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ChapterThirty-Four
The moon hadn’t risen yet, soonly the twinkling stars lit the sky. We followed a narrow pathway that wrapped around the edge of the peak. I led the way with the torch, keeping close to the face of the mountain and away from the black void that would take us to our deaths if we took a wrong step.
I explained to Graham how I’d seen the boat sail in. I didn’t tell him it was Cael’s, but now I wouldn’t have to. We could leave the island without him following. Maybe I didn’t have only one choice. Maybe I could think of a plan that didn’t require betraying Graham. Maybe I could let my heart feel, without blocking the feelings I’d fought so hard.
“Do you think it’s the Enforcers?” asked Graham.
“It’s possible,” I said, “but I’m not worried. The islanders would dominate them.”
“What if they take your boat after theirs is stolen?”
If it really were Enforcers, I’d have the exact same concern. “We’re fine for now. The boat isn’t patched yet. It wouldn’t get far if they tried to sail away with it.”
My answer seemed to satisfy him. He switched the barrel to the other arm and followed close behind, keeping to the light cast on the ground by the torch.
“It’s hard to believe the only water source here is at the top of a mountain,” I said.
“I couldn’t find anything along the shore,” said Graham.
“Strange.” I stepped over a fallen log in the pathway. “Can’t say this is my favorite island.”
“There’s a mysterious beauty to it,” said Graham. “I could see you fitting in here.”
I laughed. “Because of my criminal history?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Could you ever imagine living here?”
“I’d have to get better at climbing, and swimming . . . and everything, but even so, I’d always feel too ordinary to belong.”
“I think you’ve done enough to be considered officially un-ordinary.”
“Thanks. That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
I looked over my shoulder at him. When I saw his playful smile, my own widened.
“You seem . . . happier,” he said. “I don’t think you’ve mocked me in the past hour, for one thing.”
“Am I that bad?”
“Absolutely.”
I laughed. Iwashappier. It didn’t make total sense. I didn’t know how we’d get my boat fixed or when we’d leave this island, but I felt sure we’d be okay. Knowing I had an ally in Keane gave me another layer of security.
The path widened and Graham moved to my side. “Something else is different, too. It’s the way you’re . . .” he paused and looked me in the eye “. . . the way you’re looking at me.”
I would’ve denied there was anything special about the way I was looking at him, but the problem was that I could feel myself doing it at that very moment. I wanted to take in every detail of him, to know him to his core, and judging by the way he looked back at me, he felt the same.
It became so pleasantly uncomfortable that I finally forced myself to pull away and continue up the path. My breath caught in my throat when I rounded the final corner.
The path had delivered us to the top of the peak. I hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t this. A vast, black lake, as still as a mirror, spread out before us, floating above the rest of the world. It reflected the entire night sky as if a piece of the heavens was caught in the mountain’s grasp.
“Incredible,” said Graham.
I reached my hand down and broke the peaceful glass. “You won’t believe this, but it’swarm.”
He set down the barrel and crouched beside me, dipping his hand into the lake.
