by Krystal Wade
Brad would never believe us. If we tell him, he’ll think we’re playing a joke on him. He doesn’t believe in the supernatural stuff—and before tonight, I might have sided with him. Unless he sees something himself, it didn’t happen.
“Tell him what, exactly?”
I decide to tell her everything—from the familiar, glowing woman who told me to wake up when I passed out, to the light dancing off the trees and water, and then guiding me to Snake Hole.
Brit’s face is full of disbelief, but she saw the yellow light with her own eyes, so she can’t outright mock my story.
She stands up, ready to take off. “You want to go to the hole now?”
“No. I’m not going to leave Brad by himself.”
“Are you girls planning on going somewhere without me?” Brad asks, sounding a little groggy as he walks toward us from the tent.
“Oh, we were thinking of taking a little walk down to the swimming hole.” Brit’s eyes are big and full of innocence.
Brad runs his hands up and down his arms. “It’s a little cold for a swim, don’t you think?”
“We weren’t going to swim; just walk there and back. We do it every year when our parents fall asleep,” Brit says.
First, I find my sister’s been drinking, and now, I learn she’s an excellent liar. Brit is surprising me. I have a sinking feeling I’m going to be doing a lot of baby-sitting at college next year.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Brad takes me by the hand and helps me off the log, holding on to me a little longer than necessary. He gives my hand a light squeeze, then lets it go. The signals he’s been sending me on this trip conflict with our friendship status.
The sun begins its daily battle with the night sky as we walk along the river to our favorite swimming spot; dim gray light breaks over the horizon when we arrive.
There is no yellow light in the river.
Brit looks at me; her eyes change from nervous anticipation to question-filled.
All I can do is shrug.
Brad walks over to the river, bends down, then dips in his fingers. “The water is really warm.”
The warmth of the water takes me by surprise, when I kneel to touch it. It’s late May, but the night air is chilly; the water shouldn’t feel so tepid.
Brit doesn’t wait for a written invitation. She slips out of her clothes, and then she walks right into the river.
I frown. I’m more reserved about taking my clothes off in front of people than she is.
“I’ll turn my head,” Brad says, like a gentleman.
I lift my shirt over my head, then slide my pants down my legs, tripping over my own feet as I pull the pants off. I cannot get over the feeling I’m being watched, and not by Brad.
“Okay,” I say, after I’m in the water.
My muscles relax and my spirit re-energizes; the water’s so warm, it feels like I’m soaking in a hot tub.
Brad steps into the river, moaning when the water reaches his waist.
My eyes fixate on him.
His sculpted chest muscles loosen as the warmth works its magic. Brad catches me staring at him; his eyes widen, and the corners of his mouth turn up a little.
Brit splashes me, bringing my attention to her. She gives me a look of disapproval. Brit’s been grumpy with Brad and me on this trip, and now—more than ever—I wonder if what she wants to tell me has something to do with him.
Laughing, I splash her back. “What was that for?”
“Tell ya later,” Brit says, her gaze resting on Brad.
Oh yeah, whatever it is has to do with him. I look between them, concerned about what they each want to talk to me about, but I have to let it go, because neither one plans to say anything right now.
Instead of worrying, I have fun. We splash around, dunk each other, float on our backs, and play Marco Polo. It’s wonderful to feel like a kid again.
Brit pushes my head under the water.
I grab her arm and pull her down with me.
All of a sudden, the water explodes with yellow light.
Losing my breath, I struggle to get up for air.
Brad’s arms close around my hips. He pulls me against his chest and swims to the surface.
I choke out water into his face, but he keeps his firm hold on me.
“She got you good.” Brad laughs. “You okay?”
Still gasping for air, I nod and look over at Brit.
She’s also coughing up water, but stares down into the brilliant, yellow river right along with me.
I return my gaze to Brad; the closeness of our almost-naked bodies causes my cheeks to heat up.
His arms release me as fast as they clasped around me under the water.
I’m positive he cannot see what Brit and I can. Instead of gazing deep into the river, the way we are, he watches me with a slight grin on his face.
