Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FRID
Imoved my sword, tightly gripping its handle.
The unbearably bright light shined right into my eyes and I was unable to shield myself from it.
I could feel the sticky cold sweat on my back and forehead, but even despite the heat, my limbs were shaking.
Both the men and women had long hair and wore loose, light colored linen clothes that were too clean and well made to belong in the wastelands.
All of them had smooth, healthy, tanned skin that looked nothing like being over exposed to the sun.
The spears they pointed at us were made out of cured wood that was twisted into a sharp point at the end.
“You trespassed onto our territory,” one of the women announced in a loud and clear voice.
Her accent was hardly distinguishable and was softer, more melodic than what I was used to hearing in Darragh. Her voice was low, husky, but incredibly pleasant to the ear.
“What?” I blinked, staring at the edge of the spear.
“You are not welcomed on the sacred land,” the same woman continued.
Her long, smooth, black hair looked like it was tirelessly brushed until every lock fell into place.
“We mean no harm. We were only looking for some water.” Victor explained, his hands still raised in the air.
The woman with black hair peeked at him, ignoring his words. Her gaze returned to me.
“We didn’t know we were trespassing,” I responded.
Suddenly the sounds of multiple bodies shuffling on the pavement filled the air. Crawlers were coming, attracted by our voices. Soon the entire street would be swarming with the undead.
“Take them to Mahin.” The woman commanded, turning away.
“Wait! We—” I started saying, but one of the women touched Victor’s neck and he dropped to the ground, caught at the very last moment by one of the males.
“Don’t touch him!” I shouted.
The sharp point of the spear pressed against my back.
“Drop your weapon!” The woman hissed behind me. She took my sword and the knife I had attached to my belt. She roughly pushed me forward and yelled, “Move!”
I watched two men drag Victor toward a high rise building with looted storefronts.
“Where are you taking him?” I clenched my teeth, following the others.
I kept my eyes locked on the strangers who wore jewelry on their ankles and wrists, flowy tunics and woven, straw colored sandals, so impractical and out of place in the wastelands.
It was my fault. I put both of us in danger because I lost the bag Alina gave me. If we had that bag, we would be on our way to Darragh right now. So stupid.
Suddenly, Victor disappeared from the view and I panicked.
“Don’t stop!” The same hateful woman raised her voice and I bared my teeth.
We entered one of the shops and crossed to the second room stepping over torn papers and chunks of dry wood.
The sound of the crawlers being pushed back came from the street.
The undead mob finally made its way to the opening and tried to get through the doors.
I looked straight ahead, thinking about my sword and how unsafe I felt without its reassuring weight in the palm of my hand.
None of the newcomers appeared threatened by the crawlers, as if they were used to their constant presence.
Then we crossed a dark, narrow corridor.
At last, we entered a tiny storage room that was probably emptied many years ago.
There was nothing there, only bare shelves and an opening in the floor.
The opening appeared to be attached to a heavy steel door with reinforced hinges.
“What is this?” I whispered, watching the newcomers disappearing below ground into the pitch black pit.
“Get in!” The familiar spear poked me between my shoulder blades.
I lowered myself to the ground and carefully searched for the stairs. Just as I expected, there were metal handles that stretched all the way down on one side. I could see nothing below where the light could not reach into the shaft. Just darkness.
“Where’s Victor?” I looked up.
“Move!” The spear appeared right in front of my face.
I looked past it, right into the face of the woman. Her dark eyes locked with mine. I could easily overpower her, but not all of them.
I sat on the edge, swinging my feet into the hole.
The woman with the spear was still holding it close to my head when I stepped on the metal bar.
I balanced on the ladder for a moment, then started making my way down.
Some time later, the clang of metal on metal rang through the tunnel.
Overhead, tiny bright dots flickered and quickly disappeared.
I had not realized before that there are different depths of darkness.
After multiple hands handling the rungs, the metal was too slippery, so I overcompensated, gripping the bars as if my life depended on it. I could hear people climbing right below me, and several times when my foot slipped, I accidentally kicked someone.
