Page 40 of The Unseen Hour (The Unseen Hour Duology #1)

W e ended up using perhaps a third of the waterskin for our more serious injuries, or at least the ones that would have the largest impact on mobility.

After taking shifts to sleep, we started our trek for the beach. The rest of my bruises did nothing but blossom throughout the day, tender to the touch and as colorful as any dress I’d ever owned. Still, things could have been far worse.

I’d wanted an adventure my entire life. I wasn’t going to complain, now that I was on one with Orion and both of us had made it through the rapids.

However many blasted gods there actually were be praised, we didn’t run into any large animals.

We wouldn’t have stood a chance, and I didn’t want to try escaping into the water again.

I would have liked to see the tree hoppers and assure myself they were okay, but they were nowhere to be seen either.

The farther south we got, the sparser the trees became, until we didn’t see even the familiar gray squirrels. We kept close to the shoreline, following the river as it wound its way south, convinced it would eventually lead us to the sea Death had mentioned .

When we woke on the third morning, and after a breakfast of actual roots Orion had foraged, I did a bit of mental calculating.

“I’d say we’re officially into May.”

Orion nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“If I were back in Fox Haven, we’d be headed to the capital and preparing for the first events of the season.”

“You don’t miss it, do you?”

I scrunched up my nose.

“Not most of it. But I do miss my friends. I wonder if Bram or Temple will propose to anyone this season. I wonder if Thomas will even be in town, or if he’ll be traveling. I wonder if Charlotte’s married yet or not.”

More than anything, I wanted to make sure they were all well and to apologize for any hurt I’d caused them.

“I’ll make sure you get back to them, Starlight. They’ll forgive you. We’ll stop the hour, and they’ll realize that everything you did was for a reason.”

Even if the rest of Emrys never found out what had happened to the hour, I’d have to explain things to my family. There was always a chance they might think I’d lost my mind at first, but I’d have Orion to back me up. And if they truly couldn’t accept what I had to say, I’d leave.

I loved my friends and family, but I’d rather take my chances traveling Rayus with Orion than allow myself to be locked in a room as the crazed sister who spoke of gods no one believed in.

“What do you most want to do when you return?” I asked Orion.

A lot depended on how much people knew and were able to believe .

“Be with you. Without hiding you from Charon, and without the hour hanging over our heads.”

Since I’d arrived, Orion had considered my safety.

“I hope you know,” I started, “that you are the most important person to me. Wanting to make sure everything else is?—”

“I know. I’ve never felt threatened that you still have family and friends to return to.

I hope it works out for you. I’ll do everything I can to make sure they believe and support you.

I have no one else, Celia, but that doesn’t mean I expect you to abandon everyone you ever cared about just for me. ”

But I would.

“Things do need to change, though. Emrys needs to change.”

I shouldn’t have to worry about choosing between Orion and my family’s reputation.

He smirked.

“Then we change it. Bring a little bit of the freedom from the Ether to Emrys.”

I couldn’t help laughing. He made it sound simple, when I knew it would be anything but. Although …

“I suppose for two people who have ended the Unseen Hour, anything is possible.”

“That’s the spirit, Starlight. Now then, why don’t we figure out something to eat? If we had tools, I could catch a fish,” Orion lamented when we saw some swim by.

“You could always wade in and try to scoop one up with your hands.” It was a half-hearted attempt to tease him, but my aching joints stole all the humor from my voice. The pain hadn’t even fazed me during our activities before our rest, but I’d been too distracted to notice.

The blue and green lights of the Ether’s sky, faint as they were in this vast landscape, were high in the sky when Orion threw his arm out, signaling a stop .

Adrenaline rushed through me and all my muscles contracted.

“What is it? A brush boar? A bear?”

“No.” Orion shook his head. “It’s a sound. Waves.”

He was right. Rhythmic and insistent, the sound wasn’t the same as the river.

“There!” Orion pointed in front of us. Under the light of the pale blue moon, I could see distant waves.

We’d reached the beach.

There were shadowed shapes looming, sticking out from the sands and towering above our heads. When we got close enough, I saw that they were rock formations. These were not sunny and forgiving shores; they were rocky and dangerous.

“Death said we’d be looking for rocks,” I said.

“Yes. Should we try to find the baton now?” Orion’s voice was hesitant, but I nodded.

We gave it a half-hearted search, realizing quickly that the limited light would make it nearly impossible when what we were after was such a small item. Something easily confused with a small stick.

The waves were such a deep blue they were almost black. We needed the brighter orange and purple lights to have much hope of spotting anything between the dark stones and grey sands.

“Ry, what if you sing? Do you think that could help? Death did say the baton was tied to the Shade song. Maybe you’d … feel something?” I turned away, blushing. I knew only the barest bit about Shade song, and that it was a sore subject.

A gentle hand turned my cheek so I was staring into Orion’s eyes. Even in the darkness I could see the blue flecks glinting.

“You are brilliant! Maybe stand far off, though? I don’t want to risk you coming to harm.”

I shivered, picturing myself walking directly into the sea .

I moved well away from the area, back past where the rocks began. Even then, I could hear some of the clearest notes as Orion sang.

I did my best to resist, but when the music stopped I found myself halfway across the beach.

“I think I’ve found it!”

I ran, stumbling through the sands to where Orion stood.

“This one. This has to be it.” He pointed to one of the rock piles.

The stones were larger than any of the others, and arranged in a pattern. The biggest, a tall rectangle rounded at the corners, was placed at the back, with other rectangles curving around it to form an arc that served as the backdrop to what appeared to be a stone altar.

The cavern had crystals surrounding the healing pool. This place had a stone box.

“There’s writing on here. I’m certain of it. Feel,” Orion insisted.

I knelt down, running my hands over the stone lid. He was right. Etchings of some kind. I’d have given all of the money at Scops, taken it from under Ambrose’s nose, to be able to read it. For just one lantern, or one of the floating orbs that lit the Ether’s meadow.

“I’m almost certain the baton is inside. I can feel it. We’ll just have to wait for it to get brighter so we can read it.”

“Think it could require a key?”

“No. There’s nothing I felt on it that would be a keyhole. Only the writing.”

I wasn’t convinced, but it made as much sense as any other theory. And I trusted Orion. If it was important to him, we would try it.

I looked around the beach. It appeared empty, but I couldn’t shake a wary feeling .

“This time, let’s not linger by the altar, just in case,” I insisted.

We trekked back to where I’d stood while Orion sang and then rested, waiting for the sky to lighten and give us our answer.