Page 51 of Dawn of Hope

How many people have been here that there are so many trodden passages?

Eventually, the trees break before us and we walk along a natural stone bridge, the river I saw earlier crashing below us and draining into the sea. I shudder as I look down at it, doing my best to stay in the very middle of the bridge.

Blackwood is a landlocked country, and our mountainous lands do not have very many bodies of water. There is very little opportunity to swim for the average person, let alone someone who has never left the castle walls. I never learned how, and the idea of now being on an island surrounded by water with prominent rivers and waterfalls is unsettling.

I need to be careful. I can’t ever get too close to the water, just to be safe.

Shadows elongate around us, and the darkness is making it difficult to see without a torch. I look up at the sky and take in the beautiful mixture of pinks and oranges. I didn’t know the sky could be so many different colors other than grey. I want to see more of it, but I can’t stop to look. I need to keep up with Dane.

I reach up and rip away at the collar of my shirt, trying to get any sort of air flow. If I thought I was sweating before, I am absolutely drenched now. For someone who trained as regularly as I did with Brynne, I am very out of breath, the moisture in the air making me feel like I’m drowning and forcing my body to work harder to keep me cool.

Brynne.

I don’t know what is happening back in Blackwood, but I never came home like I’d promised her. Maybe she realized I had accomplished my goal, and was not kidnapped and taken away.

Well, hopefully that isn’t what happened.

Edmond knew what I was doing, and I have the inkling that he knows more than he is letting on. I hope he will be there to help Brynne and prevent anything from happening to her position as my guard.

As much as I want to, I can’t focus on Brynne or home right now. I came here for a reason. Secure the elixir and heal my mother.

“Are we almost to camp?” I ask, as I heave in breaths.

“Sorry, I’ll slow down,” Dane says, pausing for a second as I catch up the last few steps. “We don’t usually walk around the island at night, especially with nothing to light the way. It can get pretty dangerous. I’ll explain in a little bit. We’re almost there.”

We turn off the trail just as it narrows, and bushes and leaves scrape my thick pants. It doesn’t seem like there is any path or guide we are following now. I lean to see past Dane but can’t make out any markers. Glancing back the way we came, I only see the jungle we are pushing our way through, no longer defined trails like before.

I turn forward again before asking, “How do you know where we’re going? I don’t see a path anymore.” I point over my shoulder, gesturing to the completely overgrown area we had just walked through.

“You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.” He walks again and I trail after him. “It’s that way on purpose, to help keep the location hidden and keep us safe.”

“Safe from what?” I say warily.

“The Castaways.”

“Who are the Castaways?”

“I promise I will explain everything you need to know. Let’s get inside first.” He reaches out and pushes through a wall of dense leaves, holding them to the side so I can step through. We trudge on for a few more minutes before we meet a dead end. A vine covered rock face rises in front of us, and there is nowhere to go from here.

I glance around for an escape route, the feeling of unease creeping up on me. Had I trusted Dane too quickly? Would anyone ever know if something happens to me?

The back of my neck tingles as I slowly reach up and set my hand on the hilt of my dagger. I’ll be ready to pull it if this all turns sour. If Dane had lured me in to my death, preying on my desire to save my mother, he is going to have a fight on his hands. He may think that I am just a servant in the castle, but he does not know the years of training I have under my belt. It is the training now that tells me to stay alert and expect anything.

“I know it seems almost impossible to find your way here, but like I said, you’ll get used to it. You’ll start to recognize things after the first few days.” He reaches toward the rock face, grabbing hold of a thick vine that is woven through many others. He pulls it back, lifting them all like a curtain and revealing a dark opening in the rock.

“After you,” he says, gesturing toward the darkness.

“No, I think I’ll follow you.” I am still on alert. I won’t let him overpower me from behind and block my exit as soon as he gets me alone in a cave. All the worst-case scenarios run through my mind, followed rapidly by ways to get out of them.

This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. I’ve done nothing but put myself at risk by being here, and if something happens to me, there is no future queen of Blackwood.

Keep it together, Lennox. Figure out how to stay alive.

He chuckles at my reluctance to lead the way. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lennox. Remember I said you needed to trust me?”

“I remember, but I don’t think trust is blindly given. It’s earned.”

“I see your point.” He holds the vine out toward me. “Grab here and lift. If it will make you feel more comfortable, I’ll go first.”

---