Lᴏɴᴇʟʏ Fᴀʟʟs || Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Eɪɢʜᴛ Bᴏᴏᴋ Tᴡᴏ

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Sɪx || Lᴏɴᴇʟʏ Fᴀʟʟs

Tazi

We traveled back the way we came. Or at least I think so. Most of the forest looks the same to me. And we weren't really using a path so...

Our progress was much slower, as we were keeping a wary eye out for Conquerors. We'd taken turns wearing the talisman, so no one would wear it for too long. I didn't like how heavy it hung around my neck. Somehow all I could think of was how it would drag me down if I was swimming.

Finally, on our second day of walking, we arrived at a clearing in the forest. The grass was soft green and a waterfall flowed into a small pond, the setting sun sending rainbows arcing across its spray.

"What is this place?" Niko gaped in wonder at the sparkling diamond water that cascaded down from the rocks above us.

I wasn't nearly as impressed; there were far larger waterfalls around Greenhaven. But Niko wasn't from Greenhaven, like me, I remembered. Maybe they didn't have waterfalls in Nilo.

"This," Tyler replied, "is Lonely Falls." His face had a grim set to it, but I chalked it up to exhaustion.

"It's so pretty!" Lizzie said, tilting her head at the glittering water. "I've never seen water so clear."

"Supposedly it's so clear because Briggan blessed the Falls with his Sight." Ryan explained, "there's a myth that if you drink the water without purifying it that you'll get a version of his prophetic sight."

"The myth also says that the visions drive humans mad." Lucia pointed out. "So maybe we shouldn't."

"Crazy-vision water or not, this seems like a good place to stop for the night." Zay cut in brusquely, "the sun's going down, and my feet feel like they're going to fall off."

Tyler hesitated for a fraction of a second before he nodded sharply. "Good idea. But everyone must stay close, understood?" He glanced around. "We're still technically in enemy territory."

His comment went almost unnoticed amid the exaggerated sighs of relief and sounds of packs dropping on the ground.

"Well, it's someone else's turn to have the talisman," Sasha said, slipping the chain over his head.

"It's Tazi's turn." Ryan turned to me. "Right?"

I suppressed a sigh and nodded. He handed it over and I placed it around my neck, hiding the heavy pendant beneath my shirt.

We set up camp and chatted, relaxing after a long day of travel. I released Ian into the pool beneath the falls, and dangled my feet in beside him, sighing with contentment. I didn't mind keeping him in passive, but I missed Ian when he wasn't around. Not for the first time, I wondered what it'd have been like if I'd bonded with a land animal. Ian brushed a past my leg and I shook off the thought.

I twisted away from the water, noting the flashes as everyone else that had mastered passive state released their animals too.

The clearing was actually quite large, as it was remarkably uncrowded, even with everyone and their animals milling about.

My gaze was drawn to Navia and Cerco at the edge of the clearing. They were playing tag. Navia was It, and she soon tapped the wolverine on the tail. He turned, chasing after her. Cerco launched himself at his summoner, knocking her flat. Navia laughed, rolling over so her animal was on her belly.

"Sure hope the vision thing only works if you drink the water," a voice beside me made me jump, and I turned my head so fast I cricked my neck.

Lizzie smiled, "sorry, couldn't help myself."