Page 58 of Dawn of Hope

“Probably for your entire life,” he breathes and then takes another bite of fruit.

My eyes trail over his features, his strong jaw, his smooth skin, and his young, muscular body. Something doesn’t make sense.

“If it has been over twenty years, then why do you, you know, still look like you do?” I gesture to his face, his body. He only looks a few years older than me, but if he’s been here my entire life, and who knows how much longer than that, he definitely shouldn’t look my age.

“That’s another thing about Dawnlin I haven’t told you yet. Time…stops here. No one ages or changes as long as they are on the island. Dawnlin doesn’t exist in the real world. It is a timeless world of its own. It’s part of the magic.”

“If so many people have been here for years searching for the cure, and still haven’t found it, are their loved ones even still alive?”

Dane shrugs. “We don’t know. Most people don’t want me to check. It’s too painful to think about. It’s easier to focus on accomplishing what they came here for and enjoying each other’s company in the meantime. They feel they got this far, and they need to see it through and not give up hope. It is likely that most of them are not there any longer, but how am I supposed to tell them to stop?”

I understand that. I only just got here, and I am itching to start looking, but this new information makes me uneasy. If so many of themhave been searching, day in and day out for the elixir and still haven’t found it, what makes me think I wouldn’t spend years here as well?

Am I ready to spend years here? Am I ready to leave my kingdom behind?

I picture my mother laying in her bed, my father giving the nod to the healers to finally say goodbye. My eyes fill with tears, and I swipe them away roughly.

I am not going to leave anyone behind. I am determined to find the elixir and save my mother. I will not spend years here. I have come this far, and I am going to do it.

I don’t have another choice. There’s nowhere else I belong.

If I don’t come back, or if I spend the next twenty years roaming the island, my kingdom will have no ruler. My father will have no chance to have another heir. The future of Blackwood depends on my return, and I won’t return empty-handed.

I stand up, dusting off the back of my pants and pushing my hair out of my face. “Ready? I want to see more.”

“Sure,” Dane says, gathering our things and standing as well. He takes a step and then halts, as if he’s hit a wall. His eyes widen, seeing something I cannot, and then his head shakes, snapping him out of the trance.

“I have to go.” We’d traveled deep into the island, and while I had some bearings, I don’t entirely know which way to go next.

“What do you mean you have to go?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t notice the unease in my voice.

“I’m being called,” he says. “I don’t have a lot of time. I have to leave. Stay here. I’ll come back for you. Just try to stay hidden, okay?”

“Okay,” I nod, slightly nervous that he is just about to disappear on me after warning me about the Castaways.

He reaches down into the pouch at his side and grabs a pinch of the scented dust. “I’ll be back soon. Just please, Lennox, stay put, alright?”

Before I can answer, he reaches up, drops the dust over his hair, and then vanishes before my eyes.

I’m still mildly in disbelief at witnessing magic so up close. I sit back down in our rest spot, I realize how open and exposed I am, and my mind wanders to the Castaways. Dane said to stay here and remain hidden, but I can’t really do both in this spot.

Time drags on as I wait for him to return. I have nothing to keep myself occupied besides looking at the small slip of island around me, and trying to process all the information he told me.

I feel like I am wasting time. I came here to get the cure, and bring it home, not to sit around waiting. He warned me of the dangers, but the danger of losing my mother is also real.

I jump up, unable to contain my energy, and start pacing. He told me to wait, but I am armed. I am trained. I don’t know my way around, but I can figure it out. I glance around and listen, making sure I don’t see or hear anything moving before setting off the same way we came.

The immediate surroundings look fairly familiar as I retrace our steps, and the open parts of the path help me see where I am in relation to other big markers on the island. I follow along, keeping my bearings and moving quickly. I’m confident that I am going to make it back to camp, and remain on high alert, scanning my surroundings and listening for any abnormal noises. Dane would be proud, and maybe he won’t force me to tag along with someone else for days.

The path narrows ahead of me, and walls of jungle rise on either side. I slow as I approach it and can’t help but think that something feels…off. I strain to listen, trying to pick up on anything that would indicate why I suddenly feel the hair rising on the back of my neck, and that’s when I notice it.

Nothing.

I hear nothing.

Where before there were sounds of leaves rustling in the wind and birds chirping and cawing, now there are none. The silence is deafening. It’s as if this entire section of the jungle had gone still, warning me that something is not right.

I should have stayed where Dane left me.