The Quest for the Phantom Feather (Defenders of the Realm Book 3) by Marie-Hélène Lebeault

Author:Marie-Hélène Lebeault [Lebeault, Marie-Hélène]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaches and Trails Publishing
Published: 2023-07-23T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Sixteen

The storm grew even worse once Penelope headed into it. Kaia stayed as long as she could near the entrance, but the backlash of wind and rain blowing in grew too much for her.

The four remaining students huddled together for warmth, but Kaia's hopes dwindled as the fire slowly burned out. Though Nolen encouraged her to rest, how could she? Penelope and Raven were out there in that gale, and she could do nothing about it.

"Why did Raven run away like that?" she finally asked aloud.

No answer from the others.

She sighed and tried not to overthink. This whole situation made her feel so tiny, so helpless. She had nothing to say to make herself or anyone else feel better.

When the storm passed, Kaia checked the blanket, which blocked the worst of it; and it was soaking wet. She didn't have the energy to use a spell to dry it off, either.

Every inch of her body ached, but with Raven and Penelope still missing, that was the least of her concerns. A headache pounded behind her eyes, making peering into the forest difficult. Everything reflected shades of brightness as the sun danced off the lingering waters.

"I think the storm was even worse than the first," Herja said. Dark circles smudged under her eyes, and she looked about ready to fall over.

That was a hopeful sign. Maybe Herja and Nolen would be too tired to argue about going for help.

"We should start looking for Penelope and Raven," she said. With the storm, she wasn't comfortable leaving them out here. "If we can't find any tracks in half an hour, we should head back to camp."

Nolen shook his head. To Kaia's surprise, he didn't look nearly as exhausted as the rest. But then, he was used to heavy rains and storms as part of the Swamp Watch.

"Penelope will either head to the springs or back to camp once she has Raven with her," he said. "We need to get to this second springs to ensure Finnegan doesn't get the magic. By this time, the professors will be looking for us, and we can set a signal fire once we're there so they can find us quickly."

Kaia's heart sank. They were really going to argue about this further, weren't they? "Nolen, I don't think I can keep going. I'm exhausted. I don't even think I could do a simple drying spell again."

Nolen's brows pinched together. "Would you and Wickham feel okay returning to camp by yourselves?"

"No," Wickham and Herja both said together.

"They're too exhausted to defend themselves if Finnegan goes after them," Herja said. "And there's a reason he confronted us rather than drinking from the Springs when he had the chance. I don't know the reason, but I'd rather not risk Wick and Kaia."

Nolen nodded. "Then we'll all have to stick together."

"Agreed," Herja said. She pointed up the mountain. "We go to the springs."

"No," Kaia protested.

Nolen took her hands in his. "I know that you're worried about Penelope and Raven—"

"Yes, I am." Kaia pulled her hands away from him.

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