The Ghost of Tide Gate （Part 2）
(Rowena)
When nightfall finally came, we hurried to the beach where Silverfox insisted the cave entrance was located.
Above us, the starry sky was almost perfectly clear, and both the larger and smaller moon were full, and hovering close together, casting a bright white light along the beach.
The waves ebbed and flowed, crashing against the shore in a rhythmic pattern that felt both soothing and numinous.
As we moved, the sand would glitter with bright white light, giving the effect of millions of tiny stars twinkling beneath our feet and in the waves.
I was so amazed that I stopped in my tacks to stare at the strange spectacle.
The others stared in equal amazement, except for Silverfox, who approached me almost with irritation.
"We need to keep moving. We are nearly there now." He urged impatiently.
I murmured, still staring at the sand, awestruck, "I have never seen anything like this before..."
His voice softened then, only a little. "It is moonstone deposits, from the mines in the Northeastern Isles."
I gasped, "Moonstone?"
Moonstone was one of the most precious stones in the world.
It was rare, and coveted by my many tinkerers and engineers for its amplifying properties.
However, it was most coveted for use in making the most expensive jewelry.
It appeared clear and milky in the daylight and only slightly luminescent, but in the moonlight, it captured the ethereal, radiant light of the stars themselves, glowing and glittering with dazzling brilliance.
I tore my eyes away from the beach and glanced up at Silverfox, noticing for the first time, how his silver eyes reflected a similar light under the moons.
He crossed his arms, "If you are done sightseeing, then we should be on our way."
I sighed heavily, disappointed to leave so quickly, but I moved forward anyways, still taking in the beauty of the beach as I trailed behind the others.
To my surprise, Gareth slowed and walked beside me, following my gaze across the water.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" He asked quietly.
His voice was soft, careful.
"No." I admitted wistfully, my heart fluttering a little at his unexpected presence, "I should like to come back here one day, after Etheria is restored."
Gareth's face twisted as pain etched across his face, but he quickly recovered, drawing back into the same stoic expression. I felt a stab of worry again, but he continued as if it were nothing.
He murmured, "Do you truly believe our home can be restored? Even after everything that was lost after the siege?"
Is this what has been on his mind lately?
I forced an encouraging smile, even though my heart was heavy with sorrow.
"I do not mean the Kingdom in terms of our houses.
I admit, there was a time when all I thought about was seeing the beaches and marketplaces and the castle.
But I have been thinking about what you said back in the Archives, and I am realizing that I no longer wish to see Etheria restored as it was seven years ago. "
He seemed shocked at my words.
"What do you mean?" He asked hesitantly.
I sighed, sadly, "You were right. Etheria was beautiful and prosperous on the outside, but it was corrupt, Gareth.
I saw it all the time. Nobles using their wealth to manipulate politics, the hungry going unfed, the races fighting for superiority.
Even a descendant of a Champion has fallen—turned against his own people right under our noses...
It was never supposed to be like that in Etheria.
It was never what King Osias intended. The people...
they are lost. We have lost our honor. All of us. "
His steps faltered, and he paused, his boots crunching to a halt in the sand. I stopped and spun, meeting his heartbroken gaze, which was fixed on me.
"Do you think we can be restored? Truly?" He whispered.
I took a step forward, standing before him so that we were toe to toe and I was looking up at him.
He drew a sharp breath as I gently placed my hands on his chest and looked into his eyes, searching.
It made me nervous to be so close to him, but I wanted him to know that I truly meant what I was about to say.
"I do not know how to restore our people yet, but I believe there is an answer out there somewhere, something that we are missing.
This dark magic and the Ancient Power are only pieces of the puzzle.
Yet, I fear we are not only at the beginning of understanding, but also the beginning of great danger.
There is a way to restore our kingdom, and it is our duty to find it—even if it requires sacrifice. "
He reached up and placed his hands gently over mine, his voice wavering as he asked, "How much are you willing to sacrifice, Rowena?"
Without hesitation, I answered firmly, "Everything."
We stood for a moment on the glittering beach, his hands still clasped over mine.
I could feel his heart beneath my palm, beating hard against his chest, mirroring my own.
His hazel eyes, which danced in the shimmering lights, were locked intently on mine; but I could not read the expression on his face.
