Vinicola raises it, squints through, and immediately pulls back, eyes wide. “I… have never seen anything like this before.”
Fabien arches a brow and holds out a hand “Let me see.”
Gypsy hesitates, casting him a sharp look, but finally hands over the strange object. Fabien lifts it, his eyes narrowing as he peers through, lips curling into a knowing smile that has me narrowing my own eyes.
“I know what this is,” he purrs.
The three of us exchange glances, each as guarded as the next. We’ve just clawed our way out of one hellhole, and the last thing I need is some fresh pit of misery to crawl into. We’re barely holding onto the ground we’ve got.
“Well?” Gypsy prods, folding her arms. “Care to enlighten us?”
“It’s a kaleidoscope,” he says.
A… what?Kaleidoscope? I glance at Gypsy and then at Vinicola, hoping maybe one of them understands. Nope. I’ve never heard of the damn thing, and I’m not about to start caring now. All I know is it sounds like trouble.
“Sounds like a real riot,” I mutter. “But whatever this ‘kaleidoscope’ is, it can go hang itself for all I care. We need to get out of here.”
The corner of Gypsy’s mouth twitches, but she’s trying hard not to show it. Vinicola just looks pale, still catching his breath, and I can’t blame him. The poor bastard’s been holding on by a thread since the beginning.
I push out a sigh, savoring the feeling of finally standing here in one piece. Who cares if there are three more Trials waiting to bite at our heels? That’s a problem for future Zayan to handle. This right here? This is a victory. A moment to relish.
We’realive.
For now, at least.
One thing’s for sure—we’re not done yet. Not by a long shot.
48
Gypsy
The four of us step onto what looks like a normal island. Sand, rocks, jungle creeping in from the edges. And for a second, I almost let myself believe it’s just that—a regular spit of land in the middle of nowhere.
But I know better. This is Solis. Or, at least, some shadow of it. None of the suffocating magic or blistering heat that used to claw at your skin, but the air feels too still, like it’s all there, just hidden for now.
All because we passed the Trial.
We move forward, the sand grating underfoot, crunching with every step. The beach stretches out ahead, empty… until it isn’t.
There, right at the shoreline, stands the last person I’d ever want to see again.
Roche.
He’s a dark figure against the soft backdrop of the sea, arms crossed like he’s just been waiting for this moment. And he’s not alone—a dozen men at his back, each one armed to the teeth, their eyes fixed on us like they can already smell blood. But it’shis eyes, the way they lock onto Zayan, that sends ice through my veins. His lips curl into a smile that nightmares are made of.
“Well,” he growls, voice low and gravelly, “thought you could outrun me forever, boy?”
My heart slams hard, like it wants out of my chest.
And yeah, maybe I thought we could run. Maybe I thought we’d actually outsmarted him.
But I was wrong.
He’s caught us.
And this time, there’s no way for us to escape without a fight.
TO BE CONTINUED…
