Zoey Jadeburst's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

The passage narrowed fast. Zoey squeezed through sideways, one hand trailing the rough stone wall, the other still gripping the painted doll. Heat pressed against her face. The glow ahead got brighter with each step, orange light bouncing off jagged rock. Then the cave opened wide and Zoey stopped dead. A cottage stood in the middle of the cavern, moss dripping from its roof, bright red mushrooms sprouting in clusters. The structure blocked the passage completely, wedged between stone walls like it had grown there. Puppies were everywhere. A pack of them sprawled across the cottage steps, curled in window boxes, digging at the base of the chimney. A huge black bloodhound lifted its head from the doorway and stared at her with yellow eyes. Behind the cottage, she could see where the cave continued — but there was no way around. The only path forward went straight through. Zoey took a step closer. The bloodhound stood, and the other puppies scrambled to attention. Her chest tightened. These animals had taken her daughter. Now they were in her way. She could force through, scatter them, tear down whatever they'd built — but the cottage looked unstable, propped against crumbling rock. One wrong move and the whole passage might come down. She'd be trapped. Or worse, her daughter would be sealed off on the other side forever. She crouched low and set the doll on the ground between herself and the bloodhound. The big dog sniffed forward, cautious. Zoey stayed still, every muscle screaming at her to shove past, to fight. But she waited. The bloodhound nosed the doll, then looked back at the cottage. It barked once, sharp and clear. The other puppies scattered to the sides, clearing a narrow path along the cottage wall. The bloodhound picked up the doll in its jaws and walked through the doorway, tail low. Zoey followed, heart hammering. Inside, the cottage was hollow, just a frame. Pasta and scattered debris filled the far corner in a strange pile, tangled with small white shapes that looked like skulls and bright red hearts. The bloodhound dropped the doll at the base of the pile and sat. Zoey grabbed it and kept moving. The cave opened again on the other side. She'd made it through — but now she knew. The puppies weren't just destroyers. They were protecting something.