Etheria: Lost Kingdom

The Ghost of Tide Gate （Part 3）

It felt like we were falling forever.

I was sure I had heard water at the bottom of the pit after the torch hurtled over the edge. But the longer we fell, the more I began to doubt what I thought I heard.

At first, I thought I was imagining it when I saw a faint, glowing light below. But as I drew nearer, I quickly realized the light was coming from barely glowing crystals beneath the surface of glimmering water. I braced myself for the impact, but it was harsher than I imagined.

I felt as though I had landed against a wall.

My feet broke the surface of the water, then my body immediately after, knocking the wind right out of me as the torrential waterfall plunged deep into the glittering pool.

The brackish water burned my eyes and shot up my nose, stinging my sinuses.

My body felt numb from the shock of the cold, but I kicked and paddled anyway, fighting against the current, clawing my way to the surface.

When I finally broke the surface, I coughed and sputtered, dizzy from pain and panic.

Darkness swallowed me whole, thick and suffocating, until my eyes began to catch the faintest hints of blue and green shimmering off the rocky walls.

I spun, searching wildly for the elf who had fallen with me.

At first, I saw nothing. Then, not far off, his pale form emerged, thrashing and desperate for air as water streamed from his white hair.

Our eyes met, and his face twisted into a furious scowl.

"Idiot!" he choked out.

Then just as quickly, his face contorted into a painful grimace, and his eyes grew wide with terror.

He wheeled away from me and paddled frantically to the far side of the pool where there was a shallow bank.

I scanned the cavern for another exit, but the blackness was nearly impenetrable.

Gritting my teeth, I drew my sword underwater and swam after him.

The cave around us was immense, the ceiling rising high and jagged far above us.

I could barely see the walls, except where faint glimmers of blue and green light danced across their surface, carried by the wakes of the pool and the luminous crystals below us.

There were massive calcite columns and stalagmites scattered across the ground, wet and shimmering in the dim light.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping small drops that landed on my face as I made my way to the bank.

Silverfox barely made it to shore, collapsing onto the rocky bank.

He dragged himself forward on his elbows, wincing and writhing with pain, as if the impact of the water had exploded his bones.

He rolled onto his back and lay there, panting and grimacing, hardly seeming to care about my presence.

I approached him cautiously, circling him with my sword drawn at my side.

When he did not look up, I pressed the water-slicked blade to his throat.

He choked and coughed, barely managing to get the words out of his mouth, "I have to admit, I expected you to give in easier."

"You think I am so timid? So weak?" I snapped, fighting to stand tall amidst the horrendous pain that surged through my own body from the impact of the fall.

He let out a low, rasping chuckle. "Of course you are. Just a second longer and you would have broken."

I gritted my teeth, "Do you really think it is wise to insult the person holding a blade to your throat?"

He smirked. "You will not kill me. Or if you do, you are far crueler than I ever gave you credit for. Dark streak or not, it takes a cold heart to cut down a man for collecting his due. Especially after I showed you mercy. I could have killed you and taken that weapon in a heartbeat."

Hearing his words, I felt a stab of guilt, realizing that he did have a point. He held up his end of the bargain, and caused us no harm—regardless of how unsettling his presence was. I was the one who did not, yet he did not kill me for it, even though he could have.

I hesitated, slowly lowering my sword and backing away.

I did not want to kill him. Not when he had done nothing wrong.

"I am sorry..." I murmured, "I never intended to actually give you this heirloom."

To my surprise, he did not move. He stayed on his back on the ground, with one arm clutched over his torso, his chest heaving with his ragged breaths.

Finally, he rasped, "Do you really expect me to believe you got us thrown down a hole for a simple family heirloom?"

My heart lurched in my chest and I faltered, "What do you—"

But before I could get the words out of my mouth, Silverfox began to choke and sputter again, grimacing as blood stained his lips.

He rolled to his side, barely managing to push himself onto his hands and knees with his trembling arms. I watched him uneasily, my stomach twisting at the sight of his suffering.

Zephyrah was right.

"You are ill, aren't you?" I murmured.

He spat blood onto the stone, wiped his mouth, and sneered, "Sharp eyes. Or maybe it is obvious when I am bleeding all over your boots."

"What is your illness?" I asked, sliding my sword back into its sheath on my hip, and kneeling beside him.

He sighed and settled onto the cold floor, resting his elbows on his bent knees.

