Chapter 37
“Thank you for everything,” I tell the small, timid innkeeper. I let my gaze linger to make sure she knows that I’m thanking her for more than just the lodging and food.
“You’re welcome,” she chirps in a high-pitched voice.
“That’s great you ended up selling out last night, does that happen often?”
She tilts her head, confused. “We didn’t…”
I match her look of confusion, then glance at Meela and Raef eating breakfast across the room.
Those fuckers.
I turn back to the innkeeper with a smile. “Nevermind.”
When I return to the table, I decide not to say anything. For now. But I watch Meela and Raef with interest, wondering if they had any plans to hook up at all. Meela is never touchy to begin with, but they don’t seem like two people who just had an intimate night together. It’s hard to say.
I meet Daegan’s eyes and smile softly. Somehow, it’s not awkward this morning. If anything, I’m grateful for the night we spent together. It calmed me in a weird way.
I woke up in his arms this morning, and I knew by his breathing he was still asleep.
I stayed there for a while, enjoying the warmth.
I know I will never be his, but it was nice to enjoy the comfort of someone else’s presence for a little while.
I wondered how long it took him to fall asleep, because he’s said before that he doesn’t sleep much.
But based on the deep, relaxed state I found him in, it seemed like he slept just fine.
And this morning, it seems like there are fewer shadows under his eyes. Or maybe that’s my imagination.
I can’t eat much due to my nerves slowly creeping back in again, so I sit back and wait for everyone else to finish.
“Eat more,” Daegan orders me quietly.
I look across the table at him, lifting an eyebrow.
“Please,” he adds with a little bit of sarcasm.
I shovel another bite into my mouth, then look at him mockingly for approval.
“More.”
I roll my eyes and cross my arms. I know he’s right. We all need our energy for the day. But I can’t stomach it right now.
He shoves a few slices of bread in his pocket. “For later,” he mumbles.
After breakfast, we head to the stables and load up our supplies and weapons.
I have four daggers on me. Two in holsters on each of my thighs, and two on my belt.
I had to forego the dress today, opting for black pants, boots, and a black tunic instead.
And a handy black belt. Meela is dressed similarly.
Rhydra’s weapon of choice is a staff. Raef and Daegan carry swords on their backs, among other weapons, and Gaethri has a silver mallet.
We’re as prepared as we can be. It’s time to go find a relic.
The journey to the cave entrance isn’t far.
We ride through the ashwood trees as rain lightly pours down on us, creating a pleasant smell in the air from the wet foliage.
We pass a few landmarks that the innkeeper described to us until we finally emerge from the trees into a large clearing that leads right to the entrance into the mountain.
It’s not incredibly big, maybe the width of two or three bodies standing side-by-side, and dark vines crawl along the side of the mountain, coming from inside the cave entrance on all sides.
We dismount our horses and tie them to nearby trees, then Daegan leads the way to the cave, drawing his sword.
It has an eerie feel to it. One I can’t name. It’s more than just knowing what potentially lies inside. It has a presence to it. An angry, ancient, vengeful one.
“I think we’re in the right place,” Daegan mutters, surveying the area.
“Definitely,” Raef concurs, visibly shivering.
They feel it too.
I understand why most locals don’t go near it, but I’m certain a curious one or two must have dared enter before.
Daegan turns, facing us all. We stand in a sort of circle, and we’re all looking at him.
“We have no idea what we may face in there, so be alert at all times. I’ll take the lead. Raef, take the rear.”
We all fall behind him, trying to assemble ourselves. In the middle of it all, Daegan grabs my arm, placing me behind him.
I should protest, because who in the curses does he think he is, but he’s already moving toward the entrance, and I instinctively follow.
I hate to admit to myself that he looks particularly hot right now.
With his wavy brown hair, his black ensemble complete with ten different straps and pockets all holding something more lethal than the next, and the way his biceps bulge out of his long dark sleeves as he holds his sword like someone who’s carried it his whole life.
It's the perfect distraction from the possible death trap that lies ahead.
Darkness falls upon us as soon as we enter the cave. Daegan looks back at me, and I pull out a light orb. Another one lights from somewhere behind me.
The dark vines crawl along the walls and ceiling of the cave, which gets higher the farther we walk. No one says a word. Not a sound echoes though the empty cavity besides our quiet steps and breathing.
We walk through the single tunnel for a while, still silent, until finally, the tunnel splits into three separate paths.
“What do we do?” I ask no one in particular.
