The Island (girlxgirl)

Chapter 13

I woke up with a jolt. Sugar stayed fast asleep beside me. My ring was brown this morning instead of black. A large ornately-decorated book had been tossed into my chest. It was all together a brown leather cover with pure white pages and a red ribbon binding it together with a gold seal having the same Greek letter as was on my ring upon it. All across the front and back covers were glowing red swirls. I picked it up and read the neatly written words: "Property of the Flowers" with the addition "Do Not Open Without the Express Permission of Lorne or Todd."

The book. But how...?

I could see Ryder sitting at the edge of the shadows on the ladder up to the rafters. "There you go, Pet. As promised."

"Thanks." I couldn't help the look of suspicion that creeped up on my face.

Ryder disappeared back into the shadows. I looked once at the book, next at the camouflaged ladder, and then again at the book. My head was telling me to go now to Lorne and Todd as I was told to, in order to collect my reward immediately. My gut with my heart along with it though, was telling me to go see what was up there. I knew deep within me that the book had been given up all too easily, and Ryder could be hiding the reason why up there.

I buried the book into Sugar's chest, which half-awoke her. I told her, "Guard this for me," before getting up and scaling the height into the darkness.

The castle was formed from different minds of crystal that grew together, if my knowledge serves me correctly, but these rafters are wooden. There seems to be a large wooden framework of a former, bigger building, but the only remains are these rafters and the dining hall.

So which was it, was space carved out for the dining hall, or was a building formerly here that the castle was grown around?

At the top of the ladder, there were several wooden rafters with a large drop between them, but on the other side was a platform with a cozy-looking hideout. I could see some bookshelves, a locked box, a bed, and a bunch of knotted pieces of rope scattered around the platform.

I became aware of Ryder's presence directly behind me. She spoke at normal volume straight into my ear, "Surely, you know that this isn't the way to Lorne and Todd's love nest."

I cringed a little from the loudness she used so closely, but remained composed.

"No, but I seem to have found yours." I replied coolly.

Ryder leaped past me from beam to beam, reminding me of a bullfrog hopping from lily pad to lily pad. She landed squarely into the center of the top of her bed.

Ryder explained, "Some have figured out the setting of my true room, but few dare to make their way across. If one falls betwixt the rafters, she falls into the ventilation system that leads to the castle's great furnace."

"I can make it." I bristled at the thought she was challenging my ability.

Ryder paused. "I think it's possible that you can, but if you're not experienced with springing from across gaps, maybe you shouldn't try just yet..."

"I can do it." I insisted.

Ryder gulped. "Okay, but I don't want you getting hurt..."

"I'm doing it." I half-snarled as I vaulted myself from the ladder to the first rafter.

Each of the gaps was about the length of a full-grown stallion, but I wasn't doing too badly, I thought to myself as I jumped several gaps, one at a time. I swung myself across the next gap so far that I landed two rafters away.

Ryder's eyes grew so wide I could clearly see the whites. "Pet! Be careful!"

"I can do it." I blew off her warning.