The Tragedy of Knowledge by Rachael Wade

Author:Rachael Wade
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780984020850
Publisher: Rabbit Hole Press
Published: 2012-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

7

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Everything ached, even as the warm water soothed and swirled over my skin, its force pulling us more strongly, relentlessly toward the bayou’s muddy floor. My eyes were screwed shut, only sensing the rays of blinding purple light around us as we descended to the bottom, and finally, through the portal hole that would lead us to the other side, to the Amaranth exile.

The bayou’s floor swallowed us up and pulled us down through the tunnel, and a head rush accompanied the aching feeling when I dropped from the end of the tunnel and smacked onto the familiar black-and-white-tile floor, Gavin breaking my fall as best as he could. We darted away from the spot, knowing, at any second, more frozen souls would be falling through the portal hole from above and landing on top of us. Drenched and covered in muck and leaves, Gavin swiped dirt from his eyes and pulled me down the long underground hallway toward the door that led up and out, into the beautiful sea of green toward Samira’s castle. There were no words, no time for any exchanges, only rapid action to reach our next destination.

Sure enough, those left of the resistance charged the tunnel behind us as each dropped from the portal hole, rushing with us to the door at the end of the passage, Arianna, Gabe, and Audrey thankfully among them. The candlelight flickered, casting an eerie glow through the underground walkway. Our friends coughed to expel the water and dirt from their noses and throats. I wondered how many more times I’d have to cross through that dreaded portal, the one that always seemed to throw my life into full-on crisis mode, bringing with it a multitude of dangers and certainly no guarantees.

That musing halted when Gavin cracked the jagged door wide open, and it welcomed us with a cascade of gloomy sunlight and a dust-ridden cloud of air. Once outside, Gavin and I stepped aside with Arianna, Gabe, and Audrey, while the other frozen souls poured past us and into flight, up and above the vibrant maze toward the castle.

I turned to my friends. “What the hell is going on? Did I just imagine that, or did all of those witches just … turn on Gérard? How is that possible?”

“No idea.” Arianna grabbed hold of my forearm and pulled me into an embrace. “My God, I thought I was going to lose you there for a second.” She squeezed me tight, her breathing as shaky as mine. “All I know is, they saved our asses and bought us some time.”

“Not much,” Gavin said, sizing up the frozen souls as they flew in droves over our heads. When their trail seemed to dissipate, he turned and swiftly slammed the portal hole’s door shut behind us. Not that it would deter Gérard, but I could tell it made Gavin feel better to shut it.

“You’re right,” Arianna said, glancing over at Audrey and Gabe, who were leaning against the green labyrinth wall, still catching their human breaths.

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