Chapter 10
Ten
Bex
After supper, we clean up and make our way outside.
The grit within my skin comes alive and ripples gently with awareness as we walk in a procession toward the rock formation.
I’ve yet to understand its movements, and I hope the spirit we’re about to summon will either remove the affliction or enlighten me with how to control it.
A beautiful full moon sits high in the clear, cloudless sky while white specks twinkle and dot the expansive darkness. Booker and Garrett lead the way, each holding rifles, while I follow close behind. Murphy takes up the rear, holding a short-barrel shotgun close to his chest.
If we were attacked right now, I wouldn’t even know how to call upon my magic to help.
This world of aberrants still feels unreal to me—like a story from a children’s book.
Yet here I am, with warm dust magic flowing through my body, following a werewolf to some sacred spot where we’re going to call upon the Spirit of the Land.
How does the world beyond the Graveyard Territory not know about all this?
I push the question out of my mind and stare past the men in front of me to the towering rock formation. Once we’re there, Booker explains it’s important to keep quiet and not to light any torches or fires.
While Garrett and Murphy talk quietly, Booker crouches next to a campfire site enclosed by smooth gray rocks. I get low next to him, the skirt of my dress bunching up around my knees, and whisper, “I thought you said no fires.”
“I ain’t making a fire.” With one hand, he brushes off a layer of dirt from over the center of the pit.
A giant flat stone with smooth edges sits perfectly in the middle of the stone circle.
He picks up the oversized rock with such ease it reminds me of Ruby and her axe. Maybe Ruby’s a werewolf too?
I stare at the dark hole he’s revealed. “What’s down there?”
He looks up at the sky and then to the hole. “You’ll see.” To Garrett, he quietly says, “We’ve got about twenty minutes before the moon is in place.”
“What happens then?” I ask. I lean closer to the hole. Water drips from somewhere in the darkness.
“Murphy, you hang back here.” Garrett sets his rifle against one of the giant boulders before coming over to me. “Come on,” Garrett says, cupping his hand under my elbow and helping me to my feet. “It’s dark, so stay close.”
We follow Booker as he circles behind the rock formation while Murphy stays behind to guard the hole in the ground.
I’m not sure where we’re headed, but I don’t ask.
We’re supposed to be quiet, for one thing, and for another, Garrett’s hand distracts me, holding my arm and leading me through the dark.
Earlier, over supper, he argued with Booker about summoning the Spirit of the Land. Maybe he’d argue on anyone’s behalf, not just mine. Regardless, it feels good, having someone care whether I get hurt.
Garrett leans close and whispers, “I sure hope you do not die tonight.”
“And why is that?” I ask, honestly curious what my life means to him.
“Your sister would probably murder me if I come back without you.”
I stop short, my boots sliding in the dirt, tugging his grip until he halts too. “What’s wrong?” he asks, peering down at me in the pale moonlight.
“Are you interested in my sister?”
His hand drops from my arm. “Interested in what way?”
“I don’t know. In a romantic way, I suppose.” I’ve never been so bold about matters of the heart, especially with a man. And I find that I like it.
“Bex, let me be clear about something,” he says. “I’m not looking for a wife.”
“Yes, Maureen already made that clear,” I cut in.
He ignores me. “My job is to keep people safe. To make sure they do not get killed by aberrants. Or malicious humans, since they’re out here too.”
His words settle in my stomach like a stone. So that’s that. I mistook his kindness for something more, and now I know better.
“I will say,” he adds, lifting a hand to brush a loose strand of hair from my face, “you are quite the woman.”
My insides melt all the same, like butter on a hot day. I feel bolder than usual, but not bold enough to lean in for a kiss.
“Well, thank you,” I say. “And you, Sheriff, are quite the man.”
He steps closer. “No, you misunderstand—”
“You two coming, or not?” Booker whispers urgently from a distance.
“We should go,” I say quickly, moving past Garrett. “We can talk later. If I survive the night.”
It does not have to be him, I remind myself. But this moment has opened my eyes. Love may still be waiting for me somewhere.
We find Book standing at the base where two boulders touch, one narrower and resting against the other at an angle.
In front is an overgrown shrub. Booker drags his boot along the ground until a hidden rope appears.
He picks it up, loose dirt cascades off the twine, then walks backward, dragging the shrub away from the rock formation and revealing a hole large enough for a person to crawl through.
