“I heard that.” Wrath calls out from ahead of us.
“Especially you!” Taryn yells across the trail, and Wrath’s laughter echoes in return. She turns back to me, seemingly boundless with her energy today. “So?—”
“Gods,” I say under my breath, unsure of what she’s going to ask next.
Taryn laughs, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Oh, comeon! I’m not going to hurt you.” She gives me a scrutinizing gaze. “You’re more fun to torment than my little sister.”
“Glad I can be of entertainment,” I huff, turning my attention back to the trail.
At the base of the mountain is a large opening, a deep tunnel carved into the stone. Elvarrans disappear into the dark, each one seemingly unfazed by what lies inside. As we approach, I feel my spine straighten in apprehension.
What if there is a bear? Or a wolf? What if?—?
“Goddess above, Raelys, are you afraid of everything?” Taryn loops her arm in mine. “Come on!” She surges ahead, yanking me with her into the dark as she drags me along.
“I’m not—” My words stop mid-sentence as we plunge deeper into the cave, eyes adjusting slowly to the lack of light as we descend. All around us are blue, glowing stones that light the path. “What is that?”
“Nithite crystals. They glow in the dark.”
“And if you mine them?”
“They still glow,” Taryn explains, leading me quickly through the humid tunnel. “I wouldn’t recommend keeping them, though. The light will keep you up all night long.”
The small passageway eventually expands outwards, into a tall cavern with thick stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Below us, a pool of turquoise water stretches through the cavern, illuminated by the stones. Thousands of tiny blue stars surround us, the crystals twinkling as we pass.
“Whoa…” I whisper, stunned by the beauty.
Before I can process the scene, my gaze lands on a tall stone arch, the group of travelers stopping at its entrance. I don’t understand why we need to pass through an empty arch. I can see through it to the other side, which looks identical to this one.
Wrath presses his palm to the surface of the arch, and a ribbon of silver light races along its inner edge. The space ripples, warping as the magic cinches tight, then splits open to reveal a passageway. I tilt my head to get a better look and see forest shimmering on the other side. The soldiers file into the magic arch, disappearing without a trace.
“Come on, then.” Taryn surges forward, pulling me along. “Keep your eyes forward. The magic can be a littlemischievoussometimes.”
“What do you mean?” I ask in confusion as Taryn walks us through the opening. We step through a long tunnel of light, the surrounding area shimmering with vibrant colors. I hear faint voices around me, the magic whispering in my ears.
“Long live the queen…”
“My mortal star…”
“Cursebreaker…”
The voices make my head turn. It sounds familiar, but I can’t place who is speaking. My gaze searches to find the source, but I don’t see anything. Everything around us is too bright, like the world stripped raw.
Taryn tightens her grip on me. “Eyes forward.” Her voice is deadly. “Now.”
I return my head forward, focusing on the exit in the distance. The voices grow, all talking over one another until my ears ring. Each voice beckons me to the edge of the passage, waiting for me to fall right off, into the bottomless abyss of the magic. The sensations are terribly overwhelming. I close myeyes and inhale sharply, spine locked straight, fighting to keep myself anchored in the flood of chaos.
“Traitor…”
“Liar…”
“Deceiver…”
“No,” I whisper, praying for the end.
A thousand voices shriek in my ears. No matter how much I try to block it out, the ghostly whispers take root in my mind, tormenting me with slander and malignance. My heart skitters in my chest, unable to function among the chaos.
As quickly as the voices flooded in, they became silent.
