The Helios Book by Slade Carter

Author:Slade Carter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MidnightSun

8. HIDDEN DEPTHS

The supply store was a ten-minute walk from the hotel, and it felt energising to stretch their legs after all the travelling the day before, walking by the edge of the vastness of Lake Narvu, which lapped around the edges of the island city. Rufus had written a long list of things they would need for their journey, including the usual sorts of camping gear – tents, food and water, the right footwear and clothing, torches, sleeping bags and the like. He took everyone’s clothing sizes and went to see to all their needs while the twins strolled with Veronica around the town.

The city seemed much older than the smart avenues and modern buildings of Kenalinn. Many of the smaller streets were lined with pretty wooden houses painted in jolly pastel colours – yellows, blues and pinks. Veronica directed the twins down to the harbour and its sailboats.

Veronica pointed across the lake. ‘Look over there,’ she said.

A pod of dolphins was leaping in and out of the blue water, racing at such speed that Hugo and Kitty struggled to follow them. Suddenly, they stopped coming to the surface, and it seemed to the twins that the fast and furious exhibition was over.

‘Wait, now look over here to the left,’Veronica directed the twins.

Then, just as suddenly as they had disappeared, the dolphins emerged like rockets from the water, throwing themselves high into the air, before twisting their bodies around and somersaulting down to perfect dives below. Hugo and Kitty had never seen anything like it.

Veronica smiled with satisfaction at their enjoyment. ‘Lake Narvu dolphins are expert jumpers and divers, they go far higher than those on Earth. The four of us – Lucas, Franz, Rufus and I – have sailed here on more than one occasion, Lucas in particular revelled in the dolphins’ escapades.’ She sighed, ‘It’s hard to stomach that Franz has believed in this crazy ‘prophecy’ all along, when I honestly thought he was working for the same cause as the rest of us.’

‘Maybe he was,’ Kitty said. ‘Maybe he believed in both…’

‘And ultimately became convinced that the prophecy was the only way to end the Blurrings,’Veronica said slowly, trying to untangle Franz’s strange logic. ‘Maybe seeing your different coloured eyes made the impossible possible, as if it somehow gave proof of the prophecy to him. Still, it wasn’t the Franz I knew,’ she said wistfully.

After their tour, they met up with Rufus and returned, laden with equipment, to the Singing Lark, where Rufus reminded them that they needed to set off swiftly, as the portal would be reopening in only six days. Each person was given a sleeping bag, a pair of sturdy boots and two camouflage-coloured tracksuits.

‘Best to sleep in these and rotate them when one needs a wash,’ Rufus said. ‘No need for pyjamas. These tracksuits are comfy and you’ll be ready-dressed if there’s an emergency. I also want to show you some things that might come in handy on our trip. Each of

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