until recently that I even realized that I wanted to live. Before that, things were in a painful survival mode. How would I manage the pain this time, especially if it was worse?
Maybe I should have just believed him, and left it alone. I blinked hard, looking away. That was when I saw Casey returning with a stack of books that threatened to knock her over. Martis were freakishly strong, but it was still an odd sight. The corner of my mouth tugged up at the display. She looked cartoonish, as she wobbled slowly towards us.
I pushed my hair out of my face and looked at Eric. "I believe you. I won't ask. Not now." I don't know what expression was on my face, only that Eric made an unexpected response. His eyes darted away, before turning to Casey. I felt like he was hiding something, and he was. It just wasn't what I thought.
CHAPTER TEN
Shannon caught up with me a few hours later, and was startled to find me sitting with Eric. "I thought you were gonna kill him earlier. How are you guys sitting here like nothing ever happened?" Her hands were on her hips and she was smiling. She looked up, noticing the guards advancing, "Um, she didn't move. And she didn't say kill - I did. Geeze." She pulled out a chair and sat on the other side of me.
I smiled weakly at her, closing the book that I was reading. "What can I say? We made up." That wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough. Eric was easy to trust, but I knew something wasn't right. It would be foolish to blindly trust him. No, I couldn't rely on anyone anymore. Things would never be so simple again.
Shannon leaned forward, glancing between the two of us, waiting for more of an explanation. There really wasn't more of an explanation that I wanted to share. I didn't want to know everything that Eric knew. It was more pain, and I wasn't in a position to handle it - not right now. I would ask him eventually. But right now, I had to salvage what was left of my loved ones. Collin was still alive. I'd seen it in my visions.
"So," she said to Eric, "when are you supposed to testify? Again."
Eric looked up at her. "Tonight." His amber eyes shifted to me. "Ivy, this isn't good. I already told them that you sealed the portal. They wouldn't have called me back over something minor. Julia was irate when I left."
"Maybe you left something out?" I shrugged, feeling irritated with the whole thing. "Maybe it's nothing Eric." Even as the words left my mouth, I knew they weren't true.
Shannon said, "Oh, it's not nothing. Something has them in a huff. There are Martis darting everywhere this morning. No, I think Eric's right. Something's wrong. It seems like they already made some sort of decision."
"Let's hope not," Eric said as he stood. "I'll catch up with you after the testimony. In the meantime stay out of trouble." His brow was pinched together as his eyes fell to the floor. He walked away leaving Shannon and me alone with the ancient tomes.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Flustered, I flicked another page. "There is nothing in here!" I slammed the book shut and Casey gave me a warning glance. A sigh left my throat, as I dropped my head onto the massive open book in front of me.
I'd been reading for hours. The sunlight had turned golden as the end of the day was nearing. Eric's hearing was in a few short hours and I still hadn't found what I was looking for. I don't know what I expected, but I was hoping it was something that indicated a door or passage that had superstitions associated with it. It would be something that was part truth and part folklore to scare people away. It had to be. That was the way they did things thousands of years ago. Since Kreturus was sealed in so long ago, it made sense that the stories and folklore of the day would point towards something. The entrance was sealed after he was conquered. But, there was nothing here.
I looked up and saw Shannon walking towards me. Her chair scraped the floor as she pulled it out to sit down. "Hey," she said looking at my pile of books. "Find anything useful?" I shook my head. Shannon glanced down at the books and then back