Page 72 of Forsaken Secrets

My stomach and chest spasmed, black sparks closing in on my vision as she wound around the ruins.

Finally, we burst through the surface and into the sunlight.

I gasped for breath as my head spun. Lynk popped up to my right, and Eli was beyond him, still clutching that red revyn. Finally free, it hopped onto the fleiral's head and shook itself a few times before flying away.

"Sorry,"Renhira said. "I tried to go as fast as I could, but I could feel your lives fading."

"Thank you. Without you, we'd have been trapped,"I said, still trying to steady my breathing.

"It's nothing."She slipped up to a small beach and slid her body up so I could climb off.

I smiled, "We'll find some way to save your mother, too. Oh — " I pulled my soaking wet pack off my back and retrieved the little clutch of eggs. "She gave me these for you." I passed the little pouch to her.

Her eyes spun, and she dipped her head softly to nudge at the little eggs. "I — thank you so much, Weaver. We owe you everything!" She picked up the pouch gently, then dipped her head at me. "Stay safe and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything!"

"You too!"I said, watching as she dove back into the water, joining the other young vrytra as they swam towards the rest of their pod. Hopefully they'd all be able to stay safe now.

Eli murmured something to the lead fleiral, and they shook their purple head, sending all the water from that feathered mane onto Eli.

He laughed and stepped away, waving to them as the herd trotted off.

"You two need to get home," Lynk said as Eli walked over to us.

I looked at him, brows high. "What? Why? Do you understand that we left Solyn down there to be tortured and die?" My chest ached at the thought.

He just nodded. "I have a plan to fix this all, but it requires that you two stay out of the way." He bent and dumped out his bag, letting the water drain as he grumbled about damn kids and monsters.

I wanted to fight, but Eli's fingers pressed into my arm. "Let him go," he whispered.

Let him go? Why?

I wanted to argue, but knew it would do no good. Once Lynk was gone, we could make our own plan. If he didn't want to include us in his, so be it.

"Fine,” I said. "You go, and we'll stay out of your way."

Lynk looked up, eyes narrowed. "Really?"

I clenched my jaw, but forced a smile as I nodded.

He scoffed, then returned to stuffing his pack. "I don't believe you for a second, little thief. But I'm hoping you're telling the truth."

"We'll stay out of trouble," Eli said.

Lynk shook his head and put his pack on. "Just relax for a few days. Okay?"

We nodded, but my stomach burned. He wanted us to just sit around while he solved this? Perhaps he'd forgotten that we weren't actually children.

Glaring at us one last time, that chestnut hair glinting red in the sunlight, he strode to the bluff behind us and climbed to the top.

Gods, he was fast! If I wasn't so angry, I might have even enjoyed the view.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Eli turned to me, "So what's the plan?"

I turned to face him. "Did you see who was torturing the vrytra in Solyn's memory?"

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