My mind met the alien mind of the rock beneath my bare feet. I shivered. It was far older, stronger and stranger than the heest. And it definitely wasn’t dead.
I tried to explain its feelings so the others could understand. ‘It’s … hiding,’ I said. ‘It’s frightened of something, or someone. But more than that, it’s ashamed. It’s hiding from its own heart as much as from anybody else. Oh! And it’s a girl.’
‘Well, yes,’ said Ransom.
My eyes snapped open. Ransom met my gaze steadily from the swaying boat. ‘Her name isn’t Dead Mountain. It’s Waylah. And she’s not dead—she’s only sleeping.’
I was caught between jumping into the boat to confront him and staying as far away from him as possible. No wonder Sol was afraid of him. ‘Since you know so much, why don’t you wake it—her?’
Ransom held
