Chapter 20 - The Horizon of Unanswered AshesThe paper shook violently in Marcus’s hands as he reread the words five times over. Clara gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wild with a mixture of disbelief and shock.
“The body found in the lakeside cabin was not mine.”
Before either of them could speak, the satellite terminal on Marcus’s desk chimed sharply with an incoming, heavily encrypted satellite signal originating from a private offshore relay near the northern coast of Scotland.
Marcus’s heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum. He reached out with a trembling hand and hit the speaker button.
Audio static filled the room, accompanied by the distant sound of waves crashing against stone cliffs.
Then, a deep, weary voice spoke through the speaker—a voice Marcus would recognize anywhere, even after four long years of silence.
"Marcus?" the voice rasped softly through the static. "Did you find the lighter?"
Marcus stood frozen, staring at the flashing green light on the console. Beside him, Clara gripped his arm so tightly her knuckles turned white. Outside the window, down at the end of the long stone driveway, a single pair of yellow headlights emerged through the gathering dusk fog, slowly approaching the estate gates.
Marcus looked down at the sterling silver lighter resting on his palm, then at Clara, and finally toward the window where the headlights flickered against the darkening glass.
The silver lighter in his hand felt warmer than it ever had before.
May you like
Marcus took a deep, steady breath, pressed his thumb against the flint wheel, and struck the flame.
The golden fire ignited in the darkness, burning bright against the uncharted fog of the unknown horizon.
