Page 61 of To Sway a Prince
My fingers drifted then to the pendant once more. I imagined my words traveling through the pendant to him. "Ramiel?"
A large shape loomed ahead, somehow darker than the shadows. Was that—was that the leviathan?
The darkness shifted. A low, haunting sound vibrated through the void. Something like whale song. I froze, my skin prickling.
I stepped toward him, that eerie melody lulling me closer. Another step. Dull pain spread through my shoulder beneath the scars, making me wince.
The leviathan gave another low call and continued to swim, not getting closer or farther away. The hum of his voice filled my ears.
The mate bond pulsed stronger, hurting more.
I hesitated. Was this a warning or sign? I didn't know. What choice did I have in this void? Stay still and surrender to eternity?
"Knots take me," I muttered, pushing forward.
Each step intensified the discomfort and pain. My shoulder burned like molten metal. Still, I followed the leviathan's path.
The creature doubled back, swimming in long, sweeping arcs. It never approached me directly, instead tracing what seemed like an invisible boundary. Back and forth, back and forth, but never toward me.
Soon it seemed as if I was directly in front of it. I reached out, my fingers encountering resistance where nothing should be. A barrier. Invisible but solid as stone and slightly damp.
"I'm just outside the Chasm," I whispered, my voice swallowed by the emptiness.
The leviathan paused. He knew I was here.
Was that a good thing?
Well…worst that could happen is he ate me. That'd be a swift end rather than being trapped in this place until the end of time.
I pressed my palm flat against the barrier, channeling what little magic I could muster. Golden light spread from my fingertips. The barrier—it was like what formed the surface of the Chasm except thicker and sturdier. "Can you hear me?"
The leviathan's song changed, shifting to a lower pitch. He began swimming deliberately to the left, his movements slow but purposeful. Slow enough that I could follow.
I followed along the barrier, matching his pace. "Are you the same one from before?" Were there others like him down here?
His song continued, low, then high, rumbling, then keening. It was almost soothing.
I winced as the mate bond pulsed again. "Healing hurts sometimes. I don't know that mine is going to do me any good down here. Are you—are you feeling better?"
The song continued. It remained the same, unaffected by my statements though he slowed his pace. Down here, he seemed to be at least sixty feet in length. Lightning arced from his jaws occasionally, lighting up the space and revealing there was truly nothing but rocks around me.
"Will you stay close? Ramiel said you're something of a guardian in this space." I hugged myself as we continued. The ache in my shoulder intensified. "I know you can't help me. You may not even understand what I'm saying. If I can't figure out a way out of here, you'll see me go insane." My shoulders dropped. "The only thing that comforts me is knowing if I hadn't done this, then Ramiel would be here. And I wouldn't know the first thing about saving him."
The leviathan continued. And I followed, speaking of nothing and everything. It unnerved me to hear how small my voice was in this place. And the leviathan's presence made me feel more aware of my isolation.
"Zephyrus, no. Don't go into the Chasm. Stay back!" Ramiel's voice was distant within my mind as if on the other side of a field.
I clasped the necklace close. "Ramiel?!"
"We'll get her back. Zephyrus, stop. Zephyrus, calm. Calm!"
I closed my eyes, focusing intently on the remnants of his voice. "Stay back, Zephyrus," I whispered, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "Don't die because of me." I could practically hear his roars of rage and sorrow, and they gutted me. But when I really listened, I knew that was simply my imagination now.
The leviathan hummed again. He moved up and down slowly on the other side of the barrier as if searching for something. Vaguely I heard the faint squelching of pressure. Was it weaker here? Maybe I could summon my last remnants of magic and—he drove his blunt snout into the barrier.
Sharp pain pierced my shoulder, and light flashed before my eyes. Then it vanished.
My energy faded, and I dropped to my knees.
