Tynan’s voice surrounded me in a hiss. “The power of the soul is the strongest force in these realms. You’ll need souls. And you’ll need to protect your mind. A shield is not enough. You’ll need afortress. Locate the Starlings’ lock and key in the Arx. You’ll find answers whennew life waters ancient hide.”
“What is the?—”
“Time is ticking,” Tynan cut in, and his black shadows siphoned back into his humanoid form as he tapped his wrist.
I glanced down once more at my hands. The grayish hue had spread down my fingers, and my pulse banged against my neck.
“A word of advice,” Tynan whispered, his shadows disassembling and reforming as he hovered over my head. “When you feel those threads begin to fade, it’s time for you to go. Whether you find the pirate lord or not.”
Tynan’s shadows disappeared, and the weight of the surrounding fog swarmed, stealing my direction. Fuck.How was I going to find him?
My senses tingled as the fog grew in oppressing thickness, and I closed my eyes. Honor pressed against the outside of myankle, and the dagger warmed against my leathers in its holster. My eyes snapped open, and the golden gem at its center glowed as a question formed in my mind.Why had I kept the dagger Cyril used to slit my throat?As I gripped the hilt, an urgent tug swarmed my chest, stealing the air from me.
I twisted, my boots sliding in the muck as I sprinted through the fog and let the tug drag me through the mist. It was familiar. It was that same tug I’d felt in the Living Library in Lotrennia beforeFabia’s Fableshad appeared. The tug was warm and happy. It was dangerous, yet I was safe. It glowed like that silver thread I’d seen in the Waters of Ascendiel.
I let it lead me. My thighs burned after minutes of running until finally I broke through the land cloud and skidded to a stop before the Abyss. My stomach flipped, and anxiety clawed at my chest.I had to go back in.
I hesitated a mere moment before Tiberius’s consciousness flared in my mind, strength and encouragement surging through our bond. He was with me. His body had gone, but somehow, he stayed with me.
I grabbed hold of that strength before sucking in a deep breath and diving back into hell.
CHAPTER FOUR
LYVIA
Shields to resist their song, flesh to placate.
– Hidden notes in Queen Antares’s secret alcove, Gilded Fortress.
Lyvia – The Abyss
Pain, devastation, and disgrace were my existence. I relived my sins, taking every stab, every horrifying act of my mortal life, and swimming through my sentence for the second time. But I gripped Honor in my hand and held on to that tug, somehow kicking my legs through the pain, through the tar-like, inky water.
Time disappeared until at last, my body slammed into another’s.
I grappled with my free hand for an arm as it floated up, my consciousness split between enduring my sins and remaining in my physical body. My hand slid down a coat, and I slipped my hand in his. The rings on his fingers were cold against my skin.
Kellan.
My other arm wrapped around his broad, hard body and Honor pressed against his back. My hand squeezed his, and I tugged back on that feeling.
I’m with you. You’re not alone, I tried to say.
His muscles constricted before his body convulsed in a violent wave, and I nearly lost my hold of him. But when I tightened my grip,I was back in the Crystal Castle, watching myself approach my dying father…Panic began to take root, and my heart faltered. I couldn’t face this again… I couldn’t do this… I couldn’t endure this.
I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.
Help. Help. Help.
I squeezed Kellan’s hand like my life depended on it, pulling on that force connecting us. Silver light erupted behind my eyes, and my consciousness slammed into another’s. My mind’s vision ricocheted between my memory at the Crystal Castle and a memory belonging to someone else… It was Lord Astraeus stalking toward me, his curved blade out and a snarl on his face…
The blade sliced through my chest, and a sickening, white-hot pain consumed me. It warred with a plunging sensation as spit filled my mouth, and a smile spread across Lord Astraeus’s face as the blood splattered against it…
This was Kellan’s memory… Kellan’s sin…
I was experiencing Kellan’s sins… I was inhishell, which meant…
I forced my consciousness to split and gripped his hand once more, pressing Honor to his back as I kicked with all my might. I screamed his name into the inky water as it pushed us down from above.
