Page 152 of Hidden Depths

I felt my stomach tighten.

"The compass."

Nathan nodded.

"It wasn't a keepsake."

"It was a marker."

My eyes dropped to the cracked brass compass lying on the chart table.

"The one in the floating case?"

"Yes."

Nathan stepped closer.

"James carried two."

"They matched."

"When aligned together..."

"...they pointed somewhere no ordinary chart could."

I stared at him.

"That's impossible."

"So did most of what we dealt with."

Ivy slowly lifted the cracked compass.

She turned it carefully beneath the bridge lights.

"There's something inside the glass."

Everyone gathered closer.

Ben accepted the compass.

His eyes narrowed.

"Not inside."

He gently wiped away years of salt residue with the edge of a clean cloth.

Tiny scratches appeared around the brass rim.

Perfectly spaced.

Deliberate.

Ward leaned closer.

"Those aren't scratches."

"No."