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Did she know what was causing it? That it was otherworlders? Was her attack on Savida revenge?
We were all quiet, lost in our thoughts, when we finally parked in the middle of a forest with very little around us.
Zaide looked around, confused. “Where are we?”
“This must be the wrong place,” Daithi told Charlie. “There is nothing here.”
“This is the place they were talking about,” Charlie said as he got out of the car. Daithi did the same.
“She is closer than before,” I said, searching for my connection to Winnie. It was stronger, and I knew she was close, but I couldn’t gauge how far exactly. I huffed at my uselessness and, as if reading my thoughts, Zaide gave me another squeeze.
He opened the car door and pulled me out, still keeping me close to him.
“Is she getting closer or farther away?” Daithi asked.
I hesitated, trying to feel if the bond was wavering in any kind of direction. Finally, I shook my head and said, “She doesn’t seem to be moving.”
We were silent for a moment until Charlie, who had been looking around, pointed. “What’s that over there?”
We looked over to see stairs leading to a rock. There were a few other people over there, touching the rock, taking pictures and selfies.
“Let us go and see,” Daithi demanded and began walking over.
We climbed the stairs and reached a platform which offered a view of the rock. Daithi waited impatiently at the top. He glared and said, “There is nothing here but this silly rock. I cannot sense magic or feel Savida’s fire. Clawdia must be mistaken. They are not here.”
“I’m not mistaken—” I started, but Charlie interrupted.
“I don’t know why, but Winnie was here an hour ago, and that could mean something. Something to do with their project. Let’s see if we can figure this out, and then I’ll check their account to see where they’ve gone next.”
I sighed and turned my attention to the rock. It had an interesting carving on it. I didn’t recognize the images, but it seemed to tell a story. At my side, Zaide traced the lines, gazing at it. I watched him as he followed the carving from one end to the other.
“Charlie—” Daithi started again, getting frustrated. I was losing my patience with him, but he intimidated me enough that I wouldn’t say anything. I had already stood up for myself enough for one day.
Charlie interrupted sharply, “Daithi. No matter what, we will find them today. They are going to be sleeping in a hotel somewhere tonight, and I promise I’m going to know where that is. Trust me.”
“It might be too late by then,” Daithi shouted.
I muttered, “It could be too late already.”
As his glare turned to me, Zaide read aloud from a sign. “Ramsund Carvings. The Norse hero Sigurd—” He stopped and turned to us. “This was in a story from the book we took from Winnie’s house. I was reading it on the plane. Clawdia told me Winnie began her interest in these myths only a few weeks ago, which coincides with her beginning this project.”
Zaide’s announcement didn’t satisfy Daithi. “All that means is that we are on the right path. It is not the location of Savida’s fire.”
“This is a good thing.” Charlie eyeballed him. “We aren’t going to find it that easy, and you’re in for disappointment if you think we are. All we can do for now is follow the clues. That’s what this is. A clue.”
Daithi nodded sharply, acknowledging Charlie’s frustration with him, and said nothing more.
Charlie continued, “We are assuming they need his fire for this project. But why would they need to see this rock to use his fire? We’re missing something.” He paced and ran a hand through his hair. “Remind me what his fire can do?”
Daithi replied quickly, enjoying the opportunity to be useful, “Anything. It is pure energy. It can heal, it can create, it can do anything when correctly channeled.”
Charlie turned to Zaide and asked, “And the story? What was it about?”
“A dragon and a slayer. The slayer killed the dragon and gained gifts and treasures from its defeat.”
“It’s fiction?”
I understood what he meant. He thought demons weren’t real until he met Savida and knew they were based on his race. Daithi answered confidently, “I haven’t ever visited a realm of dragons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
