Page 127 of Hidden Kingdoms

Maybe I’ve stepped through one of those portals Arden was talking about.

Above me, lines of bright red liquid writhed in channels they carved through the stone itself. From the heat emanating from them, I could only guess they were rivers of magma that—gods be thankful—didn’t drip down to the floor as it traced patterns overhead, its fiery radiance casting everything in a subtle red tinge. The heat was comforting, and I stepped forward breathing deeply, filling my lungs with the heavy air.

Tiny red flowers had taken root in whatever cracks of dark stone hadn’t been filled with scorching liquid. The floor was slightly uneven, sloping gently into a shore of clear water that glowed faintly, the cave walls dropping down over it, creating a lower cavern that concealed the rest of the water beyond.

I could feel the breath of magik that was steeped into the very rocks of this place, and if I didn’t think my fingers would get burnt off, I would be running my hands all over it. Hesitantly, I walked towards the edge of the water, my gentle steps creating echoes; it was crystal clear, and I could see the smooth dark rocks that lined the bottom.

I pulled on the zipper of Kaius’ jumper without giving myself a chance to second-guess my choice. Letting it fall to the floor, I discarded the scraps of my top that had been stuck to my skin. The rest of my clothes followed until all I was left in was Kaius’ pendant and the gold jewellery that was my only piece of home. Standing naked for a moment, I allowed the heat to surround me, thick and heavy and comforting.

I didn’t need to go far. Didn’t need to go through to whatever lay beyond the mouth of the cave. I would stay here warm in the heat from the liquid flames which danced above me.

Edging one foot into the water, small waves lapped at the slope of the cave floor, and I sighed as its warmth washed over my toes, walking forward until it came up to my waist.

It was like being in an enormous bath and I guessed the red veins of magma were the reason. The water gently rippled around me, its pull deep in my bones. I removed the band from my knotted hair, cringing slightly at the mud I was about to let seep into the pristine water, and let it fall down my back.

Walking further into its depth until the water stopped below my chin, I found myself right under the mouth of the cavern. My feet turned in a circle over the smooth rocks below, which were heated like the water, and I realised the pool was much biggerthan I had originally thought. Peering into the shadows, I saw there were other caves, the system branching off in places in a warren of tunnels. Maybe there were other people in here? No, it was too quiet, the water too still.

Taking a breath, I sank under, submerging myself in its soothing hold for as long as my lungs would allow before returning to the surface. The sound of my inhale echoed across the water, and my heart tugged before the noise stopped. It seemed almost wrong to disturb the silence.

Again, I sucked in a lungful of oxygen before sinking down to the stones, relishing in the way the water seemed to push at every ache in my body. Something more than just the liquid I was sitting in ran over my skin. An energy of its own coaxing mine out to play. It was slightly cooler than the pool as it danced around me, touching my skin in feather-light strokes encouraging my magik to bloom like daisies waking in the sun across my body.

Sitting at the bottom, I marvelled at the rush it had gifted me and at how clear the water was, until my body was screaming for air. Breaking the surface, I pushed the heavy strands of my hair out of my face and walked into the caverns that rose around me like the gaping maw of some forgotten rock creature.

I went as far as I could before only the tips of my toes were scraping over the stones, and I had to dive under to continue my exploration. I swam for a while ensuring I could see the shore which I had entered in and decided not to think about the possibility of getting lost down here.

On my next duck under, I found a smooth slab of stone jutting from the walls and kicked my legs towards it. Hoisting myself onto the shelf, I crawled until I was at the cave wall. Sitting with my back gently propped against it, I sighed as its heat radiated through my abused muscles. The water only cameto my waist, but it was warm enough that I could sit comfortably with only my lower half below.

Deep runes were carved into the rocks above me, the lava flow running through some of them, and I let the heat seep into my bones as I studied them, enjoying the way my magik was lazily circling through my body. Trailing my fingers through the water I realised all the grime and blood from the day had been washed clean—like it hadn’t even happened. While I couldn’t see my back, I knew it would look nothing like the gaping wounds that had been carved there only an hour or so ago.

As much as the thought terrified me, I needed to find out more about the thing that had attacked me. Aboutwhyit had attacked me.

Had there been a longer day in the history of my life? I didn’t think so. One minute, I’m walking around a library that could kill me enjoying my time amongst the books. Next minute I’ve been ripped apart, put back together then told I’m a missing Fae child with untold power.

I pushed a little of that power—which was quickly renewing—into the dull ache I could still feel in my back just like Kale had told me to, marvelling at what I could do with it. The things I had been taught to do by Nanna, warding my house and making gems extra shiny, were a far cry from fighting off evil black smoke, and I knew it wasn’t going to end there. Though I had no idea what it would mean for me here now that Arden had tested my magik, would that make Bastian more or less inclined to let me go?

My money is on less.

I was whole-heartedly planning on ignoring our momentary lapse of mutual dislike when I had joined our magik; it had started right back up once that precious moment had passed.

And should I believe he would really tell me why I was here, the real reason they had ripped me from my life and thrust meinto the unknown? I could read the situation enough to know I hadn’t been Plan A, and I didn’t know if that made it better or worse. Would they still have taken me if The Darkness hadn't arrived, or was I one of many options they had?

It didn’t feel that way, but if I really was needed for something, they were taking their sweet time about asking me, even Kaius was reluctant to give me the full picture.

And now, after today, I had so many more questions that my mind felt heavy with the weight of them all. Who really was I? And to what extent could my powers reach? Were the things I had dreamed, the things I had seen, really visions? Was that why they needed me?

Whatever was happening when my mind decided to abandon my body and run off somewhere else, was a whole other matter. One that if I looked too closely at, was frankly terrifying.

Was that something they could test for?

Perhaps I could bring it up with Arden. He struck me as someone I could ask those sorts of things. Could I trust him with that, or would I be branded as crazy? Where did I belong in this new world of Fae I had fallen into?

Been dragged into.

No. This was always a part of me. I’ve just been kept in the dark for a very long time.

Been spoon fed enough to explain away the things I could do, yet never enough to explain why, and right now I couldn’t think of any reason I had never questioned it more. Where had my curiosity at our abilities been?

I knew that so many answers lay in the hands of Nanna, and I couldn’t deny the anger that pawed at me at the fact my life had been a lie. How long was she planning to keep me in the dark? Because twenty-eight years were a really long fucking time. Was she even my real family, or just someone who had found me and kept me?

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