Duessa stops at a surprising destination in the next part of ‘Be My Valentine…Snack’.
“Ah, here we are!” Duessa stopped at a lane lined with trees. A tiny cottage covered with vines nestled between two conical shrubberies at the end of the walkway.
Peter stumbled to a stop beside her.
“I didn’t know you lived in Omphalos.” I stared at the tiny flowers budding on vines wrapped around the white walls of Duessa’s dwelling.
There was no hint of anything sinister about the arachnocrat’s Place of Power at first glance. I studied the dusty red door, coated with grime. Delicate spiderwebs trailed an intricate lacework around the cottage’s overhanding porch.
“I don’t.” Duessa released Peter.
She glided up to the doorway, burgundy skirts rustling around. The lady lifted a gloved hand to touch the door, only glance back with a slight smile. “This is a short cut I take to get to my Place of Power via my Omphalos Door.
Duessa controlled a Door, a portal to the Shadow Forest. This meant I’d be passing through it.
Fear and hope churned in my belly, rising to pulse in my temples. I had no desire to return to the Shadow Forest, yet I’d could draw upon considerable power myself there.
It just needed to be strong enough to counter whatever Duessa had lying in wait in her lair.
