Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Thirty-Three

—Qataran Falls, The Grave—

Despair, so cold it physically hurt just to breathe. The moment they crossed from the place Zhar had called the Emerald Steppe to the edge of the Qataran Falls, Idelle felt a sharp change in their environment. The Grave was a somber yet beautiful place, but this was beyond the scale they had experienced. The despair was palpable, physically manifesting in ice and snow that Zhar explained should not be there.

The Qataran Falls rested at the edge of the Emerald Steppe, the rolling hills and vast plains ending in a steep descent over waterfalls that extended for miles upon miles. From where they stood, the falls seemed almost never-ending as they trailed nearly in a straight line from north to south. There were several wide rocky trails that connected their ledge to the other resting over a mile away. The formation was nothing like Idelle had ever seen. It almost seemed as though those few rocky paths connected two entirely different continents, though Zhar assured her that wasn't the case. The Qataran Falls made up an area of over a hundred thousand square miles, vast to be certain, but it was far from the edge of the continent it appeared to be.

Zhar had described the Falls to her during their journey. He had painted a picture of shimmering blue water that plunged into a chasm that had once been home to a race known as the Dragor. They had a reptilian-like appearance, complete with scales, tails, and the teeth to match. Yet, despite their apex predator look, they had been a wise and kind race that had flourished in the warm, almost tropical climate of the Falls. The flora that was known to grow there bloomed in such vibrant colors, Idelle almost didn't believe his description. The chasm itself was tiered, the layers descending deeper and deeper into the earth. The vast majority was dry, the falls themselves feeding through holes that had eroded naturally over the years, following the many layers of the Qataran Falls until the waters eventually emptied into a massive underground river that flowed to the southern seas.

Idelle had expected a tropical paradise. What they found was anything but. The Qataran Falls were frozen solid, massive ice crystals jutting out across the edge of the chasm. The pair held onto each other, supporting themselves as they tiptoed carefully toward the slippery edge, peering down below. The ice extended there, too, snow descending in graceful twirls toward the thick blanket already in place. One look was all Idelle needed to know that this hadn't been a natural occurrence. The water was frozen in violent ripples that showed a spell of some sort had swept the land, transforming this paradise into the desolate, frozen hell that reminded her sharply of Niflheim.

"Is this Loki's work?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

Zhar had no answer to give her. He only tightened his grip on her hand and led her toward a path hidden by the snow drifts. A ledge sloped down the side of the chasm, twisting and turning until it reached the first landing. Idelle followed Zhar, keeping a careful watch on her footing even as she allowed her magic to scan the chasm.

There was something powerful near the heart of the area. The moment her magic touched it, she recoiled. It was despair verging on the edge of hopelessness. It created a pit in her stomach that churned violently. If the feeling did, indeed, emanate from Loki, he was currently consumed by an overwhelming sense of sorrow that was dragging him downwards in a spiral fueled by thoughts of ending his own life. In her travels, Idelle had only ever met one individual who had ever felt as hopeless as Loki did now.

Ori.

Her cousin, though young, had lived a hard life. She was blessed in many ways but cursed in several others. More than once, when Lulu and Idelle's paths had crossed with Ori's, Idelle had sensed that dark, consuming void in Ori's heart. Her cousin hid it well, but, inside, she was a turbulent, violent storm that threatened to drag her into the depths of the despair. Ori was strong enough to rise above such depression most days, but it seemed Loki had given up thoughts of resistance. He allowed the spiral to carry him downwards into a place they might not be able to save him from.