21. Sebastian

21

Sebastian

“Sebastian!” Augustus warmly shook my hand as he greeted me at the gate. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks.” I forced an amiable smile. “I got your message.”

He nodded and gestured for me to join him on a walk down the main street. “I’m glad the weather cleared up so you could visit,” he said. “I left you two telephone messages, by the way. Did you receive both of them?”

“Yup. I called the university department my mom used to work for, and they said they’ve got a few copies of her ethnography in the library, so they’re sending me one in a few days. They’re also going to see if they can track down the research notes she took when she was working on it.”

That wasn’t true, but I didn’t feel guilty about lying to his face. Why the hell should I? He’d lied to my face from the second we met, and he’d been lying for twenty years.

“That’s very good news,” he said. “I hope you find something useful.”

I gave him a tight smile. “Me too. It’s a good theory.”

“Yes. I’ve been kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.” He cocked his head. “I suppose this means you won’t need to spend much time up here anymore.”

And there it is…

Clearly, he hoped his New York theory would get me off his back forever.

“I still have a lot of Alderwood-related notes to sort through, so if it’s all right with you, I’d like to continue coming here every so often,” I said, making sure my voice didn’t betray even a sliver of my anger.

Augustus clapped me on the back. “Of course. You are always welcome here, Sebastian.”

My brows rose, and I gave him a side-eyed glance. That wasn’t the answer I expected at all. “Really?”

“Yes.” He stopped in his tracks, turned, and looked me right in the eye. “I’ve been meaning to tell you… it’s been wonderful having you visit us. Everyone has enjoyed your company, including myself. You remind me so much of Miranda, and having her here was a very special time for the Covenant. So, even after you’ve finished your research here—and hopefully cleared our name—you’re welcome to come and visit us anytime.”

I stared at him as he spoke, forehead crinkling. Surely he didn’t mean that. He had to be fucking with my head.

To what end, though? I couldn’t think of a single reason why he’d tell me I was always welcome here unless he truly meant it. After all, the more time I spent here, the more likely I was to discover the proof I needed to put him away for good.

“Thank you,” I replied. “By the way, I was glad to hear your news about Rose.”

Another smile broke out on Augustus’s face. “Ah, yes. The woman who dreamed about her return has frequently had other dreams that came to fruition, so we are confident that this one will too,” he said. “Rosamund will be returned to us. Very soon, we hope.”

“Where do you think she is?” I asked, tipping my head.

He resumed walking. “She is with the Entity, of course. It is not for us to understand where or how it all works. We know she is safe in his arms, and that is all that matters.”

“So you aren’t worried anymore?”

“No. I was extremely anxious at first, as you very well know. But after many prayers, I’ve realized that was foolish and faithless of me,” he said. “The Entity wouldn’t allow anything bad to befall Rosamund. Not when she’s so important to us. This temporary disappearance is merely a test of our faith.”

“Ah.” I nodded slowly, as if his convenient delusions made perfect sense. “And what about the rest of the Covenant? What do they think? When I was here a few days ago, some of them were whispering about bears or an abduction by outsiders.”

Augustus scoffed. “Yes, I’ve heard all of that too,” he said. “The elders and I have tried to squash the rumors, but unfortunately, we can’t control everyone’s minds. So I’m sure a few of them still have these faithless beliefs, as much as we discourage it.”

“Well, they’ll feel stupid when Rose is returned just before the Tetrad, right?”

“Exactly. But it will renew their faith, so everything will work out in the end. I’m sure that’s the Entity’s plan.” He smiled and paused in his tracks again. “Now, what are your plans for your visit today? Are you going to go to your usual room at the tavern and work on your notes there? Or would you rather stay outdoors and speak to some more villagers? Either one can be arranged.”

“I’d like to stay outdoors. It’s a nice day now that the rain has stopped, so I might as well take advantage of it.”

“Yes, you’re right.” He tapped his chin. “That gives me an idea. Now that the weather has cleared up, our workers can return to the farmstead, so you could spend some time down there. I don’t think you’ve done that yet, have you?”

I shook my head. “No, but that sounds great. I’d like to see how it all works, and my mother’s notes contained quite a few interviews with your farm workers, so it could be helpful as well.”

It was actually a perfect idea for the day. I could slip away from the farmstead at some point, while the workers were busy and distracted, and then I could find the tree Rose told me about, followed by the cave if all went to plan.

