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“She’s right.” I looked at Maddox. “We should go on foot. Maybe I should just go in alone.”
He laughed. “Are you insane? You barely survived the last two times you went into a forest. Third time’s the charm, right?”
“Shut up.” I clicked my tongue, then looked at Naomi. “What the…”
Maddox rubbed his forehead, smoothing the creases forming. “Oh, gods. She’s only gone and found religion.”
Naomi whispered into her closed hands, eyes closed.
My eyebrows pinched downward. “Are you… praying?”
She opened her eyes. “I have to do something. Maybe they can hear us or something.”
Maddox suppressed a smirk, but I caught it and burst out laughing.
She glared at us in turn. “It’s not funny. I’m just trying something.”
“Oh, Naomi.” Maddox shook his head, smirking. “You don’t pray to these gods. We were taught to pray to Estia only, to show gratitude or whatever, not to ask for them to come.” He looked at me, then laughed. “She’s trying to summon a god.” He paused, trying not to laugh. “Through prayer.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever. At least I’m doing something.”
He leaned against the wall, picking a piece of fluff off the sleeve of his shirt. Even after a night like last night, he always managed to look immaculate. “I never said I wasn’t doing anything. I actually agree with you and Elle.”
My eyes widened. “I’m sorry. You agree with us?”
“Don’t look so shocked. Sometimes you actually have good ideas.”
I placed my hand on my hip. “Sometimes?”
“On occasion,” he teased. “Look, Edmund is overly cautious and is too worried about you girls to really go headfirst into this thing. He thinks we need to stay on the road between the forest to stay safe, but we’ll just be moving targets to anyone watching. I think we should go in, but”—he put a finger in the air—“not alone, because I’m starting to think you have a death wish. We are all going together.”
“When do we leave?” I asked, glancing at a small window. Sunlight arrowed in, illuminating the dust in the air. “We can’t be in there at night.”
He looked at me incredulously. “The forest is huge, and the way to the mountains is at least a day’s trek. We’re going to be in there overnight, but fear not. I’m always prepared.” He patted his backpack without elaborating. “Get your stuff. We leave now.”
“Edmund’s going to kill you,” Naomi warned, a mischievous glint in her eye.
“No,” he said. “He’ll kill Elle. I’ll tell him this was her idea.”
I clicked my tongue. “Can’t you take one day off from being an asshole?”
He scoffed. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Naomi shouldered me, grabbing my hand. “Who thought it? Us.” Her eyes bulged. “Actually saving the world.”
“It’s hardly saving the world, Nai,” Maddox answered from ahead of us.
“Don’t listen to him. It kind of is,” I said, though it was a bit of an exaggeration. I admired her positivity. If it weren’t for her and Maddox, I would still be stuck in a vicious circle of depression and self-doubt. At least I could laugh again, even if it felt a little morbid to do so after finding Alexander’s body last night and knowing what was ahead of us. Somewhere in the depths of that forest or high in those mountains were vengeful gods with the ability to rip Istinia to shreds.
Chapter Twenty-Five
We checked out of the hotel and hurried through the small town with quaint shops and market stalls, where whispers of local slaughters were circling like the plague. Maddox rushed to one of the stalls on the dirt road and bargained for some apples.
I leaned into a conversation between a group of three women.
“Oh, yes,” one said to the others, her eyes wide. “The entire family, gone. Killed in the night by some monster.”
The second, shorter woman said, “No monster. I heard it was a man.”