Brit and I stare at the point where the light is brightest.
“Beat you to the bottom.” I tease her.
Brad won’t think this is out of the ordinary, considering how many games we’ve already played.
“Go!” Brit takes a deep breath, then dives under the water.
I follow right behind her, swimming toward the emanating light.
When we’re about to reach the bottom, the light swirls and darts over to the far side of the swimming hole, revealing a chasm under the short falls. Part of it is above the water, but most of the crevasse is below. How have we never noticed this before?
Brit points up.
We’re unable to hold our breath any longer.
“Took you guys long enough,” Brad says, running his fingers along the surface of the water.
“We found a cave!” Brit says.
“Really? How can you see anything when it’s so dark?”
“Well, we think it’s a cave, but we’ll have to come back later, when it’s lighter. You want to check it out with us?” she asks.
“Absolutely.”
The water loses its warmth; goose bumps pop up all over my skin. I step out of the river—my teeth chattering, body trembling—and put on my clothes as fast as possible. It doesn’t take long for the others to follow.
I lead them back to camp, running the entire time, hoping to heat up. I throw some scrap wood into the fire pit while Brit works to get it lit again. Once I’m warm, my stomach growls.
We all shove a few granola bars in our mouths while sitting around the fire, shivering.
At least, Brit and Brad got some sleep. I’ve pretty much been running around all night. The tent is calling my name, and I give in to my exhaustion.
They follow.
We unzip our sleeping bags and huddle together to calm our trembling bodies.
Brit falls asleep and rolls away. Her absence makes my shaking worse.
Brad opens his arms, allowing me to burrow into his chest to get warmer. He kisses my forehead. Brad’s never done that before, not that the kiss bothers me enough to move away from him. But the kiss—combined with his drunken love profession—is enough to make me unsure of his feelings, for the first time in our long friendship. I try not to think about the meaning behind his kiss, and instead, I wonder why he didn’t see the light.
“Kate, wake up,” Brit says, pushing my shoulder.
Judging by the heat in the tent, it must be late in the afternoon. I’m still wrapped in Brad’s embrace, and there is nothing important enough to make me want to move. My best friend’s arms make me feel safe and comfortable. I don’t understand this new closeness between Brad and me. I want to talk to him about us, but not with Brit around.
My eyes stay closed tightly, and I try to ignore Brit’s attempts to wake me.
“Guys!” Brit yells.
Brad and I jolt.
Opening his eyes, he tightens his hold on me and groans at Brit. “What?”
“It’s almost five … you know, at night! Unless we want to waste the rest of the daylight, we should start exploring the cave soon.” Brit looks de
liberately at me.
“Cave time?” Brad asks.
“Yeah, come on, it’ll be fun.” I want to go, but I’m still unwilling to move from his arms.
“Would you two just get up already?” Brit is clearly peeved.
I give in, peel myself away from Brad—who looks unhappy about me getting up—then get dressed. He keeps his eyes averted while I change my dirty clothes, but I couldn’t care less about who’s in the tent—the crispy feel my shirt and pants have, from being wet and subsequently dried by a fire, means they have to come off.
After dressing, I grab another granola bar and gather some gear. “Let’s see, a flashlight, some rope, and our waterproof camera. That should be enough. What do you think, Brit?”
“Great, let’s go.”
Brit and I have issues containing our excitement as we walk toward the swimming hole—she’s practically running, and I keep tripping over things. Brad stays so close to me, I’m afraid my ability to hide my enthusiasm might fail, and we’ll end up having to explain the whole odd story to him.
I don’t understand why a light guided us to the cave, and, I find it odd Brit and I are both so willing to go exploring. But, I push these thoughts from my mind and rush on, hoping the cave is not totally under water, so we can stay in it longer without worrying about how we’re going to breathe.
Shrill laughter rings out ahead of us. The closer we get, the more obvious it becomes that we’re not going to be alone at the swimming hole.
Brit stops at the end of the trail.
“Crap.” She stares at five children splashing around, while their parents watch from the other bank.
