Chapter 120

• The bubble held all five of us: me, Darren, Squall, Dayanara, and Lyle, our bodies mashed together by the force of the descent. White water from the falls pounded on the outside, blinding us, erasing the world. The water was rough and vicious, attacking the bubble and jolting us around. We struggled to stand because of the constant assault. Every heartbeat, I worried the spell would pop and we’d be tossed into the violent fray of water.
• Dayanara stood in the center, arms up like a conductor, her eyes nearly luminescent with strain. Darren wrapped himself around me, legs braced wide, every muscle flexed as if he could anchor us with sheer willpower. Lyle was on the opposite side, flattened against the bubble like a drunk in a rolling barrel.
• Squall barely looked at any of us. He was pacing, hunched and restless, his head cocked as if listening for something through the chaos. His eyes, usually cold as glass, now glimmered with fever.