Read Online Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' by Mireille Chester - Free Book Online Page B

going to have to take a breath or die, we came up in
a large underground lake. We swam to the shore and I helped Brice
get up on the bank.
    He lay on his back, his eyes closed,
his breathing fast. “Do you see that little ledge behind
us?”
    I looked up. “Yes.”
    “ Do you see the flat stone?
It’s a dark green color.”
    I walked to the ledge and looked.
“Yeah.”
    “Lift it and take the sac out of the
hole.”
    I did as I was told. The flat stone was
heavier than it looked and I had to use two hands to move it. Under
it was a small bag made of deer skin. I took it out and went to sit
by Brice. I took his hand and put the sac in it.
    He shook his head, his eyes still
closed. “It’s for you.”
    I opened the sac and looked in. “What
is it?”
    “It’s a displacement stone. I stole it
when I was young. There was a sorceress that came to the city. She
was selling all sorts of stones and potions. My friends dared me to
steal one.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know what it did until a group
of older boys were chasing me one day. I was holding the stone and
all I could think about was how great it would be to be here
instead of where I was at the time. The next thing I knew, here I
was.”
    “So why did you hide it here? I would
think this would be a handy stone to keep around.”
    “Oh, it was. I did keep it on me for a
while. But when Braw gave me my shifting stone, I found that the
two of them cancelled each other out. Since I had to shift to
pretend I was on the queen’s guard, I hid the displacement stone
here for safe keeping.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to use
it.”
    I shook my head. “I’m not just going to
leave you here.”
    “Hayden, you dying isn’t an option.
Now, take the stone, think of your cabin, and get out of
here.”
    “No. I’m not leaving you. You dying
isn’t an option either.”
    “By the moons, Hayden, I just handed
you over to a man who was going to use you to wipe out the
shifters.”
    “And you got me away just like you
always do when I get in a mess. Do you think I should hate Luke for
abducting me?”
    He shook his head. “Luke was following
orders. And he brought you back.”
    “So how is that any different from what
you just did?”
    “I have been lying to you for a year;
lying to Jasper for seven.”
    I was quiet. He opened his eyes and
looked at me. The fact that he had been lying to me all this time
was what cut the deepest. But he was still Brice and I still loved
him. I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
    “I don’t care.”
    I repositioned myself so I was
kneeling. “You might want to bite on that bag. These are pretty
deep.” I took a deep breath and worked the arrows out of his
side.
    Brice groaned and bit down on the bag.
Tears ran down his face.
    It took a while and by the time I was
done both of us were sweating and shaking. “I’m sorry.”
    He placed a hand on my arm and pulled
me down so I was lying in the crook of his arm. “Give me a minute.”
His voice was a hoarse whisper.
    I put a hand on his chest and felt his
breathing slowly get back to normal. “Are you ready?”
    He shook his head. “No, but get on with
it.”
    I knelt by his side once more and
pulled the green waves in front of me then picked the safe one and
spread it over his side. I pushed the wave with my mind and
concentrated his energy on where he needed to heal. I could see the
tissues heal; the vessels reattach, and finally the skin close
again.
    Brice jerked under my hands. He took a
few deep breaths then laid his arm out on the ground. I lay back
against him and he pulled me close. “Get some sleep. I’ll try to
figure out how I’m supposed to get you back to Jasper.”
    I yawned. “You need some sleep, too.
Will anyone think to look for us here?”
    “I don’t think so. If anyone does come,
you make sure to use that stone.” He looked down at me. “Promise
me.”
    “I promise.” I closed my eyes and let
sleep take me