Page 77 of What did you do?

“You are going to leave me here because I chose to do this on my own. I have already proven time and time again that I am not even a little helpless, so stop thinking that I am, and trust me. As my best friend, would you ever want me to marry someone who doesn’t believe in me?” I said, angling myself between him and the eval.

Eli closed his mouth, pressing his lips together tightly, obviously attempting to filter out the millions of things he wanted to say. “Fine,” he bit out as his eyes darted over my face. “But only because I know that if I simply grab you and fly from here, I would be no better than Mendax, andwhenI do kill him for everything he has done to you—and believeme, I will—Iwant you to understand that he and I love you in much different ways.”

He removed his hand from my waist after a light squeeze and flapped his wings. “The instant you ask for my help, I will be waiting,” he whispered before he kissed my cheek.

The eval snarled and charged at him just as his wings flapped gracefully and he rose to the top.

Nervously, I moved back as the animal’s brown eyes focused on me.Don’t fail me now, Adrianna, for the love of Aether in the Elysian Fields, do not fail me now.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” I said softly as I took a step toward the bear. “You have to trust me though. You are much too big and heavy to carry, so you are going to need to run like I did around the sides in a circle until we reach the top,” I whispered, taking another step. “I will go behind you and push if you can’t move fast enough. Can you even understand me?” I questioned, feeling a little stupid for trying to have a conversation with a scared otherworldly creature.

I couldn’t explain it, but I knew that it was the eval that had led me to the pit, not Tarani.

The walls started to vibrate slightly, knocking small pebbles and dirt off the sides. The pit was going to close.

“Caly! It’s too late! Leave it behind!” Eli shouted, standing at the top with his wings spread. He couldn’t help it—he was going to try and get me before it closed.

“Follow me now! We don’t have time. Whatever happens, do not slow down!” I shouted at the bear.

Retracing my previous steps, I ran up the wall a few feet and began to pick up speed. I glanced back to find he was already following behind me, right on my heels. “That’s it! Follow my speed!”

I couldn’t believe it. He was bounding after me on all fours. Somehow, I knew he understood me. I could feel the dust of his thoughts—not very strong but enough.

The walls of the pit shook as they began to close in. The vibration was making it hard to keep my footing, but the circle tightening made it easier. At last, I made it to the edge where Eli stood.

I leaped onto the bank just as before, but before Eli could grab my hands I turned back to the pit. The monster of a bear clawed at the edges of the pit, but it was closing in around him too tightly. He couldn’t pull his weight up.

“Help me!” I pleaded.

Grabbing ahold of the thick folds of skin and fur at the eval’s neck, I pulled with everything I had.

Eli was at my side in an instant, pulling up at the bear’s back.

With a final heave, the eval managed to get its footing against the back wall and pushed itself up, as all three of us rolled farther from the closing edge.

“What the—” Tarani said, standing in her human form to stare at us all panting.

I had somehow rolled on top of the large bear. He—I could feel it was a he now—gently pushed his huge paws against me, pulling me into an embrace and licking my cheek, nuzzling into me happily.

“Oh, now stop that. No need to get all gushy. You’re welcome,” I giggled, lightly swatting his nose away.

I relaxed against his fur to pet his giant head, feeling closer to my sister than I had in a long time. I missed her so much.

He wiggled his large head into the crook of my neck happily. Had he been a dog, his tail would have been wagging.

My gaze rose to see Eli and Tarani gaping at me.

“Apparently she has more Artemi powers in this part of her heart than we had thought,” Tarani mumbled.

20

THE PAST

Queen Saracen

“I’m sorry, how do you know Calypso again?” the woman asked.

“Oh, forgive me,” I said, shaking her hand. “I’m a neighbor from the other side of the meadow.”

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