Page 5 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

She nodded, her expression solemn. ‘I will.’

‘We won’t be long,’ I promised the others.

Fraser pulled me into a brief hug. ‘Stay safe,’ he mumbled gruffly into my hair.

‘I will,’ I promised. ‘I’m sorry I can’t take you all.’

‘We’ll see it soon enough when you restore our own Flame.’ His quiet confidence in me reassured me.

‘That’s not a certainty,’ I said.

‘I believe in you, Beatrix Stonehaven. I have yet to see you fail in anything you’ve set your mind to. Whether it takes a day, a month or a year, you’ll restore our Flame.’

The thought of it taking a year made me feel faintly sick.

I looked towards the sparkly water, just past the cliff’s edge. ‘You could go for a swim instead?’ I suggested.

I could see the naked desire to do exactly that in his face, but he shook his head. ‘No, I’ll wait here for you. In case you need me – or my pelt.’

‘I’m not going to get hurt,’ I promised.

‘Probably not,’ he conceded. ‘But I’ll wait here all the same.’ He gave me one last squeeze, pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead and stepped back.

This was it, the moment we’d been working towards for weeks. We’d not only found a Flame, but a Guardian who was willing to talk to us. I hoped and prayed with all ofmy soul that she could help us, that she knew how to fix a flickered-out Flame, because if she didn't I wasn't sure I could bear to undertake another search and fail all over again.

Maddie grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly as we stepped towards the priestess, and I could tell that she was as nervous as I was. Eva automatically followed at my heel and I bit my lip as I looked down at her. ‘Excuse me, Priestess? Can my dog come too?’

The priestess looked amused. ‘Why not? Her energy won’t affect the cavern. Come, this way.’ She took the lead once more, guiding us down a series of stone steps to a vast cavern, at the bottom of which was a pool of water.

The pool did not appear black, as water underground tends to; instead it was shimmery, pearlescent, as the light of the Eternal Flame reflected on its dancing surface. I gasped in wonder and tears pricked my eyes. I could feel it, truly feel it vibrating through my very being. I started to shake with relief at being in the presence of a Flame again.

I’d missed it, I realised. Really, truly missed not only its warmth and power but also something more, something deeper. The Flame was my purpose, and now I was standing in the presence of another one, I could feel that purpose roaring back to life. I was aGuardian.

‘Holy fuck,’ Maddie breathed.

I noddedwordlessly, awe making me mute as I looked around the cavern. Stalactites were hanging from the ceiling and there, in a small alcove cut into the rock, was the Flame itself lighting the cavern with a wondrous, iridescent light. And the warmth! It was unnaturally but familiarly hot, it was like coming home – if home had been a cavern in Scotland.

Watching the Flame’s flickering colours, I felt an unexpected yearning and sudden tears pricked my eyes. I’d forgotten how beautiful it was. I wantedmyFlame back to undo the decade of running away. I wished to hell I’d never left its side.

‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ The priestess smiled at me.

‘Mesmerising,’ I agreed, finally finding my tongue again.

There was a large circular rug laid out on the ground surrounded by cushions. She motioned for me to sit down. ‘Come, tell me what happened.’

Those traitorous butterflies in my belly started fluttering again and my mouth dried. I licked my lips anxiously. What if she refused to help us when I admitted that I had abandoned my Flame?

Maddie settled down next to me, her eyes wide as though she couldn’t believe what she was seeing was real.

Beside the cushions were several hammered-metal cups. The priestess picked up a couple of them and filled them with water from the pool. She held them out to us. ‘It is just water from the lake,’ she said when she saw me eyeing it. ‘It is cleansed by the knucker, so it is perfectly safe to drink.’

I didn’t want to be impolite so I accepted the goblet, though I didn’t immediately take a sip. I’d been taught my whole life to boil water in the wild before consuming it – but this was knucker-cleansed, right? As I debated whether to sip or not, Eva moved from where she’d been watching the Flame intently, trotted over and took a hearty gulp from the pool. She turned back to me, water dribbling from her golden jowls, and her tail wagged wildly.

All right, then. I took a sip. It was delicious. ‘Oh, wow,’ I said to Maddie. ‘This is the best water I’ve ever tasted.’

The priestess settled on a cushion opposite Maddie and me with the Flame at her back. ‘Tell me how you came to be here,’ she said. ‘And why you need my help and that of the Eternal Flame. I should warn you that I am bound to serve the people of Hallowburn Harbour, and if what you ask of me goes against their interests...’

‘It won’t, Priestess,’ I said quickly. ‘At least, there is no reason I can think of why it should.’

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