Page 82 of Frosted Torment

“Don’t apologize,” Lex insisted. “This trek could very well be leading us all into complete and utter destruction.”

I managed a small smile at his feeble attempt to help me feel better. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and nodded for Lex to continue. Lex’s flashlight cut through the gloom, illuminating more faded Latin inscriptions etched into the stone. Baz paused, his brow furrowed as he studied the ancient words.

“Can you read those?” I questioned. My words bounced across the confined space.

“It’s something about guarding, protecting...” He leaned back and glanced at me. “And a prisoner.”

A chill raced down my spine, and the thought of confronting Vallen sent a wave of nausea rolling through me. I swayed on my feet, my vision blurred at the edges.

“Whoa, easy there.” Baz’s arms encircled me, holding me steady.

I leaned into his embrace, drawing strength from his solid presence. “I don’t know if I can do this, Baz. What if?—”

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted my chin up, his eyes finding mine in the dim light. “We’ll find the answers we need and figure out how to return the secrets, get your soul, and all will be right with the world.”

I nodded and released a long breath. “Okay. But I don’t believe you about the world getting set right.”

“I know.” Baz flashed a soft smile and nodded.

Lex laughed too loudly for the tunnel. “Did my brother crack a joke? The world reallyisending.”

“Focus,” I said as I exhaled another deep breath. “Please.”

We followed Lex deeper into the mountain, the beam of his flashlight guiding our way. The air grew colder with each step, our breath misting in front of our faces. After what felt like an eternity, we reached a dead end—another wall.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I screamed and kicked it as the frustration in me boiled over. “We’re supposed to be here! Why is nothing going right?”

“There’s got to be a way through,” Lex muttered, running his flashlight over the surrounding walls.

A glint of silver caught my eye, and I moved closer, my palms sweating as I tried to make out the words etched into the stone. “Guys, over here!”

I grabbed the flashlight and directed the beam of light onto the inscription, illuminating the Latin phrase. Baz stepped forward, his brow furrowed in concentration. He held up a finger and read it aloud.

“Sanguis qui manet aperit et aere. It’s the inscription from your bracelet, Noa,” Baz revealed.

Both men looked at me, waiting, and I lifted my shoulders. “What do I do?” I asked.

“Recite it and see if that works,” instructed Lex while pointing at the wall.

Looking back and forth between the stone and my wrist, I recited the lines. “The blood forgave. The line remains. The one he loved forever stayed.”

Baz looked around when nothing happened. “Hmm, you might have to speak in Latin,” he advised.

“Before I butcher a new language, maybe there’s another way,” I suggested, placing my hands on my hips. “Earlier I slid my wrist into another opening. Look around for a hole or somewhere my wrist will line up and connect with something.”

I waved the flashlight around, but nothing else stuck out. Then it hit me. I raised my arm again and laid my hand flat against the wall, letting my wrist connect with the Latin inscription. Heat flared beneath my skin as the bracelet pulsed against my bones.

Then, a soft blue glow emanated from the phrase, tracing a path along the wall until it reached the middle. With a spark and a pop, the rock crumbled, giving way to another iron door.

“You did it, Noa!” Baz exclaimed, his face breaking into a grin.

Lex let out a whoop of joy, and the two of them pulled me into a tight hug. For a fleeting moment, I allowed their embrace to comfort me, forgetting my fears in the wake of our success. I laughed while pulling down on a lever embedded in the side of the mountain, feeling a wave of anxiety.

Lex held onto the flashlight, its beam piercing through the suffocating darkness of the underground cave. As the beamswept across the space, it illuminated a figure chained to the far wall. A man with a long, matted beard and dark hair that hung in tangles around his face slumped against his restraints.

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing,” I moved my head from side to side and noticed a faint rise in his chest.

“If so,” Lex noted. “It’s not much.”

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