“No,” Sage replied. “You have no feelings, no senses. You’re just…dead.”
“It would be lonely,” Willow said sadly.
Sage guffawed in disbelief.
Raven fumbled in the pitch-black darkness, the chill of the musty air sending a shiver through her body. She felt blindly along the edge of one of the cold stone coffins until she reached Landyn’s side. “How’s your cut?”
“It will heal,” he said. “Brother Henry did a good job mending it.”
Raven smiled. She knew Brother Henry had done an admirable job binding Landyn’s wound. She had been observing his every move, ready to offer suggestions. “I was watching.”
Silence descended again, echoing in their ears.
“Aren’t you worried about Marcus?” Willow suddenly asked, her voice reverberating through the boulders.
“Of course,” Sage replied defensively. “I’m putting all my concentration into figuring this out. Otherwise, I’d go mad.”
“It will be well, Willow,” Raven promised firmly, hoping her conviction could ease some of Willow’s fear.
“It will,” Willow insisted. “Because I’m going after him in two days.”
Raven sighed. Willow would go. And they would accompany her. She looked toward Landyn, feeling his presence in the darkness. She could sense his searching for her, and when their hands connected, she felt an air of relief wash over her. His strong fingers gently massaged her knuckles, a loving reminder of his comfort. She closed her eyes for an instant, silently hoping Marcus would return with Christian safe and sound.
“How long do we have to wait for this glow?” Willow asked impatiently.
“All night,” Sage answered. “And it might not even happen. There could have been a full moon when it happened. Or no moon. We don’t know what the conditions were that triggered the glow.”
“Then what are we staying here for?” Willow asked in exasperation. “We could be in a warm bed with a blanket.”
“We might have to wait more than one night,” Sage stated persistently.
“Oryoucan wait tomorrow night, and I can go find Christian.”
“It’s not two days,” Raven reminded Willow wearily. “We promised Marcus we’d give him two days.”
Willow’s voice was sharp with defiance. “Then I can sleep in a comfortable bed in the church while you wait in the cold, dark cemetery.”
Raven shook her head. She had to agree with Willow that a comfortable bed would be preferable to this cold crypt, but she knew Sage would never miss discovering the clue.
“Did you hear that?” Sage asked.
Raven stilled her movements, listening. She tilted her head, straining to catch what Sage heard.
“I don’t hear anything,” Willow complained from somewhere in the dark.
“Shhh,” Sage snapped.
The surrounding area was deathly quiet again. Raven felt a chill breeze on the back of her neck. She held her breath and listened intensely, but the only sound was that of her heartbeat. After a long moment of stillness, a distant moaning broke through the darkness and reached her ears.
“There!” Sage shouted. “Did you hear it?”
“Shhh,” Landyn said.
“I did,” Willow replied in excitement. “What is that?”
“Quiet,” Landyn commanded. “Let’s find the source.”
Raven stepped away from Landyn, keeping her hand on the stone coffin beside her for orientation. Her breath caught in her throat as she closed in on the source of the noise—a low, drawn-out groan that echoed between the rocks, barely louder than a whisper. And then, it was gone.
