Chapter 121
I sat cross-legged a few feet away from Rhaevan, my clothes soaked through and my hair dripping steadily onto the cavern floor. I was cold, exhausted, irritated, and, most importantly, furious.
Rhaevan, meanwhile, had apparently decided that the safest course of action was to look anywhere except at me.
His attention shifted from the cavern wall to the floor and then to his hands, as though he had suddenly discovered that facing the consequences of his decisions was considerably more difficult than making them.
Every few moments, he scratched the back of his head, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
I glared at him.
"You moron with the brain of a toad!!"
His eyes flicked toward me before immediately returning to the floor.
"I told you specifically not to jump after me!"
I continued, my voice echoing through the cavern.
"I told you I could handle myself. But did you listen? No. Of course not. You saw me get dragged underwater and decided that was the perfect moment to throw yourself into a lake full of murderous Vortex!"
He remained silent.
"Had I not been able to use my magic down there, do you have any idea what would have happened?"
Still nothing.
I slapped my palm against my forehead and groaned. "Oh, dear gods. Who made you the High Arcanist with that level of common sense?"
His mouth twitched.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Are you smiling?"
"No."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You absolutely were."
"I was not."
"You know what? Don't bother."
I turned away from him with an exaggerated huff and folded my arms across my chest.
For a while, neither of us said anything. I made sure not to look at him, while he shifted beside me, apparently debating whether speaking would be worth risking his life.
"I'm sorry."
I stared straight ahead.
"Cassie, I'm sorry."
I continued studying the cavern wall as though it had suddenly become fascinating.
"You could at least look at me."
I crossed my arms tighter.
"I know I should have waite-"
I finally turned my head and gave him a look sharp enough to cut stone.
"To hell with that sorry of yours. Don't talk to me."
He closed his mouth.
Good.
I turned away again, fully intending for that to be the end of the conversation.
Unfortunately, Rhaevan apparently had other ideas.
He shifted beside me.
I ignored him.
"I really am-"
I lifted one hand without looking at him.
"Don't."
Silence settled between us again.
Then, very softly, he said, "I'll be quiet."
Much better.
I sat there for several minutes, refusing to acknowledge his existence.
I could feel his attention on me every now and then, but I stubbornly kept my eyes elsewhere.
The cavern ceiling was suddenly fascinating.
So was the water dripping from a crack in the rock several feet away.
I even found myself studying a particularly ugly patch of moss.
Anything was better than looking at the idiot who had nearly gotten himself killed because apparently watching me disappear underwater had offended his hero complex.
Then I sneezed.
"Ah-choo!"
I rubbed my nose and frowned.
Wonderful.
I was wet, cold, exhausted, and now apparently getting sick.
Rhaevan shifted beside me.
"Don't," I warned.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Good."
A pause followed.
"You're cold. I can-"
"I said don't talk to me."
Another pause.
"All right."
I hugged my arms around myself and glared at the floor.
After another minute, I decided that sitting around being angry wasn't going to help us find the third clue. Besides, if I stayed there much longer, I was going to freeze.
I pushed myself to my feet and walked toward the bank.
Rhaevan didn't follow.
At least he had learned something.
The Compass was lying exactly where I'd abandoned it earlier, its metal rings having returned to their original configuration. The faint runes etched along its surface were slowly glowing, almost as though the device had awakened again now that the second fragment was safely inside it.
I picked it up and turned it over in my hands.
"Fine," I muttered to myself. "I'll figure this out."
I retrieved the satchel and pulled out the living map. The parchment still displayed the cavern, its magical lines shifting faintly across the surface.
I stared at it.
Then I remembered that the dragon, after we retrieved the first fragment, had asked me to place the Compass on the parchment before the next location appeared.
That had to mean something.
I placed the Compass on the parchment.
The runes immediately brightened.
Lines appeared across the map, glowing faintly beneath the metal device.
I leaned closer.
"Yes," I whispered. "Come on. Show me the next clue."
