1
LILY
Callum guided me through the underworld, staying off the main trails through the forest as we approached mountains I couldn’t see. Whenever someone passed nearby, we ducked for cover and remained silent until they were gone.
His grip on my hand never lessened, as if the danger still wasn’t over.
We stopped several times before I felt the incline beneath my feet, felt us travel upward as the trees thinned. Callum seemed to know the way by heart because he navigated the terrain without the aid of any kind of light.
Then I spotted the flames of a small torch in the distance.
“There,” Callum said quietly. He guided me into the cave entrance and grabbed the torch from where he’d left it leaning up against the mountainside. He held it high as he entered the cave, illuminating a narrowed passageway farther into the rock. The cavern eventually widened and heightened, turning into a spacious place.
Then I spotted it across the space—the door made of bones.
He approached the door and gripped the handle. “We have to sneak behind the skull rock. No talking.”
I nodded.
He opened the door, and immediately, the light of the sun poured through…along with the sea air and the breeze.
In that single breath, I felt alive again.
He stepped through first and pulled me with him before he shut the door behind us. Then he led the way again, placing his finger to his mouth so I wouldn’t speak.
I nodded in understanding.
He moved out of the mouth of the skull first, and his boots hit the sand.
Then I saw Viper standing there in his full armor and uniform, his cape catching in the breeze, eyes focused hard on Leviathan in front of him, like he was doing his best not to look at us.
“I’ve considered your deal, and I think it’s unfair,” Viper said without a hint of emotion.
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Leviathan said with full mockery. “Makes me so sad you feel like you aren’t getting a good deal.”
Callum grabbed my hand and pulled me with him to make sure I didn’t lag behind.
I had no idea why Viper was there or speaking to Leviathan.
Their conversation faded as we crossed the line of torches and moved farther behind the rock. Callum pulled me close, and we remained still, waiting for their conversation to finish. His intense eyes were glued to my face like they used to, staring at me as if he was thoroughly entertained just by my expression. His hand was still in mine as his eyes roamed over my features with a bout of emotion that was as clear as words on a page.
Footsteps were audible a moment later, like they were retreating from the rock, not toward its center.
Callum nodded before he pulled me with him, sticking to the trees in complete silence. We walked for ten minutes before he turned and made his way toward the center of the island, as if he and Viper had agreed on a meeting place before he’d come to the underworld to retrieve me.
I spotted his black armor through the dead mist that hovered around the trees. Felt his uncomfortable and desperate energy even a great distance away. We drew closer, and then his face came into view, his eyes panicked but trying to hide it at the same time.
The sight of him launched a thousand tears. “Dad…”
His eyes shifted to me when he heard my voice, and they were still for just a second before they mirrored mine. Glossy and emotional and tinting red at the edges.
I broke away from Callum and sprinted to my father, his arms opening to catch me when I landed against his chest.
His arms immediately enveloped me, and he squeezed me the hardest he ever had, sucking in the most painful breath I’dever heard him take. “Zunieth…” Even through his chest plate, I could feel the expansion of his lungs because of how labored his breaths became. His tears were audible for a moment, like he was grieving at my funeral rather than rejoicing at our reunion. “Lily…” His voice broke when he said my name, the tears in his throat.
I felt terrible for what I’d done to him. Felt terrible when he’d already lost a daughter once. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to forgive myself for torturing him like this, when he’d already been such a great father to me. “I’m so sorry.”
He clenched me harder and continued to cry.
