Chapter 17
“Let’s get started,” Maines paces in front of the roaring fire in my room.
It’s taken me two days to recover from the cold I felt after the second trial, as well as the healing of my ankle. I rest my head in my hands as the exhaustion, unfortunately, hasn’t gone away. When we returned from the pier, Maines brought the bag I had carried back from the island, along with books she borrowed from the House of Hedro.
The bag contained two familiar gold axes and a letter that read:“These will be used for the next trial. They may be your only way to survive the night.”
Maines continues to pace around the room, flipping through the dust-covered books from the House of Hedro’s library. “There has to be something in here that will point us in the right direction of what this crystal and its markings mean,” she huffs.
“Can you please stop pacing? You are making me nauseous.”
I can still feel the waves rolling over my body as I attempt to steady my stomach. I haven’t seen any of the other competitors since leaving the dock—even Silas hasn’t come to my room. Cromwell’s father hired a few townspeople to help him searchthe dark waters immediately following the trial, but nothing was recovered. It’s like he never existed. The only relief I have is knowing his father didn’t witness what happened to him. It’s an image I’ll live with the rest of my life. The unsettling feeling doesn’t help my stomach.
“We have to find out what the markings on the crystal mean,” she continues.
Rolling my eyes, I stick my foot out into her path, the abruptness catching her off guard. She trips, falling to the ground with a bang.
“What the hell, Briar!” Her perfectly polished hair now a mess, making me grin despite the gloomy atmosphere.
“I told you to stop pacing.”
Still laughing, she joins in, clutching her stomach. Brushing the hair out of her face, she says, “Do you feel better now?”
“I sure do.”
She plops down into the chair next to me, grabbing a book on the table. Her cheerful tone quickly disappearing. “That’s the first time I’ve laughed in a while.” She fidgets with her hair for a moment. “I’ve not been myself.”
I shoot her a soft smile. “I know, and that’s okay, Maines. I haven’t been myself in a long time either.”
She nods. “You were right, by the way.”
“About what?”
“Every day seems to get a bit easier. I know things aren’t great right now, but I feel a change coming. I’m unsure if it’s good or bad, but I can feel it. It’s keeping me moving forward. I need just to stay busy.”
“I think a distraction is good right now. We can focus on finding out what we need to know about this whole mess and work together one day at a time.”
A distraction. The memory of Silas lounging there flashes in my mind. I can’t get this man out of my head like he’s infected my brain with thoughts of him.
Stop.Focus.
“I know a way we might be able to obtain more information, but I don’t think you'll like it,” I say.
“Dare I ask?”
“Since I found the letters from my mother, a creature has been haunting me. Always lurking in the darkness but vanishing as quickly as it appears.”
Her mouth drops open. “Excuse me? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wasn’t sure if it was trying to hurt me at first, so I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I don’t think it’s trying to harm me. I think it’s interested in me.”
There are still a few things Maines doesn’t know about the real me, so I continue the story cautiously. Not everything needs to be disclosed—I must keep her safe.
“Okay. So, we need to find this thing, ask for its help, and hope it doesn’t kill us in the process?” She scrunches her nose.
“That’s exactly what I think we need to do.”
A knock on the door quickly makes my stomach roll again as Maines snaps her head toward the sound. “Were you expecting someone?”
