“Not that,” Aesira said. “Why does Birdie want to look in the tunnels?” Stopping short at the shore of another glassy pool. The reflection of the sun and sky bounced off the lake’s surface, casting shards of light across Bee’s face. Her sweet, honey eyes narrowed.
“She thinks whatever you and Stone saw might be a clue.” She shook her head. “I told her it was insane.”
“A clue to what? Whatever’s down there, it certainly wasn’t Desmond.”
Bee picked up a rock and chucked it at the water’s surface. Aesira fought the urge to flinch as the still water was disrupted, rippling with the weight of the stone. “A clue to where the dragons went. Where they might be now.”
“Why does she want to know that?”
Bee shrugged. “I don’t know. She has a weird infatuation with them I guess. Either way, I told her no and now she’s pissed.”
“And now she’s with Stone,” Aesira snapped. “We need to go back to the ruins.”
“We still have more perimeter."
“Now, Bee!”
Aesira didn’t wait for Bee to catch up before she was running as fast as her legs could take her back to the ruins. She didn’t stop to catch her breath. Didn’t stop to see if Bee had followed. She ran as fast as she could, back to the ruins, because whatever lay beneath them was not meant to be disturbed. Not meant to be awoken.
Thirty-One
Stone
“It’s not a good idea, Birdie.” Stone gripped the torch, highlighting the building he and Aesira were in yesterday. The sun was high in the sky but with the thick coverings of moss and vines, it was mostly dark inside the ruins.
“You didn’t even go in the tunnels,” she said. “You could have missed something.” Birdie scoured the floor, wiping away dust and dead vines until she found it.
The hatch.
“We didn’t have time to go in the tunnels before whatever was down there tried to kill us.” He reached for her arm and tugged it away from thehatch. “Bird, don’t.”
“What if it is a dragon, Stone. You, of all people, are going to leave without knowing for certain? It could be the discovery of a lifetime.”
“We won’t have a lifetime if there’s a dragon down there. Let go of the handle.” Her dark eyes flicked to Stone’s then back to the hatch. She was hesitant, which was good, Stone figured. It meant she didn’t think it was the best idea either. “Bird, let’s go back.”
Her fingers tightened around the handle, indecision weighing on her face. He set the torch down and crouched next to her. “Come on, let’s go back.” He slid his hand atop hers.
She whipped her head towards his and narrowed her eyes. “You don’t always get to decide.” Hurt slashed across her face then the hatch flew open.
“Shit.” Stone stumbled backward and reached for the torch. She peered down the hatch, the rickety ladder barely hanging on after he and Aesira fled up it yesterday.
“I’m going down,” she said. She stepped onto the ladder which released a loud creak through the empty room.
“One of the rungs broke,” Stone said. “You need to be careful.”
She nodded, then stepped down another rung. Then another.
Soon, Stone couldn’t see the top of her head at all. Soon, he couldn’t hear the creaking of the ladder. Soon, he found himself doing the same thing he did yesterday, taking the ladder one step at a time.
Fear coiled in his stomach like a snake cornered, that monstrous feeling rising up his spine, wrapping around his throat, but he couldn’t let Birdie go alone.
Rule number two, we always have each other's backs.
Even when it’s a stupid fucking idea, and itwasa stupid fucking idea.
His feet hit the dirt.
“You came?” Birdie smirked, arms crossed.
