While Gabriel lay asleep , Mera made her decision.
She'd waited until deep night when Tess finally left the cabin to eat something. The woman had been sitting vigil beside Gabriel's hammock for nearly two days, refusing to leave, barely sleeping.
But exhaustion claimed everyone eventually.
The moment Tess disappeared down the corridor, Mera moved.
Gabriel's pack lay beneath his hammock, partially hidden by shadow. She'd seen him check it obsessively. Seen the way he protected it. Watched him pull the book from its depths and bleed onto its cover.
The book called to her.
She pulled it free carefully, unwrapping the leather cloth Gabriel used to protect it. The cover was warm beneath her fingers. Warmer than it should be, like something alive resided within.
This is wrong.
I shouldn't.
But the pull was undeniable. She'd watched Gabriel use it twice now. Seen the visions take him. Seen the knowledge pour into him like water into a vessel.
