Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 386

Chapter 386

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In the car, Allan said, “They’re really going all out this time to push the idea that Herbal Medicine started in Tongalia. Am I awesome or what, Stella?”

Sebastian shot him a frosty glare.

Allan sat up straight, feigning seriousness. He said, “Just kidding!”

“Spare no expense? What do you mean?” Stella asked, her gaze drifting out the window as the colorful city lights blurred past, her voice lazy and unconcerned.

Lucas, meanwhile, had his eyes wide with curiosity.

Morgan swirled the amber liquor in his glass, the ice clinking softly. His mixed-race features were half-hidden in the shadows.

He said, “As soon as Allan and I landed, we heard the news. Quinto, the president of the Herbal Medicine Guild, is going to open up Medicine Mountain, with the Dorestan Medical Alliance as witnesses.”

If Landen were here, he’d probably jump out of his seat and shout in surprise at the words.

Lucas twisted around, curiosity written all over his face as he blinked at the others.

“What’s that?” Stella asked, sounding bored.

She couldn’t care less.

Allan put on an exaggerated gasp, covering his mouth like he was scandalized. He exclaimed, “Stella, you mean you’ve never heard of Medicine Mountain?”

“You do?” Stella shot back, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course…” Allan paused, then shook his head. He added, “Nope, not a clue!”

Stella rolled her eyes.

She thought “Then why even bother talking?’

Having eaten, drunk, and napped to its heart’s content, Eggie popped out of Sebastian’s chest pocket.

Allan kicked back with his legs crossed and said, “With a name like ‘Medicine Mountain, it must be something epic, huh?”

Just then, the car stopped at a red light.

“That’s Medicine Mountain,” Sebastian said suddenly, raising a hand and pointing out the window.

“Where? Where is it?” Allan asked, leaning forward eagerly.

10:39 Thu, Feb 12

Chapter 386

84

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Everyone in the car followed his gaze. Morgan, already in the know, just shared a calm, knowing toast with Sebastian.

Not far away, a dim little mound sat in the darkness. If one knew, one’d call it a mountain; if one didn’t, one’d think it was just a little grave.

Allan couldn’t believe his eyes. He asked, “Seriously? That’s it?”

Sebastian, deadpan as ever, just said, “That’s it.”

Allan didn’t know what to say for a moment.

“So, what’s actually inside Medicine Mountain?” Stella asked, barely glancing out the window, sounding like she couldn’t care less. She barely even cared enough to ask.

Sebastian reached over and handed her a thermos.

Stella popped the top and, yep, chia seeds and dried cranberries floating in coconut water.

She pushed it away.

Morgan chuckled and said, “According to Tongalian legend, Medicine Mountain is shrouded in deadly miasma, all to protect the legendary beasts and magical flowers said to live there.

“It’s considered a national treasure, something everyone in Tongalia treasures. And the secret to breaking the miasma? Only Quinto knows it.”

Allan burst out laughing, throwing his head back. He said, “Legendary beasts and divine flowers? This is like something out of a fairy tale!”

Lucas, seeing Allan spitting everywhere, scrunched up his face in disgust and scooted his little butt away, turning his back on him.

Stella thought, ‘Divine flowers?’

She seemed genuinely lost in thought for a moment.

Before long, they arrived at the hotel,

As soon as Stella stepped out of the car, she spotted the hotel’s logo: a stylized “Nova”, right at the entrance. The other Clusian delegates had already gotten out and were waiting in the lobby by the revolving doors. Allan strutted in, clapping his hands with a flourish. He said, “Alright, everyone, eat well and have a great time! As the sponsor for this event, Nova Group has upgraded all the rooms for our Clusian delegation to the top- tier suites. Enjoy your stay!”

Stella thought, ‘Man, he’s such a show-off’

She took the room key from Morgan and glanced up at Sebastian.

10:39 Thu, Feb 12

Chapter 386

Sebastian said, “I’ll head up in a bit.”

:

Stella just gave a lazy nod and pushed Lucas toward the elevator.

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Out of the corner of her eye, she caught something in the shadows; her step faltered for a second, then she swiped her card and boarded the elevator.

“Sebastian, the hit list just got refreshed,” Morgan said quietly, handing over his phone.

On the screen, Nathan’s name and photo had replaced Charles, who had to bail at the last minute. And the moment the rest of the crew landed in Tongalia, they all got auto-added to the hit list.

Tongalia was clearly in on it.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed with menace, but he quickly smoothed it over. He said, “Make sure Keir and the crew are on standby. I want every single person who checked in safe. Every. Single. One.”

He handed the phone back to Morgan.

Morgan nodded and said, “Got it.”

“Stella, bring Lucas to my room later. I ordered some takeout,” Emily said, enjoying her private room with a full river view through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Callum, putting his mask back on, turned to them. He said, “There’s a night market nearby. It’s still early, how about we go together later?”

Emily’s eyes lit up. She said, “A night market? What do they sell?”

Callum thought for a second, then said, “Food, games, and even some antiques.”

Emily grabbed Stella’s arm, her eyes sparkling. She said, “Come on, let’s go! Stella, bring Lucas with you.” As she spoke, she shot Lucas a look, and in the next second, Lucas wrapped his arms around Stella in a big, squishy hug.

He blinked up at her, all innocent.

Stella, who’d been lost in thought since they got in the elevator, just gave a lazy, absent-minded hum.

Suddenly, Stella glanced at Paula and asked, “Paul, have you ever heard about the so-called ‘divine flowers’ on

Medicine Mountain?”

Paul paused, lost in thought for a moment.

Then he said, “Landen and I have talked about it before. Honestly, we think Quinto’s just trying to make it sound all mysterious. If there really was some priceless treasure up there, they’d have submitted it for world heritage status ages ago.”

Paul was so weak that he had to catch his breath after every sentence, looking frail and drained, like he barely had any strength left.

10:39 Thu, Feb 12

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