Page 195 of Gift from the Wing

“Everything you need to know or do will come with time, little warrior. Stop doubting yourself and believe that,” Tillman tells her firmly.

She nods wordlessly and falls back more fully into both Draken and Caspian. Neither try to move her or manhandle her. They just look at her with worry written across their faces.

At every turn, my princess feels like she’s being outsmarted, but I don’t believe that for a second.

Unfortunately, I believe this is the reprieve before the shit show.

Twenty-Seven

Willow

Two days.

That’s all the time I have left and there still isn’t an answer in sight.

Figuratively and literally.

There’s been a dull ache spreading through my chest for days now. My disappointment in myself, my mom’s book, CC’s and Elementra’s absences, it’s all starting to physically weigh me down.

I catch myself more often than not blinking but not seeing anything because my mind is just swirling. I can’t stop the thoughts, the overwhelming feeling of failure as the time continues to count down until we leave, and I don’t know the first thing about the extent of what my blood can do nor do I have any more control over the sight.

“Caspian’s not going to like that.” Oakly tsks at me, and I startle at the sudden sound, my dry eyes blinking.

Looking down, my finger is still partially shifted from where I intended to try again to get in Mom’s book, but then I zoned out. Consumed with thoughts on how it’s not going to work again.

Peering over at Oakly, she’s staring at me with her brow arched and her beloved book in her lap. I’ve barely been able to glance in it. She keeps thatthing well protected, but she does like to show me her most interesting finds.

Interesting is putting it lightly.

It’s astonishing.

“Hence why the two of us are in my lounge while he, Gaster, San, and Keeper are in CC’s room.”

“You don’t think he’s going to feel or know you’ve once again carved up your palm? He told you no more.” She chuckles and I glare at her.

“Whose side are you on?”

“Your side, obviously.Hencewhy I’m warning you away from doing it. He threatened to hide the book from you until this was all over and not a part of me believes he was bullshitting you.”

I roll my eyes at her stupid-ass sound reasoning. Am I going to listen to her? No. My time is ticking, and I’ve got to figure this shit out. I know this book holds valuable information in it one way or another.

Everyone else around me is making amazing strides in everything they’re responsible for handling as we prepare to check the portals and hunt down my blood. Not only that but keeping up with their other day-to-day shit too.

It’s just me who’s falling behind and I’m tired of that feeling.

“I can tell you aren’t going to—Oh holy fuck,” she screeches, sitting up straight and dropping her book.

“What? What?” I scream in a panic, looking for her paper cut or a spider, whatever the fuck freaked her out.

“I think I found it. Oh, my Elementra, I think I found the relic.”

“The whole damn book is relics, Oakly. Give me more than that.”

I don’t mean for it to be so frantically demanding, but her bond is shocking my chest like I stuck my finger to an electrical outlet. She’s radiating so strongly right now, I can barely think straight.

“The relic for the fucking ritual. I think this is it.”

She flips the book around to show me, and the entire right side of the page is the image of a small ball. The crystal clear globe in the middle is surrounded protectively by a wielded bronze casing, and it sits on top of a four-footed bronze display stand.

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