The water wasn't as cold as Valda had been expecting, but it still took her breath away. When she broke the surface, she could hear another three splashes from behind her. The others seemed happy to follow without too much fuss, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She swam to the edge of the pool and spotted a ledge that could lead them directly behind the waterfall. It was a small mercy that they didn't have to swim directly through it, though it wouldn't stop them from being drenched by the time they reached the tunnel.

The climb was harder than she'd been expecting. The rocks were slippery and made ineffective handles to pull herself up with.

In the end, she resorted to using her magic so that the water propelled her upwards. Her shoes skidded along the rock, but eventually she could balance herself. Mauve followed her example, landing next to her with more grace. Carrick, who was not as skilled with magic, managed just enough to get himself halfway out of the water before dragging himself the rest of the way. Tevin, more used to difficult situations, braced his foot against an out jutting rock and heaved himself up, using Carrick's arm to stabilize himself.

"Well, that went easier than I expected." Valda shivered, water flowing over her body and forming puddles in her boots.

With much skidding, they all made it to the back of the fountain with no one taking another soak in the water.

The waterfall droplets floated around them, but there wasn't enough light to form rainbows. It was a pity since it could have distracted them from the dark, slimy tunnel opened in front of them. The smell of soggy grass and stale air wafted from within and it made the hair on Valda's arms stand on end. Still, it was the quickest way to get to the rebel stronghold.

"Wait." Carrick grabbed Valda's arm as his voice echoed down the tunnel, making them all flinch at the booming sound. "What if this is another trap? What if we go through here and Lorcan is waiting for us?" His voice rose with his agitation.

Tevin's expression was just as fidgety, his eyes flicking from the waterfall behind them to the tunnel in front of them. He looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

Mauve was the only one who didn't look as concerned. "If the giants had wanted to hand us to Lorcan, they had enough opportunity. Or did you forget all that time you were knocked out." She reminded him, rolling her eyes and making him look away in embarrassment. He still hadn't got over being incapacitated.

"I'm just trying to say that maybe this isn't the best option."

"I agree," Tevin, said. Once again the boys found themselves on the same side which neither of them looked happy about.

Mauve and Valda looked at each other in exasperation. Valda had wanted nothing more than for Tevin and Carrick to get on, but it appeared the only time that they did was when they were questioning her. She found this recent development mildly annoying.

"Look, I trust King Kadtius. I know this is the best way." Valda resisted the urge to grind her teeth together.

Carrick shook his head. "But how do you know?" He questioned her as if she was a child. His condescending tone instantly made Valda rip her arm out of his. Her eyes filled with anger.

"Because it feels right. Lania fell in the first place because the Fae took the other species for granted. The only way they thought they could be heard was to join Lorcan's forces. Don't you get it? They don't trust Lorcan anymore than we do, but he was the better choice. We have to be better than him." She poked him in the chest at the end of every sentence, so he understood how serious she was.

"Ofghhh."

Carrick would have retorted, but Tevin's strangled shout interrupted him. They all turned to look at him as Tevin held his hands out in wonder.

"What's wrong with you?" Carrick demanded, his temper already worked up from Valda.

Tevin lifted his head and waved his arms around. "I'm completely dry?" He said it like a question, as if he imagined the lack of water.

Until that moment, none of them had noticed the absence of their sodden clothes. When they looked at themselves they realised Tevin wasn't the only one who was dry.

Valda lifted her hand to hair, fearful of what she would find. Her hand met her normal wiry curls, still in the bandanna she always wore. The only difference was the feeling of being clean for the first time in days.

Mauve swished her clean skirts from side to side, inspecting them. The jagged cuts were still there, but the material was once again soft and stain free. It was like she'd put on a new dress. But it wasn't just her clothes that had changed. Her skin gleamed even in the muted light. It had washed away all the dirt from their days of travel.

"It must be enchanted water," Mauve whispered to herself, though it still echoed around them.

Tevin shook his head, still staring at his own clothes. "But enchanted water is so rare." He looked between Mauve and his dry clothes.

She only snorted and shrugged her shoulders. "How else could we go from being wet to perfectly dry and clean?" She shook her head as if this was the only explanation. Which given the evidence was most likely right.

"The longer we argue over things, the more time we're wasting. This tunnel is our best bet. We have to give it a chance," Valda pleaded.

"I second that." Mauve raised her hand, earning her a glare from Carrick.

