I clasped my palm over my mouth as a sob escaped. “I won’t lose you, Emily. I just won’t. This darkness has already claimed people whom I deeply loved. It’s like a monster.”
Emily’s face grew pale. “You’re scaring me, Olivia.”
She reached for my hands, gripping them tightly.
“I’m scared, too, Emily. When Grey Feather told me the ultimate darkness was hunting me, I became more frightened than ever. I’m a fighter. I can take down several men at once—I’ve done it before. But I don’t know how to fight something more supernatural.”
We stared at one another in wide-eyed terror.
Then, I said, “You probably think I’m crazy. But I had to tell you, so you can decide to stay with us or go your own way.”
Emily closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. “Olivia, I don’t think you’re crazy.”
My eyebrows creased together. “You don’t?”
“No, I don’t. I believe you,” Emily said, her hands shaking as she clutched mine. “My father knew a time traveler many years ago.”
My jaw dropped open, and I blinked wildly. “What? How is that possible?”
Emily shrugged and tugged her hands away to push her messy hair out of her face. She jutted out her jaw and blew upward to assist the process. “Remember I told you Papa carried secrets?”
I nodded, placing my weight on my hands.
Emily said, “The day my family and I were arrested started as a typical morning. I went to his office to read a book and found a hidden secret journal. I couldn’t help but skim through the pages and read some entries. I felt awfully guilty.
“The journal said he found a deeply wounded and hurt woman and nursed her back to health. She spoke poorly in English in a thick Italian accent when she healed. She told my father she was in danger and needed to find a man named John James. She said over and over.
“When my father asked why she needed to find him, she said she was in danger from a treacherous man named Balthazar. My father tried to understand who Balthazar was, but she was afraid to share more. After some time, she left my father heartbroken. For years, he tried to find her and understand who she was and who Balthazar was but came to a dead end.”
I was shocked. “Emily, your father’s journal saidBalthazarwas after her?”
“Yes, my father’s journal said that. I wanted to read more to understand who this John James was, but suddenly I heard Charlotte scream. I dropped the journal, rushed toward her, and saw how soldiers had come to arrest my father and us.”
“Oh, my goodness, Emily, I’m so sorry.” I spread my arms wide to hug her. “Do you think the journal is still at your home?”
“I don’t know. When we were arrested, the soldiers started to burn the house down. I don’t know if the house is still standing. It was a big house. My father’s journal could still be there, and I’m sure it can help you with some answers you are looking for.”
“How long ago was the journal written?”
“It dated back twenty-eight years.”
“Emily, oh, my goodness. The time traveler we are looking for came to the tribe for help twenty-eight years ago. This is probably the same woman your father met. It could be her journal!”
“Yes! It’s at my home in Weston Hills,” Emily said.
“This is such good news! You have no idea. I’ve been bewildered, wondering where to find answers to the sea of questions swimming in my head. And little did I know,you,my dear friend, would have an essential answer. We must leave soon so we can go get it.”
Emily stiffened in my grasp. Then, she pushed away from me. “That idea terrifies me, Olivia. Why can’t we stay with this tribe, where we’re safe? They seem to have welcomed us.”
I studied her, my gaze heavy with concern. “You don’t understand, Emily. Balthazar is the darkness that is after me. None of us are safe unless he’s destroyed—not you, me, Roman, or Marcellious. He’shuntingus, Emily. And he’s a supernatural being who slips through time, disappears and reappears—I don’t know how to fight such an entity without assistance. We’ve got to get your father’s journal and see what it says about her.”
Emily sat facing me, quivering, looking everywhere but at me. At last, she met my eyes and released a breath. She took my hands, and with clear-eyed regard, she said, “I want to know more about my father, who this woman was, and who John James is. I will help you, Olivia, and guide you to my father’s journal as best as I can. You’re like a sister to me, and I wouldn’t want to lose you to this darkness.”
“Thank you, Emily. You are like a sister to me too. I don’t want you to worry. I will have Roman and Marcellious accompany us on our journey to Weston Hills. They’ll help protect us. You know they will.” I tightened my grip on her fingers. “I, above all, promise to keep you safe, Emily. You have my word.”
But even as I said this, I knew from experience that I couldn’t save the people I loved.
Olivia
