The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (32 page)

“
Are you two eating, or not?
”
called Thomas.

“
We
’
ll talk later.
At the inlet,
”
Faith murmured.

Sara nodded understanding, and they went to join the others.

****

Sara waded into the inlet up to the bottom of her shorts.
The cool water washed around her legs, a relief after the sweat and toil of the dig site.
She sank to her neck with a grateful sigh.

Faith splashed in beside her.
“
Now that we have ten seconds where no one
’
s hovering, can I quietly panic about this Becky thing?
”

Sara followed her sister into the inlet until they were both waist-deep.
“
I heard her thinking this morning.
She said,
‘
I can
’
t take that thing,
’
which pretty much tells me she was planning on stealing the amulet when she snuck into my tent.
”

“
It can
’
t just be her, acting alone,
”
Faith said.
“
She couldn
’
t steal a paper clip.
”

“
Faith, we can
’
t stay here for three weeks.
I feel like a sitting duck.
Even if I go to Mainland and have it dismantled, what are we going to do with the pieces?
”
Sara touched a hand to her T-shirt, where the amulet hung hidden underneath.

Faith dunked into the water and came up dripping.
“
I need your help tonight.
”
Her sister
’
s golden-blond hair floated on the water
’
s surface.
She pushed a sodden lock out of her eyes.
“
I
’
m going to try and read the dig wall.
”

“
The whole wall?
Are you insane?
”

“
We have to know what happened here, and fast,
”
Faith explained.
“
Hakon told me about a sword, that we need it.
I know it
’
s here somewhere.
I think I can find it if I do this.
”

Sara hissed.
“
This dig site is over a thousand years old!
You
’
ll never make it through a divination of the entire thing.
You
’
ll pass out, or get lost in it, or worse!
”

“
That
’
s where you come in.
You
’
re my tie to the here and now.
I need you to anchor me.
”

Sara swallowed back the anxious knot in her throat.
What if she couldn
’
t get Faith back?
She hunched in the water.
“
Are you sure there isn
’
t another way?
”

“
Don
’
t you think I
’
ve checked?
This is the only other thing I can think of, the fastest way we can find this sword before someone else uncovers it.
Are you helping, or am I doing this alone?
”

Ian
’
s words came back to her.
You
’
re not alone, Sara.
A sudden, visceral pull in the direction of his camp filled her, and oh, how she wished his words were true.
Aching, she dropped her gaze to the surface of the water.
“
I can
’
t let you try this by yourself.
”

Nodding, Faith said,
“
I
’
ll come get you at midnight.
Everyone should be asleep by then.
”

“
Faith, what if this Hakon is wrong?
”
Sara asked.
“
What if he
’
s misleading you?
”

“
Even if he is, he knows something about that amulet.
Right now, all we
’
ve got are old stories, and a couple of vague paragraphs in
Beardsley
.
I have to believe this is going to work.
”

Sara wanted to feel as confident as her sister sounded, but an ominous prickling at the base of her spine warned her it wouldn
’
t be as easy as she hoped.

Chapter Twelve

The sky clouded over soon after dark, obliterating all traces of the stars and the waning moon.
Sara had put out her lantern an hour ago.
One by one, the other lights in the crew tents had also winked out.
She hovered in the doorway of her tent, peering at the sky with a mixture of gratitude and unease.

Thunder growled.
The rising wind battered against her body in fitful gusts and lashed her hair about her shoulders.
The atmosphere bristled with the electric scent of oncoming lightning.
A storm would keep the crew inside the shelter of their tents.
No one would see them flitting about the dig site in such weather.
She wished it would discourage Faith from this reckless plan.

It wouldn
’
t.

The restless drafts of air brought her snatches of Flintrop
’
s voice from inside his tent, then the sound faded, giving way to another boom of thunder.
The first patter of rain sheeted across the moor, bringing Faith with it, bearing a shovel over her shoulder.
Sara didn
’
t see her until she was almost close enough to touch.
She grabbed her rain slicker, and followed her sister to the dig without a word.

