His Darkest Embrace (Jaguar Warriors 2)

Chapter 21

Skye shot through the opening, her body slicing through the air as she picked up speed. She was in another chamber, this one just as large as the one she’d left. There were no special markings here, no symbols etched into the limestone, but the glow that shrouded the room was magnificent.

It warmed her feathers, fed her power, and she continued to circle ever higher, instinctually following the light.

The chamber eventually emptied out into more of a narrow passage, and after a few moments she was forced to shift back to her human form in order to navigate safely.

She dressed quickly and then tucked the satchel under her arm. Skye followed the path set before her and climbed higher, her feet running up steps that had been carved hundreds of years earlier. The air was damp but warm, fed by the incredible light that lit the path.

The going was tough, the stairs steep, and the magick that hung in the air was heavy. It tingled along her body, rushing over her flesh, energizing cells until her senses were hyper-alert.

She could hear her breath exhaling slowly from her body, her heartbeat steady and sure inside her rib cage. Moisture dripped from the walls on either side of her and she could literally hear it slide across the smooth rock.

The tunnel began to widen at this point. However, her eyes, long accustomed to the brightness of the sun, were no match for the brilliance of this glow. She winced, fighting the urge to shield them with her hands.

She was so freaking close.

“I’m almost there, Dad,” she whispered as she began to jog, carefully jumping over several steps as the tunnel veered sharply to the right.

She’d just cleared the turn when a chill rolled over her body and her gut clenched in reaction. Skye stopped abruptly, crying out in pain as her bare feet skidded across the stone floor.

“Shit!”

A heavy feeling drifted across her mind, as if something or someone had snuck in for a peek. She shuddered at the creepiness of it and grimaced as her eyes scanned the area around her.

There was nothing but the eerie glow washing over the rock face.

Skye’s arms crept up and she rubbed her shoulders. Tension hung just beneath her skin and her muscles ached with the weight of it. Her body was now slick with sweat and she tucked long wisps of hair behind her ears as she exhaled slowly.

She turned her head and listened for a few more seconds before she began to move forward cautiously.

She had no time to waste. Even now the jungle was most likely crawling with a whole host of baddies, all with one goal. Her, or the portal.

She was damn sure no one was getting their hands on either one.

Fog drifted toward her as the passage narrowed and the elevation sharpened. She was no longer heading in a horizontal direction, but running up a steep incline.

The light was near blinding and she needed to shield her eyes in order to see properly. As she continued along, shimmering symbols began to dance in front of her, like mini-holograms. They floated amid the fog in a spectacular display that told her she was but steps from her goal.

Skye stopped. Just ahead was a large opening, its gaping mouth full of light, warmth, and mist.

It was protected by an invisible force field, a powerful one, by the feel of it. She could feel the energy as it sizzled in the air.

Skye concentrated and after a few seconds was able to “see” it. It was thickly woven, full of magick.

She closed her eyes and began to recite the ancient words she’d never spoken aloud before, sacred ones that had been passed down to both herself and Finn. She began to weave symbols in the air, back and forth, as the mystical language of her people fell from her lips in a bittersweet melody.

Her fingers began to work their way through the invisible shield and as the power inside of her awakened, it hummed along her limbs, shooting out from her fingers in an arc of color that shattered the wall before her.

Her heart was now beating a mile a minute, and Skye hesitated for a second as her thoughts turned to the man she’d left behind.

Her chest constricted and she had trouble breathing. She could turn around right now and run back to Jagger. She could tell him the truth and let him know that she’d picked him over her destiny.

She wavered then as she stood upon the precipice of the darkest moment in her young life. She thought back to all the eagle knights that had given their lives in order to protect the portal. They had sacrificed so much.

Her father, the protector of their time, had given his life to do just that, and Finn was dead, for all she knew. How could she fail them now?

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides and she ignored the pain she felt as her nails dug into the soft flesh there. A deep sadness welled up from her soul and she began to cry.