“Alright, we can track her down,” I said, nodding.
“Thank you,” she said back stiffly. Her teeth clenched behind her lips.
Her eyes darted to Thomas several tis. As much as I wanted to keep Thomas at my side, Mila didn’t seem like she trusted him. Not the way that she had co to trust and accept Payne’s presence.
“Payne, co with us,” I said, indicating Mila and myself. “Thomas, stay here and make sure the rest of the group is safe until we get back, got it?”
“Sure, got it.” Thomas nodded.
“Where should we look?” I asked, heading into the hall.
“I figured we could start at the temple,” Mila suggested.
“Alright,” I agreed.
‘Who is this young beauty?’ Thomas mindlinked as I shut the door.
‘Trouble,’ I growled ntally.
Thomas chuckled as the door slamd closed behind . I shook my head and motioned down the hall.
Payne walked close behind us, alert to any dangers. Miltern was still crawling with bounty hunters that wanted Mila. We were stealthier in a small group but also more vulnerable. Especially since Mila wasn’t fully healed from the poison and I didn’t know her fighting capabilities.
“This pack has suffered a lot,” Mila said as we walked through the eerie, sense-numbing fog.
“More than either of us knows,” I agreed, nodding.
With what Thomas told about Helen, I had a feeling there was a lot more this pack had suffered than just the curse and the fog.
“I want to help them, really, I do,” Mila told with a firm nod.
I gave a half smile. She had a good heart and that was admirable.
“Then we will help them, whatever it takes,” I assured her.
She smiled and glanced at , her eyes wide and bright.
I stopped dead, my heart thudding against my chest. Her look of gratitude stopped in my tracks, literally. I flashed back to Thomas’s comnts on finding a mate.
Growling under my breath, I shook my head and kept walking. Fortunately, Mila didn’t seem to notice my montary lapse.
“I wish I knew how to help but I’m completely lost. Hopefully, April will give more information or more guidance. She seems to know about magic,” she continued.
“Mila...” I sighed and stopped walking again.
Mila turned to face , the hope in her eyes slowly fading.
I wanted to tell her what Thomas had told about Helen and Norwind pack. I wanted to tell her about the artifact, even if it was all rumors. That was part of our deal, wasn’t it? We were supposed to share information.
I held my tongue and shook my head.
“Nevermind. You’re doing the right thing,” I said.
The hope flickered in her eyes like a light turning on. She nodded and continued toward the temple.
When we arrived, my spine stiffened and I grabbed Mila’s arm, pulling her to a stop.
“What?” she gasped.
I put a finger to my lips.
“Soone is up there,” I whispered, nodding to what used to be the entrance of the temple.
Mila nodded and stepped closer to , tucking herself against .
I focused my senses on the scent and sounds of the person up ahead rather than the warm, softness of her body close to mine. It was hard to keep focused and I kept glancing at her out of my peripheral vision.
A waving lamp shone through the fog and April stepped out of the shadows, lantern in hand.
Sighing, I released Mila and relaxed.
“April, what are you doing here?” Mila asked. She smiled and ran up to her like they were old friends.
“Waiting for you, of course,” she said, giggling.
She seed much happier and lighter than before. Her clothes were clean, hair washed. She wasn’t cowering or terrified anymore. I could see strength in her.
“You knew we’d be back?” Mila asked.
April chuckled. “I am a seer, rember?”
“Oh, right,” Mila said, slapping her palm to her forehead.
“Follow ,” April instructed. She nodded to Mila and to .
April headed into the temple and we followed. Payne was only a few paces behind. Now that we were in the temple, he didn’t need to hang back so far.
I kept a close watch on the crumbling building and anything that might cause problems or be a hazard. Whoever had burned this place down, and destroyed the graveyard, really wanted to do so damage.
April stepped lithely and tapped her foot on several floor tiles in a specific pattern. She moved so quickly, I couldn’t follow the movents.
A groan went through the floor and I grabbed Mila, pulling her back.
“Wh–”
The floor shook and the tiles April had tapped dropped down. They pulled back into a secret compartnt under the floor, revealing a stone staircase into the dark underground.
“Co on,” April said, stepping down on the steps. She waved the lantern into the darkness.
I still held Mila’s arm, even as she attempted to follow April.
“It is perfectly safe,” April assured when she noticed my hesitation.
“I know part of our deal is that you protect , but Soren, really?” Mila called out, glancing at my hand on her arm.
Smirking, I released her arm quickly.
She might have been convinced she could trust April but I still wasn’t so sure. I could keep a close eye on things while Mila followed her own instincts.
Mila followed April first.
