The 13th Sign by Tubb Kristin O' Donnell

Author:Tubb, Kristin O' Donnell [Tubb, Kristin O' Donnell]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: 2013-01-07T23:00:00+00:00

I heard Ellie’s sharp intake of breath beside me.

What would become of me now? Where would the Keepers take me? What happens after the After? Would it be peaceful, heavenly where I was headed? Or would it be a deep, dark, sinister place, black as night? Black as Keeper eyes?

But instead of the crushing weight of Aries, instead of a watery grave sucking us to the bottom of the river, instead of being buried alive under the thousands of pounds of silt gushing through the Mississippi River, a loud thunk sounded. I opened one eye, then another.

A diamond. Aries’s birthstone.

The ram trotted into the heavens, shaking those mighty horns with pride. His winning streak was intact.

I had let Aries win. That’s all she/he wanted. To win. Over and over again. In letting Aries win, I had won.

With shaky hands, I lifted the clear, gleaming diamond into the early morning sky, still hazy pink around the edges of day. “Sic itur ad astra.”

Brennan chuckled. “Smart move, Jalen.”

Half my mouth grinned, but it was forced. I hadn’t meant to win. I had truly wanted to surrender. Did Aries know that? Would it have worked otherwise? My stomach flopped. I had quit.

This new doubt doused some of my fire, leaving behind an unwelcome pile of ash. Would I have the strength to fight the eight remaining Keepers?

“But the book—” Brennan started. Ellie grinned and reached into her messenger bag. She pulled out her copy of The Keypers of the Zodiack.

“Two copies, ever since the other Ellie came around,” I managed to explain. “I was hoping that was a detail Dillon would overlook. I mean Leo.” We were silent at the mention of Dillon’s name.

“The copy I threw overboard was from Fake Ellie,” I said to change the subject. “Disposable. We’ll still have two copies once she reappears, I imagine.”

The other Ellie. She’d been in on Dillon’s secret the whole time, I realized. She’d led us back to him, hurt at the bulldozer. And Dillon! He’d recovered so easily after he’d been hurt. He’d stopped the busses from running, he’d led us to believe he was real. He’d tricked us, used us to get to Aries. We had been his playthings.

Brennan sighed. “Let’s go.” He revved the boat’s tiny outboard motor. “The boat’s leaking.”

In my daze, I looked down at the silver bottom of the boat. Sure enough, the muddy river was pushing into a tear in the seam. One of the rivets must have come loose with the impact of the birthstone. Over my shoulder, I saw the flashing lights of the Coast Guard as their boat sped toward the Algiers Ferry.

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