Page 92 of Ancient Magic

“You’re included.”

“Unless it’s a revelation of me uniting the demons and conquering the world, then I’m not interested.”

“If you do conquer it, there will be nothing to rule.” Skye rarely shared her visions. They could be interpreted a thousand different ways, and since there was no way to know what might or might not change them, or if the effort of altering them would make things worse, it was better to let it play out. But not this time. It wasn’t just Lynx’s fate in the balance. It was the world. “We’re all about to be consumed in flames.”

“Consumed in flames? Seriously?” Lynx glanced over his shoulder, but he wasn’t troubled by her declaration. The bastard was amused. “You must be fun on a date.”

“Actually I’m delightful. Everyone says so,” Skye ground out. “That doesn’t change what I’ve seen.”

“Make up whatever crazy story you want, you’re not going to stop me.”

Abruptly Lynx stiffened, his hand surrounded by a glowing light as if it’d connected with a hidden power. A second later there was a low scrape and the thick stones began to part.

Skye rushed forward. Any other time, she would be enchanted by the idea of a secret doorway. When she was very young she would dream of stepping out of the shabby camper she shared with Howard to discover she’d been whisked into an enchanted land where her mother would be waiting to greet her with open arms. Now, however, she was quite certain the doorway led to death and destruction.

“Lynx, I’m telling the truth,” she called out, her voice shrill. “That crystal brought you here, but it isn’t a map to your fabled sword.”

Lynx ignored her urgent warning. Of course he did. Stubborn ass. Without glancing back he darted forward and disappeared. Immediately the stones started to swing closed and Skye hissed in frustration. Tapping into her magic, she plaited the air into a thick cushion to keep it propped open. There was a real possibility if it closed, they wouldn’t be able to open it again. Not without the crystal.

It wasn’t until she was actually tying off the spell that Skye realized the door hadn’t stopped. Instead, it continued to inch shut, as if the magic was actively fighting to squeeze through the wedge of air that she’d created.

Who was going to win? Well, Skye wasn’t a betting woman despite her ability to peek into the future, but if she was, she wouldn’t be placing a wad of money on herself. Not when her magic was fading like dew beneath a scorching sun.

Dropping to her knees, Skye fiercely concentrated to keep the narrow gap open. Still, it wasn’t until sweat was coating her face and every muscle was trembling that she felt the cool rush of Micha’s presence.

A second later, a large form knelt beside her, and strong arms circled her in a protective hug.

“Skye, are you injured?”

“No, but my magic is wearing out,” she rasped between clenched teeth. “Lynx went through the crack in the wall.”

Thankfully, Micha could easily sense she was barely hanging onto her spell and, resisting the urge to bombard her with questions, he flowed forward and jammed his fingers into the barely visible fissure. The rocks cracked and popped again, but this time it wasn’t magic that was pulling them apart, it was Micha’s raw strength.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Skye stared in amazement as Micha gripped the edges of the rock and ruthlessly pried apart the fissure. Or maybe she was staring at the muscles that bulged and rippled at the intense effort. Either way it was a vision that was going to be seared in her mind for a very long time.

“That’s as wide as it’s going to get,” he warned, his voice strained from the effort. “Hurry.”

With a shake of her head, Skye scurried forward, turning sideways to squeeze through the crack. She could admire Micha later. Hopefully when he was stretched naked on a soft bed with no worry the world was about to go up in flames.

Until then, she needed to concentrate on staying alive.

At last through the narrow opening, Skye glanced around the cave that was larger than the last one, with a coved ceiling that was lost in shadows. Behind her she could hear Micha swearing as he wiggled his way through the too-small space, no doubt scratching off his top layer of skin. In front of her was...emptiness.

Nothing but barren rock with a hole carved into the far wall.

Lynx was long gone, but she could still smell his coppery scent, so he couldn’t have gone far. But oddly, she could also smell lush tropical plants. As if she was standing in the middle of a jungle, not deep underground and surrounded by stone.

Confused by the scent, Skye was vaguely aware of Micha moving to stand next to her, but it wasn’t until there was a low, booming thud that sounded eerily like the closing of a tomb that she realized the opening had slammed shut behind him.

Skye shuddered. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

Micha grasped her hand, his expression grim. “I guess we go forward.”

She tilted back her head to study his exquisite features. Suddenly she didn’t care if they were locked in the cave or not. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

Next to Micha.

“Together,” she murmured.

Lifting her hand, he pressed it against his mouth. “Forever.”

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