I wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince himself or me. I hurried off to look for my messenger bag. I had only gone a few steps when I heard a horrible groaning noise. I turned just in time to see the elevator drop several feet. Rory let out a panicked shout. I rushed back, yelling, “Rory! Are you okay?”
I thought it was the worst idea I’d ever heard, but I couldn’t tell him that in case he was serious. I pulled back to look him in the eyes, searching for something to say. “I…um…is that something you want to do?” I asked, hoping he’d realize how ridiculous the idea was. Instead, he looked thoughtful.
I briefly thought about teleporting home, but I knew this wasn’t a problem I could ignore. I sighed, still at a loss for words. Finally, I said, “What do you want from me?” Weariness laced my words.
I growled in frustration. I was not a coward, so why was I running away? Damn witches! My Gorgon form tore free, and I looked around wildly, hoping no one noticed. It happened quickly, no more than a heartbeat or two, and I was back in control. I took a deep breath and tilted my face towards the sky.
I leaned against the brick wall and crossed my arms over my chest. Looking up, I watched as fluffy white clouds moved slowly across the sky. Blowing out an impatient breath, I said, “Done being a baby yet?”
He smirked and tilted his head like he was trying to make a decision, so I threw a pillow at him, aiming for his head. His hand shot out, catching it before it could hit him. “You’re no fun.” He really was, and we both knew it.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as chills ran up my arms. I sucked in a breath, tensing and grabbing onto Luke. “What do we do?” Oh, my goddess, I was such a girl.
The best I could tell, it took time for the soul to move on, but once it did, it was gone. I could bring a body back from death. It just wasn’t always whole. It wasn’t possible for me to pull their soul back once it was gone.
I put my hand on his arm and asked the question we were both thinking, “Did I make zombies?”
I tilted my head to the side, thinking. “Since I can turn people into stone, do you think I could turn other things into stone?” I had never experimented with what I could do before.
Just as I was about to release my power, lightning flashed through the windows, and thunder shook the building. A very girly and utterly embarrassing scream escaped my lips before I could stop it as I lost my balance and fell over.
I had been hiding in an old cemetery when she found me. The sound of heels clicking on the stone floor brought me out of the shadows. She trailed her fingers lovingly over a broken pillar of the once beautiful mausoleum as she moved throughout the room. My snakes hissed, and I ducked behind a crumbling piece of wall.
I woke up slowly, keeping my eyes closed and tried to roll over, but Luke was lying almost on top of me, his legs tangled in mine. I cracked open one eye and found him watching me. “You’re thinking too loud. It’s keeping me awake,” I groaned.
I placed my hands on the smooth scales of Sayeh’s back and took a deep breath. As I let it out, I tried to call back the stone that ran over her body, but it resisted. I pulled harder, fighting against an unseen force. Her body had been wrapped in the stone for too long, and it didn’t want to let go.
They still saw the illusion, and I had a feeling no matter how many times they walked across the bridge, they’d end up at the beginning. “You have to trust me. I think this is part of a test. We have to trust each other and have enough faith to get through each challenge.”