They walked along the dig wall until they came to the edge of the new fault.
“
Right here,
”
Faith said, setting her shovel down.
“
This is where you found the skull, isn
’
t it?
It
’
s as good a place as any.
”

With her belly churning, Sara sat cross-legged on one of the large, flat stones.
Rainwater had already soaked to her skin in spite of the slicker.
“
How do we do this?
”

Faith sat opposite her, mirroring her position.
“
I
’
m going to lay one hand on this wall, and you
’
re going to hold my other.
Give me ten minutes.
If I pass out, or don
’
t come out of it, I want you to pull me off the wall.
Don
’
t let go of me, no matter what.
”

Sara held her breath and gripped Faith
’
s hand in response.
“
Be careful.
”

Faith smiled.
The first flash of lighting arced across the sky and illuminated her eyes as they melted into silver.
“
See you soon.
”
She laid her other hand flat against the wall, and fell into silence.

Sara began to count off seconds.
The chill of the storm started seeping into her bones.
Water trickled down the back of her neck.
Ten, eleven, twelve...

Seconds lengthened into minutes, and still her sister gave no sign of coming out of her trance. Sara counted on.

Just past seven minutes, Faith shuddered, and her hand went slack in Sara
’
s.
Sara shot off the wall and yanked on her sister
’
s hand.
Slick with rain, Faith
’
s hand slipped out of her own.
“
No.
No!
”
She threw her arms around Faith
’
s waist and pulled her bodily off the wall.
They tumbled to the sodden ground.
Sara snatched up Faith
’
s hand and squeezed.
When that didn
’
t work, she slapped Faith
’
s cheek.
“
Wake up.
Faith!
Wake up!
”
Still nothing.
Sara shook her by the shoulders.
Rain hissed around them.

Faith
’
s features contorted into a scowl.
Her eyes fluttered open to blink against the downpour.

“
Oh, thank God!
”
Sara gasped out.
She fell back with a moan of relief.

Shielding her face from the rain, Faith heaved herself into a sitting position.
“
Thanks for the pull.
”

“
I lost my grip,
”
said Sara.
“
I thought I wouldn
’
t get you back.
”

“
You let go?
I still felt a buzzing.
I thought it was you.
”

“
Where
’
s the sword?
”

Faith shook herself out of her post-vision haze.
She swept a hand across her face in a futile effort to clear it of rainwater, and they got to their feet.
“
There, under the opposite corner.
Help me clear away the wall stones.
”
She brought her shovel to the area she
’
d indicated, then dropped it to grasp the top stone.
She gave it a heave.
It dropped with a thud to the earth beside the wall.
“
We have to hurry.
I
’
m almost out of energy.
”

Sara nudged her sister.
“
I
’
ll do it.
Watch the tents for me.
”

Faith stepped aside and shielded her eyes against the rain, looking in the direction of the tents.
Lightning speared the heavens, followed by another angry roar of thunder.
The storm was almost on top of them.
“
Not that I can see much in this,
”
she said.
“
Make it quick.
If a tent blows down, they
’
ll come out to fix it.
”

Sara concentrated on the stones at the corner of the wall, shivering as her power flowed in.
She held out a hand and took a few steps back.
The top layers of stone trembled and shifted.
She focused harder.
Her breath quickened, and even in the chilly rain, she began to sweat with exertion.
Her heartbeat thudded against her ribs.
The weight of the stones resisted her.
She pushed again, gritting her teeth.
The stones gave way at last, and toppled off the wall.

Just four more layers.
Sara stepped back to make more room.
Mud sucked at her feet.
She shook her head, flinging locks of dripping hair off her forehead, and started again.

This was going to be a long night.

Ten full minutes passed before the next three layers of stone gave way, tumbling on top of the others.
Sara exhaled, and her shoulders slumped.
“
I
’
m just about tapped.
That
’
s all I can manage.
”

Faith knelt in the mud.
“
You got the worst of it.
We
’
ll do the rest by hand.
”
She seized one of the stones and hurled it aside.

Dropping beside her, Sara bent to the task.
The storm whipped the rain, stinging, into their faces while they worked.
Lightning and thunder continued their fierce argument overhead.

When they pulled the last of the stones away, Faith took up her shovel and began digging while Sara kept watch.
The way the wind howled, she worried that someone
’
s tent would fall victim to its fury.