Page 63 of The Fifth Soul

Roman looks back at us one more time before the cape drapes over both of them, making them disappear before my eyes. I might not see them, but I can hear them as they walk away. I can definitely hear Roman asking Alejandra to fill him in and her telling him a definite no.

“That’s going to be a conversation I am not looking forward to,” I say as I clip on my rope to my harness.

The climb doesn’t look incredibly difficult. I can spot a number of crevices and routes from my place on the ground.

“Don’t worry about him.” Brandon gestures to the boulder in front of us. “Worry about climbing this.”

He hands me a bag of chalk, and I dig into it. I clap my hands together, sending chalk flying everywhere.

“The portal to Luzes isn’t something you just walk through.” Brandon checks the rope tied to my harness. “Angels have wings and can easily fly to the portal.”

“At the top of the mountain.” I point at the peak.

“At the bottom, actually.” With his hand, he gestures going up the mountain then falling. “The mountain is hollow. We must climb it, then jump. The portal is at the bottom.”

“How probable is it that we get transported and not fall to our deaths?” I can feel my skin breaking into goosebumps at the idea.

“Well, I’ve never done it.” His words bring me zero reassurance. “But have some faith. The portal will take us to the land of the blessed. How crazy is the idea that the portal requires you to take a leap of faith? Literally.” He laughs at his pun.

Not knowing if the portal will actually open until we’re in mid-air makes my skin crawl. I try not to focus on that as we make our way up. The air is colder up here, making me shiver. Brandon quickly and efficiently packs the equipment and follows me up the mountain. Once on top, I realize there’s about five feet in width to the edge of the mountain. My legs feel a lot shakier here.

“At the count of five, we’ll jump,” Brandon shouts over the wind.

It’s hard to hear anything, including my own thoughts. It didn’t feel like a windy night until we climbed this high up. I’m already holding on to him with a death grip.

I sneak a peek down and see nothing but pitch-blackness staring back at me.

“No, no, I can’t.” I shake my head adamantly.

I find breathing becomes harder. I didn’t think I feared heights, but I’m on the brink of tears here. Scaling walls before seems simple. I think it’s the fact that I’m not holding on to anything solid, other than Brandon.

“Bianca.” Brandon’s tone is soft but firm.

Arms wrap around me, pulling me to his chest. At first, the gesture is comforting, but as I try to pull away, they become tighter. My heart’s beating increases because I realize what he’s doing. He plans to push us both off the ledge.

“We don’t have a choice. We have to jump.” I try to fight him off me, but his arms are like vice grips. My head is pinned to his chest when he whispers in my ear, “Listen up. Repeat after me. There is no room for fear here. Visualize the goal and where you are. Acknowledge that fear is standing in between. Kick it out.”

I stop all my efforts to free myself at the reminder of those words. Matias’s face comes to my mind. Not the peaceful face currently lying in a hospital room, but the fierce, never-ending chatterbox that’s my only family. Then, I recall one of the hundred times we have said those same words to each other before facing a mission.

I look up into Brandon’s eyes. He can’t hear me over the wind, but his eyes trace every movement of my lips. I say those words repeatedly. Every time, a glint of determination edges into them. It edges into me, pumping me up. I give him a nod and close my eyes. His lips softly press onto mine right before we’re airborne.

I can’t help but close my eyes as we fall. A white light flashes behind my eyelids before I realize I can’t hear anything. My senses fade, and with it goes my sense of time. My tight hold on Brandon’s waist is the only thing keeping me from losing my mind.

Portal travel is terrifying. I feel cut out of my sense and the world. The man in my arms is my sole anchor to this world, reminding me to keep breathing. Even breathing gets heavy every time less and less air fits inside my lungs until I think I am about to drown in the middle of the desert.

Then, we drop.

It’s almost like we’re spit out upside down. We fly upwards until we descend and finally hit the floor. The height of the drop is incredibly low. Our bodies hit the ground at the same time. I’m gasping for air, desperately trying to gather my wits.

“You’re okay.” Brandon pats my back. His voice is strained, too, and his breathing is just as erratic.

“You didn’t warn me,” I accuse him. I point, but I am not sure what it points at because I can’t see.

“I didn’t know.” He leans back until his head hits the ground. “I’ve never been here before.”

I lie down next to him. We take several minutes to stop panting. I hear a noise off to my left. I open my eyes tentatively and close them right away when everything spins.

“Brandon,” I say doubtfully. “I don’t think this is the right place.”

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