[EDITING] One day on the farm, Ciara climbs her favourite tree, only to find a magical creature lives there. A white dragonfly transforms to a baby dragon when she reaches to touch it. She lands in a world of magic, where she finds the mysterious Sk...
With TJ's long legs leading the way, Ciara had a difficult slide down the mountainside shale, only to realize the kids weren't even there!
Ciara was just in time to see Sadie disappear into the distance when they got to the camp, so the most eventful part of TJ's inspection turned out to be trying to keep Skye-voice out of her mind.
Ciara needed to remember her past.
Skye kept repeating, Try to go to the Council—?
And she had to say, Skye, please, just don't ask me now—at least a thousand times!
After that, Ciara spent most of her time waiting for TJ to go in and out of tents that she couldn't go into herself. And she fretted.
What did Skye know about her that she didn't know? He doesn't seem to know anything much about here, either.
After her nervous descent, Ciara's second visit to Tracking Circle seemed uneventful, although she did learn that Sadie had given all her fellow campers the nickname, Trackerdoodles. From just their first meeting, she could easily imagine the sound of Sadie's voice saying, "Well, I'm off, you Trackerdoodles. Have a nice day." Ciara smiled. She couldn't help wish Sadie'd been present.
In spite of all things, Ciara did manage to keep her attention on the end of the cot inside Rondan and Drey's tent. By slyly positioning herself, just so, she could see right inside.
Drey was in there. He sat on his cot struggling to mend the leggings he'd torn. TJ asked him, and the others still holding the fort, the few questions she knew he'd made up for their inspection.
She couldn't let on what had been hidden in there before—at least, not until she felt she knew something more about the beautifully inlaid baton. It reminded her of the holder for the missing white plume library pen. But why? Maybe the people living here had a fondness for beauty and made many nice things, but the rest of the camp was quite plain.
And no one seemed to mind she was there. The late morning mood was one of still calm.
Skye, at last, had gone reasonably quiet.
Ciara couldn't help feeling relieved that Rondan missed out, and soon she and TJ went on and climbed the mountain, facing the Spire.
After a fast second lunch that TJ produced from his pocket, the tracker and girl, feeling more like a spy, scrambled higher.
Maybe a 'spy' is more what I really am meant to be?
Ciara and TJ had finally arrived at the rim of the mountain, where it plateaued onward toward the fortress of the Magi of Aulde.
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