20
My grandparents and I with Caius at my side hurried outside and across the sands to the lonely cave. The closer we drew the heavier became my steps. My imagination leapt at all the most outlandish possibilities, from the living dead to some demon who sought to stop the lumina from taking Matthew. Perhaps I had been their unwitting pawn, and that thought made my stomach twist into knots.
We reached the mouth of the cave and paused before the darkness. Unlike our other visits there was no crackling fire and weathered visage to greet us. It was quite the opposite. Dust and moss covered much of the cave floor, and the fire pit was buried under a half foot of beach sand.
Sage held up his hand and light burst outward to illuminate the area. “Are you sure she was here?”
Caius steppe
