“You’re distracted,” he notes, rolling up my mat expertly.
I make a lunge for it, but he moves it out of my reach with a smirk. I sit back on my haunches, eyes drifting to the dried blood in the sand nearby. “We did it, you know.”
He makes a face. “Must you refer to sex as ‘it’?”
“No,” I laugh. “I meant the curse, Thal. We broke the curse.”
“It worked?” He asks softly, eyes wide.
I nod excitedly. “It worked Thal, he’s free.”
Before I can blink, Thal has bundled me in his arms. He squeezes tightly, pushing the air from my lungs. I wheeze, but he doesn’t ease up. “Thank you,” he whispers. His voice is so soft I worry that I imagined it. But then he speaks again, “That idiot doesn’t deserve you. But I can’t thank you enough.”
“You really care for him,” I say, smiling even though Thal can’t see it.
He releases me, hands drifting down my arms, and I take a deep breath. “He may be a fool, but he is my cousin,” Thal says, rolling his eyes.
“Ready?” Cleo asks, pausing as she strides past us.
“Yeah.” I nod.
“I can’t say the same,” Thal mutters, helping me to my feet.
I dust off the sand coating my knees and shove my supplies onto my horse’s saddle. The old witch is taking us into the pyramid today, to find the histories of the Shades. I stare up at the imposing structure and swallow thickly. It’s a frightening idea for me, to travel into a tomb. I just hope the phantoms stay away from it. A shiver tickles my spine at the memory of the strange, evil spirits that swarmed me last night. I made light with my hands out of desperation, but I haven’t been able to replicate it.
Thal gives me an encouraging push towards the pyramid and we hurry to catch up with the others. Altair is beside Erzur, keeping his distance. I’m grateful for it. After last night, it feels like what we had is over now. It has come to a close. A painful one, but one that was necessary. It will be some time before my heart can truly let him go, before it stops hurting. He catches my eye and dips his chin in thanks. I smile briefly before turning away.
“Have you two finally given up your not-so-secret rendezvous?” Sadal drawls from a few feet ahead of me.
I bite back an angry retort. The sight of him still makes my skin crawl. “Nothing I do is of your concern.”
“You forget you’re still my bride,” he says, his voice dangerously low.
“And you forget you have no power over me anymore,” I say, scowling. “You have no power at all.”
“For now.” He smiles wickedly.
A chill creeps along my skin, hairs standing on end. I glance at Cleo. “Can he – ?” I trail off.
Cleo stares at Sadal’s back with hateful eyes. “Perhaps.”
We fall silent as we enter the shadow of the pyramid. I take a deep breath instinctively, as if I’m about to dive into deep water. The old witch is silent as she hobbles forward. She disappears into the gaping hole that serves as the pyramid’s entrance. Altair is next, bracing himself against the pitch-black darkness within. Erzur strides after him. Moritz leads Sadal through, being careful to hold his chains and keep any weapons out of arms reach.
Finally, after Cleo, it’s just Thal and I. He grimaces looking into the darkness and I bite my lip. “Have you been here before?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “But one of my men, Yarrow, got lost in a sandstorm, when we found him again, he blabbered nonsense about a pyramid and shadows that tried to eat him. He went mad and killed himself.”
My shoulders stiffen at Thal’s last words. He looks down at me, green eyes filled with remorse. “It’s not your fault,” I say, reaching for him.
He lets me hold his clenched fist. "No? Then why is he dead?"
I open my mouth to speak, but he starts towards the pyramid. He pauses in the doorway, searching for torchlight within from our friends, but there’s nothing but inky darkness. Thal inhales sharply and then turns to me. He holds out a hand and I take it, lacing my fingers through his. If I don’t anchor myself to his warmth, I’m afraid the pyramid will swallow me.
“Let’s go,” he says, nodding encouragingly.
We enter the maw of the pyramid together and for an instant it feels as if the world tips upside down. Serus’ hackles are raised, and he hisses. The pyramid is cold, and barely lit by the torches the group carries. They’re waiting for us in the antechamber, an enormous room with a ceiling so high I can’t see it in the darkness. Great columns stretch from the ground into the shadows above, disappearing as if into clouds. I swallow hard, fingers tightening around Thal’s hand. He squeezes back.
The others are quiet and reverent in the pyramid, even Sadal keeps his mouth tightly closed. We move forward, and Thal releases my hand only to draw his sword. I follow suit, trying to hide how my hands shake. It’s as silent as a tomb in the pyramid, even our footsteps are muffled. Motes of dust float through the air, giving the space a mystical quality. The air is stale and sour, and I wonder how long it’s been since anyone last breathed it.
“Keep your thoughts on the things of this world,” the old witch whispers. Her voice echoes off the pyramid walls. “You may just get lost.”
I furrow my brows with alarm at her words. She leads us deeper into the pyramid, and soon we leave the antechamber behind. The halls are narrow and twisty, like a maze. I
