Elio didn’t give her time to respond before he scooped her into his arms and they were exposed to the creatures in the cavern. Morgan heard the surprised outcry around them. She closed her eyes and said the words of the incantation she’d memorized, just in case. Despite her eyes being closed, she could make out the explosion of bright light bursting out of Elio. Screams of pain filled the room as Elio’s essence ripped through the room, blinding everyone in their wake.
Elio didn’t even pause his flight as he shouted, “Morgan, open your eyes, now!” Morgan did as he commanded and saw the scepter just in front of them. She reached her hand out, grabbing it just as Elio banked to the right and rose up the tunnel.
Below them, the creatures cried out in stunned panic. She didn’t know if she’d permanently blinded an entire cave of workers, or if it was only temporary, but their cries made her feel horrible. She’d done this to these folk, just to get some stupid relic.
They landed with a thud as Elio hit the ground. His breath came out in a heavy rasp.
She crawled out from under him, rolling him onto his side as well as she could.
“Elio! What can I do to help you?” The words came out louder than she meant, but it probably made no difference with the screams of the cavern.
“You… You drained me,” he panted. “That was all I had.”
“What do you mean?” Morgan asked. She had to shout over the wails of the folk below in the tunnels.
Elio’s tan skin began to fade to a pallid ashen shade. “My essence is gone. I’m not getting out of here. Get to Rylo before they realize what we’ve done. Save my king.”
“No!” Morgan cried out.
“Tell Susan she is my bright star.” His words faded to a gasp as hot tears stung her eyes.
His breathing slowed, and Morgan pressed a hand to his chest. Elio’s heart beat faded and ceased under her hand.
She’d killed him, killed a man that was trying to help her, killed whom she thought might be Rylo’s only friend. She wanted to lay down and cry, to take back the spell she’d so carelessly cast. Instead, she picked herself up off the ground, lifted the scepter, and let out a piercing scream. If she was going to survive this cavern she’d need to flee now.
The scepter responded like it was made for her, singing in her ear. Something within that contact snapped and magic flooded into her body. She started shaking uncontrollably as pure, deep magic flooded her system.
She let the magic flow through her, glowing across her skin. Her vision was clearer, even in the dark, and she could make out details she hadn’t seen before. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Elio’s forehead.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said as she began running down the tunnel on swift feet, her shadows pushing her gait faster as she soared through the darkness.
If she couldn’t bring Elio back, then she had to get Rylo and the other Nepheli out of here. She reached her mind out and felt his presence immediately, clear and bright, as if he’d been connected to her this whole time.
Rylo! You have to get out of here. We have to leave now. Elio’s dead and I have the relic. Meet me outside Onyx Caverns.
A force pushed on her mind that she hadn’t experienced before, unrestrained and powerful, and she welcomed its presence, because she knew who that power belonged to. Knew who was on the other side, demanding entrance into her mind. She let the power push back her own swirling, deep magic asbrightness filled her mind. Still, her feet kept to the path, her shadows helping as her mind succumbed to the intrusion.
What did you do?Rylo. He was speaking into her mind. His typically bored tone held a panic that she’d never heard from him before.
I did what I needed to do. Are you safe? Where are you?
Possession seeped into his tone and it echoed through her bones.Waiting for you. I’m not leaving you. Hurry.
She let the deep magic pulse through her veins as the ground shifted above her, releasing her magic against Aeritis itself, the deep magic shot up, cutting through the thin rock layer above. Her shadows circled around her, protectively cocooning her from the falling rocks and dirt. The shadows twisted and lifted her up, up, up, through the depths of the earth and out of the rubble. Her eyes burned as she adjusted to the watery light of dawn.
She wanted to scream, to rage, and to cry. She wanted to burst out of her skin from the magic burning through her veins. Before she could do anything, sweet golden light descended in front of her and Rylo tugged her into a tight embrace, his wings sweeping around them, brushing against her shoulders and the back of her head. With the scepter in one hand, she wrapped her free arm around his neck and tugged him to her.
His lips pressed against hers with an urgency that made her heart pound in her chest. She responded and succumbed to her own need to feel him, taste him, and know he was okay. Slowly, their kiss changed from urgent and demanding to soft and tender as Rylo stroked her mouth and she returned with her own tongue making deep, languishing kisses.
He lifted her up without even breaking their kiss and took flight.
At last he pulled back and his lips brushed the tears that had leaked out of her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you in there,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion.
Chapter 36
Avery
Avery woke with the worst case of the twitchy itchies since the morning she and Morgan faced the bear at Quartz Mountain. She couldn’t get past this feeling that something bad had happened to her sister, that she was in danger and too far for her to reach.
