Page 58 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“We could discuss it alongside your issues with Emi?” I say. Zac stiffens. Yeah buddy, that’s what I thought.

Nathan points to the elegant script above the doors, shimmering in gold against the black rock. “That is a riddle,” he points to the doors, “and those are the answers.”

I sigh, riddles I hate because they make no sense, definition of riddle but still. “Okay, so have you solved it and know which one we should go through?” Out of everyone, hope should work for me. Nathan shakes his head. What is the point of being the embodiment of hope, if I don’t get my prayers answered?

“Also, unless you want to send out a beacon to all supernaturals, you need to put your shields back around your glowing aura and mind,” Duncan says, a slight scowl sitting on his face.

“Sue me, being plucked by a griffin and almost dying made me lose my mind.” I grunt and start the tedious process of rebuilding them. I pick “Survivor” by 2EWI to hurry the job along. Zac groans.

“How have you stood this for years?” he asks Duncan.

Duncan shrugs. “It wasn’t my preferred method of shielding, but you kind of get used to the pitch - or lack of - after a while.”

Nathan snorts. Zac glares at the doors. If my hope won’t cut it, his wrath won’t. “Hera liked riddles, but she was fair. If we solve it, we will gain access to the temple,” Nathan says.

“Okay hit me,” I say, coming to stand in a line with the others to glare at the door.

“On my own, I am darkness, a black abyss. But, life brings me light with its gentle kiss. I am quiet and cold, but warmth I can hold. Alongside beauties and wonders, sights to be told. My surface may be bare, this I am aware. But, beautiful secrets I am eager to share. My mouth so large, I swallow you whole. To be in my belly is your goal. What may lie within can drive men to sin. Greed and desire, gluttony’s kin. For some, I am fear. For others, hope. My perception shaped from life’s scope. From the earth I have come, and forever will stay, even if parts of me crumble away. What am I?”

“What are the answers?”

“Here, there, everywhere,” Duncan says, squinting at the doors.

I blink at the doors. “Is it me or are the answers more confusing than the riddle?”

If Aaden were here, he would have cracked this in two seconds flat. Zee folds his arms. “We should work backwards.”

“Huh?”

He gestures towards the doors. “We have the answers, let’s pick one and work backwards. If the question fits, that’s our solution, if it doesn’t we move on.”

“That’s… logical,” Zac concedes. I grin, score for team Natia.

I take a step towards the door on the right. “Which one is this?” I ask.

“Everywhere,” Nathan says.

“Okay, so the stuff about the dark and light fits, it’s everywhere. Also everywhere can be cold and warm. The stuff about it being bare, well if there isn’t anything bringing it light, it’s bare, and everywhere is land, which is what wars are fought over.”

Zee nods. “And no matter what the landscape, everywhere still exists.”

I step forward and put my hand on the door. “Then this is it.”

“Wait!” They shout in unison.

I glance over my shoulder and arch a brow. “What?”

Duncan runs a hand through his hair, the unruly curls flopping forward. “Shouldn’t we check the other answers first?”

“Time is ticking, we’ve already spent too long battling griffins.”

“And waiting for you to heal,” Zac mutters.

I roll my eyes. “Exactly.” I push on the door and step into the dark. “See, nothing to worry about.”

The ground gives way and in a rush of air which steals my breath, I’m falling. I swish around a corner, no wait, not falling, I’m on a slide. Aholy shit this ends in a pit of vipers and tarantulaskind of slide, rather than a fun kiddy one. I slow clap my brain for thinking of giant hairy spiders. I need to stop being so damn sure of myself. Natia Waterford, unraveller of mysteries. My heart thuds in my chest as I send a quick prayer to whichever god is in charge of saving my ass from stupid decisions.

“Natia!” Zee’s voice echoes somewhere behind me. The bloody idiot has jumped in after me. I’m still plummeting down. How far does this thing go? My arm knocks into a solid wall as the slide takes a sharp left. I scramble to unlock the whip from around my waist. Once it’s free, I wrap it around my fist and figure praying has to work at some point, it’s the law of averages. The leather snaps out into the pitch black, it snags on something. I grip the handle tight, my arm jerks and a scalding burn rips through my shoulder. It’s been dislocated on several occasions, this time I avoid it. My fingers skim the wall, trying to discern if there is a way to get off this endless slide of doom. I find a small nook, my hand climbs higher, it hits air. A ledge? A hissing sound is my one second warning before someone’s boot slams into my shoulder. It pops out and my entire arm loses strength, a cry of pure agony erupts from me.

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