Page 79 of Frosted Torment

“How could Noa’s family have any connection to them?” Baz echoed my thoughts with his question.

“Really, brother?” Lex responded sarcastically. “All humans have some connection to them.”

He walked behind Baz and me this time, amused at what he thought was a big discovery. He pressed the buttons on the walkie-talkie in a hurry to get Ena on the radio.

“I’ll let her know I had an epiphany,” Lex laughed. When Ena answered, his face lit up.

The valley seemed to stretch on forever, an endless expanse of death. But finally, we reached the edge, marked by a towering iron gate. And then I saw it.

Beyond the gate, a massive cherry blossom tree rose from the ground, its pale pink petals a stark contrast to the dark blue grass that surrounded it. A waterfall cascaded down a mountainside in the distance, half black and half white, like in my vision. The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.

I swallowed hard as different emotions warred inside me, but there was no turning back.

“This is it,” I breathed. “The place from my vision after my birthday.”

I scanned the gate for some kind of lock or latch. But there wasn’t one. Only unbroken iron bars guarding the path.

“You won’t find a lock,” Baz said, standing next to me. “It’s not sealed shut. Go ahead and push it open.”

With a dismissive huff, I pressed a hand to the gate. It swung outward with a low creak.

“Fingers crossed,” I muttered, looking at Lex.

The first time I saw the gate, I couldn’t get in no matter how hard I tried. It was an impenetrable barrier. But visions are subjective, I reminded myself. Maybe being locked out symbolized something else entirely. An obstacle of the mind rather than a physical one.

“I don’t see anyone,” Baz whispered. Then, he stepped over the threshold and toward the center of the field.

“That’s a good thing, right?” I asked as I took one step forward. Unlike Dawson, I was able to get through the gate, and I followed Baz. Shoving the dagger back into the pack, I said, “Not a trap.”

Lex offered me a silent nod as he joined me and Baz on the other side of the gate. “Vincent might think you’re on the run and nowhere near here. Especially since his groupies didn’t see us back there.”

I flashed him a smile. “Why don’t you let Ena know? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind hearing your voice again.” I tipped my chin at him with a quick raise of my brows.

“Let’s keep moving,” said Baz, unamused at our exchange. “I don’t want whoever is feeding the tree to alert anyone besides us.”

We made our way into the grove as green grass turned a deep ocean blue, and our footsteps muffled in the thick carpet of fallen cherry blossom petals. I stared at the trunk and branches lit up from the inside with a golden glow. The veins of the tree were pulsing. As I watched in awe at this living and breathing heart of the fallen, a sharp, searing pain cut through my upper lip.

I gasped and pressed my hand to my mouth. Then, a cough full of phlegm and irritation filled my throat, and I gagged at the sound.

“Hurry,”the ragged voice choked.

“What’s wrong?” Baz whipped his head toward me.

“The angel,” I gritted through clenched teeth. “He senses me somehow, and if this is some supernatural game of hot and cold?” I forced a mirthless laugh. “Consider me burned.”

I rubbed the sting away, scanning the delicate pink blossoms. They seemed to twinkle in the evening sky. A strange sensation washed over me, raising the fine hairs along my arms. As I took another step forward, Lex’s hand shot out, grasping my elbow.

“Careful,” he warned, pointing to a fallen branch on the ground.

Stepping over it, I approached the tree and swore it sang out to me. The leaves began to pick up and play around us as I moved closer. The petals seemed to glow against the evening sky. It was as though the tree wanted me to touch it, so I reached my hand out in front of me.

“Don’t!” yelled Baz, who ran in front of me. “We don’t know what will happen.”

“Fuck, Baz. You’ve got to relax,” I groaned and walked around to the other side of the tree. “I could’ve stabbed you if I’d been ready.”

He chuckled as his lip curled up, following me. “I’m glad the knife makes you feel safe, but when we’re done with all of this, you will get the training you need.”

Around the tree, lying face-first on the ground, was one angel, not two. A pool of shiny liquid surrounded her. I stepped back as Lex bent down to check her pulse. He shook his head and looked around for another angel, but there wasn’t one.

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