Chapter 77 Samkiel
SAMKIEL
“Are you sure this is just like your dream?” I asked her as we stuck close to the cave wall. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, moisture dripping from their tapered ends as we followed the spiraling rocky path.
“Yes, now just follow me,” Dianna said, tossing an exasperated look at me over her shoulder.
The air here wasn’t as pungent as it was outside, so we’d removed our face coverings.
She turned back around, continuing her hike deeper into the mountain.
I really hoped this didn’t lead us straight into the heart of one of those volcanoes.
“I will say, I do enjoy the view.”
She cast a quick look around the cave. “This place?” she asked, glancing back at me, her voice rife with disbelief.
I grinned, the lasciviousness of it letting her know where I was actually looking.
She shook her head and laughed, the sound of it flooding the cave, and I thought I felt something shift in response.
It was as if the walls had finally remembered that they were once witnesses to happier times.
The narrow path spat us out into what looked like a circular antechamber.
“How many moments of our relationship do you think will be underground?” I asked as we stopped in the center.
She sighed, putting her hands on her hips and spinning slowly, looking up at the towering walls. “This is what? The third time?”
“Yeah.” I glanced around, peering into the gaping mouths of the three tunnels. Runes were carved above each one, and I wished I knew what they meant.
“I don’t see any more monsters for us to slay if this requires more blood to open,” I said.
Her brows furrowed as she thought for a second before looking at me. “It’s over three doors. This may be a test for the chalice, but a different one. I doubt whoever made it this hard to find would make the clue that simple.”
“Great, more tests.” I sighed. “I hate this.”
She tossed me a small smile, agreeing. “Me too, but the question now is, which way do we go?”
She chewed the inside of her cheek, her foot tapping as she glanced between the arched doorways. I could see exactly where her mind drifted and felt the apprehension down our bond.
“Don’t say it,” I said.
“This wasn’t in my dream,” she said, scrunching her nose in concentration. Gods, she was so adorable, but I knew I was going to hate this plan.
I inhaled deeply before releasing it in a whoosh. “What do you mean?”
Dianna waved her hands around. “In my dreams, when we reach this part, it is the throne room. Obviously, there is no throne room here.”
“Hmm,” I said, walking to each tunnel and peering into the darkness. There seemed to be no difference, each just as gloomy and twisted as the next.
“Well, we can’t split up,” I said.
“What if this is a test?” she asked.
“I thought we agreed it was?”
“No. I mean for me.” She swallowed. “He wants me, or whoever comes searching for the chalice, to prove themselves. This may be a labyrinth, and what if it just keeps going if we are together?”
“I don’t like what you’re implying,” I said, scowling at her. There was no way I was leaving her on her own in here.
She closed the distance between us, pressing her hand to my chest. “I am saying we are safe here. No one followed us. If my dream is accurate, we should be in the throne room. We’re not, so maybe this magical place is hiding the magical glass.”
“I don’t care,” I said sternly. “I’m not leaving you.”
She raised her hand and wiggled her finger, her ring glinting in the low light. “You’re not. See, I didn’t even take it off.”
I took a deep breath, and without taking my eyes off her, I shouted, “I swear, Gathrriel, if this is a trick, I will find you in the afterlife and make you suffer.”
Her lips quirked as my voice echoed through the cavern, growing fainter the further they travelled down the tunnels. I nodded, satisfied that whoever or whatever remained here had gotten my message.
“I love you,” Dianna said, pressing against me and raising onto her toes, kissing me tenderly.
She stepped back and blew out a harsh breath, eyeing the tunnels.
“Five minutes or I’ll level the mountain to get you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t find the chalice in five minutes.”
“Four,” I said as I followed her to the mouth of the one she chose, but stopped just outside.
She snorted. “Overprotective brute.”
She stepped through, into the darkness of the tunnel.
The second her hand slipped from mine, I had to fight not to run after her.
Crossing my arms and planting my feet, I watched the darkness swallow her form.
The moment she was out of sight, the cavern shook.
I stumbled back as the three tunnels disappeared, leaving only smooth rock.
I lunged toward it and ran my hands over the wall, searching for any seam or flaw.
“Fuck,” I said to the empty room and the cavern that had swallowed my wife. “She was right.”