“Nollix,” her palm runs the length of his arm in a slow gesture and something flairs warmly in my chest, “Nollix, wake up.”
The moment she repeats his name, Cameron’s head jerks, waking himself as he pulls his hand away and rolls away from Violence like he’s on fire. My brow arches at him, and he holds my gaze for a moment before acting as if nothing happened. He’s a smart man. I’ll give him that.
Nollix blinks slowly. The pale color of his eyes disappeared the moment we stepped foot into this hellhole. It still startles me to see the inky depths of his gaze as he studies his surroundings, doing quiet sweeps over the land.
“They’re close.” When he speaks, the dry wind sweeps over us, skimming the fine hair along my arm until a chill crawls down my spine.
“Who’s close?” My gaze darts around the horizon.
Nothing is in sight.
“The dwellers are close.” He pushes himself up quickly, pulling his sword from his hip in one quick move.
I follow his lead and the glow of our weapons intensifies, signaling a threat that I can’t even see.
Shit, what if they’re spirits? What if it’s something evil that I can’t protect her from even if I tried?
The heavy winds pick up, throwing dirt and debris into the air until I’m forced to shield my eyes. Nollix stares unblinking into the swirl of the dust storm. It’s like he’s made from it.
The outlines of four bodies begin to take form. My eyes flinch away from the scratchy dust that’s attacking my vision. The power in my veins pushes against the winds, but it collides hard with another force. It’s like pushing against a brick wall. It’s like touching magic that’s cut from the same cloth as my own.
The dwellers come closer and closer, and I grab Violence’s hand, my body shielding hers. Cameron takes an intentional step closer, his palm covering his mouth while his other hand lifts toward the sky.
I was wrong. He’s not a smart man at all apparently.
With one quick move, his palm slams to the ground with a glow of shining white color. The force of the impact shakes through the Underworld, making a groan come from the dry earth before the dirt halts within the air and drops immediately to the land.
A peculiar shadow veils the four figures standing before us.
“Nollix, what are the dwellers, exactly?” My question is captured by the silence.
In a flash, a woman with black, inky eyes and teeth chiseled into weapons is smiling down on me. My sword rises toward her as the shadows fall away from the four newcomers.
“We are the dwellers!”
The shriek of her laughter crawls into the air and the land, sinking right into it like it owns every part of her.
