Free The Immortal Game (book 1) by Joannah Miley Page A

ran through her at the thought of Ash and snakes. A hiss of a word; perilous .
    His eyes were closed though. He hadn’t seen her reaction, hadn’t waited for a response.
    “Ambrosia,” he whispered.
    …
    Ruby ran to Athenaeum, only a few blocks away. Would Sage even be there? Dawn was still breaking over the city skyline across the river.
    As she approached the building her heart sank. There were no lights on inside. She peered in through the plate glass windows, between the words painted on the glass: Used and Rare. All she saw were chairs tipped up onto tables and rows of books quiet on their shelves.
    She turned with her back to the window and let her head fall with a thud onto the glass. She gave out a little cry, as much from frustration as from pain. She looked up to the green awning above her and wondered if she should wait until…when? Should she go to the grocery store and get some kind of muffin or something? But Sage was Ash’s sister, and his request had been specific. Maybe he wanted the comfort of his family’s food. It was crazy, but what wasn’t at this point?
    Her mind raced through her options when a pale grinning face appeared in the window to her right. She gave out a gasp of surprise before she recognized Langston.
    “Let me in,” she demanded, and then tempered it with, “Ash is hurt. He wants Ambrosia Bars.” It sounded stupid, even as she said it, but it was true, and Langston was his brother.
    Langston’s smile dropped. For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to let her in. She thought that he might turn his back and walk away. But he did open the door. He turned the deadbolt and left it to swing open on its own. He was in no rush.
    Ruby hurried in and headed straight for the counter. She hoped the case of Ambrosia Bars was full. She would take them all, every last one.
    Sage stepped out from the kitchen wearing a flour-dusted apron and holding a large baking tray on her shoulder. “Ruby. You’re early.”
    Ruby smelled the warm Ambrosia Bars before she could see them. “I need those.”
    “Yeah, okay.” Sage lowered the tray to the counter, but she kept her eyes on Ruby. “Just a minute.”
    Ruby imagined what she must look like. Had she managed to get all the blood off of her? Was her hair still a mess?
    “It’s Ash,” Ruby said. “He’s …” Hurt was what she was going to say, but he was getting better. “He wants an Ambrosia Bar.”
    “All right.” Sage let the word hang in the air. “He can come get one.” Sage looked beyond her.
    Ruby could feel that Langston was behind her before he even spoke. “He’s hurt .” He said it like it was an obscenity.
    Sage’s eyes flew back to Ruby but her voice remained calm. “Where is he?”
    Ruby wasn’t sure if she should tell them or not. They seemed irritated. It made her mad. Ash needed their help, even if it was just to put an Ambrosia Bar in a bag and say: Tell him we’re pulling for him . But in truth she thought maybe she needed their help. Ash was getting better and she didn’t know why.
    Her eyes swung from Sage’s look of annoyance, to Langston’s look of outright hate, and back again. She got a chill and was suddenly frightened. They’re siblings. But what are they? The thought shocked her. Could they hurt her? Would they? Did she know too much? It sounded like something from a B movie, and she didn’t know anything.
    “Take us,” Sage said.
    Ruby found her courage. She needed to protect Ash. “Why?”
    Sage’s face softened. She looked Ruby in the eye. “We want to help him.”
    “He wanted an Ambrosia Bar,” Ruby said, as if she were negotiating the delicate handing off of information for Ambrosia Bars.
    Sage smirked. “Yeah. I bet he did.”
    …
    The sun was higher now and the morning brighter. There was a chill in the air. Ruby directed Sage and Langston the few blocks to her house. A paper bag full of Ambrosia Bars swung from her hand. Langston’s long legs walked faster than Ruby could