Chapter 22
The last raidWhen the desperate call came from Farla, Kyra and Fern were sitting peacefully side by side on a large boulder in the middle of a stream. Both had their shoes off and were dangling their feet in the water. Karne, who was gathering kindling and firewood a short, distance away, heard them talking and laughing together, their happy voices blending musically with the bubbling and gurgling of the silver water hurrying over the rocks to the sea. The tall trees of the forest arched over their heads, an occasional shaft of sunlight breaking through to create a dazzle on the water and make diamonds of the flying drops. Boulders covered thickly in rich green moss lined the banks, and underfoot the centuries of fallen leaves gave the earth a soft springiness.
Both women had
