Celeste's Arc

Chapter 16 of 23

Celeste kept the sea on her right until the sand ran out. Then she climbed. The stone stepped up in wide ledges, just as Slate promised. Above the reef, a dark opening cut into the cliff. That was the alcove that held the horn. But the noise reached her first. Screaming filled the air, sharp and endless. A cluster of rock spires rose beside the opening, packed with nests. Gulls perched on every ledge, feathers ruffed against the wind. When Celeste climbed higher, one launched off its nest and dove. Its beak snapped near her ear. She ducked. Another followed, then a third. Their cries drilled into her skull. She threw her arm over her head and backed down two ledges. "They think I'm here for their eggs," she said aloud. She wasn't. But the birds didn't care. She crouched and waited, thinking. A hard weight scuttled across her bare foot. She yelped, then looked down. A crab, broad-shelled, claws raised, glared up at her with round black eyes. An idea struck her fast. Celeste pinned the crab from behind, the way her father taught her, thumb and fingers on its shell so the claws couldn't reach. She lifted it high and waved it. Sunlight flashed on its red back. A gull swung its head. It saw the crab, screamed, and dove straight for her hand. Celeste hurled the crab far down the slope, away from the alcove. The gull peeled after it. Three more followed, then the whole shrieking flock. She ran. Feet slapping stone, she scrambled up the last ledges and threw herself into the alcove's mouth. Behind her the gulls fought over the crab, ignoring her now. Her chest heaved. She had made it inside. The space opened wider than she expected. Still water lay in a pool at the center. Pale crystals hung from the ceiling like teeth, catching a dim glow. Vines dangled across the entrance. This was the grotto Slate meant. Along the back wall stood carved stone figures. One was a tall totem stacked with dragon faces, their eyes worn to a faint green. Beside it crouched a smaller one, a stone baby dragon, its surface crusted with pale sea minerals. Celeste searched the ledges for the horn. She found only a hollow in the limestone wall, smooth and cupped, exactly the size and shape of a horn. The tide song was gone. Someone had taken it. She pressed her fingers into the empty hollow. Her stomach dropped. She had fought the gulls for nothing. Nyrimia's secret still hung out of reach. Celeste sat by the pool to wait for Slate. He knew this island. Maybe he knew who had emptied this shelf. She traced the carvings on the baby dragon totem while the water lapped quiet at her feet. The alcove was hers now. But the horn was not, and she needed a new plan.