Page 56 of Heir of Broken Souls (HOBF #3)

Chapter 56

Knox

W ho would I be if I allowed the love of my life to walk into the cave first?

A coward.

The moment Delilah steps through the cave arch, I wrap my hand around her waist and pause her movements to not walk ahead but beside her.

As one , I whisper down the bridge.

As one , she parrots.

Snapping my fingers to light a small fire in the palm of my hand, Delilah and I move forward. Except the moment my magic flares to life, flames grow, but not just from the curve of my palm.

Fire erupts throughout the cave.

Dozens of flames light up the cave corridor from the gas lamps hanging from the walls, illuminating a path that drops far too steep for my liking. A gust of wind rushes for the cave mouth, running through my hair as it breezes past me almost in a gesture of hello.

“Did the cave just respond to your magic?” Delilah says in awe.

Swallowing thickly, I straighten my back and continue forward before I can give much thought to the magical island responding to me.

“Perhaps there is magic other than dark power present,” I wonder aloud.

“For it to respond to your magic though…” Harlow drawls, the cogs in her mind turning.

“He’s the king of Azalea. Perhaps it responds to the court royals,” Lenox muses, not too far behind, his own voice tinged with a certain wonder.

Narrowing my eyes, a thought pops into my mind but I don’t voice it out loud because it’s…preposterous. It couldn’t be.

The cave tunnel arches to the right. Following its bend, we begin a spiral decent that seems to last for eternity. Round and round we go, spinning endlessly down the lit pathway.

The farther we travel the more moisture seeps along the cave walls until even the air is heavy with dampness.

I can’t help but marvel as I drawl, “We’re below the water.”

Panic is what should be seeping into my bones, not excitement. I know Delilah certainly is feeling it as a wave of it slams down our bond. Sliding my hand into hers, I give it a gentle squeeze of encouragement as we continue to slowly descend. Ahead, and ahead, and ahead.

It’s a labyrinth, I realize.

A wild, chaotic labyrinth that seems to never end.

What we will face once we reach the end, I have no idea, but my magic thrums in my veins, heightening the excitement I feel.

Delilah halts, pulling me to a stop. The look of confusion on her face as she peers down at herself makes me wonder if my magic isn’t the only one affected.

“Does everyone feel that?’ Elysia whispers.

“I think we all are,” Axel responds gruffly.

There certainly is something at play, a type of magic within these walls. Anticipation builds with every step we take, a keen knowing in my veins.

It feels like an eternity before we finally come to the end of the maze.

Awe, elation, surprise—the emotions pummel me as we exit the damp cave and enter into what can only be described as another world entirely.

Delilah sucks in a sharp breath beside me and we come to a stop, both our eyes growing wide as we try to take everything in. The murmurs at my back fade into nothing but a distant buzz. All I can focus on is the architecture and the sheer monstrosity of it. The sight that greets me is?—

“Beautiful,” Delilah breathes.

“It’s exquisite,” I add.

There’s a dome-like structure before us that climbs high into the air. Stone balconies protrude from each level, and I have to tip my head back to count them, seventeen in total. Then my gaze snags on the water flowing through the center of the courtyard like a river, surrounded by several stones and benches. I have no doubt the endless balconies and arches surrounding the circular structure lead off into countless other labyrinths of hallways like the one we just came from.

It’s like a web, an endless maze of paths.

“Are those statues of?—”

“The archangels,” Elysia says in wonder as she steps forward, mesmerized.

I follow her line of sight to the back of the dome, directly across from me. Sure enough, all along the wall and climbing high, every other balcony displays statues of the seven archangels.

The sight of it makes me pause.

“What is this?” I voice aloud.

It’s far too large to be a religious building, and yet the overgrowing moss, the silence, the faded stone colors are an indication of how old this place is.

“I think the question we need to be asking is which direction do we go?” Harlow muses, her gaze analyzing every stone.

Delilah hums her agreement. “And what exactly is it we’re searching for? This place is a maze. It’ll be a miracle if we don’t get lost.”

“We don’t have the time to get lost.” My eyes rove around the building beneath the water, a hidden treasure, before I repeat the riddle from the prophecy. “ Search for that which repeats all you do, its silence a message for you. ”

Delilah groans. “Does anyone have any idea what that could be?”

“I’m seeing nothing but stones” comes Harlow’s dry reply.

Delilah steps forward, a slow, hesitant move before she marches across the cluster of stones and benches. Following her lead, I hold my tongue, waiting to see where that brilliant mind of hers leads.

She stops beside the water and peers into it.

“I once had a dream before I came to the Fae lands, one where I was kneeling by the water where the mermaids reside. I looked into the water and at first, I just saw my own reflection staring back at me, until it blinked when I did not, and I realized a mermaid was watching me.” She rises, locking her gaze on mine. “Repeat all you do—it’s a reflection.”

My eyes shine with pride.

Footsteps sound behind me, along with low murmurs, but I can’t seem to take my gaze away from Delilah. It takes everything within me to rip my sapphires away from her baby blues.

Elysia is slow to approach the water, even slower to reach her hand out and graze her fingertips across the crystal-clear water. I can’t tell how deep it is, only that it snakes through the middle of the courtyard.

Until Elysia gasps, the water cupped in her hands.

“But it’s not just a reflection, because this water leads to nothing.” She suddenly declares, “It’s a mirror.”

Axel snorts. “I doubt we’re going to find a mirror in a place as ancient as this.”

