The passage wasn’t long, fortunately, just about fifty feet. I felt when it broadened, but it was too dark to see. Images of spiders and other creepy crawlers flashed in my mind, and my hand shook slightly as I withdrew my mobile to turn on the torch.

When the white light cut through the darkness, I gasped.

It was huge.

Like the beach outside, the ground was made of sand and pebbles. The ceiling towered overhead, and dozens of nooks and crannies marked the walls.

It was the perfect hiding place. I just needed to find the spot where my mother’s secrets were tucked away.

I searched quickly, climbing up the walls where I could and sticking my arm into dark holes that gave me the jitters. With every minute that passed, I was reminded more and more of my mother’s stories. It was like she was here with me.

It was such a lovely feeling that I didn’t notice the water beginning to rise in the cavern. I stuck to the edges, climbing the walls and not even seeing the tide pour in through the entrance.

It wasn’t until Lachlan shouted my name that I realized something was wrong. Still clinging to the wall, I turned around and spotted him. Patches of his shirt were bloody where he’d clearly had to tear his way through the narrow fissure in the rock.

“Lachlan!”

His dark eyes were wild with worry. “Tide is coming up, and you don’t have a transport charm to get out of here.”

He was right. And I must have been in the cave longer than I’d realized. Shit.

“Help me search this wall.” I pointed to my right. “I’ve done all the rest.”

He nodded and loped over, splashing through the water to reach the wall. He climbed swiftly and began to search the many little spots where something could be hidden.

My own efforts became frantic as I glanced every few minutes at the water rising behind me. It was fast, moving up the cavern every minute.

The ceiling was high here, but could it reach the top? Could it drown us?

Probably not, but I didn’t want to be around to find out.

I kept looking, my heart racing as I shoved my hand into the tiny crevasses. When I finally touched something that wasn’t rock, I was so surprised that I nearly lost my grip on the wall. The item didn’t bite me, and so I grinned and pulled it out of the hole.

A book, ancient and weathered.

And locked.

A tiny metal lock sparked with magic.

The fact that the book was dry and not beaten up by seawater answered my question of whether we would drown in here, but I was glad to be leaving.

“Found it!” I raised it high to show him, then put it in my pocket.

“Good. Let’s get the hell out.”

Still clinging to the wall, I turned to look at Lachlan. He was about halfway up the wall to my right, standing on a narrow ledge, and gestured me over. “We can leave from here.”

It was the perfect spot—just enough room to slam the transport charm against the ground.

I climbed my way over to him, moving quickly as the water began lapping at my feet. The sea was cold and fiercely biting, and I wasn’t keen to take a dip. Finally, I reached Lachlan and climbed onto the ledge to join him.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, and he threw the charm to the ground. I gripped his hand, and we stepped into the silver smoke.

14

Lachlan

 

* * *

 

I took us directly back to Eve’s tower, knowing she’d want to be in her own space to look at the book her mother had left her.

We appeared in the courtyard, and she pulled the little leather volume from her pocket to inspect it. The tiny metal lock glinted under the light of the streetlamp behind us.

“It’s enchanted,” she said. “I bet the contents will be destroyed if I don’t open it properly.”

“Do you have a key?”

“No. But—” Her hand flashed to her neck, and she gripped the silver necklace that hung there. “This is from my mother.”

“Ah. And you think there’s a key in there.”

“I do. I tried to open it, but I couldn’t. I didn’t try everything, though.” She turned and raced toward the tower.

I followed her, trailing her up to her workshop to find her frantically sorting through ingredients.

“I only tried to open it manually. I didn’t try anything from here.” She flipped open a book and began to read. “Yes, this should do it.”

She moved deftly in her natural element as she worked with her ingredients and tools. Within minutes, she had a potion bubbling in a cauldron.

“It won’t take long to brew.” She removed her necklace and set it on the table.

“How are you so good at this?” I asked.

“I was determined.” She shrugged. “Anyway, after I left the pack, I needed a way to survive. This was it.”

“I’m sorry you felt you had to leave.”

“You wanted me to.” She looked up. “You needed me to.”

I nodded. “I thought so, at the time.”

“You can’t go back on it now. More than ever, it’s obvious we can’t be together. You saw that when you were young, and it hasn’t changed.”

I hated the words but knew she was right. There was no question.

“It’s done.” She picked up the locket and dipped it in the potion, counting to ten under her breath. When she removed it, the silver glowed with light. “I think it worked.”

I watched as she laid the locket on the table and popped it open easily, a smile on her face. “There’s a tiny key,” she murmured.

“Your mother had this all thought out.”

“In a roundabout way, yes.” She pulled the book from her pocket and used the key to open the lock.

I joined her, standing close enough that I could see the writing within but not so close that I touched her. I couldn’t afford to so much as brush up against her.

She flipped through the pages quickly, and it became obvious what the book was.

“It’s a key,” she said. “It will help us translate the writing on the stones.”

“I think you’re right. This is enormous. A new language.”

“A new language that might tell me exactly what I am.” She looked up at me. “Can Kenneth use this to finish his work? He already knows the Old Norse.”

I nodded. “I’m sure he can. I’ll take it to him immediately.”

“I’ll come with you.”

As much as I wanted her to, the shadows under her eyes made it clear that wasn’t a great idea. She was exhausted, weakened from her condition, and it was late.

“You should sleep,” I said.

She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. “You’re right. I’m exhausted and no good to anybody if I don’t fix that. But I’ll come over first thing in the morning.”

I nodded. “Good.”

It was time to leave. Of course it was.

Yet I wanted to stay. The only thing that got me moving was the book. Kenneth needed it.

I turned and left the room, not looking behind me as I made my way out of the tower and across the courtyard. Every step that I took away from her felt unnatural, and that was the most dangerous thing of all.