Page 20 of Soul of Thorns
“He might have been. He changed his mind,” she says, and I shake my head in disbelief. Caelynn was right about trusting another wraith. We did get useful information, but it almost cost us our lives.
Now, we’ve got to figure out if anything out of his mouth was accurate and what that will mean. He did mention that the Night Terror was waiting for us to cross the wall, which would mean even if he’s right—that it’s a simple stroll through a magical field that weighs your soul and then let’s go—we have to be very careful when and how we venture across.
We have to be ready for a fight the moment our feet land on the other side.
I place my hand on Caelynn’s back, gently guiding her through an opening between two smaller mountains. The stone here is uneven, the path meandering up and down and around haphazardly. There’s evidence of recent landslides, shifted stones, piles of rubble, and an arrowhead-shaped trench carved into the mountainside.
Which probably means this pass is treacherous and we should avoid it, but that’s the exact reason I lead us in this direction. Falling stones are the least of our worries in this part of the world.
If we pass through this uninhabitable area, we may be able to find a safe place where the wraith spies won’t expect us.
It may or may not work, but it’s worth a shot.
We walk another half-mile north, where the stone grows larger and more settled. The sky is back to its patchy grey with a red tinge. Much preferred to the scarlet glowing red it becomes by the wall of flames. There are no paths here, which is all the better. It means for a more challenging walk, but Caelynn’s feet grow steadier and steadier as we go.
Finally, I find a small nook between rocks.
“Do you think this will keep us safe for the night?” I ask.
Caelynn looks up for the first time, her eyebrows pull down then up. Then, she nods. “It’ll do.”
She steps forward, fingers sliding against the damp stone, and she crouches inside the small opening. Then, she presses her back against the barrier and slides down. She slumps over her knees, face pressed to the crook of her arms.
“Are you all right?” I whisper, watching her from the cave mouth. I want to comfort her. I want to take care of her. But I have no idea how to do any of that.
She nods without looking up.
The cave—if one can even call it that—is tiny. It’s covered on all sides except one small opening, but it’s only about four feet deep and two wide.
My cheeks flush as I consider what that will be like for both of us to try to lie here.
In the cottage, we’d shared a bed, but it was large enough we didn’t have to touch if we didn’t choose it. And most of the time, we didn’t choose it. Well, she didn’t choose it.
“We have a long time before sunset,” I mutter. We left early in the morning, and we’ve spent a few hours traveling, but that leaves many more hours in the day.
She nods, finally pulling her face from its hiding place. There are bags beneath her eyes as if it’s been days since she last rested.
“I’m not sure I’m in a proper state to cross that fire wall, though.” Her voice is hoarse.
I wave her off. “Of course not—that’s not what I—”
“Even if it’s as simple as the wolf made it sound and we cross easily due to the goodness of our souls or whatever...” She winces, fear flashing in her expression. Is she uncertain about the state of her own soul? Does she not see what I see? “We’re not sure what’s on the other side of it, and the Night Terror...”
“Was that her? The voice?” I ask softly. The ground-shaking, bodiless voice. It was unnerving, for sure, but it didn’t affect me the way it did Caelynn. Or even the wolf for that matter.
“It sounded just likehim,” she whispers.
I’d heard the Night Bringer’s voice once before. At least, I think it was him in the Cave of Mysteries during the trials, but I can’t say for certain it wasn’t just a trick. But either way, the fear of my memories doesn’t cut as deep as hers do. “That’s why you...”
“Freaked out? Yeah.” She swallows and looks down at her hands. “I suppose it brought back a few memories.”
My chest tightens.The creature that captured and tortured me as an adolescent.
“You’ve never really told me about it,” I mutter, lowering into a crouch. The ground is damp and tough, with uneven stone.
Caelynn never tells me anything I don’t need to know. She hides what she feels, what she thinks, what she’s done, and what’s happened to her. I want to know her more. This... well, it’s easier to not know. But I want to. I want to know what she’s been through. I want to understand what I once thought was inconceivable. Unforgivable.
“Will you tell me?” I whisper. I don’t ask if she wants to tell me because I know she doesn’t. “What happened to you?” I ask for the first time.
