When my eyes reopened it was to a blue sky and birds chirping. All the magnetic pull from the humid energy was gone. We were no longer in the room but outdoors. I took my time sitting up. There was no sign of the High Council Building or its large walls. We were in an opening surrounded by giant trees. If it were not for the similar rushing sound of the nearby river, I would have thought we were not in Redwood.
Bodies were scattered on the ground both of the board members and our companions. Mother was near a tree with her forehead pressed to the trunk. Kyle was sitting with his hands wrapped around his forehead on his knees. They were the only two ones up. Everyone else was passed out. Mother pushed away from the tree and turned around to face the after-effects of going head to head with Scarlet…ah, Deanna.
