Free Caged by Damnation by J. D. Stroube Page A

wondered where Death had disappeared to and prayed his absence meant that this wasn't his home, too. Continuing down the main passage, I passed many branches and wondered where they led. Pushing them from my mind, I decided to explore those areas later.
    While the hallway looked as if I would meet a dead end, I found that it was a trick of the eye. Once I reached what should have been the end, I could see two narrow passages branching in either direction. They curved in a circular pattern before opening into a large chamber. If not for a frigid floor, ceiling, and walls, it could have been a cozy cottage.
    Two doors as tall as the ceiling guarded the room. I grasped the cold iron rings that served as handles and strained to open them, but they must have been locked from the other side. Beside a fireplace was another set of doors made of stained oak, barely six feet tall. Walking through, I found a library larger than I could have imagined. It seemed that the never-ending walls were lined with books – an entire solar system of books. A floor glowed a calla lily-white, and the ceiling was a complex array of darkness and stars.
    Transfixed by the mirage of stars, the scent of old parchment, and the luminosity of the floor, I moved slowly through the door. Afraid that this was only a dream, I grazed my fingers against the smooth surface of leather binding. This was the room of my dreams, a place where I could connect with the world and yet remain apart. To gaze on the same stars as everyone else, but curl up with a book and descend into a new life filled with adventure, friendships, and love.
    "This is my favorite room too." Death's voice was husky, with a hint of fatigue. "Every book that was ever written, dreamed of, or planned is in this library. It's a collection of manuscripts that no other possesses."
    I thought I heard a hint of pride in his tone. "How do you know all of them are here? Maybe you missed a few?"
    I continued my path along the wall until I reached a window that made me pause. Outside was a garden of graceful beauty, captivating and alluring – but it had to be fake. We were in a coal mine. How could a garden or ceiling of stars exist in a coal mine?
    The footsteps behind me grew louder with Death's approach until I was certain he was directly behind me. "I never miss anything."
    Turning quickly, I flashed an arrogant smile. "You forgot me. You had no clue I existed. If you didn't know about me, how do you know there isn't a book rotting away somewhere that you haven't found?" I knew that I was purposefully antagonizing him, but something about him drew out the worst in me.
    Death leaned forward until his eyes were a few inches away. Up close, I could see that his brown eyes weren't brown at all. His irises contained continuous spirals of color swimming within one another. While the brown dominated the other colors, I could make out hues of blue, green, and traces of gray.
    "Now what makes you think I forgot about you?" 
    Something changed in the atmosphere, bringing with it a sense of danger, and an electric charge. Stepping back, my heel collided with the small ledge at the base of the window.
    Death shook his head and belted out a laugh I never would have thought possible coming from him. His laughter was smothered as fast as it had begun. "Willow, I have a difficult time believing that anyone could forget you."
    "That is not funny."
    I pushed my palms against his chest, but he wouldn't move, keeping a rock-like stance with his head bowed. Almost black, his dark caramel hair hung loose around his face.
    "I never said it was."
    "What? Oh, you make no sense! If you're going to talk, can you at least try to be coherent?" I hadn't had much experience with men, but I was starting to understand why women spent so much time complaining about them.
    Death sighed, causing my hair to tickle my cheek. "What do you see when you look out the window?"
    His question left me off balance. Turning, I looked back out the