“Where are we going?” the driver asked.
“I don’t know; you’re the one behind the wheel.”
“Ha, so I am. That’s interesting.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Brie asked as she met the soulful eyes of a cow with grass hanging out of its mouth.
When she waved at the curious animal, it lifted its hoof and waved back. She and the driver giggled.
“Silly cow,” the driver said.
“It wants to be our friend.”
“I’ve always wanted a cow for a friend.”
“Me too,” Brie said, and they both laughed.
She had no idea why they were laughing, but it amused her that she had so much in common with the woman beside her. The driver turned onto another dirt road far less traveled than the one they’d left.
Tree branches screeched against the metal as they scratched the sides of the car. Overgrown grass and sticks scraped the undercarriage. The driver crept over a couple of large rocks jutting out of the ground.
Whereas joy had filled her while they were passing the animals, a sense of foreboding encompassed Brie as they bumped and jostled their way up the dirt road, steadily ascending a hill before reaching a peak.
The car idled at the top of the rise as Brie stared down at the mound of earth below and the cave opening. The entrance was covered with boards, and a big, red sign with a skull and crossbones proclaimedKEEP OUTin big, black letters. Yellow signs were also nailed to the boards; they all declared danger.
Brie didn’t need to see the signs to know this place wasbad. The hair on her nape stood on end as she swallowed the lump forming in her throat.
“The stone is in there,” the driver said.
“It’s not the only thing in there,” Brie said.
“No, it’s not.”
They looked at each other. The driver’s face mirrored the sense of urgency and despair creeping through Brie. And then, the driver vanished.
Brie turned her attention back to the cave; she had to get that stone. She just wasn’t sure how to do it without getting everyone she cared about and herself killed.
She didn’t know what was in there, but it was evil. It could be demons. And if it was, that meant she had no chance of getting the stone, but none of her premonitions had led her to a place where demons resided. There was always a first time for everything.
However, she doubted her premonitions would lead her to a place where she could either die or be turned into a monster. But she couldn’t shake the feeling there was somethingincrediblywrong with the cave and horrible things lay within.
But she had no other choice; she had to find out what those horrible things were.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN
Asher heldBrie tighter as she whimpered in her sleep before going rigid. He had no idea what was happening, but she wasn’t having peaceful dreams. When she remained unmoving, he contemplated waking her, but then her eyes flew open.
Asher waited to see what she would do. She didn’t breathe as she stared at the ceiling. Then, her breath gradually hissed out of her.
“I know exactly where the next stone is,” she said.
She didn’t act as thrilled by that as he would have expected. “Then we’ll get it.”
“There’s something wrong there. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s somethingreallywrong.”
“Then we’ll face it together. Do you think it’s Savages and demons?”
“I don’t know. None of my visions have ever led me to them before, but there’s no reason why they wouldn’t eventually do so. I mean, our paths are inevitably going to cross one day. There’s no avoiding it.”
