By the time Cole set foot in Podgend, SerpentFang had already built a perfect death trap for him. But Maxine hadn’t counted on one thing—he was Blaze Wraith, the phantom who ruled Delta. Her trap had failed miserably, and he had torn her entire network apart.
Backed into a corner, Maxine had changed course. She had cut her losses, abandoned SerpentFang, and vanished with Sophie. Cole had returned to Ublento unscathed, but Sophie’s whereabouts were now a mystery swallowed by the wind.
When Cole finished, he rubbed his forehead, his voice trembling. “I’m useless. I couldn’t save my mom. Now Maxine has her. I fear she won’t survive.”
Self-blame crashed over him like a wave. The thought of his daughter still in Maxine’s grasp tore at him. He struck his forehead with his palm. “I couldn’t save my mom, and I couldn’t protect our daughter. I’m so damn useless!”
“Cole, stop!” Elliana cried, catching his hand before he could hit himself again. “This isn’t your fault. You’re not useless. Our enemy is sly and hides in the dark—we just have to drag the enemy into the light.”
Cole nodded faintly. He knew she was right, but tracking Maxine down felt like chasing shadows.
Elliana pulled out the twin bracelets and turned them over in her palms. “Cole, I think the Griffiths family’s greatest secret is hidden inside these. If we can unlock it, we might locate Maxine.”
Cole’s gaze followed hers to the bracelets. After a moment, he said, “You might be right.” Those bracelets had to mean something. Their mothers had protected the bracelets fiercely, passing them down as if guarding a legacy.
Elliana added, “I’ve studied every inch of these. There’s no hidden compartment. The secret isn’t inside—it’s written on the surface. These carvings… They must hold the key.”
Cole agreed with a quiet nod. He moved beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders. Together, they examined the bracelets closely.
The bracelets were shaped like twin serpents—one male, one female. Cole and Elliana turned and twisted the two bracelets, trying every possible alignment and hoping to unlock the secret etched into their surfaces.
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After several failed attempts, Elliana’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Wait… Look at this!”
Cole leaned in.
“When we place them together like this, what do you see?” she asked, fitting the two serpents side by side.
Cole’s eyes widened as the design came into focus. “It’s a map,” he breathed.
“Exactly!” Elliana beamed, nodding vigorously.
When joined at the right angle, the bracelets’ patterns formed a complete map of Delta.
From what they’d learned before, the bracelets were ancient—passed down through generations long before Delta even had its name. The patterns, then, must have been carved much later.
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