“Come on.” I bend and pull Verity to her feet, dragging her back to the portal. Behind us, the Shade lopes, skin singed somehow. I hear the Shade gaining, its unnaturally long limbs make twice the progress we do. Fear and adrenaline course through me. “We aren’t going to make it.”
At my words, Verity twists in my grasp and I lose my grip. I stumble, whirling in time to see her raise her palms towards the Shade. She digs her feet into the ground and bright, white light sears from her palms. The lights are familiar, the same ones she called only a few nights ago when we were attacked by phantoms. But this light is painful to the Shade, burning him viciously. The Shade stumbles back, crumpling to the ground. It stretches away from Verity, looking like her shadow.
Moaning and hissing, the Shade slinks back into the woods, away from Verity’s magic. She lowers her hands, shoulders curling with exhaustion. I push back my curiosity and wrap an arm around her waist, ushering her through the portal. The world droops and melts around us, our eyes covered with a red sheen. Verity sags into my side, breathing shakily. I glance down at her smoking hands just as the world rights itself. We step out of the portal and into a desert; the Third Stratum.
Verity looks up at me, darkness in her light blue eyes. “It will find the others. There will be more next time.”
Chapter 10
Verity
The first thing I notice about the Third Stratum is the heat. It's dry and scorching as if I've just stepped into an oven. The red earth is cracked and so flat I can see for miles in any direction. It's like another world. Every breath I take leaves my throat and nostrils burning. Sweat sheens on my brow. I fumble with my cloak, trying desperately to remove it. The red fabric flutters to the ground, and I stoop to collect it.
“Gods, it's hot here,” Thal groans, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Serus pads to my feet, slinking. I pick him up and let him settle on my shoulders. The baked earth is too hot for him to walk on. “How is Erzur?” I ask.
The ebony-skinned warrior leans heavily on Thal. One of her eyes is so swollen she can’t open it, and her lip is split. “Fine,” she spits out. “Let’s get out of here before that Shade comes through.”
“We have a little time,” Altair says, appraising me. “Verity injured it pretty badly.”
“Verity?” Thal cocks a brow, looking impressed.
I clench my charred hands into fists to hide them. “It isn’t dead though. And it will bring back more Shades. We were lucky there was only one guarding the portal.”
“Do you think that’s what it was doing?” Altair asks. “Guarding?”
I chew my bottom lip and nod. “I don’t think it was a coincidence that the Shade was there.”
“I don’t want to be around when it finds reinforcements,” Sadal whines. His gaze darts towards the arch fearfully.
Altair hoists Erzur into his arms despite her weak protests. He lifts his chin towards Sadal. “Show us the way.”
Sadal nods eagerly. He leads us away from the portal, glancing over his shoulder often to see if any enemies are chasing us. Gradually, as we distance ourselves from the Second Stratum, the itch between my shoulder blades fades. I relax. The group is quiet, conserving energy as we walk through the dreadful heat. I run my tongue over my lips, wetting them, but they dry instantly. I frown as I realize that we didn’t bother packing water into the Ether.
“We’re getting close,” Serus whispers from my shoulder.
“To what?” I squint, trying to pierce the haze of heat for any signs of what we’re looking for.
“To whom.” Serus’s claws prick into my skin.
We travel down a short slope and I see imprints of bones in the earth. Slowly, the fossils grow more numerous and I realize we’re walking through the bed of a dried lake. Sadal grows more at ease as we lose sight of the arch behind us. The Dark God adjusts his collar and straightens his shirt, smirking. My brows twitch together as I watch him preen like a peacock.
“You seem more relaxed now,” Thal notes, looking at Sadal like he has a bad taste in his mouth. “Not frightened anymore?”
“The Shades wouldn’t dare come this far into the Third Stratum,” Sadal says, brushing his hair into place.
“And why not?” Altair asks. Altair’s brow is glistening with sweat, matting his hair to his forehead. Erzur breathes shallowly in his arms, eyes closed.
“The Shades can’t touch the danger here, but she can still threaten them,” Sadal says simply.
I open my mouth to question him further, confusion, and questions spinning in my mind like a whirlwind. The heat doesn't help. Suddenly, I stagger backward, and Serus clings tightly, so he doesn't topple to the ground. My entire body tingles as power slams into me again and again. I press a hand to my chest, trying to calm my beating heart. The others have paused, looking at me curiously. Altair starts towards me but seems to remember the woman in his arms, and he stops. Fear lances through me when the force of the power turns into a gentle tug, coaxing me forward.
“You feel her,” Sadal says as he watches me with appraising eyes.
“What is this?” I ask, taking a tentative step as power assails me again.
Sadal jerks his chin towards a glimmer of light in the distance. “Your query.”
Sadal turns, changing his path towards the strange light. I follow, feeling sickened with each step. The power rakes over me, running along my arms and chest and down my legs, as if searching for something. I close my eyes, calling on my own magic. I feel it flood through me, centered in my chest and pouring out
