Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(29)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Do we actually have a chance against these things?” Liam asked.

“No, not at all,” Monty said tersely.

“Will one of you shift so we can speak to you?” It took me a moment to realize James was talking to the wolves.

Nothing happened, and the tension mounted. Then, the air shimmered, and a man stood where one of the wolves had been. My jaw dropped, but not purely because of the transformation. The man, who couldn’t have been much older than Kevin, was completely naked. I must have made a sound of shock because Monty covered my eyes. When Monty removed his hand, the man had a blanket draped around his waist and a very amused smile on his face.

“You do not get out much do you?” the man asked, still smiling. “I am Talen, and who, may I ask, are you?

I could feel the blood flood to my face, probably turning it bright red.

“Do you dare speak to the Essence in such a manner?” Lawson shrugged off the last of his apprehension and moved forward as if to challenge the man.

“The Essence? Do you expect me to believe that the Essence is this far out in the snow? Next thing one of you is going to claim to be the new Gerard.” He laughed. My embarrassment dissipating, I really looked at him. His hair was completely white, like the fur of the wolves. He was of about average height, but his thick build made him intimidating. He smiled, catching me examining him, and I blushed again.

“My Gerard is not here, but I assure you, I’m the Essence.” The fear and embarrassment must have pumped up my adrenalin because I was actually ready to argue with him.

“Prove it.”

“You do not have to prove anything, Charlotte. Let us take care of it,” Monty said.

I ignored him and closed my eyes, picturing the wind picking up and a large snowstorm.

“Stop! I believe you.”

The loud exclamation made me open my eyes before the storm fully matured. I sighed with relief. I wanted to prove my identity, but I was freezing and didn’t need to make it worse.

James laughed. “Are you satisfied?”

“So she is the Essence. That does not change anything. What are you doing here?” Talen asked warily.

“We are here for Emma, the previous Essence,” Monty said.

“Why would you come to Icentris to look for her? Everyone knows she is in the lost world. It is only us and our prisoner here. Not that I mind your visit.” He looked directly at me as he said the last words. Both Monty and Liam tensed beside me.

“Who is your prisoner?” Monty asked.

“We have been trusted with guarding Macon, the cat who killed the former Gerard.”

My anger swelled. “It wasn’t a Zatamanian who killed him!”

“Then who did?” Talen challenged.

“Blake,” James said.

“And how would you know that?” Talen asked.

“Because he is my father.”

Talen blanched. “You are openly accusing your father of murder?”

“I am not accusing. I am stating a fact. And now, if you are done with the twenty questions, we need to retrieve Emma.”

“She is not here.”

“Yes, she is. Most likely, she is being held where you think Macon is. Have you actually seen him?” Monty’s impatience showed in his voice, and I could tell he was trying to hold his temper.

“No. I have not seen him because it is impossible. There is no entry or exit.”

“What? Then how is she being fed?” I felt sick and appreciated having Liam to lean on.

James turned to face me. “She is in a deep sleep, Charlotte. She does not need to eat.” He may have sounded calm, but the anxiety intensified the exhaustion on his face, making him seem fragile somehow.

“Why are you here? Even if you think the killer was a Zatamanian, why are you doing Blake’s bidding?” Lawson asked.

Talen bowed his head. “We had no choice. After the Essence left, we lost everything. Our lands were barren, and our people were hungry. Blake gave us two options. We could work for him and he would pay us, or he would destroy what remained of our nation. It was an easy decision.”

“So even with this knowledge, you still doubt us?” Monty asked.

“Whether I trust your honesty or not matters little since there is no way for us to find out.”

“There has to be a way. We did not come all this way to give up. We’re finding my mom!” I got as close to Talen as I dared. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed several wolves moving closer as if to protect Talen. He waved them off.

“Your mother? You are born of an Essence?” Talen asked incredulously. I had almost forgotten how rare it was for an Essence to be the daughter of another Essence. It had only happened once before.

“Yes. Now, please help us,” I pleaded, unwilling to give up no matter how little hope remained.

“I will allow you to try to open the prison box. If you are successful and are right about the prisoner, then we will assist you. If you are wrong, and it is indeed a Zatamanian, then I have no choice but to turn all of you over to Blake.”

“It is the best offer we are going to get. We should get moving.” James once again took charge, and I wondered if I had imagined any weakness.

“Is that the prison box?” Lawson asked, pointing in the distance. I squinted and realized he was pointing to some sort of box situated atop a large cylindered tower. From where I stood, the box and the cylinder appeared to me made entirely of ice, but I assumed it was made of some sort of metal or stone.

“How do we get up there?” Liam asked.

“As I told you, there is no way to reach it.” Talen watched me carefully as he spoke. I suspected he felt bad about crushing my hope.

“It can’t be impossible.” I stomped around like a toddler having a temper tantrum. Failing was not an option. We had to rescue her.

“I have an idea.” Lawson walked purposely toward the wall opposite the prison tower. One large wolf followed closely behind him. He pulled off his pack, placed it on the ground, and started rummaging through it. “We cannot climb directly up to the prison box because there is no platform, but if we can get up this wall, maybe we can find a way across. Here, let us hope this works,” Lawson said removing an item from his bag.

I pulled away from Liam, trying to get a better look at what Lawson held. Liam pulled me back against him as another wolf nearly brushed against me. “What are those?” I asked.

“Just watch.” Lawson picked up an ice-covered rock and proceeded to hammer a metal spike into the frozen wall followed by another one higher up.