Chapter 8 Hanne #2
We reached the shore, and Caius led the way with his torch raised, walking as fast as he could without actually running. His legs were longer than mine, so sometimes I had to jog to keep up. I’d packed light because speed was of the essence, and I’d rather go hungry or thirsty than be weighed down.
Neither of us spoke, conserving our energy for the journey we took at our quickest speed.
I could smell his sweat as it wafted behind him and hit me in the face.
I felt vulnerable with Caius simply because he wasn’t Morco.
Morco was the single strongest and most selfless man I’d ever met, and I’d rather die so he could live.
We moved in the dark for what felt like an eternity, seemed to run in a straight line that sometimes passed brush, trees, and rocks. But we didn’t cross paths with wolves or other creatures. We seemed to be entirely on our own.
Caius finally came to a stop, taking a second to catch his breath. “Hold this.” He extended the torch.
I took it and held it aloft, away from my hair so it wouldn’t catch fire.
Caius took a second to breathe before he approached the rocky wall. He glided his hand over the surface, and he moved in front of it, checking for a sign or something to tell him which way the path was located.
I said nothing, practically heaving, my clothes damp was sweat.
He continued to move and then examined a group of rocks off to the side. “This way,” he said breathlessly.
I followed close behind.
He eventually reached the crack in the wall that led to the secret path we’d taken before.
“How long has it been since we left?”
“It’s normally a day’s journey,” he said. “But I think we made it in a couple hours.” He took the torch, squeezed into the crack, and sidestepped deeper into the rock. “Come on.”
I was a lot smaller, so I had an easier time slipping through. We moved for minutes before we stepped into the open cavern and found the path we’d used before, the one I’d taken with Morco when we first met.
Caius jogged this time, holding the torch aloft as he did. “Tell me when you need a break.”
“I won’t need one.”
Caius led the way down the winding path, jogging around boulders and sometimes jumping over rocks, carrying the light that illuminated the sharp crags that surrounded us. We cut directly through the rock, came closer to the very place I wanted to go…but also feared most.
We reached the other side in what felt like an hour. The boulder was still there from where they’d left in place when we fled.
Caius wedged the torch between the rocks and let it continue to burn. “We don’t need this anymore.” He turned to look at me, face drenched in sweat. “You still want to do this?”
I couldn’t lie to myself, not when the tremors shook my hands, but nothing would deter me. “Yeah.”
“It’ll be easier to find whatever you’re looking for because of the light. A lot easier than searching for potatoes in the dark. But that means it’ll be easier for them to find us.”
I nodded in understanding.
“Stay under cover at all times. We don’t speak unless we have to.”
I nodded again. “Do they patrol the area?”
“They’re everywhere. And since we were here just two weeks ago, they’ll probably be on alert. That doesn’t work in our favor.”
“It changes nothing,” I said. “And you don’t have to come with me. You can wait here if you want.”
He was quiet as he considered the offer. “We’ll find this quicker with two pairs of eyes instead of one. Now tell me what to look for.”
I was relieved I didn’t have to go out there alone. That I had someone to watch my back while I was focused on finding a flower that might not even grow here. “A deep purple flower with yellow streaks on the insides of the petals. They can grow anywhere, as long as they’re in direct sunlight.”
“That doesn’t narrow it down.”
“No.”
“Alright.” He turned to the boulder and planted his palms on the surface. “Help me with this.”
I came to his side, and together, we rolled the boulder aside, revealing the burning light of the apricum on the other side. I looked through the crack in the wall to see the world aglow, a light so profound it made me squint.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, the bud of light powerful enough to light the cavern for miles around.
I blinked once and then twice until the world came into focus, and I could see the color of the leaves on the trees that had been blanketed in darkness on the other side of the cavern.
This was the world that I’d had to explore in complete darkness—and it looked so different in the light.
The ground was a subtle shade of blue, the rocks midnight black, greens that should be vibrant were sage.
There wasn’t a single flower in sight.
Caius searched the area from where he stood, checking that the coast was clear before he nodded to me and led the way. He quickly ran for the tree line, got under cover, and waited for me to join him.
We hid in the trees, the same ones the wolves had searched when they’d smelled my scent.
“Focus on the flower, and I’ll focus on us.” He had a sword across his back, a heavy one like Morco wielded.
