Page 119 of Dawn of Hope

Something at the bottom of the stone catches my eye. A small mark in the far corner. I crouch down to get a better look.

Hope swells in my chest again and I feel my already too fast heart beat out of my chest.

Carved into the stone is the symbol from the fountain and the lagoon, the chalice with the rising dawn.

I drop to my knees to get closer. There has to be an inscription or something more, some way to open the door.

I reach out and brush my fingers across the symbol.

Is it really that easy?

When Weston wanted a door of stone to open, he just placed his hand on the wall, and the island knew what he wanted.

It is worth a try.

I flatten my palm over the symbol, and the stone under my hand glows. I rip my hand away and see the golden symbol, lit against the darkness of the stone, glowing like dawn. I scramble to my feet and watch, waiting.

A cracking sound pierces the quiet and the smooth stone splits down the middle. Doors swing in toward the mountain, revealing the entrance of a dark tunnel and my chest swells.

I’ve done it.

I found the entrance.

I am going to get the cure.

I rush through the doors before they close. There is no turning back now, no thoughts of any dangers that might be ahead. My mind scrambles as I step into the darkness beyond the door, but there is one thought that stands out above all the rest.

I found it, Mom, and I’m going to bring it home to you.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

The stone doors slam behind me, and I am left in complete darkness. I may have found where the cure is hidden, but I don’t have any idea what lies ahead. Dawnlin set so many traps to keep the cure protected, so I can only imagine what is in store for me inside the mountain.

I blindly step forward into the darkness, and torches light along the walls, casting a glow only a few steps in front of me. I start to walk, using all of my senses to take in every detail and anticipate any attack that might come.

The tunnel winds out of sight, more torches lighting along the walls as I move. I walk for what seems like hours, winding deep into the mountain with nothing to guide me farther than a few paces at a time.

Is this it? Am I in an endless loop of tunnel, deep inside the mountain, with no way out? I stop abruptly and glance between where the tunnel is going, and where I came from, feeling panic start to rise.

The torches extinguish behind me. I take a step toward them, backtoward the entrance, but unlike the ones in front of me, they don’t relight. The island is telling me I can’t go back. This must be right, and I’m not trapped.

I spin back around and press forward, still holding on to that hope. Step after step, the tunnel keeps winding, with no end in sight.

“I’ve got to be almost there,” I say out loud to no one, or maybe to the island.

Can Dawnlin hear me?

Soon I pause. The next set of torches isn’t lighting the way. I look around the narrow tunnel, but there is nowhere else to go. I step forward, toeing the line of the darkness before me and take in a deep breath. Even though it isn’t showing me the way, I need to trust it and move forward.

“Here goes,” I mumble.

I step into the darkness, and a large circular room opens up in front of me, carved from the stone of the mountain. Fiery torches light the walls, the room completely devoid of anything except some sort of decoration carved into the walls.

I look around, trying to figure out where to go next, what I need to do. There is nothing, not even an exit. As I slowly spin to take in all the detail, I realize the tunnel I’d come through is sealed behind me.

Trapped.

I am trapped in here. There is no way out, no obvious path to get the cure.