* * * * *
Since waking, Elryia had allowed doubt to creep into her mind once more. Not of her plan, but her allotted time to hash it out. She had worried she would do just as Gort was skeptical of—lead them deeper in, only to have them led away at the last minute.
The time they had spent sleeping was now being made up in an unrelenting trek through the labyrinth of trees and brush. It was only when Layanese gained detail did she slow, even allowed a moment to admire it. A massive cedar, which stretched higher than most mountains any had seen. Its trunk was thick and bare, with not a branch or straggling leaf cluster. It lead to the tree’s canopy—a perfect circle, stretched out well over the inner forest. Leaves—purple, red and gold—vibrant and alive, mixed with the green that bathed in the sunlight.
Gort huffed next to her, his demeanor just as stoic and rough as usual, but the look behind his eyes—one that spoke of panic and eagerness no longer lingered.
Elryia grinned, and allowed her hand to wander out and brush his head. Though he grumbled, glared and crossed his arms he never pulled away. “Take a break, everyone. You deserve it.”
In A Time Of Darkness Page 51
