Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Kallie
Rage boils my insides, melting everything to a puddle of goo in the pit of my stomach as we silently continue through the forest. Ambroyss. My own father—for all biological purposes— is the one that kept me. Tortured me.
No. It was Callum. It was both of them. Callum earned my trust, let me believe I was safe, and now, all the comments about him being a traitor? All the disgusted looks, stares? They all make sense. I was just too blind to see the truth that was staring me right in the face.
“What do you mean it was yours?” Odeyssa finally asks, keeping a few paces between us.
My steps come to a halt, and I turn to face her. I don’t speak for a moment, letting the gravity of this confession weigh on my shoulders a moment longer before exposing what feels like another sin. “Ambroyss. He’s the one who took me.”
“But I thought—”
“Technically, he took me. But it was under Ambroyss’s order,” I clarify, not wanting to speak his name into existence.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter now. However, finding my necklace does.
So let’s just focus on that.” Because if I focus on the former, I might break from knowing that not only did he betray me, but my own father did as well.
And why? Because of some stupid, ancient prophecy?
Her eyes bounce side to side, wheels turning as she begins putting the pieces together. “So that means…” She trails off, her eyes finding mine with a look of pity.
“Yes.” I push through gritted teeth. “I’m the princess that supposedly died in that fire.” The silence is deafening while watching her process the information. But she must absorb it well, because she doesn’t ask questions. She doesn’t say anything.
I’m relieved because it’s a topic I would rather not talk about right now. I don’t wait any longer. Instead, I turn on my heels and focus on where we’re going to sleep tonight.
The trees became barren miles ago, and if I didn’t know any better—and if I didn’t have Voraxis flying overhead—I would’ve thought we were walking in circles.
It happened suddenly. First, the trees and bushes became scarce, leaving us nothing to look at other than the dry, splintered earth. Then, slowly, the ground became covered in dense fog, causing our movements to slow.
Thunder crackles above. I’m coming down. We need to find shelter. Voraxis’s voice rattles inside my skull. I don’t know what shelter he’s talking about. There’s nothing here, unless he thinks the fog will protect us.
Like someone was listening, the fog rises to my right, catching my attention. It moves up, like it’s going over a wall, dancing along nothing until it finally settles and presents a cave nestled into the mountainside that wasn’t there moments ago.
There is no time for me to voice any concerns. Another rumble of thunder sounds, and instantly, we’re being drenched by the rain. Voraxis lands nearby, but Odeyssa and I are already running toward the opening.
Odeyssa and I don’t stop until we’re in the back, teeth chattering, limbs shivering from the cold. Voraxis tucks his wings in tight to squeeze through the opening, and once he does, I’m thankful for his body blocking any wind from skating through.
“That came out of nowhere,” I state.
“Guess the forest is full of surprises,” she murmurs under her breath.
Instinctively, I want to react to her attitude, but I stop myself.
I accused her. Blamed her father—and her by association—for what happened to me.
There wasn’t a reason for Stephan to lie.
He knew it didn’t matter what he said. I wasn’t sparing his life. Not again.
I didn’t exactly want to spend the night here.
I was hoping we would find the necklace and be on our way.
But clearly that’s not happening. There wasn’t any part of me that thought it would be easy, considering what the necklace is.
Voraxis stays silent. Actually, he plops down in front of the exit, acting as a barrier, like I would sneak out in the middle of the night.
He knows me too well.
Huffing out a sigh, I drop my arms and take one side of the cave while Odeyssa takes the other.
Sliding my back against the wall, rocks dig into my ass, making the already uncomfortable ground worse.
My head rests against the cave wall, and before I know it, the sound of pelting rain lulls me to sleep.
“Oh, Princess. Where are you hiding?”
I jolt, eyes widening as the last remaining syllables fade into the background.
Despite the chill sneaking around Voraxis’s body, sweat pools along my brow.
The wall must’ve slipped just a hair while my guard was down.
Elbows resting on my knees, my hands cradle the sides of my head as I stare at the ground.
I swipe the flyaways from my eyes and quickly stand, pacing back and forth quietly, not wanting to wake the others.
