A Shard Of Memory (The World Of Tarra, #1) by Aven Tourtillott

Author:Aven Tourtillott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, YA, Teen
Publisher: Aven A. Tourtillott
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

It takes a few hours of wading through damp underbrush, but finally we’re close enough to see the ruins. The rain has slowed to a gentle, misty drizzle now. Clear water drips off the leaves of bushes and vines, down to the ridged trunks and arching roots of the huge trees all around us. I’ve been in this part of the jungle before, exploring on my days off before I took over running the Land’s End. The place still amazes me.

A flock of red parrots lands in the lowest branches of the trees above us and starts to preen and squabble. They’re still nearly twenty feet over our heads. Life is everywhere around us. Geckos and frogs making all kinds of chirping or croaking noises in the damp leaf litter, huge butterflies visiting flowers as colorful as they are, even a wild giant tapir lumbering away through the underbrush. All this beauty is a welcome sight after the last few places I’ve been in. It occurs to me that the jungle is its own kind of city. Fewer humans, and fewer things we understand, but no less crazy and complicated.

I’m about to say as much to my friends when I see faint trails of smoke rising from some of the larger, more intact ruined buildings. It used to be some kind of temple complex, built and then abandoned by the local beastfolk centuries before Raqut was founded. I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and start towards them.

“Shaellyn?” a voice asks.

I whirl around, raising my fists to fight, then relax once I see the speaker. It’s not an enemy.

“Masha, Alden.”

They’re the two youngest from our original group, born on the same day to different families. They’re fifteen now and the best jewelers I know, apprenticed to an established older craftsman. Or, they were before all this happened. Now they have stolen guns in holsters on their hips, and more worry lines on their faces than anyone that age should have.

“What happened to you guys?” Alden asks, brushing a stray blond curl out of his face.

His green eyes are wide with worry, making them look even bigger than usual.

“It’s a long story.” I say. “Can you take us to Gavin?”

Masha nods. She gives a half smile, dimples appearing in her copper-brown cheeks. “He’ll be really glad to see you.” Her face falls. “Nobody knew what happened after you got caught. We thought you might be dead.”

“It takes a little more than that to get rid of us.” I reassure her.

“Guys, hurry up!” Evylaina says, already following Alden into camp. “He says they found a weird old artifact!”

Masha laughs. “You haven’t changed a bit, Laina!” She calls, running to catch up.

Emrys and I follow a little ways behind. He’s pulling at the skin around his fingernails as we walk. He used to do that when we were kids, whenever he got anxious or scared. Now he only does it when the memories from leaving Lyronael get really bad. Of course, now he has a whole new crop of bad memories, thanks to General Karlan.

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