forest when lesser trunks could just as easily provide timber. His uncle had said that it was human nature to enjoy seeing the mighty fall. At the time, Yanko hadn’t applied it to more than trees.
“It needn’t be,” Dak said, “though powerful nations rarely break up without violence. There’s too much of value that people will fight over.” After a moment’s pause, he added, “It’s unfortunate that you’re caught in the middle. No matter what your father says, this isn’t your war. Generations’ worth of self-centered human beings created the problems in the world that you were born into. Your elders owe you a debt, not the other way around.”
Yanko shook his head. “Sometimes, you’re born with obligations and don’t have a choice—that’s what it means to be moksu. It’s not—in my culture, you respect your elders and acknowledge the wisdom that comes from living many years. You don’t get the option to... condemn them. You do what your family needs you to do. There’s no other choice.”
“You always have a choice, Yanko. To pretend you don’t is to make yourself a victim.”
Yanko rubbed the back of his neck, weary from the long day and from the conversation. Perhaps it was time to end it. He didn’t need a Turgonian whispering insidious words in his ear, planting dangerous thoughts.
“You have a choice, Dak? You’re here, dealing with a whiny Nurian kid, entirely because you want to be?”
“Shocking, isn’t it?” Dak offered his hand. “Ready to continue? Someone else was here a week ago, remember. Delays may not work in our favor.”
“Good point.” Yanko shouldn’t be worrying about Dak as competition until they were in the room—or secret waterfall cave—with what they sought. Until then, they had external competition to consider, others who could keep them both from their goal.
Yanko did not need assistance to rise, but he accepted Dak’s hand. They headed into the brush, Dak again leading. Yanko did not try to delay him further, not after that reminder that Sun Dragon might be out there, and that, thanks to his tortoise friend, Yanko now knew that Pey Lu was in the area. What if she also sought the lodestone? If she did, she’d had a week longer to search the island.
After twenty minutes of maneuvering through the rainforest, Dak halted, holding up his hand. Once Yanko stopped, he caught the sound of voices in the distance. Male voices. That meant it wasn’t Lakeo or Arayevo.
“They’re on the beach to the south.” Dak veered from his course, heading toward a rocky summit that rose above the trees.
Yanko hesitated, tempted to veer in the other direction, toward where he believed the pool lay. He wished Kei had stuck with him, but couldn’t blame the bird for avoiding the fall into the ravine. Besides, parrots were supposed to sleep at night. Kei might not reappear until dawn.
Dak moved quickly, almost running, and Yanko decided to follow. He wanted to know who those voices belonged to. Besides, he had Lakeo looking for the pool.
As they scrambled up a black rock slope, the vegetation thinned. The voices disappeared, replaced by the sound of the ocean. They climbed above the treetops, and Dak hunkered low. Feeling exposed, Yanko did the same thing, banging his knees and his sword scabbard on the harsh lava rocks.
The sound of the ocean grew louder, seeming to come from both sides of him now. Dropping to all fours, Dak headed for a cliff. Yanko paused before following, reaching out with his mind to try and get a better feeling for what lay below their peak. The sound of water off to his right wasn’t from the ocean at all, but from a waterfall. The tortoise’s waterfall. Yanko could see the pool with his mind, perhaps six hundred feet to the side and a hundred feet below their position.
He bit his lip and looked at Dak’s back. Might he sneak away and look behind the waterfall before Dak caught up?
The sound of voices drifted up again, just audible above the ocean’s roar. Yanko had to know who was out there. He didn’t sense anyone by the pool yet, so there should still be time to investigate it. A quick peek at the beach wouldn’t hurt.
Yanko crawled up to Dak, who now lay flat on his belly as he looked over the cliff. Following his example, Yanko pulled himself up to the edge on his elbows, the rock jabbing into his hipbones.
They had reached the opposite end of the island. A