Page 22 of Unseen Lord

Arias raises his arms and parts the waters that separate us from the rocks.

"Neat trick," I say.

He doesn't respond, but doesn't tell me not to come as he walks along the bottom of the ocean floor to reach the rocks. Not that I would have gone back had he told me to. I don't really do well following orders.

It's a longer walk than I expected, and I'm careful not to step on small displaced sea creatures who are wondering where the hell all the water went.

When we arrive, I see a hidden cave entrance that wouldn't be visible if Arias hadn't parted the sea like a modern-day Moses. "Be very careful when we descend," he says. "And do not attempt to connect with any powers you might sense within."

I'm intrigued and I'm guessing we're about to come face to face with whatever this Storm Spirit is, I follow him into the cave, the hair on my arms rising in salute of whatever powers pulse around me.

A surge of electric force dances on my skin as we descend deeper into the darkness, causing me to stumble into the Rider, who catches me and helps me stand upright. Just as I'm about to ask for some kind of illumination—since this pitch black isn't exactly a walk in the park—small bursts of light begin to flash around us.

Like little shots of lightning, trapped underground.

The air stirs as we move deeper towards the Storm Spirit.

The magic trapped down here is big. Powerful. And entirely unstable.

I can feel it testing me, pushing against me. Looking for an opening.

Looking for a way in.

My eyes widen and I reach for the Rider's arm. "Stop," I say.

He stops. Listens. His eyes widen. "What did you do?" he asks.

"I've done nothing." But something is happening. The space around us is filling with electric jolts of lightning energy, like our very own personal storm. The rock we are encased in begins to rumble, cracking, crumbling, as the power grows.

"It's breaking free of its containment," Arias says, and it's the first time I've ever heard fear in his voice. It does not bring me comfort. "We need to leave."

"Ya think?" In retrospect, I should have let him come to this alone.

He turns to guide us out, but it's too late.

We've waltzed into the bowels of the earth.

We are now under the ocean. I can practically feel the weight of the water pressing in around us. The way all sound is dimmed.

My skin begins to itch.

My mind begins to crawl with memories best left in the past.

The walls around me begin to close in, stifling my breath.

Smothering my lungs.

Lightning blasts at the stone around us, tumbling bits of rock and earth, causing the cave to collapse, with us in it.

We are both thrown to the ground, covered in dirt and rock as it pours over us like water until we can't breathe.

I'm only scared of three things.

Spiders is one of them.

And being buried alive is another.

Chapter 7