(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)
While General Moreilene contacted Captain Holly, the rest of us passed around a bottle of antidote before Thalia addressed us as a whole:
"Now that we have dealt with the monsters of the pond, I believe I have some knowledge to share with you."
Walking over to the frigid body of water—which was already refreezing—she picked up a piece of ice and a charred scale that were floating there. Then, holding the chains of her pendant, she closed her eyes and told us what she was saw:
"After arriving at this location, the human creates the pond through a ritual, then fills it with many eggs. Before he leaves, he is confronted by an oaron woman with indigo hair. She scolds that he must hurry and move on from the swamp, or else there will be consequences. After that, the man disappears in a cloud of ice flurry. The last thing I see is the number six, though I have no idea what it means." Tossing the two objects back into the water, Thalia calmly informed Lamerio, "I believe the indigo-haired woman is Lady Iris Florent."
"My aunt?" he said. "What is she doing in that memory?"
Before she could answer, Captain Holly and Azurina materialized among us. The redhead immediately ran up to the oaron prince and threw her arms around him. "Thank goodness you are all right!" she sobbed into his chest. "I was so worried about you!"
"I am perfectly fine," he muttered uncomfortably, peeling her off his body. He looked to Thalia, who was faintly smiling at them. Having forgotten about Ms. Abdolis, the red-haired oaron promptly reclaimed her position.
Captain Holly looked worn-out, as though a year of her life had been sapped away.
"You okay?" asked the General.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Positive?"
"What's our next objective?" she inquired, trying to change the subject.
"I believe we should meet with Lady Iris," answered Thalia. "While most of the other oarons live on land around these parts, she prefers to be underwater. She resides within an oxbow lake near the river. It lies just outside the swamp."
Lamerio nodded slowly. "Auntie Iris really hates the swamp."
"Captain Holly," said Thalia, "you may tap my thoughts so that we may go to stretch of the river where she lives."
"No, tap my thoughts instead," Lamerio insisted. "I do not want you to have a headache."
Instead of arguing, she continued, "Lamerio and I shall interrogate her about her involvement in this affair and find out what she knows."
"Do not forget to take me with you," sniffed Azurina, still clinging to her friend. "I have the ability to breathe underwater as well."
Thalia pursed her lips as if she disapproved, but said, "Of course, Ms. Abdolis. My apologies."
And so, Captain Holly tapped Lamerio's mind, and we were teleported to the shore of an oxbow lake. The soil there was much less damp, probably because the bulk of the swamp began on the other side of the Castora River. As we waited around for the three oarons to resurface, I eventually noticed that Elli was missing. Granted, the rest of us were scattered about as well, though no one had strayed too far.
Since I wasn't that worried, I didn't bother telling anyone that I was about to teleport to her. I just wanted to make sure she was all right.
Well... she wasn't.
