Prophecy

Chapter 16

I hear Anjulee whistle shrilly ahead of us. As Eden slows down, the entire group begins to slow as well, eventually coming to a stop. I look behind us, and the sun is hovering dangerously low above the horizon.

"There were some berries left in that pouch. It should be just enough to get us through the night, and give us some daylight in Utopia Z as well," Ada recounts as we dismount. "It's best this way so we don't waste berries and so we don't have to make as obvious of a camp."

"Why wouldn't camp end up as obvious?" I ask.

"If our bodies are technically in Utopia Z, they won't need food or warmth in the Earth Reality," Bo clarifies. "So we don't have to worry about feeding so many mouths or building a fire for warmth.

"What about you guys staying behind?" I press, not totally convinced.

"I can grow a camouflaged shelter over us, and Anjulee may have something to keep Javier warm in her pack," Bo counters. "Us dragons will be fine, though." I look around, and I see the Scout and the twins already at work on recreating the cradle as quickly as possible, and the Spanish fairy digging through the backpack for the berry pouch.

"Thanks, Bo," I say timidly, then make my way over to the other Elementals. The shell of the cradle is already nearly complete, reminding me of just how awesome these guys are with their powers. I glance at Andromeda, who is keeping a careful eye on the woods around us, her tail twitching back and forth.

"Got 'em!" Javier calls, bringing the berry cargo over. He distributes the remaining contents of the pouch, leaving Ada, Anjulee, and I each with three golden clusters.

"To Utopia Z we go," Arik says urgently, and we all dump our berries into our mouths. My eyes water as the sour juices come in contact with my tongue, and I try and down the berries as quickly as possible. Arik vanishes again, and I see vines creeping up in the entrance of the cradle. Stars begin winking into existence inside the leafy structure, and my eyes droop shut just as the entrance seals completely.

* * * *

I open my eyes, and I am sitting on the rocky underneath of the cliff I'd found my ingredient under. The smell of the ocean rides a light breeze, and I see the sun hanging low in the sky, but not as close to sunset as we'd been in the Earth Reality. I stand up shakily, and I see Arik standing beside me already. I don't see Ada or Anjulee, so I assume we entered Utopia Z where we left off.

"Where are we off to?" I sigh, brushing pebbles off my butt.

"The resort we talked about. The others aren't finished yet, but they'll meet us back there when they've completed their part of the job," he decides, pointing off towards a town hugging the beach. I nod, and we begin walking lazily back in the direction we came.

We make our way back to street level once we've come back to the plaza area, which is no less crowded than before. Neither of us says anything as we walk along a road leading into town, or even as we come into the parking lot in front of a huge modern building marked by a neon sign reading, Sunset Resort. He holds the door open for me, and we walk in.

We've entered a sizable lobby with sleek staircases leading up to wide balconies, where I can see pool tables and dining areas. Arik leads me up to the front desk, and he smiles at the receptionist, whose eyes are glued to a computer monitor.

"We'd like the key to our room, please," Arik tells the man behind the counter.

"Name," the man demands in a monotone voice.

"Wilson," he responds brightly. The receptionist turns his gaze to look at us over the square rims of his glasses.

"You're part of Daokhan's little entourage?" I resist the urge to smirk. Is it a good thing the word has spread about our team? Or am I missing something here? Arik nods.