I turned to the harpy. “We have to go down there.”

She blinked as soon as.

“Emilie wants us.”

She blinked once more, then nodded.

“Ladon?” Emilie’s voice echoed within the gap.

I saved my consideration on the harpy. “I’ll soar first after which, when it’s clear, I’ll yell so that you can comply with. Perceive?”

She nodded once more.

“You’re going to leap, aren’t you?” Emilie requested.

I grinned. “Sure, princess. We’re coming.”

Inserting the torch on the bottom, I readied myself to leap. I gave myself to the rely of three, after which I used to be plunging into darkness, eyes and mouth pressed shut as I waited for the water to hit.

It felt like I’d been slammed right into a block of ice. The water was freezing chilly, one thing Emilie had failed to say. I kicked my toes and reached up, gulping for air, when my head breached the floor.

Glancing round, I wiped the water from my face. After a number of seconds, I discovered Emilie standing on a rocky shore with glowing moss overlaying the partitions and ceiling. It will’ve been lovely if our lives weren’t in peril.

I paddled till I reached some extent the place I may stand on the rocks. They had been slippery and coated in algae that was additionally glowing, although not as vivid because the partitions up forward.

Shaking the water from my hair and wringing my shirt, I known as as much as the harpy. “You possibly can soar now!”

We waited. And waited. And waited.

I turned to Emilie. “Do you assume I ought to’ve made her soar first?”

“I don’t assume she would’ve appreciated you forcing her into it.”

We waited a number of seconds extra after which I heard fluttering. The beating of wings.

An orangish glow descended from the ceiling the place we’d fallen, and the harpy burst by means of the opening with the torch in her hand as she floated gracefully right down to us.

Not a drop of water on her.

I gritted my enamel. “I don’t suppose you may’ve talked about that earlier than I jumped right into a lake of freezing water.”

Emilie elbowed me.

After they shared a smile at my expense, Emilie took the sunshine and continued towards one other tunnel. The one good thing about following the air stream was that we couldn’t ever be actually misplaced. We may by no means be thrown off monitor. So Emilie continued as our information, feeling her manner by means of the tunnels.

Ultimately, the trail started to open up. The ceiling arched upward, and the partitions expanded. We not needed to stroll in a single file. My spirits lifted on the sight of white gentle forward.

“Is that—”

“The exit. Sure, I believe so.”

I stood subsequent to her, and he or she beamed up at me. These lovely hazel eyes lit up, reflecting the glow from outdoors. I couldn’t assist however smile again down at her, urgent a hand to her cheek. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

Hand in hand, we walked towards the exit collectively whereas the harpy adopted in our footsteps. Emilie even laughed a little bit, each of us full to the brim with pleasure. We had been wanting to see the surface world once more. And wanting to not be Reyna’s prisoners. Her playthings. Freedom was solely footsteps away.

“Cease proper there,” a burly voice commanded. His determine was darkish and unrecognizable in opposition to the blinding gentle coming from behind him. I attempted to shade my eyes so I may see, however it wasn’t efficient.

Two extra figures appeared at his facet and collectively they moved towards us. Instinctively, I moved to guard Emilie, pulling her behind me whereas my free hand reached for my sword.

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