My mother, standing over my grave.
My father, falling to his death.
My sister, losing her mind.
Daryn, with Samrael.
With him, the same way she was with me a little while ago.
Before long I'm grinding my teeth and stressed out of my mind. I exhale a long breath, pushing the tension out, and my gaze falls on Daryn's notebook. I grab it and flip it open, turning to "Reasons."
Right away I notice that there are several kinds of handwriting. I recognize Marcus's ridiculously fancy cursive. He writes like he's signing the Declaration of Independence. I know Daryn's, of course. And Jode's, which is like a lighter version of Marcus's. My scrawl's here on the few lines I added a while ago. And then there are the lines written in block letters that slant to the left like they're leaning backward.
Bastian's writing.
From what I can tell, they passed the journal around, everyone adding to it. But somewhere along the way Sebastian took over. His additions make up the last ten entries.
I sit up, angling the page so the firelight hits it, and read.
65. The end of a long wait for something. Waiting is the worst!-S. L.
66. The way good friends don't change very much even after a long time apart. (I knew we'd get right back to this!)-S. L.
67. CHOCOLATE! Chocolate chips in trail mix! Chocolate is the king of foods!-S. L.
68. The time G and I were sock surfing in the hallways of the train in maybe Sweden?-S. L.
69. Jode's laugh. Psycho! (Have to use on a character someday.)-S. L.
70. This list! I love it!-S. L.
71. Knowing that even though someone's pissed at you, it's only temporary. Good friends forgive.-S. L.
72. Loyalty, and walking the line between old friends and new ones.-S. L.
Damn.
"What do you think?" Marcus is still awake. He sits up, rubbing a hand over his face.
"About the list?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "About what Bas wants. About us going to this place to see Samrael."
"Worst idea I've ever heard. I'm not exaggerating. The top worst." I catch myself using Bas's words. It's already happening. I'm already picking his dumb sayings up. "What do you think? And what about Jode?"
"He hasn't said. He's been listening, asking questions." Marcus shrugs. "I'm same as you."
None of that surprises me. And I already know where the last member of our group stands. Daryn has pulled her legs up and curled into a ball. She's almost smiling in her sleep. "How's she going along with this idea? She's handing out trust like it's free."
Marcus rubs a hand over his scalp. "You don't think it is?"
"No. Do you?"
"Not in my life. Not how I learned it." He lies back and stares at the patchwork of night sky, branches and leaves. "But maybe it should be."
We're quiet for a while. I debate dredging up the past. Never a good idea, but I do it anyway. "Are you still pissed at me?"
He looks at me. "I didn't like how it felt."
"You know it wasn't me. If I could I'd go back and beat all of my asses."
"I know."
"Okay. You're not breaking up with me, right?"
He smiles. "I'm gonna give you another chance."
I knew we were fine. It'd take a lot more to damage our friendship. But it's still good to hear. "Marcus, if we do this thing for Bas, I can't go anywhere near Samrael."
"You think I can?"
"No. Jode, though. I think Ellis could do it."
"And Dare," he adds.
I bite down on my bottom lip. My gut keeps telling me this is wrong, and that giving Samrael an opening is the last thing we should do. But I've learned to trust Daryn's instincts. We have to do this.
"Tomorrow, Marcus. We'll go to this place. You and I will hang back. We'll keep the orb with us. Bas, Jode, and Daryn can ride on to see Samrael."
"Dang," Marcus says, shaking his head.
"I know, man. I know." But there are no good options.
We're going to have to take some risks.
CHAPTER 27
DARYN
"We'd been searching around the lake for a few days," Bastian says. "Rael and I knew that's where we'd find you. It's the only source of freshwater anywhere near here." He looks back and smiles at me. Then his gaze lands right over my shoulder, on Gideon, and his smile disappears.
We're on our way to meet Samrael.
Gideon is a tall and silent presence at my back. I'm riding with him, tandem, and this close, there's no escaping the tension in his body.
This morning, I was shocked to learn that everyone is on board with what Bas wants.
Jode agreed. Marcus. And most surprisingly, Gideon, who's been virtually silent all morning and is clearly not happy about it.