Page 259 of Lethal King

Rian

1 month later…

Maybe this was a bad idea, after all.

I may not believe in curses, but this place feels cursed. The earth is black. The ruins are charred. And under the dim moonlight, it’s hard to tell the difference between the rocks and the bones.

Yet through all the darkness, there’s one redeeming quality—an unmistakable light.

This is where the love of my life grew up.

It’s also where we’ll find the last piece of her puzzle. The one that finally allows her to feel as complete as she makes me feel.

At least, that’s what I hope.

Now, I’m not so sure.

“Are you alright?” I ask.

When I place my hand on Roz’s shoulder, she flinches. Her entire body is stiff.

The knot in my gut tightens.

“Why are we here again?” she asks. There’s a vulnerability in her tough voice that would be imperceptible to the average person. But I know her well enough to hear it loud and clear.

“We’re looking for Tytus,” I gently remind her.

“And you think he’s here because of the coordinates he left you?”

“Yes,” I sigh, knowing how foolish it sounds.

The last time anyone saw Tytus was when I left him in the forest outside Leander’s mansion. Two weeks later, when I was lucid enough to ask after him, I found out that he had disappeared.

But not without a trace. He’d left one thing behind.

My phone.

It took another two weeks before I decided to take a closer look.

That’s when I saw the primitive carving.

Coordinates.

Tytus had etched a small set of directions into the back of my phone case.

When I finally had the strength, I followed them.

They brought me here, to Roz’s old village.

Why?

I still don’t know. But ever since then, I’ve been trying to get Roz to come. Part of me can’t get past the idea that Tytus might be trying to help his sister.

Another part of me worries he might be trying to do the opposite.

There was only one real way to find out.

“I’ll start looking,” Roz says, shaking my hand off her shoulder.