Saving the Rifts (The Traveling Rifts Trilogy: Book Three) *ON HOLD*

Shadow Princess

Hello people! So here we are - the last book in the Traveling Rifts Trilogy. Aris's adventure will soon come to an end, but not before a few more surprises coming her way.

If you read the first books (or my profile), then you know I don't enjoy swear words. I would really like it if you didn't display any in the comments on my story. Also, please don't say stuff with "God" in it, such as "Oh my ___" Thank you in advance!

Peace!

~RobynAster

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It was a bright day. The sun was shining so strongly it stung. Lian Amare squinted against its harsh glare and lowered his baseball cap. Such a useful invention. He often wondered how the Earthlings had made so many clever things that Aldenuurlings hadn't yet.

The shadow elf rested his foot across his knee and adjusted his jacket collar. It covered his neck, but not enough. His brown eyes roamed the grassy park before him. There was a woman sitting on a park bench nearby. A man played catch with his dog. Children of all ages ran around playing chase. Lian observed all from his spot on the bench. It showed a full view of the park, but was unfortunately placed directly underneath the beating sun.

Lian winced and once again lowered his basketball cap. He suddenly heard a yell from a young mouth. Quickly looking up, the shadow elf spied a small boy coming up a knoll. He held a wet lollipop in his hand, but dropped it in a mad dash to his mother. The woman crouched down as the boy began babbling and pointing in the direction he came from.

Lian stared suspiciously, then stood up. He stuck to the shadow of a tree as he jogged up the small hill. When he saw a few creatures down on the rocky beach, the shadow elf quickly ducked behind some reeds. He peeped between the stalks and his eyes widened.

There was an arbres just a few feet away. His side was marred with three long scratches. Dragon scratches. Beside the arbres was a shadow elf. He was dressed like a human, though his clothes were torn up and stained brown. There were two more shadow elves: a white-haired female and a quite muscular one. A shadow fairy flew in the air and a mer swam in the lake. There were two sarba, too, as well as nine small dragons.

But the strangest thing Lian saw was the human girl. She had brown skin, something he was still unaccustomed to. Her hair was black and incredibly short. She faced away, so Lian couldn't see the shape of her face nor the color of her eyes. But he had no doubt who she was. Aris Fallon Waverly. One of the rebels.

Through the reeds, he could barely hear their conversation. They didn't speak in Eldûr, the Empire of Shadows' language, but in Reg. It was a language from the kingdom of Regerl, a kingdom that was destroyed many years ago.

"We may not have time to discuss what the rift could hold," the arbres was saying. His voice was low and sounded ancient. "It may be our only escape."

The woodland creature looked up to the sky with a weary expression. Lian followed his gaze to see a spot in the bright blue. The shadow elf narrowed his eyes, realizing that the spot was actually a dragon.

"Everyone back in the water. Now!" the mer said.

Aris grabbed her quiver. The fairy flew into the pocket. Not long after the keeper zipped it back up was the whole group in Lake Ontario again.

"So we're going to the rift?" the mer asked.

What rift? Lian wondered.

"Yes," Aris responded with absolute certainty.