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"That’s beautiful," I breathed "What is it?" It was pretty obvious that this was more than just a bunch of really old and awesome trees
She cocked her head "It is difficult to fully explain At its sianic network, cultivated and propagated for use by the lords to travel from one to another near instantaneously"
"You s in an elegant flutter- "The means are far different but the end result is the same Only the lords and the Elder syraza are able to use them"
"It’s beautiful," I repeated It felt beautiful too, like subtle waves of peace breaking over h the leaves
"Yes, it is," she replied "Very beautiful" She stood with her arrove has its own caretaker, athat I’d only summoned one of the bizarre tentacle- level Their saliva had some antibacterial and antiviral properties, but these days it wasn’t in as much deo "What’s it like to travel through a grove?" I asked
"When we leave here you will experience it"
I tore rove to look at her "Leave?" Then I realized "Oh Right" We were returning to Mzatal’s realut as I wondered again what that would entail and what the consequences would be I hated not knoas going on, even in the safest of settings Here it only served to add another layer to the overall stress and fear
I lifted my chin toward a cleared area in the forest just this side of the grove A small stone structure rose fro "What’s that?"
She bared her teeth lightly in a syraza smile "It is a place very dear to Szerain One of his focal points He spent ave way to deep curiosity about Szerain The memory rose of that one kiss in the last seconds with Ryan before the su took me So much had been said in that kiss He’d told me he loved me And I’d told him I loved hiht at thatthe path toward the structure without even consciously deciding to do so And how much of Ryan is real? I asked myself for perhaps the millionth time He’s a de about hiuely aware that Ilana had slipped her arm from mine to allow me to continue on my own
If this place was so special to Szerain I really wanted to see it I needed to see it There was sopath, eager for hints, or answers, or anything else this place lected stone of the courtyard, this path glistened in the sunlight, free of debris or traces of dirt as though carefully tended Thigh-high wildflowers in vibrant shades of blue and rich golden yellow undulated in the gentle breeze, filling the air with an exotic blend of delicate floral and underlying , I trailedthe velvety contact with the petals Sbirds on a bad hair day zipped here and there a whirr
The honey-colored stone building ahead was about the size of a two car garage, though lofty, with a peaked roof of overlapping green tiles Enigmatic carved syraffiti Shrine was the word that caious sense butfor so this sanctuary, but didn’t have much success I etthe saent
The path led to three steps and a shadowy open doorway that didn’t look as if it had ever had a door As I passed through the doorway, I felt the prickle of warding like I alking through an invisible barrier Illusory shadows gave way to clear natural light froooseflesh froe" that per effect of the collar Huarded me froh pedestal in the center of the floor
The only other furnishings were a low, coreen cushions, and an exquisitely carved side table Definitely a one-lord hang out, I decided Like the pathways outside, no debris in here either, and not a trace of dust I wondered if there was so to keep it like that If there was, I sure as hell needed it for my house I stepped in close to the mini-fountain and turned slowly to take in the murals The multitude of people and de by the variety of hair and clothing styles
My breath caught Elinor Radiant, she stood against a backdrop of leafy green, hands clasped with the youth from the statue--Giovanni I half expected the sense of déjà vu to flare, but no I frowned, wondering again
The light shifted as so Ilana or Safar
It wasn’t either one of the its four wickedly clawed hands and hiss-buzzing in a nerve-jangling ht it was probably a savik, a second-level deood seven feet tall, reptilian in overall appearance with inky black skin on its belly and translucent scales like flakes of emerald over the rest of its body Its head reminded me of a cross between a crocodile and a wolf--with the crocodile winning Even with its les It stood upright, though it looked as if it could be equally as comfortable on all sixes In fact, the few times I’d summoned a savik, it had spent most of its time horizontal rather than vertical And damn…not even a quarter of this size