Chapter Ninety Eight
The fire crackled softly, sending sparks into the cool night air as we sat in a tight circle–Isaiah, Alex, Austin, and me. The tension that had weighed on us since the attack still lingered, but for now, we had a new puzzle to solve.
Austin leaned forward, his sharp eyes scanning the parchment I had been obsessing over for days. His lips moved silently as he read the words once more.
“Whispers from ancient Willows…” he muttered under his breath, tapping the paper against his palm.
Alex huffed, stretching his long legs out toward the fire. “Does that mean we have to find a talking willow? A tree that actually whispers?”
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “It’s possible. We can’t ignore anything at this point.”
Before anyone could say more, a quiet voice cut through the night.
“You might not be far off.”
We turned sharply to see Eira standing just outside the firelight, arms crossed over her chest. None of us had noticed her approach, which was impressive considering how attuned we were to our surroundings.
Austin let out a breath. “Damn it, Eira. A little warning next time?”
She ignored him and stepped closer, her gaze locking onto the parchment. “When I was younger, my mother told me a story about a place called the Grove of Whispering Willows.”
That caught my attention. “Go on.”
Eira knelt beside us, her expression unreadable. “According to legend there were once women who couldn’t keep secrets. They thrived on gossip, spreading truths that weren’t theirs to tell and were shared to them in confidence. Their punishment was… unusual. They were cursed, their spirits bound to the ancient willow trees, forced to whisper the secrets they had once betrayed.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “So the trees actually whisper?”
Eira nodded. “That’s what the story says. If you stand among them, you can hear the echoes of secrets long forgotten.”
Isaiah scoffed. “That sounds like a fairy tale. What if it was just a story to scare kids into keeping their mouths shut?”
Eira shrugged. “Maybe. But if the riddle is pointing us there, then we have to consider the possibility that it’s real.”
Austin snapped his fingers. “Wait a second! Back at the school library, when Stormi was researching her bloodline, I found a book of lore. It had a map tied to each story I read.”
1 frowned, trying to recall the moment. Then it hit me–that day in the library after I found out I was a silver wolf.
1 had been reading alone when the twins, Isaiah, and Elijah had come looking for me. Back then, I had resented them for constantly bothering me after years of bullying.
Alex rolled his eyes. “So you’re saying we should look through some old book you don’t even remember the title of?”
Austin crossed his arms. “Do you have a better idea?”
Silence.
Chapter Ninety Eight
Isaiah sighed. “Part of the school burned down, but the library and the other wing of the school are intact.”
That didn’t surprise me. It was said that after the school was built a witch had enchanted it to protect the knowledge inside.
Alex stood. “I’ll go get Elijah-
“No,” I cut in. “Let him rest.” The other nodded in understanding.
His been barely speaking since the attack. He needed time.
Eira then offered us keys to the trucks the people the Umbral society had sent and with that, we headed for the school.
The drive to our old school was silent. Each of us was lost in our thoughts, and when we finally pulled into the empty parking lot, I hesitated before stepping out.
Memories flooded back. The whispers, the taunts, the cruelty. I had spent years walking these halls with my head down, drowning in the weight of my own pain and depression.
Now, as I looked at my reflection in the car window, I barely recognized the girl I used to be.
I wasn’t a scared, broken outcast anymore. I was the Silver Wolf. Isaiah nudged my shoulder. “You good?”
I nodded once. “Let’s get this over with.”
The school was eerie at night, the long hallways dimly lit by emergency lights. The walls were lined with lockers I had once been shoved into, the floors scuffed by years of students rushing to class.
We walked in silence until we reached the library doors.
Alex turned to Austin. “So? Do you remember the book’s name?”
Austin scratched his head. “Uh… not exactly.”
Alex smacked the back of his head. “Dumbass.”
Austin shoved him back, and just like that, the twins started fighting
Isaiah rolled his eyes before grabbing both their heads and knocking them together. “Enough.”
I chuckled, then turned my attention to the library. If I could retrace my steps that day, maybe I could find the book,
I moved deeper into the rows of towering bookshelves, my fingers skimming the worn spines. I could still remember where I had been sitting when I was reading that day.
Austin’s voice rang out. “This is it! This is where we were sitting.”
I took my old seat, my mind working through the details. Where would Austin have grabbed the book from?
I glanced over my shoulder at the bookshelf behind me.
“Third row,” I murmured. “Check there.”
The guys exchanged glances but started searching.
Minutes passed as we pulled book after book from the al
Chapter Ninety Eight
Then, suddenly-
“Found it!” Austin shouted.
We all rushed over as he placed the book on the table. The leather cover was worn, and the title faded.
Flipping through the contents, we finally found it.
The Whispering Willows.
Austin flipped to the back of the book. “The map should be here-”
We all leaned in.
There it was.
A location marked in the next town.
Isaiah frowned. “We’re really going to trust a map from a storybook?
I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Do you have any other ideas?”
Silence.
Then he shrugged. “Guess we’re going to find some haunted trees.”
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