They’re not far, I think to Rachel.

It’s a trap then, she thinks.

Seems likely.

Is Sebastian here?

My heart throbs in my throat. Yes.

We hang back for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. I know Elias is nearby and close to Maeve, which means he can probably feel our minds with his thought throwing talent.

Where’s Sebastian? Rachel asks.

I concentrate until I feel the faint yell of Sebastian’s mind. Maeve has him under her control, but he’s resisting and screaming inside as much as he can. Tears burn my eyes. He’s terrified.

He’s in a cave just beyond the pool.

Rachel frowns. That will make getting to him tricky. Is there another way around?

I shake my head. Not that we saw last time, but maybe?

We retrace our steps to the last fork in the tunnels in the hope of finding another way to get to Sebastian. But all we find are dead ends. Disheartened, we return to the main tunnel and the entrance to the cavern.

A new idea occurs to me, and while I feel confident it will work, it scares me. But I must try it. No matter how much it would scare Sebastian, I know he’d do the same for me if the roles were reversed. How many times has he gone along with my silly ideas, even when he was terrified by them, just so I wouldn’t have to be alone?

Determination floods every inch of my body, and I know deep in my bones that this is the way.

I quickly fill in Rachel, and while she isn’t thrilled with the risks, she has no choice but to agree that it’s a sound plan.

Be careful, she says as I step into the cavern.

I’ll try.

I’ve barely gone two yards when a rock flies at my body. I drop to the ground, then roll as another projectile heads my way.

I scramble to my feet, only to have to duck once again. Instead of heading for Sebastian, I make a beeline toward where I sensed Maeve and Elias hiding in a cave offshoot. Hopefully, that will throw them off their game and draw their fire while Rachel can free Sebastian and get him to safety. I’m banking on Maeve’s affection to prevent her from harming me, though I worry that may be a longer shot than I’d like.

As I stumble between the stalagmites, my other friends appear at cave openings around the cavern. I already knew where they were, so this is no surprise, but the mirrored menacing looks on their faces is still unsettling.

“What are you trying to accomplish, Simone?” All four of them speak in unison, which makes me shudder.

“I just want to talk,” I say, warily keeping an eye on the approaching shells. They get closer with every breath. Even the way they frown reminds me of the look I’ve seen fleetingly on Maeve’s face over the last few weeks. My poor friends are just dolls lolling on strings.