Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
I have never seen so much color in my entire life. Bright, vibrant shades of green and arrays of colorful flowers cover almost every surface. And the light . I’ve never seen anything like this. Blackwood’s skies were never this bright and clear and blue . The dark shadows from the black trees and clouds are the opposite of the land in front of me.
It’s so alive .
Dane and I landed on some kind of overlook. The worn grass underfoot is soft, with a path leading down the hill. I take a moment to look over the land in front of me, and it is stunning.
Dawnlin is an island, surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water. I squint against the light, trying to take in as much of the terrain as I can as my eyes trail over white sand beaches, bowl shaped coves, and cliffs that fall off into the crashing waves. Trees and plants cover so much of the land, but there are so many kinds it almost looks as if different worlds were mashed together into one impossible land. I do not know where in our world anything like this could exist .
Dense forests with trees like home cover some areas, and tropical flowers and palms are sprinkled into others. There’s a mountain in the distance, with snow on its peaks. I wipe beads of sweat off my forehead as I try to make sense of this place. How is it this hot and there’s snow ?
But not just snow. Realization strikes as I gaze on the beauty in front of me. Coming off of the faces of the mountain are waterfalls.
Just like the fountain.
The fountain seems to be a replica of the largest piece of Dawnlin, the landscape that towers above it all, spewing water down into a river that slices the island in two. I’m left speechless.
I don’t know how long I stand there just gazing at the island before I get distracted from the stifling feeling of my shirt sticking to my body.
“It’s really hot here,” I say, reaching up to undo my cloak and pull it off my shoulders.
Dane’s eyes flick to my uncolored hair, then back to my face. If he noticed the difference, he doesn’t mention it.
“It is, but you’ll get used to it,” he says.
“So, what now?” I ask, balling up my cloak so I can carry it. I didn’t know what to expect in the mere moments I had to decide to travel to Dawnlin, and my choice of clothing would not be well suited for my time here. I don’t know how I’ll get them, but I need different clothes, or I will be ripping these up so they don’t trap in as much heat.
If only Tila could see me in scandalous ripped clothes.
I chuckle at the thought.
Dane looks over at the sound, then up at the sky, squinting against the sunlight. “The suns will go down soon, so we better get to camp. We’ll get you settled in, and then I will explain everything.”
I glance up at his words and see what he means. There are two suns hovering at different heights above the water. That must be why it is so hot and so bright, but with two suns, I truly do not know where in the world we are.
Or if we are even in my world .
“This way,” he says, turning away from the overlook and heading down a worn path into a densely overgrown area. I follow, taking a few quick steps to catch up with him. The last thing I need is to get separated in the lush foliage in a place I know nothing about.
We follow the path, weaving through the trees and leaves that hang in our way. The farther we walk, the more I notice that this isn’t the only path in the area. Packed dirt trails veer off the one we follow or join in to it from other directions.
How many people have been here that there are so many trodden passages?
Eventually, the trees break before us and we walk along a natural stone bridge, the river I saw earlier crashing below us and draining into the sea. I shudder as I look down at it, doing my best to stay in the very middle of the bridge.
Blackwood is a landlocked country, and our mountainous lands do not have very many bodies of water. There is very little opportunity to swim for the average person, let alone someone who has never left the castle walls. I never learned how, and the idea of now being on an island surrounded by water with prominent rivers and waterfalls is unsettling.
I need to be careful. I can’t ever get too close to the water, just to be safe.
Shadows elongate around us, and the darkness is making it difficult to see without a torch. I look up at the sky and take in the beautiful mixture of pinks and oranges. I didn’t know the sky could be so many different colors other than grey. I want to see more of it, but I can’t stop to look. I need to keep up with Dane.
I reach up and rip away at the collar of my shirt, trying to get any sort of air flow. If I thought I was sweating before, I am absolutely drenched now. For someone who trained as regularly as I did with Brynne, I am very out of breath, the moisture in the air making me feel like I’m drowning and forcing my body to work harder to keep me cool.
Brynne .
I don’t know what is happening back in Blackwood, but I never came home like I’d promised her. Maybe she realized I had accomplished my goal, and was not kidnapped and taken away.
Well, hopefully that isn’t what happened.
Edmond knew what I was doing, and I have the inkling that he knows more than he is letting on. I hope he will be there to help Brynne and prevent anything from happening to her position as my guard.
As much as I want to, I can’t focus on Brynne or home right now. I came here for a reason. Secure the elixir and heal my mother.
“Are we almost to camp?” I ask, as I heave in breaths.
“Sorry, I’ll slow down,” Dane says, pausing for a second as I catch up the last few steps. “We don’t usually walk around the island at night, especially with nothing to light the way. It can get pretty dangerous. I’ll explain in a little bit. We’re almost there.”
We turn off the trail just as it narrows, and bushes and leaves scrape my thick pants. It doesn’t seem like there is any path or guide we are following now. I lean to see past Dane but can’t make out any markers. Glancing back the way we came, I only see the jungle we are pushing our way through, no longer defined trails like before.
I turn forward again before asking, “How do you know where we’re going? I don’t see a path anymore.” I point over my shoulder, gesturing to the completely overgrown area we had just walked through.
“You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.” He walks again and I trail after him. “It’s that way on purpose, to help keep the location hidden and keep us safe.”
“Safe from what?” I say warily.
“The Castaways.”
“Who are the Castaways?”
“I promise I will explain everything you need to know. Let’s get inside first.” He reaches out and pushes through a wall of dense leaves, holding them to the side so I can step through. We trudge on for a few more minutes before we meet a dead end. A vine covered rock face rises in front of us, and there is nowhere to go from here .
I glance around for an escape route, the feeling of unease creeping up on me. Had I trusted Dane too quickly? Would anyone ever know if something happens to me?
The back of my neck tingles as I slowly reach up and set my hand on the hilt of my dagger. I’ll be ready to pull it if this all turns sour. If Dane had lured me in to my death, preying on my desire to save my mother, he is going to have a fight on his hands. He may think that I am just a servant in the castle, but he does not know the years of training I have under my belt. It is the training now that tells me to stay alert and expect anything.
“I know it seems almost impossible to find your way here, but like I said, you’ll get used to it. You’ll start to recognize things after the first few days.” He reaches toward the rock face, grabbing hold of a thick vine that is woven through many others. He pulls it back, lifting them all like a curtain and revealing a dark opening in the rock.
“After you,” he says, gesturing toward the darkness.
“No, I think I’ll follow you.” I am still on alert. I won’t let him overpower me from behind and block my exit as soon as he gets me alone in a cave. All the worst-case scenarios run through my mind, followed rapidly by ways to get out of them.
This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. I’ve done nothing but put myself at risk by being here, and if something happens to me, there is no future queen of Blackwood.
Keep it together, Lennox. Figure out how to stay alive.
He chuckles at my reluctance to lead the way. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lennox. Remember I said you needed to trust me?”
“I remember, but I don’t think trust is blindly given. It’s earned.”
“I see your point.” He holds the vine out toward me. “Grab here and lift. If it will make you feel more comfortable, I’ll go first.”
I take the vine from him, and he steps forward into the opening. The darkness engulfs him, and he completely disappears.
I think back to what Dane said in Blackwood, that the tenets of Dawnlin are hope and trust. Hope got me here, so maybe I really do need to trust.
But just because I am going to trust, doesn’t mean I will do so naively.
I take a deep breath and step into the darkness, letting the curtain of vines drop behind me. My ears perk, listening for any sound of an ambush, but I hear nothing. I say a quick prayer to the gods to get me through whatever dangers might lie before me and step forward.