Page 57 of Dawn of Hope
“Do you think he wants to actually use it?”
“Use it, sell it, recreate it. Whatever his reasoning, we know it isn’t good. If it was, he wouldn’t be resorting to violence to get it. That is whywe need to stay on our guard at all times, and gods forbid if he does ever take you, don’t believe anything he says. Usually anyone who is new to the island stays with a partner until they know their way. Then they can venture out on their own.”
“I’m confused. Why wouldn’t we just go to where the elixir is, get it, and then I can leave? Isn’t that the whole point of being here?”
Dane stops at the top of the stairs, waiting for me to catch up. With the humidity and heat, these stairs put the ones in the castle to shame. I am already tiring out and breathing deeply, and we’ve barely just left.
“That’s the thing, Lennox. We don’t know where it is.”
My head starts to spin, and not just from the altitude of the climb. They don’t know where it is. Is this why everyone is gone all day? Are they searching for it?
“What do you mean you don’t know where it is? You’re the Guardian of Dawnlin. Shouldn’t you know?”
“I don’t think any of the Guardians knew where it is. You know how difficult it was to figure out how to get here. The magic of the island will not make it easy to find the elixir, especially since there are people like Weston who would try to exploit it.”
“You’re not the only Guardian? There are others?”
“Therewereothers,” he trails off and gazes out over the island. “Only one person can be Guardian at a time, and that is me.”
“How did you become it? It doesn’t seem like something that anyone knows about becoming.”
His face grows somber. “That’s one reason I said you need to be careful and aware out here.” His throat bobs, and he meets my eyes. “I became the Guardian because Weston killed the last one. I watched it happen, and before he could take it over, take over control of the island, I grabbed his things.” He gestures to the bag again. “It just happened after that. I didn’t know it would, didn’t want it, but I couldn’t let this fall into the hands of that monster.”
I’m speechless. How could someone be so cruel and so evil, to takeaway any chance of hope of finding the cure? How could he kill an innocent person just to control everything?
Monster is the right word.
Dane takes a step down, closer to my level. “That’s why I want to make sure you are careful. I don’t know what I would do if he took you,” he murmurs.
“I will be. I promise.” I smile and he returns it, his grin lighting up his face and making his eyes dance.
“Come on, let me show you more.”
We walk around the island for what feels like hours. Dane points out so many different things, I can see why people who are new need to travel with someone else until they get their bearings. I’d spent years learning maps and details of places I’d never been before, so I am not too worried about learning my way around.
In what seems like the early afternoon, we finally pick a spot in the shade to rest and eat some of what Dane brought with us.
“Do you like it so far?” He asks before biting into a piece of fruit.
“The food? Yes, it’s great,” I answer.
“No,” he chuckles. “Not the food, the island.”
“Of course I do. It’s amazing. It’s nothing like I expected, not that I actually expected anything, since I didn’t know until yesterday that I was even going to try to find it. But I have a question.”
His eyes meet mine, waiting for me to ask.
“Is this it? We just try to find the elixir every day?”
My heart pounds as I wait for his answer. I’d been so caught up in his warning about Weston that I hadn’t really processed the reality of his words. No one knew the location of the elixir, which meant that this would not be a simple task. I would not return home today with a fond memory and a future with my mother ahead of me. I need to know the truth of what to expect for my time in Dawnlin.
“Unfortunately, yes.” His eyes drop to the food in his hands. “Since Weston killed the last Guardian, there was no one to pass along any of theinstructions or secrets of the island, if there even were any to begin with. We’ve all just been trying to figure it out as we go. None of us have found it yet though, and everyone has chosen to stay even after all this time.”
“All this time? How long has it been?”
He looks up at me again, a tight smile on his lips. “For some it hasn’t been as long as others, but for many it has been years. It’s hard to really know how long unless I pay attention to time when I’m called off of the island.”
“How long have you been the Guardian?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.