Page 88 of Starchaser
“I want to go with you!” I say, my fists tightening around the hilts of my daggers.
A muscle in his jaw ripples. “It’s not safe.”
“Safe?” I scoff, attempting to shove past him, but he blocks the doorway. “My family is somewhere in this castle. If Gabriel is—”
“I know!” Will shouts, clearly losing his tentative grip on his composure. “I will do everything I can to ensure your family’s safety, but I need you tostay put.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to argue, sweeping through the door and shutting it behind him. I reach for the knob, but it won’t budge. On the other side of the door, I hear the scrape of stone, and I realize what he’s done.
He used his abilities as a bonewielder to block the door with a rock, locking it from inside the passageway.
Teeth gritted, I plunge my daggers into my mattress, savoring the feeling of stabbing something—anything. I open the doors to my balcony, a gust of wind casting my hair back as I lean over the railing, attempting to hear the commotion from the party, but on this side of the castle, all I hear is the crash of the waves as they beat against the ancient fortress.
I slam the balcony doors shut, headed straight for the door that leads out into the castle, where the guards remain at their posts all hours of the day and night. I’m prepared to demand they take me to the kitchens, where I might find my family, but my foot catches on the rug, and my heart skips a beat.
I tear the rug aside, placing my hand on the stone floor.
“Adonoc verash melor,” I whisper.
Nothing.
I slam my fist against the stone. Take a deep breath.
I try again, this time attempting to mimic the deep, gentle hum of Titus’s voice when he spoke the words before.
“Adonoc verash melor.”
Thunk. The stone paver sinks.
I wait until the passageway has revealed itself, take the first couple of steps, and when I’ve descended far enough that I’m clear of the opening, I place my hand on the stone wall and whisper, “Granitum zeruuk shanol,” sealing myself in the darkness.
I race down the steps, blood pounding in my ears. Titus implied he would meet me here tonight. Surely, he’s waiting for me. Surely—
I emerge into the cavern, his name already on my lips, but it’s empty.
My heart squeezes in my chest.
He didn’t come.
“Titus?” I call out, hating the way my voice breaks. Hating how small it sounds. Hating how badly I wish to see him in this moment. “Titus!”
Follow me.
The voice is clear, and yet I can’t be sure if I’ve heard it or if the words have come from my own mind. Still, I know it instantly.
This way.
The water that divides the cavern seems to undulate, and it appears as if a hand forms, waving me toward the crack in the wall to my right, where the pool filters into a stream.
I make my way to the gap in the stone, finding that it’s just wide enough for me to wedge my body into the narrow passage sideways. A subtle blue glow emanates from the stream, as if guiding me forward.
Hurry.
The water laps urgently at the passage, encouraging me to venture farther into the dark, cramped space. A few feet in, the path widens slightly, enough that my shoulders scrape the stone wall, ankle deep in the stream as I follow the blue light.
Quiet, the sea commands.
I attempt to slow my breath, straining to hear beyond the steady trickle of the water as it filters through the cave. Ahead, the gap narrows once more, and the blue glow vanishes, plunging me into darkness.
