Page 36 of From Frost to Flame

“He won’t calm down until he finds her,” Lex explained. Waves crashed against The Ravenous One’s statue in the middle of the pool, making it wobble. “They don’t separate—ever. Can you smell her? That might calm him down.”

“I don’t smell or sense anyone else nearby,” Silas said after a pause. “If I can’t smell her, she’s far away from us.”

“You’re sure?” Lex asked, wanting him to be wrong, but Silas only nodded. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, but I’m certain she’s not here,” Silas said, holding him tighter. “Something took her. Maybe the fae snatched her up.”

“What do you mean she’s not here?” Julian screeched.

Powerful winds shook the garden. Statues of warriors went toppling over and shattered as they met the frozen earth. Dust, rose petals, and leaves filled the air, and branches flew like rogue daggers.

Lex curled into Silas's chest to shield his face from the debris.

Tears rolled down Julian’s cheeks as he dropped to his knees and crawled through the water as if he could find Mora in the tiles.

“He’s tipped into having a vampiric outburst.” Lex stumbled as waves knocked into his waist now. “He’ll tear this place apart until he gets her back, or he passes out.”

“Julian, please!” Castor called, trudging toward him against his hurricane winds. “I’ll help you search the world for her, but first you need to calm down.”

“You don’t understand!” Julian screamed. “She can’t be gone! We have to find her now! We have to! I—”

And just like that, the water swallowed Julian. All the wind ceased at once, plunging the garden into an eerie silence.

Castor stood there, stunned, with his hand still outstretched.

Lex tore from Silas's grip and rushed over to where Julian once was. It was as if the fountain had eaten him whole and left nothing behind. “How? Where are they?” His lungs tightened, and his breath grew shallow. “Silas, where’s my family?”

Silas snatched his hand again and dragged him toward the shore with Castor in his wake. “I’m getting you out of here right now.”

“Wait,” Castor said, looking up. “I think the fae are close.” A loud thunk rang out and Castor fell backwards with a green arrow lodged in his shoulder. The water took him in a silent gulp.

“Silas, how are we going to find them?” Lex stammered. Suddenly, Lex was tackled into the water. The cold liquid enveloped him, and he nearly blacked out from pure fear. Adrenaline shot through his veins, and he thrashed in the water. He gripped at the damp edge of Silas's toga and scrambled to pull himself out of the black. “Let me up! Let me up!”

“Stay down,” Silas said through clenched teeth. “I got you, but you have to stay down.”

The sound of snapping glass rang out, and Silas lurched forward over him. Black ink dripped from above. Lex’s eyes widened at the obsidian arrow jutting out of Silas's chest. The veins around the wound blackened and puffed into ridges on his skin. The fabric Lex gripped in his fingers was damp with blood and ink that oozed off the arrowhead and into the pool.

“We need to get it out.” Lex’s worry for Silas made him forget his own fears. He moved to sit up further, but Silas shoved him back down.

“They’re still here. I don’t know where they are yet.” His arms buckled slightly but he managed to stay over him as a shield. “But I know it’s not safe.”

“I don’t care if it’s not safe. That thing is poisoning you or something.”

Silas's pupils swallowed up everything else, turning his eyes completely black. A blink later, they were gray again.

This is bad.“Move so I can help you.”

“The compass,” Silas said in a hoarse voice while ignoring Lex’s demands. “Look.”

Lex saw the glowing pin of the compass pointing down toward the inky water. “No. I’m not doing it,” he said as the realization of what Silas was suggesting washed over him. “I can’t.”

“Look at me. Yes, you can. I’ll be right behind you. You have to let go of me. Once you let go, the water will swallow you. When you get to wherever it takes you, find the others. At least find Castor. He’ll protect you.”

“We aren’t going to separate when you’re poisoned and there’s an arrow in your chest!”

“I don’t think we can go together. The water took everyone else when they were alone. I think that’s why we’re the last ones left. We don’t have time to argue about this. You need to trust me.”

“I...Fine,” he said, slowly releasing his grip on Silas. “I trust you, but you need to come right behind me. Promise?”

---