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Chapter Twenty-Three
Alone and heartbroken, I stare down the empty path. Duncan is gone and no matter it’s for the best, I’m alone and it hurts. I have no right to feel this way, no right to capture his attention, I don’t belong here. Heavy drops of cold rain splat on my head. Shivering, I consider going back to the village, but I can’t face Duncan. Turning my back on the path I wander, waiting for dark.
The rain never develops and soon the clouds part. As the sun sets, the vast sky—twinkling with millions of stars I don’t think I’ve ever seen so clearly—mocks me with its black emptiness. Those dots of sparkling light are like my hope: so incredibly far away they’re not really real.
The moon emerges from the clouds casting its cold, silvery light on the land. I rub my face to force blood flow and drive back the numbing cold. As the moon comes fully out, its pure white face stares, sitting in impassive judgment.
The world around me has an air of unreality, as if I’ve stepped into a negative dimension. All the landmarks are here, the same, but colored in black, white, and silver. Clouds move across the moon, creating shadows that chase each other through the grass and across the stone outcrops.
I make my way towards the standing stone and as I do, resolve becomes certainty. Tonight, I’m getting answers. No more mystery. No more clever ploys. If I have to shake it out of the dark stranger, I’m getting the truth.
Certainty breeds confidence and they join in my heart. I square my shoulders and lengthen my stride. I don’t know how to handle Duncan or save this village, but if anyone is to have a clue, it’s the stranger. This isn’t for me alone anymore. The lives of the villagers hang in the balance. It doesn’t matter that many of them have been mean or treated me like an outcast; none of them deserve to die.
The standing stone where he said to meet comes into view. The moon shines its full light down on it and creates an empty pool of silvery-white around it. I stop and look around, trying to spot him.
“If you don’t show up, I’m going to…” I mutter, walking ahead faster.
Going to what? Yell? Shake my fists in the air? What exactly am I going to do?
It’s not like I have a clue how to fight. I’ve never been in a physical confrontation in my life. It doesn’t matter; none of my negative thoughts are enough to damage my resolve. I’m going to do something. What, I’ll figure that out when I’m in front of his stupid, know-it-all face.
The standing stone casts a long shadow as I climb towards it. As I get closer, there’s still no sign of him.
“You son of a—”
“Quinn,” he says, stepping out from behind the stone.
I bite back a yelp, my heart racing. I could see everything as I approached, and he wasn’t there a moment ago.
“How did you do that?”
He answers with a smile. Something flutters and then a raven, or maybe it’s the raven, lands on top of the stone behind him. The raven caws then tilts its head and stares.
“And why is that bird following me?”
“You showed up,” he says.
“That’s not an answer,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring. I wait for a response but neither he nor the stupid bird say anything. Those aren’t the important questions anyway. “What choice do I have?”
“Quinn, there is always a choice and the choice is always yours.”
I close the distance between us in two long strides. He’s taller than I am, forcing me to crane my neck back and look up at him. He must be six four, maybe six five. His face is no longer hidden in shadow. He’s darker than I expected for some reason. He’s also stunningly good looking, which blasts away the snappy comeback I had prepared.
“You…”
The rest of the thought is gone.
“Yes, I am me. You are you,” he says.
I shake my head and think of Duncan. Of how mean I’ve been to him while he has been so nice. Of how I’ve had to keep him at a distance because I don’t belong here. Of all the questions I have.
This guy has the answer I need and like that, I find my resolve.
“I want answers.”
“You always do.”
“That! You said ‘always’. What does that even mean? You act like you’ve known me all my life or something. I’m sure I would remember you if that was true. Why do you make statements like that?”
