We’d come to a level of peace with the Heirs which I’d grown so used to that I’d forgotten that they were against us too when it came down to it. What was that going to mean for the six of us once Lionel was out of the equation? What would it mean for me and Darius?
I followed Darcy with that gut churning thought on my mind and tried my hardest to push it aside. Because no matter what might come after this war, we still needed to win it. And today we would be striking a brutal blow.
***
The stardust dropped us from its grasp at the foot of the huge ravine where I knew the rift was hidden and I gasped as I craned my neck back to look up at slither of blue sky so far above my head that it made my head spin.
“The Ravine of Cragoon is over three miles deep at its lowest point,” Caleb said as he followed my gaze and moved a little closer to me.
“So what are the chances that there isn’t anyone down here then?” I asked, looking down and taking in our surroundings.
The rocky walls gave way to a vibrant woodland which seemed to be thriving in this little paradise, hidden away from the world. There were birds chirping in the trees and small mammals darting around between the undergrowth and I could hear the distant sound of running water too.
“There is an old legend that an ancient and forgotten tribe of Fae lives down here somewhere,” he replied thoughtfully. “Though no one has ever managed to gain evidence of there being any truth to that. But the entire ravine is protected by Solarian law to keep visitors from coming down here and destroying this precious habitat. You have to get special permission from the royal line to even set foot down here and since the Savage King died, there hasn’t been anyone to grant access to explorers who may have wanted to find out more.”
“How would anyone know they’d come here?” I asked curiously as I looked up and down the ravine, wondering where to start our search. “Is there a magical alarm?”
“Yeah. But it alerts my mom rather than Lionel since your family was killed so she will have recognised my magical signature and shouldn't raise the alarm.”
“Let’s hope not,” I agreed with a feeling of foreboding rattling through my limbs.
“Hop on then, we can search must faster at my speed than yours.” Caleb turned his back on me, patting his shoulder and I moved closer so that I could jump on, wondering if our history made this weird or not.
“We’re cool, aren’t we?” I asked him to make sure and he glanced back at me with a confused look before catching on to what I was really asking.
“Yeah, don’t you worry, sweetheart. I have someone else fucking with my feelings these days.”
“Is that what you think I did to you?” I asked uncomfortably and he snorted.
“A little. But not in any way I didn’t want. And honestly? I think no matter what the stars had intended for you and Darius there never could have been a long term for us. So let’s just keep it as fond memories that we never mention to your boyfriend because I don’t want him to BBQ me, and stay comfortably in the friend zone.”
“Sounds good to me. So are you going to tell me who’s messing with your emotions now?” I asked.
“How about I tell you once we close this rift?” he suggested, his smile slipping. “Because I don’t even know where to start with it and this is probably more important.”
“Okay,” I agreed and he shot away without another word.
A laugh was ripped from me as I clung to him, my eyes squinting against the onslaught of air as we raced between trees, leapt over a river and sped through the entire canyon so fast that my brain was left spinning as he skidded to a halt on the gravel which lined the edge of the river and let me down.
Water crashed past us in a rush, the drop to it making my pulse thump harder as I looked into the churning rapids and felt the cold spray on my face.
“Well, that’s a bitch,” Caleb said, pointing to a spot about six feet above the tumultuous water and making me curse as I spotted the flicking darkness which marked the rift’s position in the world.
“You’re going to have to trust me, dude,” I said as I took in the challenge and wrapped Caleb in my air magic before plucking him off of his feet as he pulled the binding needle from his pocket.
“And you’re going to have to hold me incredibly still,” he replied as I lifted him to hang above the water before the rift.
“You sound like you don’t trust me,” I said.
“It’s not about trust. It’s about me getting sucked into the fucking Shadow Realm if you screw up. So don’t screw up, Tory. I have too fucking much to live for.”