The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields

Author:Breeana Shields [Shields, Breeana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Published: 2020-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

“Saskia, can you hear me?”

The voice sounds faraway. My mind is slow and heavy, as if it’s wrapped in a thick layer of gauze.

A warm palm rests on my cheek. I turn my head and lean closer.

“Saskia?”

My eyes flutter open. Bram’s face hovers above mine, his brows drawn together.

“I’m not dead,” I say.

He gives a tense laugh. “No, you’re not dead.”

“But Latham … he was here. He was about to kill me.”

Bram shakes his head. “It was only an illusion.”

I pull myself into a sitting position. “No, this was different. I didn’t get sucked into a vision. I knew where I was. Latham was here. I’m sure of it.” My voice trembles.

“It only felt real,” Bram says. “Think about it. If he was here, where did he go? He couldn’t have just disappeared.”

“But he knew things,” I say, and then I lower my voice to a whisper. “Like how we visited Avalina.”

“No, you knew those things, and your mind used them to conjure up your worst fears. You’re safe, Saskia, I promise.”

But I’m not convinced. I press my fingers to my throat and they come away with a faint smear of blood.

A shiver goes through me.

“Just a scratch from one of the bones,” Bram says. I can still feel the press of Latham’s blade against my windpipe. What are the chances that a bone grazed my skin in that exact location? Master Kyra’s words dart through my mind. Whoever designed that challenge wasn’t pulling any punches, were they? What if Latham is designing our games? But he couldn’t be … unless someone at Ivory Hall gave him access to me. A lump forms in my throat. I hate not knowing who I can trust.

Bram studies my face, and his eyes go soft. “You’re safe now, I promise.”

He’s wrong, but there’s no point arguing with him, so I swallow my worry and take in my surroundings. We’re in a different room—a warmer one. I have feeling in my hands again. I stretch my fingers wide and curl them into fists. “How did I get here?”

“We couldn’t shake you out of the vision, so I carried you,” he says. “I thought it might help to be away from the bones.”

I feel my cheeks pinken, and I drop my gaze. “Did we finish the challenge, then?”

Bram pulls on the back of his neck. “I’m afraid not. But we’re hoping this is the final area.” He points to a window high above our heads that deposits a disk of sunlight on the floor. We must be close to the outside. Bram offers me his hand and pulls me to my feet.

The room is in the shape of a pentagon, with all five walls made of thick stone, and a round table in the center where the others are gathered, examining our available supplies. When Bram and I join them, Tessa reaches for my hand and laces her fingers through mine.

“That was intense,” she says. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better.” I glance around the table.

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