Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,145

dark path ahead, none of them seeming eager to make the first step. “What exactly does that mean we’re in for? Steep drops? Eerie noises? Creepy-crawly things?”

“Really hope it’s not that last one,” Wylie mumbled.

Sophie definitely agreed.

“If it helps,” Nubiti called from somewhere in the shadows—and the whole disembodied-voice thing did not make her next words very reassuring—“everything you’re about to experience will live entirely in your minds. None of it will be real.”

“None of what?” Dex asked.

“It’s different for everyone,” Grady told him, tightening his grip on Sophie’s hand. “I don’t fully understand the phenomenon, but something about the sensory deprivation makes us see things, and hear things, and sometimes even feel things that aren’t actually there.”

“And I’m assuming it won’t be, like, pretty flowers and flying alicorns and rainbow glitter showers?” Biana asked.

“It is for some,” Bronte admitted. “And those kinds of hallucinations pose their own challenges. But the majority of us will find that the total absence of any light leaves us facing our worst nightmares.”

“Wonderful,” Dex muttered.

“Wait—total absence of light?” Wylie clarified.

Sophie frowned when Bronte nodded.

“I thought there was always some light,” she argued, “and that we just had to find a way to make our mind concentrate on it in order to see it.”

That was what she’d been taught during her skill lessons, when she was trying to improve her darkness vision.

“Not on the King’s Path,” Grady corrected. “Once we move far enough away from this room, there won’t be any light until we reach the Grand Hall.”

“How is that possible?” Wylie wondered.

Sophie could’ve guessed Nubiti’s answer.

“Magsidian. The stones set along the King’s Path have been cut to absorb every particle of light that comes near them, which makes those in my species lose their bearings unless they’ve been given something specific to guide them. But you elves have a much stronger reaction. The effect won’t set in immediately, and when it does, I’ll be here to keep you moving. But you must all count on becoming very disoriented. And those of you who’ve journeyed down the King’s Path before should know that our security has changed in recent months. The magsidian has been altered, and that, in turn, has altered the Path’s effect. There’s no consensus on whether the experience is better or worse, but all agree that it’s wholly different, and many have struggled because they thought they knew what to expect. So try to go in with the mind-set that what you’re about to endure will be unlike anything you’ve survived before.”

Sophie wasn’t a fan of the word “endure” in all of that.

Or “survived.”

But she tried to be a good leader and focus on what was most important.

“Does that mean the King’s Path is where the dwarves who joined the Neverseen sabotaged the magsidian before they left?” she asked.

“It’s one of several locations,” Nubiti agreed, sounding far more casual than Sophie would’ve expected, considering the fact that they were discussing a security breach on the path to her king.

“Where were the other places?” Stina wanted to know.

“I’ll show you during the tour,” Nubiti promised. “Right now, I need you to start moving. You’ll still have a few minutes before the disorientation hits if you need to ask any final questions. But keeping King Enki waiting would be a very unwise way to begin this visit.”

“It would,” Bronte agreed. “Particularly given the change of plans.”

Sophie had a feeling the quick squeeze he gave her hand had nothing to do with reassurance and everything to do with the fact that she was supposed to take the lead.

So she allowed herself one long breath to gather her courage.

Then she dragged everyone onto the dark, unsettling path.

They’d only taken three steps before Sophie’s lumenite circlet winked out—along with Dex’s, Wylie’s, Stina’s, and Biana’s—and Sophie hadn’t realized how much the white light had been helping until it was gone.

“Within the next minute, you will no longer be able to see,” Nubiti warned, sounding suddenly closer, “and when that happens, I need you to know three things. First: The Path is flat and true, so there’s no need to seek out walls for balance. You can trust your feet not to fail you—even those of you who sometimes consider yourselves to be clumsy. Second: My voice is your guide, and you will be able to follow the sound regardless of how deeply you lose yourself. And third: The longer you linger, the worse the effect gets. So if you can hold on to one truth, it’s that you