They stumbled into an open grove dotted with bright orange fruit hanging from low branches.
Beautiful. Harmless.
Nova plucked one staring at it, as curiosity overtook her caution.
Aeron's soul visibly left his body. He screamed, "Nova! Don't—"
She screamed high pitched, startled by him raising his voice, and tossed the fruit out of pure fight-or-flight panic.
It exploded.
A sharp crack blasted through the grove, showering Aeron in glowing orange pulp. He blinked, unfazed, wiped juice off his cheek with the back of his hand, looking like a man contemplating every choice that had led him to this moment.
No one moved.
All of them fighting to keep a straight face.
Aeron calmly bent down, swiftly plucked a fruit, and immediately chucked it back at her.
It detonated midair, splattering her in bright orange.
"Aeron!" she shouted, half furious, half cracking up.
"We're even," Aeron said, lifting his nose in the air like a noble settling a duel.
They kept walking, though every single one of them now looked like they were navigating a minefield.
After a few minutes, Fin casually plucked a fruit and tossed it at Jax, who caught it on reflex before his brain kicked in.
Fin grinned and looked away.
Jax looked down.
It exploded.
Orange pulp rained across his chest, face, and hair.
Jax sputtered, wiped his eyes, and said, "You waited for that, didn't you?"
Rex snorted so hard he doubled over.
Jax, expression flat as stone, plucked another fruit, weighed it like a weapon, then lobbed it toward Rex.
It exploded midair and Rex ended up blinking through a mask of glowing pulp.
Rex grabbed one, narrowed his eyes with the fury of a man betrayed by his own reflexes, and hurled it at Fin's back.
It detonated beautifully, covering Fin's hair and shoulders in sticky orange splatter.
Fin turned around slowly with a full this-means-war expression.
Rex calmly pointed at Jax.
"Him."
Fin's hand was already inching toward another fruit when Hyran's voice cut through the grove like a divine reprimand.
"Are we children?! Actual children?! Because if so, I expect someone to start crying and someone else to need a nap!"
Every single one of them froze.
Nova's hand hovered inches from another fruit.
Aeron glared warningly.
Rex grinned. Fin did not look trustworthy.
Jax whispered, "We're absolutely children."
Hyran sighed, rubbing his temples.
They pushed forward and stepped into a clearing filled with massive crimson flowers—beautiful, if you ignored the faint pulse running through their petals like a heartbeat.
Aeron managed a single, resigned warning:
"Do not breathe too deeply."
The flowers detonated.
A shimmering cloud of pollen blasted outward like some deranged festival explosion—golden, sparkling, and absolutely malicious.
Fin inhaled by accident, but then had a boyish grin come across his face.
Rex saw and inhaled on purpose.
"Here we go," Hyran groaned. But at this point, they were all breathing it in—there was no going back.
Rex blinked, pupils blown wide.
"Someone please tell her I'm in love with her. Actually don't. Actually do. Actually don't. Gods."
They kept walking.
Hyran suddenly blurted, voice too loud:
"I once told Aeron his hair looked 'seductively windswept' during a battle briefing. I meant 'strategically intimidating.' I panicked."
Then Fin opened his mouth and doomed himself. "I had to use a pillow and pretend it was Nova to sleep last night. It helped a little, but also—not really. And also I really want a dragon. Like… really badly."
Nova's eyes went wide—horrified—but unable to stop herself.
"I told Elle that she and Cael should mark each other at the same time while they're having sex because it's hot."
Rex wheezed and collapsed into hysterical laughter, unable to breathe.
Jax put a hand over his face, shaking his head. "Gods, Nova…"
Fin stared at her, betrayed and amused.
"You little menace!" He shoved her shoulder lightly. "I was wondering why Elle thought it'd be a brilliant idea to mark Cael in the middle of a literal shit storm."
Aeron bent over laughing. Hyran muttered something like "burn this entire jungle down."
And Nova? Nova considered walking straight into quicksand.
Jax could feel the truth spell pushing at his throat. Nova looked at him mischievously, waiting to pounce on whatever confession might leak out. He clamped his mouth shut, determined not to give her fresh ammunition.
They pushed onward, coughing through the glitter-cloud until it thinned…and the jungle quieted.
Too quiet.