Frosted Torment (Marked Mortals Saga #1)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

A s we walked through the Valley of the Fallen, a worn path led the way. With each step, the vibrant green underfoot dulled to lifeless brown. Charred ground crumbled beneath our feet; the air was thick with the scent of ash.

A shiver ran through me, and not from the frigid air. The valley felt wrong somehow—eerie and unsettling in a way I couldn’t quite define. I hugged my arms across my chest as I glanced up at the sky, now an ominous gray. Another snowstorm was headed for us.

“You okay?” Baz asked, noticing my unease.

I didn’t have the opportunity to respond, as he inched closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his solid warmth.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, unconvinced. “This place gives me the heebie-jeebies. I’m feeling buzzy, and it’s a different kind of cold here. ”

As if on cue, a gust of icy wind whipped past us, cutting right through me. I shuddered again and burrowed deeper into Baz’s side, and he rubbed my arm as he tightened his hold on me.

“That’s hellfire cold,” he said. “A temperature of fire so high that it turns cold and invisible.”

Lex looked back at Baz and shook his head in what I assumed was a gesture to not tell me more than I needed to know about hell. He was right about my not wanting to know.

“We’ll be through here soon,” Lex said over his shoulder. He scanned the perimeter, ever vigilant. “Stick close and don’t let your guard down.”

I sprinted ahead of Baz and stayed between him and Lex as we walked. An otherworldly hum emanated from the ground through the soil as we walked farther, and I stopped Baz.

“I need Vincent’s dagger,” I requested and held out my palm.

Once Baz located it and the knife was in my possession, we continued down the path. My gaze drifted once more to the charred half of the valley. The blackened soil seemed to writhe in my periphery, as if tormented by unseen phantoms of the fallen angels.

I blinked hard, telling myself it’s a trick of the fading light. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something watched us - something sinister lurking beyond the shadows, biding its time. Biting my lip, I matched my steps to Baz and Lex’s brisk pace. But as we walked, the unease in my gut grew stronger.

We needed to get out of the valley—and fast. Before the shadows gathering at the edges of my vision took form and the whispers on the wind became something far worse .

“Why did we have to come this way?” I asked, my gaze darting between the charred wasteland and the vibrant purple of the lilacs. “Couldn’t we have gone around?”

Baz’s jaw tightened, his eyes scanning the horizon. “It’s the fastest way to the tree.”

“It won’t matter.” I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Vincent and Maros are bound to be waiting for me now.”

“They don’t know about what’s happened with the bracelet,” Lex reminded me, kicking a rock out of our path. “And they don’t know you think Vallen’s prison is here.”

My stomach churned at the thought of facing Vallen, and the horrors I had to traverse to get there were beginning to weigh on me.

Baz’s hand found mine, his fingers lacing through my own. “I know it’s a lot to take in, Noa. How are you doing?”

“Her enhancements will help her out,” Lex said as he turned around to face us but kept walking backward. “She’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” I yelled back to him. Spinning the dagger sideways in my hand, I flipped Lex the middle finger.

Baz cleared his throat, his voice low and hesitant. “Do you want to talk about the bracelet? What it’s doing to you?”

I glanced down at my wrist, and the memory of it sinking into my flesh, of my bones shifting and reforming, sent a wave of nausea rolling through me.

“It was like something out of a horror movie,” I whispered. The thought of it made my hair stand on end. “The way my skin just... ripped open. And the bracelet, it didn’t just attach itself, it... it became a part of me.”

Baz’s hand tightened around mine, his thumb stroking soothing circles on my palm. “I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like.”

Lex approached us, his brow furrowed with concern. “Noa, may I see your wrist?”

I hesitated, then released Baz’s hand and held out my arm. The strange, foreign script tattooed into my skin seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the valley. Lex studied the markings and inscription, his fingers tracing over the now-scarred lines with great focus.

His eyes widened with recognition. “I’ve seen this somewhere before,” he murmured.

“Yeah, it’s for protection,” I confirmed with a nod.

