Page 80 of Edge of Wonder

No, I could bring her back. I’d done it before. The door cracked against the wall as I raced to the shed and grabbed a shovel. It sank into the dirt. Over and over, I dug until metal hit the buried hatch. It ripped open easily as if the rusted hinges had been used recently. The padlock that had chained the door to Alice’s tomb was already on the floor. Torches flickered.

Inside the tomb, the glass coffin was empty.

I sank to my knees in front of it, staring blindly at the bed of vines. It didn’t make sense. She was supposed to be here. Had I waited too long? I should have come sooner. I’d lost everything. My family, Alice, and for what? To see my name in the papers? For money? Because I was scared and didn’t believe? My forehead pressed against the cool glass.

Alice’s soft voice ruffled the hair against my neck. “It’s okay, Sebastian. It’s all in the past. There’s nothing to change and nothing to forgive. You already saved me. But now you have to let them save you.”

Was it that simple? I wanted to go home. To go back. Not to fix the past, but to embrace the future.

The air changed, becoming warmer. So hot, beads of sweat slid down my brow. I collapsed backward, staring up at the dirt ceiling. The pain in my side lessened. Beneath me, the hard ground softened, and the tomb crumbled.

“I think his fever broke. He needs rest, but he should be out of the woods now.”

“Thank you for bringing him to us. We owe you.”

“He would have done the same for us.”

The voices were back, swirling over me. I recognized them. My aunt Tessa, my mother, and—my nose wrinkled—Peter?Ugh, that man follows me even into death.

I clawed my way back to consciousness, peeling my eyes open against the harsh light streaming in from the windows. My head pounded, but the pain was welcome. It meant I was still alive.

“Argus! Sebastian’s awake.” My mother knelt by the bed and placed a cool compress on my brow. Her features came into focus, and then my father was there, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“See, I told you we should have placed bets on my healing magic. I would have made a killing. No pun intended.” Aunt Tessa dusted off her hands and gave me a wink. “Let’s go, Peter. We’ll let them catch up. I want to hear more about this croquet game. Deadly vines, you say? Is it magic or are they just evil?” Tessa’s voice faded down the hall.

“What is he doing here?” I asked.

“That young man saved your life. He found you lying in a field with a stab wound. If he hadn’t brought you to Tessa, you wouldn’t have made it. Even that was touch and go.”

Perfect.I’d treated the man poorly, and then we went and saved my life. The irony.

“Where’s Alice? Can I see her?”

My mother frowned. “She’s not here. Only her guard crossed through the gateway.”

I struggled to a seated position, wincing from the twinge in my side. A thick bandage was wrapped tightly around my middle, making it difficult to breathe.

“How long have I been here?”

“Four days,” my father said.

Four days!I swung my legs over the bed, my feet barely touching the floor before my father was pushing me back down, holding me in place.

“Relax, son. You shouldn’t be up and about yet. Give it some time.”

There was no time. Four days was an eternity. What if she hadn’t waited for me? What if she’d entered the last challenge with Tristan? The only thing keeping me from completely losing it was the fact that Peter was here. It meant she’d sent him after me. Because she suspected the truth, or because she wanted revenge?

Please, don’t let it be the latter.The last thing I wanted was for her to think for even a second that I’d left willingly.

“I have to get back.”

“We know.” My mother smoothed a hand over my shoulder. “But just rest for a little while. You can’t help Alice like this.”

I exhaled a breath and leaned against the pillow. “You knew I’d go back? Did you see it in the mirror?”

My parents looked at each other, unspoken words passing between them.

She smiled softly, turning back to me. “From the stories, Peter has told us, I don’t need a mirror to know that.”

---