What darkness hides, p.21
What Darkness Hides, page 21
part #2 of Darkness Falls Series
“Or pirates,” Ian quips.
My dad and Ezra are waiting for us at the portal. The headlights on their ATVs illuminate the clearing. I hadn’t been back since the night Danny died. All of the tents are gone, as well as the SUVs and the supplies, but deep ruts still mar the ground, a sharp reminder that the base camp was once here. Reynolds’ body is gone, too, but I can still see it, twisted and broken, lying in a heap on the ground.
“This is so awesome,” Ezra says. “I can’t believe we get to go to Tasmania.” Neither can I. It’s hard not to be excited, but being here, in this place, it’s both exhilarating and sobering. People died here, but Dirk was right, in a way, too. There’s a lot of potential. It’s still too dangerous to leave open though. Part of me does hope that one day we find a way to close it, but the other part wishes for anything but.
“What’s it feel like?” Ezra asks as we stare into the portal.
“Like swimming through cold jelly,” I say.
“Really?” He looks at me in surprise. His fingers twitch at his sides, as if he’s both nervous and can’t wait to go through. All at once.
“Yeah. Kinda gross, but worth it on the other side.”
“Cool.” A smile stretches across his face. I haven’t seen him this carefree in ages.
Ian pulls open the tailgate to his truck. The Tasmanian tiger snarls, pacing from one side of the crate to the other. “Ready?” Ian says to my dad.
“Let’s get her out of here,” Dad replies.
Ian grabs a pair of leather gloves and tosses them to my dad before donning his own. Together, they slide the crate to the back of the truck and lower it to the ground.
“Here, let me get that.” Ezra joins them and takes over for my dad.
Together, Ian and Ezra lug the snarling creature over to the portal and stop. Ian uncovers the cage. The thylacine crouches down, teeth bared, and ears flattened against her skull.
“So, any idea how we’re going to do this without getting our throats ripped out?” Ezra gingerly touches his side where he was injured, as if remembering the attack.
“Scared?” Ian taunts.
Ezra glares at him before rifling through Ian’s bag. He pulls out a pistol. “I thought you didn’t want to hurt them?”
“It’s a last resort.”
“Check my bag,” Ian says.
“Got it.” Ezra tucks the gun in the waistband of his jeans. “I set the portal for 1873. Thylacines were still thriving back then, and I found a remote part of Tasmania that escaped human habitation. That’s one of the cool things about traveling to the past. We can research the time and place ahead of time, so we know where to go and where to avoid.”
“Besides,” Ian says, “we’re just going in and out. Five minutes, tops.”
“Five minutes.” Dad studies Ian closely. “And it’s safe?”
“Safer than some of the other places we’ve been,” Ian says. “It’s only about a hundred and fifty years ago, so there aren’t any huge apex predators like dinosaurs or saber-toothed tigers. There were people, of course, but like I said, we’re only going to be there for a few minutes.”
“Then why don’t I stay here and guard the portal. Just in case DCO’s watching and comes to check it out,” Dad says.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” I ask. I can’t believe Dad would be willing to miss going to Tasmania. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Though, to be honest, it’s probably a good idea that we have someone guard the entrance.
“No,” Dad says. “You can handle this. I trust you.” Ian retrieves his shotgun from his truck and hands it to my dad.
My heart swells in my chest. I can handle this. We’ve done so much already, this is small potatoes by comparison. “Thanks, Dad.”
Ezra digs around in the bag until he finds a switchblade and hands it to me. “Better to be safe than captured by pirates,” he adds with a wink.
I roll my eyes and pocket the blade. “Dork,” I mutter.
“Hey, I was going to give you a ley line detector, but Ian says you tend to break them,” he replies. “I figured you can’t break a knife.”
“Seriously?” I glare at Ezra first and then Ian. “It must be pick-on-Austen day. Thanks.”
Ezra smirks. Ian dons his pair of gloves as Ezra does the same. “Are you both ready?” he asks.
“Yup,” I say. Ezra agrees. Dad’s gaze meets Ian’s for a few long, loaded seconds. They don’t say anything, but the message is clear: Take care of my girl. Ian nods.
“Austen and I will head through first,” he says. “If everything looks good, we’ll come back for our guests.”
“What? You don’t want to risk dropping off a pissed-off Tasmanian tiger in the Cretaceous period?” Ezra jokes.
“No.”
I punch Ian lightly in the arm. “Where’s your sense of humor?”
“Maybe we should go looking for that next.” Ezra grins.
“Remind me again why I let him live with me,” Ian mutters. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it. “Let’s go, Danger Girl.”
“Danger Girl? I thought you’d given up on that nickname thing?”
“It seems to follow you around.” He touches my chin with his free hand and gives me a quick kiss. “But you wear it well.”
“I can’t argue with that then, can I?” I flash him a daring smile and step into the portal.
Thanks for reading What Darkness Hides. I hope you enjoyed it!
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Acknowledgments
Like all books, this one was a mammoth endeavor that took blood, sweat, and tears to create. First to acknowledge is my husband, who puts up with my odd hours, strange questions, and fervent obsession with fonts. I’d also like to thank my wonderful friends and family members who valiantly volunteered to be my guinea pigs and help me by reading, rereading, and endlessly discussing this book. I’d also like to give a shout-out to all my awesome beta readers, especially Kim, Athena, and Debbie. You were all great at ferreting out plot holes, fleshing out flat characters, and forcing me to stick to the plot. My editor, Suzie, also deserves a big chunk of thanks. Without her, this book would be unintelligible and riddled with mistakes. Lastly, I would like to thank my awesome readers. If it weren’t for you and your continued support, this book may never have happened.
About the Author
Chanda Stafford was found in a cabbage patch when she was only a few hours old—at least that’s what her mother always told her. She learned to write at a young age, and her list includes some truly awful poetry written while she was in elementary school and a sixty-page story about a dog named Ruby.
She published her first book, First, in 2013, with Red Adept Publishing and has since published five more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys teaching, hunting for antiques, and anything paranormal. What Darkness Hides is the second book in her Darkness Falls series.
Chanda Stafford, What Darkness Hides