I felt a pull towards him that I could not ignore, no matter how hard I tried.
Even while denying the desires of my own heart, I still desperately needed his strength.
I needed to know...
"Do you feel the same, Gareth? Will you come with me?" I asked.
Finally, I could see a faint, crooked smile curl on his mouth. He took my hands from his chest and held them in his own, squeezing my fingers firmly.
"Yes." He said, as light returned to his eyes.
I wanted to leap for joy, to wrap my arms around his neck in a tight embrace, but Silverfox's impatient voice called out in the darkness.
"Did you want to get into the city or not?" He hissed.
Gareth released my hand in an instant, but his crooked smile remained, and I was happy to see it returned.
He followed me across the sand to where the others were gathered around a rocky outcropping that ran along a section of the city wall.
Silverfox was already lighting the torch we had made from debris in the forest.
He held the flickering torch in front of the tall pile of rockface, revealing a wide tunnel that twisted downward into the ground. I glanced nervously at the rising tide and the silhouette of the two full moons overhead.
As if reading my mind, Silverfox spoke up, "We have to move quickly. This tunnel floods with the high tide."
Gareth peeked warily into the tunnel, then to the quickly rising tide, "Is there no other way?"
Silverfox's reply was quick, sharp, "Like it or not, this is likely the only unguarded passage into the sewers."
"Unguarded? Who would be guarding sewer tunnels?" Gareth asked.
Since he had not been speaking with me, I never got the chance to explain the full details of the plan to him. I wanted to tell him right then, but Silverfox was growing more impatient by the second.
I placed my hand gently on Gareth's arm and whispered, "We haven't any time. We have to trust him."
His eyes flicked uneasily between me and Silverfox before reluctantly agreeing, and following the elf inside the dark, rocky tunnel. Gareth and I followed close behind Silverfox, while Zephyrah and the Dissolver followed near the back, using the light from her palm to see.
As we descended into the narrow underground tunnel, it was clear that it had been carved by centuries of relentless seawater erosion.
The air inside was cool and damp, and the walls were slick with moisture and glistening in the dim light.
The edges of the tunnel curved and narrowed around us, as the crashing of the tides outside grew more distant and hushed.
Because the ground under us was uneven, Zephyrah and the boy struggled to keep up, tripping and wriggling their way down the weathered path.
Then, after the steep descent, the tunnel opened up, leveling off and continuing straight ahead.
As we walked in silence, I felt a growing dread, wondering how long we had until the water started to pour in.
I glanced anxiously at Silverfox, who walked ahead with confidence, though his eyes constantly darted around, watchful and alert, even in the narrow passage.
Then all at once, he came to a stop. I was so surprised by his sudden stop that I nearly toppled into him, but Gareth's arm shot out at the last second and steadied me.
My heart lurched as I followed Gareth's wide-eyed stare to a sheer drop-off just past our feet that seemed to fall endlessly into the darkness below.
Silverfox inched closer and held the torch out over the bottomless void.
Just barely illuminated across the chasm was a ledge lower down, where a squared mouth of a shaft waited, unmistakably carved by human hands.
I crept forward and craned my neck to see over their shoulders.
"How do we get across?" I asked, my shrill voice echoing through the vast chamber.
"How do you think?" Silverfox sneered, "We have to jump."
"B-b-but it is so far." I stammered.
I tried to calm my nerves, but I could not stop the cold fingers of dread from crawling up my spine as I peered warily into the bottomless darkness below.
"It is not as far as it looks," Silverfox reassured me, though there was an obvious mocking tone in his voice.
Zephyrah bravely stepped forward. "I will go first. I can jump the furthest of any of us."
We stepped aside, barely daring to breathe, as Zephyrah sprinted forward and launched herself across the chasm.
For a moment, she hung in the air, her silhouette stark against the torchlight, before she hit the far ledge with a thud that echoed off the stone.
Her light blinked out the moment of her leap, but flickered back as her hooves found solid ground.
She straightened and lifted her glowing palm, casting new light into the carved tunnel beyond.
"Dissolver, you can make it!" She called to the boy, who was leaning over, staring wide eyed across the way.
