“No, that was too much,” Celine tells him. “No more nightmares unless it’s an emergency.”
Ciprian forces a smile and nods, and I roll my eyes. He was ready to bite my head off for checking on him, but he caves for Celine without complaint. Such a suck-up.
I stare at the rest of them expectantly. Malach is guarding the door, and Luca has his ear pressed to the seam. It’s the best we can do right now, but we can’t stay here.
Riven turns to the girl. “Are you okay?”
She waves his concern away, drops to her knees, and pries up a floorboard, humming under her breath as she works her fingers into the crack.
I shake my head. Apparently, hiding spots have a lot in common, no matter what realm or species creates them. I had a loose board when I was a kid too. Languishing in loneliness on Mum’s estate, I longed for someone to find my angry journals.
At least then I might have gotten some attention.
Hyacinth pulls a small bag from the hole and slings it over her shoulder. “I’m ready.”
“Do you have the final stone?” Celine asks.
The witch nods, then shoots a side glance at Malach. He’s abandoned the door in favor of staring out the only window. Glazed with ice on the outside and cloudy with age on the inside—he can’t see through the frosted pane of glass, but he doesn’t seem aware of that.
His stillness chills me, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.
I’ll have to watch him.
We can’t have more mistakes.
If he becomes a liability, I’ll be ready.
FORTY-FOUR
Monster Realm Survival Tip #14:
Don’t stop, no matter what you hear, see, or smell.
For the love of all the gods, don’t stop.
LUCA
The air tastes like danger.
Adrenaline is pumping through every inch of my body. From the pungent herbs to Malach’s vacant expression, nothing is right. But there’s no way but forward.
“The stone will drop us a hundred yards from the portal,” Riven says. “With the protections in place, it’s as close as we can get with magic.”
“A sprint to the finish,” I say.
“More like a gauntlet,” Alistair mutters. His chin is stained from the veydra’s blood, although he’s done his best to wipe it off.
“How long until the next eclipse?” Celine bounces on the balls of her feet, but I already know how she feels. The ribbon of light, currently wrapped around my basilisk, is buzzing with adrenaline and anxiety.
“We’ve got almost an hour left,” Riven says. “We should be gone long before that becomes an issue.” He glances at Ciprian and Alistair, but we all hear the part he leaves unsaid. If we aren’t gone by then, the freeze will be the least of our worries.
“You’ll stay behind me,” Riven says to Hyacinth.
She rolls her eyes. “I can take care of myself.”
“I promised your mother I would protect you.” His face warps, black-and-white static cutting lines through the smooth amber.
Hyacinth’s fingers clench around the strap of her bag. “Don’t worry, Riven,” she whispers. “Even if you get me killed, you’ll have done a better job protecting me than her.”
