Free Two Renegade Realms (Realm Walkers Book 2) by Donita K. Paul

luminescence gains strength as we travel. After many hours you will be passing over the source of that radiance — tiny, shining water plants. The lake is shallow there, and the tops of these remarkable plants float on the surface.”
    Out of the corner of his eye, Cantor saw Bixby shiver. He took a long look at his old friend. She almost glowed with excitement.
    “It sounds beautiful.” Bixby took in a great breath of air and let it out slowly. Cantor smiled at her obvious effort not to become too giddy.
    “It is, but don’t slow down to gaze at them. The tendrils will weave around your boat, er, um, your dragon and not allow you to go farther.”
    Cantor mulled through the instructions they had just been given. “We’ll be traveling together. But if we get separated, what landmark are we headed for?”
    “A beacon. It is said that those who designed the power supply in the Orrery Chamber put it there. The mechanism looks similar. Not that I have ever seen the power supply in the Orrery Chamber, but that is what is said.” He held one arm up and circulated his fist. “The light turns at the top of a tower, so from a distance, it looks like it flashes at long intervals. Beyond is a vast plain, with no growth, of course. Not much grows without sun or rain.”
    Bixby’s eyes glittered. Was it the reflected strange lighting or tears? Cantor couldn’t read her moods as easily as he oncedid, and he found that disconcerting. He reached for the bond they had developed during their training in Gilead.
    “Neekoh,” she said in a soft voice, just a stroke louder than a whisper. “When was the last time you saw the sun?”
    “Me?” The young man’s eyes grew big in his thin, pale face. “Years ago. My father handed me the responsibility to guard Chomountain, and of course that means living under the mountain.”
    “Does your family still live in here? Is there a village of your people?”
    “Oh, no. There’s no one but me. In this part of the mountain, that is. Our habitat is on the side of the mountain, the outside, the other side, the out side of the other side of the mountain.”
    He looked around at them with a satisfied grin. He seemed proud of his inept description. He nodded for no reason Cantor could see and continued explaining.
    “One day the village will bring me my bride, the prettiest girl ready for marriage. We’ll have a child. If it is a girl, my wife will take the baby and place her in the hands of someone in the village. If it is a boy, we will raise him to take my position. She will carry him back and forth to visit me and to have me teach him all he needs to know to be a guardian.”
    Bixby looked troubled, and waves of emotion swept from her to Cantor. Now he wished the bond between them were not so strong.
    “So now that you are in the position your father held, did your parents go back to the outside?”
    “Yes. And my wife will escort me out when I hand over my responsibilities to our son.”
    Dukmee put the last of his hampers away and sprang to hisfeet. “All very informative. Shall we go rescue Chomountain, and then our worlds?”
    “Indeed,” said Bridger as the air cooled and he spread himself out. In only a moment, Jesha sat on one of the three benches within a rustic boat.
    Cantor grinned. Neekoh’s skiff had only two seats. Bridger hadn’t been able to resist outdoing the young man by one hard, splintery wood bench.
    Bixby stopped Dukmee as he walked to join Neekoh. “Will the water hurt Bridger?”
    Dukmee turned to examine the dragon boat. “I think not. He has his head well above the waterline in that rather ostentatious figurehead. The water is placid and won’t splash in his eyes, and he’s not likely to drink it as a boat.” He patted her arm. “He’ll be fine.”

INTO THE DARK
    B ixby circled Bridger’s boat shape. “This is much more impressive than the litter. Good job, Bridge. Um . . . how do we make you go?”
    With a blast of cold air and a screech, two