Page 62 of Frosted Torment

“I think I found it,” Nakoma gushed with excitement. He lifted it high with gloved hands before spreading it across the table and beckoning us all closer.

“What is that?” I asked, peering at markings no one but Nakoma seemed to understand.

With raised brows hinting at his amusement, he replied, “One of the earliest maps of this land.”

Dawson and Nevaeh halted their organizational efforts andambled toward us while Baz took his place beside me. He scrutinized the timeworn paper with an intensity that intrigued me.

“Let’s get to work,” Dawson declared as he retrieved a clear map case alongside erasable markers. He glanced at Jossy and Lex before asking, “Do either of you have any idea where we should begin?”

Without warning, Uno’s cheerful voice jolted me from my thoughts. I was close to dropping the dagger in surprise when she chirped, “Hiya, doll! Is this a bad time?”

I instinctively scanned above as if she had materialized from thin air. “Not a bad time at all!”

“Dos and I weren’t sure if we should interrupt or not,” she continued in a rush. “But we’ve gotta.”

The room fell silent as every gaze turned toward me as though my sanity were in question. But Lex and Jossy dismissed their scrutiny and returned their focus to the map. Father O’Neil and Nakoma slid the map into the protective case as I walked toward the front of the house for privacy.

“Anyone talking over there?” I implored under my breath, desperate for insight into Vincent or Vallen’s next moves.

“Well,” she began casually amidst what sounded like gum smacking against her teeth. “It’s bumpy on this side, doll. Things aren’t thrilled you’re all juiced up with the cosmos now.”

“Things?” I sounded it out deliberately and with emphasis for clarity. My experience talking to ghosts in the past educated me on never leaving anything to chance.

“Things,” she reaffirmed before cautioning me further. “Watch your back, doll.”

“You can’t elaborate more, Uno?” Panic clawed up mythroat as fear tightened around me like a vice while I clutched my dagger.

“Sorry. I’m risking myself as it is to warn you.” She smacked her gum again, then I heard her take a breath and blow it out as the pop of a bubble followed. “But you’re in good hands there. Trust your friends, and I’ll catch ya later.”

Before I could pry for more answers, she vanished. Nausea grew in my stomach, forcing out an exasperated sigh. Trusting my friends is what got me into this mess. It was bad enough that angels, demons, and the church of all churches might be after me. Now other creatures were out hunting for blood.

If there were any chance for me to stay alive, without other entities siphoning me off for all eternity, I needed to reach that tree sooner rather than later. When I rejoined everyone in the living room, I couldn’t see Ena anywhere, and someone had drawn a circle on the map.

Father O’Neil scratched hasty notes into an old journal as Dawson combined weapons into several duffel bags on the living room floor. Lex and Jossy leaned over Nakoma, comparing markings on the map to some recent satellite images they had found online.

As I stepped closer, I saw the ranch property with sections marked and a legend scribbled out on paper. Vincent’s cabin, the totem pole, and Nevaeh and Dawson’s house served as landmarks. They were all woven together with dashed lines representing the fence lines placed around the land. The circle was northeast of Vincent’s cabin and close to the mountains.

“How’s the spirit world?” Lex asked as he offered me a cup of coffee, and the aroma of hazelnut hit my nose.

I shoved the dagger at his chest and half-smiled. Lettingthe mug warm my hands, I mouthed ‘thank you’ to him. “It’s turbulent over there, so we want to find that tree soon.”

In a heartbeat, Baz was next to me, worry deep in his voice.“What’s wrong?”

“Uno mentioned we may have greater threats beyond Vincent and Maros.” Sipping leisurely while digesting the flavors, the coffee flooded my cheeks with warmth.

Jossy drew in a deep breath, sensing the weight of the information. “And what does that entail?”

“She didn’t elaborate,” I began and placed the coffee mug on the table, “but things know what’s going on with me over here, and they aren’t happy.”

“Then that,” he said and turned back toward the map schematics, “doesn’t give us a lot of time to find the tree.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,”Baz suggested as he cautioned, shaking his head.

“Me neither,” I stated and leaned into him for support. “None of you know where the tree is?” I asked Jossy.

“Vincent warded it and after we fall, we’re never allowed to go back. The ones chosen to guard and nourish never leave it until it’s their time.” Jossy pointed to the circle drawn on the map. “We believe it’s in this area close to the Valley of the Fallen.”

“Valley of the Fallen?” My expression shifted when I heard this information.

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