Page 86 of Into the Dark, We Go

She had us hooked.

"Nothin’ much. Normal stuff," Tilly said with a gentle smile. "Make sure to bring me the grimoire."

"The one from that crazy story?" June asked in disbelief and stepped down a few stairs.

"Just because it sounds crazy don’t mean it ain’t true," Mathilda replied, her innocent smile undercut by the mischief in her eyes.

Mitchell shook his head and turned away, his whole body shifting in dismissal. The witch sounded out of her mind. Nick was the only one who stayed calm, not even raising an eyebrow at Mathilda’s nonsense.

"What if it doesn’t exist?" Mitch asked.

She didn’t so much as blink. "It does."

"What if it’s not where you say it is?"

"Then you keep lookin’ until you find it." Her full red lips stayed curled in amusement, but her eyes had hardened. She was serious.

"If it’s real," June said carefully, "then why does everyone know about it? Why isn’t it a secret?"

The witch turned to her, tilting her head slightly. A trace of condescension colored her voice. "Honey, the best way to keep a secret is to make it sound like a tall tale."

I looked at Mitch, his face turned away from the witch, brows furrowed in thought. He was likely weighing the risks against the potential gain of the grimoire. The truth was, if it was real, we didn’t care about it. Having some answers would suffice for me.

Having come to some kind of decision, Mitchell said, "Alright, you got yourself a deal, lady. Now, what have you got for us?"

"I’ll tell you how to get there," Mathilda said.

"Get where?" Mitch, June, and I asked in unison. I’d been trying to stay out of the conversation, but curiosity got the better of me.

Nick’s "What’s there?" came a beat later.

Mathilda’s smile remained enigmatic. "You’ll have to go and see for yourself."

June rolled her eyes.

Had Mathilda known about our search in the woods? Had she followed us? Or worse, had someone been watching us the entire time? My pulse jumped. I forced myself to take a slow, deliberate breath, trying to calm the sudden rush of fear. It was ironic. Out there, in the woods, the isolation tricked you into feeling safe, like you’d spot anyone lurking behind a tree. But now, I saw how naïve that was. The only ones easy to spot were us. We should have been more careful.

"So?" Nick pressed, finally speaking up.

Mathilda’s playfulness faded. When she spoke again, her voice was measured, almost rehearsed.

"Walk with purpose. Don’t think about anythin’ but the mark. Once you see it, feed it with blood. Walk straight ahead and cross the bridge. On your way out, do not look back. I’ll sayit again: don’t you dare look back, no matter what you hear… or think you hear."

June raised an eyebrow in exaggerated disbelief. I knew exactly what she thought of the witch’s cryptic instructions. Mitchell blinked, like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

"That’s it?" he asked. "Spill some blood, cross the bridge? Fantastic."

"Trust me, that’s all you need to know to find it," she cautioned. "But once you do, don’t forget what you promised me."

"Well, thanks for your help," Mitch said, moving to the door and opening it for Mathilda. She rose from her seat, her stride confident. Just before she stepped out, she turned back to us.

"And one more thing. If I were you, I wouldn’t go flashin’ those photos around."

Mitch’s gaze narrowed. "Which ones?"

"Any of ‘em. Especially the ones with the sigil."

"Si-what?" he shook his head, "Why? What’s up with that?"