“Wait,” I interrupt Rohhit. “Where are Thatcher and the others?”
We glance at the patch of trees in the middle of the island as Rohhit says, “We don’t know.”
The unsettling feeling of standing on this island causes my stomach to churn. The blinding white sand contrasts sharply with the dark forest, straining my eyes. The beach seems to stretch for miles. Eerie gusts of wind swirl around us, and I swear I can hear whispers in the breeze as my body shudders. Legends say that once your feet touch the sand, unseen creatures will deceive you—luring you to a terrible death. Many have diedon this island and remain, their souls forever trapped—joining the creatures that tricked them. I’ve never met anyone who has confirmed these legends as true, until now.
I kneel beside Oak, slapping his back as he continues to cough. His breath is sharp, and he gasps for fresh air. “Briar, without you…” he mumbles.
“I know. You don’t have to say anything.” I smile.
“Briar! Please help me. Can you hear me, little shadow?” A voice echoes around us all like a haunting whisper. The hair on my neck stands.
My attention snaps to the forest. That calm voice, I’d know it anywhere as my heart falls to my stomach.
“Did you hear that?” Rohhit asks and moves a step closer to us on the beach.
My face pales. “That… that was my mother’s voice.”
“That’s impossible.” Silas cuts in as we stare at the large forest wall.
“I… I swear…” I haven’t heard her angelic voice in years. “Something isn’t right.” I grab Oak’s hand and pull him to stand. “I think we need to leave.”
“No way am I going back in that water right now,” Oak snaps.
We can’t swim back yet—none of us would make it due to the exhaustion—but I fear we may not have a choice.
“Silas!” a deep voice booms from the forest's darkness.
“Gods!” Silas’s entire body seems to rock backward. “Please tell me I’m insane and just hearing things.”
I whisper, “No. We heard that. Who was that, Silas?”
He looks as if he’s going to be sick. His hands tremble as he nervously adjusts his soaking shirt. “My father, Malachi.”
“Nope. That’s impossible! He’s in Andorwood, nowhere near here,” Oak chimes in as I squeeze his hand tighter. The waves roll over our ankles as I pedal backward, desperate to get away from whatever is in that forest.
“Oak. Honey? Where are you?” a cheerful feminine voice calls out from the forest this time.
He stands motionless. “Okay, we need to leave.” He shudders as I glance at his face. I know who that voice was. I’ve met her before—Oak’s mother.
“Those voices aren’t real,” I warn. “We can’t listen to them.”
“Rohhit. Hurry! We need you. Your mother needs you. Raven, she’s hurt!”
I release Oak’s hand and move toward Rohhit. He looks as if he’s seen or heard a ghost, but that voice is no ghost. “Rohhit, that was Nolan’s voice!” I whisper, trying to stay calm.
Rohhit finally breaks his stare from the forest and looks down into my eyes. “Briar, we need to leave. Right now.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into the ankle-deep water once more. “I’ll go first and hold off the Serpyndens. You have to swim, and you’d better swim hard, Princess.” His intense gaze locks onto mine, his dark eyes sparkling against the bright blue water.
I nod and glance back at Oak and Silas—who remain unmoving on the sand—their backs to Rohhit and me.
I bound toward Oak and Silas, my ankle screaming in pain, ready to pull both of them into the water when I suddenly stop. Neither of them blink, they just stare ahead in a trance-like state. Silas steps forward in the direction his father’s demanding voice while Oak follows his mother’s sweet call. Rohhit dashes for Oak.
Silas tears his gaze away from the woods, his empty eyes locking onto mine.
“Silas?” I question. “Can you hear me?”
I take a step closer to his, lightly touching his hand to guide him toward the water’s edge. For a moment, I swear he hears me, but that moment fades as he propels his body forward, sprinting in the direction of the harsh voice. Oak does the same, barely escaping Rohhit’s grasp.
“Fuck!” Rohhit yells.
