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Chapter 404
We trek down the hill from the portal, maintaining a moderate pace and following as direct a route as possible as we weave our way among the many boulders. Kai makes sure to give a wide birth to the dangerous gray ones. We stay bunched close together in the order he suggested, with one exception. To the surprise or concern of no one, Jordy has taken his usual place beside Radar, right behind Kai and me. Plush and Lights follow behind them, with Doc and Rerun coming next. Sneak walks by himself, with Dad and Sergeant Moss bringing up the rear. The two of them should provide enough protection to the back of our small column.
As we hike down the slope, Kai’s head seems to be on a swivel, constantly moving back and forth, his keen eyes alert for any sign of danger on the ground or in the air above. Thankfully, we reach the cover of the woods without incident.
Close up, the trees look even more gnarled than they did from atop the hill. Even the tallest of them rises n
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 405
I’m surprised to hear that. I had imagined this entire world would be filled with dangerous creatures. I’m curious why these woods are not, especially with the abundance of delicious fruit hanging from the trees. I’m not about to question Kai about it, though, since Dad is obviously keen to be on our way. Maybe the poisonous vines are enough of a nuisance to keep most creatures away. Or more likely, perhaps the deadly beasts that inhabit this world prefer flesh to fruit. Whatever the reason, Kai will tell us everything we need to know, I have no doubt about that. It’s nice to learn we’re in a relatively safe part of his world, though.The conversation done, Kai leads us deeper into the forest. We travel in the same formation we used earlier, so I get to walk beside him again. I can tell that he’s still alert, but he seems less anxious than when we were exposed out on the hillside.The woods change little as we move silently through t
Leesa's Advent Chapter 406
We head out through the trees again, in the same formation as before. Raj drifts back behind our small column to serve as a one man rear guard. As I watch Doc’s eyes follow him, I smile. She’s probably feeling the same way I always feel when Kai disappears on one of his scouting forays. I want to warn her it will probably grow even worse if she gets to know him like I’ve gotten to know Kai, but that’s not my place. Besides, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, and Raj will just become a fading memory.We walk for maybe an hour before we’re forced to a halt by a thick wall of the poisonous vines that reaches almost down to the ground. I glance to the left and then to the right, but the tangled mass of vines stretches as far as I can see in both directions.I look at Kai. He doesn’t seem surprised or upset, but I don’t understand why he’s not. Our way is most definitely blocked.Raj joins us at the head of the colu
Leesa's Advent Chapter 407
Kai pulls back the skin covering the doorway so we can step into the hut. Dad ducks his head and enters first, and I follow. It’s quite dim inside. A narrow column of daylight streams in through a round hole in the center of the thatched roof. The only other light leaks in through countless tiny cracks in the stick walls.Kai was partly right about not expecting much, but what he should have said was not to expect anything. There’s absolutely nothing in here except two large, furry animal hides that cover half the dirt floor. From their size and the thick brown fur with its distinctive black speckles, I realize they’re werebear hides. Having seen Kai in action, I’m only a little surprised to see that his people hunt the fearsome beasts.Kai follows the rest of us inside.“I told you it wasn’t much,” he says, smiling. “But it will keep you dry if it happens to rain, and the werebear skins are quite comfortable to li
Leesa's Advent Chapter 408
Moving only her eyes, Leesa shifted her gaze slowly from one giant snarling cat to the next. The six sabre-tooths all looked remarkably similar—identical, in fact, as far as she could see. She could find no identifying markers to individualize them anywhere on their sleek, golden-brown coats. The beasts had obviously come from the same litter, but Leesa had seen plenty of litters of cats, and none looked even close to as similar as these creatures did. She felt Rave’s arm tighten slightly around her lower back. Had he somehow sensed that the cats were about to attack? Leesa had detected no change in their posture, but volkaanes were far more in tune with animals than humans were. Her already rapid heartbeat ratcheted up another level. “They will not harm you,” said a female voice from behind them. Leesa’s first impulse was to spin around at the sound of the unexpected voice, but she still didn’t trust the intentions of the cats. Instead, she slowly twisted he
Leesa's Advent Chapter 409
“Ralin told us you needed help,” Leesa said to Ariandre. “Is that what you need—help getting something back? What is it? And where is it?”Ariandre considered Leesa’s questions for a moment. “The answers to your questions are both simple and complex,” she said finally. “The Seven and their companions should be here soon. Can we wait until they arrive so I can explain matters to all of you at once?”Leesa didn’t really want to wait, but she realized nothing was likely to happen until after the Miracles arrived. After all, they were the ones Ariandre had intentionally brought into this world to aid her. Leesa was glad to hear they were expected soon—she was curious to meet them. She had been a lot like them a few years ago—a teenager with magical powers. She hoped her experiences might prove useful for them.“I guess we can wait…as long as it’s not too long.&rdqu
Leesa's Advent Chapter 410
We set out from Kai's village early in the morning, after enjoying a quick breakfast of kookiya fruit. Each of us has found room in our packs for one or two more of the delicious fruit. They’re not all that big or heavy, and they’ll provide a very nice change from our canned rations.The size of our company has increased by one—Raj is coming with us. Whether it’s to help his brother on the quest or to give himself the chance to get to know Doc better, I’m not sure. Judging by the way he and Doc smile whenever they’re near each other, I’m guessing it’s probably some of both. I find myself wondering if Kai and I smile that much when we’re together—I’m pretty sure I do, but I’m going to have to start checking whether he does.Raj and Kai take turns leading us through the tangled, vine-infested woods, so I get more time with Kai than usual, which is just fine with me. And he does seem to be smiling a l
Leesa's Advent Chapter 411
It begins with a yelp of pain from behind me, and then a thud as one of my friends falls to the ground. I spin around to see Lights crumpled on his side, grasping his ankle with both hands and groaning in pain. Plush quickly crouches over him, her face filled with anguished concern, while the rest of us hurry back to check on him.Lights’ ankle is bent at such an impossible angle that I begin to feel queasy in my stomach. There’s no doubt in my mind that his ankle is badly broken, probably from a misstep on one of the loose rocks which have been so difficult to navigate in the dimness.Doc pushes her way to Plush’s side.“Give me some room,” she says as she kneels next to Lights and reaches for his injured ankle.Plush edges a foot or two to the side, but remains close. She reaches out and lays her hand softly on Lights’ shoulder, lending him support.As Doc wraps her hands around Lights’ grotesquely twiste
Leesa's Advent Chapter 412
The morning passes much like yesterday—a difficult, boring hike through a series of dim, narrow pathways littered with loose stones which must be stepped on or over very carefully. I keep reminding myself that boring beats most of the alternatives in a place like this, and I make sure to enjoy and appreciate the brief chances I get to walk beside Kai when a crevice widens enough to permit it.As before, determining the passage of time is difficult during our almost subterranean journey, but the muscles in my thighs are telling me we’ve walked for several hours so far without a break. That’s okay, though, because every step is bringing us closer to our goal, which Kai has promised we’ll reach sometime later today—barring any delay.When Kai stops short just a few moments later, I silently curse myself for thinking about delays. Looking over his shoulder, I see the reason he’s halted.The rift we’ve been following for the
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