Page 15 of Wicked Prince of Shadows
It was still a dangerous jump—terrifyingly so—but not impossible. If I got a running start and didn’t falter or look down, I could do it. My gaze darted to the edge, and the sheer darkness of it made my head spin.
No, don’t look down at all.
No looking down.
No thinking about what could be down there that I couldn’t see.
I trotted back from the edge, my heart hammering in my chest.
My bandaged feet throbbed with every slight shift of weight, but I pushed the pain away and turned just as more rocks shifted closer to me. A terrified squeal rose in my throat as I charged forward, unable to see anything coming at me but already imagining claws or mandibles sinking into my flesh.
The edge rushed toward me, and I flung myself forward with everything I had.
For one terrifying moment, I was suspended over nothing but darkness with the moonlight streaming over me. My stomach lurched as I sailed through the air, arms outstretched.
The opposite edge rushed up, and I struck it chest-first, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs. My fingers scrambled frantically against the loose gravel and dirt, finding purchase on a jagged outcropping of rock.
"No, no, no," I gasped, my legs dangling over the darkness. My arms trembled with the strain of holding my entire body weight. The edge began to crumble beneath my fingers.
I dug my elbows into the edge and heaved upward, ignoring the rocks that bit into my skin. My foot slipped, and I nearly lost my grip entirely.
"Come on!" I growled through clenched teeth, muscles burning as I fought for every inch. With one final desperate heave, I flung my right leg over the edge, then rolled my body away from the abyss and scrambled out of the way. My chest heaved with each ragged breath as I pressed my face against the cold, cracked earth. I'd made it. I'd actually made it across.
Thanking the Maker that the vines hadn’t snagged me out of the air, I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the screaming protest from every muscle and wound.
Something was moving in the darkness—several somethings, their large shapes indistinct but unmistakably closing in. And the pit with the portal was just to the left, a couple hundred feet away.
Wincing, I forced myself forward and ran. My bandaged feet slapped against the ground, each step sending fresh spikes of agony up my legs. The blood moon cast long, distorted shadows across the barren landscape, the darkness filling every crevice and hollow.
Behind me, something let out a high-pitched chittering that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I didn't look back. I couldn't afford to.
There—a darker patch in the ground ahead, roughly circular and slightly sunken. My heart leaped. It had to be the pit. The portal. My way home.
I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning with each breath. Just a little further. Just a few more steps.
The clicking sounds behind me grew louder, more aggressive and heavier. Whatever was pursuing me was gaining ground.
With a final burst of speed, I reached the edge of the pit and skidded to a stop. It was about fifteen feet across, the sides sloping down steeply. The sides were covered in a strange, dark substance that gleamed in the moonlight, shifting with dull highlights like the afterthoughts of color.
I stooped down to swipe my hand over the edge. Whatever the surface was, it was dry. Good. Down below, the portal shimmered with soft light at the bottom of the pit, about seven feet below me.
I thrust my foot against the edge and shoved myself forward. Down I slid onto the ledge. Through the portal, I could see themarble fountain with the statue of Tanith and all the beautiful blue, white, and purple flowers in the painted planters. Candles had been set out on the table. Home was just on the other side!
I jumped onto the portal, feet striking first.
And nothing happened.
CHAPTER SIX
No! I stomped against the portal’s surface again, tears rising in my eyes and a scream building in my throat.
I had to get through. My body shook. So close and yet I might as well have been miles away. The rapid footsteps drew closer. I had to either get through or escape this death trap and get somewhere safer.
I crouched down and beat my fist against the shimmering surface. Its texture was like frozen gelatin, and yet I couldn’t press through even an inch. It barely rippled when I struck it.Let me through. Let me through!
“Sabine!” Enola suddenly appeared in front of the portal. Her dark eyes were so wide they were white-rimmed. She slammed her hands on her side of the portal. “Sabine, get your butt through here!” Her voice sounded as if it was coming from the bottom of a watery well, muffled, then echoing.
I flung my hands up in the air and drove my foot down against the portal once more.
