Page 61 of The Stone Survival
Ubron? No…that couldn’t. He was gone. Ivor had checked and?—
“I am here,” Serath said. “And I am free, and I have bonded with the female whose life you threaten.”
But it wasn’t Serath speaking, even though it was his voice. The inflection was all wrong but…it was familiar. I’d heard it before, and not just when he’d attacked us at the elite trial. I’d heard it last night when I’d been half asleep and…No…My stomach filled with ice. I wouldn’t consider it. Not here. Not?—
The graynite holding me slowly pulled me close to sniff me. He drew back suddenly and stared at me in horror. “He speaks true. He has taken this mouse as his mate.”
“We have our orders,” Enron said. “You know we cannot disobey.”
“Our code comes above all other orders,” Ubron said. “Brothers, I have listened and learned, and there is more to what we have been told.”
“It does not matter,” Enron said. “We are not free.”
“But you can be. Let us go, and I swear to you that I will find a way to free you all.”
“Enron, this could be our chance,” Sazon said. “I want to take it.”
Enron sighed. “Very well. Prepare yourselves. Steel yourselves.”
Sazon lowered me to my feet. “Go to your mate, sister.”
Sister? Oh fuck.
“Cameron, release the others,” Ubron said, his gaze still on Enron. “Do it, then move to the exit. Do not look back. Get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.”
But I didn’t care about him. “What have you done with Serath? Where is he?”
“Safe. You would know if it were otherwise. Now go!”
“Do it,” Enron ordered.
My questions and the realization that was now a ball of ice in my belly would have to wait.
I hit the door release and ran for the exit. Shar, Levi, Orix, and Curi joined me at the doors.
Behind me, the graynites bellowed in pain, falling to their knees as they clawed at their heads.
“Go!” Ubron ordered. “Now!”
We ran.
CHAPTER 30
We didn’t slow our sprint until we reached the edge of the forest. Here Orix drew the return orb from his pocket, readying to smash it.
I grabbed it off him and cradled it to my chest. “We can’t leave without him.”
“What?” Orix stared at me, stunned.
“Ubron. We arenotleaving without him. He has Serath’s body.”
“He’s one ofthem,” Curi said. “An infernal.”
“Yes, and if he wanted to hurt us, he could have.”
“How do you know that? He could have been trapped in Serath’s body, unable to do anything.”
But I knew it. God, how I knew it. I gritted my teeth. “Trust me on this, okay?”
