and safe.
Finally, he set foot on solid ground. As soon as he did, he spun around and searched for me, his gaze finally landing. The tension that drained from his shoulders was so obvious that I could almost feel his relief.
His golden wings disappeared, and he nodded.
Why had that just happened? Was that a fear of his—losing me?
But of course. I was being naive. Of course he feared losing me. He needed me for his plan. Nothing more, nothing less. I needed to keep my head and not get soft.
I drew in a breath and faced the bridge.
My turn.
I swallowed hard and stepped onto the bridge before I could wimp out.
Please don’t send any monsters at me.
I really didn’t have the skill set to deal with that.
My heart thundered in my head as I took my first step, placing my foot carefully on the wooden slat as I white-knuckled the rope handrails. Below, the crevasse plunged thousands of feet into a deep mist below. My gut churned with a newfound fear of heights, and I went as quickly as I could, palms sweating as my knees trembled.
Every time the boards creaked underfoot, my skin went icy. I was halfway across when the rope handrail began to fray. Right under my grip, the fibers started to snap. Within seconds, the entire thing had broken through. With the tension gone, the right side of the bridge sagged.
I gasped and grabbed the left handrail rope with both hands, shuffling to line my feet up under the rail. The entire thing shuddered and pitched, and I looked wildly toward Hades.
He stared at me with his arms crossed, his brow set in concern. But he didn’t look nearly as worried as I’d have expected.
I was about to die here.
And he appeared totally unfazed, as if he were watching me stroll across.
Maybe he couldn’t see me?
But what did it matter? I didn’t want him swooping to my rescue on golden wings. I had to pass this challenge myself. Take care of myself.
I drew in a shuddery breath as I began to inch my way across, hanging on to the rope rail with both hands as I shuffled my feet forward.
I can do this. I can do this.
Echo appeared at my head, fluttering along as he shot me encouraging glances. I was totally doing this. What was a little thing like a broken rope bridge over a crevasse into hell?
As if the universe could hear my thoughts, the rope rail that I clutched began to fray, the individual fibers snapping.
No.
It was going to break.
I had seconds.
I’d never survive the fall.
My magic flared to life, coming from deep within me. It was the only way out. I had to use it.
Frantic, I searched for any form of life in the crevasse below. Trees, bushes, vines—anything I could make grow up and catch me. Echo landed on my shoulder, and his magic surged into me, making mine stronger as it reached farther into the pit.
When I felt the life below, I nearly cried out in gratitude. Instead, I focused on it.
Grow. Grow.
I didn’t know quite what it was, but it felt like a tree or other plant. They were my specialty, after all. Even though I could feel the life in animals, I couldn’t control them.
Through my panic, a vision of a massive alligator rising up to save me flashed in my mind.
Nope!
I needed to focus.
The last of the rope threads snapped, leaving only the wobbly planks connected by their own crappy ropes. I dropped down to them, clinging like a monkey as the base of the rope bridge swayed in the wind. Below, the crevasse looked endless.
Without handrails, I couldn’t walk upright.
Come on.
I could feel the vines growing, but not fast enough.
Come on.
On my left side, the rope that held the wooden slats together began to unravel, and I watched with horror as it finally snapped. The bridge dipped heavily to one side, connected to solid land by only one rope. I swung wildly, clinging to the last rope with my arms and legs wrapped around it and a few of the wooden slats that dangled in the breeze.
Just one rope left. It was no longer a bridge, just a terrifying collection of wood and rope.
Panic threatened to blank my mind, but I sucked in a deep breath. Get it together, Seraphia.
Suddenly, I could feel the plants more strongly, as if they were responding to my determination. I looked down and spotted a ragtag collection of foliage rising