Page 43 of Frosted Torment

CHAPTER 17

We drove until the cabin was out of sight. Anytime the wind picked up or the rocks popped up under the truck, I focused on Baz running ahead of us to ease my fears. Ena had a shotgun, but she was still human. The wards seemed okay, but I didn’t trust that to last either.

I looked out of my window up into the sky. “How do the wards work, Ena?” I asked.

“Oh. Um.” Her brows rose as she hesitated.

“Are you not allowed to tell me?” I inclined my head in her direction, keeping the hunting jacket close to my chest.

“I’m not,” she said, her voice disappointed. “Vincent determines who can know the specifics.”

I sank back against the seat. “Interesting,” I sighed. “So, not all of your family knows about everything going on here, then?”

She shook her head. “They know about the angels, but the wards don’t extend into our land because the demons won’t gothere,” she said with a grateful smile. “Besides, most of us don’t see a need to get involved in angel business.”

I shook my head, laughter tinged with nervousness escaping my lips. “I understand if you can’t share details about the wards, but I hope they don’t weaken again.”

Ena gripped the steering wheel tighter, her smile faltering. “Don’t worry. Vincent made sure of that last night.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that.” I adjusted my body against the door and prayed that Nakoma would heal Ivy. Dawson should have an update when we got there. I inhaled, filling my lungs with air, and then said, “Vincent said you would help with the ceremony to save my soul. What will you do?”

She hesitated before speaking, then her words almost got lost in the hum of the engine. “The ceremony... it’s a sacred rite, and Vincent... he keeps the details shrouded in mystery. Even from me,” Ena admitted, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.

“Are you serious?” My annoyance spilled out.

“He believes that the less we know, the safer we are from prying eyes and dark forces.” As Ena navigated the winding road, her gaze turned distant. “He’s careful.”

Vincent seemed paranoid, and his mysterious ways were starting to wear thin on me. Ena’s evasive answers only stoked my impatience. I leaned my head against the window, staring out at the passing landscape.

The dirt road curved to the right before splitting into two paths. One led into the woods, but a locked cattle gate blocked the entry. The other continued on toward the mountains, fading into the distance. We pulled up in front of the gate, and Ena shifted the truck into park.

“We walk from here,” she said, and turned off the engine.

“Ena,” I pressed, my voice firm, “I need to know more about this ceremony. How can I prepare if I’m kept in the dark?”

She glanced at me with a troubled expression. “Noa, you have to trust Vincent. He knows what he’s doing.”

“I want to,” I replied with sincerity, “but this is about my soul.” I won’t sit back and let angels or anyone dictate my fate.”

Silence shrouded us as Ena stared at the barbed wire fence that twisted between the tree line. Was it meant to guard against real threats, or was it an illusion of safety? Sunbeams filtered through clouds overhead but failed to pierce the chill settling over me. I slipped into Nevaeh’s coat, letting its warmth envelop me as I wrapped it around myself.

“Hey,” Ena offered in a soft voice. “As soon as I learn anything new, I’ll tell you.”

“I appreciate that.” I nodded, but something in me said I should find more answers on my own.

A slush puddle full of mud greeted me as I opened the door, and I leaped over it. Ena hurried around the front of the truck, and I stumbled into her, but she caught me before I fell.

“Thanks.” Embarrassment flooded my cheeks as she handed me a pair of crumpled brown gloves. I turned them over to inspect them. “What are these for?”

She gestured to the locked gate, also wrapped in thick rope. “To help me open that.”

The gloves were thick. The type a rancher would use to snag up barbed wire fences. The same fences installed throughout the forest around us.

Ena waved me in her direction as I slipped them onto my hands. She showed me where to stand and instructed me to pullon a rope fastened to the middle of the gate. She pushed from the other side.

Baz exhaled a deep breath and shook his jowls. The loose skin flapped as he attempted to shake off the weight of worry that hung in the air.

“I’m going to circle the outskirts and meet you on the other side,”he declared.“Stay close to Ena.”

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