Chapter 51: Trouble.
The Emberfruit grove was about a thirty-minute walk from the stream.
We kept a steady pace, sticking to the trees and avoiding open spaces. No one wanted to get caught out in the open, especially with Class B lurking around.
Julien took the lead, Mira right behind him. Felix and Leo were in the middle, grumbling as usual, while Wallace and I kept watch from the back.
After about twenty minutes, we started noticing the trees changing. The bark had a reddish hue, and the leaves were tinged with orange. The air smelled faintly sweet, like burnt sugar.
Wallace exhaled. "We’re close."
Julien peered ahead. "Think Class B made it first?"
I shook my head. "We’ll find out soon enough."
We slowed down, moving carefully now. If Victor’s group was already here, we didn’t want to walk straight into them.
Mira crouched low and pointed ahead. "There."
Through the trees, we saw it—the Emberfruit grove.
Dark, twisted trees with thick branches stretched toward the sky, their bark cracked like cooled lava. Hanging from those branches were round, glowing fruits, pulsing with a faint red-orange light.