“Be nice. We can just wait for them to leave,” I say to my impatient sister.
“What’s the problem?” Brad asks.
“If they decide to follow us, do you want to be responsible for them getting hurt?” I come up with the one response that makes sense.
The children being here shouldn’t bother us, but seeing as we found the cave using a mysterious light, I think we better wait. Not that Brad is aware of this, but he buys the excuse.
We sit on the bank, waiting. The parents watch us the entire time, not even attempting to make their stares inconspicuous. They must figure we’re up to no good. Five or ten minutes pass before they collect their children from the river.
I tip my head in their direction. “Look, they’re getting out.”
At last, we’re free to go explore our cave.
I place the gear on a rock and undress down to my underclothes while Brad turns his head, once again.
Brit eyes the gear. “Do you really think we need the rope and camera right now?”
“No,” I say.
We each carry a flashlight; the rest of the gear we leave behind.
I can see at least a foot of the top of the cave above the water, but Brad cannot. “Are you sure you can’t see it?”
“I swear,” Brad says.
Brit and I exchange glances.
“Can you see it under the water?” she asks.
Brad dunks his head. “Yes.”
With a quick wink, Brit and I decide we should enter from below.
I smile. “Ready?”
They both nod.
We all take a deep breath and immerse ourselves.
As soon as we swim through the mouth of the cave, the water evaporates, and our bodies slam into cold, hard ground. I stand, confused, and wipe off the dirt and stones covering my wet skin.
The air is at least twenty degrees cooler than the air on the other side, and smells of rotting wood and mildew.
Intuition tells me the situation is wrong.
We need to go back.
We are not in a cave.
“We should go—”
Something so horrible, so powerful, takes control over my body—I fall onto my hands and knees and scream.
A Division of Whampa, LLC
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Dulles, VA 20101
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© 2014 Krystal Wade
http://www.krystal-wade.com
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information about Subsidiary Rights, Bulk Purchases, Live Events, or any other questions - please contact Curiosity Quills Press at [email protected], or visit http://curiosityquills.com
ISBN: 978-1-62007-482-4 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-62007-483-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-62007-484-8 (hardcover)
Wilde's Fire, by Krystal Wade
(http://j.mp/1ak2Ju1)
“There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most.”—Katriona Wilde.
Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she’s ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her.
What’s worse, she has no control over her new future, full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?
Wilde's Army, by Krystal Wade
(http://j.mp/1md8W2D)
“Hello, Katriona.” Those two words spark fear in Katriona Wilde and give way to an unlikely partnership with Perth, the man she’s been traded to marry for a favor. Saving her true love and protector Arland, her family, and their soldiers keeps her motivated, but the at-odds duo soon realizes trust is something that comes and goes with each breath of Encardia’s rotting, stagnant air.
Now, Kate must unite her clashing people, and form an army prepared to fight in order to defeat Darkness. When so many she’s grown fond of die along the journey, will she still be Katriona Wilde, the girl with fire?
Wilde's Meadow, by Krystal Wade
(http://j.mp/MfSL4s)
Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draiochtans. Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.
Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?
Gifts of the Blood (Angel's Edge #1), by Vicki Keire
(http://j.mp/196muVb)
Before her world tilts towards impossible, Caspia Chastain thinks the only strange thing about her is that she sometimes draws the future. Only her brother Logan, fighting his cancer diagnosis, knows what she can do.
But when a stranger named Ethan appears, determined to protect Caspia and her brother from dangers he won’t explain, she’s not sure what to think. Strangers almost never come to Whitfield. They certainly don’t follow her around, frightening her one moment and treating her like glass the next. And they certainly don’t look exactly like the subject of her most violent drawing.
Broken Forest, by Eliza Tilton
(http://j.mp/1nw1zyw)
Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past.
But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.
And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn…
Appetizer:
Book Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Main Course:
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
/> Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Dessert:
Acknowledgements
Closing
About the Author
A Taste of Wilde's Fire, by Krystal Wade
Copyright & Publisher
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