❝Shae Burrower, failed author and city girl, from Lavender Lane, at your service.❞
⎯⎯⎯
The story contained within these pages is not about me.
You all know of whom I write. If not by word of mouth or by the speculation of the Chileez Times, then by...
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"I am not leaving until the return of Decimus."
"You must." To'an's voice was not soft enough to hide its authority. "The jungle grows more unstable the longer you wait. We can't send everyone home when the celebration ends until you have completed this task the Untameable has given you."
Lennon T. James ran his callused fingers through his, recently trimmed, brown hair. "We need to wait. He carries two of the sigils."
The air grew thick with silence.
The platform beneath our feet was high up in the canopy. The table that carried our plates were one of three long tables, benches supporting us as we sat to eat, and a flow of people crowding us as they came to bid good morning to Tier-kin.
The quiet that fell between Lennon T. James and To'an snapped even the chattiest mouths shut.
I reached for the cool glass of fruit juice, sipping at it as I watched Lennon T. James' reaction.
The tension was in the way he met the chief's gaze, the way he set his shoulders, the straightness of his spine.
The chief, with his smile bright and his elbow propped on the table, looked like the picture of ease. He was not happy, however, as the smile sat frozen on his lips.
To'an smoothly got to his feet. "Walk with me."
Lennon T. James inclined his head respectfully. "There is nothing you can say that will change my mind, vadta."
The chief stiffened at the term of respect. By sheer coincidence, his gaze met mine--most likely drawn by the way I was observing the conversation.
His eyebrows raised. "I do not think you give your biographer enough credit, Tier-kin. Bring her with you."
My eyes fell to the explorer, who had his one foot propped on the bench, his arm draped over it as he skewered another slab of back bacon. At To'an's words, blue flashed in my direction. "She is welcome to any information you give her. There is not much evidence for anything I could tell her."
"Shae? Are you coming with us?"
I looked up at Mitch, who had finished her breakfast without my notice. She waited for an answer.
"Where are you going?"
"Gino said that Wade was told that Elle was offered to be shown the waterful. All of us are going." Mitch nodded her chin to our leader. "Except Lennon, that is."
I turned back towards the explorer, whose eyes were flitting between Mitch and I.
"I think I need to stick with him," I told Mitch, shrugging one shoulder. "I need to collect as much information about his place here if I am to write about our adventure."