He gulped hard and looked to Gareth and I, searching for reassurance. Gareth patted him stiffly on the back and nodded, giving the boy the courage to go forward. He drew back and ran, leaping and landing, nearly tumbling into the wall beyond the ledge.
He picked himself up and called out, "It really is closer than it seems!"
"Alright, Rowena." Gareth said gently, placing his hand on my shoulder, "You go next."
My heart began to race, but I swallowed down the fear, gripping tighter to the leather strap of the relic. I nodded then took a step back, readying myself to jump, but Silverfox's hand reached through the dark and clasped onto my cloak.
"Not so fast." He said, voice low, "That shaft leads into the sewers. Once inside the canals, you will find plenty of ladders and entrances to the streets above. There is no reason for me to accompany you beyond this point."
"This was not the deal." Gareth growled, stepping towards him.
Silverfox did not back down, "It was, actually. I agreed to get you into the city, and we are. We are in Tide Gate's underbelly as we speak, just inside the walls. Where you choose to go from here, is not my concern."
He let go of my cloak, and positioned himself in front of the tunnel entrance, holding out his hand expectantly, "I will take my payment now."
My pulse raced as I desperately tried to think of a plan. I was hoping to make an escape once we were in the city, to lose him in the crowd or the bustling streets, but he was too cunning for that. Clearly, he knew better than to allow us out in the open.
"I—I—" I stammered, backing away from him.
Chills ran up my spine as I realized the heel of my boot was nearly at the edge of the path.
A second ticked by, and as I studied his raised brow and cocky grin, I suddenly began to wonder if he also knew better than to expect we would part with the relic at all.
I squeezed the strap tighter in my hand and glanced to helplessly to Gareth, who was already subtly tensing to strike the elf.
"Rowena? What are you doing?" Zephyrah called from the darkness below.
Then, without warning, Silverfox sprang forward, as if the sound of her voice triggered something in him.
In one swift movement, he hurled the torch over my head, sending it tumbling into the chasm, dimming the light around us to mere shadows.
Before I could even blink, he stooped, drew a dagger from his boot, and grabbed my arm with a grip like iron, yanking me against his chest. He pressed the dagger to my throat and froze, calm and cool as if it were an easy feat.
My heart hammered as I struggled to process what had just happened.
Gareth tried to snatch him before he got away, but Silverfox was too quick. He held me in his arm at the edge of the chasm. All that could be seen was our faint silhouettes, the glint of his dagger, and the glowing of his silver eyes.
Silverfox clicked his tongue, then spoke with cold calculation. "Careful now, Gareth. I have buried men twice your size for less. You know what is mine—do not make me flay the girl for it."
I struggled against his grip, but I froze when I felt the sharp blade of his dagger biting into my skin. I tried to search for Gareth's face, but it was lost in the darkness.
I heard Zephyrah's voice call out again, "What is going on up there?"
"I knew we could not trust you." Gareth seethed.
Silverfox's voice was chilling and venomous in my ear. "Desperation makes fools of us all. But only some pay with blood."
My heart and mind raced as I frantically looked for anything I could use to my advantage, but the intense darkness around us made it hard to think and left me feeling panicked.
And then suddenly, I noticed something...
A tremor.
Silverfox's arm shook, and his grip faltered.
Only a little.
Barely even noticeable...
But then, in the same second, his breathing was ragged, as if he struggled to draw that one, single breath.
I would never have noticed it, were I not so close to him.
Zephyrah was right... He is ill...
Then, as if to cover it up, he loosened his grip on me and ordered, "Remove the weapon. And do not bother trying anything clever. My mercy has its limits. One wrong move, and I will not hesitate to gut you."
Cold resolve washed over me as I realized what I needed to do.
If I survive this... Gareth will come find me.
My hands shook as I reached for the leather strap and slowly began to remove the scabbard. I wished Gareth could better see my face. I wished I could warn him of what I was about to do.
If I do not survive... he will understand. I told him what I was willing to risk...
I drew one last deep breath, then quickly ripped the scabbard from my shoulder and tossed it on the ground at Gareth's feet, then at the same time, I planted my foot on the wall beside me and shoved with all my might.
The cries from my companions echoed in my ears as Silverfox and I plunged over the edge.
Helplessly, I watched Gareth's dark silhouette disappear above me as I was swallowed by the darkness of the bottomless pit.