Lightning rained down through the waves, confirming that this was no ordinary sea. The sea creatures scattered. The whirlpool slowed.
Now, I thought, giving another resounding kick that shot me out of the bubble and into the icy texture around me. My skin cooled, my insides protesting at the shock to my system.
But I wantedout.
I kicked again.
And again.
And again.
My lungs burned, the water threatening to enter my mouth.
Maybe leaving the comfort of my spiral was a bad idea, but if this was one of Lucifer’s mind tricks—of which I had no doubt it was—I needed to break free. To unweave this dreamlike spell.To wake up,I realized.
My legs strained with the effort to reach the surface, my speed slowing as the energy seeped out of me.
Give me more,I told Lucifer’s source.Help me.
My fingers brushed Melek’s talisman between my breasts, the crystal the only item I seemed to be wearing. The necklace hummed in response, my lungs suddenly full of air once more, as though it was protecting me and reviving the life within my veins.
I clutched the object in my hand as I propelled myself upward, my eyes closing along the way. Lucifer’s magic swam over me, seeping into my being, his wild essence revitalizing me to my core.
Yet it was Melek’s talisman that seemed to ground me. To guard me. Toguideme.
His charm helped me tame Lucifer’s magic into usable strands as well. Which was a feat, considering Lucifer’s source was literally a ball of burning Hellfire.
I wove the magic into a ladder of sorts, using it to help me climb back to the world above.
Only then did I notice the strange strings whirling around me—strings that appeared to be tied to the vortex below.
They jerked on my feet and legs, trying to force me down while I clung to the invisible rungs of power that led up.
It was a delicate dance, the magic warring within the waves to create an odd sense of pushing and pulling that left me dizzy. That, coupled with the lack of oxygen, and I started to see stars.
Just keep going,I thought tiredly.Almost… there…
You’re going the wrong way,my mother informed me.The core, Camillia. Go to the core.
It’s a trick,I told myself.Don’t listen to her.
Camillia,she said, my name holding a hint of warning in it.
No.
Do as I say,she demanded.
No.
Camillia De la Croix, stop this nonsense and go back down.
No!I shouted as I reached the surface with a gasp, the strings around my ankles snapping free and floating off into the abyss.
I grabbed the rocky island, noting the crumbling statue above.
Lucifer’s eyes weren’t staring down at me in disapproval anymore. They were nonexistent. As was his face.
Whatever I’d done had dismantled his mirage, leaving behind a pile of stones instead.
