Page 9 of Wicked Sea and Sky

I glanced down at Reid, but he scratched his head and dove back into his journal, flipping the pages as if the answer was hidden inside.

Gavin leaned against the rock and rapped the rune with his knuckle as if it were sleeping.

“That was anticlimactic. I expected more of a show after all that pillar nonsense.” He feigned a heavy sigh. “Cave puzzles can join the long list of things that have let me down over the years. So what’s the plan?”

Good question.The steep drop made my vision blur as my brain caught up with my daredevil climb. I blinked away the dizziness and faced the wall. There had to be a clue we were missing.

The others all had their various strengths, but I excelled at solving puzzles. I noticed the things most people missed and had a knack for remembering the tiniest details. I also had a mind full of random knowledge, everything from topography to history. It wasn’t much help in hand-to-hand combat. I’d never felled an opponent with a well-timed geographical fact, but it was a literal gold mine when faced with a mystery.

I smoothed my hand over the stone, noting the gritty texture. It was discolored, too. This section of the wall was lighter than the rest of the cavern. However, there weren’t any obvious markings, and no more ledges to climb.

The faint music hummed in my ears, taunting me to discover its origin.

Moving the light slowly across the wall, I paused when something familiar caught my eye.The shadows.I angled the beam until the weathered grooves cast shadows in a pattern I recognized, well, almost.

“Look, this shadow pattern is the same as the one on the pillar. Except for right here.” I placed my finger against the smooth stone where there should have been a deep groove.

“Great! More peril. I’ll keep an eye out for more of those swing blades.”

“You mean your nose. So if you smell something burning, we’re in trouble.”

I chewed the bottom of my lip and pressed my thumbnail into the stone, feeling the slight give.It’s sandstone. Just like the pillar.I reached for the knife sheathed at my waist. The metal glinted in the light as I lined up the tip to face the wall.

Gavin chuckled softly. “Beauty, brains, and a blade? Marry me, Mare.”

My scoff blew dust in my face as I slammed the dagger into the rock. “There are easier ways to steal my share of the treasure.”

“Maybe. But none of them bring out your scowl-dimples.”

“I don't have scowl-dimples!” I sucked in my cheeks to prove my point, completely ignoring the way his tone had dipped into something more knowing. Goosebumps rose like a warning. Now was not the time to imagine Cass’s shadowy alcove scenario.

Forcing myself to focus, I steadied my hand and dragged the knife through the porous stone, creating a long groove similar to the one I’d seen earlier.

A soft click sounded, and a portion of the wall crumbled, revealing a narrow tunnel. I aimed the light down the shaft and cringed at the tight, cobweb-infested passage. Lucky for us, it wasn’t too deep and appeared to open up on the other end.

“We’re going to have to crawl through here!” I shouted to the others, hitching my leg over the edge of the smaller tunnel and wriggling inside.

Gavin pulled himself up behind me and braced his fists on the opening. “Our very own tomb. How cozy. I don’t remember this being on the map.”

Pebbles bit into my skin as I inched forward on my hands and knees. The shaft was so narrow, Gavin was going to end up with scuffs on his shoulders, and there definitely wasn’t enough room for his ego.

“Quit complaining. You’re just jealous I found the secret tunnel. It’s okay. We can’t all be masters of our craft.”

Gavin barked a laugh that seemed to fill the tight cavity. “Says the woman I once had to cut free from a tangle of vines after she fell off a jagged beam.”

“Because you tripped me.” Stifling a grin, I ducked beneath a massive spiderweb. Gavin wasn't so quick. He cursed when the sticky threads caught him in the face.

“Tripped—savedyou from a dangerous predator lurking in the trees—same thing. But sure, let’s go with tripped.”

I dug my toes into the ground to scoot further. “I’m not a damsel, Gavin. I saw the serpent, I was just—”

“Flailing your arms?” he said, smug. His voice brushed the hairs on my neck.

Blast this cursed tunnel of forced proximity. He’s way too close to me and the truth.

The passage narrowed abruptly. I angled my body sidewaysto squeeze through the gap.

Gavin grunted behind me.