She stared straight at him. “Why?”
“To protect me.”
Her lips parted and her eyes flickered between his. “I guess you’ll have to tell me that story when we’re done here.” She lifted her hands, and he flinched slightly, bracing for the blow. Her gaze softened. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Arianna let her hands hover over one side of the chain. Her magic coated his wrist, the water warm against his skin. He could feel his own responding, craving to be closer, pulling at the restraints of both the iron and his own will.
“Release him,” she commanded. Nothing happened for a long moment. Arianna glanced up at the ceiling and the ice coating it. She let that ice melt and used the water to surround his other wrist. “Release him,” she said again, voice firmer this time. Still, nothing. Arianna let her magic fall, then used a bit of the liquid to trace a rune onto the metal. It snapped open.
Rion stood completely still. He wouldn’t dare give her a reason to change her mind. She stepped to his other side, watching him closely, and drew another rune on the remaining shackle. That lock snapped open, too. Rion’s magic swelled, buthe held it in check, letting his arm fall slowly back to his side. Arianna didn’t step away.
Both watched one another.
Her eyes traced his lips.
Then the world trembled beneath their feet.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Arianna
Arianna and Rion both ran, hearts thundering as they bounded up the stairs two at a time. The hall was narrow and winding, a passage carved from the stone. Arianna couldn’t exactly explain what had happened. The wall had simply … opened for her. The runes had moved like the ones at the entrance, climbing inside to light the way. She probably shouldn’t have gone in, but it had beckoned her forward, whispering that she was safe.
She didn’t feel safe now.
The floor beneath their feet rocked again, and Arianna jumped from the tiny exit, sprinting toward the staircase on the far side. She didn’t bother turning to see if the wall closed up again.
Raevina and Talon were already waiting, weapons drawn. Their eyes lit up upon seeing the pair, and her guards loosed a heavy sigh. Arianna imagined Talon scolding them for losing her.
Another tremor shook the space, and Arianna nearly lost her footing.
“We need to go,” Talon said, magic suspended around his body in tiny droplets. Arianna just nodded. Explanations could come later. She wasn’t keen on the idea of being buried alive.
She followed them up the stairs, her legs burning with every step. She hadn’t realized until now just how far down they’d descended. Statues rocked on their pedestals, and a glass vase hit the floor, shattering and spilling water all over a rug. They kept running, reached another flight, and Arianna winced upon seeing broken pieces of stone. One of the ancient relics.
Raevina came to a screeching halt. A dozen warriors rushed toward them. Raevina’s flames burst to life, and Talon surrounded himself in liquid ice.
The warrior’s hands flew up in surrender. One slipped on the stairs, barely catching himself on the railing. All were breathing heavily. Arianna’s gaze snagged on their uniforms. Why were her father’s personal guards—
“Lady Evelyn—”
Two words and Arianna was bounding right back down the stairs. The entire structure shook again. Another statue fell, shattering across the stone. She missed a step, but Arianna covered the stairs in a sheet of ice. She grabbed the railing, lowered her body weight, and let gravity carry her down the winding staircase.
Cracks spread along the walls, and the blue lights began flickering in and out. The stone itself groaned, as if it were a sentient being calling out in pain.
Arianna continued sliding, only slowing herself enough so that she wouldn’t crash into the wall. She caught Ellie’s scent. A new ancient hum echoed through the space, and dread filled the pit of her stomach. Arianna hit the final step, not caring at all about the runes carved into the floor. Not when Ellie was standing right in the middle of them.
Her little sister stood before the center-most pedestal, one palm hovering over a glowing sphere. The interior of the sphere spun with greens and browns, slowly swirling in a myriad of shades. Ellie turned slightly, eyes glazed over.
Two more orbs had been uncovered. One had a brown and gold swirling interior. The other was blues and greens, matching the colors of the sea. The orbs reached out with tendrils of their own magic, each matching their respective colors. They danced around her sister’s hands like wisps of smoke.
Arianna studied the runes on the floor again. They hadn’t reacted to Ellie’s presence. This place was supposedly made for The Divine, but after seeing what it had done to Rion, Arianna feared stepping forward. What if it viewed Ellie as a threat next? What if touching the orbs was taboo?
The floor trembled again.
“We have to go,” Raevina called. Marble-sized pieces of stone had already started crumbling from the ceiling, pelting the floor like hail.
“Ellie,” Arianna said, trying and failing to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Walk toward me.”
