Chapter 36 #2
Focusing every shred of strength I had left, I lunged for the nearest rock ledge, boots slipping, hands scraping stone as I hauled myself up—anything to get away from the living carpet below.
A sob clawed at my throat, but I swallowed it down, my limbs trembling like crazy. “Don’t let go!” I called up, voice hoarse. “I’ve got you, okay? Climb!”
Above, Saoirse moved fast, panic sharpening her grip as she pulled herself hand over hand up the flickering strand or crimson light. Her boots scraped against the wall; her breath ragged.
I held the tether steady, gritting my teeth through the fear, coursing through me.
She reached the ledge and collapsed in a heap, safe.
The filament snapped a second later, gone with a sharp jolt.
I dropped my hands, chest heaving, heart still racing like it hadn’t decided if I was alive or not. Then I shifted my focus inward, called up the golden current, and pushed it through my limbs.
One ledge at a time, I climbed—shaky, scraped, but driven. My golden magic steadied me, kept my muscles from locking up. Below, the snakes hissed, probably sulking they didn’t get to feast on my yummy bones. Horrible creatures.
The Radicals were gone, thank the gods—they’d seen us fall and hadn’t bothered to confirm the kill.
“Emma!” Saoirse’s voice cut through the dark. “How the hell did you survive that?”
I hesitated. My pulse was still hammering. My leg ached where the bite had been—but the venom was gone.
“Lucky, I guess,” I called back. “But let’s not push it. Let’s get out of here.”
She stared down at me, squinting like she didn’t quite buy it—but after a beat, she nodded.
By the time I hauled myself out of the sea of horrors, my hands were raw and my limbs shaking. Saoirse offered me a hand, and I took it without hesitation.
“Did you hear what they said?” she asked, her voice low and urgent. “They have a LiaPrism.”
I blinked, finally registering where we’d ended up—we’d climbed out on the other side of the abyss.
My gaze met hers. “We might as well check out the rest of the cave.”
She nodded and started toward a narrow hallway, her steps slow, deliberate.
“You could’ve saved yourself instead of me,” she said quietly.
I could’ve told her. I could’ve explained I had a healing haze as well as my red one—but something stopped me. Even with everything we’d survived together a moment ago, it still remained a truth I wasn’t ready to share.
So I shrugged. “No big deal.”
Her eyes found mine, steady and unflinching. “It is to me. Thank you.”
I offered her a small smile, even as the memory of slithering bodies coiled somewhere in the back of my mind, waiting to crawl into my nightmares.
At the end of the corridor, we stopped in front of a heavy steel door. The energy signature behind it was unmistakable now, buzzing under my skin like a live wire. I pressed my hand to the cold metal, feeling the low thrum vibrate through my bones, then looked to Saoirse.
She nodded once. “Let’s see what fresh nightmare awaits.”
I pushed the door open, revealing a small, dimly lit room. At the center, perched on a pedestal like something straight out of a heist movie, was a crystalline object, glowing faintly. The signature we’d been tracking led right to it.
For half a second, I almost believed we’d found the Amplifier.
Then I stepped closer—and my stomach promptly dropped.
“That’s not an Amplifier,” I muttered, voice tight as I eyed the thing warily. The crystal shimmered, its fractured light scattering in intricate, almost too perfect patterns.
Saoirse stepped in beside me. “Nope. It’s their LiaPrism.”
I exhaled sharply. “Enya was right. It must be somewhere in the Human World, where translation can actually be traced. And with this LiaPrism…”
“They will know the second any magus or maga comes near it,” Saoirse finished, her brow furrowing as realization hit.
“Exactly,” I muttered.
Saoirse clenched her jaw. “Great. So we’re no closer to finding the damn thing, but it has to be nearby.”
“Or,” I said grimly, “they only got this LiaPrism recently, and are stashing it here before moving it to wherever the Amplifier is located…”
I trailed off, senses prickling with the distinct feeling we were running out of time.
I reached out cautiously toward the crystal, the faint warmth of its magic brushing against my skin. But as soon as my fingers hovered over it, the pedestal beneath it shimmered and emitted a high-pitched hum. My stomach twisted as I realized—we triggered some sort of protection around it.
“Shit!” Saoirse hissed, taking a step back. A sudden pulse of energy surged through the room, and alarms blared in the distance.
“They know we’re here,” I yelled, heart pounding. Footsteps echoed from the hallway, growing louder with every second.
Saoirse grabbed my arm. “Take it!”
I reached for the LiaPrism again, but an invisible force pushed back against my hand, the pressure intensifying like a shield. “I can’t!”
Saoirse’s eyes darted toward the doorway, the shadows of approaching Radicals flickering against the walls. “We’re out of time!”
I clenched my teeth, focusing on my Nexus, the familiar surge of power coursing through me as I tore open a green portal. The air shimmered and split, revealing the familiar outlines of Caerleon Manor on the other side.
“Go!” I urged, gripping Saoirse’s arm as we dove through right as the door burst open behind us. Urgent shouts and the glint of weapons filled the room as we vanished into the void.
In an instant, the cold, hostile atmosphere of the bunker was replaced by the cool, tranquil air of Crown’s grounds. We stumbled into the courtyard, the portal snapping shut behind us with a soft hiss.
Saoirse straightened, still breathing like she’d just run a marathon. “Well. That could’ve been less of a disaster.”
I let out a slow breath, trying to convince my heart it didn’t need to evacuate my chest. “At least we didn’t die, which is honestly the gold standard these days. And now we know they have a LiaPrism—and the Amplifier’s in the Human World. We’ll find it.”
She shot me a look, a grin creeping back. “Damn straight.”
I smirked, suddenly realizing I might’ve walked away from this whole mess with more than just intel. I might’ve actually made a friend.
Which, given my track record, felt like the biggest miracle of all.
I found Caden in his library, lounging in his usual chair like a king in his throne, a glass of Scotch resting lazily in his hand. The dim lighting cast warm shadows over his sharp features, accentuating the dark stubble lining his jaw, the scar curving along his neck like an afterthought.
His white shirt clung to his olive-toned skin, the sleeves rolled high enough to reveal ink and muscle. It was impossible to tell if it was tailored or if he simply wore everything with effortless arrogance.
A familiar book lay open in his lap, its spine creased from the number of times he’d read it. No matter what chaos the day had thrown at him, this was his ritual, his constant—this chair, this drink, this moment of stillness before the storm.
Walking in like I owned the place, I caught his attention. His dark eyes flicked up, widening slightly as they took me in. The glass hovered near his lips, forgotten for a second.
“You’re back? How was—”
I held up my hand, cutting him off. “I’ll brief you later tonight with the rest of the team. For now, I need some silence to unwind and calm my thoughts. Can I do so in here, or is the distant asshole you’ve become still in charge of your personality?”
Caden blinked a few times, clearly caught off guard, then flashed me that slow, charming smile of his. “Distant asshole vacated the premises a few hours ago.” He nodded toward the couch. “It’s all yours.”
I gave him a curt nod, grabbed my book, and settled onto the couch, making a point to ignore him.
“You okay?” he asked softly after a moment, his voice unusually gentle.
“Perfect,” I replied dryly, not bothering to look up.
I didn’t see it, but I could feel his gaze lingering on me. Until he shifted in his seat, going back to his book in silence.