Page 243 of Sigils & Spells

At the end of the hall, I pushed the door open and stood in the cool night air, leaning against the jamb for support. The breeze tickled my bare legs, raising goosebumps. Unsure of where I intended to go, I simply took in my surroundings. The entire complex lay silent on top of our mountain peak, the stars shining in the inky sky above.

Unable to stand any more, I sank to the ground, gritty sand embedding into my flesh where it pressed into the earth. Wrapping the thin hospital-type gown around me, I listened to the sounds of the night. Crickets. Frogs in the pond down past the stables. The hoot of an owl rang across the treetops.

Even though the cool, dark night was precisely the opposite of the day we held our picnic, the mirror effect wasn't lost on me. The details of that day would never be lost to me, etched in my mind forever.

Closing my eyes, I allowed them to wash over me once more.

CHAPTER5

Voices interrupted my sleep,and I tried to listen to them without opening my eyes. At some point, I ended up back in the medical bed, and the door to the room wasn't closed. Whoever stood in the hallway was arguing, and I didn't know about what until I heard my name.

“Keep your voice down, or she will hear you.” I recognized Diana's usually even tone, and she wasangry.

“Why are you protecting her? ShemurderedGenevieve. Whether it was intentional or not her playing around with her powers got that poor girl killed. She doesn't belong here. She is a danger to us all!”

“The High Priestess disagrees with you, so if you can't shut your mouth, then you can leave and there is no reason for you to come back in here.”

With a huff of indignation, the owner of the other voice stalked off down the hall, her shoes slapping against the floor. Diana slipped into the room and pushed the door just closed behind her. She was startled when she saw me watching her.

“Oh! You're awake. How are you feeling?” She situated herself on the edge of the bed beside me.

“I didn't kill Evie. I couldn't save her, but I didn't cause the accident. Does everybody think I did?” My voice cracked on the last words.

Diana hesitated. She grabbed my hand and lift her chin before answering me. “Some people think that. Not everyone. You have to understand, nobody has had the opportunity to talk to you and get your side of the story, which means the only thing we know is what we managed to piece together from the clues we found.”

“Evie? Where is she?” I had to know. I needed to hear someone say the words to me. “I want to see her.”

Diana shook her head. “I'm sorry, child. You can't see her.”

“PLEASE.”

With a deep exhale, Diana turned even more toward me and sandwiched my hand between both of hers. Tears glistened in her eyes but didn't fall.

“We never found Evie.”

“What?” I jerked into a sitting position. “Then why aren't we out there looking for her? She could be hurt and waiting for someone to save her!”

Diana pushed me back onto the bed and in my weakened state I didn't have enough strength in me to get past her. “Annarah. The flood was intense. If she got caught up in it, which she must have or we would have found her during the initial search, there is no way she survived.”

“How do you know that? I did. Barely, but I did. She must be out there somewhere, scared and probably hurt. We have to find her.” Tears coursed down my cheeks at the thought of her laying out there scared, alone and in pain.

“My child, please. We searched everywhere. The entire length of the river bank from the waterfall down. She was nowhere to be found.”

“Then she must not be dead.”

Before Diana could continue to explain herself, the door to the room pushed open and the High Priestess entered, followed by the healer. Her lips pursed at the sight of Abigail. But she stood and curtsied to the High Priestess, something that didn't happen very often.

“I'd like to speak to Annarah alone once Abigail has checked her over.” She didn't look my way.

Diana nodded. “Of course.” She turned to me. “I'll come back and check on you later. You just focus on getting well.”

Abigail performed a cursory check on me, taking my vitals and making some observations, all in total silence. As she finished up, she nodded to the High Priestess and left the room.

Laying in the bed, I watched the facial expression of the High Priestess, wondering what she thought. I knew from the conversation I'd overheard that she didn't necessarily want to throw me out, but not much else. And she could change her mind at any time. The residents of the temple complex lived here only by her leave.

“Annarah. First off, how are you feeling?”

“Physically? I'll be fine, eventually.” Did she need to know so she wouldn't feel bad about telling me I needed to leave?

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