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He counted down, and then dove again. We swam slightly further this time, past more of the creatures. I noticed that a few of them seemed to be glowing a little bit, but when we surfaced again in the second cave, could only just barely see that glow.
The second cave was a bit darker than the first, but the formations I could see stretched on for what looked like forever.
“It’s like an entirely different world down here,” I whispered.
“It is.” His nose brushed my forehead, and I found myself leaning a bit closer to him, fighting the urge to rest against him as I looked at everything.
When I gave him the okay, we dove down again.
Five
We wovethrough cave after cave. Some part of me started to get nervous as we went deeper and deeper into the system, but honestly, I trusted Remmo.
Or at least, I trusted him not to take me deep into a cave and leave me for dead.
“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked him, as we surfaced for the fifteenth time. The caves had grown deeper and darker and more confusing, every time, though still stunningly beautiful.
“I wouldn’t bring you if it wasn’t, Iloli.” He tugged a piece of hair off my forehead, tucking it back under the band that still held one of my wrecked puffs in place. “What do you fear?”
“Not being able to get out,” I admitted.
“Ah. Here.” He swam over to the nearest wall, and placed my hand on the stone. “Tap into your magic, and ask Vevol to show you the way out.”
I obeyed, shutting my eyes and searching for that nature magic. It took a bit of effort to find it, since I wasn’t exactly a professional, but when I did, a tingle rolled through my shoulders and down my spine.
When I felt that tingle, I silently urged the magic to show me how to get out.
A series of images slowly rolled through my mind—me, swimming back through specific formations.
And when I opened my eyes, I saw what looked like a trail of magic beneath the water. A closer look showed me that they were the fish-creatures—the glowing ones.
They had formed a line, leading me back through the same gap in the stone that Remmo and I had just slipped through.
Awe swelled in my chest.
“Vevol won’t let you lose yourself in her secrets,” Remmo assured me. “The seelies should have been teaching you these things while they had you.”
“The unseelies didn’t teach the other girls this stuff either,” I murmured back.
“They refused to leave their safe places, or to allow us inside.”
“So did we,” I admitted.
“Then I have much to show you.” He pulled another strand of hair off my face. “Starting with how to tie your hair back more efficiently.”
A laugh escaped me, and I saw the playfulness in his eyes. He was just teasing me.
“I wish it had been you,” I said suddenly.
He tilted his head, not understanding me.
My face warmed. “With the Wild Hunt, when I formed that bond. I wish it had been with you.”
Understanding flooded him, and he squeezed me against his chest lightly. “I’m here now, Iloli. And I’m not going anywhere.”
I bit my lip, nodding my head.
I knew there was shit coming our way. When we got back to the new Stronghold, Teris would be there. So would the other fae, who knew a lot more about Remmo than I did. Things would happen that I wasn’t necessarily ready for, and I might end up walking away from the man who’d become my friend in the past week or two.
