Song of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee

Author:J. M. Lee [Lee, J. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction
ISBN: 9780399539817
Goodreads: 32828531
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Published: 2017-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

“You don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to,” Naia said as they returned to the main tunnel.

Amri held a finger to his lips with one hand, gesturing over his shoulder with the other, indicating the maudra’s chamber.

“Shh. She can still hear us.”

Kylan scanned the tunnel for Tavra, who clearly had no desire to stand alone in the cold dark. He hoped she had not found trouble. Naia didn’t seem to be worried, so he let it go, too. The Silverling was well equipped to fend for herself if need be. He just hoped she wouldn’t cause any problems . . . especially as the Grottan maudra had agreed to help them.

They walked in silence until the tunnel opened again into the central cavern, and Kylan took a breath of air. The caves were less frightening now that they’d met with the maudra, but they were still caves, underground, in the dark. He wanted nothing more than to escape out the top of the cavern and find an open green field to lie in, but saying so would be rude, and they had a firca to find.

“You really don’t have to come,” Naia repeated.

“It’s not that I don’t want to leave,” Amri replied. “I would just rather go anywhere else than Ha’rar. Eh! I suppose I should be pleased that Maudra Argot is letting me leave the cave at all. Oh well, at least I might have a chance to surprise the All-Maudra. Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when a Grottan appears in court!”

The burst of youthful energy surprised Kylan. Now that Amri had been released from his guard duty, he was shaking the seriousness off like a fizzgig that had come in out of the rain.

“Speaking of Silverlings. Where is your silver friend?”

Naia shrugged. “Maybe she left for Ha’rar. It’s something that she has been wanting to do very much.”

“Hm,” Amri said. “It may not be good for her to be wandering around. Many of our people have never seen daylighters before, and if they have any opinions about the Vapra, they are bad ones. We should find her. I know a place to look.”

He started farther up the cavern’s perimeter walkway, and they followed. Music drifted down from above, slow and harmonic, from wind instruments Kylan couldn’t identify. He kept an eye out for Tavra, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe Naia was right, and she’d finally given up on her wards and left to pursue Rian and Ha’rar herself. Kylan felt bittersweet imagining that she might have. On the one hand, it might be a relief to be free of her relentlessly negative attitude. On the other, though, he realized he would miss her if she were gone, and worry about her suffering alone from her ordeal at the castle.

Amri guided them upward until the stairway ended at a round half chamber carved in the dream-etching-covered wall, with a fire pit dug directly into the stone floor.

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