marshy and a bit unstable, but one might even say quite pleasing to the eye. The lush green of the tall grasses and mosses, the colourful flowers of various plants, and a little spring gushing from the cliff at a height of about two metres looked almost idyllic. Even the small stream, winding its way through a stony bed from the spring further along the gently sloping terrain towards the centre of the Crater, seemed perfectly at home there. It appeared as though the whole scene had been created according to a specific plan, which in this place was most likely the case.
Zane quickly joined Cedric and reported that he’d seen no signs of anyone’s activity, so there were most likely neither defenders nor the reconnaissance team sent out at the very beginning in this spot. The decision was made to set up a small camp at the edge of the forest and wait for Adam’s team to reach them.
‘Just make sure no one gets the idea of drinking that water,’ Noah warned quickly. ‘I can see at least a few poisonous plants here, including at least two that poison the water around them.’ He hastened to explain, seeing that not everyone had taken his first warning seriously enough. ‘And you, come with me,’ he said, pointing at the dragon. ‘There are a few herbs here from which I can prepare a proper dressing.’
Draco merely nodded, having no desire whatsoever to argue. He also wanted to see what parthir would use. The dragon could list the basic medicinal properties of plants and their uses, but identifying them in their natural environment was far beyond the reptile’s capabilities.
The two of them walked a short distance away, to a spot where the water formed a small pool at the base of the cliff. Several plants floated on the surface, including beautiful lilies with silvery-white flowers, over which a shimmering mist seemed to hover. Draco thought his aunt would have liked them.
‘Don’t touch anything,’ Noah said as seriously as he could. ‘Everything you see here is poisonous.’
