Page 151 of Heir of Broken Souls

“Search for that which repeats all you do, its silence a message for you.

Keep a tether for you will drift, from this land to the next.

Walk inside and come alive, but don’t be frightened of what you’ll find.

For all was planned you must persist.”

Harlow groans. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Can it ever be simple? Why are we always given a riddle?”

Naia’s sudden sharp voice makes me jump.

“Riddles are an art to be appreciated, little witch.”

Harlow grins wickedly. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a half-breed.”

Naia’s brow arches. “Half or not, you still have witch blood thrumming through your veins.” She turns to me, done with her brief conversation. “There is a certain spell placed upon the prophecy you have received. We cannot help you with it or speak on its subject matter.”

Amelia swims forward, behind Naia. “We’ll patrol the area and make sure no one enters behind you. I suggest you order your griffins to stay above and do the same.”

“Stay above?” I repeat, my gaze flicking between the two in confusion. “And what did you mean by enter?”

* * *

Once we dock our boats and breach the rocky terrain of the island, we discover exactly what the mermaids meant.

“They want us to gobelow?” Harlow asks, disgust evident in her voice.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” I respond. My voice travels, bouncing and echoing off the walls of the cave before us.

There is nothing else on this small island. Nothing but rocks and this entrance to a cave.

Lenox hops from foot to foot. “I don’t like that there’s only one exit.”

“We don’t know that,” Harlow protests.

“I can stand on the other side of this island and still see you,” he argues. “There is nothing else, just one way in and one way out. Call me paranoid or a coward, but that makes me uncomfortable.”

“You’re always uncomfortable,” Harlow mutters under her breath.

Groaning, I cut off Lenox’s snarky retort and spin. “We are not doing this for ourselves. We are doing this for our people and the land of Aloriah.”

My words silence them all. And by their looks of guilt, I believe we all needed a reminder of why we’re truly here.

“We are not simply chasing a vision,” Knox says, following my thought pattern. “Back home people are dying every second, and we are losing more men than I ever thought possible. This is our last chance at redemption—atfreedom,” Knox emphasizes his words with a cunning look.

Cocking a hip, I look them all in the eye. “Are you ready now?”

They dip their heads and murmur amongst each other. It’s enough for now.

I tilt my head back to the sky, to the griffins above. Sending all the warmth and tenderness and love I can down the bond to Aurora, I take in every detail of her before I inhale a sharp breath and force myself to step within the cave.

Chapter56

Knox

Who would I be if I allowed the love of my life to walk into the cave first?

A coward.