Chapter 40
I wrench myself away from Alexis’s grasp and bolt through the cavern, my feet skid on loose stones, but I manage to keep upright.
Keep running.
Shouts echo in my wake, voices claw at my name—"Theo.
Theo, stop."—but I can't stop. There's no time.
Something buried deep within that glow pulses in sync with my spark, making it throb and flare inside my chest. Every fiber of my being, every cell in my body, screams for one thing, one burning need: the light.
The light. I have to reach it. It's calling to me and I will answer that call.
Suddenly, I'm yanked backwards, hard. My feet slide out from under me, and I slam onto my back, the impact pounding the air from my lungs in a massive gasp. Above me, a swirling vortex of magic gathers, roiling and boiling like thunderclouds before a storm unleashes hell.
"Theo!"
—Nymph!—
“Dud!” My vision blurs, and I see Cosmo looming over me, his face furious. "Snap her out of it," he yells. I feel hands grabbing at me. Alexis and Ludo are there too, their expressions frantic as they try to haul me away.
But no one can take me from here; this is where I'm meant to be. I thrash and fight, as a familiar voice whispers in my head —what’s wrong, nymph?— but I don't answer. The magic that keeps slamming into my chest is fueling me, giving me the raw power to tear myself free from Ludo's immense grip.
The energy: it's flowing through me, part of me now.
The chorus of male voices escalates, but I tune them out, the world narrowing to just the pulsing glow. I'm back on my feet, only yards away from reaching… it.
No! I'm tackled again, and two large hands cup my face, their touch surprisingly gentle amidst the chaos. "Pulu, stop, please fucking stop." Alexis's desperate words tickle at my consciousness, but I still fight, the magic needing me. It's almost pulling me apart, but it feels right.
"Hold her down," a voice barks, as my stumbling feet try to break free once more. "Little dud, don't do this." Another arm snakes around my waist, a tight band of restraint.
—Nymph—
A hand presses firmly against my back, grounding me.
And as abruptly as the compulsion seized me, it vanishes. "Don't let me go," I croak, my voice raw and shaky. I'm terrified. I need them. Alexis goes to push Cosmo away, his protective instincts flaring. "No! Stop! I need him too," I scream.
I need all of them. Their combined strength. Their anchors.
"I'm here," Cosmo replies, his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tight and secure. "I'm not going anywhere.”
"Pulu, are you okay?" Alexis asks softly, his voice laced with concern.
Am I okay? No. No, I am not, most definitely. What just happened? What was that?
“Tell us what's going on,” he continues. “How can we help you?"
“I-I don't know. I had to get to the light, and now? Now I don't. But if you let me go, if any of you let me go…"
Alexis's gaze flicks over my head, and I feel a silent communication passing between the three men. "We won't let you go, Theo."
“What the fuck were you playing at?" Cosmo growls, his grip tightening.
"Cut the crap," Alexis snaps, his voice sharp. "Stop acting like you don't give a damn when it's obvious you do. Theo, can you tell us anything more?"
I shake my head, the movement sluggish, as if my neck muscles have turned to jelly. "It was my body, like it had a mind of its own. Not like I was possessed, but I truly think my body was trying to tell me something. To go somewhere."
—Tell you what, nymph?—
"I don't know, Lu." I shake my head again, and tears well up in my eyes, hot and stinging. "Gods, what’s happening to me? And why does it feel right to have you all holding me, but it also feels so fucking wrong?"
A tiny piece of Cosmo’s frustration bleeds into my brain; his unspoken words are sharp, cutting at me.
—Little idiot…danger…stupid…dud— I squeeze my eyes shut, but that doesn't stop the onslaught.
I can't close my ears, can't shut down my mind.
I'm raw, exposed, every inner thought around me a brutal, unfiltered wave.
—fucking dynamite this place..not safe—
—put her in danger…I failed—
—idiot…won't listen to me…hates me—
And then there's something else, a voice I've never heard before, a cool, resonant whisper threading through the chaos.
—Theodora—
“Yes?” I whisper.
—You’re finally here. I’ve waited so long—
“Who are you?” I ask.
Alexis’s hand tightens on my shoulder. “Who are you talking to, Pulu?”
I wait for the strange voice to answer, but it’s silent.
“Little dud?”
—Nymph—
And then something happens. A burning in my gut, a churning, searing feeling in my chest, like a thousand stampeding animals desperate to burst free, surges through every corner of my being.
It's a primal, overwhelming force. My body is filled with roaring winds and heaving oceans, a cosmic maelstrom.
The rocks beneath my feet start to tremble, vibrating with immense power.
Behind my closed eyelids, lights explode, dazzlingly bright, a supernova of lilac and gold.
“Don’t let her go,” someone screams, fear raw in their tone.
“She’s too strong.”
—NYMPH!—
—Come, Theodora—
I open my eyes.
The entire cavern, perhaps the entire world, is filled with the beautiful light of dancing lilac tendrils. They curl around my legs, so I don’t even feel the three men desperately trying to cling onto my body as I move. Lavender strands weave and form an archway, and beyond that, a set of stairs.
—Theodora, it’s time—The voice is a direct command now, full of ancient authority.
The scent of salt spray and sunshine fills the air, along with a rich, earthy musk, a paradox of sensations that pulls me deeper.
I step over the threshold, then place one foot after the other, moving down, down, down.
Somewhere at the back of my brain, a faint echo of consciousness, I can still feel the three men.
Their hands have not left my body, and it’s right that they accompany me.
The lights rush faster, swirling round and around—dizzying, beautiful madness.
And then we’re falling.