Page 24 of Forsaken Secrets

10

Eli

In the span of a few minutes, I'd fallen and thought I was going to die, been rescued by a beautifully strange woman, been groped by said woman, and was now dangling off the side of a cliff while a rope dug into my groin and some unknown man named Lynk pulled me up.

My shoulder rammed into the cliff for the second time in as many minutes, and it sent a jolt of pain like shards of glass through my injured skull. I couldn't hold back my groan.

Focus. I just needed to focus on something besides the throb in my head until I could get to my pack and heal with the relic.

"Riarlo? You grab my pack?"

No answer.

"RIARLO?" I pushed harder, making my head swim.

"I'm here!"the stubborn revyn replied, "You don't have to scream, my lord. I grabbed it and gave it to the girl from earlier. She seemed unusually interested in your amulet, though."

I sighed. "She probably just thought it was a pretty stone."

It was valuable … but unless she studied relics, there was no way she'd know that.

Though she could be a Reaper …

That would be a rather inconvenient coincidence. I'd need to message Dimiri and set up a new cover story, if so.

"Hold on." The gravelly voice came from above me, and I looked up to see a grimacing man dressed in leathers and homemade armor from head to toe. Ahh. The mysterious Lynk.

"Stay away, Riarlo. I don't know if I have the strength to cloak you right now."I tried to impress the importance of the situation through our bond.

"Done. Stay safe, though, my lord. I'm getting rather tired of saving everyone today."

I glared at him, then looked back at Lynk as he pulled me up, muscles tight with the effort. Who was he? How were he and Kaiya connected? Perhaps she worked for him?

No. That didn't quite fit.

Not with the way they'd interacted earlier.

His odd clothing and disheveled appearance didn't fit a military man, either. Thank the gods.

The way he held himself did remind me of Dimiri, though. Just looking into his eyes made me want to squirm and spill all my secrets.

I hit the wall again and groaned. Was he doing that on purpose?

My vision swam and my head throbbed once more, the pain now a pounding ache that refused to abate. It made my stomach tilt, and I prayed I wouldn't lose my lunch. The last thing Kaiya needed was partially digested berries and lemon cakes to come plummeting down at her.

I shuddered at the thought.

Thunder rumbled, and I turned to see another bolt of lightning cross the ocean. The Isle stood behind it, covered in clouds and mist. It was beautiful from here …

My shoulder hit the cliff again, and I glared up at Lynk. The smirk on his face told me he was definitely doing it on purpose.

A familiar creaking sound made my spine straighten and heart drop, though.

I scanned the cliff beneath me.

Kaiya was inspecting the cliff face. Her bodice dark with mud and torn in places and her skirts were completely missing. She was reaching for something in the wall.

"Stop!" I yelled, but she either didn't hear me or wasn't paying any attention.

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