Chapter 24
A elrie followed the group of mercenaries with Shikra close behind her.
The two noble born Dark Elves left, not even bothering to bury their dead goblin slaves; they left them to rot and for the fungi to claim.
They did syphon off some of the remaining venom from the spider carcass, though, as that was a useful commodity in the Evergloom.
What strange poison did Shikra use on her back at the Temple of the Starsun?
It was probably a concoction, made from different poisons for different effects, but it was potent.
Did he consider her Light Elf race when poisoning his dagger before he set out to kill his mark, her high priestess?
Did he collect venom from one of these giant spiders for the poison he used on her?
What else was there waiting for them down here in the dark of the Evergloom?
She pondered what as they walked across the expanse of rock surrounded by columns until they came to a rock bridge, narrow and high above the chasm below, and they had to walk in single file.
She was unable to see the bottom, but the razor-sharp points of the stalagmites struck through the murk below like a spike pit just waiting for her to lose her balance and impale herself upon them.
As if sensing her anxiety, when they finished the narrow bridge and Aelrie could heave a sigh of relief, she felt a hand at the small of her back and turned around. Shikra nodded her forward. She smiled faintly in response to him.
Should she forgive him for his earlier outburst?
His attitude had changed since then. And her anxieties were quieted by such a small gesture, which she was grateful for.
Yet there was something strange about it at the same time.
It was a place on the body she had never been touched before.
It wasn’t an indecent or private area, nor was it a common area of touch, such as the hands or shoulder.
A father could kiss his daughter on the cheek, and a friend could give you a hug, but neither would ever think to touch the small of the back.
There was something about it that felt intimate. Possessive even.
The feeling sat at the back of her mind as they crossed the rock and walked down the path. The mercenaries led from the front, and Shikra kept behind her. She liked the thought of having him at her back. It made her feel invulnerable, protected from the fears of the surrounding dark.
They continued walking for a while along this path until it led to the shore of an underground lake full of black water.
Sharp cut crystals hung down upon the high ceiling and far back wall, giving off some light, but because of the cavernous expanse of the area, it could not hide the dark depths of the water.
She looked to the left of the lake at a narrow cave and tunnel with a river flowing through it, a tributary of the lake.
On its ceiling hung little glowing ribbons of light.
Phosphorescent glow worms nestled into the crags of the lowered ceiling, and the calming blue glow shimmered in streaks in the mirror-like reflection of the river.
But a look to the right showed her utter darkness with no crystals or glowworms. And she knew why. Far down from them was a huge waterfall, as told by the sound of water rushing. Though its depths were unknown, she could not hear its crash upon rocks, so she imagined it fell very, very far down.
Ahead, a dock lay upon the shore near the tunnel with a ship with no sails that was taking passengers up the river into the glowing cave.
It was long, thin, black, and had a deep hull to hold the massive oars that steered it.
Lanterns that housed glowing crystals illuminated the deck and compartments below in a violet hue.
Shikra turned toward the dock to the ship taking passengers. Aelrie followed.
“This way, please,” the female mercenary told them, gesturing to an area off to the side up a rocky terrain with a small waterfall that fell between rocks as it made its way to the river. “Our camp is at the top of the waterfall.”
Shikra turned his attention back to the ship, now taking the last of its passengers. He wanted to leave with the ship. “Let’s take them up on their offer,” Aelrie told him, putting a hand on his arm. “And stay for the night.”
He frowned at her but did not say anything against it.
They trekked up the rock wall, which was not straight up and down but a sloping surface, making it easier to climb.
A large purple crystal spilled forth light on a small stream at the top of the waterfall, making it glow a pale amethyst, and next to it, there were tents and cooking gear arrayed in a neat circle around a campfire.
The mercenaries’ camp.
“It’s not much, but it is comfortable. I can promise you that,” the female mercenary said. “Oh, and before you think me ill-mannered, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Briza. This is my younger brother, Kasmyr.”
Briza was a Wood Elf name, but she was no Wood Elf. “It’s a pleasure. I am Aelrie, and this is…” she trailed off. Shikra probably didn’t want to give his name out to strangers.
“A friend,” Shikra answered.
She guessed correctly then.
“We have some extra tents and bed mats for you,” Briza said as she looked over at another mercenary. He nodded, knowing what she meant, and got the supplies out for them from a chest.
Aelrie and Shikra set up their tents outside the mercenaries’, but there wasn’t that much room on this shelf, so they ended up closer to the entrance of the camp, where they came in from.
Shikra left with two mercenaries to hunt for food, and Aelrie stayed behind to talk to Briza.
Kasmyr rested against a rock. He was pouting and looked like he wanted to be left alone .
“I told him he needed his rest and wouldn’t let him go hunting with the others,” Briza explained to her as they sat upon a flattened rock together. “He thinks I’m being over-protective.”
Aelrie knew the feeling.
“I can’t help it.” Briza shrugged. “I’m his sister. I worry. Ever since…” She shook her head. “No, I needn’t bore you with my life.”
“No.” Aelrie leaned in closer to her. “Tell me. I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours.”
“Well, in that case.” Briza smiled. She was pretty when she smiled.
Briza looked plain at first glance, but there was something in her smile that was captivating.
And the twin braids hanging over her shoulders brought a girlish sort of charm to her otherwise subdued femininity, but maybe that was just because of the brown leathers she wore and her overall sisterly demeanor.
Briza sighed, looked away briefly, and said the next words with little emotion in her voice. “Kasmyr is all I have left in the world. Our parents died a little over two years ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Aelrie knew the pain of loss.
But hers was still too fresh and raw. She understood why Briza said that in such a stoic way, and it wasn’t because she didn’t feel anything.
There is a cold acceptance with death that only comes after you exhaust all other emotions.
It was apparent that the wound Briza felt because of her parents’ death ran deep.
For now, it had healed, but she would forever bear its scar.
“It is alright. I have learned to live since then.” She then looked at Kasmyr. “I had to be strong for him. ”
Briza’s resolve to be strong for her brother was endearing.
But hearing her say this made Aelrie feel embarrassed for some reason.
She was not used to displaying her feelings so openly with words.
She wanted to be more like Briza at that moment.
Maybe then she could explain this inner turmoil she’d been struggling with ever since Lindana’s death.
“What happened?”
“Our parents were merchants, or better yet, runners. It’s how I got my name.
They knew Wood Elf land as well as they did the Evergloom.
” She smiled, getting lost in memory. “They would tell us bedtime stories of the forest, about green things that grew in the sun. Things that both me and Kasmyr could only dream of.”
Aelrie remembered what Shikra told her at the inn. How Dark Elves got their supplies from the surface.
“Running’s a dangerous job,” Briza continued.
“But they always took precautions and knew the safest places to find food using ancient routes Dark Elves had used for centuries, left mostly untouched by the Wood Elves.” She then looked down.
“But the war happened. They got caught by a band of orcs forging for supplies and well … you know how that story goes.”
Aelrie didn’t answer and let Briza finish.
“Of course, we were devastated. And not just because they were our source of income and food.” Briza stopped because her voice wavered. Finally, that show of stoic strength began to crack.
Aelrie placed a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to continue .
“It’s fine. I am over it, or was over it. I don’t know about that now. Talking about it brought up old wounds, I guess.”
“It must have been hard for you,” Aelrie responded. “Is that how you came to mercenary work?”
Briza smiled, but not in a happy way. “Our road here was … tumultuous to say the least. I tell you this now because I am not ashamed of what I did. Kasmyr thinks otherwise, but what I did next helped keep us alive during the time after our parents’ deaths.”