Skye winced, as if preparing for me to reach out and spiritually grab her or something.
I raised one eyebrow. “You want me toconnectwith Skye’s soul?”
Aurum nodded once and then said nothing. Tough crowd.
“Why exactly?”
Skye groaned. “Because you can’t free the souls from the Netherworld if you don’t even know what a soul feels like!”
Okay, fair point. Did I want to know what Skye’s soul felt like?
Not really. But here goes nothing.
I pinched my eyes closed for a moment and then took a deep breath, feeling for the power I normally used to make a portal.
“That’s it, now don’t open or close anything. Just exist with the energy,” Aurum coaxed me, and I held back my chuckle at the Yoda vibes he was giving off.
I called the energy up and then did nothing, just left it there to permeate my entire being. When I opened my eyes, I gasped. There was a thick silvery cord going from me to Skye and then also me to Aurum. It was like an umbilical cord waving through the air and disappearing into their chests.
I sensed Skye’s nervousness that I would screw this up, and also Aurum’s bravery and shock over something. I couldfeeltheir emotions.
“You connected with us both on the first try.” He sounded pleased, and a warm feeling filtered through our new bond that I took to be encouragement.
I grinned, feeling like I’d gotten a gold star on my assignment. I was about to say something when suddenly the walls of the stadium shook and the cords between us snapped.
What the heck?
One by one, the panels dropped, folding in on each other, slamming into the ground. It wasn’t until a flicker of fear washed over Aurum’s face that I realized he wasn’t the one collapsing the arena.
A voice boomed as if on a loudspeaker. “I’m coming for you, daughter. You will serve me and my kingdom and not the traitors of Avalon.”
Chills ran the length of my entire body as a metal panel slammed to the ground in front of Aurum.
Aurum lifted his head and roared the most terrifying and commanding sound I’d ever heard, and the shaking stopped. The panels were half stacked, half fallen when the guardian met my no doubt frightened gaze.
“I think that’s all for today, Tatum,” Aurum said. He looked to Skye, who nodded.
I shook my head. “Whoa, wait a second, how was Apollyon able to do that? Is hehere, in Avalon?” I turned in a circle, scanning the area but not seeing anyone else besides the three of us.
Aurum looked up into the bright sunlight and then back into my gaze. “No, he’s not here. The four realms are all connected. He is the master of the fourth realm, and therefore has a small amount of power over the other three.”
I frowned, processing his words. “Four realms? You mean two. Avalon and the Netherworld?” It hit me then. “Oh, and Earth. So three?”
Skye chewed her lip, looking nervously at the guardian.
“Cael and the others don’t think you can handle too much information all at once, but I believe they underestimate you,” he shared.
That wasn’t cool. Did Skye also think I couldn’t handle hearing stuff?
I glared at her, and shame colored her cheeks.
“Four realms?” I pressed him.
He nodded. “Earth, Avalon, the Netherworld, and Tartarus.”
I swayed on my feet as anxiety gripped me. “Tartarus? What’s that?”
“You might know it as Purgatory. It’s a holding realm, a neutral place where all souls go to be judged,” he said.