I nodded and moved ahead, searching the forest floor for the purple flower I needed to heal Morco. I didn’t have unlimited time, couldn’t rest when my eyes got tired. I had to do this, and I had to do it quickly.
I came to a sudden halt when the memory smacked me in the face. The incident had happened during such a traumatizing event that it had escaped my memory until it was elicited by fear.
Caius noticed the way I stiffened. “What is it?”
“When I fell and crawled out of the lake…I saw it.”
“What?” he whispered.
“The Pedalium flower. I remember seeing it at the base of the trees near the water. Outside the fence around their base.” Right in plain view of their fortress.
He bowed his head in defeat. “Of course it is.”
My heart pumped in my chest, pumped so hard it was about to burst from behind my ribs. I would have to return the way I’d come, step right into their line of sight and hope I made it back alive.
Caius continued to stare at me. “What do you want to do?”
“I’m not leaving without that flower.”
“You’re lucky you got away the first time, Hanne.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed.
“And as I said, they’ll be on alert this time.”
I nodded in agreement. “I know.”
He continued to watch me. “I wouldn’t think less of you—”
“Wait for me here. They’re more likely to notice if there are two of us.”
Caius looked like he wanted to argue but never did. He glanced back to the crevasse where the hidden passage was located. He stared for a while before he looked at me again. “I’ll wait for you there. That way, I can put the boulder back in time. Otherwise, everyone will be fucked.”
I nodded in understanding, sick to my stomach, with acid in my throat.
“Come back, Hanne.”
“I—” I was about to say I’d try, but I changed the words midsentence. “I will.”
He nodded in agreement then headed back to the rocks where the hidden passage was located.
I didn’t watch him go and instead focused on my path through the trees and around the rock—back to the lake, the last place I wanted to go. Crossing paths with the beings that had decimated the Obsidians—my people.
After a breath, I moved, staying low in the brush, moving quietly and slowly as I surveyed my surroundings with a level of detail only a terrified mind could accomplish. Whenever I spotted a patch of emptiness between trees, I crossed it at a sprint and ducked for cover once again.
I remembered the forest was long and dense, and it took a while to cross, even at a full run. I took my time getting through it, stopping to listen to anything, the sound of a footfall, the howl of a wolf.
Slowly, I inched closer, passing the rocky outcropping I remembered the first time, hiding behind the tip as I peered over, trying to get a view of the fortress that I knew was up ahead. But I couldn’t see anything, not when the trees were so surrounded by the brush.
I continued to move forward, and that was when I smelled the lake.
I was close.
On all fours, I moved, choosing to crawl rather than walk, even when it seemed like no one was in sight. I inched forward, quiet as a snake, acting as if the enemy was just a foot away when I appeared to be alone.
I finally had a view of their fortress ahead in the distance, the wood of the fence visible, movement of something in the far background.
My heart raced like they were right in front of me.
I turned toward the lake, seeing it before me, where I’d fallen into this dark world. My eyes scanned, searching for the vibrant pop of purple in a world of blue and sage.
And then I heard it.
The sound of a step.
My first instinct was to gasp, but my survival instincts kept my mouth shut tight.
I didn’t move, didn’t make a sound, knowing something was nearby, but not whether it was a wolf or a…
Knife. I tried not to breathe, and that made me breathe more.
I strained my ears as I listened harder, trying to pinpoint where they stood, if they were aware of me.
My back was to the tree. I turned to my left, and that was when I saw it.
The bright purple petals of the Pedalium flower. The yellow streaks in the center.
So fucking close.
In my peripheral, I saw the movement of something dark…and big. I turned my head slightly to get a better look at it, and I nearly gasped again.
In black armor with a blade across its back was…a creature. It was hard to tell with its body concealed within the armor, but the skin appeared to be the same color. Greasy hair was combed back and looked like wet noodles. He stood still in the trees, like he was a guard in search of something.
Maybe me.
My eyes shifted to the flower. There were several of them bunched together—and I would need every single one if I had any chance to save Morco. I could crawl and hope he didn’t hear me—or I could try to kill him.
Fuck.
“You’re more capable than you realize. Remember that.”
It was the last thing he’d said to me. Words that had given me courage when I had nothing but fear. I’d lost my kingdom because of stupidity, but I’d been given another chance to be something more. To be brave. To do something. To win.