"If I knew, I would not be dying in a hole, would I?

I have scoured all of Solmira looking for answers, or a cure.

I actually thought I had managed to find both.

" He looked at me then, with a cold scowl on his face, "That is, until you decided to play me for a fool. "

My heart lurched, but I tried to keep my composure. "I do not know what you mean—"

"Do not waste your breath. I know more than you think. Enough to know that that little heirloom of yours is more precious than any amount of gold." He paused, studying my face, as if waiting for my reaction.

I tried to keep my face unreadable, but I could tell by his smirk that I still somehow managed to give myself away.

His next words rolled smoothly off his lips, "You know, you almost had me convinced. When you offered the weapon to me so freely, I almost second-guessed myself. Then, I assumed you were just ignorant, and did not realize the treasure you were carrying. But now I finally figured out the truth."

My heart pounded, and my voice wavered. "And what is the truth, according to you?"

His smile widened as he leaned in, his voice dropping low, "You are a liar and a thief, Rowena. You know there is power in the Etherian artifact you carry, the one you stole from the sealed chamber."

I recoiled, stammering, "How—how—"

He cut me off, the words escaping his lips almost causally, "How do I know? Use your head, stupid girl. I was in that swamp for a reason. I was hired to find that artifact, and track down and kill the thieves who stole it."

I gasped and shot to my feet, backing away as I clutched the strap of the relic tightly in my hand. "What! Why tell me this now? Do you still mean to—"

Frantic, I reached for my sword again, but Silverfox's amused chuckle made me pause.

"Relax. Regardless of whatever that thing is, I would not hand any kind of power to the Empire, even if they emptied their Etherian coffers into my lap.

If you can believe it, I have my own interests in your relic, though I was hoping I would not have to kill you to claim it.

Contrary to what it might seem, I do not take pleasure in killing women and children.

And now, even killing you is no longer a possibility... in my current condition."

I stammered, reeling with questions, "The Greater Empire? And—wait, but—why?"

"I told you. Answers. I need a cure for my... condition." A shadow crossed over his face, and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.

I pressed, "How could the artifact possibly connect to your condition? What is your ailment?"

Silverfox's gaze turned ice-cold as he clenched his jaw, clearly unwilling to share more.

My head swam with questions, but before I could ask, the sound of the rushing water behind me intensified.

I spun around. A torrent of white water and bubbles spread through the glowing pool as water spilled in from above, flowing faster by the second.

"The tide..." I breathed.

Silverfox winced, dragging himself upright with a grunt. "Unless you fancy drowning, get moving. This pit is about to become our grave." He extended his arm towards me, still hunched next to the pool, "Now, come give me a hand."

I staggered back warily, "Why should I help you? Moments ago, you threatened to kill me for this artifact, now you demand my help and expect my trust?"

He let his arm fall and snapped, "I do not expect anything.

I wanted the artifact, but I will settle for answers.

If you had been honest from the start, we could have reached this understanding sooner—and maybe avoided this mess.

Either way, unless you can see in the dark, you will not make it out of these caves without my help. "

"Right. Your help. You speak as if you can see in the dark." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

He remained silent, but raised his brow, and a cocky smirk curled on his lip.

Something about the look in his eyes sent a chill up my spine. "You... can? How is that possible?"

He drew a quick breath, then said, "That is a question you might not want answered. For now, it would be better if you just take my word for it."

I swallowed, uneasy, glancing around at the thick darkness around us, weighing his words with apprehension. When I looked back, he was waiting expectantly with his arm outstretched again. Finally, I gave in, stepping closer and hooking my arm under his so he could lean on me while we walked.

At first, I doubted his honesty as we staggered into the dark, stumbling uphill and tripping over rocks and dips I couldn't see.

Soon, the last bit of light from the chamber vanished, and there was nothing but pitch black.

I caught myself leaning on him more than he leaned on me as we trudged forward, barely keeping upright.

Eventually, the roar of the water faded behind us, leaving only our ragged breathing and Silverfox's occasional cough or groan.

The silence, along with the darkness, sent my mind spinning.

I had never known such vast nothingness before.

It felt hungry, as if it were trying to consume us, and for a moment I wondered if I would ever see daylight again.

Though I tried to ignore it, a cold feeling of dread began to overwhelm me, and I did not even notice I was gripping Silverfox's arm tighter until his voice broke the silence.

