Page 63 of The Wild Moon
I stared down at the entry I was reading.
I talked to Lars today after returning home. I explained to him I knew I was on the right track, that we’re closing in on it. It won’t be long now before we find Shuldar. He was angrier than I’ve seen before. Spoke about time running out. That he needed to find it and soon. I’ve never heard him speak like that, not to me at least.
I flipped forward the pages by about a month.
I don’t know what Lars wants me to find. He no longer confides in me.
How did I explain what these bits and pieces meant to me? That I was beginning to think that my father, once a staunch supporter of Lars, might have been coming to worry about him. That perhaps he was no longer as loyal as I once thought. Perhaps he’dneverbeen.
There was something else at stake. Something that was driving Lars’ search for Shuldar, and my father had sensed it, too. There wasn’t enough to go on, though. Not enough to fill in the pages upon pages of blanks. I doubted anyone who didn’t know my father would have been able to pick up on it because it was more whatwasn’twritten than what was.
The lack of support and eagerness to continue.
Had he been stalling?
I sat up straight. Was that it? Had my father figured out the location of Shuldar, and he’d been stalling, trying to delay Lars? But why? What was Lars up to that he needed to find Shuldar so badly? It made no sense.
“I just wish I could talk to him one more time,” I said quietly, closing the book. “I have so many questions. This gives me some clues, but it’s not enough. It doesn’t explain what’s going on, what I’m missing.”
Aaron nodded, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel. “Your father always told me you were smart. Smarter than he was. If he left you some clues, then you’ll find them. I believe it.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
In the sky, the sun began to dip, and the drumming echoed faintly in the back of my head, pushing through the blanket Aaron seemed to drape over me. Even in such proximity, I wouldn’t be able to ignore it for much longer.
What were you trying to tell me, Father?
Chapter Thirty-Four
After nine hours of driving and two pit stops, Aaron pulled his truck off the road–more like an old logging trail by this point–and proceeded to lead us on another two-hour journey foot through the forest.
“Long way out,” I grumbled as we climbed a rather steep incline.
I tried to keep my complaining to a minimum. It was hard, but I managed, especially since I was carrying little more than a heavy backpack, while the others were burdened down with large rucksacks stuffed to the brim with gear. Other than Fred, I honestly wondered how they all managed without falling behind.
“We’ll get there tomorrow,” Aaron said. “Near the end of the day.”
“This is where you always came with my father?” I asked.
I didn’t see any signs of a city around us.
“You’ll see,” Aaron said, following comfortably behind Alexi, who was leading the way, following some sort of trail only visible to him.
I glared at his back. Aaron was just as comfortable rucking through the mountains as he was navigating the streets of Kellar or blending in with the upper crust of society. He was a chameleon, and it irritated me. I wanted to know who hereallywas.
We continued to climb the ridge between two mountain peaks, and the closer we got to the top, the more I began to buzz with excitement. Whatever it was, it had to be on the other side, didn’t it? I couldfeel…something out there. It called me.
Feeling renewed in purpose and spirit, I surged ahead with a burst of energy, passing Aaron and falling in just behind Alexi.
“How do you spot where we’re going?” I asked. “I don’t see any signs.”
“Experience,” Alexi said gruffly, not elaborating.
“Is it some sort of hidden markings that tell you where to go? Something my father laid down when he came this way?” I wanted to know, eager for more information. We were on the right track. I knew it.
“No.”
Alexi was no help. He lengthened his stride and soon pulled ahead of me, even with my legs doing their best to keep up. I was too excited to be mad, so I just dropped back, walking silently next to Aaron, waiting for him to say something.
