River witch
He reaches into his pouch and pulls out the volcanic stone he found weeks ago — the one humming with energy.
It fits the hollow exactly.
“It came to me,” he says. “It wanted to be free.”
Mira pulls them both back. “We need to go. Now.”
But before they can move, the walls begin to shift.
From every crevice, roots sprout eyes — and they open.
> “You have returned the tooth,” the voice says. “Now feed me the flame.”
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Esi screams as vines lash around Tano, dragging him toward the Heart Stone.
Mira hacks with her blade — severing some roots, but more come. Tano doesn’t resist. His face is calm, even as his body is lifted.