“No,” I said. “Not like what I’ve felt before.”
Footsteps approached from behind us, steady and familiar, and I turned just as Keegan stepped into view with Stella and Nova close behind.
Keegan’s gaze went straight to me. “You alright?”
I nodded once. “I saw something.”
That was enough to get their full attention.
Stella moved closer, her expression soft but sharp beneath it. “Well, darling, don’t keep us in suspense.”
I let out a breath and walked them through it, slower this time, making sure I didn’t miss anything, the damp air, the thick ground, the way the energy had felt tangled and unsettled in a way that didn’t sit right. Keegan’s gaze remained on mine as if he were imagining the place as I spoke.
I brought my gaze to Nova’s as she listened without interrupting, her green eyes steady on mine. It felt good to be believed. That was one thing I remembered so often during my marriage to Alex…the times I brought up concerns with him, mostly about his whereabouts, and he made me feel like I didn't know what I was talking about. As wonky as some of my ideas had been once I arrived in Stonewick, no one ever made me feel like a fool.
When I finished, Nova tilted her head slightly, her expression shifting into something more focused.
“That sounds familiar,” she said.
I looked at her. “Familiar how?”
She glanced toward the courtyard, where the orcs still lingered in small groups, speaking quietly among themselves. “There are marshlands beyond the outer regions where some of the orc hordes originated. What you’re describing sounds like what the goblin scouts reported back to us when they brought us the samples.”
“That’s comforting,” Twobble muttered from somewhere behind.
“It means it’s a place that can hide movement,” Nova continued, ignoring him. “And it’s not somewhere most would think to look unless they knew the territory. I doubt the Priestess would think to look there.”
Keegan’s gaze shifted toward the orcs as well. “You think he went there on purpose.”
“I think he didn’t go alone,” Nova said. “And I think he didn’t choose it randomly.”
I nodded slowly, because that felt right. Gideon didn’t do random.
“Well, Skonk is with him.”
“True.” Twobble dusted his hands off from goodness knew what.
“I can talk with the orcs,” Nova added, already turning slightly. “Give them your details and try to have them help us pinpoint the actual area Gideon might be at.”
Stella placed a hand lightly on her arm. “I’ll come with you. It never hurts to have a little charm on your side.”
Nova gave the smallest nod.
Within moments, they were moving across the courtyard, their presence drawing the attention of the orcs as they approached, conversation shifting as they began to ask questions I couldn’t quite hear from where I stood.
I watched them for a moment before my gaze drifted back to Keegan, then to my dad, the weight of everything settling in again now that the vision had passed.
“I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing,” I said quietly.
Keegan’s brow furrowed slightly. “What do you mean?”
I glanced down at my hands, then back up. “Chasing the stone. Trying to find Gideon. All of this…” I exhaled slowly. “While my mom is sitting in a dungeon.”
Not much was said for a few minutes before my dad stepped closer, his voice steady. “It takes one to get the other.”
I looked at him. “You really believe that? What if I should be getting her out before I try to find the stone? What if I'm doing it in the reverse order?”
Keegan rested his hand on my shoulder, and I reached up and held it with mine.
