Page 250 of A Flame of the Phoenix

Nik and Tarly had no choice but to follow and believe in them. He felt utterly hopeless, unable to help even through their bond now.

They followed Nerida along the bank for a few minutes until she stopped.

“I’ve studied maps of Stenna’s fall before. There are multiple of them, so it’s hard to know which tell the truth of the exact location of the cave. If I’m wrong, we’ll have exhausted ourselves to the bottom for nothing, and I don’t know how long it will take to recover for a second try.”

Tarly said, “I trust your intuition.”

“As do I,” Tauria added.

Nerida gave a nervous laugh. “You hardly know me.”

Tauria reached for her hand, surprising the healer.

“I have good intuition too. It must be a Stagknight trait,” Tauria mused.

The casual statement expressed so much on Nerida’s face, and Nik’s chest burst with pride to witness their blossoming bond.

“Definitely,” Nik added.

Nerida squeezed Tauria’s hand before letting go, and her shoulders squared with confidence.

“Do you still trust me when I say I believe it’s right here, but this point has never been on any of the maps I saw?”

Nik tensed at that and sensed he wasn’t alone with an inkling of doubt in Tauria’s shift too.

“Yes,” Tarly said with absolute certainty.

She was the Queen of Lakelaria. A Waterwielder. Nik had to believe she had a connection to the lakes and oceans of their world that none of them could understand.

“You should wait here,” Tauria said to Edith.

“No way! An adventure to under the lake—I can’t miss out!” She skipped up close to Tauria.

Nik didn’t like the idea of another body to account for in this risky task. A quick exchange with Tarly told him he wasn’t alone.

Tauria stirred the air first, creating a sphere of wind around them all. Then Nerida disrupted the edge of the expansive lake, separating the water from the floor it guarded.

“It goes very deep, and we’ll be passing under the waterfall, which will be the biggest test of our strength,” Nerida informed them.

Tauria nodded with determination, and the five of them began to walk through the break Nerida made in the dominating lake.

Every minute was precious, every second uncertain. Tauria and Nerida moved their arms, channeling their magick with such elegant precision and grace. Nik hovered close to Tauria, occasionally reminding her of his presence to do whatever she needed with a touch to her waist.

“You’re both doing amazing,” he said, gentle in their focused silence.

They were deep under the lake now, within the eye of a tempest of air and water. Tauria kept their sphere of air strong, while Nerida controlled the water so it eased off Tauria’s current. They worked together flawlessly, and neither could have made it this far without the other.

Nik had felt Tauria’s growing strain for the past minute. Her forehead beaded with perspiration, and Nik wiped her skin carefully, slipping a hand around her to guide her steps while she focused on maintaining her magick.

Nerida wasn’t struggling as much, but Tarly kept close watch with her too.

“Are we close?” Tauria asked, her breath short.

Nik tamed his panic in concern for her.

“We’re about to go under the waterfall. It will fight against our magick more than the body of water.”

Tauria swore under her breath.

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