As we descended lower, the scents of metal and sweat changed into something more aromatic. It smelled like herbs and flowers. When my foot finally touched solid ground, I bit my lip, fighting the numbness in my hands. I could finally see some faint light.
I moved with my hands outstretched in front of me. Suddenly I brushed someone’s back.
“Do not touch what is not yours!” A voice hissed in the darkness.
I had so many replies to that, but I forced my lips to stay shut.
I matched my steps with those around me as we continued down the near pitch black hole.
Suddenly, a cool blue light brightened the space.
My eyes landed on a small, glowing orb attached to the wall and I moved closer.
Inside the round piece of glass were growing plants and several shimmering insects that produced enough light to illuminate the hall.
The walls around me were made out of something that looked like clay, with soft, well polished edges that had to have been made by the water that flowed over the rock.
“What is this place?” I whispered, addressing no one.
The already familiar woman with the spear appeared in front of me. I gritted my teeth and followed the others.
After a long walk through multiple tunnels, we entered a spacious room full of people.
I looked up, noticing strips of natural light shining down from an opening in the rocks.
The space was filled with bright sunlight coming from the outside.
Just below the ceiling were sturdy, woven nets that prevented entry from above.
Were the nets meant to catch the crawlers?
I took a minute thinking about what the land looked like when I flew over. No matter how hard I tried to remember, I could not recall ever seeing anything that resembled a rock formation.
I looked around. People were selling colorful dresses, jewelry, fruits, and freshly baked breads. My mouth started to water. All around me were women with newborns and toddlers that they carried on their bodies, wrapped in similar fabric they wore themselves.
We crossed numerous cave-like corridors that were partially lit by the sunlight coming from up above.
The darker spots had similar lanterns filled with leafy green plants and curious looking insects.
As we crossed more paths, I caught a glimpse of gardens that were situated right in the caves.
Wooden shelves extended the bodies of the plants that were placed to soak in every ray of sun.
The slow current of water streamed over the floor and there were several young boys who carefully watered the plants from ceramic pitchers.
Finally we entered another room with two pools of water on either side and a table in the middle.
There was a beautiful woman of about fifty with light brown skin and long, obsidian black hair that was combed back.
She was dressed in a snow white strapless dress that accentuated her breasts and showed her shoulders and back.
I knew right away that she was the one in charge.
“My apologies, priestess.” The woman who was escorting me stepped closer. “We spotted two intruders close to the entrance. They didn’t seem hostile.”
The priestess calmly glanced at the spear wielding woman, then without saying anything to her, walked straight up to me. Her intense dark eyes burned into mine.
I frowned, staring back at her. If they thought they could intimidate me, they got the wrong girl. I may not have my sword, but I could still do a lot of damage, especially in my dragon form.
“And the other one?” the priestess asked.
“Too weak to move and has been taken to the healers.”
The woman finally addressed me. “Our community is secluded from the outside world and we prefer to keep it that way. We never take anyone in, especially the dragonborns.”
So they knew who we were. They probably saw us shapeshifting at the well. I remained silent.
“To tell you the truth, I had been praying to the great mother to send us someone like you. And my wish was granted,” she continued. I did not say a word. “We need help.” She tilted her head to the side, studying me.
“What kind of help?” I asked.
She smiled and slowly walked around me. I glanced at the woman with the spear but her gaze tracked the priestess, as if there was nothing else worthy of her attention.
“This community is special. It is built upon the wishes of the divine mother. We do the best we can to protect peace and tranquility. We make our own food, and we have an endless supply of divine water. All we want is to live, that has been our goal all along, but things changed. There is evil in this world, and I am not talking about the cursed ones.” She gave a sign to one of the servant girls and the table was carefully set.
I could not stop from gawking at the food. The assortment of fruits, bread, and what looked like baked chicken made me nearly nauseous with hunger.
The priestess smirked and shook her head. “What should I call you?” she asked.
“Frid.” I swallowed.
“Care to join me, Frid?”