"Fine. But if there is any hint of a trap, we're turning around and coming back."

Tevin looked like he wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut. His awed expression melted into barely concealed fear at the thought of the tunnel, and Valda couldn't help but mirror his expression. She knew it was their best option, but she didn't like the look of it any more than the other three.

Taking a deep breath, she coaxed a small flame to appear in her hands and led the way through the creepy dark tunnel, feeling relieved when the others crowded her back. It was nice to know she wasn't alone as they left the natural light behind.

The flickering light only made the tunnel seem darker. They'd been walking for what felt like hours, but it could have only been one. Time was hard to judge when all that surrounded them was darkness and stone.

Valda tried to distract herself by imaging how the tunnel had been formed. But Tevin brought her musings to an abrupt halt when he suggested that a creature with multiple legs had carved it. They all became a lot more quiet after that announcement.

Now every time something flickered in the corner of Valda's eyes, she imagined it was a monster with giant pincers and glowing eyes. It made their march all the more nerve racking.

"I don't think I can carry on." Tevin's words wavered.

Everyone turned to face him, noticing that his usually pale face was ashen white and beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. His hands were pressed on either side of the tunnel, but they could see his body shaking.

"Tevin?" Mauve stepped towards him, but he quickly backed up and slouched to the floor.

"I can't do this." His breathing turned to pants as he buried his head in his hands, blocking out their surprised faces.

Mauve turned back to the other two with raised eyebrows, but neither of them could help her. They had no idea what was going on with Tevin.

Valda knew he'd been quiet despite her and her cousins exchanging in a few snippets of conversation. She'd assumed he was thinking about their time with the giants, but now she wondered if something else was on his mind.

"Hey, Tevin, you okay?" Valda held her flames up higher so they bathed him in light. But it only made his skin look paler against his black hair.

His head shook back and forth, but no words came out of his mouth. Mauve went to kneel next to him, brushing his hair back with her hand.

"Tevin, what's going on?" Her words were soft and coaxing.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks, his expression so broken that she couldn't help but lean forward and embrace him. His form was stiff, but eventually his arms wrapped around her tentatively until he ended up clinging to her.

"I can't go any further. I just can't," he pleaded with her. His eyes darted around the tunnel frantically, looking for a way out, but he only became more distressed when he found none.

Her eyes widened as the cause of his pain became obvious to her. How had she not seen it before? It was staring them all right in the face. He had been anxious at the thought of going into the tunnel when they'd started, but she, like everyone else, had assumed it was for the same reason as Carrick. But they'd been wrong.

"You don't like small spaces, do you?" She heard the other two's intake of breath from behind her as they caught up with her thoughts.

Tevin's eyes stopped roaming the cave long enough to look at her and nod. Mauve turned to look at Carrick and Valda, seeing their sympathetic glances.

"Tevin, listen to me. We're going to get you out of this. You're going to hold on to me and we're going to take one step at a time. Can you do that?" Mauve waited patiently, watching Tevin process her words.

She wasn't sure this was going to work, but there weren't many other options. If they went back, they would lose precious time. They had to move forward.

Tevin's breathing had almost returned to normal, which Mauve took as a good sign. She held out her hands and felt his clammy one's grip hold of her. They struggled to their feet, Tevin's legs wobbling with his fear.

"One step at a time, remember?" She watched him take one step forward and felt his whole body start to collapse. Thinking quickly, she gripped his arm and took his weight. "I'm here. I got you. You're not alone."

His head lifted, his eyes were unfocused, but a spark of life was coming back to them. He scrunched his forehead in concentration and tried to straighten up.

"We got you as well." Carrick moved to Tevin's other side and gripped his side, sharing the burden with his sister.

Mauve looked at her brother, seeing the caring way he held Tevin and the concern in his eyes, and had never felt prouder. It was a tight squeeze, but all three of them could walk side by side with Valda leading.

"Don't worry, Tev, we'll get you out of here. That's what friends are for." Valda willed the flames in her hand to burn brighter, illuminating further ahead so they'd be able to see.

Tevin stumbled forward a few steps with Mauve and Carrick helping him. "It's nice." They all turned to look at him, seeing a small smile on his face. "It's nice having friends."

His voice still shook with fear, but his words were so earnest that they brought tears to Valda's eyes. She could see his words had had the same effect on her cousins.

"It is," Carrick agreed, a small smile on his face as he took the three people in front of him.