Page 57 of Heir of Broken Souls (HOBF #3)

Chapter 57

Delilah

T he throne room is lavish—extravagant even. Bursting at the seams with an abundance of art.

I would like to say that nothing compares, but this is only the fourth room we’ve explored, and each have been as extraordinary and unique as the next.

I suppose that’s why no one has spoken since we stepped out of the winding cave hallway. The second we entered the circular room, following the stone path that now ends in a loop, it felt holy—pure.

In the middle of the crystal-clear body of water sits a circular fountain, with seven archangels poised in various positions around it. Some stand staring out as if watching over the area, others sit along the lid of the marble fountain, and some are carved in the middle of motion.

Water trickles over the lid of the marble fountain, flowing into the pond that bursts with lily pads and flowers. A current winds through the water, feeling more alive than the rest. It’s certainly larger than the rest, as large as some lakes I’ve stumbled upon in the Fae lands.

As a water lily flows towards me, my feet finally move, my body listening to the orders of my mind. Twelve tall and mighty pillars stand around the room, colors of the rainbow snaking up the height of them. Between these pillars lie four sets of stairs leading into the water, each placed perpendicular from one another.

Suddenly, I have the strangest urge to submerge myself within the water, my feet itching to descend one of the sets of stairs.

Moving forward, I listen to the call, until a husky voice stops me in my tracks.

“Angel,” Knox says.

His voice breaks the spell, just as my foot hovers above the water. I yelp, and the trance the water had me under slides away.

Grimacing, I ask, “What type of magic is that?”

“One that I want to dance with,” Lenox whispers.

His eyes widen. I think he meant to keep that to himself. I bite my tongue to keep from laughing, but Harlow has no qualms about bursting out. Lenox shoots daggers at her, yet she doesn’t mind nor notice as tears leak out of the corner of her eyes.

Knox walks towards me slowly, sliding his palm in mine as he laces our fingers together. “Come now, Angel.”

My cheeks flush, earning a grin from Knox. We walk around the room, surprised to stumble upon a large golden double door. Without hesitation, Knox pushes against it with a shadowed hand, opening the door with a flourish.

My chest heaves as the doors take my breath away.

It seems I’m not the only one.

Knox’s feet stumble to a stop as he clutches his chest. I can’t tear my gaze away from the sight but I have no doubt Knox is looking upon it with as much wonder and awe as me. Sitting upon a lake stands a gazebo, offering the wonderous sight of a monstruous waterfall.

“This is pure magic,” Knox whispers beside me. “I’ve never stumbled upon something so magnificent in my life.”

We tiptoe in, afraid the sound of our boots will disturb the peace of the lake.

“What do you think happened to it? Why was it all hidden away beneath the ocean?”

A muscle ticks in Knox’s jaw as he strides to the gazebo. “Someone sank it, hiding it in plain sight with dark magic.”

“I don’t understand how this was all preserved. How has nothing suffered? It looks as if it’s been well maintained.”

He doesn’t answer. None of us can. And we may never know why.

We’ve encountered this mystery in every room. Water isn’t overflowing, moss doesn’t cover pathways, trees and vines aren’t overgrown, plants aren’t dead. It’s all perfectly preserved.

Dark magic does the opposite. It taints everything in its path, so how has this remained untouched by the dark powers that sank it? How did it not fall to corruption?

As the others slowly trickle in, so does their awe and surprise.

Elysia shakes her head, her eyes glinting with childlike wonder. “It’s so beautiful.”

“It certainly is,” Axel drawls beside her. He hasn’t looked once at the waterfall.

Perhaps there is hope for them after all.

“It’s…angelic,” Lenox whispers.

The word strikes my mind. It’s so fitting, I don’t know why I haven’t thought it before.

“Is there another door, or is this the end of the line for this hallway?” Harlow asks. Even her hard voice has uncharacteristically softened.

Knox’s eyes narrow. “What’s that?”

We all turn.

“Where?” I ask. I don’t see what he does.

He points to the other side of the room. “Behind the waterfall, I could have sworn—there!”

For a second, there’s a gap in the flow of the waterfall, giving way to reveal a rock wall behind it, along with what appears to be the outline of a door.

“Let’s go,” Knox declares, not waiting for anyone to argue. He shoots out his hands, creating blocks of ice for us to tread on. He barely glances below as he walks across the slabs, his focus wholly on the waterfall. I hurry after him, noting the excitement that’s running down our bond from him. But I take my steps cautiously, in case this water possesses a siren-like power similar to the previous one.

Knox halts before the raging falls, not caring for the water splashing him. Instead, he lifts his arms and moves his hands to the sides, parting the waterfall like a curtain for him and his magic. He maintains it while we all leap under the waterfall and into the cave mouth behind it.

