Figures it wouldn’t be as easy as following some little trinket to the island the poem hinted at. And reaching it? Not exactly a stroll through paradise either.
None of us have slept in… who knows how long. Hell, if I hadn’t nearly died—and somehow managed a half-decent rest while clawing my way back to life with Gypsy right beside me—I wouldn’t have slept at all since obtaining the hourglass. That was my last taste of anything close to sleep.
But Vinicola, Ridley, and Rancour? They’re practically dead on their feet.
I give Vini a smack on the shoulder, hard enough to wake a corpse. “Don’t even think about dozing off. I’m shit at riddles, and we both know it.”
He groans, slumping a bit more, eyes barely open as he shoots me a look. “But I don’t knooow…”
I’ve never seen Vinicola this far gone. The Vini I met would have me believe he’s immune to exhaustion, all bright eyes andendless chatter. But here he is, his hair’s a greasy mess, sticking to his scalp in sad little strands. Bloodshot eyes, dark circles, and that miserable look that says he might just curse me if I say another word. For once, he’s more like Rancour than a bard, tossing me the kind of glare that says,Shut up and let me sleep, you bastard.
But sleep? None of us are getting that luxury tonight.
Gypsy’s at the wheel. She’s been steering us from the gateway for five hours straight in the dead of night. Ridley and Rancour are still buried in every map we’ve got, trying to locate the X-marked island. And Vini and I? We’re knee-deep in the goddess’s riddle, trying to make sure we don’t walk right into our doom the moment we hit land.
“So, we’re settled on ‘the breath of the ocean’ meaning the tide, right?” I prompt, hoping a recap will pull Vini back into the land of the living.
But his eyes only narrow, a real sour look on his face that says,Thanks for that flash of genius.
“Oh, really?” he mutters, rubbing his eyes. “Glad we’re circling back to that groundbreaking discovery. Again.”
I’m sorely tempted to smack him again—maybe even a bit harder than before. “There are too many damn words in this riddle for it to be that simple,” I insist. “There’s something else hiding in there, something we’re missing.”
“Besides the part where it basically promises death?” He groans, stretching out like he’s about to keel over. “Look, sometimes words are just… words, alright? Not every line’s laced with divine secrets.”
I bark a laugh. “Yeah? Tell that to the ancient goddess with a twisted sense of humor who apparently lives to see mortals squirm.”
Vini slouches, lids drooping, looking one word away from falling asleep right on the spot. “Whatever you say, Mr. Conspiracy,” he mutters.
“Focus, Vini. There’s something here we’re not seeing,” I snap, half-tempted to shake the sense back into him.
He lets out a sigh so dramatic, it could be his last breath. But he leans forward again, willing to give it one last shot. “Fine. One more round, see if anything new jumps out. But after that, I’m done.”
I repeat the lines of the poem:
“The sun and moon are lovers true, Both run from me, yet both pursue. One warms my soul, ignites my veins, The other breathes life, through night it reigns.
The first Trial calls, my champions four, Seek out the entrance, find the door. You have two days, and on the third, Be there when my first breath is heard.
On that breath, the door will yield, But fail in time, your fate is sealed. If you’re not there when moment’s due, Death’s cruel hand will come for you.”
When I finish, he just sits there, staring down at the floor with the same dead look he’s had for hours now. Part of me wonders why I even bother. Every time I think he might come up with something, he just… doesn’t. But then, just when I’m ready to write him off, he surprises me.
Slowly, he lifts his head and meets my gaze, a flicker of something behind those sleepy eyes.
“She says we have to find the entrance—not just get to it,” he murmurs. “So knowing where it is on the map and just sailing there isn’t enough. She also spends a whole verse on the sun and the moon, like she actually knows them. Like… they’re personal.”
I repeat, half to myself, “The sun and moon are lovers true…”
Alright, maybe he’s not entirely useless.
He rubs his temples, looking like he’s barely holding himself together. “If they mean something to her, then they might be tied to this place. Maybe the entrance only appears when the sun and moon align just right.”
“So… what, they both have to be in the sky?” I muse, my mind already racing through the possibilities.
He snorts, not meeting my gaze. “Hell if I know. Just a guess. Maybe it’s more like… opposite sides of the horizon.”
I nod, barely hiding a smirk. “So we’re left with dawn or dusk. Not exactly a bullseye, is it?”
