This is the opening of the third book in my Crystal Odyssey series, now called Beyond the Sea. What can I do so it grabs the readers more?

People, horses, and wagons crowded the vast entryway of the Stronghold. The day had arrived for the start of our next adventure. I'd looked forward to this for so long that it was almost anticlimactic to actually be embarking for home and then Fartek.

We saddled our steeds and stowed our packs, mounted and took one last look at the people and the place we were leaving behind, and then Oskar opened the entry so we could file out.

The last weeks at the Stronghold we prepared for the journey to Fartek. Katya and Mai made good progress in deciphering Madoc's books, the main object of our trek, using what we found in the fallen satellite at the bottom of Dulno Lake.