“But they could have their version of a well?” Rion clarifies, and Thorne nods.
“That’s possible.”
“It would match the riddle too. Say it again, Elodie,” Ocean insists, darting to her feet with excitement.
“She’s already said it a hundred times,” Rion retorts, throwing her own words back at her, and I stifle a grin at their constant bickering.
“Only those who drink without thirst may find me. Where the water meets the shore, the darkness you shall see. Four elements circle as one. But inyour eyes shall they be gone. Look deep inside, and the book shall no longer defy.”
“Drink without thirst… would that mean a vampire?” Rion asks, and I gulp, acutely aware that we’re missing ours.
“It could,” Thorne murmurs. “Only those who drink without thirst may find me: a vampire. Where the water meets the shore: their version of a well. The darkness you shall see: the bottom of whatever it is. Four elements circle as one: wolves, vampires, witches, and other categorized magical beings. Look deep inside, and the book shall no longer defy: in the darkness.”
My heart races as it all pieces together.
“Holy fuck,” I blurt, a shiver running down my spine.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Rion declares, standing before he prowls toward me, hand extended in my direction.
I press my palm against his and let him pull me up. “How are we going to find it without Kael?” I ask, and Thorne nods in acknowledgement.
“We won’t, but there’s nothing stopping us from exploring what it is we’re actually looking for,” he answers, reinforcing the hope blossoming inside of me.
The Fractured Book of Souls is going to be mine.
10
KAEL
The bleak room stands before me like a vortex in time. The walls are bare, aged for an eternity, even though it hasn’t existed that long. Nobody jolts at my arrival or the state of me, they barely even bat an eye in my direction.
My fingers twitch at my sides with the anticipation of someone charging for the door, desperate to escape, but it doesn’t come, which only serves to leave me even more anxious.
Every second inhale I take, my gaze cuts across the room to the couple who are the entire reason I’m here. They’re huddled together, resilient as each other’s pillar of support while they sit in silence.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadder sight.
Gulping, I force myself to look away onceagain, taking in every single person locked up in here. There must be at least forty of them, each reluctant to escape, as evidenced by the way they shrink back, attempting to camouflage into the walls. I truly don’t understand what would drive someone to this.
To give up.
To lose hope.
I say that like I didn’t do the same damn thing in the basement of Institute Thirteen, but that was different. That wasn’t for me, it was for Elodie.
My gut twists. Is that why they’re here? For others? For their families? For the ones they love?
I can’t bring myself to find out. That would only make this entire thing even more real, and I’m already on the brink as it is.
Peering toward the other side of the room, I freeze from head to toe, balking in disbelief at the sight of a familiar face in the corner.
Jenkins?
No. Fucking. Way.
My eyes drift close as I recall the last time I spoke of him.
Being held by The Sanctum isn’t for the faint hearted. Sure, there are beds and essentials provided, but the impendingdeath that looms over you makes it impossible to appreciate any of it.
