canyon walls. But what caught Kiora’s immediate attention was the very long rope bridge that stretched out in front of them. Kiora bit her cheek in an attempt not to yelp. It looked remarkably similar to the one she had encountered back with the Shifters. Only this was longer and higher. It didn’t help that the wooden slats had wider gaps in between. Or the fact that it was broad daylight and she could clearly see how far it was to the ground. Kiora’s heart raced and her palms began to sweat as Alcander took the first step onto the bridge. It swayed back and forth with his weight. Kiora backed up involuntarily and bumped into Emane. He grabbed her.
“Hey, it’s all right,” Emane whispered in her ear. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
Alcander and Drustan were already halfway across the bridge before they realized no one was following them. Alcander looked back to Kiora and Emane who had their heads close together, whispering. “What is the matter?” he yelled.
Kiora’s head popped up. “Nothing!” she said, her voice squeaking. She tried to clear her throat but Emane stepped in.
“She’s just a little afraid of bridges, that’s all,” Emane yelled back.
Kiora slugged him in the arm. “Emane!”
“She is afraid of bridges,” Alcander repeated dryly, raising an eyebrow.
“Quite,” Drustan said, smirking.
“You’re afraid of bridges?” Alcander yelled back to Kiora.
“Not all bridges. Just ones made of rope, swinging over a 300-foot deep canyon! Who makes a bridge out of rope?”
“Everybody,” Alcander said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
“Obviously,” Kiora murmured under her breath. She didn’t have time to yell before Emane picked her up and started out on to the bridge.
“You really should learn to deal with this,” Emane said keeping his eyes on the bridge on front of him. “There may come a time when I will not be there to carry you across.”
Kiora squeezed her eyes closed and shoved her head into Emane’s chest, gripping his shirt with everything she had.
“I could call Arturo,” Kiora retorted through clenched teeth.
“Who is Arturo?” Alcander asked.
Kiora bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she should have mentioned him or not. “A Pegasus.”
She was met with silence again. She was too terrified to open her eyes and look at his face, but she was beginning to really dislike the silence she got anytime she told him anything.
Finally feeling solid ground beneath Emane’s feet, Kiora opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Alcander’s sharp face looking at her with bewilderment.
“What?” Kiora demanded, smoothing her clothes out with some indignation as Emane set her back on the ground. It was bad enough she was terrified of these stupid bridges. Worse than that, she had an audience every time she ran into one.
Alcander just shook his head. “Nothing.” He turned and led them down the narrow ledge that wound its way to the bottom of the canyon.
“What is this place?” Kiora asked, gazing around. The two canyon walls went straight up, almost meeting at the top. Sunlight streamed in through the crack between them, lighting the entire canyon. This must have been what was underneath the small fissures she has seen from the air. A waterfall poured out of the opposite canyon wall they had just crossed from, dropping down into a river that ran through the middle of the canyon before disappearing again into the earth where the two walls closed together at the end. The canyon was elliptical, wide in the middle and narrowing at both ends. Lush greenery fed on the river that flowed through. Homes dotted the canyon floor. She was curious about the homes that protruded high on the canyon walls. They did not follow the path, and she could see no means of getting to them.
“This is my current home,” Alcander answered. “It is also where Lomay has been hiding for some time.”
Kiora was impressed and overwhelmed by the beauty of the area. It was by far the best cave she had ever been in, because it really wasn’t a cave at all. But even more than the beauty that surrounded her, Kiora was impressed by the strength of the threads she felt. They thrummed through her, powerful in their magic. The only thread in the canyon that did not feel distinctly good marched in front of them—Alcander. But with each step that was changing as well. Kiora monitored it as she went. Alcander had asked her if she could disguise her thread. He