Wicked Deal (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 2)
Page 55
Bits of information flashed through my head, but the only thing I could find was the explosion I’d already seen.
“Are you getting anything?”
“Nothing new.” I needed more practice.
“Come on. We need to hurry. There’s got to be more than just him.”
I nodded and stood, stepping over the body and following the Devil farther down the hall. We wound through the tunnel for what felt like days.
The Devil slowed. “We’re nearing something. Can you feel it?”
“The magic is changing, isn’t it?” The way it vibrated over my skin was different. And the glow was faintly green.
“It is.” I heard the frown in his voice. “Feels like sorcerer magic.”
“Makes sense, since Mariketta was a sorceress. But why the hell is there a tunnel?”
“It terminates ahead.” He stopped.
I squeezed up beside him. The air gleamed with an oily green light. “What is that?”
“A portal. Unlike any I’ve ever seen.”
“Do we go inside?”
He nodded. “I think we must.”
Excitement and dread warred within me, but I had no choice.
I stepped forward, determined to get it over with. The Devil’s hand closed over my arm, stopping me.
“I’ll go first.” His tone demanded no argument, and he stepped around me. “If something goes wrong, get out of here.”
He stepped through, disappearing.
I waited briefly. How was I supposed to recognize if something went wrong?
Everything seemed okay.
I hurried after him, letting the ether suck me in and spin me through space. Anxiety made my stomach pitch even harder. Where the hell were we going?
Portals were one thing, but portals to entirely unknown places were another matter entirely.
The magic spat me out into bright, humid warmth. I blinked, the sun blinding me. As my vision slowly clearly, my ears picked up the sounds of birds and the crash of waves. The scent of the sea rushed over me, and the warmth made my soul come alive.
Heaven.
The scene that unrolled in front of me was divine.
We stood on a sandy beach overlooking a crystal blue sea. Green mountains towered behind us, and white gulls swooped on the wind, cawing in the air. A pale white structure was built on the sand. The marble folly was round, with pillars supporting a domed roof.
Something flashed out of the corner of my vision, and I looked left, spotting what looked like a section of gray stone wall.
That was odd.
The Devil stood near me, studying the scene. A woman stood within the folly, leaning against a pillar and staring out to sea.
It took my head a moment to clear. The sheer beauty of this place had stolen my wits. But we’d just been in a crypt, and now we were in this divine place.