16
Tempest and I walk along the basin of a red stone canyon. The air is still and quiet. No one else is around. Striped rock walls rise on either side of us. A pale blue sky arches overhead. A bubbling stream meanders through the yellow scrub grass on the canyon floor. We’ve followed this slim waterway for more than an hour. Not far from here, it should pass the cave where the third seedpod’s hidden. My heart lurches at the thought.
Only two seedpods left to go.
Small stones tumble down the canyon wall with a clickity-clack. My chest tightens with alarm. I twist around, scanning for trouble. Evil energy oozes out of the shadows.
“It’s the Scintillion,” I say in a low voice. “That monster’s nearby.”
Tempest scans the swirling rock formations. “I can sense it too.”
I cup my hand by my
