Page 55 of Heir of Broken Souls (HOBF #3)
Chapter 55
Delilah
W ater surrounds my body, the sudden jolt of it snapping me back into consciousness.
Kicking with all my might I breach the surface, coughing and sputtering. A hand catches me, wrapping around my waist.
“Angel?” Knox asks, his voice heavy and thick with emotion.
Another cough explodes from my chest before I drop my head to his shoulder. “I’m all right.”
Taking a moment to catch my breath, I allow Knox to hold me up, not able to find the strength to tread water, especially as I try to make sense of what happened before I hit the water.
“I failed, didn’t I?” I say softly.
His head rears back. “What do you remember?”
“My magic was pleased to be here, and it was surging, and then I fell into the water.”
Knox peers behind me before clearing his throat. “That’s not…exactly what happened.”
With a sudden frown, I slowly turn, following his line of sight. I suddenly find the strength to surge forward, pushing out of Knox’s arms.
Words cannot describe the feeling that hums through my body. It’s almost as if I feel anticipation at being reunited, but reunited with what is the question.
Standing tall before me is a small island, water sluicing off its rocky terrain. There isn’t any plant life, or sand. Besides the rocks, it’s entirely desolate.
Emotion clogs my throat, forcing me to swallow. “Did I do that?”
“I’ll show you later, but yes,” Knox says gently, cautiously.
“The prophecy…it’s real?”
Knox doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t have to. The truth is right before us.
Aurora and Zephlyn plummet, stopping right before the surface of the water. The pair of them have a manic, wild glint in their eyes and it makes me wonder what I looked like through it all.
Gods, they have endured and witnessed so much.
When all of this is said and done I am giving them free rein. They deserve a lifetime of peace.
We all do.
I give Aurora a small pitiful smile to try and convey that I’m all right, and a small chuckle escapes me as the griffin rolls her eyes.
“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Elysia says by way of greeting as Axel rows their boat toward us, Lenox close behind.
Harlow whistles. “Golden hands indeed.”
At my blank stare the girls share a look.
“She doesn’t remember anything,” Knox says quietly.
At the sound of his tone, I ask, “Do I want to know what I did?”
“I would,” Lenox says gruffly, joining us.
Lenox leans over the side of the boat, extending a hand to us. Knox moves me forward, and Lenox grabs me first. As he pulls, Knox pushes, and before I can turn around for him Knox is sitting beside me, teleporting in.
I snort. Sometimes I forget what I’m capable of.
My gaze automatically moves to the island standing tall just a short few feet away and I realize that I truly have no idea what I’m capable of.
“Are we going to sit here staring at it all day or are we going?” Harlow drawls.
Lenox scoffs. “Is that what we’re supposed to do?”
I note the way Harlow stiffens, though now I know why they’re feuding, finally.
I clear my throat and repeat the part of the prophecy Elysia received that led us here.
“ Search for that which repeats all you do, its silence a message for you.
Keep a tether for you will drift, from this land to the next.
Walk inside and come alive, but don’t be frightened of what you’ll find.
For all was planned you must persist. ”
Harlow groans. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Can it ever be simple? Why are we always given a riddle?”
Naia’s sudden sharp voice makes me jump.
“Riddles are an art to be appreciated, little witch.”
Harlow grins wickedly. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a half-breed.”
Naia’s brow arches. “Half or not, you still have witch blood thrumming through your veins.” She turns to me, done with her brief conversation. “There is a certain spell placed upon the prophecy you have received. We cannot help you with it or speak on its subject matter.”
Amelia swims forward, behind Naia. “We’ll patrol the area and make sure no one enters behind you. I suggest you order your griffins to stay above and do the same.”
“Stay above?” I repeat, my gaze flicking between the two in confusion. “And what did you mean by enter?”
* * *
Once we dock our boats and breach the rocky terrain of the island, we discover exactly what the mermaids meant.
“They want us to go below ?” Harlow asks, disgust evident in her voice.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” I respond. My voice travels, bouncing and echoing off the walls of the cave before us.
There is nothing else on this small island. Nothing but rocks and this entrance to a cave.
Lenox hops from foot to foot. “I don’t like that there’s only one exit.”
“We don’t know that,” Harlow protests.
“I can stand on the other side of this island and still see you,” he argues. “There is nothing else, just one way in and one way out. Call me paranoid or a coward, but that makes me uncomfortable.”
“You’re always uncomfortable,” Harlow mutters under her breath.
Groaning, I cut off Lenox’s snarky retort and spin. “We are not doing this for ourselves. We are doing this for our people and the land of Aloriah.”
My words silence them all. And by their looks of guilt, I believe we all needed a reminder of why we’re truly here.
“We are not simply chasing a vision,” Knox says, following my thought pattern. “Back home people are dying every second, and we are losing more men than I ever thought possible. This is our last chance at redemption—at freedom ,” Knox emphasizes his words with a cunning look.
Cocking a hip, I look them all in the eye. “Are you ready now?”
They dip their heads and murmur amongst each other. It’s enough for now.
I tilt my head back to the sky, to the griffins above. Sending all the warmth and tenderness and love I can down the bond to Aurora, I take in every detail of her before I inhale a sharp breath and force myself to step within the cave.