Nothing happened.
I waited.
Still nothing.
I lifted the Compass and placed it back down.
Nothing.
I rotated it. I turned it sideways. I flipped it over.
Still nothing. I frowned, "What am I missing?"
I moved the Compass across the map, trying different positions. The runes continued glowing, but the parchment stubbornly refused to reveal anything new.
"Come on," I muttered. "You magical piece of paper. You cannot possibly expect me to solve this without at least one helpful hint."
The map remained silent.
I stared at it.
The map stared back, metaphorically speaking.
I moved the Compass again and tapped the parchment in frustration before glancing over my shoulder.
Rhaevan was watching me.
The moment our eyes met, I immediately looked back at the map.
No. I was not asking him.
I had just spent the last several minutes telling him not to talk to me. Asking for his help now would completely destroy the point.
I returned my attention to the map with renewed determination.
I could solve this myself.
I was perfectly capable of solving a magical treasure hunt.
Probably. Eventually. With enough suffering.
I placed the Compass down again and stared at it.
The runes glowed, but the map did absolutely nothing.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Fine," I whispered. "We can play this game."
Behind me, I heard Rhaevan quietly sigh.
I ignored him.
The map remained infuriatingly blank.
I glared at it for another few seconds before finally dropping back onto the ground.
"Stupid map."
For a while, neither of us said anything.
The cavern was quiet except for the faint sound of water dripping somewhere in the darkness. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ignore the chill that had settled into my bones.
"Ah-choo!"
I sniffled. Wonderful.
A moment later, another shiver ran through me. I tried to ignore it, but another followed, and soon my teeth were beginning to clatter.
Rhaevan exhaled quietly beside me.
Before I could say anything, he was already getting to his feet.
I glanced at him.
He lifted one hand, and the familiar shimmer of his space void appeared beside him. He reached inside and slowly pulled out my bag before holding it out to me.
I snatched it from his hand.
I opened the bag and pulled out a dry set of clothes. Then I stood, intending to change.
That's when I realised something.
I looked around the cavern.
There were rocks, water, open space...
And Rhaevan. Not an ounce of privacy.
Crap. Where was I supposed to change?
I looked around again, as though a changing room might magically materialise if I stared hard enough.
Shit.
I stood there awkwardly, clutching my clothes to my chest and shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
Rhaevan glanced at me.
His eyes moved to the clothes in my hands, and understanding immediately crossed his face.
Without saying anything, he turned away and began scanning the cavern. His gaze moved across the walls, the lake, and the scattered rocks until he noticed something farther along the cavern wall.
He walked toward it.
I watched him curiously as he stopped near what appeared to be a solid section of rock. He leaned slightly to one side, examining a narrow gap between two uneven slabs of stone.
A moment later, he looked back at me before gesturing toward it.
I slowly walked over.
There was, in fact, a narrow space between the rocks, partially concealed from the rest of the cavern. It was just wide enough for me to slip inside, and the angle of the rocks provided enough privacy to change without being seen.
Oh, that would work.
Rhaevan stepped aside, leaving the space for me. He then gathered the parchment and Compass and walked toward the opposite side of the cavern, giving me the privacy I needed without making a word of it. He stopped several paces away and turned his attention to the map, his back toward me.
I hesitated for a moment.
Then I slipped into the narrow space.
I quickly changed out of my soaked clothes, keeping one eye on Rhaevan whenever I could.
Not once did he turn around.
He remained exactly where he was, quietly examining the parchment and Compass while giving me the privacy he had so naturally understood I needed.
I changed as quickly as I could.
Once I was done, I gathered my wet clothes and stepped back out.
I looked toward the entrance.
Rhaevan wasn't there.
I frowned and looked around the cavern.
My eyes moved toward the spot where he'd been standing.
It was empty. "What?"
I walked a few steps forward, looking toward the cavern entrance and then back at the narrow passage.
He had vanished.
I stared at the empty space, a strange feeling settling in my stomach.
What was he up to now?