Ezra Leafstride's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

The silver-tailed woman slid from her ledge into a basin carved like a tub, its sides shimmering with painted scales and curling vines. She watched Ezra with calm, steady eyes. "I will lead you to the valley," she said. "But first, burn your maps. Every one." Ezra's hand went to his pack. Six charts. Years of work. The gap he had chased was inside them, and inside him. He pulled the maps out, struck his flint, and held the flame to the corner. The paper curled black. He watched the gap vanish into ash. The woman nodded once and slipped beneath the water, her tail flashing. When she surfaced, she pointed to a dark passage behind the basin. "Follow." Ezra stepped after her, lighter, emptier, and entirely in her hands.