I’m too close. I can’t risk being discovered now.
“Do we really need a fire?” I ask as I crouch down to untie my boots, sliding each of them off, and making sure my dagger slips down inside as far as possible.
“This deep into the forest actually can get pretty cold. You’ll be glad later once the suns are all the way down.”
The kindling catches and I watch the flames engulf the logs. It almost feels like a sign, as if this is the moment where our entire plan sparks to life and gives us hope of getting home.
“Are all the safe houses like this? I mean—” I gesture to the bed behind him, and he glances over his shoulder, following my point. “Only one bed?”
“The rooms can change depending on how many people need it, but most Voyagers search alone, so they only ever need one.” He drops another log inside as crackling and popping fills the air between us.
“There’s two of us. Pretty presumptuous of Dawnlin, isn’t it?” I say, folding my arms across my chest.
Dane stands and chuckles before crossing the room to stop in front of me. He brushes a piece of hair off my face, his eyes softening as he looks into mine. “We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, one bed or not.”
I let out a breath, relief flooding my body, and I think he notices. Before either of us can say anything more, a loud growl from my stomach breaks the tension, and a loud laugh erupts from his mouth. “Let’s get you fed.”
Before he finishes his statement, a spread of food appears on the table next to us. Pulling out a chair, I sit hastily, digging in to the food and using it as an excuse to figure out how to keep pushing forward despite the location impediment. I need to stick to the plan and get out, but I’m still going to gather any information that might help us later. My time isn’t up yet.
“So,” I say between bites. “Why did we come here? What was your idea about the dust?”
Dane slides into the chair next to me and drapes his arm across the back of mine. “I want to check all the safe houses. I haven’t thought to search them before, but what if, like you said, the previous Guardians used them? What if they stored something that would be a clue, like books or maps?”
“I thought we weren’t allowed to have maps,” I say automatically. He still has no clue about mine.
“We can’t,” he answers. “But if there were old ones hidden in our safe houses, they would be protected. We’ve never had a Castaway inside one before. It’s the perfect place to keep important information hidden.”
I look around the room, trying to spot anything that could be a secret compartment, or any items that looked like they were left behind, but there is nothing out of the ordinary. The walls are bare, there’s no extra furniture. If there is anything hidden in this safe house, the magic decided not to show it to us.
“I wanted to check this one first because it is so secluded. It would make sense if something is hidden here.”
It does make sense. The isolation and darkness that surrounds it would make it easily forgotten or never found, as opposed to the houses that are more out in the open, like the one I was supposed to be in tonight. The seclusion makes for a great hiding place, but for my purposes tonight, all it brings is fear.
“But the safe houses are just like the cabin, right?” I ask. “They change depending on who needs it?”
“Right,” he says, and reaches out to grab a piece of meat.
My stomach sinks as I formulate my next question. The realization of what Dane’s idea could mean hitting me as hard as Sig’s fist.
“Are you the only one that can search them then? Will the magic only reveal whatever is hidden to the Guardian?”
His head tilts to the side as he considers it, perking up slightly with his response. “It’s possible. I haven’t tried, but maybe I should.”
If Dane is right, and the Guardians of the past used one of the safe houses to store information on Dawnlin, specifically how to get the dust, he might be the only one that can access it. If the magic protects the island, anything that could risk the dust falling into the wrong hands would stay hidden, only to be revealed to the Guardian.
Which means, if I take the pouch tonight, that’s all the dust we will ever have.
But what if the Guardian is the one who is causing the harm? Is the island protecting it from him, too?
I reach out for a cup of water and take a large gulp, trying to hide the worry on my face with this new possibility.
“Should I leave so you can look, then?” I ask.
Dane scoffs, as if what I asked was an absurd request. “Of course not. We’re taking a break tonight, remember?”
Of course. A break.
Tension coils in my shoulders, but I smile softly to hide the unease.
