Page 36 of The Storm
Max was standing in the hallway, staring at something on the ground. “There’s a child.”
“I know. I just said—”
“Renata,” he hissed. Max was pointing at the ground. “There is achild.”
Her eyes dropped to the ground. In the alcove, surrounded by a cozy nest of blankets, lay a child of no more than eight or nine, sleeping soundly. It appeared to be a female with tangled hair falling over her face.
Renata walked toward Max, stopping when she saw the girl’s breath hitch. She and Max froze. The girl stopped breathing.
Then her eyes flew open, she sat bolt upright, and a scream of terror echoed through the library. Renata fell back against a wall and felt it warp under her hands as the girl’s fear manifested. A punch of magic hit Renata in the solar plexus, leaving her breathless. Even Max stumbled back.
In the space of a heartbeat, the child bolted up and disappeared into the darkness of the caves. Max started to run after her, but Renata held him back.
“No!” she shouted. “She’s terrified of you. Of us.”
“What was that?”
“She’skareshta.” Renata ran her hands along the hallway walls, her eyes wide and wondering.
“What? How do you—?”
“Look at the stone, Max. That child has magic, and it’s very, very powerful.”
Chapter Eight
Max and Renata walked back to the house.
“There’s climbing equipment in the storeroom, Renata said. “We’ll need it if we’re going back to the caverns.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“You felt her magic, Max.”
“I know. I just… If she doesn’t want to be found—”
“Sheneedsto be found. It’s not safe.”
Renata opened the door opposite the music room, and Max saw a collection of outdoor equipment. There were snowshoes and skis. Sleds and ropes.
Renata walked straight to the wall of ropes. “Have you climbed before?”
“Yes.”
“Grab a harness and the basics. Most of the passageways are level and sloping, but there are a few drops and I don’t want us to get stuck. Some of the passages are narrow. You’ll have trouble getting through some areas with your shoulders.”
Max had a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach. ”Renata, are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I don’t know if there are others with her, but if she’s run away, if there is a mother—”
“If there is a mother, there could be an angel.” He gripped her shoulders. “Have you thought about that?”
“What are our choices?” She shrugged off his hands and secured her harness before she gathered an armful of ropes. “If there is an angel, then we reassess. I don’t sense one. I saw one child, and she was tired and thin. There’s a storm out there. She needs our help.”
Max didn’t try to argue any more. He grabbed the ropes and followed her back to the library. Wading into the twisting passageways had been difficult for Renata when she was steeped in memory. In the face of a rescue, however, she showed no hesitation. She walked to the left corridor and pulled back a tapestry hanging on one wall. There was a narrow passageway behind it and a gust of warm wind.
“This is the only one we left open because it’s the main source of heat. This passage leads to the springs,” she said. “Can you make it?”
“I’ll be fine. Lead the way.”
