Fables & Other Lies - Claire Contreras Page 0,70

most of the time that was enough. Sarah had been the opposite. Though she wasn’t his mother, she’d been very motherly toward him, always there to kiss him and hug him when he got home, always there to encourage him and smile when he needed her to. He smiled now, thinking of her safety, of her freedom, finally.

River took hold of his father’s hand and walked him to the back of the house, toward the Tree of Life. It was a longshot, but maybe. Anything was possible. His father was walking slower than usual, but River pushed on, gripping his hand tighter, walking harder against the gusts of wind. This wasn’t normal. The day leading up to the water rising again was always nice, the final nice day they had until the gloom settled again. It was never this. It had never been this. River wondered if his mood had anything to do with that. If the fact that he was mourning his loss was causing all of this, the loss of the woman he loved. The loss of what might have been, had he not been tethered to such a despicable being. He glanced at the garage door. If they could make it there and race to the helipad, he could get them out of here. But he still needed the leaves. The ground beneath them shook again, this time forming clear fault lines around them.

“Let go,” his father said, trying to pull his hand away from his. “You need to let go.”

“I can’t.” River felt his chest squeeze as he looked at his father, who seemed to be aging right before his eyes.

“You need to let go now, River. You can’t save us all.”

“I can’t save anyone.” He blinked hard against the gusts, trying to keep his eyes on his father’s.

“You can save yourself.”

“If I save myself she dies. You know how this works.”

My father nodded slowly, eyes turned sad. It was why he sent Sarah away knowing she’d survive, even though he wouldn’t. It was why he was so absolute in his decision. Staying, dying, giving into the inevitable, was the only way to save the woman he loved. And so, River didn’t let go of his father’s hand, even as they reached the Tree of Life. Even as they sat beneath it and looked out into emptiness. He heard the ocean waves nearing, but they weren’t calm and docile as they always were this time of year. They were charging, ready for war, ready to cause destruction. Wilfred lay his head on his son’s shoulder and closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. River set his head on top of his father’s and gripped a chunk of soil beneath him, touching the leaves that had fallen from the tree, and he shut his eyes as he watched the Manor collapse and awaited doom. He could swear he heard the Devil’s laugh even now.

Chapter Thirty-One

Penelope

“Did you hear?” Dee asked. She sounded out of breath as I answered the phone.

“Hear what?” I looked at the time. I felt like I’d slept three days, but in reality, it had been . . . “Holy shit. I think I slept twenty-four hours straight.”

“Never mind that. Dolos is gone.”

I shot straight up in bed. “What?”

“It’s gone. The fog is gone. The island is . . . gone.”

My heart leaped out of my chest. “No, no, no, no, no. I have to call you back.” I hung up and ran into the bathroom.

When I was finished getting dressed, I ran out of my bedroom and into the kitchen. Wela was there, distributing leaves and setting them in different metal containers.

“Your mother is awake.” She looked up at me with a smile.

“Dolos Island is gone.” I felt like I was out of breath.

“I heard.”

“How? Why?”

“I . . . ” She stopped what she was doing and turned to me. “I don’t know. Does it matter? The darkness has been lifted once and for all.”

I stared at her for a long moment, then shook my head and ran out the door, climbing on my Vespa and revving it as hard as I could. I got as far as Dolly’s bar before I had to stop driving because there were too many people on the street to dodge. News cameras, reporters, tourists, locals, people everywhere. Everyone was talking about Dolos Island and what could have possibly happened. I ran to Dolly’s, heading straight to her behind the bar.

“Where’s River?”

“How would I know?” She took