“We can split up…” Meela places her hands on her hips.
Gaethri grunts in disapproval.
“And what if one of us wants to take the sword for themselves?” Rhydra looks skeptical.
“We’re all after the same goal here,” Raef chimes in. “Can’t we just… trust each other?”
“We might not have enough time to search all the routes as one group…” I add reluctantly.
“Okay then,” Rhydra relents. “Three tunnels, three pairs. Gaethri and me, and then you four split up…” She raises her brow, looking the rest of us over. “However you decide.”
“No offense, but you and Gaethri should be split up too. Just to be safe…” Raef holds his hands up as Gaethri gives him a surly glare.
“Fine then.” Rhydra looks directly at me. “I’m with the princess. Gaethri goes with Daegan.”
“No,” Daegan says with finality. “She’s with me.”
Meela meets my eyes and shares my slightly surprised look. Hers might be a slightly more amused version.
“I’ll go with Rhydra,” she offers.
“Okay,” Raef chirps up. “That means you’re with me, Grumbles.”
Gaethri looks at him with a look of impatience as Raef claps him on the back.
“Great. Let’s not waste any more time,” Daegan announces, ready to turn and wander off already, but I stop him.
I give a time orb to Raef and Gaethri. Meela and I already have one. “Meet right back here by the time the flame reaches the third lowest line.”
They nod, taking it and turning away. I give Meela one last encouraging smile. “See you soon.”
“Yep.”
Everyone picks a tunnel. Daegan and I end up on the right, and we start our journey.
“You better not try to make out with me down here, Gaethri.” I hear the echo of Raef’s voice from their tunnel, but it already sounds incredibly distant.
An exacerbated sound follows, and I giggle to myself.
Then it becomes deathly silent.
We are truly alone down here.
Daegan has me walk in front of him, but he follows close behind. A long stretch of silence passes with nothing to look at but dark gray walls with black vines still crawling in every direction.
When I can’t take it anymore, I speak.
“You can ease up a little, you know.”
“What do you mean?” he mutters.
“I’m not that essential to the mission anymore. You guys know everything I know. If I die, you can just take Maethrel’s blood from my neck and continue on without me.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s not supposed to be funny. It’s just true.”
“It’s not.”
“Well, you’re wrong. And I stand by it. You can ease up. People are going to think… I don’t know.”
“I don’t give a fuck what people think.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to go with Raef?”
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Raef can take care of himself.”
“And I can’t?”
“You’re not trained.”
“Raef almost died in the woods. I survived.”
“I’m not chancing it,” he says quietly.
“Maethrel told you something about me, huh? Something that makes me important.”
“No. It’s not about that.”
I whirl around, holding out my arms in annoyance. “Then what? Please enlighten me on why I’m so special, why I need you as a personal bodyguard, because I’m not getting it. I don’t know why you give a fuck.”
He stops, looking into my eyes. His jaw ticks. “Because I’m a selfish fucking bastard. That’s why.”
I scrunch my eyebrows at him. “Yeah, I’m aware, but that’s still not an answer. That’s just… even more confusing.”
He pulls in a deep breath through his nose. “Can we just get through this and then we can talk? Later?”
I hold his gaze for another moment.
“Fine.”
“Okay.” He motions for me to turn and continue forward.
As we continue walking, the path never splits. That’s good. I’m starting to think this is a dead end. We haven’t seen a single creature or any sign of life besides the vines. If they’re even living.
I hear Daegan halt behind me.
“What—”
I look in the direction he’s looking, and I let out a yelp.
Two skeletons lie against the wall. I take several steps back and look away as Daegan crouches down in front of them.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I can’t…”
“It’s okay,” he says rather gently. “Just give me a moment.”
I glance at his crouched frame, trying my hardest not to make eye contact with death, and then look away again.
“Let’s go,” he tells me as I hear him stand and step away. I walk past the scene on the far side of the tunnel, then scurry away a little faster.
He looks over at me with… concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m kind of… soft sometimes.”
“I know.”
He looks at me like it’s not an insult, but simply a fact he’s familiar with already.
“Did you find anything.”
He shakes his head. “Nothing left. They were burned.”
A brief wave of nausea passes through me, but I shake it off. I can do this. Unfortunately, I fear I will eventually become desensitized to these things with this path I’ve chosen.
One day. Maybe.
He flashes me a sympathetic look, then walks on, allowing me to walk ahead of him again.
He doesn’t wait long to talk. I think he’s trying to distract me.