Page 156 of Heir of Broken Souls

My cheeks flush, earning a grin from Knox. We walk around the room, surprised to stumble upon a large golden double door. Without hesitation, Knox pushes against it with a shadowed hand, opening the door with a flourish.

My chest heaves as the doors take my breath away.

It seems I’m not the only one.

Knox’s feet stumble to a stop as he clutches his chest. I can’t tear my gaze away from the sight but I have no doubt Knox is looking upon it with as much wonder and awe as me. Sitting upon a lake stands a gazebo, offering the wonderous sight of a monstruous waterfall.

“This is pure magic,” Knox whispers beside me. “I’ve never stumbled upon something so magnificent in my life.”

We tiptoe in, afraid the sound of our boots will disturb the peace of the lake.

“What do you think happened to it? Why was it all hidden away beneath the ocean?”

A muscle ticks in Knox’s jaw as he strides to the gazebo. “Someone sank it, hiding it in plain sight with dark magic.”

“I don’t understand how this was all preserved. How has nothing suffered? It looks as if it’s been well maintained.”

He doesn’t answer. None of us can. And we may never know why.

We’ve encountered this mystery in every room. Water isn’t overflowing, moss doesn’t cover pathways, trees and vines aren’t overgrown, plants aren’t dead. It’s all perfectly preserved.

Dark magic does the opposite. It taints everything in its path, so how has this remained untouched by the dark powers that sank it? How did it not fall to corruption?

As the others slowly trickle in, so does their awe and surprise.

Elysia shakes her head, her eyes glinting with childlike wonder. “It’s so beautiful.”

“It certainly is,” Axel drawls beside her. He hasn’t looked once at the waterfall.

Perhaps there is hope for them after all.

“It’s…angelic,” Lenox whispers.

The word strikes my mind. It’s so fitting, I don’t know why I haven’t thought it before.

“Is there another door, or is this the end of the line for this hallway?” Harlow asks. Even her hard voice has uncharacteristically softened.

Knox’s eyes narrow. “What’s that?”

We all turn.

“Where?” I ask. I don’t see what he does.

He points to the other side of the room. “Behind the waterfall, I could have sworn—there!”

For a second, there’s a gap in the flow of the waterfall, giving way to reveal a rock wall behind it, along with what appears to be the outline of a door.

“Let’s go,” Knox declares, not waiting for anyone to argue. He shoots out his hands, creating blocks of ice for us to tread on. He barely glances below as he walks across the slabs, his focus wholly on the waterfall. I hurry after him, noting the excitement that’s running down our bond from him. But I take my steps cautiously, in case this water possesses a siren-like power similar to the previous one.

Knox halts before the raging falls, not caring for the water splashing him. Instead, he lifts his arms and moves his hands to the sides, parting the waterfall like a curtain for him and his magic. He maintains it while we all leap under the waterfall and into the cave mouth behind it.

Harlow is the last to jump and the moment her feet land on the cave floor, Knox drops his magic, allowing it to resume its natural flow, encasing us in darkness and the raging sound of the water cascading over the large cliff above.

I wonder where the water comes from.

The thought is there and gone as Knox turns to the cave wall and pushes. Indeed, light trickles across Knox’s face, revealing the wonder that shines in his eyes as it gives way to a door.

Magic.The only explanation that comes to mind as I peer at the depths of the ocean through the doorway.