Page 66 of Violet Legacy

“Your mother would have been proud of you,” Dante whispered as his fingers brushed hers. A flush of warmth rushed over her.

Something clicked into place. The stone wall screeched as it shuddered.

Rieka leaned against Dante as the door slowly opened. The others hadn’t moved. Even Khalida stood transfixed at the sight before them.

“Fuck me,” Talik whispered to himself, his obsidian gaze wide with excitement.

Bright blue lights flickered out, leaving only darkness.

Chapter 40

Dantestaredintothedarkness. The earth vibrated underneath them. He held onto Rieka, breathing in the scent that was uniquely hers. She trembled under his touch. The almost inaudible curses of the others told him they were seeing the same thing he was. Dante had known the Arx had secrets, but he had never expected this. Not hidden within its own foundation.

Rieka was the first to move. She picked up her backpack, carrying only her journal, and glided toward the open tunnel. She turned and reached to take the flashlight from him. Rieka’s eyes were wide with excitement. The reds of her eyes bled into the whites. “Are you coming?”

Dante smiled.

Rieka’s willowy frame vanished into the darkness. Pale blue lights twinkled as she moved back into the light. “We can cover more ground if we go to the left and someone else goes right,” Rieka said. She stared straight at Talik. “If you find the tomb, don’t enter it. It’s likely to be booby-trapped.”

Talik sighed. “Good thing I dressed for the occasion.”

“I will go with Talik,” Khalida said. “But we need weapons first.”

Dante wasn’t sure who was more surprised. Him or Talik.

Talik looked at Khalida, deadpan. “Are you going to try to stab me?”

Khalida rolled her eyes. “I have no intention of dying anytime soon. But Rieka is correct. If this is Vandana’s tomb, her High Priestesses would have ensured that it would not be easy to find.”

“Weapons?” Dante interrupted. He couldn’t quite ignore the feeling that something was wrong. He didn’t believe in coincidences—too many variables for him to find a plan that wouldn’t put Rieka in danger. Whoever was looking for the tomb had no scruples about slaughtering anyone who stood in their way. Unlike Aadya, he didn’t think the old forgotten gods had anything to do with it. It had to be an Atlantean or a human.

Khalida moved back to the entrance of the cavern, disappearing into the dimly lit hallway. A few minutes later, she returned with one of her guards trailing behind her. The auburn-haired immortal who had winked at him at the library. This close he could see the copper hint to her eyes; it matched the freckles that covered her face. Instead of the traditional attire the immortals wore for ceremonial purposes, she wore the matte-black uniform of the guards. The chakram was on her back, and two blasters were holstered at her sides. It was a unique blend of ancient weapons and modern technology.

“Meraki will remain and secure the area.” Khalida nodded at the weapons and then at Talik and Dante. “They are for you.” She looked at Rieka. “Do you know how to use a blaster?”

“I’m not a fan of blasters,” Rieka said, her nose scrunching as she accepted the weapon and the holster. “But I know the basics. Point and shoot. Can it slow down a serpopard?”

“I prefer not to find out,” Talik interjected as he strapped the weapon into his holster.

“For the serpopard, set it to lethal,” Khalida told Rieka. “Shoot until it stops moving, and then get out of there. You are too human for the animal not to shred you to pieces if it gets near you.”

The animal wouldn’t get anywhere near Rieka. “It will not be an issue.”

“Great pep talk,” Rieka muttered under her breath as she moved back to the entrance of the tunnel. She rolled her shoulders. There was a look of annoyance as she glanced down at the weapon before a smile spread across her face as she noticed the knife strapped to Meraki’s thigh. “I will trade you the blaster for the knife.”

Meraki chuckled as she handed the blade to Rieka. “You can have both.”

Rieka nodded as she slipped the blade into her boot.

The pale blue lights twinkled as they flashed in the darkness. The shadows danced along the tunnel.

Rieka turned and flashed Dante a smile. “Let’s go tomb-raiding.”

DantefollowedRiekaintothe tunnel. The silence continued to grow louder and louder.

It was only punctuated by the sound of Rieka’s racing heart. He could almost taste her excitement as she charged in front of him. Her small flashlight added an unnatural glow to the tunnel.

Nothing had disturbed the area in millennia, where even the air tasted musty. A thin layer of dust covered the walls and floor, and the faint engravings. Rieka sometimes stopped at them, tracing the lines with her fingertips as she muttered something under her breath. Each time, he gave Rieka the space she needed. He could almost see her mind connecting the dots and clues. Dante continued to walk silently behind her. Blue lights continued to flicker along the wall, casting Rieka in an ethereal glow. Every so often she would touch her arm, a flash of pain crossing her features. It had been constant since they had descended. He let her continue the façade that she was hiding it. For now.

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