When my home was stripped away, it was the first time in my life I'd had nothing except for the clothes on my back. My mother had died years earlier after a long illness, so by then, it was just my father and me. We scraped by as best we could. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I lost him, and I found myself alone, broke, and clinging to a life that no longer existed.
My world had crumbled, and the cliffside manor my family had called home for generations crumbled too, swallowed by vines and clouded by sea salt.
Before he died, my father arranged to keep the land in our name so long as we repaid the debt in full by the tenth year. But with only small jobs and lecherous employers, that would have been impossible.
Then I met her. An old woman who ran a market stall selling rare artifacts and relics. She took pity on me and handed me amap, offering to pay handsomely for what I found.
So I turned my attention to the far more lucrative trade of finding lost things. Each successful hunt brought me a step closer to reclaiming my home. And now, when we found Incantus, I’d finally have enough to pay off the last of the debt and keep my promise. I could stop chasing shadows, foolishly expecting to find love and stability in a place where they didn’t exist.
Because if I kept trying, my heart might crack.
Or worse, I’d wind up dead.
I pushed the heavy thoughts away and followed Gavin through the narrowing tunnel. Shadows flickered against the wall. The ceiling dropped low, forcing us to hunch and twist our bodies through a tight gap. I ducked beneath a jagged overhang, my breath catching as my pack scraped the stone with a dry rasp. Cold air funneled through the passage, driving us deeper into the cave.
Gavin stretched his hand back, slowing me as we reached a steep ledge. A decaying bridge spanned the chasm, its ropes frayed and sagging in a loose arc. Rotted boards jutted between the lines like wooden teeth, ready to spill from the bridge's jaw.
We'd found the peril, and the only thing missing to round out this dreaded treasure hunter's nightmare was the bats. But I bet even they wouldn't touch that bridge.
And we were the reckless fools about to cross it.
Chapter 2
I peered into theabyss, wrinkling my nose at the foul stench of sulfur wafting from the hole. “I doubt there’s a hot spring down there, and if there is, I don’t want to swim in it.”
“The smell doesn’t help.” Gavin tested the closest board with his foot. The wood creaked and detached from the rope, sending the plank plunging into the void.
My throat closed as I counted the missing boards and questioned whether the remaining few would hold. Judging by the one that had failed to live up to its purpose, the odds weren’t good.
“I’ll go first,” I said. “I’m lighter.”
“You might be lighter, but I’ve got a stronger grip and a complete disregard for danger.” Gavin rolled his shoulders, corded strength rippling beneath his shirt. “How about we flip for it? Heads, I go first. Tails, it’s you.”
I eyed him warily. “Fine. Let’s leave it up to fate.”
Gavin removed a familiar, weathered coin from a pouch on his belt. He rubbed the silver between his fingers for good luck, then flipped it into the air.
The coin landed in the dirt, heads up.
“Damn.I thought I had that one.” He frowned and deposited it back into his pouch.
My hands curled into fists on my hips, and I narrowed my gaze. “You cheated. You know as well as I do that was a same-sided coin. It’s heads, no matter what.”
Gavin shrugged. “Don’t be a sore loser. Your time will come.”
“Before I joined this crew, you and I ran in the same gold-chasing circles for two years. And every time our paths crossed, youneverlet me go first.”
“And seeing how this is your last hunt…” He leaned in, his shadow swallowing mine. “I never will.”
I exhaled slowly, holding his gaze for longer than I should have. The words he said next, I’d heard a handful of times—ever since we became partners—and each time, it twisted something inside my chest.
“If I die…”
He waited for my answer; the same one I gave whenever we played this game.
“I’ll steal your share.”
The corner of his mouth curved softly. “You’re ruthless.”
