A Crown Of Shadows And Secrets - Sloane Murphy Page 0,24
of her hand a boat appears out of thin air on the edge of the ledge. “Climb aboard. This will take you to the first level.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. Yes it’s not where we need to go, but it’s a step in the right direction, and from the looks of this place, we never would’ve managed to get any further without her help.
“Second tip of the day, don’t thank anyone down here. I’ll let it go, but that’s a sure-fire way to sell your soul. I like you though, you remind me of someone I used to know, so I’ll give you a chance.” She winks at me before motioning for us to get on the boat. “Now don’t think you can just stay on this after its first stop. It will just disappear, and you’ll fall into the river down there, understand?”
I gulp but nod and follow the guys on to the floating boat. Each of them looks tense, stiff, and I don’t blame them. We don’t know Ferry, and my own memory told me not to trust anyone here, but what choice do we have? My instincts tell me we can trust her, and I’ve always followed them.
“Good luck,” she says with a finger wave and the boat starts to move away from the ledge, moving forward into a mist I hadn’t paid attention to before.
“Well, hopefully this isn’t a trap,” Levi grinds out before walking away from us.
“I know this isn’t ideal, but we don’t have any other options,” I call out after him, trying to placate him, but I can tell it isn’t really helping.
“What is our next move, once we get where we’re going?” Kain asks me, with a small smile. At least he seems to be on board with trusting me.
“Honestly, I have no idea.” I palm Fallon’s talisman that Marie gave to me. “I’m hoping this thing will help me know when Fallon is close by, but I guess, just working through the levels to reach Morganna. Unless we manage to find Fallon first. All while avoiding as many Demons as we can?” I let out a deep breath, trying not to freak out. In all of my lives, with all of the challenges I’ve faced, none have been quite like this, at least not that I remember. I wish I’d gotten more information from that memory earlier, something that could help us.
“It’ll all work out. You’ll see,” Creek says, soothing me as he squeezes my hand. I look to Roman and Levi, who are definitely not as relaxed as Creek and Kain right now. Levi is at the very front of the boat, looking into the distance, while Roman paces in front of us.
The boat slows and the mist starts to clear when I realize we’re moving downwards. It comes to a stop beside another ledge, when a woman who looks just like Ferry, but with green hair and eyes greets us. “Welcome to the Shadow Realm.”
Welcome to the Shadow Realm indeed. I move to get off of the boat, but Levi appears in front of me, stopping me.
“Who are you?” He asks gruffly. Ah, apparently mister grumpy is back. Awesome. It’s been a while since he came out to play.
“I am Delia, but I can be whoever you want me to be handsome.” She winks at him and I hear Creek trying not to laugh. “What brings you to the home of Pride?”
“We’re looking for someone,” I start, but Roman and Levi both level me with a stare. I roll my eyes because, please. I’m not letting these guys walk all over me. “We’re trying to get to the queen.”
The green haired girl laughs at us, practically crying with laughter. “Oh, you’re funny. Come on, let’s get you off of the boat before it disappears.” Her reminder jolts the guys into action and we get off quickly.
“Tha...” I start and then stop talking.
“Ahhhh good you remembered. Ferry always tries to warn the kindhearted ones, just in case. But most people that come here end up trapped anyway.” Her eyes sparkle with laughter, and I smile at her.
“Yeah, that’s not on my to do list today.”
“Or ever,” Creek adds.
“Or that.” I nod.
“So, you’re really looking for the queen?” Delia asks and I nod.
“We really are. Don’t suppose you know a super quick and helpful way to find her?” I ask as Levi and Roman both cross their arms. I roll my eyes at them. Got it. They’re not happy. Shocker.