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“Slow down.” I motion with my hands, struggling to catch the embers of her thoughts.

Kaida has no patience for such antics. With a nudge of his massive head, he shoves Nailah aside and takes a deliberate and insistent step forward.

He guides me until I’m standing on a particular patch of earth. Then, with a surprising gentleness that belies his size, Kaida nudges me again, firmer this time, and I topple over, hands splayed against the cool ground. With massive claws, he digs in the ground, encouraging me to copy him.

I do so, but with so many fragments of stone, I’m barely able to scrape the earth.

Still, Kaida is pleased.

What now?

The thought barely forms when the earth begins to tremble beneath my palms. A low rumble vibrates through the soles of my boots. The groaning ground splits, opening up to reveal a tunnel that delves into darkness. The rocky mouth widens, yawning wider and wider until even a dragon could amble down with ease.

“Holy hells.”

Bastian’s jaw drops. “Whoa.”

We stand shoulder to shoulder, peering into the abyss that beckons us onward. For a moment, all my fears of failure dissolve into the warm air drifting from the tunnel, replaced by the renewed kindling of hope.

The rich, promising scent of hot vegetation wafts from the newly formed passage. We’re on the brink of something powerful. Something ancient.

Let’s just pray it’s not also something murder-y.

Bastian continues peering into the blackness. “So, are we thinking this black pit is better or worse than the boat that took us to the Lost City?”

“How ‘bout we be optimistic and go with better?”

“Works for me.”

A glance at Kaida and Nailah reassures me. They appear unfazed as they walk ahead, into the unknown. Their scales shimmer with an otherworldly gleam, reflecting the early morning light that dares to penetrate the entrance.

After a deep breath and a silent prayer for safety to whatever gods might be listening, I step toward the gaping hole in the mountainside. The ground inclines gently downward, the path wide and smooth, as if carved by unseen hands.

“Keep your eyes peeled. For traps, or guardians, or…”

Bastian fills in where I leave off. “…phoenix tears?”

“Sure, because those should be especially easy to spot down here in the earth’s bowels.”

The deeper we go, the more alive the tunnel becomes. Roots snake across the ceiling, thick and pulsing, as if the mountain’s heart beats just above us. A soft glow begins to build, emanating from crystals embedded in the rock. Their light casts dancing shadows that play tricks on my eyes.

“Is it just me, or does it feel like we’re walking into a dream?”

“Let’s hope it’s not a nightmare.” Bastian’s sentiment is one I repeat in my head.

Finally, the tunnel opens up to a vast cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites jut out like teeth in a giant’s mouth, and in the center, a lake of crystal-clear water reflects the cave’s luminous beauty.

Bright daylight fills this peek into a paradise lost. “Wow.”

“Quite the sight.” Bastian is glancing around like a farmer at the capital markets, his gaze sweeping the expanse with a wary yet pleased eye.

“All right.” I turn to face him, the dragons at our flanks. “Let’s find those tears.”

ChapterTwenty-Seven

The valley unfolds beneath us like a secret garden, a sparkling stream running through the middle. Trees line the edges, all different varieties and in the peak of verdancy. Colorful birds flit from tree to cliff face. Deer, a mother and two fawns, drink from the crystalline water.

It’s incredible. And even more amazing is that this unknown slice of paradise seems to be unmarred by humans.