“I’m sorry I didn’t pay closer attention until now,” he apologized, shaking his head. “But this is in some of Father O’Neil’s tomes from around the time of the crucifixion.”

My heart skipped a beat with that information. “What does it mean?”

“I can’t remember all of the details,” Lex admitted, shaking his head. “But it has something to do with the crucifixion. With the apostles, and how they stayed behind after Jesus ascended.”

A shiver traced my spine as we listened to Lex’s story. “What do the apostles have to do with me?”

“How could Noa’s family have any connection to them?” Baz echoed my thoughts with his question.

“Really, brother?” Lex responded sarcastically. “All humans have some connection to them.”

He walked behind Baz and me this time, amused at what he thought was a big discovery. He pressed the buttons on the walkie-talkie in a hurry to get Ena on the radio .

“I’ll let her know I had an epiphany,” Lex laughed. When Ena answered, his face lit up.

The valley seemed to stretch on forever, an endless expanse of death. But finally, we reached the edge, marked by a towering iron gate. And then I saw it.

Beyond the gate, a massive cherry blossom tree rose from the ground, its pale pink petals a stark contrast to the dark blue grass that surrounded it. A waterfall cascaded down a mountainside in the distance, half black and half white, like in my vision. The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.

I swallowed hard as different emotions warred inside me, but there was no turning back.

“This is it,” I breathed. “The place from my vision after my birthday.”

I scanned the gate for some kind of lock or latch. But there wasn’t one. Only unbroken iron bars guarding the path.

“You won’t find a lock,” Baz said, standing next to me. “It’s not sealed shut. Go ahead and push it open.”

With a dismissive huff, I pressed a hand to the gate. It swung outward with a low creak.

“Fingers crossed,” I muttered, looking at Lex.

The first time I saw the gate, I couldn’t get in no matter how hard I tried. It was an impenetrable barrier. But visions are subjective, I reminded myself. Maybe being locked out symbolized something else entirely. An obstacle of the mind rather than a physical one.

“I don’t see anyone,” Baz whispered. Then, he stepped over the threshold and toward the center of the field .

“That’s a good thing, right?” I asked as I took one step forward. Unlike Dawson, I was able to get through the gate, and I followed Baz. Shoving the dagger back into the pack, I said, “Not a trap.”

Lex offered me a silent nod as he joined me and Baz on the other side of the gate. “Vincent might think you’re on the run and nowhere near here. Especially since his groupies didn’t see us back there.”

I flashed him a smile. “Why don’t you let Ena know? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind hearing your voice again.” I tipped my chin at him with a quick raise of my brows.

“Let’s keep moving,” said Baz, unamused at our exchange. “I don’t want whoever is feeding the tree to alert anyone besides us.”

We made our way into the grove as green grass turned a deep ocean blue, and our footsteps muffled in the thick carpet of fallen cherry blossom petals. I stared at the trunk and branches lit up from the inside with a golden glow. The veins of the tree were pulsing. As I watched in awe at this living and breathing heart of the fallen, a sharp, searing pain cut through my upper lip.

I gasped and pressed my hand to my mouth. Then, a cough full of phlegm and irritation filled my throat, and I gagged at the sound.

“Hurry,” the ragged voice choked.

“What’s wrong?” Baz whipped his head toward me.

“The angel,” I gritted through clenched teeth. “He senses me somehow, and if this is some supernatural game of hot and cold?” I forced a mirthless laugh. “Consider me burned. ”

I rubbed the sting away, scanning the delicate pink blossoms. They seemed to twinkle in the evening sky. A strange sensation washed over me, raising the fine hairs along my arms. As I took another step forward, Lex’s hand shot out, grasping my elbow.

“Careful,” he warned, pointing to a fallen branch on the ground.

Stepping over it, I approached the tree and swore it sang out to me. The leaves began to pick up and play around us as I moved closer. The petals seemed to glow against the evening sky. It was as though the tree wanted me to touch it, so I reached my hand out in front of me.

