Page 98 of Lunar Diamonds
“I once read an article about the Paris catacombs—the non-touristy parts. They’re scarily big. Then I made the mistake of watching the movieAs Above, So Belowwith my stepdad.” I shivered, rubbing my arms. “Sorry. Should’ve kept that to myself.”
Drake paled. “I’ve…I’ve never heard of that film.” So many cracks in his voice there.
“Are you?—”
“I’m fine.” He backed away, turning his back.
“Drake?”
He pulled out the ginkgo sniffer, inhaling deeply. “Shit…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He put the sniffer away, facing me again with that illuminating smile papering over the cracks.
I didn’t pry, but I’d definitely touched a nerve.
Goodness me,the temperature was mean. An unrelenting, bitter sea breeze penetrated the warmth of my clothing, setting my teeth to chatter.
We walked toward an area of the beach far away from Rainbow Mile—the main entertainment area of Coldharbour, exactly a mile long. Drake led the way with me behind him, Isaac and Alice making up the rear while April and Aaron kept watch.
Cloaking potion rolled inside me. It’d tasted like sour apples and would last for a month.
Handy.
Ahead of us was a rocky outcrop, the waves crashing into it, spraying foam into the air. At the center, its dark maw barely visible, a dark cave waited to welcome us into a potential nightmare.
I don’t want to go in there…
The air slapped at me like a hundred icy hands. A sprinkle of stars glittered in the rich blackness of the sky, the moon flooding the beach with lunar night. I sucked it down like lemonade, the cup bottomless.
I can do this…
“Sorry for the evil look earlier,” Isaac said behind me.
“What look?” I questioned.
“You don’t remember?”
“Oh, yeah. The glower. Don’t worry about it.”
He clapped his gloved hands together, shivering. “I run hot sometimes. Unlike now.” He groaned. “It’s fucking freezing.”
We reached the rocks, slowly climbing up toward the cave. I kept steady, paying the least amount of attention to the sea’s uncompromising spray. It churned below me, furious and cold and dark.
Drake and I arrived at the cave entrance first with no hiccups. Rather than have Isaac use his sunlight to light the way and possibly overheat the caves, we flipped on our headtorches.
Drake’s breathing seemed labored, the beam of his torch trembling.
I moved up beside him. “Are you okay?”
He turned his head away, sniffing ginkgo. “Yes. Ready?” He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
Ginkgo powder was safe to use. You couldn’t overdose on it or lose your mind to its effects. It purely served to ease the burden of suffering.
What was Drake suffering with?
“Are you sure?” I asked him. “We don’t have to rush this.”
