Hollyn nodded in understanding, and Kai tested a few handholds until he found two he could use to pull himself up. He lifted himself and used his feet to find purchase while he searched for the next place to grab with his hand. Over and over, he repeated the process, scraping holes in his wetsuit. After almost fifteen minutes of struggle, he finally pulled himself over the ledge and saw a cowering Willow, huddled against the cliff face. The minute she saw him, she launched herself at him, wrapping her gangly limbs around his torso, nearly knocking him backwards over the cliff.
But he held his ground, stepped away from the edge, and hugged her tightly back. He was so happy to see her, andshe looked completely unharmed. Had she found someway to escape? She was a resourceful little Fate if there ever was one. Yet, as she pulled back, he didn’t like the look of contrition that covered her face.
“I’m so sorry, Kai. I’m so sorry.”
“What? You didn’t do any…” Suddenly, he heard Hollyn yell out at someone, and the volcano rumbled once more, shaking so violently, that Kai and Willow went down to the ground.
Once the shaking stopped again, Kai looked over at Willow who had her hands covering her ears and tears streaming down her face. She was staring toward Kai.
“He made me do it. I didn’t want to hurt her, but Grigori said he’d leave me here if I didn’t.”
Kai’s heart pounded like a hammer in his chest. “What’d you do, Willow?”
“I just had to get you away from Hollyn. I handed her to him.”
A heart crushing panic came over Kai, and he scrambled to look over the ledge on which Willow and he were lying. The space below was empty of any and all life.
Kai leaped to his feet and shouted, “Hollyn!”
But there was no answer. She was gone.
Willow sobbed behind him, and he turned toward her.
He dropped to his knees and lifted her to hers. “Where is she, Willow?”
“Inside…inside the volcano.” She ugly cried then, big wracking sobs that overtook her. “I let him take her!”
Kai smoothed her hair back and said, “I don’t blame you, Willow. And Hollyn won’t either.”
“I was so scared!”
“I know. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
He hugged her tightly to him. She was just a kid, and she had such a significant power. It was too much to imagine.
He pulled back as her cries began to ease.
“I want you to think hard, Willow. You’ve been inside the volcano, haven’t you?”
She nodded.
“How did you get inside and back out?”
She shook her head back and forth. “He has the place locked up tight with a whole bunch of guards stationed around the entrance. We wouldn’t be able to get inside easily.”
“First of all, you’re not going anywhere near Grigori again. Second, there has to be another way in. We just have to find it.”
“Oh, there is another way inside.” She pointed upward where the smoke continued to pour out of the cratered top of the volcano.
She was right. The way inside might be more dangerous than facing countless guards, but Kai would face any amount of danger to get back to Hollyn.
He looked at Willow and gave a hard nod. “You need to go down to the shore.”
“How?” The look of terror that crossed her face almost made Kai relent. “I’ve been trying to get down for the past two hours. That’s how I got stuck here.”
Kai couldn’t take her down and then climb back up. Who knew how long that might take. Yet, like the Fate she was, she brought the solution to her. Out of nowhere, a seagull with a beanie on her head landed beside Willow.
“Bertie! I’ve never been so glad to see your little stick legs and mouthy beak!”
