Atlantis Rising (Atlantis Saga) by Barron T. A

Author:Barron, T. A. [Barron, T. A.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2013-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

The Messenger

No melon ever tasted so good! Just remembering it makes my mouth water. How I wish I could have that again—not so much the melon as that brief, beautiful moment.

—From Promi’s journal

Yes!” shouted Atlanta.

She threw herself at Promi and hugged him. The force of her leap knocked him over backward. Together, they rolled on the soft moss of the island to the edge of the splashing stream.

As they fumbled to sit up, Promi spat out a clump of moss. “I guess,” he said, “this means you’re glad.”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, maybe. What you’re doing is just, um . . . a small thing.” A corner of her mouth edged upward. “But I do appreciate small things.”

Promi grinned. “Glad to hear it.”

Kermi dangled lower on his branch, hanging right in front of Promi’s face. “Guess what? I, too, appreciate small things. Like your brain.”

Promi’s grin only broadened. “Pretty good insult, bubblebrain. You really can be clever sometimes.”

Hearing this, Atlanta nodded. “Impressive, Promi.”

But Kermi reacted differently—with something close to horror. “Did you actually just pay me a compliment?” He stared, aghast, at the young man. “I must be losing my mind.”

“Can’t lose what’s already lost,” replied Promi.

The kermuncle glared at him.

Atlanta sighed, then said, “Time to get moving. If we’re going to stop Gr—I mean, that priest—we’d better get started.” Quietly, she added, “And Promi . . . it sure feels good to say we.”

“Right,” he answered. “But where exactly do you suggest we start?”

She leaped to her feet with the ease of a deer. “Highmage Hill. It’s the highest point in the whole forest. If we go there, we might see something that tells us what he is really planning.”

Promi looked doubtful. “That’s one possibility. But maybe, instead, we should go after the Starstone.”

Atlanta shook her head. “I want to know what that priest is up to! If we can discover his plan, we can save this whole forest. That’s our top priority, more important than anything else.”

Seeing her determined expression, Promi set aside his doubts. “All right, then. Let’s go.”

“Not so fast, manfool.” Kermi bounded down to the moss and slipped into Promi’s boot. Magically, it expanded just enough to give the little fellow room to ride inside the rim.

“Those are amazing boots,” Atlanta observed.

“Too amazing,” the young man replied, looking at the bulging leather around Kermi.

With a nod of thanks to the willow tree and a last glance around Moss Island, Atlanta stepped across the stream and into the forest. Promi followed close behind, impressed by how fast she could move when she wanted to cover ground quickly.

Speedily they walked, following unmarked trails and contours that Atlanta knew well. Without breaking stride, she often paused to stroke the branch of one tree or pat the trunk of another, as if she were greeting a friend on a busy street. A few times, as well, she waved to creatures including an ibex, a fox, and a mother owl in her nest. Only once did her pace falter—when she saw, across a marshy meadow, a sickly acacia tree.

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