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

her towel with its slime.
    No…
    This was a dream. Her mother wasn’t here—no one was.  
    It’s not real. She reminded herself.  
    This was all in her head. In her heart, she wished her mom was there to stand next to her and she regretted ever giving Silvia a hard time for having called her.
    Evvie backed up, the need to get to get out and away from the situation was overwhelming. The mud suctioned her feet to the earth, urging her to stay, not willing to surrender its hold. Tugging on her legs in an attempt to escape from the mire, she panicked. It refused to let go.
    A bright light flashed nearly blinding her.
    Lightning?
    Slowly, she was able to move one foot, then the other, making progress one inch at a time. Her blood coursed violently through her veins as she fought to be free, its thrumming, a never ceasing beat, pounded in time with each step. It was much harder going back than coming in as she fought against the pull of the sinister force.
    Running as fast as her feet would carry her, Evvie darted around the twisted trees, jumping over the gnarled roots that threatened to reach up and grab her. Breathless, she burst through and stopped on the sharp glassy trail before bending over and resting her hands on her knees, panting. Thin cuts stung her arms.
    Straightening up, she opened her arms wide and turned slowly in a circle facing every direction.  
    “I’d like to wake up now!” she yelled into the empty wasteland.
    As she expected, the only thing that greeted her was a deafening silence. This was her nightmare. A pleasant dream would have given her comfort, a friend, the sun… and clothes. The towel should have tipped her off.
    “I need to wake up… but how? Bringing one hand up to the other arm, she pinched hard. “Ouch!” She cried out, massaging the pain from her arm. “Well, that didn’t work.”
    Time to find my bathroom door and get the heck out of this creepy place.
    “Where is the door?”
    Evvie scanned the area. She couldn’t remember if there had even been a door once she’d stepped through.
    Everything looked the same, how would she figure out where she started? Turning to the right, she took a few steps and stopped to look behind her. The bathroom door she’d walked through was nowhere in sight, vanished as if she’d materialized in this place from thin air. Hopelessness embedded itself in her heart.
    Moving off the path to the nearest knotted tree, Evvie fisted her hands in her hair and pulled, letting out a frustrated growl.  
    “Arrug! What is this place?” she demanded from the emptiness.
    The realization of how she got here hit her—she’d used the key, but it was gone now and even if she did have it, where would she use it.
    Did this dream have rules it expected her to follow? Why couldn’t there just be a door on the path and the key in her hand?
    “It doesn’t make sense!” she whimpered, dropping to her knees.  
    Scooting backward, she pressed her spine against the trunk of a charred tree and pulled her legs up in front of her wrapping her arms around them. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she squeezed them shut, letting the salty liquid slide down her cheek.
    Evvie let herself cry until there was nothing left.
    How had a dream that had been interesting, unique, fascinating even, turned into a nightmare so quickly? She wanted to go home, to wake up and to be wearing something other than her blue towel with yellow ducks. It left her feeling exposed and more vulnerable than she was okay with.
    This is exactly like one of those nightmares about showing up to school naked.  
    The only thing she had to be thankful for was the absence of dozens of people, pointing and laughing at her.
    Stop crying. It’s just a crap dream and your emotions are all over the place. Freaking out won’t help . She admonished herself. It’s a dream. Pick something to do and if it’s interesting, I’ll wake up… that’s how dreams work, the second you want them to continue, they