Page 150 of Between Soul and Vessel
Folkoln stepped forward, placing his hand, which hadthe lantern in it, inside the storm. He pulled it back. “Flame is still there. Hand is still there. Is that a good enough test for you?”
“I guess,” Kaleb stated, his expression telling an entirely different story—he was not convinced.
“Come on,” Folkoln said then stepped inside, disappearing before us. Artemesia joined him.
Kaleb sighed then followed them.
Von gave me a look, one that seemed to ask,Ready?
I nodded.
His fingers intertwined with mine, and we walked into the sandstorm.
The moment I stepped inside the raging storm, Von’s hand disappeared from mine. He was swallowed up by the beastly winds, vanishing, just like the others.
“Von!” I screamed, thrusting the lantern ahead of me, the flame still lit inside. I sheltered my eyes, trying to protect them from the blasts of sand while I looked for the others. Thousands of tiny, violent stones pelted against me. Any skin that was unprotected, they chewed into, as if the storm were determined to eat me alive. I spun around, swinging the lantern from side to side as I called out for my mate.
When no answer came, I tried through our bond.Von?
I waited.
Nothing.
Shit.I was lost in the sands.I was lost!
My chest grew painfully taut, like a monstrous hand had wrapped around it, squeezing the oxygen from my lungs. Warning alarms started to blare inside my head as panic grappled for the helm—
No! Breathe, Sage, breathe,I told myself, again and again, until the message stuck, until I was able to focus again and search for the others.
“Kaleb?” I yelled, my hair whipping wildly around me, lashing at my face.
Still, no answer.
“Artemesia? Fol—”
The winds grew in ferocity, sending a barrage of sand to assault my mouth—cutting me off. It stuck to the inside of my cheeks, coating my tongue and the back of my throat. I choked on it, gagged on it. My mouth turned exceedingly dry. It was a terrible feeling, like drowning in sand. I gathered what little saliva I could and spat, and spat, and spat.
It helped some, but not completely. I could feel the sand everywhere—in my mouth, my nose, my hair, my ears, under my clothes. It was relentless, constantly assaulting me.
Still, I trekked ahead—or at least IthoughtI was. For all I knew, I could very well be walking in a circle. Sometimes, the storm became so powerful, I couldn’t see anything, and I was forced to close my eyes, waiting until the moment passed. When I could, I called out for the others. I did not know how long I continued like that.
Had I been wrong about the riddle?
I’m there at the beginning of life and I’m there at the end. You can see me in the water, but I never get wet. I have no voice, but I’m faster than sound. I am a symbol of hope, especially in darkness. What am I?
Light. It was the only thing I could think of.
The light from the fireshouldwork. So then why wasn’t it?
I churned the riddle over and over again, looking to see if I had missed something.
What else could it be?
Time?
Time was there at the beginning of life and at the end. But could you see it in water? In a poetic sense, maybe—when clouds passed over top—but still, that didn’t feel right.
What else could you see in water?
