“But what about once I get there? I still won’t be able to survive.” I clutched my chest. “Wait … my soul. Ren took my fucking soul! As far as the underworld is concerned, I don’t exist.”
“Right on, dude,” Jacob added with a thumbs up. “But technically, you’re still living,andyou have magic. A lack of a soul makes you undetectable, but while ghosts in the underworld may have their own type of magic, most have losttheir innate magical power from when they were living. It’s a dead giveaway.” He snorted at his own cheesy joke.
“Fucking Caspian,” I laughed manically. “His magic came from being a phantom … half dead, half alive. The Nether might still eat away at my living magic, but I think … I think Caspian’s magic might be different. I think it might protect me somehow.”
“Maybe.” Jacob shrugged. “You also have to be careful of the Riftwardens. They patrol the underworld, making sure people like you don’t slip through. It’s risky, but it’s worth a shot.”
My mouth dropped open. My knees started shaking. I had to clutch the kitchen table to stop myself from fainting.
“What’s going on? Someone tell me what’s going on?” Stella’s frantic gaze bounced back and forth between me and Ivy. “I don’t like not being a part of the conversation!”
My lips twitched, hesitant at first, like my face had forgotten how to move that way. But then it came: a smile so soft, genuine, and fragile like the first bloom after a long winter. The numbness didn’t completely vanish, but for the first time in two weeks, hope carved out a space beside the grief. If there was even achanceRen could be saved, I wasn’t letting it slip through my fingers.
I turned toward Stella, the sudden brightness radiating from the smile on my face catching her off guard. “Sounds like I’m taking a vacation to the underworld. I’m bringing Ren home.”
