Page 62 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“We’ll make it there around midday tomorrow.”

My heart sinks. I can’t hike the rest of the night. Gods, I need to work on getting in better shape.

“Will we be walking all through the night?” I whisper back.

“No, I have a place for us to stay the night not too much further. Maybe another hour. Can you make it?”

“Yeah. No problem,” I pant back. I’m breathing heavier than I’m proud of, and I make a mental note to work on that once we get back to Nighthold. I wonder where exactly we’re going to stay the night. It doesn’t look like Nyx’s backpack is large enough to be carrying a tent. Maybe he’ll use magic to make us one, if that’s possible. He doesn’t seem to want to talk while we’re out here, so I just keep my questions to myself. I need to start thinking about what I’m going to say to Aidan when I see him. The thought of speaking to him makes my stomach knot. Once I learn to use my Fae magic and come into my Sorceress powers, Aidan is going to be toward the top of people I want to kill, right after Samael.

I don’t know how we’re going to convince Aidan to take us to the old Sorceress, assuming he even knows how to find her. I didn’t really think that far ahead. I just know I need to find her. Using my sexuality to manipulate him is out of the question. I refuse to resort to such a cheap tactic. Nyx could use brute force to extract the information from him, but I’m not sure that would be wise if he’s trying to keep a low profile. That leaves me with few options, but I can’t dwell on it right now. My mind is racing, unable to focus, consumed by the bitter cold that gnaws at my bones. I’m exhausted, and every step is a struggle to keep my balance. Chepi flits by our side, his fur a warm cocoon against the icy winds.

Finally, Nyx halts beside a massive tree, and he begins to circle it, studying the ground intently. It doesn't appear any different from the other trees we've passed, but I trust Nyx’s instincts.

With a graceful motion, he drops down onto his hands and knees and presses his palms into the dirt and snow. The snow immediately begins to melt, revealing a glowing green circle beneath his touch. The circle extends out to about five feet, and with a clicking sound, a section of the ground transforms into a door-like opening. Although the entrance is large enough for a person to pass through, the sight of the dark, bottomless hole sends shivers down my spine, tapping into my fear of tight spaces.

“Please tell me we’re not climbing into that hole?” I whisper in a voice that’s a little more tense than I’d like it to be.

“Yes, Princess, we’re doing just that.” He chuckles, pushing some dirt and leaves aside.

My palms are growing slick from the thought of crawling down there. I hope there are no bugs. Nyx waves his hand, and a small, white, glowing orb appears. It slowly descends into the hole, illuminating it for us.

“There’s a ladder. I need you to climb down, and I have to cover our tracks and close the hatch. I’ll be right behind you. I promise it’s nice down there.”

With a deep breath, I step onto the ladder, the orb providing just enough light to see the walls and rungs beneath me. The walls appear to be made of concrete, smoother and cleaner than I expected. I quickly make my way down, Chepi flying next to me, and once my feet touch the ground I wait for Nyx to join me. He takes my hand and leads us down a narrow hallway illuminated by the orb. We reach the end of the hall, and the orb brightens, revealing a spacious room filled with two sets of bunk beds and a few crates. Beyond that is a standalone bed, larger than the bunks, with a shelf next to it stocked with supplies. Although the room is hidden underground, it’s larger than I anticipated, and I try to shake off the feeling of confinement by imagining we’re above ground.

“What is this place?” I ask while surveying the supplies.

“It’s an underground bunker. I have one hidden in every realm. Only someone with Fae blood can unlock it,” he tells me nonchalantly.

“What for? Do you use them often?”

“You can never be too careful. I don’t use them often, no, but they’ve come in handy a handful of times. Like right now.” He smiles, pulling me close to him and planting a kiss on the top of my head.

“Are you smelling my hair?” I laugh, as I feel his nose nuzzle against my hair.

“Yes. I can’t help myself. You smell delicious. Sweet like honeysuckle.” He chuckles softly, running his hands down my body.

“I want to make it to Aidan’s village tomorrow if we can, so we should try to get some sleep. We’ll have a lot of walking to do,” Nyx says while removing some of his clothes.

“Why can’t you just fly us to the village?”

“I could, but I’m trying to refrain from using large amounts of magic. I don’t want to risk Samael being able to track us. This small orb of light is one thing, but anything more could put us at risk.”

“Right, no magic, but Samael doesn’t even know we’re here? How would he track your magic?” I start removing my boots and some of my clothes so I can climb into bed.

“Samael is going to be on high alert. I don’t think he’d expect us to come back to Cloudrum, so we have that on our side. But I’m sure he has a spell set to alert him of anyone using large amounts of magic. I want to try to avoid magic at all costs,” he says, climbing into bed and pulling me under the covers with him.

“What about when you opened the door to get us down here and covered our tracks?” I’m concerned about the magic now and hoping Samael hasn’t already been alerted of our presence.

“That was a very minuscule amount of magic. It wouldn’t be enough to set off a spell.”

I relax a bit, cuddling close to Nyx. The orb slowly dims out, and we lie in the dark for some time. I listen to the sounds of Nyx’s breathing and close my eyes, hoping sleep will find me soon. Just when I think Onyx is asleep, his voice scares me, and my eyes fly open at the sound.

“Can I ask you something, Lyra?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Why didn’t you want to answer most of my questions the other night in the Fate Fields?”