He wouldn’t come here, right? He wouldn’t be desperate enough to enter the forest. There’s no way that small look gave away where we were.
But what if it did?
Fuck.
Bracing my hand against the wall, the area beneath my palm starts to glow.
It’s a faint purple hue, just a singular pulse before it goes dark again.
I stare at it intently, the darkness of the cave making it more difficult.
Then, I have to hold in a scream as my body falls through the wall.
I land haphazardly on my side and wince as pain shoots from my shoulder.
“What the hell?” I whisper. Cautiously, I stand, trying to go back the way I came. But the wall is closed up again. Panic settles deep as I run across the newly found room. It’s all closed off.
“Hello?” I yell. “Can anyone hear me?” But nobody can. There are probably layers and layers of rock between me and anything else.
Voraxis!
Where are you? His question is coated in worry.
I fell through the wall!
What do you mean?
I roll my eyes, even though nobody can see. The wall lit up then swallowed me. And yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s what happened, and now I can’t get out.
Trapped and confined. No way out.
It feels like all the air starts getting sucked out of the room. My breathing becomes more rapid, and I fall to my knees.
Firebird, take some deep breaths. But I can’t. There’s no more air in here. Dots splotch my vision, dancing in a rhythm that only makes me want to throw up.
Get Odeyssa! I wail. Maybe she knows how to help, how to get to me. I fall forward, pressing my hands into the ground. Stretching from the tip of my middle finger, that lavender shade of purple reappears. But instead of pulsing, it’s a steady bold light, running continuously across the floor.
Standing on shaky legs, I follow the line until it starts ascending up the far wall. Placing my hand over it, it vanishes, submerging me in complete darkness once again.
The wall explodes in violet lines pushing in all directions, twisting together until they finally come together, forming a poppy on the wall.
The purple hue reaches for me as it pulses before my eyes.
Instinctively, I take a step back, eyes bouncing every which way as I wait for whatever it is to unfold.
What once was dust transforms into a cloud of shimmering specs.
The glow grows brighter, and I put my hands up to shield my eyes when it becomes too much.
The light dims, and I cautiously lower my arms. My eyes widen in awe as a woman of ethereal elegance and beauty stands before me.
Her hair is bound in braids atop her head, framing the crown that sits between the two.
Hands rest together against her stomach as she peers down at me.
Thin, razor-sharp wings sprout from her back, slightly fluttering to keep her feet off the ground.
“Who are you?” I’m breathless, completely taken aback by her beauty.
“Goddess Celene.” Her voice sends chills over my skin.
“I’ve been entrusted to protect the amulet.
” Celene’s voice is like silk, gliding over me with a comforting caress.
While she speaks, I can’t help but stare.
She illuminates the dark room, beckoning whatever is nearby to turn her way.
My eyes stay wide, not able to process that I’m standing before an actual goddess.
This is unreal.
Before I can say anything, Voraxis intrudes on my thoughts. We can’t figure out how to get to you. Odeyssa is losing her mind.
Everything’s fine, I tell him, although it might be a lie. Who actually knows? Celene could kill me for all I know. But the last thing I need is both of them to barge in here and make an already weird situation worse.
“As long as your intentions are pure, your friends have nothing to worry about,” Celene comments, pulling me back to the reason why I’m here in the first place. But what are our intentions? Sure, we need the necklace, but in the end, what exactly are we doing with it?
“You’re Kalliope Whitlock.” It doesn’t come out like a question, more like a statement.
I hold back an eye roll. “To some, but I prefer Kallie.”
“So I’ve gathered.” Silence follows her words after they stop echoing around the enclosed cave.
“Even though this is really cool…and kinda odd”—the last part stays buried under my breath—“I really do need that necklace.”
“I’m aware. Truth be told, I thought you would’ve been here some time ago.”
“You knew I was coming?”
“Anticipated, yes. We all did.” Her admission catches me off guard. If they knew I was coming, she could’ve at least met me halfway. “It would appear you had a few snags in your journey.”
I hold back a laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“What do you plan to do with the amulet?” Her question is covering all the words left unspoken. She means, what do I plan to do with the power?
“Truthfully? No clue. I just know we need it. Besides”—I exhale sharply—“it’s mine.”