“Don’t!” yelled Baz, who ran in front of me. “We don’t know what will happen.”

“Fuck, Baz. You’ve got to relax,” I groaned and walked around to the other side of the tree. “I could’ve stabbed you if I’d been ready.”

He chuckled as his lip curled up, following me. “I’m glad the knife makes you feel safe, but when we’re done with all of this, you will get the training you need.”

Around the tree, lying face-first on the ground, was one angel, not two. A pool of shiny liquid surrounded her. I stepped back as Lex bent down to check her pulse. He shook his head and looked around for another angel, but there wasn’t one.

“So, if she is dead, then who’s in my head?” I asked, terrified of the answer.

Baz scoped the area around us as Lex walked around the tree again. My eyes followed the pool of liquid into the grass behind us and over toward the river separating us from the river. I walked the line, taking my time to follow its path, which led to the edge. Lingering for an instant, I shook my head, angry with myself for not realizing it sooner.

I could feel Baz and Lex staring at me from behind. I should’ve been shocked, maybe even afraid. But I was growing used to the impossible. I shoved the dagger into my back pocket, then shook out my hands, trying to dispel the tingling in my fingertips.

“Let’s not keep Vallen waiting,” I called back to them over my shoulder.

Baz caught up with me and stood next to me as I stared at chunks of ice passing by us. “Are you feeling okay? You said Vallen,” he remarked.

“Feeling a lot of things,” I muttered, more to myself than to him. I struggled to put words to the jumble of emotions coursing through me. “It’s him, Baz,” my voice cracked. “Vallen’s in my head, and I’m pretty sure he’s the one feeding the tree.”

“Whoa, what?” Lex interjected as he rubbed his temples, hearing the news.

I squared my shoulders and took a deep, fortifying breath. Looking up at both of them, I snapped, without regard for either of their feelings. “It’s him and he’s in this fucking mountain. Don’t ask me how I know. Let’s get across, because I’ve got an angel to interrogate.”

Another sharp pain shot through my lip, and my foot slipped on the slick riverbank. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, halting my fall. I found myself pressed against Baz’s muscular chest, those glowing blue eyes filled with dread as he steadied me.

“Careful, Noa,” he cautioned, his breath warm against my cheek .

“Y-yeah,” I managed with a smile and straightened myself. “Thanks for the save.”

Baz nodded and stated to me without missing a beat, “I’m going to lift you into my arms. Then Lex is going to help you climb up for a piggyback ride.”

I hesitated, thinking it was the dumbest idea possible and I’d drown under the river current, except I knew they wouldn’t put me in a life-threatening situation. I wrapped my arms around Baz’s neck and nodded for him to hoist me up. Lex moved to Baz’s side, ready to catch me if I fell.

The icy current swirled around Baz’s legs as he waded across, and my arms grew tighter around his neck. He tapped my arm to give him some breathing room.

“I’m behind you, Noa. I’ll catch you if you fall, but loosen up,” said Lex with a chuckle. “Let’s not strangle Baz to death.”

Baz’s steps remained steady, his hold on me secure. I marveled at his strength, both physical and mental. What must it be like to be so certain of one’s purpose? To have an unshakable duty to another person and make sure they’re always safe.

There was nothing about me that could take on that amount of responsibility. Returning these secrets to their rightful home as soon as possible would be best for us all.

Baz glanced back at me, a brief smile tugging at his lips. “Almost there. Doing okay?”

I managed a nod, tightening my grip. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”

After a few tense minutes, we reached the opposite bank. Baz set me down, his hands lingering at my waist a moment longer than necessary. I felt the loss of his warmth as I slid from his back, but the cold at the mountain didn’t match that of the hellfire. Callum’s essence was a lifesaver.

To the left, the waterfall roared between the black and white mountains, the icy spray creating a fine mist in the air. If my interpretations of my visions were correct, then Vallen was imprisoned in a cave somewhere behind the wall of water on the other side.