“Yes. He divines Iblis’s will, then communicates it to us, letting us know which missions Iblis wants us to undertake. But he alone decides who goes and when, as well as oversees all the other inner workings of the Underworld.”
“Oh,” Ena said, as she contemplated this.
His body tensed slightly, wondering if she was about to ask any follow-up questions. The whole topic could lead to another, which he didn’t really want to discuss right now, but then, thank Iblis, he heard it—the delicate spilling of water.
He redirected their horse to follow the sound. The mountains loomed above them as they tucked themselves even closer to them, following their baseline, until finally, across the scrubby plain, Ty spotted it.
It was just as he remembered—a delicate stream of water falling off the mountainside as if pouring from a never-ending pitcher. The waterfall was small, only about a foot or two across, but it fell gracefully into a shallow, rocky streambed that meandered across the landscape. And behind the waterfall was a narrow cave entrance. It looked unassuming and barely penetrable, but Ty knew that it widened inside, its tall walls damp and slightly moldy from the humidity of the waterfall. Memories of himself, Turner, and Steig splashing and playing in the water in the summer and staying up all night laughing and joking in the cave flooded his mind as he looked for signs of his friends.
He couldn’t see any movement coming from the darkness within. Were they here? He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little apprehensive about seeing Steig and Turner. He knew in all likelihood that they would still be here—there was no way they’d go back to the Underworld to deal with the absolute shit storm Cole would rain down on them without him, except as a last resort. But he didn’t know how they would feel about Ena being here.
Stopping their horse in front of the stream, Ty dismounted and helped Ena do the same. Leaving their horse to drink from the stream and graze freely on the sage that surrounded it, Ty approached the cave entrance.
“It’s beautiful,” Ena said, speaking up slightly to be heard over the sound of the waterfall.
Ty smiled at her over his shoulder. “I know,” he replied. They did always have a similar appreciation for nature’s beauty.
“Where are their horses? If they’re here, shouldn’t we see signs of them?” she asked astutely.
“They might’ve tied them up farther away to avoid attention. That’s what I would do,” Ty said. “I’m gonna go check for them inside. I’ll be right back.”
Ena nodded at him, seeming somewhat distracted by the waterfall and all the new plants that grew along the streambed as she bent down to touch one.
Ty ducked to the side of the waterfall, following the thin strip of ground that bordered the stream on either side at the entrance to the cave. The mist sprayed his coat as he passed, leaving him feeling slightly damp as he entered the darkness.
Walking through the narrow opening, he had to lower his head slightly lest he hit it until the passageway opened up on the inside. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the tiniest glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, and he couldn’t help the wide smile that grew on his face.
They were here.
He picked up his pace, walking quickly until the cave opened into a wider chamber, and there, standing next to a small fire, were the only friends he had in the world.
“Took you long enough, asshole,” Steig said, smiling in return as he removed his hand from where he’d held it in readiness on his dagger. He moved to Ty, pulling him into a tight hug.
Ty hugged him back, relief flooding him at being reunited with his best friend. There was a minute there, back in Occidens, where he wasn’t sure if he’d see them again, and the emotions of that near-loss hit him in force now as he gripped his friend tightly.
He patted Steig’s back a few times for good measure before they broke apart, then he turned to Turner.
His younger cousin’s eyes were bright with unshed tears as he, too, pulled Ty in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, brother,” Turner said, thumping him on the back and holding the base of his neck gently.
“You too,” Ty replied, before pulling away to take stock of him. “You two look well,” he said, noting their rested appearance.
“Well, we’ve been twiddling our thumbs here for over a week. You want to tell us what the fuck happened to you?” Steig asked in that surly way of his, though Ty knew from experience that it belied his concern underneath.
“It’s a long story,” Ty said, waving him off. “But there’s something important I have to tell you first.”
He never got the chance, though, because at that moment, Turner and Steig looked past him as the sound of delicate footsteps echoed into the chamber.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Steig asked venomously, his hand going back to his dagger.
Ty turned around to see Ena. The darkness of the cave and the firelight suited her as they played across the gorgeous planes of her face, and her blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, reflecting and amplifying what was there like a beacon as she stared back at Steig with equal venom.
“Sheis here to help you, Steig, or did you think you’d be able to break the witch-made bond to Iblis all on your own?” she responded, before turning her gaze on Ty. “Sorry I camein unannounced. I just got tired of waiting out there,” she explained.
“That’s fine. I was just about to tell them about you, and…everything,” he responded, wondering exactly how much he should tell them. While Turner would support him either way, he knew Steig was uncomfortable with the idea of him and Ena being together, not without good reason. He was a protective friend and, given all the trials he’d had to go through to be with Lara, he knew Steig didn’t want him to have to go through anything even remotely like that.
“You’re here to help us?” Turner asked, some confusion in his voice. “Did Ty tell you everything, then?”
“Yes,” Ena said calmly. “He did. And not only that, but… I had a vision when I put on the amulet.” Ty remembered what she’d looked like when she’d put it on—her eyes going white and ethereal as if she was seeing something that wasn’t there, the way she’d screamed and writhed in pain as she witnessed the ritual. “I saw it being used to create the bond to Iblis, and then my matriarch confirmed everything, and well… I can’t explain it, but I Know it’s not Gaia’s will. It needs to be rectified to restore the balance. So that’s why I’m here.”
