The guard's voice boomed, close and confident, on the other side of the heavy wooden door.
"Nice try, Rex. This door is steel-lined. And I've got a gun. You go back the way you came, or you wait there until I decide to open this and collect you."
Rex stood still in the dark, narrow tunnel. Luna was right behind him, holding Clara tight. The water was slowly rising, now covering his shins.
He thinks he has me. He thinks this is a perfect lock. But Julian made this a trap just for me. The skull and crown mark I put on the wall—the mark of the Ghost King—it wasn't for fun. It was a secret sign.
Rex, younger and scrawny, was painting the symbol next to this very door. Julian was watching, smiling. “Always mark your escape routes, Rex. But only the ones you can lock behind you. This old lev
