Page 123 of Lady of the Drowned Empire

I cuddled up to Rhyan. Even fast asleep, he pulled me closer to him, one hand snaking its way unconsciously beneath my shirt.

I swallowed, my heart heavy, one hand resting protectively on his chest, the other beneath my pillow, my fingers touching the hilt of my blade.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

MORGANA

I opened my eyes, full of crust and dirt. Blood and sweat were dried on my cheeks, plastering chunks of my hair to my skin. I nearly gagged smelling myself—ocean water, grime, sand, sweat, and piss.

My throat was sore, and my skin felt rough and scratchy. I ran my hands over my dress, dried and stiff against my body. Darkness surrounded me. But I was on the ground—I knew that much. I was no longer in the seraphim carriage. We had landed.

But where I was—or what time it was—I had no idea. I rolled onto my side, my head aching. Yet, for once, it wasn’t hurting from hearing others’ thoughts. In fact, I couldn’t hear any thoughts at all.

I sat up, feeling around, trying to understand my surroundings. I seemed to be on a pile of hay—a bed? Groaning, I got to my feet, my knees wobbling. My arms were exhausted just from helping me to lift. It also didn’t help that they were sore as fuck, sliced open from the akadim’s grip.

The air was damp, and my nostrils were assaulted with an earthy, musty smell. I reached out and felt a wall. It was soft and covered in dirt.

At least, I hoped it was dirt and not…I started to gag at just the thought, but there was no scent like that around me.

We were in a cave.

Or, rather—I was in a cave. I wasn’t sure anyone else was here.

Where was Meera?

I closed my eyes but only out of habit—it was so dark, closing my eyes made little difference to my sight. Straining my ears, I listened for any sign of life. For any sign I wasn’t alone.

Nothing.

I imagined the black obsidian wall of my mind—the gate keeping everyone else out—and with a groan, light began to slice through the center, the wall pulling apart and opening into two halves.

A fresh bout of a pain—coming from a thought I’d latched onto—made me wince.

In my mind’s eye, I saw the face of the akadim that had attacked Meera. Its red eyes, its red tufts of hair, its cruel smile. It reached for me—for Meera—with dirty claws. I turned, diving into the ocean. But the beast turned into a fish, chasing me—Meera—through the ocean.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I clutched my chest in relief. She was dreaming. She was alive. And she was nearby. I needed to find her, wake her up, and figure out how to get the hell out of here.

“Meera?” I whispered. “Meera!” No response. With both my mind and ears, I listened for more—for any sounds of the akadim or thoughts of Lumerians. But other than the water dripping and echoing against the walls, it was silent. My eyes adjusted to the dark, and I saw what appeared to be fire somewhere in the distance, but it was so far away I couldn’t hear it, and I could only make out the faintest bit of my surroundings from its fading glow.

I seemed to be in an alcove. As I stepped forward, I found another empty bed of hay on the ground. I took a few more small steps, and found another alcove. The faint light revealed the shapes of more beds across from me as well. I was in a hall. Abandoned, apparently. There was no sign of life, no movement, no sound but for the constant drip of water. It kept splattering, again and again and again.

I winced, growing irritated at the noise. It was small in comparison to what I usually experienced, but something about it was grating to my senses. I kept walking, moving farther and farther down the hall, checking every alcove for Meera.

The hall began to wind, the terrain uneven and descending. I was forced to use the walls as a guide as darkness descended on me. The glow of the fire I’d seen earlier could not reach this curve. Sucking in a breath, I tried to remain calm, open, and alert as I moved forward. Within a few more steps, the walls straightened, and the cave was lit by a close torch.

Several more darkened and dirty alcoves lined the two sides of the cave. The dripping sound had grown louder. It grew louder still as I progressed, pressing myself against the wall—

I barely had enough peace of mind to cover my mouth with both hands before I screamed. My back slammed against the wall, and my stomach twisted, nausea roiling inside me before I pushed the bile back down, choking on the taste of my sick. My whole body was shaking, and I started panting, biting down on my hand to keep from screaming again.

A mage hung in the alcove. She was nearly naked. Her clothing shredded to pieces. A black mark covered her heart. Blood was dripping onto the floor from her body—

I turned away. I had to find Meera. I had to find Meera and get us out of here.

Straining my ears again, I blinked back tears. Meera’s mind had quieted, and was now empty. She’d fallen out of the dream, but she was still unconscious.

I moved farther down the hall, past another alcove and another. The section ended a few feet ahead of me. There was one final opening, and then….my heart sank. A dozen akadim, male and female, all giant, all covered in dirt and blood, were lounging ahead around a pool of water. One female jumped in, and a male followed her. He gripped her hips from behind, shoving himself inside, water splashing. She growled and bucked back against him.

Silently, I moved forward. What were the odds that they had placed Meera in the alcove closest to them and me in the one farthest away so they’d be sure we couldn’t easily escape—that’d we’d have to waste precious time getting to the other—and that the noise from Meera’s alcove would tip them off?