Page 53 of Fractured Souls
“Let’s go together,” I countered. Something told me that I needed to be first through the portal, but I didn’t understand where that instinct was coming from.
Dean rumbled in frustration, and I knew he wanted me to go last most likely, but he also didn’t fight me on it. Instead we neared the portal and I looked back at the others…before plunging forward into the unknown.
* * *
The cold, dark void of the portal lasted only seconds before it was shattered by a rush of frigid water, so incredibly different from the tropical temperature we had just left. Dean and I were propelled forward, and I was instantly aware that the water we were in wasn’t normal by any means. That unknown had me clinging to Dean, feeling defensive over him.
A rumble broke from Dean’s throat, no doubt feeling my anxious energy. My gaze snapped open, and I realized that even though I was still in my human form, there was no pressure on my lungs to breathe. More so, as I looked around, there was no sting from the salt water, just the realization that we were suspended in a body of perfectly clear water. Like,painfullyclear, the light causing me to squint uncomfortably.
A ‘pop’ of sound had both of us turning to look at a crystalline circle, which I recognized as the portal. Two of my men were hurtling towards us, having been spit out of the portal. I felt my eyes widen as Rhett soared past us, propelled forward until he slowed, his expression turning from concerned—probably from being under the water—to relieved.
No doubt because of the all-important aspect that none of them felt the urge to breathe down here—what the fuck was this sorcery? I mean seriously, that was the only word that could describe something this odd. My power expanded out, my siren seeming to snap out of the weird daze this situation was causing, and surrounded my men in what could only be described as a protective bubble. It seemed like this magic was protecting us, at least from the need to breathe, but it made me feel better to keep my own tabs on any discomfort they may have.
I even considered shifting, but when Zander swam up next to me, looking completely human, I figured it wasn’t needed. When he indicated our destination with a nod down and to the left, we all followed after him, swimming through the water with effortless, agile strokes. Don’t get me wrong, I was a great swimmer, but this was some Olympic shit. It was like the water itself made you a better swimmer…so freakin’ cool.
When Zander suddenly dove down towards the sea floor, I felt my eyes widen as shock permeated through the entire group. On the floor was what could only be described as a castle and what I had to assume was the institute, surrounded by an iridescent bubble that warped its appearance, making it seem like a dreamy mirage from above.
All around the bubble there was plant life, surrounding it on all sides and stretching from the sea floor all the way to the surface where light streamed through. Sea creatures small and large swam through the plants like city buses, going about their day and ignoring the strangers swimming in their midst. The path Zander was leading us towards was near the clearest area surrounding the bubble, allowing us a head-on view of the building despite the distortion of the watery orb around it.
It was absolutely massive, first of all, and looked like it was made of blue marble. I craved to get closer to it, and I wasn’t all that surprised to find a stone path on the seafloor like a sidewalk leading right towards the wall of the bubble. Zander’s hand clasped mine, and without warning, the bastard tugged me through the bubble wall.
The relief I felt as we were tugged through a vacuum of suction and spit out onto the other side was instant. I nearly fell into Zander, inhaling sharply as clean oxygen flooded my lungs. Don’t get me wrong, I loved water as much as the next siren, but fuck did I feel better in here than that weird ‘not normal water’ out there.
Although I suppose the inside of the bubble wasn’t all that normal either…
My toes squished in the sandy seafloor beneath me, and with the exception of there being no water, it truly felt like we were in the ocean, down to the sea stars on a rock nearby. The institute itself was a gigantic structure with gorgeous architecture, its sharp, clean edges reminding me of a honeycomb with a domed top. Surrounding it were five smaller buildings, all in the same style.
When my other men popped through the wall, they seemed to feel very much the same—stumbling slightly and cursing, but otherwise appearing to be okay. In fact, none of us were any more wet than we’d been in the caves.Interesting. Good, though, considering Adriel and a few of the others had been carrying our personal belongings above their heads.
“Everyone good?” I asked, looking over each of their faces and finding that they looked perfectly healthy, if a little freaked.
“Yeah, that was weird as fuck,” Rhett murmured.
“Glad our stuff is good, especially the books.” Desmond was looking through some of the bags, and I felt a surge of relief. I hadn’t even thought about what a disaster that would’ve been. Of course we could have left them on the jet, but considering this place was a library, it made sense for us to bring them here. Hell, maybe we would make copies and leave the originals here so I wouldn’t be constantly worried about them falling into the wrong hands.
The sound of a door opening had all of us looking towards the main entrance of the institute, my men surrounding me once more. I felt surprise coat my features at the figure approaching us, the tall man wearing royal blue robes that brushed through the sand, along with a tasseled cap that made him look like some type of…scholar, maybe? Professor? Something like that. It made sense considering his magic was ancient, and it had my siren wrapping around my men even tighter, feeling possessive in the face of such intense magic.
“If you’re wondering where the water has gone, the ward removed the moisture from The Ethereal Sea—a little parlor trick that I love seeing the reactions to,” he said, his face flashing with amusement. “Although I rarely get to see them anymore.”
I would bet it’d been centuries since he’d had the opportunity to see anyone new at all—not only because this realm didn’t seem to have an active population living within it anymore, but also because I would bet the man had hundreds, if not thousands, of years on any of us—even Draven.
I had to admit, despite his estimated age, he looked pretty great. He even had one of those long pale beards that surrounded his face like a veil, and…were those seashells strung through it?
Well, that was sort of cool. I could tell my men didn’t like the idea of another unknown male approaching us, but I didn’t get a bad vibe from this guy. I sort of just got nothing. I mean, that wasn’t completely true—it was obvious that he had an intense desire to learn; the need he had to understand the world was almost overpowering. He also had a vast interest in me, but not in a weird, creepy, fixated way. No, this was more because he was well aware of why we were here.
“You already know who I am,” I said softly.
“I do, Lorcan.” He intertwined his fingers, coming to a stop a few comfortable feet away from us. “You are one half of the prophecy, the siren. And these are your bonded—Dean, Rhett, and Cash Reid—top three of their pride—as well as King Adriel, King Desmond, King Draven, and a more recent addition, Zander.”
“Maker,” I murmured, awed that he was aware of so much. But then again, I really had a feeling this guy’s ‘purpose’ was to learn as much as possible about the world.
“You said I’m half the prophecy,” I said, trying to move past the moment. “I was told the other half would be here.”
“The Descendant has yet to arrive,” he said, “but she will be here soon. I’ve been made aware that she is already closing in on the portal.”
Oh. Okay then…
“Don’t worry.” He offered a small smile. “None of you need to worry now that you’re here. We have the information you seek—it’s our job to know everything. You came for help, and that is what we plan to give you.”
