Page 52 of Dawn of Hope

I take the vine from him, and he steps forward into the opening. The darkness engulfs him, and he completely disappears.

I think back to what Dane said in Blackwood, that the tenets ofDawnlin are hope and trust. Hope got me here, so maybe I really do need to trust.

But just because I am going to trust, doesn’t mean I will do so naively.

I take a deep breath and step into the darkness, letting the curtain of vines drop behind me. My ears perk, listening for any sound of an ambush, but I hear nothing. I say a quick prayer to the gods to get me through whatever dangers might lie before me and step forward.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ican’t see anything.

There is no light, no sound, nothing to indicate that Dane or anyone else is waiting for me inside this cave. I do not know where it opens to, or if it even opens at all. I just know I have to trust it will go somewhere, and I will not end up dead in a cave on a mythical island.

I take another small step forward, reaching my hands out in front of me to feel for any obstacles. Instantly, the darkness disappears, and I am standing in an open grassy clearing, the pinks and oranges of the sky peeking over the trees above me.

I whip around, looking back at where the cave had just been a moment ago, but there’s no cave. The rock on this side isn’t covered in vines, it is just darkness, as if there is actually nothing there. I look back and forth between the opening and the clearing I am standing in and can’t believe it.

There is no tunnel. There is no cave. I just appeared.

It seems like…magic.

I was there, in the darkness, and then I wasn’t.

I turn back toward the clearing where Dane stands, smirking. I know I probably look dumbfounded, because I am. I don’t know how to explain what I just experienced, other than with magic.

If only Edmond could see me now.

“Come on,” Dane says and heads toward the other side of the clearing. “Let me show you around.”

The clearing is no bigger than the training courtyard back at the castle, and empty. What could he need to show me around? Is there something I’m missing? I glance around, expecting a camp, tent stakes, leftover burnt logs, even sleeping rolls. But there’s nothing. Maybe everything is magically hidden, just like the entrance was.

“Where is everything?”

We reach the edge of the clearing, lined with thick trees and vines so dense I can barely see a few feet deep. Dane reaches around the back of a large lumpy trunk and pulls out a ladder made of rope and wooden rungs.

“Can you climb?” He ignored my question, but his was answer enough. I look up and can’t believe my eyes. The tops of the trees surrounding the clearing are filled with structures and bridges, the entire camp built into the branches. Torches light spontaneously around the entire circle as the sky darkens above us. There even appears to be a lookout at the top of the tallest tree. A wooden sign with the word “Voyagers” carved into it hangs crookedly from a trunk. That must be what they call themselves.

“Thisis camp?” I ask, not even trying to hide the shock in my voice as I crane my neck trying to take it all in.

Dane plucks the cloak from my hands and throws it over his shoulder. “I’ll take this for you. You’re probably not going to need it here, but I’m sure you want to keep it.”

“Thank you,” I say as I place my hands on a rung just above my head. I grip tightly and lift my foot to the bottom rung, pushing as hard as I can to work my way up the ladder. Strong hands wrap around mywaist and lift me slightly, and I almost lose my footing. He lifts me as if I weigh nothing, and I feel the heat of his hands sinking into my skin through my shirt.

The ease with which he touches me is still shocking, and something I am trying to get used to. Despite Dane knowing my real name, he still doesn’t know who I am, and deep down, I want to keep it that way. I don’t want to be treated as a princess here, by him, or anyone else I meet. I just want to be me, Lennox, who is here to find the cure for someone she loves.

Despite having strength in my arms from shooting my bow and fighting with the heavy training swords back at home, this climb is harder than I expected. With every rung, the ladder twists and turns, and it takes all of my strength to pull myself upward.

I feel the ropes pull taught and grip the wood a little tighter as I glance down between my feet. I am high enough that Dane has started climbing, and his weight makes it a little easier to keep going. By the time I reach the wooden platform at the top and pull myself through the square hole, I am out of breath and my arms feel heavy and boneless.

“Who are you?”

Two large bare feet step into my vision and I look up to see a man towering over me, arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on

his face.

“She’s alright, she’s with me,” Dane calls from behind as he pulls himself onto the platform. “Lennox, this is Storm.”

“Nice to meet you.” I stand and reach my hand out toward him.