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Chapter 423
Leesa and Plush needed to keep their eyes glued to the magical yellow mark and to the horn as they continued pulling Sneak back toward the cave, but everyone else looked down and saw Baalgur lift his huge scaly head, shaking it slowly back and forth as if to wake himself from a deep slumber. A moment later, he unfurled his leathery, membranous wings. A cloud of flame snuffed from his mouth as he readied his dragon fire for attack.
With one flap of his enormous wings he spiraled upward, using the rising currents of hot air from the molten lava below to add speed to his climb.
Leah watched anxiously, measuring the dragon’s speed against the pace of the shining white horn drawing ever nearer to them. The race was going to be a close one—it could go either way. She had a decision to make, and not much time to make it in.
Baalgur opened his massive jaws. Leah could see a ball of orange fire rising from his throat.
“Run, everyone!” she c
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 424
The company headed up the tunnel at a brisk trot, maintaining a pace that would put distance behind them without exhausting their lungs and muscles too quickly. Once again, Leesa, Lights and Fiona illuminated the way, risking slightly brighter lights than before because of their accelerated pace.When they came upon a second lava tube branching off to the right, Kai led them into it. Simply retracing their steps as they fled was not an option—it would have only brought them to a dead end in the chamber where the rock bridge had collapsed. They needed to find a new way out of the volcano, and any tube that angled upward was a possible exit. They just had to hope the new tunnel did not come to an abrupt end in a wall of rock somewhere.Plush was the first to feel the effects of their extended run up from the depths of the mountain. Using her Power to carry Dolph and then to help lift Sneak had depleted her energy reserves.“I need a rest,” she hu
Leesa's Advent Chapter 425
“Do you have something in mind, Sergeant?” Colonel Gallway asked.“This tunnel offers some protection,” the sergeant replied, “but it also limits our field of fire. I don’t know if our bullets will affect that beast at all, but our best chance to find out is from below, where we can aim at its belly. You and me and Jordy can slip a short way down the slope and find some rocks to shelter us. When Baalgur confronts Leah, we can shoot up at it from down there.”“Okay, we’ll do as you suggest,” Colonel Gallway said. He looked to the others. “Any other suggestions?”“I’ll stand with Leah,” Leesa said, “and add my magic to her Power. Perhaps it will help make the difference.” From her recent close call with Baalgur’s fire, she wasn’t at all certain her hope would prove true. She kept that thought to herself, though.“There’s one other th
Leesa's Advent Chapter 426
As Baalgur dropped nearer, he spread his gigantic wings wide to slow his descent. The Marines opened fire, but their bullets seemed to have no effect upon the huge beast, whose descent continued unabated.Leah and Leesa stared upward, stunned by the sheer size of the monster silhouetted against the gray sky above them. They stood firm, though, trying hard not to show any fear. Leesa’s fingers tightened around Leah’s arm.The dragon hovered less than a hundred feet above them, his leathery wings beating slowly up and down to keep him in place. His lizard eyes seemed filled with disdain for the puny humans who dared to stand before him. He opened his fearsome jaws, revealing twin rows of scythe-like teeth. A ball of orange fire bubbled up in his throat.As the dragon fire began to emerge from Baalgur’s mouth, Leah raised her arms and unleashed her Power. Twin streams of flame shot from her palms, joining into one thick stream just a few feet in f
Leesa's Advent Chapter 427
The return journey was blessedly uneventful. The recent explosions of dragon fire from the battle with Baalgur kept the plains around the volcanoes empty of hunters, and the company encountered no scorpions or snakes as they crossed through the deep crevices of what Leesa had come to think of as the “damaged lands.”They didn’t hurry, nor did they dawdle. As always, they remained alert and watchful. Whenever Kai scouted ahead, he gave Ariandre’s horn to Raj so that the object of their quest never left the protection of the main party. When Raj did the scouting, he returned the horn to Kai.In two days, the enchanted forest rose up before them. When they reached the edge of the woods, the thick underbrush bent back for them, opening a passage twice as wide as the ones they had previously traversed. Everyone seemed to gain an extra spring in their step as they entered the forest walking in pairs. They no longer had to worry about any more danger, and most of them knew they were close to
Leesa's Advent Chapter 428
Ariandre waved her hand once more, and the portal vanished. She looked back to Leesa and Rave.“Well, I guess it’s time to see what we can do about you two.”“Do you really think you can send us back?” Leesa asked.“I hope so. I may need a little help, though.” Ariandre motioned with her arm to the mass of faeries behind her. “Gather round, my friends. Surround us, please.”The faeries flitted quickly into a thick circle with Ariandre, Leesa and Rave in the center. Fiona landed on Rave’s shoulder.Ariandre smiled. “Are you thinking of going back with them, Fiona?”Fiona’s glow flashed brighter as she laughed. “If Rave was single, I definitely might. I don’t think I can compete with Leesa, though. She’s much more his size, and her magic is stronger than mine, besides.”“Hey, I understood that,” Leesa said, surprised. &ldquo
Leesa's Advent Chapter 429
The four teenagers had already trekked nearly a mile when they turned off into the trees, following an almost invisible path up a steep hillside. Jeremy led the way, the bright yellow beam of his flashlight illuminating the uneven ground in front of them. Brit walked close beside him, with Lexi and Ryan trailing a short distance behind. Holding hands, they climbed the ridge at a slower pace.Growing up in Connecticut, they had all heard stories about the famous Moodus Noises, but only Jeremy had actually experienced the underground rumblings. He hoped they would get lucky tonight—there was nothing like a little shake, rattle and roll to make a frightened girl seek out a bit of reassuring snuggling. And he was definitely interested in some close cuddling with Brit.“Are we almost there?" Brit asked, trying not to sound like she was complaining as she tucked a few loose strands of her long dark hair behind her ear. She wasn't really feeling tired yet, but she was starting to work up a b
Leesa's Advent Chapter 430
For his part, Jeremy knew he had screwed up. Brit's furrowed brow and closed off body language told him more than any words could say. Hoping he had not irreparably damaged the rest of night, he reached out to touch Brit's shoulder."I'm sorry, okay?" He did not know what else to say. Luckily. he was saved from having to come up with anything else by Ryan and Lexi's arrival. They were a good looking couple. Ryan's dark, athletic look and build contrasted beautifully with Lexi's blond hair and petite frame. The kids at school had even nicknamed them Ken and Barbie."Wow, this is some gorgeous spot," Lexi said, peering out over the edge of the cliff to the river below, which snaked like a dark silver ribbon through the black woods.“It's breathtaking."Seeing that Jeremy had switched off his light, Ryan turned his off as well. A moment later, a band of thick clouds floated in front of the moon, making the night darker and even more ghostly. The wind seemed to
Leesa's Advent Chapter 431
Brit took a deep breath and then hesitantly placed her fingers on the pointer as well. She did not know whether she was imagining it, but the wooden triangle seemed to feel warm under her fingertips. She hoped the damn thing would stay right where it was.Instead, it began to slide slowly across the board a few inches before stopping."I," Lexi said, reading out the letter where the pointer had stopped. The pointer moved again. Lexi continued to call out the letters. "A...M." She hesitated a moment, then read. "I am..."Brit stared hard at the board, wondering what name the guys had planned to spell—and hoping that it WAS the guys who were doing it."I am who?" Ryan asked when the pointer started making slow circles around the board without stopping on any letters.The wind suddenly ceased blowing. Everything had gone deathly still. Only the gurgling stream broke the silence, and even that seemed to have quieted a bit, as if nat
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