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Ainsley rose and went to Evelyn’s side as well. “But I do. I have lost far too much that I hold dear. More than I care to share. And that is why I am here. I must do this. We must do this. We must defeat Bash before he destroys us all.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and I felt an ache in my chest.
“The lady is right,” Bruno said, and Evelyn met his gaze. “You have spent your life since the death of your mother protecting others. You can’t stop now.”
Jo breathed out an audible sigh of relief as did Jackson, while Rek sat still as a statue, his expression unreadable.
I, on the other hand, wondered what would come next. I supposed I was about to find out, as I’d opted to remain silent throughout most of the exchange.
“Very well,” the water caster conceded with a wave of her hand. “However, the key is not located within the safety of the dome. It is hidden inside a cave within the rainforest off the shoreline, protected by magic. My magic.” She paused for a moment. “And it requires blood to be retrieved.”
Bloody hell. “A cave?” I repeated with an arch of my brow. “What sort of cave?”
Evelyn folded her hands and placed them on her lap. “The dangerous sort, with obstacles around nearly every corner. It will not be an easy venture.”
“Of course not,” Jo and I muttered under our breath at the same time.
Ainsley rose from her crouched position. “When shall we leave?”
I sighed and looked to Jackson, who had the same expression for once. He did not seem thrilled, either.
The water caster scanned the room and stood. “I suppose we could leave now while we still have the sun overhead.” She shifted her gaze to Bruno. “Would you be a dear and gather the needed supplies for our little…trip?”
He inclined his head without a word.
Evelyn smiled. “Would anyone like a drink while we wait?”
Lifting my hand, I said, “Whiskey if you’ve got it.” I needed strong spirits for this trek.
“Killian,” Ainsley chided. “Honestly.”
I smirked. “Would you like to join me?”
“I would,” Jo piped in, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
When Jackson and Rek asked for a cup of whiskey as well, Ainsley could only roll her eyes. “Men, the lot of you. Jo, I’m surprised at you, too.”
“Oh, Ainsley,” Jo said. “You should really lighten up. And perhaps remove that stick from your ass.”
Ainsley attempted not to smile—and failed. “The lot of you…are all terrible.” She giggled.
Evelyn entered the room with a bottle of whiskey and wine. Pouring each of us a cup, she smiled. “To our journey ahead. May we come out alive and unharmed.”
I nearly spat out my whiskey. That was some kind of toast if I’d ever heard one. Odd woman, that one.
Ainsley eventually accepted a small bit of wine before Bruno returned with our supplies.
A short while later—once we’d finished our drinks—he arrived with torches, satchels full of Heaven’s knew what, and tossed one to each of us.
“All right, everyone, gather around, “Evelyn said, motioning us toward the foyer. “We have a bit of a walk ahead of us before we reach the cave’s entrance. Once we are outside the dome, prepare yourselves.”
Well, that didn’t seem ominous in the least.
I glanced at Ainsley, who appeared a bit apprehensive, yet excited at the same time. She squeezed my hand and I pulled her to my side, pressing a kiss to her hair.
The rest of our crew were rifling through their satchels, pulling out flasks of water, bits of dried meat, cheese, and bread, and a few other essentials. Huh. Necessities for survival if we happened to get lost in the wilderness by chance, I supposed.
Yes, this would be a splendid time indeed.
“Follow me, please,” Evelyn continued, and Bruno held the door open to a secret passageway.
