Page 48 of Into the Abyss
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “It’snot, and I didn’t say you did, but if they have some way oflocating us in this place, we’re in danger.”
“I think they would have found us sooner ifthat were the case.”
“Maybe they can only find us at certaintimes, like when one of the wishes is unfolding.”
“But we’ve encountered others going throughsomething like Dana was, and the jinn never found us then.”
“I know,” Magnus murmured. “That’s whatmakes it more confusing.”
I didn’t know how to respond, and I had noanswers for his question.How did they find us?
Turning another corner, I clasped Magnus’shand to draw his attention to me when the distant, familiar scentof water caught my attention. Tingles of awareness raced across myflesh when we connected.
I almost lifted his hand to rub his fingersover my breast when lust like I’d never experienced before rockedme. His gaze fell to my lips before he looked away from me.
Keep it together, Amalia.Rememberwhere you are.
“This way,” I forced myself to say.
I made myself release his hand and turn awayfrom him. Hurrying down a side path, I zigged in and out of rockssharp enough to take out an eye. The scent of water grew strongeruntil I stepped into a circular clearing.
“Oh,” I breathed as I took in the beautifulsight.
A few hundred feet over my head, from thetop of one wall, a waterfall crashed and tumbled over the rocksbefore spilling into a pool. The water in the pool looked darkbecause of the stones surrounding it, but the spray coming from thewaterfall was clear.
A small bubble of hope replaced the heavyweight of despair weighing me down as I realized even in the midstof this stark landscape, there was still some beauty to be found.Tears pricked my eyes; I ducked my head before Magnus could seethem.
“Come,” he said and clasped my hand.
“Where are we going?”
If he answered me, I didn’t hear it over thethunderous crash of the waterfall as he led me closer to it. Watersprayed my cheeks and dampened my clothes when Magnus pulled meinto an alcove behind the waterfall. A good five feet of spaceseparated the wall from the waterfall, but the place had a cozy,safe feeling to it. It was almost as if we’d entered a privateworld here.
Magnus examined the rock wall beforereleasing my hand and pointing up. I followed his gaze to whatlooked like an opening in the stony face about fifty feet overhead.Before I could say or do anything, he grasped a rock, liftedhimself, and scaled the distance in seconds. He disappeared intothe opening before coming back and descending to join me again.
Leaning close, he pressed his lips to my earas he spoke. “There’s something you should see.”
I frowned at him, but I wasn’t willing totry yelling over the waterfall to question him. Nodding, I steppedaway from him, and he gestured for me to climb ahead of him.
When I shook my head, he returned his lipsto my ear again. “In case you fall, I will be behind you to stopyou from hitting the ground.”
I couldn’t argue with that as breaking bonesin here could prove disastrous for continuing. Turning, I gripped apointed stone and pulled myself off the ground. I could levitateup, but I’d never climbed before and wanted to try it. My handsfound grips to lift me higher, and my feet settled on the stonesbeneath me. When I glanced down, my head spun a little, but theheight and the experience thrilled me.
Before I knew it, I was pulling myself upand into the opening. Rising, I ran my hands over the front of mydirt-streaked dress while I lifted my head to take in mysurroundings. My hands froze as I understood what it was Magnuswanted me to see.
CHAPTER 21
Amalia
Not much light filtered past the waterfall, but itwas enough to reveal the stones lining the walls, ceiling, andfloor in here were far different than the ones throughout the restof the Abyss. I pressed tremulous fingers against a pink stonebefore resting my other hand over a yellow one.
I rubbed the rocks with my fingers to see ifthe color would come off or if maybe they were an illusion, butthey remained solid and the colors bright. This beauty didn’t fitinto this world of despair, but somehow, it did. None of it madesense, yet somehow it all made sense.
Confused and feeling a little disoriented, Ipulled my hands away and strolled further inside. The rushing waterquieted the deeper I traveled until the alcove dead-ended after ahundred feet. Turning, I made my way back toward the front asMagnus’s fingers curved over the entrance to the cave, and hehefted himself inside. He glanced behind him before coming to joinme in the secluded space.
“We’ll rest here for a bit,” he said.
“We have to find the others,” Iprotested.