Harlow is the last to jump and the moment her feet land on the cave floor, Knox drops his magic, allowing it to resume its natural flow, encasing us in darkness and the raging sound of the water cascading over the large cliff above.

I wonder where the water comes from.

The thought is there and gone as Knox turns to the cave wall and pushes. Indeed, light trickles across Knox’s face, revealing the wonder that shines in his eyes as it gives way to a door.

Magic. The only explanation that comes to mind as I peer at the depths of the ocean through the doorway.

A spell must be against the doorway. There’s no other way the water doesn’t pour through. Yet I don’t care, I can’t think about that right now, not as creatures come into my line of sight.

Life.

Water dragons, whales, fish—they all swim past. Coral of all size, color, and shape congregate along the ocean floor.

Knox reaches out his hand to touch it, but his fingers break the spell and spray water everywhere. He quickly pulls it back.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“How have they survived? Around the island there’s no life to be found because of dark magic.”

Knox laughs, a boisterous sound filled with joy. He waves his hand at the scene before us. “They never died. All the life just remained here. How is it possible, though?”

Deep within my sternum, my magic rises, vibrating so fiercely I place a hand to my chest, surprised I don’t feel the hum of it beneath my skin. Before I can stop it, my magic pulses, escaping from my palms without my permission.

My golden magic dances along my fingertips, elation rising in my heart as it does. Everything within me wants to move. Not away but instead toward the water.

Knox frowns down at my hands.

“Do you think they can see us?” Elysia whispers as a particularly large fish glides past.

“Nothing has taken note of us yet.”

My hand flies out beside me, smacking Knox’s forearm. I gasp, just as an assortment of colors in the form of tails swim by. I try to crane my neck to follow them all the way, but they disappear past what the doorway allows me to see.

“It can’t be,” Axel blurts.

“What?” Harlow asks, standing on the balls of her feet, her gaze flicking back and forth.

“Was that…?” Knox asks, his words trailing off.

“The leader had a white tail.”

Harlow snorts. “What are we, in an alternate universe? There’s no way Naia and her pod?—”

Harlow’s words die on the tip of her tongue as the group of mermaids swim past again, closer this time, completely unaware of us. It’s clearly Naia, Amelia, and the rest of the pod.

“No fucking way,” Harlow breathes.

“Why can’t they see us?”

I turn to Knox, who’s frowning in deep thought before his brows fly sky high.

“It’s the pod on their patrol. This is the outside of the island.”

“How have the animals integrated back so fast?”

“They haven’t, it’s always been here.” Knox shakes his head as a thousand thoughts fly across his gaze. “The animals aren’t reacting to the pod,” he points out as they pass by again. “They can’t see one another. It has to be an ancient spell.”

“They’re protected,” I murmur.

When I lean out to see again, I almost stumble backwards at the sight in front of me. I’m thankful for Knox’s quick reflexes as his arm shoots out to stop me from falling into the raging spray of the waterfall.

A large whale passes by, its color such a dark deep blue that it stands out as blatant as sunlight in contrast to the light blue of the ocean. Its body is the size of two dragons combined, yet it moves more majestically than anything I’ve ever seen. Delicately, even.

Its gait is slow, its large tail slowly pumping up and down. But it moves so far with each flap, power in every muscle.

It’s magnificent.

Once the shock wears off, I step forward, wanting— needing —to see it closer.

Then it stops.

My head snaps upwards, meeting it eye for eye.

It blinks.

My head cocks. “The whale can see us,” I whisper breathlessly.

When Knox steps forward, the whale’s eyes slide to him but come right back to me.

“Do you think it’s a sentient being?” Harlow asks.

The moment the words leave her mouth, it blinks again, twice, as if to confirm. My heart soars seeing it, my magic practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“We have to swim,” I suddenly declare, the words forming without a thought.

“What?” Harlow blurts.

“I think we need to follow the whale.”

“What if it eats us?” Elysia whispers.

Yet not quietly enough. To my utter delight, the whale’s eyes roll, and I squeal with a laugh. This is truly the most magnificent thing I’ve ever experienced.

Aurora will be beside herself when Knox shows her the memories of all we encountered. She’ll be so jealous, I’ll have to give her dozens of goats to make up for what she missed.

“Are we sure we should leave the building? We haven’t found the mirror yet,” Lenox asks, for once sounding unsure of himself.

My heart thrums with a steady beat as my magic swirls around it, urging me forward. Even the whale seems to beckon me.

“I think the whale will lead us to it.”

Without another word, and ignoring Knox’s protest, I leap through the archway, the ocean swallowing up my body.