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 search the 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?”
I move toward the door, muscle memory kicking in—I’ve had unwelcome visitors every day since the trials were announced. Cracking open the heavy door, I peer through the narrow split. Oak Hombern sways nervously, waiting for me to fully open the door.
“Hello, Oak. It’s nice to see you dry.”
He grins, loosening his shoulders. “Hey, Briar, may I come in?”
I step aside, allowing the door to swing open. He shuffles past me, his gaze finding Maines. “Oh! Hi, Miss Madden,” he mutters.
She barely acknowledges his presence. “Hello, Hombern.”
“What can we help you with, Oak?” I ask, moving back toward the fireplace, my body desperate for the heat.
“I just wanted to thank you for what you did during the trial. You could have left me, but you didn’t. So, thank you.”
“You are welcome. No one deserved to die that way. I want to think you would have done the same for me.”
“Always.”
Oak is handsome, his aura radiating a calming effect on anyone who meets his gaze.
His eyes are almost charcoal black. As a Lumor Wielder, he possesses a lightness similar to Rohhit, but he’s different—he’s more serene.
His thick, golden hair falls in shaggy waves below his ears, and his lower face is adorned with a bit of scruff, while his pouty lips reveal bright teeth.
I glance at Maines, who has lifted her gaze from the books.
Her eyes are wide as she stares at the man standing before us.
“What are you looking at?” she barks.
“What are you studying?” Oak ushers to the table, picking up the leather pages. He removes a pair of glasses from a pocket near his chest and rests them on his perfect nose.
“Stop! That book is older than you can imagine. You can’t just pick it up so carelessly,” she yelps.
He flinches and gently puts the book down. “Apologies. I didn’t know you cared so deeply for ancient texts,” he smiles.
She drops her gaze, annoyance clouding her expression. “You don’t know a thing about me as far as I’m concerned, Mr. Hombern.” Maines moves to focus on him as he stares at the books on the table.
“Now you are the one staring, Maines.” Oak doesn’t lift his gaze from the text.
She sizes him up, her eyes landing on his face once more. “Nice glasses,” she teases.
“I’m more than just muscles and good looks, Maines.”
What the hell is going on?
Watching the sparks between them, I cut the silence. “We love to read ancient texts in our spare time. It’s a real page-turner.”
They both stare at me unamused as I join them around the crackling fire.
“That looks familiar.” He reaches for the small torn piece of paper where the marking sits.
“What do you know about this!” I demand.
“In Brinkym, we spend years learning various ancient texts in school. They think it’s valuable to know history. You don’t learn things like that in Daramveer?”
“Gods, no. They teach us to fight before we learn to read in this kingdom,” Maines says.
Oak nods, shrugging. “All I know is this isn’t a good marking—and it’s not the Rigil used for common rituals. Why are you studying this?” Confusion twists his features.
Maines and I swap a look, a silent conversation between us. She moves toward the books and opens a marked page. “Can you read this?”
Oak leans in, his body nearing hers. Her entire body grows stiff at this closeness.
“I can’t exactly read this word for word, but this paragraph talks about ancient magic dating back further than the Great Wiitches.
Poisons crafted from dark liquids—blood—I think.
From creatures that dwelled deep in Andorwood caves.
” He glances at Maines, their eyes meeting, sparkling. “Why are you studying this?”
“Barlowe died because of this poison, that’s why. And Briar may have found a stone in the nearby forest that had a marking on it we’ve never seen before.” Maines speaks, her voice tight as she speaks my brother’s name. She steps back, creating distance between herself and Oak.
“How the hell would someone in Daramveer have access to this poison? It hasn’t been around for hundreds of years, and it’s not from these lands.”
“That’s exactly what we are trying to find out,” I cut in.
Oak keeps flipping through the pages while Maines hovers nearby, watching carefully.
Looking over his shoulder, he breaks the silence and says, “If I could see more of these, I might be able to help further. At least I could translate some of the text to gain a better understanding of what we’re dealing with. ”
She narrows her eyes. “We? We don’t need a partner. Briar and I plan to figure this out on our own. Thank you, though.”
“Well, good luck reading this without me. I’m not sure why I’m hanging around if I’m so unwanted.” He straightens up. “Thanks again for saving me, Briar. I owe you one.” He stands, brushing off the dust peppering his pants from the books.
He turns to walk from the sitting area when I groan, “Stop, Oak.”
Maines snaps her head in my direction, looking annoyed. “We are going to need help, and for some foolish reason, I trust you after all these years.”
A grin spreads across his face, showing a row of white teeth. “Perfect. Let’s get started tomorrow. I’ll meet you both here, and we can head to the House of Hedro. I’ve always wanted to see it and the healers running around.” He winks at Maines before exiting.
“What the fuck, Briar,” she fumes.
I lock the door behind Oak and move back to Maines, who is once again pacing around the room.
“You don’t trust anyone, but for some reason, you’re willing to tell him everything?”
“Yes, I do trust him. He’s a good person. Can’t you feel his aura?”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t want to feel anything from him, but that’s fine. We’ll head there early tomorrow. The women are going to love him.”