Free Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) by T.G. Ayer

I hit ground and my head slammed into something solid. A sound exploded next to me and reverberated around us. Lily hit the ground with a thud and a small, “Oomph.”
    I sat up and rubbed the bump at the back of my head. The silence was thick, as solid as the darkness around us. I sensed Lily shift beside me. “You okay?” I whispered.
    After a moment silence, as if Lily were giving the question serious thought, she whispered, “Yeah. Wow. That was some ride. Now I know what babies feel like, being shoved through a tiny hole just to see life.”
    I snorted. Trust Lily to do something as ridiculous as compare traveling through dimensions to the act of birth.
    I smiled into the darkness and channeled my panther sight. Heat coursed through my eyes, electric pulses rippling along the surface of my eyelids, surging into my eyeballs. I felt my eyes widen, my pupils stretch wider and adjust their shape from round to the feline almond shape of a cat’s eye. The blackness began to fade as it turned to grey and solid darkness transformed slowly into the outline of Lily’s body with the ebony rock of the tunnel wall behind her.
    I got to my feet, dusting myself off from the black sand covering my clothing as well as my skin. It was the strangest feeling to be immersed in thick shadow, as if swimming in a pool of ink.
    Lily struggled to rise beside me. “Be careful. The walls are not smooth and the tunnels are fairly narrow.”
    “Have you been here before?” came Lily’s soft voice.
    I nodded, then realized Lily couldn’t see me in the solid blackness. “Yes, or at least I’m assuming I landed in the same place I did the last time I arrived in the Wraith dimension.”
    “How come there’s no dark water?” Lily asked.
    I frowned and realized Lily had a valid question. Even in the Greylands, there had been dark water to assist in inter-dimensional travel. But here in Wrythiin, I’d arrived on hard-packed ground. “Maybe the water is close by, maybe on the other side of the wall. Or maybe portal keys don’t need dark water in the Wraith world.” Lily didn’t answer, and I could imagine her frowning as she considered my words. ““Right, I think you need to turn on the Walker sight.”
    “Easy for you to say,” came Lily’s voice.
    “Sorry,” I said. “We’re in no hurry. Take your time.” Being Pariah, even a partial transformation was a task in itself. I knew it would sap some of Lily’s strength, but she needed at least a little sight so she wouldn’t be a liability to me. The last thing I needed was to have to worry about a blind Lily in this world. She’d come to help, so I hoped she wouldn’t chicken out just because she was reminded of her Pariah status.
    “Okay, let me got my bearings. Where exactly are you?” Lily asked, and I watched her reach out. Then I felt a warm hand on my breast and choked back a laugh.
    “Lily, this isn’t the time to be fondling me.”
    Lily snorted, then dissolved into a fit of laughter as she withdrew her hand and placed it on a much safer part of my body. “Sorry, I got my wires crossed there for a moment. I thought you wanted me,” Lily said dryly. Then unable to hold the tone, she giggled.
    I reached for Lily’s hand and lifted it off my shoulder. When I placed the girl’s palm on the rock wall, I said, “Here’s the wall of the tunnel. Now concentrate on the change. You want to see, so open your eyes.”
    “Okay,” said Lily, a nervous lilt to her voice. A few moments passed and Lily sniffed. “I don’t think I can do this.”
    “You can. Otherwise, you’ll make me regret bringing you. You wanted to be here to help me, right, not to be a distraction? I don’t have time to spend concentrating on you instead of the mission.” I spoke sharply and hoped I wouldn’t hurt her feelings too much, but I had to be blunt. I wasn’t planning on sugarcoating anything. She needed to channel her sight so she could also be an asset. Otherwise, I should really