Wrenley stretches her hand to grab her mother’s … but the shadow snags the bow instead. It envelops the sacred weapon in darkness, smothering even its shine.
“Mother?” Wrenley cries.
“How many failures must I endure?” the shadow creature sighs. “We’ll discuss this when you’re home, daughter. If you make it home.”
In a burst of darkness, the shadow figure and my bow disappear.
Wrenley lets out a wretched cry before careening down into the hole.
“I got you,” Dayton says and begins to pull me up onto our horse.
I look up at him, my beautiful mate. How lucky I am to have had so much love in my life. Then, I look back toward the hole, filling faster and faster with more water.
“I’m sorry, Dayton,” I say. “I have to save my sister.”
I let go of his hand and fall.
CHAPTER 115
Rosalina
Iplunge down the pit, roaring water swallowing me like the maw of an ancient beast. The world turns into a blur of white foam as I freefall. My stomach leaps into my throat. I don’t have a moment to scream before I land in the water. Panic clenches my chest as water encapsulates me on all sides. There’s nothing but darkness, no way to know up from down.
The deafening roar fades as I kick my legs furiously. There’s a glimmer of light above me. My heart pounds in my ears until I break the surface, gasping in air.
This pit below the arena is vast and cavernous, the only light coming from the hole where the water surges through. Remnants of the arena bob around me: pillars, wooden benches from the stands, and even gladiator shields. Chunks of the stone structure still rise out of the water, forming islands.
I swim over to a raised pile of stone and pull myself up. Ancient faces peer back at me, and I realize this was once a mural. A flame sparks on my palm, illuminating the area around me. “Wrenley? Wrenley!”
I catch sight of her bobbing in the water. She’s face up, but her eyes are closed, limbs spread around her. My flame whooshes out as I leap into the water and swim over to her. “Hold on.” I wrap my arms under hers and use my feet to kick us back to the stone island. With a grunt, I haul her out of the water and lay her flat upon the rock.
Ear to her chest, I count her heartbeats. She’s passed out, but her heart rate is steady and she’s breathing. There’s a gash overher eyebrow that drips blood down the curve of her jaw, but otherwise she seems okay.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m going to keep you safe.” She looks so innocent, her cheeks full, lashes long. In another universe, I would have gazed upon this face all my life. What would it have been like growing up with a sister? Would we have fought over the bathroom? Gone to movies together? Cried about boys? It all seems so … ordinary. “I would have liked some ordinary moments with you,” I whisper.
I have to get her out of here. The water level is rising fast. I stand and look around. Going through the pit we came through won’t work: the water’s coming down too strong. Another glint of light catches my eye. Another part of the colosseum has collapsed, revealing a hole in the ceiling of this cavern. The brilliant Summer sky shines through the gap. That’s my way out of here. Standing on my tiptoes, I catch a glimpse of a flat rooftop: part of the Serenus Dusk Chambers, I think. Looks stable enough. We’ll be safe from the water there.
A wheeze echoes through the cavern. I spin in a circle, trying to locate the sound. Another gagging cough follows, and my gaze catches on a heap of piled stone about twenty feet away from us. A pillar has fallen on top of it and smashed in two. Lying beneath one of the pieces is …
Kairyn.
He makes another horrid sound. I turn away from him, concentrating on Wrenley.
“R-Rosalina.” His voice echoes through the cavern.
I should pretend I never heard him, spirit Wrenley away and leave him here in the dark alone—
“Rosalina, please. I need to speak with you.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and ball my hands into fists, cursing myself. Then, I look down at Wrenley. “I’ll be right back.”
I cross the distance between us in only moments, my body used to swimming now, and pull myself up on the rock platform. My breath catches in my throat as I look down at him. The giant pillar, still shimmering white, lies right over his chest. One of his arms is completely pinned, and the other is limp beside him.
His helm, that formidable owl’s visage, is dented and scratched.
I kneel beside him. “You’re hurt. Why would you want to see me?”
“My helm. Remove it.Please.”
