Outcast (The Darkeningstone Series Book 2) Read Free

should’ve kept me out of the quarry; Matt’s frightened face as we’d cowered up on the ledge; the strange old man I’d imagined when I’d made contact with the stone slab.
    My eyes flew open. The stone . I turned to face it. The black rock towered above me, glittering darkly in the pale dawn light. It was made from the same dark stone I’d fallen against in the old quarry, and its length and width were the same, but the slab in the quarry had only been half a metre high. This stone was at least two metres tall. There was no way it could be same stone. And anyway, how could it have moved from a ledge partway up a sheer, rocky slope, to the top of a green hill?
    I ran my hands through my hair. None of this makes any sense . But I couldn’t just stand there staring. I had to do something. I let my eyes roam over the stone’s sparkling surface and suddenly my stomach was hollow. “You must’ve brought me here,” I muttered. “You can bloody well take me back.” I knew exactly what I had to do.
    I reached up to the top of the stone and curled my fingers over the sharp edge, pressing my fingertips down onto the smooth surface to get a grip. But just as I tensed my arm muscles to pull myself up onto the stone, I hesitated. When I’d fallen onto the stone in the quarry, I’d banged my head against it, but that didn’t explain the pain I’d felt. It had been almost unbearable; a savage, icy burn, ripping through me, tearing me apart. What if it’s just as bad this time? What if it’s worse? I took a sharp breath. If it means I can go home, I’ve got to try it .
    I pressed my fingers harder against the stone and hauled myself up with my arms. I was tired, weak, and my arms wobbled as I pulled myself up. “Come on,” I hissed. And then I was there, level with the top. Another pull and I was sliding my chest over the edge. I leaned forward and lay flat on the stone, dragging my legs up behind me. “Yes.”
    I sat up and rubbed my palms together. “Now what?” I laid my palms flat against the stone and ran my hands over its smooth, cold surface. It gleamed in the early morning sunlight and a tingle of anticipation ran up my spine. Beautiful . I recalled the first time I’d seen the stone slab in the quarry and I thought of Cally; her beautiful smile, the mischievous glint in her eye when she’d shown me the black stone. It seemed a lifetime ago, but it had only been the day before yesterday, hadn’t it? I shook my head. Ordinary things like days of the week didn’t matter right now. All I cared about was getting home.
    “OK,” I said. “Let’s get it over with.” Gently, I lowered myself down onto my front, watching the stone carefully all the time. Back in the quarry, I’d seen strange reflections; flashes of blue light that seemed to come from within the stone. Now, there was nothing—just a flat slab of pure black, solid rock. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the cool stone. It felt good and I realised my head had been hurting for a while. A dull, throbbing ache had crept over my scalp and settled around my tired eyes. I sighed and longed for a tall glass of ice-cold water and the cool comfort of fresh cotton sheets on my bed at home. And I waited.
    Soon, the press of the cold stone against my forehead wasn’t a relief anymore, but a painful pressure. “It’s not working,” I said. “Why isn’t it working?” I opened my eyes and rolled over to lie on my side. I must be doing something wrong . What exactly had happened back in the quarry? I’d backed away when Robbo threatened me and then I’d fallen onto the stone by accident. I was lying on my back . Perhaps that was the key. I lay down on my back, but that wasn’t quite right. In the quarry, I’d curled up into a ball to protect myself. “Worth a try,” I muttered. I curled up and hugged my legs against my chest. I closed my eyes tight and thought of home, of seeing Mum and Dad, of meeting up with Matt, my best friend. I