Isla was stoic as I’d relayed what transpired with Khato. She listened, then shoved a pair of fur-lined leathers at me before forcing a loaf of bread in my pack, stating that even with the cloud cover, we should fly higher to be sure none of the queen’s sentries could spy us. Isla would relay everything to Bayne.
We soared in silence as the world below shifted from a thick smudge of gray clouds to smaller, sporadic wisps that gave way to the dark green ground below. The hours ticked by, and we slowly descended when the winding rivers came into view from the treetops.
Ti’s thunderous landing echoed in the mossy clearing. We’d passed the dying ground Bayne eluded to. The trees this far north were dense, the forest more overgrown and unruly, compared to the trees bordering Ayla.
We trudged through the thickness of the brush, which mottled out the distant moonlight, picking our way through ferns and lichen-covered trees and rocks. Orange crystals lined the rocky walls forming around us, a small trail appearing in its center. I peeled off the thick, fur-lined jacket and tied it off at my waist, as sweat trickled down my neck and between my breasts. Tiberius’s inky coat was slick with it, white foam gathering on his chest.
This place is old, I whispered.
Nobody can hear us in here, you know, he said back, though I caught a hint of wariness in his voice.
Water showed us the way…
I kept an eye on the black river rushing east, the same direction we walked, until we finally came upon a looming dark ruin. Stone and trees rose hundreds of feet in the air, wound together, arching over a tunnel where the rushing river flowed.
I guess this is where I leave you.I couldn’t help the trepidation that had seeped into those words.
If it were a trap, he wouldn’t have spoken to you in code. This is where we should be. I feel it.
I repeated Ti’s words in my head, willing my heart to calm as I tugged off my riding boots and leathers, stepping into the edge of the river that flowed into the heart of the Waters of Ascendiel.
Cast to me.
I gave him a nod, kicking off the edge of the bank and letting the river pull me into the dark, cavernous entrance of the ruins.
My legsand arms pushed and pulled against the swell of water floating me toward the darkness, keeping my head above water. I passed under the arch of the ruins and blinked as the darkness dissipated, replaced with a soft, foggy blue glow, as if Ganmira and Renova’s essence lived in this space. I rode the river into a massive cavern that opened to a large, round stone structure in its center. A narrow staircase spiraled around the stone, leading to the edge of its towering lip.
I could barely make out the arch to my right, where another river converged. The water swelled rapidly as it met with the one I floated in on. I kicked against the surf, aiming for the edge of the stone path that bordered the massive structure. My hands dug in, slipping on the algae coating the smooth stones. I pulledmyself out, grateful for the vacancy of the ruin as I only bothered keeping my undergarments on.
I circled the stone structure, eyeing at least four more river entrances, when at last I found the base of the stairs. Slick with the water rushing in, I steadied myself with a hand on the wall of the stone as I began to climb.
Minutes passed, and my thighs burned, sweat mixing with the river water dripping from my body. My feet were still soaked. I glanced down at the slippery stone and paused. Water flowed upward, over my feet, and up the sides of the massive stone structure. I cast to Tiberius and was met with a wave of awe and wonder.
I climbed until I finally stepped into a thick fog as I reached the top of the stone structure. There was no lip to its edge. I counted my steps as I made my way inward, toward the center of the space, following the flow of water. It began to deepen, slowly covering my feet, eventually reaching my knees, always flowing to the center of the circle.
The fog began to clear, that curious blue light illuminating the space before me. I stopped, the water reaching above my knees, as I took in the scene before me.
Calm waters swirled to the center of the stone landing, where it stopped and ascended into the sky above, as if it were a waterfall, its strong current hurtling upward to form a ring of solid water. A waterrise.
I kept my cast to Tiberius open as I cautiously made my way into the Waters of Ascendiel. My hand reached for the solid stream of water, sliding in. Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped into the ring of rising water.
