Page 97 of Blue Arrow Island
“It’s this way. Not too far from here.”
We walk side by side through a clearing, Flavius still trailing. The snow is lighter here, but it’s still falling.
“Did you sleep okay on the floor last night?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Good enough.”
“Well, you can have your bed back tonight.”
He looks over at me, his mossy-green eyes drawing me in. “I’d rather you stay a few more nights in my room. If you don’t mind.”
He wants me in his room. In his bed. I don’t dwell on the fact that he wants me to be in his bedby myself.
“I guess I made a few more enemies this morning.” I spot the curtain of bright-orange flowers at the cave’s entrance. “There.”
He gives me a confused look. “Where?”
“Come on.”
I lead the way to the flowers, then say, “Follow me.”
Like I did the first time, I gently slide behind the dense jumble of vines, making sure not to disturb any of the flowers.
“Are you fucking serious?” Marcus murmurs as he follows. “I’ve searched this area so many times. I thought this was solid rock.”
“Surprise,” I deadpan.
He shakes his head. “And the smell of the flowers masks other scents. This is a good hiding spot.”
Taking a flashlight from his pack, he illuminates the path in front of us. Our boots crunch on the tiny rocks beneath us, the cool air carrying a musty scent.
I keep my hand on the gun at my waist, checking in every direction. Small cracks of filtered light slowly disappear as we descend deeper into the earth.
“Here,” I whisper. “I think. It’s close to here.”
Marcus shines his light around the space, walking about ten more feet before he says, “I found something.”
“Hang on, don’t touch it yet.”
I walk over to where he’s standing. The bowl and flint I found with the knife are still here.
“Those are exactly where they were when I was here before. The knife was right there.”
He sighs softly and picks up the bowl, sniffing the inside. “There’s no way to know how long this stuff has been here.”
“I don’t think it’s been a long time.”
He arches a brow at me. “What makes you say that?”
I take the light and illuminate lines on the cave wall about two feet from the ground. “This line tells us water has sat in this cave at this level before. In that recent hurricane, Rising Tide flooded badly. And I think this cave is at a lower elevation. So if these items were sitting here then, they would’ve been washed away. They were put here together by someone and they’ve stayed that way.”
He exhales through his nose. I shine the flashlight at him so I can see his reaction. The corners of his lips are tugging up in a grin.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you before. I was wrong.”
I smile back at him. “Have you ever said those words before?”
Not only is he not scowling, he’s almostsmirking. “No, but I’ve never been wrong before, so...”
