The Wishing Tree - Book Two [Completed]

Friendship - Part 12

I stay silent, absorbing his words and trying to think quickly enough to avoid really answering his question.

      "I'm not sure what just happened," I say.

      "We know who you are. Or at least what you could be."

      I meet his gaze, feeling wary. "I don't know what you mean."

      He laughs a little. "The gatekeeper is after Siren Hannah. That's you. I saw the scar when we were fighting the quillore. I'm guessing that Mason knows the truth, which is why you aren't afraid of him. But, anyone else would present a real danger to you."

      I stay silent, watching him. I can't decide if he's suggesting that he's just such a threat or merely stating the truth.

      "You're doing a sequence and you needed either one or both of us for your list. You're trying to jump back to the Third Realm." He pauses and seems thoughtful. "Who else knows you're bonded to the Ruler of the Realms?"

      I shift uncomfortably, wishing Mason awake. I hear him stirring beside me and I concentrate on what it'll be like for him to enter the conversation.

      "How are you...how do you know so much about all of this? I know the First Realm knows about other realms, but you seem to be abnormally connected," I say.

      "The guy who spoke to Mason when we arrived at the colony. He spoke of the gatekeeper. I think he was hoping to turn you in, even with Mason's threat."

      I swallow, wondering if Rocco is also planning to turn on me.

      "I told Mason that night. You were gone by then; I guess you were looking for Riven's hut. I suspect, although I don't know for sure, that Mason eliminated the threat." Rocco wears a lopsided grin. "I'm not your enemy, Hannah. I wouldn't cross Mason. He's notorious for never forgetting a soul and for seeking revenge long after it's appropriate to do so."

      I sigh, letting the tension ebb back out of me. I remember how relaxed Mason appeared when I arrived back from winning the bet that brought Riven and Rocco into the fold. Maybe he was out handing down judgments.

      "Do you want to talk about your dream?"

      I think about how much I haven't told Mason. I can't talk to Maizie anymore; she's started to feel more like an enemy than a friend. I sigh and pull my knees up to my chest. I think about holding a dim light in the palm of my hand, how warm the light would feel, the soft illumination of Rocco's features. When I look up, the cave glows with a dimness that allows me to see him, but still leaves it dark enough for those still sleeping. "Do you really want to know it all?"

      "If you want to tell it, I'd love to hear it."

      I smile softly and start at the beginning.

####

      "Read that to me again."

      Mason is clearly distracted as he moves around the cave. I've taken the list out and read it to him three times in the last hour. Each time, he seems more and more perplexed. Rocco and Riven are out gathering some food and haven't been around for a while. I haven't told Mason yet that Rocco knows everything; I'm not sure how Mason will feel.

      "What's going on with you today?"

      Mason gives me a weary look. "I was awake half the night trying to build little mental fortresses to keep Ryan out. He's wound up." Mason is pacing. "Then, I saw the blood all over the floor from your bleeding heart as you told Rocco your life story."

      Heat creeps up my neck and invades my cheeks. "You heard that?"

      "You can't wish me awake, Queenie, and then be surprised when it works."

      "Oh, right." I play with the strap on his pack. "I thought he might be threatening me. Why didn't you say anything?"

      He lifts one shoulder slowly and then lets it sink. "I told Ryan last night that I wasn't going to be his middle man. I won't be yours, either. I'm here to do a job and that's to keep you safe."

      "We're back to that." I whisper the words and look away from him.

      "You on the Third Realm, safe, that's all that matters. Whatever shit Ryan's doing up there; I don't want to know about it."

      "What did he tell you?" Worry is a bud at the back of my brain. Something wasn't right with Ryan in the time slip.

      "I'm not doing it, Hannah. I didn't spend half the night building walls to then turn around and let you tell me your sob story."

      I get up and leave the cave without another word. I hope Rocco and Riven will be able to distract me from Mason's foul mood and from my blossoming sense of doom.

Author's Note:

Should Hannah have told Rocco everything? Why is Mason annoyed with her?