “Mom, where are you going? Wait for me!”
    “Hurry,” her mom’s voice called to her, laughing as if this were nothing more than a fun game.
    She broke through the thick copse of trees, her feet splashing into the edges of a vast bog. Reeds sprouted through tall withered grass, reaching toward the black sky.
    Branches scratched, clawing at her arms like talons.  
    Why isn’t she waiting for me?
    Tears burned her eyes as grimy water splashed up over her ankles, but she couldn’t catch up. She moved deeper into the slimy marsh, the water moving up to her mid-thigh and darkening the edge of