I looked at him in surprise, and barely managed to breathe normally. Some dull part of me whispered, we were right all along. He really is working against us.

I looked back at Ebony's pale face, studying him closely. His face...had changed. He no longer had the sweet, kind face that I had known. Now his face was marked with cruelty and death.  This was not Ebony, I reminded myself firmly. This was a new type of threat, one that takes form when you least expect it.

Ebony was still staring up at me, gauging my reaction. He seemed mildly unsatisfied, and I noticed Drake and Ryder trying to shuffle away from him and into the forest. I focused on Drake's face, and thought I saw a faint trace of a smile. I frowned in thought, but then pushed my attention back to Ebony.

If I could just distract him for a few more moments, then Drake and Ryder could escape. I nodded to myself, and opened my mouth to speak. However, Ebony was not staring at me anymore. He was fumbling around in his pocket.

He pulled out a thin, dart-like object. Ebony looked directly at me, and just for a second, I saw a glimpse of the real Ebony.

But then a small, sharp object impaled my skin. I looked down as my vision started to wobble, and saw the same thin object piercing my skin. I laughed weakly and thought to myself, it actually was a dart. A wave of darkness overwhelmed me, and I saw no more.

I slowly peeled my eyes open, and looked blearily around my surroundings. Rock surrounded me, and a cold, dusty feeling filled the air.

I felt a steady rhythm below me, jolting through my body. I looked down, but my heart jumped into my throat when I realized that I wss being carried.

I squinted, trying to make out who was carrying me. The face looked...familiar, somehow. I quietly angled myself to get a better view of the man.

Panic struck me as the man came into better view and his face was revealed. Ebony. I stayed still, and noticed that he was actually carrying me quite gentle.

"Do you want to walk?" Ebony's low voice rumbled.

I shrugged, but realized that he probably couldn't see my gesture. "I don't care."

He nodded curtly, and with a groan, he placed me down onto the hard floor. I unlatched my arms from his neck, and slid off of him. I brushed off my clothes.

As I looked closer at my clothes, I realized that they had changed. I now wore the exact same robe as Ebony, except it was red in color.

I turned to Ebony, and pleaded with him to let me go. When he didn't budge, I begged, "At least tell me where I am."

He sighed, and his eyes darted back and forth quickly. "We are in the darkest dungeon of the Vengeful world."

I closed my eyes, stopping tears from flowing. My voice wavered, "You got us through? How? I thoguht you said you didn't like--"

Ebony muffled my mouth with his hands. "Sshh--" he hissed, "do you want everyone to know what I think about Death. I'm here undercover. Once I take your power, I will finally be able to overthrow Death and rule the Vengeful world."

"And I will be dead."

He looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, once you take my power, I will die."

He laughed. I noticed that instead of his normal laugh, the laugh was more sinister. "Heavens no. Or rather, Hell no. You'll just be returned to your normal state as a human. I swear on my death threat to the King."

I nodded, relieved. But then I thought of getting home and actually explaining all of this to my mom. I had been gone for  one month without any traces, signs, or clues. I would surely be grounded, but that was the least of my problems now.

I turned toward Ebony. "OK. I somewhat understand your plan. But just in case I die in the process, is there any way that you can erase me from my mother's memory?"

He nodded, sadness filling his eyes. "Of course. I will give her a bit of the Origul potion. All I need is a piece of your hair in order for her to forget you."

I studied him wearily. "How do I know you won't just erase everyone's memory?"

He sighed. "I swear I won't. Plus, to do it on that big a scale, I would need your whole head of hair. This is just for one dose."

I nodded, and ripped a piece of my auburn hair out. I placed the piece into Ebony's outstretched hand. He put the piece in his robe, and roughly pushed me into a cell.

He pushed the door closed, and locked the door with three silver keys. I pulled and pushed against the bars, but I knew that it wouldn't work. My stomach growled in annoyance.

Ebony was already walking out of the dungeon doors. "Wait, Ebony! Please!"

He slowly spin around, looking quite annoyed. "What?"

"Could you get me some food and water?"

He sighed. "I'll be back in one minute." He pivoted and strolled out.

I sighed, and sat down on the floor. A cloud of dust rose up. I coughed deeply, wishing that I had stayed home that first day I met Ebony.

Ebony came back with a jug of water and a platter of steaming food. He unlocked the door, making sure not to open it more than he needed.

The scents wrapped around my nose, and my mouth watered. He came into the cell, and placed the water and the food onto the ground. Then, he sat down and observed me eat.

I looked at him for a while, but then I gave into hunger and began to dive into my food.

There were steaks, corn, rice, beans, bread, grapes, and an ice cream sundae. Each one was mouthwateringly delicious, and each filled my appetite.

By the time I had finished the entire platter, the entire jug of water  was empty. I sighed contently, and rubbed my now-full stomach.

Ebony hadn't stopped watching me throughout the entire meal. Now, he took the empty platter and jug. He stood up, getting ready to leave.

I pulled his sleeve, dragging him back to the floor. He looked surprised, and searched my eyes for explantation.

Without thinking, I pushed my lips onto his. He was rigid, but after a few moments, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned into the kiss, feeling better than I ever had.

After five minutes, I let go. Ebony looked into my eyes lovingly. But a second later, he fell limp to the ground.