Dreams of Imahken

A flooded valley in halves it dries,

 Time seemed to slow with every fraction of a second that Illus gazed hypnotically into the abyss.

His voice shook for a syllable, "Carmonia never came back from this expedition, Ani. You remember that, right?"

Anilee's chirpy voice pulled his attention from the gaping sinkhole beside the trail. Her dimples, freckled cheeks, and long raven-black hair were certainly a more comforting sight than the pitch-dark trench. "Carmonia also shipwrecked three times and experienced numerous mutinies. He was bold, not smart." She rolled her coffee-colored eyes and slapped his arm lightly.

Illus brushed his silvery white hair back and turned his matching eyes to the trail. "Which is why I think it would be smart to exercise a little more caution here, possibly reconsider if the sinkholes worsen."

She scowled from beneath her wide-brimmed gray sunhat, wrestling her matching puffy dress from a branch. "After all of this?!" She yelled out in frustration at the tatters in her dress doubling each day.

"Ani," Illus put his hands out to calm her, "I know it's frustrating, but we would both rather be alive and home than dead in ruins." He leaned down to her, shrinking his lean and muscular frame in an effort to comfort her. "The sinkholes are proof enough that there are likely ancient structures or tunnels beneath the ground. We're only here for basic reconnaissance, not an entire excavation. And the rainy season will be upon us, we-"

She pushed past him, her high-heeled boots clumsily stepping along the slope to avoid her dress catching on the thick foliage. "Are you even thinking? They're probably just caves. We haven't seen a single brick, foundation, pillar, or structure yet. These sinkholes don't prove-"

Panic swarmed Anilee's fair face as her foot slid down the slope. Illus lunged out and yanked her back up the hill, both of their hearts racing while they paused to catch their breath.

Illus smirked at her, taking the moment to rest from carrying both of their bags on his back. Having sweated through his unbuttoned tan collared shirt, he adjusted the brown trousers riding up on him. "How was that for proof? Maybe we should recon-"

"I'm fine!" She pushed off of him. "You're only thinking about your own worries. You're scared, I know, but I've been waiting for this my entire life! You're making all these excuses without a care for me."

Tears threatened to pour down her cheeks, so Illus conceded, if for no other reason than to avoid worsening the already stressful situation.

"Very well. But I do care Ani, it's why I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Then show me you care and keep me safe," she stepped closer and clutched his hand. "I'm not stopping until I find Imahken."

A high-pitched whistle swiped away their attention and a young woman playfully called back to them. "Do I hear love birds chirping back there?"

Illus's sister Tyza poked her head out of a thicket ahead, leaves and branches caught in her silvery white mess of an overgrown pixie cut. She smirked, bouncing her eyebrows at them. The siblings shared similar features, though Tyza had brown eyes, was the shortest of the bunch, and her skin had darkened to a bronze tan over the course of the summer whereas Illus fought off a sunburn.

The moment Anilee caught Tyza's downturned white eyes, she scowled. "Ugh, I'm not a bird or any other type of animal. You don't need to be so demeaning."

Tyza's smile faded and her eyelids fell. "How could I be so inconsiderate, Anilee? You're right. Animals are smart enough not to wear dresses in the woods."

Anilee sneered and stepped behind Illus, who silently pleaded to Tyza for some reprieve.

Tyza whirled out her machete, hacked away the thicket she was in, and beckoned them to follow. Illus pulled the two mules and Anilee along, catching up to his sister and her husband Sator.