On and on for what feels like forever.
This stairwell must lead to the very bottom of the castle, or deeper.
They could still be alive battling the demons back.
The faces of my friends and Lachlan flash in a never-ending loop in my mind. They could still be alive.
Or…they’re already gone?
I would feel it, right? I would know if one of them had fallen?
My feet falter and I fall backward on my ass. The impact has my teeth and bones rattling. Both hands splay out to the narrow wall on either side of me and I barely catch myself before I fall even further down the stairs.
Fuck.
Erratic breaths pulse from me and I work to master myself. To breathe slow and steady. I crane my ears, trying to hear anything that’s happening above me.
And that’s when I hear it.
There is water lapping against the stairs.
Easing up to my feet, I descend a few more stairs and into the water. The ground below me must be sand as it cushions my every step. Water reaches up to my calves as I wade further into a murky antechamber.
Far below the castle, the ocean swirls and churns in a room that must span the entire building above. Like a giant air pocket underneath its foundation. Several hundred yards away is an alcove, but with the murky light, it’s hard to see what’s on the other side.
I spin around, seeing nothing but water and dozens of colossal stone pillars that rise out of the water, bearing the weight of the castle. Something tells me I need to be on the other side of this room. My heart drops into my stomach.
How the fuck am I supposed to get all the way across and quickly?
“Lena?” a voice calls in the darkness to my left.
“Odessa?” I whirl around, and water splashes as she steps out of the darkness.
“Oh Lena!” she cries, her silver gown clings to her like she tumbled headfirst into the water. Ribs protrude roughly from her sides as she breathes deeply. “I can’t make it across. The water—it’s too deep and there’s something in here.” Her voice drops to a whisper.
I wade towards her, my armor making the trek difficult. She reaches out to me, her hands still crudely tied together.
“What’s here?” I ask, holding her hands in mine, as her eyes turn frightful.
The paleness of her skin blanches even further. “Sea dragons,” she breathes.
A shaky laugh bubbles out of me and bounces off the stone ceiling above us.
She quirks her head, confusion forming a divot between her brows.
There’s a gentle kindness in her eyes the asphidra could never replicate.
“They’re friends of mine. We’ll be okay.”
She reels back, her wet hair sticks to her chest and face.
“Friends?”
I nod. Time presses down on me and I let go of her hands. “Let me remove these.”
She holds her hands out still in front of me and I thumb my dagger from my thigh holster. I pry the tip of the blade into the small gap in the links and jerk my hands down. The link breaks and the chain drops, splashing into the water that swallows it open.Good riddance.
“Oh thank the gods,” she breathes, flexing her wrists. Even in the dim light, the red irritated skin looks painful around her wrists.
