Chapter 1596

Around midday, they reached a rise where the trees thinned and the sky opened. Before them stretched a wide, lush field filled with tall golden grass and strange blue flowers. At the far edge of it, nestled against a ring of standing stones, was a pool unlike the others they'd seen - oval, smooth, lined in silvery rock, and filled with water that shimmered like liquid moonlight.

"This is it," Rose whispered.

Zoey let out a breath and flopped onto the grass with a grin. "Good. My feet are killing me."

Scarlet laughed and dropped beside her, stroking her hair. "It's those hips. They've gone goddess-wide."

"Yours aren't exactly subtle either," Zoey teased.

They all laughed - soft and sweet and full of that strange joy that only came when fear had finally vanished.