Page 5 of At the Mercy of Midnight
Amelia’s hands came up automatically to grasp the tome while she kept his gaze, her fingers brushing briefly against his before he withdrew them.
“Then I suppose I’ll see what you choose to do with whatever you found,” he deadpanned. “In the meantime, make yourself useful and translate the wall.”
Silas turned away from her and walked back to the tents’ entrance and pulled open a flap, his jaw tensed as he waited for her to leave.
Amelia took in a deep breath and walked slowly over to him. For a moment, she almost,almost, wanted to stop and apologize. But then the flap fell closed behind her, and she found herself standing out in the darkening Rift.
She looked down to the tome Silas had given her. It was a similar text to the one he had been using earlier on ancient runic translation. Irritatingly helpful, even in the wake of her embarrassing invasion of privacy.
Amelia walked across the campsite, wondering at what Silas thought she had seen. His final words seemed to hint that she might use it against him in some way, and it madeher curiosity intensify over what else could be hidden in those notebooks.
The last vestiges of the sun disappeared behind the rolling dunes, and darkness settled around the ruins.
The team were unusually quiet as dinner was eaten around the campfire, eyes darting in every direction. Even the mercenaries, who earlier in the day had made Amelia snort with laughter when they introduced themselves as Hank and Frank with matching grins, seemed sombre as day turned to night. She ate her stew but could not stop the erratic pace of her heart as she wondered what might be sneaking around past the warm, safe perimeter of light of the arcane lamps and fire.
Silas sat across the campfire from her, having not spoken a word to her or even met her gaze since the incident in his tent. He chatted quietly to one of his own assistants, who Amelia thought was named Reynolds.
Amelia’s junior scholars, Somara and Tully, were huddled together, their food untouched in front of them. She could see the anxiety written across their young faces. They had known what they were signing up for, but it was a different thing entirely to be here in the Rift as the sun set. Even Amelia couldn’t stop the slight shake to her own hands.
After dinner, everyone quietly retired to their tents. The mercenaries would monitor the lamps surrounding their campsite and ensure the fire kept burning all night to keep them safe.
Amelia tried her best to get comfortable on her thin bedroll, but her mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Her old childhood nightmares kept coming back to her in the dark—enormous Rift Crawlers chasing her through complete darkness. She shivered and rolled over, begging herself to stop thinking such awfulthings. When she lay on her back, the middle of her spine itched with discomfort, and her eyes opened, staring up at the ceiling of her tent, frustration flooding her.
It wasn’t long before she gave up and opened Silas’ translation text, working quietly on her sketches. It was tedious work. So many of the glyphs had been weathered down, some accents and small details obscured by time.
It was almost midnight when she heard movement and muttering outside her tent.
Amelia set her research aside and curiously moved over to peer out into the campsite. Most of the expedition sat by the campfire, perhaps drawn together in curiosity of what might come, of what midnight may have to offer in this place. Halpert stood with his arms folded, eyes searching in all directions.
She slipped back into her tent, grabbed her jacket, and pulled it around her shoulders before moving out into the cool night air. Amelia walked quietly and stood next to her mentor, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
“Midnight draws closer,” Halpert said softly, an edge to his voice.
Amelia nodded. “Are we expecting the arcane lamps to short out?”
“If it does, the fire will keep us safe,” he reasoned.
She watched uneasily as Hank and Frank paced underneath the glow of a lamp beyond where her tent was set up. “What else do you think might happen?”
Halpert shook his head. “The stories are boundless, but we’re in the centre of the Rift here, and central to both Monoliths. Anything could happen.”
Amelia shifted uneasily on her feet. “Not ominous at all, thank you.”
He turned his head and gave her a kindly grin.
While she felt fear rise up in her chest as they grew closer to midnight, she also couldn’t deny that her scientific curiosity was at an all-time high.
Midnight arrived with a whisper, quiet and calm.
A hush spread across the land, the wind itself ceasing in an eerie silence, as though making room for something else.
They all heard it at the same time.
A low rumbling noise that seemed as though it came from beneath where they stood. She felt the group stiffen, their breaths held, eyes darting to the flickering fire.
Soon the ground began trembling beneath them. The resonant vibration rolled under their feet, eliciting small sounds of panic among the junior scholars.
That brought Silas out of his tent, his golden hair looking sleep-ruffled as he peered around.
