Eridessa’s cries shift from sharp sobs to full screams.
On the next one, Pollock’s body visibly locks up. A shiver rolls through him. His eyes squeeze shut, and when they open again, they look eerily similar to how Eridessa’s had been before I left her—wide, unfocused, and flooded with something far deeper than pain. They are focused on the house, not me.
“Orán…” Distress bleeds through his voice.
“Her cries—they…” He drags a hand through his hair. “I can’t explain it. I feel them on a level I shouldn’t. I can’t even begin to describe what this is except that something—some force—is compelling me to go to her. Do you feel it too?”
I do.
Maybe not to the same extent, but it’s compelling all the same. Every inch of distance between us feels wrong.
I despise it.
“Yes,” I say quietly. “But I can’t, not yet.”
Exhaling, I tell him the rest. “She nearly died in my arms. I did what I could to save her, but it’s causing her tremendous pain. She’s unconscious… burning with fever.” My jaw tightens. “And, gods, Pollock, I need to find out what’s wrong with her. To do that, I need to go through her research.”
I glance toward the window. “It wasn’t just the power I gave her. She’s done something to herself. Giving her that much power was a catalyst for something else. I need to find out what.”
Another scream splits the air.
Pollock flinches, his shoulders locking as the sound hits. His head snaps toward the house, and without thinking, he takes a step in that direction.
“No.” I move quickly, intercepting him. Grabbing his arm, I tug him toward the cellar.
“Come with me. This way.”
He hesitates for half a second, then complies.
Moments later, I open one of the heavy doors, revealing the narrow staircase that drops into darkness. I don’t wait. I descend quickly, trusting him to follow.
“What is this place?” he asks, voice low as he comes down behind me.
“Her workspace. Her lab.”
Once I’m at the bottom, I take a look around at the mess and hastily grab Eridessa’s books from the floor and begin to search through them. It’s dark, but there’s enough light to complete our task.
“What are we looking for?”
“A book with pages crossed out. Specifically with a Red X.”
Pollock moves through the space.
I keep scanning, flipping pages. I come across many notes and symbols, but not what I’m looking for.
“What kind of book?”
“Something with sigils or ancient markings. Probably some kind of religious text.”
Pollock cocks his head, then he bends and retrieves a book that has fallen under the destroyed workbench. He taps it against his thigh, and his head turns this way and that. He looks up and eyes the massive spider on the ceiling, then the fluffy hamster curled up in the corner of the room. “Is there a reason all the creatures in this space are albino?”
“They’re not. They're like her. Like us.”
A weighty pause follows. “Her doing?”
I nod and answer, “Yes. But we can speak on that later. It’s a long story.”
Pollock opens the book and begins to look through the pages. A moment later, he holds it up for me to see. There on the page is a black X covering the entire page.
