Page 60 of Soul of Thorns
He heaves in a dramatic breath, placing his clawed hand over his chest. “And what, dare I ask, makes you think I would give you the information you seek?” His smile is cruel and amused as he leans in to peer into my eyes.
“I expect nothing from you,” I say. “Except perhaps to point me in the directionless likely to end in my death.”
He tsks at me. “Stubborn, stubborn child.”
I step toward the edge of the water barely moving with a tiny current, rustling up over the smooth black stones peppering the bank, glistening and lovely. I expected something awful here. I expected a war zone smothered with dead bodies and blood and poison. Not something beautiful and peaceful.
“Where is Rev?” I ask the wraith again. “Did he pass through the fire? Is he alive?”
“Yes,” he hisses.
I let out a long breath, trying to keep my mind calm. Okay, that’s good, I guess.
“Then, where is he?” I examine the area. Is he hiding somewhere, waiting for me? Did something happen?
The body of water between me and the mountain, where darkness gathers and smoke billows, is smooth and calm. No sign of a fight. No sign of Rev.
My stomach sinks even further.
The wraith purses his lips and floats around me. “You took longer to pass through. He didn’t think you made it. He moved on without you.” He shrugs as if that’s all there is to it. As if this news wouldn’t crush me.
My breath catches in my throat. “He thinks I’m dead?”
The wraith nods. Why does that hurt so badly? It’s what we both expected. It’s what probably should have happened.
Protect your soul.
I close my eyes and shake my head, unsure what to think.
Rev... moved on without me.
My fingers run along my bottom lip, where just minutes ago his soft lips met mine. I’d thought it meant something. As much as I knew I couldn’t fall for him without getting crushed all over again, some reckless part of me did anyway.
My shattered heart crumbles even more.
I blink rapidly, trying to wrap my mind around it. He’s out there, somewhere, looking for the spell book. There’s no sign of him, which means he’s already passed the swamp entirely.
“He was distraught over your demise, of course,” the wraith adds sympathetically. “But he still has a quest to complete.”
I ignore that comment. “How long did it take me to pass through the fire?”
The wraith shrugs. “A quarter of an hour, I’d guess.”
Fifteen minutes. In fifteen minutes, Rev gave up on me and continued alone?
Between the pain in my chest and the dizziness, I narrow my eyes at the wraith.
“Where did he go?” The words come out in a pathetic whisper.
“Through the swamps, toward the book, of course.”
Stones crunch beneath my feet. Tiny, shiny black pebbles scattered across the whole bank like a black beach. This is certainly the loveliest sight I’ve yet seen in this dark place. If I touch the shining black stones, will they splatter into blood? Or will they come to life and attack me like creepy little spiders?
I swallow, hyper-focusing on the lovely stones. Anything to avoid the reality that I’m alone. Again.He left me behind.
My heart and mind are numb, and I’ll keep it that way as long as I can manage. Just a little while longer and I can wallow in my pain.
I eye the little stones the way around the water, as far as I can see. “What are these?” I ask the wraith, gentler than before. I’m alone, Rev is nowhere to be seen, and he is the only ally I have now.
