Gnewt's Arc

Chapter 5 of 14

Croaker lifted the journal and flipped it open to the middle pages. His claws traced the ink, and his breath stopped. He turned the book toward Gnewt and Guidry without a word. The entry was dated forty years back, written in the same tight script as the rest of the records. Gnewt read the page twice to be certain. The elders had known about Stryker's grandmother. They'd known about the cloaked figures. They'd known about the deal to trade the gem for lifting the curse, and they'd let it happen. Worse, they'd recorded it like livestock inventory. Gnewt's tongue flicked fast as her mind raced ahead. This wasn't just proof the elders had silenced people—it was proof they'd orchestrated the very curse that had trapped Stryker's family for decades. She looked at Croaker and Guidry, both staring at the page like it might bite them. They'd wanted evidence strong enough to force the elders to confess. Now they had something that would destroy the elders entirely, but only if they survived long enough to show it to the village. Gnewt slid the journal into her pouch and moved toward the door. The cost of this knowledge was already paid. Now they had to decide if they'd use it or die protecting it. But Guidry reached past her and pulled another chest from beneath the first, smaller and sealed with rust. He forced it open with the butt of his knife, and inside lay a tarnished iron ring marked with the number fifty-four. Gnewt recognized it immediately from Stryker's stories about her grandmother—the woman had worn it every day until she disappeared into the marsh. The elders hadn't just known about the deal. They'd kept proof of it, stored like a trophy. Gnewt took the ring and slipped it into her pouch beside the journal. She had what she needed to prove the elders guilty, and more importantly, she had what she needed to prove Stryker innocent. The village would see the truth now, whether the elders wanted them to or not. Gnewt nodded once to Croaker and Guidry, and all three moved toward the door knowing that stepping outside meant they'd be hunted the moment they were spotted.