Page 70 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Aaden takes some close-ups of the Jar, muttering about it needing cleaned and the quality of the photos. Finished, he hands it to an anxious Jed.

He rolls it over in his hands, looking directly at me. “Was there anything else in there?”

I inwardly cringe and try deflection, praying he isn’t as astute as Zac. “Apart from Betty? What are you going to do with that?” I ask, pointing at the Jar.

Jed frowns. “Who’s Betty?”

I flop onto the sofa. “The old woman.”

Jed snorts. “You made friends with the leader of a savage tribe known for cannibalism?”

Zee trots down the stairs, laughing. “She has a habit of befriending the nasties of the world.”

I shudder, remembering the bone neckless. “Nobody told me they were cannibals.”

Jed gives us a little wave. “Laters, babe.”

I roll over on the sofa. “We need an update on Mary’s heart symbols.”

“I’ll get Archan to call you,” he replies, before popping out of existence.

Zee sits next to me and tugs my hair. I slap his hand away, causing several leaves stuck in my hair to flutter around my face.

“Consider that your souvenir,” I quip. “I need a quick shower, then we can discuss what else I found in the cave.” I throw my phone at Duncan. “Check out the photos on there.”

Duncan catches it, his face lighting up.

***

Clean and de-leaved, I sit next to the fire as we examine the photos. Some match those found on Mary’s body. Charlie joins us on a video call, courtesy of Aaden’s laptop.

“Duncan has updated me on how you reached the cave. Talk me through the rest of it, Natia. Leave nothing out,” Uncle Charlie says, giving me his stern boss look that makes grown men cower.

“We were about to be attacked by the natives, and I managed to throw up some sort of shield around us, then—”

“Shield? What do you mean? You don’t carry a shield,” Uncle Charlie interrupts.

I bite the inside of my cheek; this is going to be a difficult conversation. “Yeah… so I used my elemental magic to form some sort of barrier.”

“It was pretty cool,” Duncan adds with an encouraging smile.

Uncle Charlie’s eyebrows scrunch up as he waves his hand, indicating I should continue.

“So, after what seemed like some kind of argument, the tribe got on their knees and sort of bowed down.” Uncle Charlie’s eyebrows shoot up as I continue. “Their leader, an older woman, took me into the cave, which was covered in symbols—they seem to be written in the same language as the warnings on Mary Conway’s body. I took pictures so Duncan can study them.”

“Why wasn’t Duncan with you?”

I glance at Duncan and tug on the end of my braid. Uncle Charlie is going to flip. “She would only allow me inside. Duncan and Jed waited outside.”

“You went in alone?” he grinds out, as the infamous eyebrow starts jumping around.

I nod and note the pink shade of Charlie’s face—stage one of his anger. “After a short tunnel, we entered the main chamber. Betty—”

“Who’s Betty?” Uncle Charlie snaps.

Zee snorts as I answer. “The old woman. Anyway, she used some sort of ritual involving the four elements and candles to unlock a spell, which then revealed the Jar.” I’m leaving a hell of a lot out of that explanation, which my ever-perceptive uncle recognizes.

His features soften. “The line is secure, Natia. It’s my personal one.”

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