“The bush—it’s not real,” I say with enthusiasm. It’s not everyday one is shown a secret cave entrance.
“No, ma’am, it’s not.” Booker drops the rope and comes over to where Garrett and I stand. “And I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone what you’re witnessing tonight.”
“You have my word,” I promise. As I stare at the dark opening, fear grips my nerves. “How—how far do we have to crawl?” The idea of getting trapped in a small, tight space has me frozen where I stand.
Garrett whispers, “It’s bigger than it looks, and doesn’t go that far in before it opens up and you can stand. I promise you’ll be fine.” He lowers himself to the ground and then crawls into the dark space.
“You’re next,” Booker tells me, ushering me with a gentle push.
I hike up my skirt, giving my knees room to crawl. I’m wishing I wore my stockings underneath as sharp pebbles and rocks bite into the skin along my knees and legs, but it’s so hot I didn’t want to be uncomfortable sweating during our journey.
Garrett’s right. The tunnel is short, and then his hand’s there, helping me to stand.
I take it, feeling his skin against mine.
Not for the first time, since he took the liberty to grab my shoulders last night when he thought I was drowning in the tub or when he was holding my arm moments ago.
This time, I have the chance to appreciate his touch—to feel the skin of his working hands.
There are soft spots, and a few calloused ones.
“Thank you,” I say, getting to my feet.
Booker is right behind me, and the second he stands, he moves to the left and fiddles with something metal. The soft clanking continues until a match strikes. A warm flame grows after he lights the wick inside the lantern, revealing a cozy, cavernous space.
“Follow me, and watch your step,” Booker says, descending a narrow set of stone stairs spiraling beneath the ground.
That’s what this rock formation must be for—to hide these stairs.
As we go deeper, the air and the stone walls become noticeably colder.
At the bottom, there’s another tunnel. The stretch of tunnel has a curved ceiling, carved high enough for Garrett and Booker to walk around without difficulty.
I follow the glow of the lantern, and when we step out into the larger cavern, moonlight shines through the hole in the ceiling.
It’s not enough to reach the entire cavern, but Booker’s lantern is ample light for us to see the space and the pool of water ahead.
The water’s surface is barely detectable from its stone surroundings.
“Why does the water look so murky?” I ask, moving closer.
“Careful,” Booker warns. “It’s deeper than it looks.
” Then he points up to the ceiling. Circling the pool of water are long rocks, tapered at the ends and looking more like icicles than rock.
I swear there’s an iridescent sheen to them.
Water drips from the tips, and I follow its path.
While some drops fall onto the water’s surface, most land outside of the sunken pool, then slowly trickle down, adding to the water.
Booker looks to the ceiling of the cavern and whistles. Then, when a dark silhouette appears over the hole, he asks, “You good up there?”
Murphy’s voice is low as he calls down to us. “Yeah! All quiet up here!”
“Stay alert!” Garrett adds before Murphy’s form disappears from sight.
“All right, let’s get you ready,” Booker says, setting down the lantern.
“See that?” He points to the pool of milky water.
“The four elements of air, earth, water, and fire all meet in this sacred spot, and when combined with the direct path to the moon, well, that’s the only time someone can call upon the Spirit of the Land. ”
“I don’t see any fire?” I search the cavern, my gaze landing on the lantern. “Except for that.”
“Yeah, that isn’t the fire.” Booker laughs. “You’ll feel it in a minute.”
A shiver zips along my shoulders, and I shudder at the cold air that sweeps in—from where, I have no clue. The lantern light helps illuminate this side of the cavern, but I don’t know where the wall is on the other side.
“You okay?” Garrett asks, coming over to stand by the edge of the pool.
“Yeah. I just wish there was more light.”
“You don’t need more light,” Booker says in a dismissive tone. “Now pay attention. You’ll need to remove your clothing.”
“My clothing?” I repeat his words with sharp emphasis.
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry, nobody’s going to be looking at you. The milky water will cover your parts up. You can’t be wearing all those clothes if you want a direct connection with the elements.”
“Is he lying?” I lean in and ask Garrett in a voice that’s deliberately private.
“No, ma’am, he isn’t lying.” He rubs his knuckles over his short beard, along his jaw.
“I know it’s harder for humans to be exposed,” Booker says, dimming the lantern light. “It comes easier for us aberrants.”