"See?" I smirked at her and she nodded distractedly.
“I still don’t know what the hell we’re doing,” she muttered.
I tried not to stare as Coal climbed out of the lake, but failed abysmally as water raced around every curve and line on his bare chest, accentuating his muscles like it was caressing them.
Holy shit, I’m gonna need a dunk in that cold water in a minute.
“Okay, I think if you're careful you can both sit in the leaf together,” Coal said as he moved to steady it for us. “I don't want to leave one of you out here alone, it's too dark now." He eyed the trees suspiciously and a prickle ran down my spine as I looked around at them too.
“What are you so worried about?" I asked, following his gaze. The trees looked pretty much the same as they had all day, though the shadows held more secrets now.
As if in answer to my question, a burst of snarling broke the silence from somewhere in the treetops and I stumbled back a step as I tried to figure out where it was coming from.
“Probably best to find out some other time," Coal said as he helped Laurie to clamber into the leaf and held his hand out to me.
His grip was strong as he steadied me and I quickly dropped down to sit in the wax foliage before he pushed it out into the water again.
The leaf bobbed precariously but didn't sink and my pulse spiked as I clung to the edges of it and Laurie shot me a terrified look. Kaloo seemed eager to move and we were soon skimming across the water as she pulled us, a light breeze tugging at my hair.
Fear held me rigid as we moved across the huge expanse of water but it was slowly giving way to awe. I’d never done anything like this before. Never seen anything like the world that surrounded us either.
I tipped my head back to look up at the stars and a smile crept across my face as the wind kissed my cheeks.
I reached out carefully and let my fingers trail in the cool water, the sensation tingling over my skin in the most delicious way.
Coal swam along next to us, having no trouble keeping pace with our leaf-boat. I found myself wanting to learn how to swim too, it looked like a kind of freedom and I hadn’t had much of that in my life.
Laurie shut her eyes, waiting for the crossing to be over and my gut twisted guiltily. If we hadn’t tracked her down she wouldn’t have ended up out here with us and it didn’t seem like she was adjusting well. She was muttering something under her breath which sounded like 'I'm not going to drown' over and over again.
I leaned forward to hold her hand and she cracked her eyes open just enough to offer me half a smile.
It took a good ten minutes for us to cross the lake and the temperature dropped quickly around us, making me shiver as the darkness deepened.
Another snarl reached me as we reached the waterfall. It sounded closer to us this time, even with the added distance the water provided. I twisted in my seat, making the boat bob as I looked back towards the shore. I could make out something huge prowling on the bank we’d just vacated and a shiver of fear danced along my spine.
Coal raised a finger to his lips as he paused to tread water. The animal's shape was just a dark blur on the edge of the lake, I couldn't make out any details aside from the fact that it was huge. Whatever it was, I was damn glad to have all of this water separating it from us right about now.
The sounds of the waterfall turned into a dull roar as we approached it. Spray speckled my cheeks and I flinched in anticipation as we headed straight towards the rushing water.
Kaloo pulled us under the downpour without hesitation and I gasped as the freezing water drenched me and created a puddle in the base of the leaf. We continued through to a cave hidden on the other side.
Coal climbed up onto a rocky shelf with practiced movements and helped us u
p after him.
Laurie backed away from the edge the moment she was out of the giant leaf, heading further into the cave which had been hidden beneath the waterfall.
The falling water created a deep roar which echoed around the confined space and I looked back at it in wonder as the light of the moon danced beyond it.
Coal led me on and we moved a short distance into the cave. The passage twisted slightly, hiding the cascading water from view and deadening some of the noise as we made it into a more open cavern.
Taylor was spread out on a layer of dried grass which served as a bed and worry gnawed at me as he still failed to wake.
The cave was clearly well used, there was a stash of supplies and firewood which had been here long enough to dry out sitting by the rear wall. The space was lit by a crackling fire which illuminated the walls with dancing shadows.
Laurie had already curled up on the far side of the flames, her eyes closed as she chased sleep and I decided not to disturb her.
I stepped closer to the blackish stone, my lips parting as I took in the twisting patterns of sparkling silver lines which criss-crossed it in every direction. I’d never seen anything like it and my eyes widened as I watched the stone glimmer in the firelight. This world was so full of untold wonders. I felt like I’d just woken up for the first time in my life.