chapter forty

Thea looked back through the portal, her heart shrinking with the magical opening as Zared's goodbye tunneled into her. Why'd it hurt so much to leave him? Shouldn't she be happy that she found a way out?

She reached a hand toward the smoke, feeling the desire to reach out one final time to Zared before leaving him behind. The smoke got thicker, and Zared's image faded, until all she was touching was the open air. Her heart tightened, squeezing all the way up in her throat as she wished she could have taken him with her... He deserved to see the sun.

Now it's my job to make that happen.

Her feet wobbled on the edge of the cliff. She didn't dare look over the edge, knowing that she might swoon if she saw how deep it went. She shifted forward, barely picking her feet up off the ground until she was a safe distance away from the treacherous edge. The moment she was clear of falling, she took a deep breath and realized her newest dilemma .

The tightness in her chest wasn't just from the pain of leaving Zared. Her heart was racing like mad. She pressed a hand over her chest, startling herself when she noticed how much the beats kept increasing. Her blood moved faster, and her head felt dizzy like it did when she first woke up from her injury. It was like her entire body was racing itself, trying to move faster to keep up with the strange flow of time.

This must be Underworth's curse. I need to get out of here.

There were portals everywhere, each dumping out bodies that were either being stacked in piles or collected by nymphs, who appeared to be working. Her best chance at escape would be to jump into another portal, but there was no telling where she would end up. It could be anywhere from Olympia, to Mortalia, to the bottom of the ocean for all she knew. She started racing toward one, but skidded to a stop when she noticed it was already starting to close. She looked for another, but everywhere she turned, the portals were fizzling out. They must have already completed their shipments, and just like the portal to the labyrinth, didn't stay open for long afterward.

How am I supposed to get out of here?

Her heart pounded, and she pressed the rose to her chest to try to stifle the sound of its throbs. This couldn't be good for her. She needed an escape, or help or, magic...

The ring!

"Take me somewhere safe," she begged the ring, hoping that was what she truly wanted most in that moment. The ring warmed, and a second later she felt a tugging sensation in her thumb, as if someone was pulling her along in a specific direction. She followed the ring, stepping over the cracked ground and being careful not to trip on the occasional bone.

Underworth served as a mass graveyard for all of Fairmyth, since its curse allowed bodies to decompose faster. The entire kingdom felt like it was from another world, with dreary gray skies that made it feel like night, and a dusty ground that had little to any life growing throughout it. Mortals were never allowed in the kingdom due to how the curse conflicted with their lifespans, and now Thea truly understood why.

This isn't good. I need to hurry or else—

"Pardon me, miss?" a strange voice called out behind Thea, causing her heart to skip at least three of its rapid beats as she whirled around. It was a water nymph, at least she assumed so. He was tall and lanky, with pale skin and shadowed eyes that almost made him look more dead than alive. "I don't mean to frighten you. My name is Callum; I work for King Hayden and I don't believe I've seen you around before. "

Thea gulped. He works for the king ?

"Tell me, miss," Callum asked, eyeing Thea up and down, "are you mortal?"

"Y-yes," she stammered. Maybe he would help her get out of the kingdom faster, so long as he didn't question where she came from.

"I suspected so," Callum said as he looked down his narrow nose at her. "You came from a portal, didn't you?"

Thea didn't answer, she wasn't even sure if she could if she tried. Her blood felt like was on fire from the friction of it rushing through her veins.

"I see..." Callum said, filling in his own answer as he reached out and placed a calm, but firm, hand on Thea's shoulder. "I'm going to need you to come with me, miss. King Hayden will need to address your presence here."

"But I—"

"It will be quick," he cut her off, pushing her along without allowing any further argument.

Thea bit her lip, unsure what to do now that she was in the custody of another kingdom's official. Should she lie about where she came from? Tell the truth about how she faked being a criminal? From what rumors said, King Hayden had a general distaste of Olympia and his brother King Zion, so maybe he would be willing to listen to her in regard to how their justice system had failed her.

If I can last that long...

She felt sick. Her chest was winding tighter, and her head was feeling lighter by the second. Callum was at least truthful about being quick. In a matter of minutes, she was rushed inside the massive castle that took up most of Underworth's view. The floors were cold, and the halls were dark and echoey, but it wasn't nearly as creepy as she always imagined as a child. Callum rushed her to a long corridor, eyeing the rose in her hand with a suspicious lift of his brow before turning to knock on a tall heavy door.

"Wait here," he said with a clear of his throat. "I will speak to the king and see if he needs to see you."

Thea nodded, her hands shaking as she squeezed the rose so hard it would have snapped had it not been magical. The second Callum disappeared, she debated making a run for it, but that would only make her look all the more guilty.

Think, Thea...

She couldn't just stand there. Her heart was thumping like mad, and her old injury was starting to ache from all the pressure in her head. She needed to get out of here. Zared was waiting on her...

"Who are you?" A sweet voice, soft and light, caught Thea's ear. She turned toward the sound, her eyes growing wide as she looked upon the beautiful face of a blonde-haired young woman with glowing pink eyes. She wore a long black dress, decorated with light pink flowers that trailed the skirt and a sparkling silver crown twisted around her curls.

Queen Priscilla...

"I... I'm Theabelle."

The queen smiled at her, her dainty features twisted slightly with a perplexed look as she eyed Thea's red prison dress before settling her gaze on the rose entangled in her fingers. The queen's eyes widened, the pink growing brighter as she focused on the enchanted bloom.

"Hello, Theabelle... What do you have there?"