“Wonderful.” Augustus clapped his hands together. “I’ll walk you down there myself.”

“Thank you,” I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It seemed as if the unspoken rule about me never being alone while outdoors was still in effect.

“Wait a minute… do you see those two men heading to the end of the street?” Augustus said, pointing to two young guys in brown shirts and pants who were walking further down the cobbled main street. “They’re farm workers, so they’re probably heading there right now. If you run and catch up with them, they’ll show you around. Tell them I sent you.”

Hm. Maybe not, then. Somewhere along the line, I’d earned Augustus’s trust. I still couldn’t figure out why, though. Surely he couldn’t be so stupidly na?ve.

I nodded. “All right. I’ll do that.”

I lifted a hand to bid him goodbye and hurried down the street, as if I really had any intention of catching up with the two men. I purposely stayed a few yards behind them until they finally reached the end of the street and turned onto the main path leading out of the village. Then I hung even further back, lingering by a house until I saw the men turn right on the first fork of the path.

I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one had noticed me hanging around by myself. When I knew the coast was definitely clear, I hurried down the path, ignoring the fork that led down into the valley farmstead.

About ten minutes later, I arrived at the tree Rose had described, marked with a large red cross on the thick brown trunk. Taking a deep breath, I stepped beyond it and squinted into the dense undergrowth, scanning the mass of bushes and trees in search of the narrow path she’d mentioned. It wasn't easy to spot with all the foliage blending in a sea of green, but just as doubt started to creep in, I noticed a slight break in the bushes, almost hidden from view.

I began to follow the narrow trail, my heart hammering with excited anticipation. Thick bushes flanked me on either side, creating a shadowy tunnel that guided me deeper into the wilderness, and it eventually opened into a large clearing where the sunlight poured in, just as Rose said it would. I was getting closer to the cave by the second. Closer to real answers.

I paused for a moment, taking in the vast expanse of open space before me. It was eerily silent. Steeling myself, I began to walk again, boots crunching over twigs and wet leaves.

A couple of minutes later, a loud cracking sound echoed through the clearing, and the ground beneath me started to give way.

“Shit!”

I’d stepped right on top of a pit trap.

In the split-second it took me to realize I’d done it, I was already plummeting downward. Instinctively, I twisted my body midfall, but I was too late to avoid the trap entirely, and pain exploded in my chest and left shoulder as I landed.

Letting out a guttural, half-choked grunt, I looked down to see a sharpened stick jutting out of me, impaling me just below the collarbone.

“Fuck… no…” I gritted out, squeezing my eyes shut as I winced. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t go out like this, alone in a fucking spike pit. This had to be a nightmare that I’d wake from at any moment. Had to be.

I opened my eyes and looked down again, confirming that the dire situation was indeed happening. I was pinned and helpless, and blood was already soaking through the left half of my gray jacket, sticky warmth contrasting with the cold dread pooling in my stomach.

I was totally, utterly, completely fucked .

As I struggled to breathe, each rasping inhalation sending waves of searing pain through my body, two realizations struck me. Firstly, if I hadn’t twisted at the very last second, the stick would’ve pierced my heart. I would be dead.

Secondly… Rose had tricked me. She was much smarter and more manipulative than I’d ever given her credit for, and I’d walked right into her trap. Fucking literally.

However, she wasn’t smart enough to realize one very important thing—she was still trapped in the cell I’d built for her, and I was the only one who had the ability to let her out. Didn’t she realize that when she came up with her cunning plan to kill me? Or was she so desperate to get rid of me that she didn’t even care if it cost her own life too?

I let out another guttural groan as I tried to move, only to be met with another burst of agonizing pain. The forest around me seemed to mock me with its responding silence, a cruel reminder of my isolation.

Christ… Rose.

She was just as isolated as me. In fact, she was worse off. If I stayed here, I’d bleed out soon. A painful but relatively quick death. Rose, however… she would slowly starve in the cell; a torturously slow death.

“Fuck!”

A new wave of desperation surged through me, mingling with the fury and betrayal. The thought of Rose dying in that cell, alone and starving, tore at my heart with jagged teeth and claws. Sure, she’d tried to kill me, but I couldn’t bear the idea of her suffering the same fate. I had to get back to her somehow. Had to save her from herself.

