“But there are a few exceptions.”
Alcander was very quiet.
“You took it better than I thought,” Drustan yelled back.
Alcander still did not say anything.
Just as Kiora was ready to tell Alcander that she needed him to take over the bubble, he announced, “Take us down here.”
Kiora looked where he was pointing as Drustan dropped into one of the larger canyons. Landing at the bottom, Drustan’s hoofs kicked up a cloud of dust on the dry and dusty ground—lacking the moisture that had created it. Alcander dropped off Drustan’s back with barely a sound, motioning for the others to follow.
“Keep the bubble up until we pass through the barrier,” Alcander instructed Kiora.
Drustan morphed back into human form as the group followed Alcander under the shade of the overhanging ledge. Kiora could feel the hum of magic generated by the barrier as she stepped underneath it and dropped her bubble. Alcander pressed his hand against the canyon wall and the magical enchantment faded, revealing a large cave opening.
“A cave, again,” Kiora said, peering into the darkness. “Why does it always have to be a cave?”
“It’s not so bad,” Alcander said.
Emane took a step backwards, craning his neck to look up at the canyon wall that towered above them. Realizing what he had done, Kiora turned to warn him but Alcander was faster.
“No!” Alcander shouted, running at Emane.
Emane jolted. “What—?”
Alcander grabbed a fistful of Emane’s shirt, jerking him back within the protection of the barrier. “You fool!”
“Get off me,” Emane yelled, shoving him backwards with both hands.
Alcander’s hands rose, his palms out, magic flickering across his fingers.
“Stop,” Kiora yelled, placing herself between the two glaring men. “Just stop it.”
Alcander’s muscles were tense and his eyes narrowed to icy slits, locked on Emane. “You stepped out of the enchantment.”
“Alcander,” Kiora pleaded. “He didn’t know.”
“You might as well have drawn the world a map for how to get here,” he spat. “Let’s just hope the appearance of a thread with so little magical significance is of no consequence to them.”
Kiora cringed under the assault and glanced back at Emane, whose face was flaming red. His chest was heaving, his hand clenched so firmly around the hilt of his sword his knuckles had turned white.
Alcander turned neatly on a heel and led the way into the cave. He plucked a torch from the wall. Wordlessly, he held the torch out to Kiora.
Kiora breathed deeply through her nose, reaching out to kindle a fire on the end of the torch. She knew it wasn’t Emane’s fault—he couldn’t feel the hum of magic as you passed through a barrier, and he couldn’t see it. He had only taken one step back, but . . . it didn’t matter. The damage had already been done.
Alcander turned without another word, walking proudly into the darkness. She didn’t feel right being mad at Emane, but. as much as she hated to admit it, Alcander was completely justified in his anger.
The air inside the cave was moist, but lacked the stale dampness she was used to. They had not gone far when Kiora noticed the sound of water growing louder and louder the further they walked, sounding like the roar of a rushing river. “Where is that coming from?” she finally asked Alcander.
“Did you notice the river that vanished on our way here?” Alcander asked her over his shoulder. Kiora nodded. “It runs underground; we are getting close to it now.”
It wasn’t but five minutes later that the group came upon the black river rushing out from the rock. There was a section of the river, maybe twenty feet long and six feet across, that roared towards the surface before disappearing under the rock. With the little light that Alcander was carrying, Kiora could see the outline of a small arched wooden bridge that spanned the exposed river. It was small and low to the ground, and reminded her of a decorative one that sat in the castle gardens in Meros. They crossed over it and continued through. Within another five minutes the cave began to lighten and Alcander put out his torch.
“Where is the light coming from?” Emane asked.
“We are almost there,” Alcander said tightly.
A few more minutes and they stepped out of the cave, looking over an immense canyon. Kiora placed her hand over her eyes to shield the light. They had emerged very high up on the canyon wall, looking out over a village below. Some of the homes were on the ground while others poked oddly out of the