Book Seven: Chapter 68

Progress was slow at first, but quickened once a rhythm was established. Wallace and three other members of the Order walked ahead of the group to blaze a trail with machetes. Mike honestly thought he would feel the woods cry out in pain or rage, but it never happened. He suspected that it had to do with the density of the flora, and made a note to ask Amymone about it once he was home.

At one particularly steep slope, Ratu summoned a stone staircase to assist the group in their climb. As the shadows fell, travel slowed dramatically. Leilani stayed toward the back with Francois, casting nervous looks into the woods. The sun was low in the horizon, but there was at least two hours until sunset.

They were navigating a particularly treacherous slope when Ingrid caught her foot in a root and took a nasty fall that sent her tumbling down the hill. Wallace was by her side almost immediately, but the damage was done. Her ankle had swollen to the size of a baseball.

“Fuck,