My girl.

My beautiful, wicked girl.

I gritted my teeth, trying to pull myself upward. The pain was overwhelming, sending shockwaves of agony through my body with every movement, but I forced myself to focus, to push through the pain. With every ounce of strength I had left, I slowly pulled myself off the sharpened stick. Each movement was pure torture, but I couldn’t afford to stop.

When it was finally out of me, I gave myself a few seconds to recover, knowing it was only the first step. Now that I was no longer pinned to the bottom of the pit, I had to inch my way out of it.

My breaths came in ragged gasps, vision blurring as I pulled myself to the edge and began to climb. I could feel my strength waning, the blood loss making me lightheaded, but giving up wasn’t an option. I had to get back to Rose. Had to make sure she was all right.

After what felt like an eternity, I reached the lip of the pit. Using the last reserves of my strength, I hauled myself over the edge and collapsed on the ground. Pain still wracked my body, but I was free.

I lay there on my back, panting as I stared up at the sky. I could feel myself weakening, drifting away. Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it would even be peaceful out here in the wilderness, once the pain had faded.

I let my eyelids slowly shutter, drawing another ragged breath. Then I snapped my eyes open again. “Rose… need to…”

I couldn’t grind out any more words, but Rose’s name alone provided enough of a spark inside me to force me up to my knees. Clenching my jaw, I pressed one hand over the still-gushing wound on my chest in an attempt to stem the blood loss. Then, with my free hand, I leaned over to pick up a long stick. I could use it to test the ground as I walked, in case there were any more traps in the area.

Once I was finally ready, I slowly stumbled back across the clearing. I found the narrow trail and made my way back to the marked tree, and then I turned onto the main path and trudged back toward the village, eyelids feeling heavier with each step I took.

A villager appeared in my swimming vision. A familiar face. Ana?s.

“Mr. Thorne!” she cried, hurrying over. “What happened to you?”

“Pit,” was all I managed to croak before I keeled over, knees buckling.

“Help us!” Ana?s screamed, grabbing my jacket to slow my fall. “Someone get the healers! Now!”

I blinked as I stared up at the sky again. More concerned faces appeared, and the ground around me seemed to pulse from the stampeding footsteps.

“What happened?” someone asked.

“I don’t know!” Ana?s said. “I found him like this. He said something, but I couldn’t quite make it out. It might have been ‘hit’. Perhaps he’s been shot by an outsider.”

“I doubt it. He is an outsider.”

“Yes, but an outside hunter wouldn’t know that if they saw him on this side of the fence, would they? So, perhaps he was up there at the boundary?”

I tried to say something, but words failed me, and my eyelids shuttered. When they opened again, I saw two more familiar faces leaning over me—Augustus and one of the healers.

“Sebastian!” Augustus said, slapping my face to jolt me fully awake. “What happened to you?”

“I thought… thought I saw Rose,” I choked out. “Followed… her.”

“ What ? Where? On the farmstead?”

“No. Down… path. Tree.”

“A tree?” His brows shot up, and he slapped my cheek again. “Sebastian, keep talking. You must remain awake. Did you venture behind that tree marked with a large cross?”

“Yes. I… thought… thought I saw her.”

“You must have been seeing things,” he said sharply. “That’s our hunting ground. Rosamund would never go there. Only our most seasoned hunters are safe there.”

As he spoke, I could feel the healer pressing down on my chest and shoulder as another man wrapped something around me.

“Can you save him?” Augustus asked, turning to focus his wide-eyed gaze on him.

The healer muttered his response. “Not here. He’s lost too much blood. He needs a transfusion.”

“We must get one of the cars. Something to carry him on too. Jean-Paul, Matthieu, go now!”

“I don’t know if he’ll make it, even if we leave now. I believe an artery was nicked.”

“He must make it, Aaron. Do you know what will happen to us if he doesn’t?”

The men’s words blurred into a jumbled haze, along with their faces. My consciousness was fraying, and cold was seeping into my bones. I tried to fight it, tried to hold on, but the pull of the darkness was too strong. Too tempting. There was no pain there. Only rest.

My thoughts scattered, and my eyes fluttered shut yet again, too heavy to remain open for another second. The pain was gone now. All I felt was the weight of my failure pressing down on me as one last thought flickered through my mind.

I was dead, and that meant my beautiful Rose was dead too.