Chapter 10 Odessa #2
“Shit,” I hissed, urging Freya to follow Skore’s mount. Don’t slip, girl. Please, don’t slip.
As we approached the waterfall’s cliff, Evie held out her hand, fingertips dragging along the rock as she leaned away from the hole and open air.
Every time Freya lifted her leg, I held my breath and tensed.
Skore was as relaxed as if he were riding through a flat meadow of wildflowers.
My grip on the reins tightened as we drew toward the waterfall, the path narrowing until we were all but hugging the rock.
The closer we got to the water, the faster my pulse raced.
An ache bloomed behind my eyes, and each drop of water that hit my face felt like it cut, like they were ice crystals biting into my skin.
In a blink, Brother Skore disappeared in the spray, swallowed by a cloud of mist.
“Dess?” Evie clung to my wrists.
“Damn it.” I pulled back on Freya, making her stop. There wasn’t enough room to turn around, and a quick glance over the edge made my head spin.
We had no choice but to go forward, so I relaxed my hold on Freya and let her follow the priest.
Drops poured down my face, falling into my eyes, blurring my vision. Water soaked through the fabric of Faze’s carrier, making him wiggle. I held tight to Evie, bending over her in an effort to save her from the onslaught of water as we rode behind the falls.
One moment, we were being soaked in a torrential rainstorm. The next, the water stopped, the light dimmed, and I wiped my eyes dry to see a rounded cave.
“What are we doing here?” I shouted over the noise.
Skore swung off his horse and pointed to a tunnel I hadn’t noticed at the back of the cave.
The darkness and the noise only seemed to make the pounding in my head louder, and I was in no mood for his silent orders.
“Answer the question. What are we doing here?”
He waved for me to get off Freya.
I shook my head.
His lip curled.
My nostrils flared.
“There is something in this cave I need to retrieve,” he said, shouting over the roaring water.
“Great. We’ll be here when you’re done.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I cannot find it. And I need your help.”
I brushed water droplets from my forehead. Now it made sense why we were going the wrong way. Was he ever going to take us to Quentis? “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I’m telling you now.”
I gripped the reins to keep from giving him an obscene gesture. “After I help you find whatever it is that you’re looking for, we are going to Quentis. No more unexplained detours. Understood?”
It was the first time I’d had any leverage in this relationship. If he wanted my help, then he was going to make me a promise.
“Agreed.” He pointed to the tunnel. “Come.”
“Take Faze,” I told Evie, pulling him out of his carrier.
A drop fell from the ceiling and landed on his nose. He growled and jumped to the ground before she could take hold.
“Faze, no.” Her voice echoed in the cave.
“He’s okay.” My legs felt weak and stiff as I dismounted, my head spinning faster. My boot slipped on the wet rock, and before I could catch myself, I crashed. Hard. Pain exploded along my hip as I hissed.
“Dess,” Evie cried.
“I’m okay.” I took a breath, letting the ache dull. Then I slowly got to my feet.
Skore’s magic felt different in here. It didn’t sting on the surface, crawling up my skin. Instead, it seemed to drive straight to my bones, making me dizzy and sick.
“It’s slippery,” I told Evie. “Be careful.”
She nodded and held tight to my shoulders as I lifted her out of the saddle. Once she was on her feet, she hurried to Faze as he lapped water from a puddle.
After a fortifying breath, I held out my hand for Evie. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“Evangeline stays with the horses,” Brother Skore said.
“What? No. I’m not leaving her alone.”
“This is no place for a child.”
“Then you should have thought about that before bringing us here,” I snapped.
“Please.” It was the first time he’d used that word, and it surprised me enough to listen.
What the hell was down that tunnel?
“Will she be safe here?”
He nodded.
Fuck. I sighed and dropped to a crouch as Evie came to my side.
“No.” Her eyes were blown wide as she shook her head. “I don’t wanna stay by myself.”
“We’ll be fast. I promise.” I pushed a lock of wet hair off her forehead. “Can you be my brave girl and watch Faze and Freya for me? Make sure they don’t wander off?”
She shook her head, clutching my hand with both of hers. “No.”
“You can do this.” I kissed her head, then wiggled my hand free. “We’ll be right back.”
The corners of her mouth turned down as tears filled her eyes.
“We’ll be right back.” I stood and stepped closer to Skore, leveling him with a glare. “If anything happens to her, no amount of magic in this realm will save you from my wrath. I’ll rip your fucking heart out.”
He dipped his chin. “No harm will come to the girl.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
With a swish of his robes, he set off through the tunnel’s opening.
I followed, and before we were out of sight, I glanced back to Evie.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clutched Faze to her chest.
Watch over her, Ama. Keep her safe.
It didn’t take long for the tunnel to narrow. The ceilings lowered enough that Brother Skore had to crouch as he walked. The sensation of his magic was so strong, so draining, that I swayed, pressing a hand against the wall.
