The Abyss (Fae's Captive Book 7) by Lily Archer

Author:Lily Archer [Archer, Lily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lily Archer
Published: 2019-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

11

Gareth

The road is long and hot, and by the time the sun begins to set, Beth is weary in my arms. She sways with Iridiel’s motion, her head lolling against my chest.

Chastain rides beside me, the dunes on either side of us giving way to peculiar vines that seem to slither over the sand. The horizon is darker, a distant set of craggy peaks promising trouble as the sand ends and a new world begins. Soon after that, the world will disappear altogether, sunken into the blackest pit on the face of Arin.

“You’ve travelled through the Abyss?” I keep my voice as low as I can. Not that it matters, a snore escapes Beth’s mouth as we canter along the road.

Chastain shakes his head. “No. Never. But Parnon and several of the fighters have. They know the way.”

“Isn’t there more than one way?” I’ve heard about the Abyss through tales and warnings, but I don’t have a true idea of what it is or what dangers lurk there.

“There are more ways than I can count, but all except one lead to disaster. The right way is guarded by slavers and far worse things.”

“Worse than slavers?” Beth stretches. “Nothing worse than that.”

“Slavers won’t eat you. Some of the things in that hole will.” Iridiel shivers. “There’s a huge roiling ball of evil that lives at the bottom. It’s a shape shifter that can take any form it chooses. When it’s hungry, it will fly up from the depths in the form of a beautiful Pegasus, or whatever form you find most pleasing, but the moment you approach it, the monster turns into a gaping maw full of teeth and gobbles you up whole.”

“You’re kidding.” Beth turns around, her eyes wide. “He’s kidding, right?”

“We call that one Subcinctus. Sub, for short.” A freed slave, Baralja, still bearing the black bands of his master rides on our other side. “I saw it devour three slaves in one gulp.” He scrubs a hand down his dark beard. “I still have nightmares.”

“Sheesh.” Beth winces. “But that’s the worst of it, right? If we can get past that, then—”

“The worst, they say, is the fall.” Chastain guides his unicorn around a creeping vine that inches along the road. “Of course, no one has come back from it, but apparently the fall is so long as to be endless, and the entire time, you’re contemplating your death in pitch blackness as you plummet.”

Baralja holds up a finger. “And don’t forget the spiders.”

“Spiders?” Beth clutches her upper arms and rubs them vigorously.

“That’s enough.” I click my tongue so that Iridiel moves faster. “I think we get the idea.” Do I want Beth to turn back? Yes. Do I want her utterly terrified? No. And though Chastain and Baralja are well-meaning, it’s probably best that we discuss the horrors of the Abyss when Beth isn’t listening.

“I can handle it.” She straightens her spine. “I can’t read you through the bond, but I can tell you’re trying to keep me from hearing the rest.

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