Page 160 of Heir of Broken Souls
“They won’t believe this!” I call.
“Not in anyone’s wildest dreams,” Delilah says in awe, her eyes back on the water in this part of the ocean.
Below us, corals brim with various mammal life. Fish of all shapes and sizes and species, schools of them. Numerous whales swim far below and above us, some even with small baby whales beside them. None compare in size to the one we travel with, though.
Water dragons twist and turn in the far distance, but not the kind that attacked us. These are ones with pure magic thrumming through their veins. Ones with families and loved ones and a bright light shining in their eyes.
Delilah squeals with delight beside me. Tracking her gaze, I see what has her bouncing with such excitement.
A pod of dolphins emerge from the depths of the ocean.
Dozens upon dozens come into my line of sight, each as beautiful as the next. Swimming in harmony together. Leaping, twirling, borderline laughing with joy. The whale doesn’t bat an eye at them, just continues swimming even as the pod surrounds us, high-pitched squeals emanating from them.
There’s no bloodshed, no whines of pain. There is only joy and happiness within these waters.
I’m not sure who did this, let alone how they cast such a large spell upon the creatures, hiding them from the dark magic, but I am beyond grateful to whoever did. To see such undisturbed, carefree life brimming in these waters, unharmed from the travesty that dark magic has inflicted upon everything else, it’s enough to have my eyes burning with unshed tears.
I’m so focused on watching the wonderous life surrounding me that I’m stunned when we suddenly stop. I peer around the whale’s body, my attention drawn to where it looks on.
To my eyes, all I can see is the endless ocean stretching for miles. However, as it lifts its fin high in the sky, sending us tumbling through the water, I’m momentarily stunned as we all scream in shock.
The whale doesn’t go far, though. It only swims to the side.
Delilah turns to the whale, its eye blinking at her in innocence. Then its head slowly lowers before rising again as if dipping…
Delilah hums before turning to the awaiting ocean. With a deep breath, she lifts her hands and golden light shoots out of her palms. I expect it to spear off into the ocean, but it smashes against an invisible wall in front of us, one that shows a golden outline of a door.
Quickly swimming to it, I place my palms against it and push.
What I didn’t expect was to get sucked through the doorway with the momentum. The air bubble around me pops as I land with a grunt onto a stone floor, the air knocked from my lungs. I pound my chest with a sputtering cough.
Then a figure lands on top of me, chasing away the small amount of air I was able to suck down. I grunt in pain all over again.
Delilah gasps. “Sorry!”
She bites down on another apology as we peer at one another. The corner of my lips twitch as I take in her wet hair and drenched clothes.
Another moment later, we burst out laughing.
But at the sound of rushing water, I teleport us out of the way, my arm clutched around her waist like a vise. There’s a splash, and then something hits the ground hard.
“Didn’t want to break my fall, pretty boy?” Lenox jokes, grunting.
Delilah blinks furiously at the joke he made. I nudge her discreetly in the stomach, thankful that she wipes her stunned expression off her face just in time.
Lenox pulls himself to standing, wiping off water on his face, when something small and fiery flies through the door, taking him to the ground again.
Harlow’s cackle is manic.
“That,” she emphasizes as she shoves off him, “is karma.”
He glares at the tiny Fae-witch. “When is your karma going to get you?”
She shrugs. “When I die.”
The subject is quickly dropped when Axel comes through far more graciously than the rest of us. He simply steps through the door carrying Elysia in his arms. She barely registers Axel’s cocky grin as she squirms out of his hold. “I can’t believe we just crossed the ocean!”
“Upon a whale no less,” Delilah says, giddily.
