Whatever had happened to him and wherever he’d gone, Lucas wasn’t down here and there was no point in dwelling on it. We continued searching the pools on this level, then ventured even further downward, until eventually the chambers became pitch black, with not even the slightest aura emanating from the ponds. As I moved to the edge of one, I could barely even see to the bottom… and that was probably a good thing.

Shuddering, Kailyn and I stepped away from the edge. We shared a silent understanding that it was better to leave these pools unexplored.

By now—unless there was a whole other wing of The Underworld that we had somehow missed—it seemed that we had explored all the levels that were worth exploring. We failed to find another familiar face.

“I think we should head back,” Kailyn whispered, her eyes fearful.

I couldn’t deny that I was curious about traveling even deeper—until we reached The Necropolis, whatever that even was exactly—but I agreed with her. Neither of us had a clue what we’d find down there, and it was better not to risk it. So we embarked on our slow but steady journey up to the higher levels.

As we made our way back after our failed mission, disappointment gripped me. Those I’d been looking for—Gregor, Sam, Benjamin Hudson and others whom I’d thought would qualify to become ghosts due to the nature of their death—I guessed must have “passed on” after all, or maybe they simply hadn’t been caught by fae or ghouls. I guessed the fae could not catch all ghosts, even those who ventured near the portals. Maybe some of those old souls had even found a way to the elusive other side… The real other side, whatever that was.

In any case, it was time to let go of the fantasy of finding more familiar faces here. For now I just had Kailyn, and Lucas… wherever he had gone to.

We reached our pool—welcomingly bright after the darkness Kailyn and I had just left—and sank inside.

Marcilla, who was sitting in her usual corner, spotted us instantly.

“I’m glad to see the two of you back with your minds still sound… How did it go?” she asked, moving toward us along with Chantel and Nolan.

“We didn’t find what we were looking for,” I muttered, sinking down to a spot at the base of the pool that wasn’t swarming with other ghosts. This was the first time in many hours that I could genuinely relax a bit, not worrying about being caught by a ghoul while out of my designated pond.

“How far down did you go?” Nolan asked.

I glanced at Kailyn. Neither of us had kept count of the levels. I shrugged. “Until all was black.”

Nolan nodded, gulping.

Kailyn and I retreated into a corner by ourselves, away from Marcilla, Chantel and Nolan, and rested a while in silence. I was sure that the same thought was running through both of our heads: What now?

After having successfully traveled through the layers without being caught, I felt ready—at least as ready as I could possibly feel—to turn my thoughts back to escape. Catching Kailyn’s eye, I raised a brow. “What are you thinking?”

“How on earth we’re ever going to escape this hole,” Kailyn replied hoarsely.

I nodded. Lowering my voice, I said, “Then I think it’s time to try again.”

She had reached the same conclusion as me on her own, though that didn’t stop her looking terrified at the thought.

“But how exactly?” she asked.

I paused, mulling over the matter. “To start with, we could just head back to the entrance cavern and watch for a while… Observe who comes in and out. The ghouls will still be there of course, but if we’re extra careful, and keep our distance from the exit, we should be able to go unnoticed.”

Apparently having no better suggestions, Kailyn agreed. We drifted away from our quiet spot in the corner and moved up to the surface of the pool again. I caught Marcilla’s eye before raising my head out of the water. And then Nolan and Chantel’s. I expected them both to cast me the same concerned looks as the last time I’d left, but this time, Nolan launched toward me.

“I’ll come with you,” he said, courage sparking in his eyes—a courage I’d never witnessed in Nolan before—even as Chantel looked horrified.

“No! What if they catch you?” she said, hurrying up to him.

“They have already caught us,” Nolan replied in a surprisingly even voice. “With whatever life we have left in us, all we can do is try. Otherwise, we are already as good as gone, are we not?”

He appeared to be addressing his wife, yet his gaze fixed on me steadily.

To this, there was nothing Chantel could say. She pursed her lips, and looked from Nolan to me, to Kailyn, then back to Nolan. “Then… I will come too.”

She moved closer to her husband, although the petrified expression never left her face.

Truth be told, I would’ve preferred that the couple stay here. Two ghosts wandering about was manageable, but all four of us? I feared we’d run a greater risk of getting caught. Still, how could I deny them? I couldn’t ask them to stay here when I myself was going. They yearned for the light in the outside world just as much as Kailyn and I did. I found myself eyeing Marcilla again, though she made no move to follow us. Apparently, she really had been caught too many times to dare try again. As bitter as she was about this place, she seemed to have already resigned herself to her fate. Something we newer spirits couldn’t yet bring ourselves to do.

And so the four of us lifted our heads above the surface of the pool, gazing around the cavern to make sure that there were no ghouls present, before drifting out and zooming toward the exit. We traveled through the walls mostly, trying to find our way through the solid stone, and eventually emerged in the narrow tunnel that led directly to the main door. As the four of us poked our heads out through the wall, slowly at first, and then more boldly as we spotted nobody around, I whispered to my companions, “Wait here while I check that there’s nobody on the other side of the door.”