Fractured by N.O Darling

Chapter 288

Mason’s POV**

Luke has just suggested a terrifying, very possible theory. How the fuck do we find someone underground? How do we even get in there without risking collapsing the cave below us?

I’d quite happily start removing the ground from below each of the places that have been searched, but I could bury my daughter alive by doing that.

“Wouldn’t the women and children we captured have told us if they’d been living underground?” Theo asks.

“Not if they didn’t know about it, or had been compelled. This group doesn’t seem to prioritise the safety of women and children; Otherwise, they wouldn’t have left them unguarded as they did. They could very well be hiding the strongest and most important of them underground,” Raff explains.

“Fuck!” I curse, my fingers twitch with the need to destroy something, but I can’t risk collapsing this place until we have found what we are looking for.

Luke comforts Josie as she reacts to the news, something I should be doing, but I’m too worked up, I’d only make her feel worse.

Robert finishes emptying the trunk, finding nothing that he seems interested in, before pushing it out of the way. Then he gets on his knees and begins digging in the dirt with his hands.

“What are you doing?” Axe asks

“He would keep his most precious items hidden, they will likely be close, but out of sight,” Robert says as he digs,

with determination.

“Move back,” I sigh. I can move the dirt much faster than him.

“Oh, that’s right, you have a molecular manipulation gift,” Robert says, and I shoot a worried glance at Deacon. How could he have forgotten that so quickly? Is the tumour affecting his memory?

I focus on the ground where he had been digging and slowly moving the earth, opening up a deep cavern in the ground.

“Try here,” Robert says, pointing to another spot on the ground.

fill in the hole I’d made and open up another where he indicated. There

you sure it’s here?” Josie

to remember where exactly,” Robert says, screwing his eyes shut and pressing his

paranoid as he seemed, it’s likely he didn’t bury it in the same

say, ready to search every inch of this

return the earth to its place before turning and doing

then he either moved it before he died, or someone else knew its location and came back for it,” I

+25 BONUS

Chapter 288

says, and i shrug before slowly moving the dirt away to make the cavern bigger.

are in

barrier that was separating this space from another one that is

same size.

in the cavern, cluttered with all sorts of trinkets,

as everyone surges forward

thick ancient–looking book. The cover is made of what looks like delicate leather but there are no markings on

takes the book from him and opens it with care. The script is handwritten and as he flicks through the pages it is clear to see that many different people have written in this book,

branding kit? Do you see it?” Luke asks,

to reveal an iron branding rod and four small glass vials containing what I assume are the powdered

important, and I’ll have the rest collected and brought back to

before we port

for anything that might be able to narrow down a location

take over for a while, let’s get this branding done so Luke and Robert are ready to leave the moment we find something.” Raff suggests when it’s clear the task of finding information isn’t going to be a simple one.

Η

asks me whilst we watch the iron brand heat up in the small

it for him. It’s going to hurt

“Awesome,” he sighs.

hold your hand?” I ask sarcastically.

you hold my arm still? I’m not sure that I won’t snatch it away,” he admits.

do that,” I nod, deciding not to mention he could