Page 79 of Tangled Power
Rose hadn’t thought of it like that. Though, they hadn’t addressed the unassailable fact of Luc’s lineage since he returned. It seemed too easy to have asked Arie to let it go, to let them take care of the threat and not waste time on Luc’s parentage.
“Do you want to see Aurora or not?” Luc asked, nonplussed.
Rose lifted her hand to cover the smile that crept over her face. It was as if Luc had had that line ready and waiting for Arie’s objection.
“She told you to say that, didn’t she?”Arie said flatly as his tongue flicked out from his beak.
Luc’s smirk was answer enough.
“Are you planning to swim as a bird?” Rose asked.
“I’ll take care of myself,”he said, ruffling his feathers.
“Alright then, are we all ready?” Luc asked.
“Do you mind, uh”—Carter glanced around, uncertainly—“at least telling us what to expect? Where will we swim? What willwe need to do? Will we even be able to communicate when we’re down there?”
“Oh, right,” Luc said. “Funny story.” He looked between Rose and Arie. “There is an underwater mountain just below this island that leads into a cavern in Mount Bury.” His gaze stayed on Arie. “If I had to guess from what you told us, and what Rose described, it is the cavern where you, Aurora, and Aterra took your original test.”
That did not sound like a funny story to Rose. By the flap of Arie’s wings, he didn’t think it was funny either.
“Right below us?”Arie asked.“We’ve been on top of them this whole time?”
Luc nodded. “Just head straight down. Follow me, and I’ll lead us to the entrance. Once we’re in the heart of the mountain, we’ll be able to speak freely.”
Rose took a shaky breath. They had been so close to Aterra’s lair all these years. Her gaze was drawn to Arie as she thought how close he had been to Aurora—unable to reach her. Her chest tightened imagining his pain.
Arie didn’t say a word. He leapt off the shore, turning himself into a large fish and splashing into the water. Luc’s blood—Aterra’s blood—did the trick. The Compass Points moved past the barrier. With a final shrug at Carter and Juliette, Rose dove into the deep blue waters of the Lake of the Gods.
Unsurprising for a powerful Norden,Rose had loved the water since she was a child. Swimming in Compass Lake on a hot day had always been her refuge. It had broken her heart when she and Arie established themselves at Lake of the Gods but could not touch the water.
She was making up for it now.
Rose wrapped her magic around each of them, giving them space and air to breathe so they could easily dive. Each stroke took her further below the surface, her power sinking into the natural, wild magic of the Lake of the Gods. The water was so dark and deep that it was difficult to see anything ahead. Luc had been right, though. They swam toward her island and then went straight down.
Luc led them to the tunnel. It narrowed around her as she swam through it, her head breaching the surface on the other side. Her heart beat rapidly from their pace. She tread water as she surveyed Luc, Carter, and Juliette heading for the shore.
Her breath caught at a face that she didn’t recognize. Beige skin, shoulder-length blond hair, and ageless green eyes that looked like a forest. She knew who it was before he spoke.
“Hello, Rose,” Arie said. She did a double take as his lips moved and sound came out. The voice she was so used to hearing in her head. He jumped out of the water and landed on the beach. His long-sleeved shirt was pushed up to his elbows, and his dark pants were sopping wet.
“Arie?” She couldn’t help the question in her voice, though sheknewit was him.
He nodded.
“About time,” Luc said as he stalked up the beach.
Words failed Carter as he met the Lord of Flame in human form.
“You clean up well, Arctos,” Juliette said as she sent her wind whipping around each of them to dry their clothes. One would never know if she was serious or mocking. Regardless, Arie’s smile lit up the room.
“We need to keep moving,” Luc said, returning reality to this unique reunion.
Rose agreed. No one knew how long they would have before Aterra found them. Luc said he had avoided Aterra in his exploration, but that could change at any moment. They needed to free Aurora.
“Lead the way,” Rose said, gesturing Luc forward.
They walked through the tunnels, attempting to be quiet. They preferred to have time to free Aurora before dealing with the Suden god. Speed in this part of their task was their goal.
