AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You can’t, that’s why you have to learn control. That way, no matter what level your energy is at, you won’t unintentionally harm anyone.”
“And that’s what you want to do? Train me so that never happens.”
“Yes. And because I care, and I want you to be in control of yourself.”
“How are you resisting this? Don’t you feel the same pull I do right now, even this far away from the portal? I want to run to it, to see what’s on the other side.”
“I feel it, but I have felt it before. It gives me more control over the situation than you have right now. You already lack control under normal circumstances, so it makes sense you aren’t able to resist.”
“Please, Remy. I have to do this. If you stop me, I’ll come back on my own, and we both know I’ll be in more danger by myself than I am with you here to protect me.” I wasn’t only stroking his ego, though that was an added bonus.
If I came alone, there was no telling if I would be able to stop before I threw myself through the portal like Gregory had. Not to mention the added danger of coming back into this forest alone. After what happened with Illyria, I never wanted to come here again.
He looked me over with an assessing gaze, and I could tell when he accepted that his only option was to help me. At least if he wanted to keep me safe.
“One quick look, that’s all I will allow before I pull you back. It’s too dangerous for more than a glance.”
“Fine, I’ll take what I can get. That’s all I really need, anyway.”
He dropped his hold on my arms, grabbing one of my hands instead and led me down the rocky corridor toward the eerily glowing light beyond. It grew a little brighter, but even when I could tell it was just around the next bend, it stayed a soft, muted glow rather than a blinding light.
Before the portal came into sight, Remy clenched my hand and pulled me to a stop.
“You can peek around, but I’m not letting go of your hand, and I can’t look at it myself. One of us needs to stay out of visual contact with it to be sure we don’t both wind up going through.”
I nodded my head, but couldn’t bring myself to speak. There was something so solemn and silent about this part of the cave, breaking it with words seemed almost sacrilegious.
“I’m serious, Thea. Hold on to my hand as tightly as you can, and no matter what you see, don’t let go.” He clenched my hand tighter, and I swore I felt my bones grind together. Not wanting to delay it any longer, I squeezed his hand back in comfort and understanding, and then turned back toward the portal.
I stole a glance around the stone wall into a vast, empty cavern.
I expected… more.
There, against the far wall, was a glowing blue archway. Rather than the bright, energy-laden luminance I would have expected from a portal to the Underworld, it almost looked like a string of lights had been draped over the entrance to a college dorm room. And yet, I wanted nothing more than to walk toward it and into the welcoming call of the blackness beyond the archway. Something in that shadowy abyss wanted me to join it. And I wanted the same. It was where I belonged, after all. It was my chance to rejoin the family I’d never known, to take my place among them and come fully into my power. It was my destiny, as it had been my destiny to be in the forest tonight so Remy could bring me here.
All it would take was a single step forward. Just one step.
So I took it.
A single step to fulfill the promise of my nature, my very being, who I was always meant to be.
A distant noise echoed in the back of my mind, something familiar, yet foreign. It didn’t belong here, not in this sacred place, and not where I was going. I simply needed to ignore it and cross.
That was why I had come here, after all. To cross.
I tried to reach for the portal, but my arm wouldn’t lift from my side. It was as though Illyria’s spell had been cast on me once again, and I had been immobilized. I tried again. I made a little headway, lifting my arm enough that I could see the tips of my fingers in the periphery of my vision where my gaze was locked on the entrance to the Underworld.
But I didn’t see only my fingers. I saw a large hand gripping my wrist. And that hand was connected to an arm that was trying desperately to pull me back.
I finally tore my eyes from the portal and sound rushed back in.
“Listen to me, Thea! You can’t! Do you hear me? You can’t!”
Remy’s voice echoed off the walls, so loudly it hurt my sensitive eardrums. And his voice was hoarse. Was it because of how loud he was, or because he had been shouting for so long? My arms ached, my hands felt bruised and battered.
He gave me a sharp yank, and I tumbled into him. As soon as I moved, he tucked an arm behind my knees and one behind my shoulders, lifted me, then spun on his heel and sprinted away. When we returned to the area of the cave we’d been before, he set me down on my rock-seat and looked me over intently.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
