them to go somewhere else.”
“Well, the other thing happened to me – I felt like
something was telling me to go in! So clearly your magic's
broken.”
“Evers, the only person able to enter that cave is the
goddess herself. Or one of her handmaidens. There are many
caves like the one you've just entered all over the world – all
of them, residences of the fire goddess.”
“Is this some Veteri myth?” I thought back to class.
Surely we'd learned about fire deities in our mythology
course – but they were treated as long-forgotten stories from
a culture long since died out.
“It's not just a myth,” said Chance. “In each cave, the
goddess has hidden a stone. A special stone – like the one in
your pocket right now.”
“How did you...?” I reached into my pocket. “Never
mind. What do they do?”
“They cast spells,” Chance said simply, “performing
magic – they open locked books. They cast light. Seers or
truthsayers can use these stones to see the future. Or the
past.”
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“Now I know you're lying,” I said. “If they can't get
into the cave, how do they use the stones, huh?” But I had to
admit, if Chance was a liar, he was a terrifyingly good one.
He looked perfectly serious.
“The truthsayers are the servants of the goddess,” he
said. “The handmaidens. In the goddess's absence they take
care of her homes – the caves.”
“And you really believe this stuff?” I looked him up
and down. “You're serious, aren't you?”
“I have read every piece of mythology relating to this
island. It's a special place, Aeros. Nowhere in the world have
the myths and legends of the Greeks and Romans, the
Polynesian peoples, and the Norsemen met. But when each
wave of settlers came to Aeros, they brought their gods with
them. And so this place is full of their atavistic secrets.”
“Funny,” I said. “I wouldn't have pegged you for a
believer. Doesn't seem your thing.”
“And how do you know what's 'my thing'?” Chance
shot back. “You don't even know me.”
“Someone who doesn't believe in anything or anyone
– from the looks of it.” I grew angry, remembering how he
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had treated me the other day. “Someone who doesn't have
faith in himself, let alone anybody else. Someone who
doesn't care enough about other people to care what they
believe in...what's important to them.”
Chance grew silent, suddenly. “You really think that
of me?” He sounded hurt, even vulnerable, and I felt sorry
for my harsh words.
“You haven't given me a reason not to,” I said. “I
tried to get close to you – I tried to get to know you – but
ever since we've met you've treated me like dirt. And I'm not
about to feel sorry for you, whatever deep dark past you're
supposed to have...”
“That...was not my intent,” said Chance quietly.
“I don't care what your intent was, Chance! I'm a
person, too. A person who deserves to at least be called by
her name and not messed around. If you had a girlfriend you
should have just told me instead of leading me on...”
“A girlfriend?” Chance looked shocked.
“Misty!”
“Misty?” His surprise grew. “Misty's not...” he
stopped short. “Listen, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I'm not
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trying to mess with you. I just want to be left alone, Mac. I
don't want to get close to you. I don't want to get close to
anybody. And the more you refuse to understand that, the
more danger for us both...”
“What danger?” But then I thought of Jana, and
regretted what I had said.
“I don't want you to get hurt,” said Chance. “And I
don't want to get hurt. I've lost enough people I love – I'm
trying to make it easier on myself, okay? I'm not trying to
lead you on. But having you near me, tempting me, trying to
get me to open up or whatever it is you think you want me
to do – you don't.”
“Don't what?”
“Don't want me to open up. Because if I do, you'll die
too....” His blue eyes no longer sparkled with disdain now.
They were wide open. Full of pain, of fear. Beautiful. “And
I'd rather you hate me than die because of me,” he whispered.
“Die? Because of this goddess...”
“It's a risk. Everyone I've ever loved...” his voice
cracked.
“Your dad? Varun? Brandon?”
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Chance gave a sorry laugh. “Perhaps my father loves
me,” he said. “But he loves Varun more. Brandon is like
family too. But me…I'm a risk – I always have been. That's
the real reason I was sent away. That I was replaced by my
cousin in my father's affections – replaced in the family
business. I'm trouble, Mac, and you don't want any part of
it.”
“Maybe I do,” I said. “Maybe I'm worth the trouble.
You can't push people away forever, Chance. I know. You
can't cut yourself off from the people who care about you?”
“Why should you care about me?” he asked bitterly.
“I'm not worth anyone's time. Jana, Victoria, my
mother...there's not a woman I've loved who's still alive
today; what does that tell you?”
“It tells me you've had a lot of bad luck. And that
you've been hurt.” I put my hand on his shoulder, my heart
breaking for him. My anger at Chance was gone, replaced
with pity and pain. “Nobody should have to live without love
– especially if they're hurting
