Page 29 of Treasure of the Abyss

If Macy owed Camrin anything, it was closure. The truth of her feelings would cause him pain, but she couldn’t allow him to spend the rest of his life believing himself responsible for her death, longing for they might’vehad…

She stared at the cliffside until Jax returned. She needed to try — forherself.

There would only be onechance.

Around midday, she crawled out of the shelter and stood up. Jax was drifting in the shadowed water, barely moving, his eyes fixed onnothing.

“Jax?”

He lifted his head and swung his gaze toher.

A pang of guilt constricted Macy’s chest; the eagerness and anticipation in his expression suggested he’d been waiting for her to speak to him for a longwhile.

“Would you…” She bit her lip and shifted her weight. “I’mhungry.”

He brightened slightly. She couldn’t be sure if it was because she’d spoken, or because she’d given him an excuse to leave this awkward silencebehind.

“I will bring you something toeat.”

“Thankyou.”

Jax seemed torn as he left, hesitating and glancing over hisshoulder.

Fear gripped Macy’s insides; did he suspect her truemotive?

His pupils expanded, his siphons widened, and he disappeared under thesurface.

Macy held her breath, counting the seconds to ensure he was gone. He hadn’t been gone for long the last two times he’d hunted for her. There was only a tiny window ofopportunity.

She used some scraps of cloth to tie her wrapped knife to her thigh and ran across the island, leaping into the pool. The chill only pushed her to the ledge faster. Hauling herself up beside the waterfall, she tipped her headback.

The cliff was higher than anything she’d ever climbed, a sheer wall of rock and vines. This wouldn’t be like climbing a tree. But the vegetation was secure, and this was her only shot. Jax wasn’t going to take her home. If she wanted to ease her loved ones’ grief, to confess everything to Camrin, she had toclimb.

Taking a deep breath, she reached up as high as she could and slipped her fingers into the mess of vines, wrapping the loose ends around her hand. She tugged and then leaned back with her fullweight.

The vinesheld.

She released a tremulous breath and jumped, grabbing another handful of vegetation. Pressing her feet to the rock, she found whatever purchase she could with her toes, and climbed. She held her gaze on the top as she moved higher andhigher.

Time was limited — Jax could return at any moment — but she kept her pace slow and steady. There were only three possible outcomes for this. He’d come back to find her part way up the cliff, he’d come back and find hermissing…

Or he’d find her broken body floating in the poolbelow.

The thought made her dizzy. She pressed her forehead against the vegetation and closed hereyes.

Focus. Just keep lookingup.

Perspiration beaded on her skin, and her muscles screamed with exertion. Long hours of labor in the fields had kept her fit, but she was unused to these motions. She was lifting her own bodyweight each time she movedhigher.

By the halfway point, her limbs were trembling, and doubt had infested her mind. She halted, clinging to the cliffside, and forced herself to take deep, evenbreaths.

Let your people think you died in thestorm.

“No.”

You already let them kill youwithin.

“I didn’t,” sherasped.

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