“What do you feel?” he asked.
“Your magic.” I gritted my teeth, breathing through my nose. The light from the cave was all but gone, and I couldn’t see a thing but the faint outline of his bald, white head. “Do you have a torch?”
“We won’t need one.”
“Can you see in the dark? Because I sure as hell can’t.”
A growl came from the priest, sounding so much like Faze it was uncanny. “Keep walking.”
I obeyed, skimming one hand on the wall as I tested each step before planting my foot.
It took ten paces before a strange glow came from ahead, and after another ten, I understood why we didn’t need a torch.
Veins of iridescent aqua blue threaded through the rock, illuminating the space.
“What is this?” I pulled my hand away from the wall, seeing the blue on my fingertips. It was almost like paint.
“I do not know. In all my years and travels, I have never found anything like it. But it will light our path.”
“If you’ve been here before, why do you need me?”
He waved me forward, taking me to a place where the tunnel split in three.
“Which one?” I asked.
“That is for you to decide.”
Now it was my turn to growl. “Speak plainly.”
I was drenched and cold. The throbbing in my head seemed to get worse with every passing moment. If he wanted this miserable adventure to continue, he was going to have to be specific.
“Follow the pain,” he said.
“What?”
“If you can feel my magic, you can feel the magic in this tunnel. Follow it.”
This was why he’d wanted me. Because I could feel magic. “What is this place?”
“Ancient,” he answered.
A chill snaked down my spine.
“The longer you fight me, the longer that girl is alone.”
“You’re a manipulative bastard,” I hissed, but the warning worked. I marched past him and down a tunnel.
It wasn’t until the ache behind my temples began to ease and the pressure in my chest lessened that I realized I was alone. That the only sound was my ragged breath and pounding heart.
Follow the pain.
There was no pain, not down this tunnel. So I retreated to the entrance where I found Skore waiting.
I took the second tunnel, walking alone until the pain eased. “Damn. A little help, Daria?”
If there was ever a time I could use help from the Goddess of Luck, it was today.
The air felt different as I made my way down the third tunnel. It was hot and thick. Every inhale felt shallow, like my body was protesting the path.
Guess I was on the right track.
“It’s this way,” I called back to Brother Skore.
He appeared moments later, his body still hunched to not scrape his head on the tunnel’s roof.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Keep going.”
We walked deeper and deeper, winding around corners and stepping over puddles. The eerie blue light began to hurt my eyes, and the headache became so unbearable I bent forward and retched.
“Ugh.” I wiped spittle from my mouth and sagged against the wall. My groan was swallowed by the caves. I summoned my strength, and when the tunnel split again, I took the path to my left. When the pain didn’t stop, I trudged forward.
Another divide. Then another and another. Each time, I’d test the path, and if the pain stopped, I’d retreat.
It was a maze designed to make me lose my mind. There was no way these tunnels were created by the water. Someone must have carved them into the cliffside, using the waterfall to hide the entrance.
What was this place? I saved that question for when I wasn’t coming apart, my insides twisting and every fiber of my being screaming to leave, leave, leave.
This place was wrong.
My toe caught on a rock, and I toppled forward, landing with a crack on my knees. Tears sprang to my eyes. “Fuck.”
“You must keep going.”
“Going where?” I shouted, using the surge of fury to stand. “What the hell is down here? We’ll be lucky if we don’t get lost.”
Silence.
I let out a frustrated scream that I hoped hurt his ears as much as it did mine. Then, only because I knew he wouldn’t let me leave and there was a girl waiting on me, I kept going.
We walked and walked, so far I was sure we’d step through to the other side of the mountain. The tunnels were like worm trails, winding in all directions.
My legs were so heavy that each step felt like ten. Until I turned a corner and stopped.
The end.
The tunnel came to a close with a wall of solid rock. There was nothing but blue lines and nowhere else to go.
“There’s nothing here.” Brother Skore’s disappointment filled the chamber. “You took a wrong turn.”
“No, I didn’t.” I rubbed my temples. “I did exactly what you asked. Now take me back to Evie.”
He lifted his hands, frantically feeling over the wall like he was searching for something.
“Please,” I begged, and when my plea went unanswered, I sank to the floor, leaning against the rock as the Voster examined the tunnel.
There was a small pool beside me, about the length of my arm. Its surface was black and smooth like so many others we’d leaped over or stepped aside. I reached for the water, skimming my fingertips over the glass.
Piercing agony ripped through my hand, shooting up my arm like a slash from the sharpest blade.
I screamed, scrambling away from the water as I clutched my wrist against my heart and sobbed.
Brother Skore was in front of me in an instant. “What did you touch?”
“Please,” I begged, tears leaking free. “Please let me go.”
Brother Skore glanced to the puddle, then back at me. “Well done, girl.”
Before I could shy away, he touched my hand.
And the realm went black.