The group had been traveling for a day and a half. They had left Cardell after saying goodbye to Odi and William, and crossed the Turbulent River. Kaylissa rode a beautiful gray mare with a silver mane and tail. Lauren rode Askari and Benjamin rode a brown stallion.
Lauren was now wearing a deep purple long sleeve shirt and pants and she also wore a black chestplate and black boots. Her sword hung from her belt and a bow with a quiver of arrows was slung across her back. The Starstone hung around her neck still.
The Ashvon was every bit as breath-taking and mystical as it had been when Lauren had first arrived. The grass was bright green and animals lazily grazed on the flourishing plants and flowers. There were foxes, deer, birds, horses, wolves and rabbits. Here, no animal hunted. They were able to eat the plants and you would not see any animal eating another. Carnivores and Herbivores alike ate only the fruits and plants of the Ashvon.
Lauren smiled when she saw the deer that she saved the last time that she was there. "I remember him," Lauren said to the others. "He was only a fawn when I last saw him and I saved him from a Nite hunting patrol." The young deer flicked his ear at Lauren and bleated.
"What's that?" Kaylissa asked, motioning at a large stone sticking out of the ground.
Lauren was startled for a moment: that was the first time Kaylissa had spoken on the trip. Lauren followed her gesture and noticed the stone. Her heart dropped as she recognized the grave. "That's a grave Odi, and Amias, and myself made for my friend, Mlinzi. He died saving my life from Nites."
Lauren dismounted Askari and approached the grave. "I miss you," she whispered so nobody could hear. In front of her, a large wolf materialized out of thin air. The wolf had a black pelt that shimmered with a foreign iridescence too beautiful for words. "Mlinzi?" Lauren asked.
Mlinzi's ghost gave Lauren a sad smile, but it quickly disappeared. "Lauren," he said. "Be careful who you trust, the darkness lingers." As he spoke the word darkness Lauren could feel the world tremble slightly. Mlinzi's silver eyes suddenly darkened with danger and worry. The darkness in his eyes suddenly disappeared and he vanished.
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Hidden Fates (New Moon Trilogy)
Fantasy*SEQUEL TO TILL WE MEET AGAIN. READ THAT FIRST* Lauren has successfully saved Ben's life and finds out the shocking truth that he is Icas's brother. But when she receives a mysterious call from an old friend, she decides to return to Eddeathra. Reun...
