Page 12 of Into the Abyss
Who cares? She’s a jinni and someone tostay far away from. That’s the only thing that matters abouther.Sometimes, I couldn’t deny I was as intelligent as I wasgood looking.
“What do you mean; what is there about her?”I asked Caim.
Caim seemed to rouse himself from somewhereelse as he blinked and unfurled his wings. “I should keep watch,”he said before taking to the sky.
“Is he losing his mind?” I asked Raphael asCaim circled overhead in ever-widening arcs. He vanished over thetrees before reemerging in raven form.
Raphael shrugged and rested his hand on thehilt of his sword. “Caim is as he is, and as he will be.”
“Angel riddles, delightful,” I mutteredbefore turning to Amalia. “Let’s get on with this. What do we haveto do?”
• • •
Amalia
I didn’t tell Magnus I wasn’t sure I could do any ofwhat was necessary to enter the Abyss. Corson was staring at melike he intended to gut me, and unlike the other jinn, I wouldn’trecover if those talons eviscerated me.
I hadn’t been lying; I’d never entered theAbyss before. Within the seal, our ability to enter the Abyss wasshut down, and since being freed, I’d never had a reason to enterthe plane. Out of curiosity, I once opened a doorway into theAbyss, but I never went through the portal, and I’d neverconsidered taking a non-jinni with me. I’d heard it was possible,but I wasn’t fully matured, so who knew what I could or couldn’tdo.
But I had to do something before theydecided I was useless and killed me. I’d just gotten my freedom,and I wouldn’t lose it now.
The only thing I could do was open theAbyss, and if Magnus couldn’t enter with me, at least I might havea chance of fleeing into it to get away from them. If I failed,they’d probably kill me, but if I succeeded in escaping, maybe Icould do something to help them.
They hate you simply because of what youare; why would you bother to help them?
It was true, but as Corson’s anguish beatagainst me, I knew I would help them because, whether they believedme or not, I was different from most of the jinn and I couldn’tstand the suffering of another.
Then, a possible way to help those affectedby what the jinn did today occurred to me. However, none of thosearound me would go for it, so I decided to keep it to myself. Ifthey didn’t kill me, maybe I’d get the chance to put my idea intoaction later. And if they did kill me, then screw them for notgiving me the opportunity to help because they despised mykind.
I’d prefer not to die for the sins of mybrethren though.
Taking a deep breath, I threw back myshoulders and lifted my hand before my face. I closed my eyes as Idrew on the well of power flowing through the veins of all thejinn. While I concentrated, the creaking branches, bird song, andwhisper of the wind faded until there was only the Abyss andme.
Even though I’d never entered the Abyss andonly opened a portal into it once before, Iknewthe jinnwere the Abyss, and the Abyss was us. Even locked behind the seal,I’d felt it in my being.
The power of my connection to the Abyssspread warmth through my arms, down my thighs, and into my fingersand toes. Turning my hand sideways in front of my face, I made aweaving motion with it as I ran it down to the center of mychest.
The fabric of the air pulled silently backwhen I opened a doorway between this world and the next.
Opening my eyes, I stared into the portalbefore me. Roughly the size of a doorway, it was a gray canvasblocking out the scenery beyond it and revealing nothing of whatlay within the Abyss. No breeze flowed in or out of the portal; nonoise sounded in my ears in this world or the next, but the Abyssbeckoned me to enter it.
When I opened the doorway before, theunknowing of what lay beyond was too frightening for me. I’dquickly closed it before something could escape or something thatdidn’t belong inside it could enter. The unknowing still unnervedme, but I no longer had a choice; I had to step into the Abyss.
Tearing my eyes away from the portal, Iturned back to find Magnus’s gaze riveted on it. “Can you see it?”My voice rang louder than normal in my ears.
Magnus strode forward to stand beside me.“Yes.”
“We all can,” Raphael said.
Easily eight inches taller than me, I had totip my head back to meet Magnus’s eyes as I spoke to him. “I’m notsure if it’s necessary or not, but I think I should hold onto youwhile we enter.”
Uncertain of how he would react, I hesitatedbefore slipping my hand into his. I started when a small current ofsomething ran through me, but instead of disrupting the flow of mypower, it swelled my ability within me.
I couldn’t stop my fingers from stroking hishand. His skin warmed mine, and for a second, I almost steppedcloser to him as a frisson of need rocked me. Magnus’s emotionscaressed my skin as his surprise faded to curiosity then desire.When he met my gaze again, his thumb stroked the back of myhand.
“Are you ready, Amalia?” he inquired.
The way he said my name sent a shiver downmy spine, but was I ready? Throughout all of this, I hadn’t stoppedto think about the consequences of my actions. I was bringing anoutsider into the Abyss, and not just any outsider, but a palitonclose to the king. The jinn would befuriouswith me, butthey would forgive me. Would they forgive me if something wenthorrifically wrong though?
