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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
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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
Leesa's Advent Chapter 413
As the newcomers appeared out of the forest, Leesa felt as if she had stepped into her dream. She recognized each of them, and knew at least a little something about all of them, except for the last one, a warrior who looked so much like Kai she guessed he must be Kai’s brother. He was the only one she had not seen in her dream.The first girl to emerge from the trees had been Leah, the one Leesa felt the most kinship toward. Leah’s eyes had been wide with surprise. Leesa didn’t know if it was the sight of Ariandre, or of two humans from Leah’s own world.Once they were all out of the shadows of the trees, Ariandre pranced forward.“Welcome, Miracles,” she greeted. “And brave soldiers as well. I am Ariandre. It is I who brought you here. I thank you for accepting my summons.”She turned to Kai. “It is good to see you again, my friend. You have done well. Thank you.”Kai acknowledged the co
Leesa's Advent Chapter 412
Ariandre reached up and pulled the bandage off her forehead, exposing a perfectly round hole in her flawless skin. The wound looked to be nearly an inch deep. There was no sign of scabbing or blood—it was as if someone had drilled a neat hole into her head and somehow cauterized any bleeding.Her guests stared at the strange-looking wound, wondering what could have caused it. Leesa thought that perhaps Dominic could focus his magic precisely enough to cut such a hole, but otherwise she was as clueless as the others. She wondered if this world contained someone with magic as powerful and controlled as Dominic’s. She hoped not.“I guess this is the best place to start,” Ariandre said. “Kai and Raj noticed it right away, of course, though they were too polite to mention it.” She gently touched her forehead. “Someone has stolen my horn.”“You had a horn?” Leah blurted. She thought the experiences of the last few weeks had prepared her for almost anything, but Ariandre’s simple statement t
Leesa's Advent Chapter 413
The company set out immediately, wanting to cover as much ground as possible before darkness fell. As usual, Kai took the lead, with Fiona flying alongside his head and using her magic to open a pathway through the impenetrable forest. Leah walked right behind Kai, with Leesa and Rave following next.Leesa was startled when she saw open space and daylight ahead of them after less than a minute of walking. Her first trip through these trees with Rave seemed to have taken hours. She twisted her neck around and looked behind them. Ariandre’s silhouette was still visible, watching them from the beginning of the path—the forest was less than one hundred yards wide! Any doubts she might have had about the magic of the forest were dispelled. Now she wondered what awaited them on the other side of the trees. Even though it seemed they had entered the woods in the same place from which she and Rave had emerged, she was not at all sure they would exit onto the same barren p
Leesa's Advent Chapter 414
Rave lept forward, throwing himself into a somersault that brought him up beneath the scorpion’s belly, safe from its pincers and stinger. He could think of no way to use his volkaane fire to slay the thing—funneling the fire down the creature’s throat seemed implausible. Instead, he placed both hands on the beast’s underside and thrust upward with all the strength in his powerful legs, using the scorpion’s own momentum as well as his supernatural strength to heave it up and over Leesa, Kai and Leah.The scorpion landed with a loud thud twenty feet behind them. Unhurt, it immediately twisted around to resume its attack, but Leah was ready now. Still sitting on the ground where she had fallen, she let loose a powerful blast of red and orange fire. The flames enveloped the beast, reducing it to a pile of smoking ash in seconds.Kai crouched down beside Leah. “Are you hurt?”Leah shook her head and smiled. “Only my pr
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