Blakeshire (Insight #9)(93)

He broke the course he was on and manhandled a door that was in his way.

“What are you doing?” I harshly whispered.

“Making sure we are where I think we are.”

When the door opened, there was a space of five feet, then another door.

“You have no idea where that goes,” I argued.

“I liked it better when you were fearless,” he grumbled.

“Fear or no fear, I am not an idiot. That could be anywhere.”

“Is your insight of emotions back?”

“Sort of.”

“All right, then. Who’s on the other side of this door?”

I stared at the wooden door for countless seconds, checking and double checking my senses. “Nobody.”

“Right,” Aden said as he put his torch down and pushed the door forward.

It didn’t take us long to figure out that it was a fireplace hiding the secret passage. The room was just as elaborate as you would expect in a palace. The lack of personalization led me to believe it was just one of the limitless guest rooms.

Aden hugged the wall as he made his way to the window. From the drapes, he peered out. A second later, he waved me over.

When I reached the window, I saw that we were on the bottom floor and the courtyard was full of people. They were packed in so tightly that it was hard to see what they were looking at. We had reached the far west wing of the place. From here, you could see the main palace.

My heart thundered as I saw Drake on a balcony. I swore I could feel the regal power he was emanating from here. Obviously, so could the crowd. I sensed a massive amount of devotion swimming in the air.

Whatever he was saying had ended, and seconds later every balcony door on every floor in the main palace opened—and when they did, hundreds and hundreds of men in black robes stepped out. Drake nodded to the crowd, and on cue they cheered. At that display of devotion, I felt elevated.

“Those must be the priests he saved,” I mumbled.

“We are running out of time,” Aden said, stating the obvious. When this assembly broke up, someone would surely come looking for us.

We made our way back to the passage, careful to close the fireplace just as we had found it.

“It’s getting cold.”

“Told you that you needed a jacket,” he said as he went to pull his off.

“No, I’m fine. Just hurry.”

Water was running past our feet now, and from the sound of things up ahead it was falling into something hollow.

When we reached the end of our path, before us there was a hollow room that was a few hundred feet wide. When you looked down, you could see stairs. There would only be five of them, then stone. It was like they were built there to adjust to water levels. I couldn’t see any water below, but judging from the fall I could hear the water at my feet moving, too. I knew it was a long fall.

Glancing up, there were even more sets of stairs laid out in the same manner. Aden was right about this being built upon over the years. Fifteen feet above us, the stone was smoother. Where we currently were and below it looked like caves.

The gray, gloomy sky that was nearly fifty feet above this room was the only light beyond Aden’s torch.

“We have to figure out how to get down.” I was still under the impression that an octopus was guarding my remains.

Hearing my point, Aden crouched down and looked from side to side. “Stay right here,” he said, but he didn’t move. A second later, I saw his image on the other side; he had manifested his soul there. On that side of the dome room were several dark openings, all varying in size.

He vanished from that point and appeared at another point. He was edging his way down, seeing where he needed to go before he manifested there.

I wanted to follow him, but at that point he was moving too fast and I didn’t want to get lost down here.

Over the sound of the falling water, I heard something: my name.

I glanced back and stared into the darkness. I grabbed the torch and walked a few steps backward. I didn’t see anything at first, but I felt a familiar energy.

Then I heard it again. “This way.”

In the darkness, I saw a small silhouette. It was Preston. What the hell was he doing down here?

I started to chase after him, seeing that he was moving farther away.

He disappeared. Frantically, I felt around the wall I knew he was standing by before, and when I did it swung forward. There were so many cobwebs that I doubted he could have passed through there.

But then I heard him say my name once more and saw his shadow moving in the distance.

I broke through the sticky cobwebs and charged forward into the darkness, nearly yelling his name.

Water was rushing by my feet. I hugged the wall, trying to find stones that were not slippery. Something sharp caught my jeans, ripping them across my thighs. I wasn’t that worried about it as my jeans already had holes in them.

I was far too focused on Preston. Following his emotions, I reached a makeshift stairwell made of poorly carved stones. I climbed it and when I reached the top the water was gone, but the air was cooler.

I saw a light in the distance and was sure that was the same opening that Aden was popping around within.

“Preston,” I yelled again. Nothing. Not an emotion, not a familiar energy—nothing. I went to the ledge looking for Aden. He was nowhere in sight. I was almost sure he was back with his body, wondering where the hell I went. I couldn’t see that point from where I was.