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I did not wish to make the sah the thick main door, to my relief, it was to see that nobody was on the other side I ain and ushered the others to follow after me All four of us arrived in the vast lake-filled cavern that housed the door We dove into the water where we’d be the least visible and headed to the entrance of the tunnel on the other side

We wound round and around the dark canal and eed in the entrance cavern that was home to the base of the whirlpool We kept beneath the tunnel as we scoped out the houls guarding the base of the vortex I cast e boulders lining the roo the nearest one, I darted toward one and hid behind it The others followed me, cautiously, slowly, one by one, and we all crouched do ahouls, looking for any signs that one of theht have spotted us Since I was unable to detect any, we appeared to have crossed the first obstacle We were at least hidden now in this enclosure, and although we ht not have any kind of plan, at least we could watch Observe this see at the swirling ceiling, not exchanging even a whisper for fear that the ghouls houlsaround near the entrance, some perched on rocks They seeh the tunnel and others cauarded I wondered why they didn’t just fix the net that Lucas had spoken of and be done with it Ghosts could not lift off the net with their hands, and neither could they supposedly pass through it It would save the ghouls keeping guard twenty-four seven Butit open that I was not aware of Perhaps they wanted to keep it open to allow easy passage for the fae, and also their own kind returning froe crowd of fae e white coffins which I could only assuhosts--the new victiht down to "Hell" The sight struck host coht shone once every full hosts as possible to hand over to the ghouls, I wondered why they made this "appointment" only once every month Perhaps, at the time they’d first spread the rumor, they had not been in such a hurry, and now that the deadline was loo to hosts Lowlifes

The coffins crashed down to the athered soe of the lake and crossed the lake, floating the coffins through the tunnel They’d barely even glanced once at the ghouls I esti at the dark entrance to the canal long after they disappeared into it, though they soon eain--without the coffins The fae flew back to the whirlpool exit and plunged through, leaving The Underworld behind

Everything becaain in the chahouls above us I drew my eyes away from the entrance of the whirlpool, which seemed so close--so torturously close--and yet so far

Nolan raised a brow at ?" hehere for hours hadn’t brought us any closer to

I averted houls I continued to think, and think, and think… until Chantel began to fidget Toto Nolan, "I think we should leave We’ve been here long enough What more is there to discover? We’ve already seen the entrance and know that we can’t pass through it"

I shot a glare at her and her husband, raising a finger tothat they leave rather than ot the picture, and Chantel’s lips pursed Chantel was itching to go but Nolan wasn’t He did, however, acquiesce to his wife’s request He glanced at etically, and the two of them slipped away from the boulders They drifted back to the tunnel and hopefully they would ht

That left Kailyn and ain as we continued watching the whirlpool I wasn’t sure howI could take, but I wasn’t ready to retreat yet After what felt like another hour had passed, I sensed ripped houl had spotted and crept up on us, but as I whirled around, I was ht

My uncle, Lucas

He was floating toward me up the narrow slope froed but his eyes glea here?" I breathed,in confusion

He settled hi briefly at Kailyn--ould be an utter stranger to hied rihouls

Clearly… But how? What had made him? When I’d left him in his pool, he had see For him to make it up all those levels was nocaught along the way He’d seeiven hie--to venture away froed