shiny rock near my left arm. Was I…in the Underworld?
I tried to roll over and shrieked in surprise when I helplessly made another unexpected rotation and hit water. Panic shot through me and my muscles automatically took action; pushing me back to the surface with lightning speed. Spotting a bank in front of me, I pulled myself back up. So much for being dry. I recognized the marsh before me without pause. It was Charon’s marsh. I was definitely in the Underworld! How a patch of quicksand took me here I had no idea, but those thoughts leapt out of my mind as another, more urgent thought broke through -- Finn.
Hushed voices sent a shot of adrenaline through my veins and I scampered into a thicket of bushes nearby. I watched between two branches as three women dressed in odd looking robes leisurely strolled by, smiling and laughing as they passed. I held my breath until I was sure they were out of ear shot. I had to move fast.
All this time I had tried to find him solely in the Living realm. Not once did I consider the possibility of continuing a reverie into the Underworld. But, then again I wouldn’t have known how to get there if I’d tried. I would have to rely on my reverie ability to find him as it had so many times before. I relaxed my muscles, took a deep breath and allowed my mind to pull up his handsome face, the feel of his strong arms, and the startling blue of his eyes. I remembered his crooked smile and how it lit up my world. I thought of the way he gently kissed me and held me close. His smell, his darkness, the sound of his voice. Finally, I began to feel movement. I let go completely and allowed my ability to take me.
The temperature suddenly decreased and everything stopped abruptly. I opened my eyes at the deafening sound of rushing water right above my head. I looked up toward the sound and gasped in surprise. I was…beneath a river? How was that possible? And why could I see the water rushing over the rocks and boulders above? The silver moon high in the sky sent just enough light through the water to allow sight. It was awe-inspiring. As I spun in a slow circle, I realized I was in some kind of underground cavern. The walls were smooth and continuous, with no entrance or exit visible.
A low moan to my left put me on the defensive and I crouched down instinctively. As a familiar darkness, tinged with power and innocence flowed over and around me, I let out a desperate cry and ran to the slumped over form that was still moaning. I carefully dropped to my knees and reached out to touch his leg. That same leg jerked and he stiffened.
“Finn!” I moved closer and placed my hands on either side of his face in an attempt to wake him up. “Finn! Wake up!” A pair of unfocused blue eyes slowly met mine, widened slightly and then closed again. In my panic, I shook him a little harder than I intended. The last thing he needed was a concussion.
“Finn, it’s me! Can you hear me?” My relief in finding him was overshadowed by the dilapidated shape he was in. What had she done to him? His wrists were bound by something I’d hoped I’d never see again after my last run-in with Nadia. The iron clad white vines were coming out of the wall and holding him captive. Dried blood caked his wrists and arms. His face was bruised and sunken in with malnourishment. He was immortal now; he was supposed to be strong! Why wasn’t his body healing itself like it should?
I searched the cavern for some kind of clue. I assumed the river rushing above was Nadia’s river, but I had no idea how far upstream we were or how it was possible to physically get in here. I ran my hands along the walls for any sign
I tried to roll over and shrieked in surprise when I helplessly made another unexpected rotation and hit water. Panic shot through me and my muscles automatically took action; pushing me back to the surface with lightning speed. Spotting a bank in front of me, I pulled myself back up. So much for being dry. I recognized the marsh before me without pause. It was Charon’s marsh. I was definitely in the Underworld! How a patch of quicksand took me here I had no idea, but those thoughts leapt out of my mind as another, more urgent thought broke through -- Finn.
Hushed voices sent a shot of adrenaline through my veins and I scampered into a thicket of bushes nearby. I watched between two branches as three women dressed in odd looking robes leisurely strolled by, smiling and laughing as they passed. I held my breath until I was sure they were out of ear shot. I had to move fast.
All this time I had tried to find him solely in the Living realm. Not once did I consider the possibility of continuing a reverie into the Underworld. But, then again I wouldn’t have known how to get there if I’d tried. I would have to rely on my reverie ability to find him as it had so many times before. I relaxed my muscles, took a deep breath and allowed my mind to pull up his handsome face, the feel of his strong arms, and the startling blue of his eyes. I remembered his crooked smile and how it lit up my world. I thought of the way he gently kissed me and held me close. His smell, his darkness, the sound of his voice. Finally, I began to feel movement. I let go completely and allowed my ability to take me.
The temperature suddenly decreased and everything stopped abruptly. I opened my eyes at the deafening sound of rushing water right above my head. I looked up toward the sound and gasped in surprise. I was…beneath a river? How was that possible? And why could I see the water rushing over the rocks and boulders above? The silver moon high in the sky sent just enough light through the water to allow sight. It was awe-inspiring. As I spun in a slow circle, I realized I was in some kind of underground cavern. The walls were smooth and continuous, with no entrance or exit visible.
A low moan to my left put me on the defensive and I crouched down instinctively. As a familiar darkness, tinged with power and innocence flowed over and around me, I let out a desperate cry and ran to the slumped over form that was still moaning. I carefully dropped to my knees and reached out to touch his leg. That same leg jerked and he stiffened.
“Finn!” I moved closer and placed my hands on either side of his face in an attempt to wake him up. “Finn! Wake up!” A pair of unfocused blue eyes slowly met mine, widened slightly and then closed again. In my panic, I shook him a little harder than I intended. The last thing he needed was a concussion.
“Finn, it’s me! Can you hear me?” My relief in finding him was overshadowed by the dilapidated shape he was in. What had she done to him? His wrists were bound by something I’d hoped I’d never see again after my last run-in with Nadia. The iron clad white vines were coming out of the wall and holding him captive. Dried blood caked his wrists and arms. His face was bruised and sunken in with malnourishment. He was immortal now; he was supposed to be strong! Why wasn’t his body healing itself like it should?
I searched the cavern for some kind of clue. I assumed the river rushing above was Nadia’s river, but I had no idea how far upstream we were or how it was possible to physically get in here. I ran my hands along the walls for any sign
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