Page 21 of Wilds of Wonder
My gaze locked onto Maverick's frowning face. It couldn’t be. This had to be a coincidence. The feeling stirring in my gut told me otherwise. It told me he was exactly who I thought he was. His voice, his words... my gaze dipped down to his hands laying flat on the desk, his forearms... even those looked familiar. How many times had I seen the bone collector use them when we’d been vying for the same artifact or relic? When we’d been playing our game?
I could barely breathe. Barely think. If I was right, it could only mean one thing.
Maverick Von Lucas was the bone collector.
Chapter Twelve
EMORY
Maverick and I stared at each other, the sound of my heavy breaths filling my ears.
The guards rapped on the door, and I jumped, breaking our staring contest.
Maverick nodded at me, an understanding passing between us. “I keep my office warm,” he said. “If it gets too drafty in here, feel free to open a window. If you’ll excuse me.” He pushed back his chair and exited the room, closing the door behind him with a click while I gaped.
The bone collector, and he knew I was the white rabbit. It was why he’d brought me back here. To confirm my identity. After all these years of us not knowing anything about each other, after how I’d left our last meeting... he must hate me. Except he wasn’t looking at me like he hated me.
I didn’t know how to feel about that. About him.
“Well that went about as well as the time I tried to climb a tree while drunk,” Driscoll said.
Both Leoni and I stared at him.
He cleared his throat. “I fell from a branch and broke my ankle.”
I jumped from my seat, glancing at Maverick's outline through the stained-glass pane of his door as he spoke with the guards.
“Feel free to open a window.”
That was what he’d said. He was helping me.
Without wasting any time, I ran to the window and looked down. Far, far down at the snowy expanse below. I gripped the bottom of the glass, rattling it, using all my muscle to shove it upward.
“Listen, I know you’re from the frost court and love the cold, yada, yada, but I’m freezing my balls off here, so if we could keep the window closed, I’d appreciate it,” Driscoll said.
I spun to face him, back flattening against the sill. “We’re escaping,” I said. “We have to go. Now.”
He rolled his eyes. “We already tried that. Remember a very similar situation where we escaped out a window and then got caught?”
Leoni crossed her arms, studying me. “What’s going on?”
My gaze shifted to Maverick, still speaking with the guards just outside this office. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think he’s the bone collector.”
Driscoll whipped toward the door. “The hot nerd? The hot nerd is the bone collector?”
“Will you stop calling him that? Just because you barely know how to read doesn’t mean he’s a nerd because he likes books.” Leoni stood, staring at the door. “The bone collector. Maverick Von Lucas? The most celebrated scholar in Arathia? Why would he be the bone collector?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t have any answers, but I’m almost certain it’s him, and he’s giving us a chance to escape.” I emphasized the last two words.
Driscoll frowned. “You think he’s out there talking to the guards on purpose?”
“Yes,” I said, exasperated. “So will one of you get over here and help me open this window so we can get out of here and then figure out what in the bloody frost he’s doing with Spirit Sky’s bolt?”
Driscoll looked at Leoni. “We’re probably going to die, aren’t we?”
“Probably.” She huffed and stomped toward me. “Let’s get going.”
I sputtered as she and Driscoll shoved past me and worked to pushopen the window, which was frosted shut. “We’re not going to die. Why would you say something like that?”