I glanced at Payne and he nodded. He followed as I went down into the dungeon.
The mont we were all under the floor, April turned and held the lantern up.
“Scut.”
The stones groaned and trembled again, pebbles shook loose from the ceiling and rolled down the stairs as the trapdoor closed over us.
I grimaced and glanced at Payne again.
He shrugged and kept going.
The only light ca from April’s lantern and since she was the only one that could open the door for us, we were trapped with her.
I didn’t like the feeling of being trapped.
But she knew the most about the temple, and I noticed that the burned and charred debris had been moved away from the trap door before our arrival. April had anticipated bringing us here.
I walked by Mila and Payne on the stairs and joined April in the lead.
“You burned the temple down, didn’t you?” I asked, a hint of accusation in my tone.
“Yes, I did,” she said, not even trying to deny it.
I arched an eyebrow at her.
“Why?” Mila asked with a soft gasp.
“Miltern has enemies. They haven’t gone away just because we were cursed. Once the curse is lifted, they’ll co back. I know they will.” April shuddered and pulled her cloak around her tighter.
“But this temple was a symbol to your people,” Mila argued.
“Yes, it was. It was a sacred place where all our most beloved secrets and treasures were buried with our most important people,” she explained with a nod.
“The graveyard. You desecrated that, too?” Mila asked.
April nodded. “I cannot allow our enemies to get their hands on those things. Generations of secrets and knowledge... If anyone outside Miltern got to that information, we’d be dood. Better it is destroyed than falling into the hands of our enemies,” she said.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and the dungeon opened up into a large chamber. The light from her lantern didn’t reach the walls but from the echoes of her voice, I could tell the chamber was very big.
“We should be safe here,” she told us. She set the lantern down.
“I wish you hadn’t had to destroy your pack’s secrets and history,” Mila said softly.
“As do I, but it is better this way,” April assured.
“April... I want to help you. I just... I don’t know where to begin,” Mila admitted, chewing her lower lip.
I knew how hard it was for her to admit that. Part of wanted to reach out and comfort her and assure her that we could figure it out together.
Thomas’s words ca back to again and I clenched my fist tightly, resisting the urge.
“As I said, if you can’t figure it out, no one can,” April reminded her, shaking her head.
“Can you... can you tell about my past?” Mila asked.
April creased her brow. “I don’t know your past. As a seer, I can see the unknown future but I can’t see the unknown past.”
“Is there anything you can do? I need to know who I am,” Mila said.
“There is sothing she can do,” I said, stepping up. I knew enough about witches and magic to know there were mory recovery spells and deep dives into dreams and the subconscious. A seer should be able to do that.
“Well... there is one thing. I could go into your dreams and... connect you with your deepest mory. Your mind could fill in the gaps from there but...” April trailed off.
“But what?” Mila pleaded.
“It’s dangerous,” I filled in.
April nodded in agreent. “You could get lost in your dream forever without a tether or an anchor. If that happened, you’d never wake up.”
Mila gasped and covered her mouth.
I shook my head. “Then make an anchor.”
“I don’t have anything here... not sothing strong enough. It has to be soone or sothing that Mila has a deep personal connection to...”
“Send into the dream too,” I said imdiately.
Between the deal we’d made and the few nights we spent together, we had a deep personal connection, even if I didn’t want to admit that.
“No,” Mila said, shaking her head. “What if you get trapped in there too?”
I smirked at Mila.
“Are you worried for ?” I challenged, bouncing my eyebrows.
Mila blushed. She glanced down, her rosy cheeks absolutely adorable!
“I...” she sighed and shook her head. “I just don’t want you stuck in my head forever.”
“Of course. Which is why we won’t get stuck,” I insisted.
Mila continued to look at her feet, her cheeks getting even redder.
“Decision made,” I said, nodding at April. “Payne stay awake and keep an eye on things.”
“Sure thing, boss,” he agreed.
“Let’s do this,” I said to April.
“Okay, I need the two of you to lie down on the floor. Face each other,” she instructed.
I followed her instructions but Mila was slower to comply. She got down on the floor slowly and we laid down, facing each other like we were on opposite pillows on a bed.
April stepped between us and grabbed my hand. She placed it over Mila’s.
Quickly, Mila tried to pull away but I tightened my grip on her and held her hand firmly. Mila sighed and relaxed.
“Close your eyes,” April said.
I waited until Mila closed hers and then I shut mine. Her breath was soft and sweet on my face.
“Take these minds into the dark, into visions and dreams. Surrender yourself to each other and find peace in this sleep.”
Drowsiness clouded my mind and I didn’t fight it.
#
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