Page 104 of The Silent Mountain
“I believe in Alana,” I say firmly. “And in Elio. They are both strong. Elio has persevered through years of war, and Alana is a warrior. I want to believe that they won’t give up easily.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Erin asks.
“Release the birds and follow them,” I say. “They are clearly coming from somewhere. The curse has to be binding them, and whenever we fought them, they retreated over the ocean.”
“I have a potion that makes it easier to track them in case we lose sight of the birds,” Erin says. “And I guess I could put together a couple of potions to protect us in a fight, with Cassie’s help.”
“You are coming too?” Stefan asks, alarmed.
“Of course,” Erin says.
“Alert our best warriors,” I tell Theodor. “We will be moving out at night, so that the darkness might protect us from the eyes of our enemy.”
“Will you be able to fly a long distance?” Erin asks.
I look at Theodor. Only he can answer her question, because I know I can fly the distance, but as for my warriors…
“I can,” Theodor says. “And I am sure our best warriors can too. We are stronger today than we were months ago.”
thirty-three
The Dark Spell
*ALANA*
Forthelastcoupleof minutes, Elio and I have been accompanied by a squeaking noise and a murmuring one that gets louder and more persistent the further we move along.
“Weird, what’s that?” Elio asks.
“Water? It sounds like flowing water.”
“That’s a possibility.”
I feel a breeze blowing past me, and my heart skips a beat in relief. There is fresh air coming in from somewhere! It means we are close to an exit.
“Look Alana,” Elio calls out. “There is a small stream.”
I follow his gaze, and indeed, the narrow path we have been following opens up slightly, and a stream crosses us. I sniff the air around us, surprised by what Ros’s senses catch. “It’s not salt water.”
“Really?” Elio gets down to his knees to eye the water. “That means it’s drinkable! I swear, I am so thirsty!”
“Me too,” I admit.
Elio dives his hands into the water, cupping them and letting water fill them up. I let my gaze move over the stream, urging Ros to come forward and lend me more of her senses. The water looks clean, surprisingly so, seeing how we are in an underwater cave. Where does it even come from? I squeeze my eyes, trying to look deeper into the black hole it’s springing out from. For a split second, I can swear I can see red eyes gleaming inside, strings of black suddenly mixing with the water.
“Elio,” I gasp, grabbing his shoulders to pull him back. “Don’t drink it!”
“What, why?” Elio blinks in confusion.
“The clean look is an illusion!”
Elio stares at me first, then at the water. We both jump back in shock when it turns red all of a sudden, red like blood. Panicked, Elio rubs his palms against his pants. “I touched it,” he blurts out. “I-“
“I am sure you are okay as long as you didn’t drink it,” I say, although I am not sure at all.
Another squeak can be heard, louder this time. Elio looks around. “That sound again.”
“Come.” I step over the stream and gesture for Elio to follow me.
