Page 32 of Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms #2)

32

The stones’ voices inundated Yasmin the moment they realized she could communicate with them at the river. It had taken her some time to calm them, but they had so much to say about those within the fort. None of it good.

Ever since the tunnel, the rocks had taken turns talking to her. They became impatient and spoke over each other a few times, but she soothed them until they quieted again. They had stood alone for eons with the creatures of the Below . Sometimes , Dark Elves ventured down to them. The stones perceived more once the elves stayed and set up a structure. They spoke among themselves.

Until her.

Now , with someone to talk to, they wanted to share everything. Which was considerable. It wasn’t that the stones took sides. Truth be told, they were ambivalent. But they understood what she and her friends were attempting to accomplish, and they wanted to help. Their group needed all the help they could get.

Suddenly , all the stones started shrieking at once.

Yasmin cried out and covered her ears as she curled in on herself, but the stones were so loud she could still hear them. Every wall, floor, and ceiling were made of stone. Their shouts were amplified, echoing around her and through her.

Blood flowed between her fingers. Pressure built until she felt something burst in her ears. For a heartbeat, the pain vanished.

“ Enough ,” she begged. “ You’re hurting me.”

The voices stopped immediately. She fell to the floor and drew in a shaky breath. Her gift had many benefits, but there were drawbacks. She had just experienced one. If the stones ever wanted to turn on her, they could.

“ Sorry .”

She placed her hands on the floor and drew in a ragged breath, thankful that Ravi wasn’t there to see her. “ I know. Please don’t shout that loud.”

“ Jai’s in danger. You need to hurry.”

Now that they weren’t screaming, Yasmin realized what they had been shouting at her, one voice on top of the other, garbling the message. Foreboding tightened her chest. “ Jai ? Where is he?”

They showed her pictures in her mind of where Jai was and how to get there.

Yasmin frowned. The stones said Jai only. “ Where is Arya ?”

The stones went silent.

They had never failed to answer her before. Even if it was to say they didn’t know. The fact that they refused to reply troubled her. So , she tried a different approach. “ How many are with Jai ?”

“ One .”

“ Who ?”

“ Priya .”

Yasmin jumped to her feet and turned in a circle. She had no way to contact Dain and Ravi . Nor could she leave.

She looked at the door. There wasn’t time to wait. She found a small rock and wrote a message on the wall before going to the door and waiting for the stones to guide her.