AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She may have been the daughter of Gaia, but her god’s blood wasn’t made of this realm. He had no idea if she could survive a fatal wound down here like he could.
Gritting his teeth, he summoned every ounce of strength, all the magic he had left inside him, and pushed. Agony sliced through him, swift and brutal, cutting deep, piercing through skin and bone as he pushed harder. White spots floated in his vision, and he nearly blacked out from the pain, but still he pushed.
Rocks shifted, and more dust burned his eyes. Light filtered through the gaps in the boulders, and he reached for it, stretching outward, grasping for freedom…
His cry echoed around him as he finally dug free from the rubble. Dirt coated every inch of him, obscuring the tattoos that covered his flesh. He coughed, his throat itchy and dry, the taste of earth and dust sticking in his mouth.
He surveyed his surroundings, squinting against the haze of ash and fog. He tried to make out the caves he knew so well, or the illusion of the forest and rivers of the Underworld. But it was no use.
There was nothing but fog.
“Hello?” he called out. His voice rang and bounced back to him, surrounding him with the emptiness of nothing.
Good gods, what had happened? His aching mind struggled to recall the details.
Pandora’s box had been opened. The dark magic had been unleashed. And the caves had collapsed.
His heart racing, Cyrus scanned the area with greater urgency. Prue—where was she? He called out for her again, but no one answered. It was as if nothing existed in the universe except for him.
The thought nearly drove him mad.
Prue was here. She had to be.
One by one, he started shifting boulders, digging through the rubble in search of her. A hand. An arm. A body part. Anything.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but his mind was so consumed with the task of finding his wife that he didn’t allow any other thoughts to distract him. One rock after another, he lifted, then cast aside. His hands were soon covered in scrapes and cuts, but he paid them no heed.
All that mattered was Prue.
After an eternity of searching, he caught sight of her brown skin, stained with dirt and… blood.
“Prue. Prue!” Cyrus shoved aside the boulders, panic coursing through him, rage and shock and denial burning and coiling tightly in his chest. No, no, no.
When he’d lifted the final boulder off her, he stared, frozen and stunned. Bruises and bloodstains marred her beautiful body. Her dress was torn and covered in dust. A large, bloody gash still oozed blood on her temple. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open.
She wasn’t breathing.
Carefully, his movements ever so tender, Cyrus gathered her in his arms, bringing her fully against his chest.
“It’s all right,” he told her, shutting his eyes against the agony that threatened to consume him. “You’ll be all right, my love.”
He didn’t speak the truth he was afraid to face. That his wife was dead. He had heard her scream, felt her magic unleash itself to shield them both.
But it had failed… because it had taken too much from her. That was why they were both buried.
Because it had killed her.
“No,” Cyrus whispered, shutting out the horrific thought. No, she was his wife and the goddess of this realm. He would find a way to save her. He swore on his own life he would.
His own life…
Gods above. Could he use his soul magic to revive her, like he had in the mortal realm when she’d fallen down the mountain?
Did he even have enough to do it?
It didn’t matter. He had to try. But first, he needed access to his vault to retrieve the spell ingredients. His soul magic was too far spent and Prue was too far gone for normal magic to work.
He would need something much more powerful. And fast.