Rising, she shoots daggers his way, making the grin fall off his face. “I doubt it would make us raise this thing only to have us go back into a body of water.”

Harlow clicks her tongue. “And the only other thing to reflect all that you do?—”

“Is a mirror,” Delilah finishes.

Axel spreads out his arms, scoffing at the notion. “This place is huge. How are we going to search a place as ancient as this for a mirror?”

“We split up,” Delilah says simply.

“Is that wise?” Lenox asks. “Hazel could be following us.”

“The pod will stop her before she enters, and if she manages to get past them…well, Aurora will be ready to fill her belly.”

Delilah says all this with such confidence I almost believe her until I step onto our bridge and feel the anxiety rolling off her in waves.

Cautiously, I offer, “Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to stay together?”

I slide my hands into the pockets of my pants, a nervous tick of mine that I can never shake, but tension within my chest eases at the feel of the fabric.

Delilah chews on her bottom lip. “If it takes too long?—”

“Then we’ll split up, but for now, we should stay together.”

She nods, a blush tinting her cheeks. The sight has my eyes sparking. Gods, what is she embarrassed about?

“Which way should we go?” she asks, avoiding my gaze as I grin down at her.

Harlow mutters out of the corner of her mouth, “Perhaps we should have split up.”

Elysia playfully slaps her arm. “Leave them alone.”

“Forgetting that we all have Fae hearing, are we?” I drawl.

Harlow smirks. “Not for a moment.”

Delilah claps her hands, her voice rising an octave as she states, “I say we go this way!”

Spinning on her heel, she takes off to the left, seemingly choosing a random archway to walk through.

“Surely there’s a method to all this madness,” Lenox mutters.

“I’m sure there is, but unless someone can find a map, we don’t have time to sort it out.”

Delilah moves to walk at the front but Harlow beelines past her to be first in line. Delilah probably believes it’s Harlow’s curiosity, but I know my spy and she knows me. It’s why she’s always there to protect everyone.

In the next hallway, the gas-lit lamps come alive again.

“Is it sentient?” Axel ponders.

I mull over his words, yet my theory that I’ve been harboring feels more true. “I don’t think so,” I say quietly, then throw out my train of thought. “If anything, I could have sworn it’s infused with magic from?—”

Harlow sucks in a breath up ahead, the sound making my feet move faster without a thought. Delilah and Elysia soon follow, mirroring her gasp as we enter into a throne room.

My eyes drink in the vivid architecture, the detail and care that’s gone into every intricate inch of the gold paneling throughout the room. Pillars stand strong and steady, detailed with decorative artwork of vines and whorls. Teal and aqua colors burst to life along the glass-tiled floor. Stepping toward it, my heart fills with wonder as I watch a steady current of water flow beneath the clear tiles, creating a path toward the true masterpiece within the room.

Jewels of blue and teal, with diamonds of all shapes and sizes among them, bedazzle a golden throne. One with a back that’s tall and steady, the throne rising to the full height of the crown ceiling.

“I’ve never seen such a glorious sight,” Delilah whispers, astonishment coating her words.

“Neither have I,” I admit softly.

That makes Delilah stop short. She frowns as she spins to face me. “I’ve never seen a throne room on your estate.”

“That’s because there isn’t one. My parents detested the image it would send of a ruler looking down upon their people. They were fair rulers who believed in equality.”

“They sound like they were amazing,” she says quietly.

I nod, clearing my throat before I quickly add, “They were heartfelt Fae.” Striding forward, I try to leave the conversation behind me but staring at this marvelous work of art, Delilah’s question has me pausing. Turning to Axel, I ask, ever so cautiously, “Do you know of any throne rooms among the courts?”

Axel stops his ogling as a flash of pain dances along his eyes. He would only know such a thing through Ace, who was and will forever in my mind be my emissary.

Axel seems to steel himself before quickly saying, “Only the queen of Air possesses such a room.”

My brows furrow. “Interesting,” I mutter to myself.

“As beautiful as this is, let’s wrap it up, children. I don’t see a mirror in sight,” Harlow drawls, striding back the way we came.

A kiss for your thoughts?

Delilah’s question comes floating down the beautiful bridge. She waits at the other end, fluttering her eyelashes at me. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she’s trying to flirt with me. I can’t help but smile.

I’ll give you every thought I’ve ever had so long as it means I can kiss you for eternity.

Her chest rises sharply. Then bending down, I brush my lips across hers in our minds.

A light shines brightly between us upon our joining. The softness of her lips has me groaning and deepening the kiss. Despite the weight of what we must find and the nature of everything going on around us, the moment those lips lock on mine, everything within my mind fades.

All I can see is her. The most beautiful soul to ever grace this universe. There is only one Delilah, and she’s all mine.

Forcing myself to pull back, I bite my cheek to stop my smile as she sighs dreamily.

Now, a piece of that beautiful mind , she drawls.

Ah yes, the bargain.

Exhaling, I lean against the bridge. I just find it curious that we’ve stumbled upon a throne room that seems modeled after the ocean.

Or perhaps… Delilah says, urging me on.

A royal of Water Court.

Delilah’s stunned expression makes me pull back into my body. Our exchange felt like it lasted for ten minutes, the kiss eight of them, and yet when I come back to the present, Harlow is only just reaching the cave hallway.

Delilah’s gaze roams the room. “You’re right, it looks like it’s honoring water.”

I take in everything, trying to preserve it all in my memories before we follow Harlow out of the throne room and back into the heart of the maze where we first arrived. I lead everyone down the next hallway, this one far longer than the other.