I turned by the entrance to wait for theothers and allow the hounds to slip by me. Corson stepped throughlast behind the skelleins. He held the wraith in his grasp andimmediately moved to get as far from River as possible with hisprisoner.
I contemplated having the hounds return toguard the seals, but I didn’t think it was possible Lucifer hadanother wraith like River’s father to do his bidding. The sealswould be safe, and the hounds wanted to say good-bye to theirpackmate, as was their right.
Stepping away from the rock, I watched as itbegan to slide closed. When it had firmly settled into place, aloud, piercing scream erupted within the cavern.
CHAPTER 46
Kobal
I swung my arm out and thrust River behindme. Grabbing the paws of the dead hound, I swung her over myshoulder and set her on the ground before spinning to face whateverthreat had somehow managed to make its way into these sacred walls.Across the way, Corson still clutched the wraith, his mouth agapeas the creature thrashed and screamed within his grasp.
I’d drained it so thoroughly that I hadn’tbelieved this degree of movement could be possible, but its wholebody was writhing. Its head whipped back and forth so fast that itsalready distorted features became more so as its screams grew.Behind me, River slapped her hands over her ears, and Hawk stumbledaway from the spirit.
“Whatisgoingon?” I bellowed to be heard over the cacophony bouncing offthe crystal walls.
Corson’s mouth opened and closed. If he wasspeaking, I couldn’t hear one word he said. The wraith wrenchedbackward, tearing free from Corson’s grasp. Turning, I slammed myhands onto the wall beside River’s head and molded my bodyprotectively over hers as the wraith bounced back and forth acrossthe cavern.
River’s head bowed before me, her handsremained over her ears as the wraith’s cries reached aground-shaking crescendo. Then, just as suddenly as the screamsstarted, they stopped. The wraith froze in the middle of thecavern. It hovered in the air beneath the dome and above the firethat had forged me. Its back bent until its flapping black endsnearly touched its head.
The wraith released one more strangled soundbefore it was sucked into the hole below. A plume of sparksshooting into the cavern was the only indication the spirit hadplunged into the fire. The harsh breaths of those within the roomwas all that could be heard in the hush following the wraith’sdisappearance.
“Stay here,” I commanded River.
She seized my arm when I started to stepaway. “It’s not safe.”
“If it wanted any of us dead, we never wouldhave left this room before.”
I kissed her forehead before stepping awayfrom her and approaching the fire. The others all watched me withwide eyes as they remained unmoving within the cavern. Steppingover the rocks, I walked to the edge of the hole and peered overthe side. Below, all I saw was the fire and lava as it rolled overand around before leaping high into the air.
The wraith was nowhere to be seen, and Iknew he never would be again. I moved away from the fires andstepped back over the rocks to where River had crept closer to me.“What happened?” she asked.
“If someone is not welcome here, they willnot survive it,” I repeated the same words I’d said to her earlier,but now I’d actually seen them in action for the first time. BeforeI’d only known what all varcolacs knew upon rising; this chamberwould not allow an enemy within it.
River’s gaze darted toward the pit. “Did youknow that would happen?”
“No. I didn’t think anything could destroy asoul.”
“They are more than the Fires of Creation,”Magnus murmured. “They are also fires of destruction.”
“How?” Bale asked.
“How do they create?” I replied as I slippedmy arms around River’s waist and lifted her from the ground. Shedidn’t protest or tell me to put her down as she draped her armsaround my shoulders and rested her lips against my throat. “Thischamber holds secrets we’ve never known the answers to and likelynever will. We will no longer have to worry about the wraithregaining its strength and aiding Lucifer again. That is all thatmatters now.”
“Too bad we couldn’t get Lucifer in heresomehow,” Hawk said.
“He’d never be foolish enough to enterhere,” I replied. “And I’m not sure the chamber would grant himentrance. The fires destroyed a depleted wraith. Lucifer issomething else entirely.”
I moved River further away from the firebefore setting her down and walking over to retrieve the limp bodyof the hound. The remaining hounds circled around me as I carriedher over to the fires.
I waited until all of them had gatheredaround the edge of the pit with me before lifting her from myshoulders. Placing her on the ground, I stepped back to allow eachone of them some time to come and say good-bye to her.
They whimpered as they nuzzled at her andtouched their noses against hers. When they were done, they steppedaway and fanned out to form a circle around the fires. They all satand watched me as I lifted our lost friend for a final time.
The hounds emitted a low howl when I tossedher body into the fires that had spawned her first ancestors, andhad reclaimed many of the hounds who had since died. The firerolled over her and buried her within the thick lava depths as ifit were embracing her within a cocoon.
Sorrow shimmered through the bond connectingme to the hounds. My hands rested on the head of the hounds closestto me. I ran my fingers over their fur to comfort them, but therewas no comforting this loss. The hounds remained seated around thefire, staring into the pit when I turned away from them. Phenex andCrux would remain free tonight to grieve with their familymembers.
Tears glistened in River’s eyes as she gazedat the hounds. “Will they be okay?” she whispered.
