Page 10 of Into the Abyss
“Liar,” Corson accused.
Her eyes deepened to a reddish hue. “Iunderstand your Chosen is in danger and you’re terrified, but youdon’t know me, sobackoff! I don’t have to offer to help atall, and if you keep talking to me like that, I won’t!”
I planted my palm firmly in Corson’s chestwhen he stepped toward her again. “Enough,” I growled at him andworried he’d slice my hand off at the wrist. The appendage wouldgrow back, but I’d prefer not having to deal with a missing handfor the next few days. “We’ll see if I can go into this Abyss withher.”
“I’ll go with her,” Corson said.
“No. You will stay with Wren and keep herprotected.”
“But if Wren’s in there, I might be able topull her back through our bond.”
“I’m not taking you with me,” Amalia statedbefore I could reply.
Fury darkened Corson’s features as hescowled at her.
“I don’t trust you not to hurt me should youfail in freeing her,” Amalia continued.
“You don’t have a choice,” Corsonhissed.
“She does,” I said. “And it will bemewho goes. The angels are needed here to keep watch fromthe sky and get word back to Kobal should it become necessary. Youhaveto stay with Wren.” I turned away from Corson before hecould protest my decision. “Will you take me?” I asked Amalia.
She bit her bottom lip and studied meintently before replying, “Yes.”
“And how do you plan to get back?” Corsonasked me.
“I’ll bring him back,” Amalia said, as ifthe answer was completely obvious.
It was not so obvious to me or the others.She could easily take me into her Abyss and leave me there torot.
There wasn’t anything Corson wouldn’t do toget Wren back, but I saw the doubt and hesitation in his eyes whenthey met mine. He’d do anything for Wren, but he didn’t wantsomeone sacrificed in his place if that was Amalia’s plan forme.
“Magnus, once you’re in there, she can takeyou anywhere,” he said. “For all we know, she can open anotherportal somewhere else in the world and leave you there. Or it couldbe nothing but a trap that will spring and destroy you the secondyou enter.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,”Amalia said. “The jinn can only open a portal in and out of theAbyss to where they were on Hell, Earth, or the Abyss. If we leavethis spot, we will return tothisspot. If we return hereand then go back to the Abyss, we will emerge in the last place weleft.”
“And what if you open the portal into sometrap for him?” Caim inquired.
Amalia’s agitation grew as she fiddled withher dress. “There is no trap.”
“And we’re just supposed to believe you?”Raphael inquired.
“No matter what I say, you won’t believe me,so make up your own minds about that,” she retorted.
“If you’ve never been to the Abyss, thenwhere will the portal open?” I asked.
She looked helplessly at me. “I have no ideawhere or what we’ll be stepping into. That is a risk we both haveto take.”
CHAPTER 5
Magnus
“I doubt this Abyss of yours was designed to harmthe jinn in any way,” Corson said. “So I doubt it’s much of a riskto you.”
Amalia’s jaw locked, and her eyes deepenedto a more reddish hue as she focused on the woods.
The idea of stepping into a plane I’d neverheard of and knew nothing about was less enticing to me than havingsex with a spiny clackos demon—and the clackos were known to havespikes oneverypart of their anatomy. But there was onesimple fact in this: “We don’t have a choice,” I reminded him.
“Iwill go,” Corson said again.