"There are rocks here. We will have to climb." He stopped abruptly and took my hand in his, guiding it so that I could touch the crumbling pile of stones before us. "It is not too high. You should be able to reach the top easily."

"You really can see in the dark," I murmured.

"Of course I can. I did not lie. If I were not so weak right now, I would have just carried you through that passage and saved us the trouble of your irritating clumsiness."

I gasped, "My clumsiness? You are one who can barely stand!"

He groaned and shoved me forward, "Just shut up and climb. I do not have much time left."

"Time? For what?"

I lingered at the base of the rocks, waiting for an answer, but there was only uneasy silence.

With a sigh, I started to climb. My hands scraped over the rough stone, and loose pebbles crunched under my boots.

He was right; the ledge was lower than it looked.

In just a few quick steps, I was over the top.

I waited there in the black for Silverfox as he hauled himself up, muffling his groans of pain.

Once he reached the summit, I looped his arm over my shoulder again, and we pressed forward, weaving through narrow gaps and ducking under low, jagged arches.

The passage twisted again and again, and the air around us grew cooler, making us shiver in our damp clothes.

Finally, after what felt like ages, I noticed a low hum, faint at first, but it grew steadily louder.

We followed it until at last, a dull orange glow flickered at the mouth of a wide tunnel ahead.

Relief washed over me as the darkness finally broke.

But Silverfox did not seem to reciprocate my relief.

He slowed down, pulling me against the wall and crouching lower to the ground.

We inched forward, careful not to make a sound.

At the mouth of the tunnel, he slipped from my grasp and crouched behind a boulder, and motioned for me to follow.

I crouched beside him and cautiously peered past the rock.

Just across another large chamber, I saw a doorway carved straight into the cave wall, where two torches were mounted, their flames casting wavering shadows across the stone.

Two men stood watch nearby. They were broad-shouldered and cloaked in dark leather, swords and clubs hanging ready at their sides.

Their faces were hard and watchful as their eyes scanned the darkness around them.

"What is this place?" I whispered, as quietly as I could manage.

He hissed back, "The Crimson Syndicate Hideout."

My heart lurched and my relief twisted to dread, "The criminal guild you spoke of? We should turn around— Find another way—"

Silverfox clamped a hand over my mouth before I could protest further. He leaned close and whispered in my ear. "We do not have a choice. If we want to get out—or see your friends again—we will need the Syndicate's cooperation."

"What do you mean? I thought they were dangerous!"

"They are. But if your friends come searching for you—which I suspect they will—the Syndicate will find them first, and they will not hesitate to kill them. The same goes for us if they catch us sneaking around. Our only shot is to convince them to let your friends live—and give us shelter."

"How are we supposed to pull that off?"

Silverfox hesitated, looking away. "They might be inclined to listen to me."

I drew back, warily searching his face in the dim light.

"And what would make them so inclined to listen to you?" I asked through gritted teeth, though I feared I already knew the answer.

For the first time, his confidence faltered. His eyes clouded, and I could see obvious hurt lingering there before he shrugged it away, trying to look unfazed.

"I... might have been involved with the Syndicate at one time... Well—more than involved." He let out a rough breath. "But that hardly matters now. What matters is, there is a chance someone in there might still help us."

"Who?" My doubt was obvious in my voice.

He flashed a crooked smile. "An old friend."

I hesitated, weighing the danger all around us.

On one hand, he was right. The others would come looking for us soon, and if the guild was as dangerous as Silverfox claimed, they could be killed or taken prisoner before they reached us.

Silverfox was also in need of urgent medical attention, and judging by the ghastly way he looked, he would likely not make it much further without it.

But there was something he was not telling me. He clearly knew more about the relic than he let on, and there was something sinister about his condition that he was not willing to explain. Trusting a criminal group with the relic in plain sight felt like the worst plan imaginable.

Still, he had not actually harmed or lied to me—not that I could prove, anyway.

My fear and doubt did not matter much when every option was so grim.

"So, what will it be?" he whispered, his silver eyes fixed on mine. "Do you wish to die in these caverns, or will you live to fight another day?"

I took a shaky breath. "I cannot believe I am saying this..."

He raised an eyebrow, a crooked smile spreading across his face.

"I have no choice but to trust you, Fox. I will follow your lead."

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice low and smooth. "It appears you are finally learning something. There may be hope for you yet."