Page 78 of Into the Abyss
She frowned at me, but I didn’t let her goas I bent my head to kiss the top of hers. Her fingers curled intomy back, and she bowed her head to rest it against my chest.
“Magnus?” she whispered.
“They’ll be waiting for us at the monolith.You must be prepared for that.”
Her fingers dug deeper into my flesh. “Iam.”
A mix of possessiveness and fear creptthrough me. I’d never known fear before her, but since meeting her,it had become an increasingly familiar emotion. Even in battle, Iwasn’t afraid; I did what I had to, and if I happened to die in theprocess, then so be it.
But with Amalia, I felt like someone hadtorn my heart out and placed it inside her; I couldnotallow anything to happen to her. Somewhere along the way, I’dfallen for this complicated woman who was so unlike anyone I’d everencountered. I’d fallen for a preferred pacifist with the heart ofa warrior. A woman who wore her every emotion in her eyes and knewso little of the world.
One day, I would show her everything shewanted to see and have her experience all she was denied whilelocked away. But first, we had to get through the many enemies outthere who would prefer nothing more than to destroy us.
“I’m not going to lose you, Amalia.”
“And I’m not going to lose you.”
I gripped her closer as love swelled withinmy chest. I’d been determined to keep her at a distance, but it wasimpossible to do so with Amalia. With her unique spirit, lovingnature, and spine of steel, she’d worked her way into my heartwithout me realizing it.
Amalia gave a small sob and nestledcloser.
“Shh,” I whispered. “I’ll keep yousafe.”
“I know, it’s not that.” When she met mygaze, her eyes were the most vivid yellow I’d ever seen. She restedher hand over my heart. “Your emotions. They’re so strong, andthey’re forme.”
“Only for you,” I said and kissed hertenderly.
When she leaned into me, I broke the kissbefore it deepened into something more. We had a mission tocomplete, but this woman could distract the sun from its orbit, andI was nowhere near as strong as the sun.
“Only for you too,” she murmured, and Iclaimed her hand.
“I’m going to put a cloaking illusion overus before we continue, so don’t make any noise and don’t let mego.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
Digging into myself, I drew forth my abilityto make us invisible to anyone beyond us. Typically, it was moredifficult for me to weave the illusion as I found it easier tocreate layers of existence rather than hide them, but with Amalia’shand in mine and her claiming bite on my shoulder, I found it mucheasier to strip our presence away. When I finished, I didn’t feelas drained, and I knew it was the Chosen bond strengthening me.
Kissing her again, I hugged her one lasttime and kept hold of her hand as we continued down the path.
Overhead, I barely saw the top of Absentheespoking above the high walls, but the monolith was only half a mileaway at most. Turning a corner, we came to the end of the path andstopped five feet behind the jinni standing guard there.
A small jolt of surprise went through me,and Amalia’s hand tightened on mine when Absenthees came into view.At the base of the monolith, boulders were piled at least twentyfeet high against the structure. The silvery-black monolith shovedthose rocks out of its way when it tore through the ground to risehigh in the clearing.
And Absenthees rose far higher than I’drealized as I had to crane my head back to take in the top of thestructure nearly three hundred feet above us. The smaller monolithswere silent as they rotated around Absenthees, and beneath themwere mounds of earth around the four holes from which they’drisen.
The etchings I’d first suspected seeing onthe monolith were some form of demonish, but I didn’t recognizemost of them. The ones I did recognize were the symbols of unity,strength, and bound. Instinctively, I knew the jinn didn’t putthose markings there. The fae or the Abyss itself had hewn themonto Absenthees’ surface.
Most of the jinn, including Nalki, stoodinside the pit. Two or three jinn stood guard in front of the sevenother paths I could see leading into Absenthees. From what I’dwitnessed at the top of the hill, two more paths led into the pit,but the monolith blocked them from my view. I’d bet more jinnguarded these pathways too.
At the bottom of the monolith, a few jinnstood on top of the boulders with their hands resting onAbsenthees. The rest of the jinn in the pit were focused on it.Like one of the movies the humans were once so fond of, a sceneplayed out on the monolith as if it were a screen.
The woman running through the woods was aWilder. Her eyes were frantic as tears streaked her face and herarms pumped faster. I couldn’t see what propelled her onward, but Isuspected it was another of the jinn’s torments.
Amalia crept closer until her shoulderbrushed mine as the woman screamed, opened her arms, and threwherself off a cliff. The woods faded away while the womanplummeted, and I realized she’d thrown herself off the top of oneof the labyrinth walls. The jinn all leaned forward as the woman’shead smashed off an opposite wall and the impact threw herbackward.
She was dead before she hit the ground, andlightning hit Absenthees less than a second later. The bolt lit theetchings as it traveled all the way to the bottom before flowing upagain. Amalia shuddered when the markings at the base of thestructure became the color of molten gold. Heat crackled across theopen space separating us from the formation.
All the jinn stretched their hands out attheir sides and turned their palms toward Absenthees. Their headstilted back as they savored the life making Amalia shiver. I lookedaway from the spectacle of the jinn basking in death as the onestouching the monolith lowered their hands and stepped away. Fournew jinn climbed the base of Absenthees while the ones standingthere retreated. When the replacements rested their hands againstthe structure, a new scene unfolded before them.
