Chapter 31 Alar
ALAR
"The storm tests not just the oak, but the grove that shields it and the earth that feeds it."
—Elurian Proverb
The cave was enormous, its ceiling lost in shadows far above our heads. As our groups huddled around hastily built fires, the warmth from the flames was heavenly after the bitter cold of the blizzard, but I still couldn't feel my toes.
"Everyone, gather round," the head guide called out, his voice echoing off the walls. "I need your attention."
The man's face was weathered, speaking of years spent in these mountains, and there was both authority and kindness in his expression as he waited for the murmuring to die down.
"The storm's severity necessitates that we remain here until it passes.
We will spend the night here," his voice boomed, amplified by the echoes bouncing off the walls.
"If the storm continues tomorrow, we might be stuck in this cave for another day, and your pilgrimage will last longer.
If we are lucky, and it clears out by morning, we will reach the summit, just much later in the day than was planned.
The good news is that we have plenty of water here, but the bad news is that your fast will last longer. "
As groans and complaints rippled through the assembled pilgrims, my stomach twisted painfully, reminding me that we were already on the second day of our fast.
"What if the storm doesn't clear for days?" someone called out.
The guide's expression remained steady. "That's usually not the case, but it's better to stay hungry than risk your lives. The pilgrimage is about the journey as much as it is about the destination. Sometimes Elu tests us in unexpected ways."
More grumbling followed, but none contested the lead's decision. They might not be happy about it, but they accepted it as part of their trial.
"Now for some more good news," the guide continued. "This cave has its own source of fresh water, so you can refill your canteens and also wash up. We'll organize groups to go in shifts—men and women separately to allow for privacy."
The announcement was met with enthusiastic murmurs and even some clapping, but Codric's expression remained grim as he held his hands out to warm them next to the fire. "What do you think? Can we heat some water over the fire and pretend it's soup?"
I chuckled, and as I did, I realized that my head felt clearer and that it had been that way since the trail collapse earlier in the day. The crushing pressure that had made every breath a struggle seemed to have eased.
Was it thanks to the medication Lysara had given me? Or perhaps I had just grown accustomed to the altitude. It was also possible that the adrenaline rush had contributed to it. Another option was the cold. It probably condensed the air, making it easier to breathe.
"You're looking better," Kailin observed from across the fire.
"I think I'm finally adapting." I took a deep breath to test it. "Either that or nearly freezing to death shocked my body into submission."
"Ladies," Lysara said, walking toward us. "Our group is next in line. Gentlemen, be ready to head out when we return."
Shovia rose to her feet and pulled her backpack over her shoulders, leaving the sleeping bag and coveralls to dry next to the fire. "I can't wait to get clean."
As Kailin gathered her things and left with her friend, Codric groaned. "I can't wait to wash my feet. They probably smell worse than a dead mountain goat by now."
"It's not just your feet, cousin," I teased.
"I bet you both stink," Morek said. "But I can't smell you because of my own stench."
When he looked up and his face reddened, I turned to look at what or rather who was the cause of his sudden embarrassment. As I suspected, it was a beautiful girl with long hair and high cheekbones, and when she smiled at Morek, he practically swallowed his tongue.
"That was incredible what you did earlier," she said with a husky voice.
"Your quick reflexes and strength were truly remarkable.
I can't believe you managed to catch them.
I was certain they were going to die." She didn't even realize that one of the people she was talking about was sitting right next to Morek.
The guy's face flushed a deeper shade of red. "I… uh… thanks. It was… I just reacted, you know?"
She twirled a long strand of honey-colored hair around her finger. "Don't be bashful, Morek. You're a hero."
I watched with amusement as Morek stumbled through a response, all his usual confidence and swagger nowhere to be seen.
"Um, would you like to sit down?" he offered.
"Maybe later." She turned to look over her shoulder. "I'm waiting for the girls in my group to get a turn at the pool. I can't wait to clean up."
Somehow, she'd managed to look pretty clean to me. Compared to her, our entire group was filthy.
The two kept talking until Kailin, Shovia, and the other girls of our group returned, looking clean and refreshed but still exhausted.
It had been a hard day for all of us.
"The water's freezing," Shovia announced, dropping down beside Codric. "We just did a quick scrub down with washcloths, but even just that felt amazing."
"Brushing my teeth was the best part," Kailin added, settling cross-legged near the fire. "I was tempted to eat the toothpaste."
Shovia laughed. "That would have been sacrilegious, Kailin. Breaking the fast with minty fresh rebellion."
Codric reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the leaves Lysara had given him earlier, and before I could stop him, he popped it in his mouth.
"Don't," I started to say, but it was too late. "Why did you do that?"
"I need to chew on something."
"Men's group," Lysara called out. "It's your turn."
"Perfect timing," Morek said, quickly gathering his things as if he couldn't wait to get away from the girl. "Will I see you later?" he asked her.
She offered him a bright smile. "After I get washed as well. My group is sitting over there." She pointed. "You can see when we are back and join us."
He nodded, and then the three of us joined the rest of the men of Lysara's group.
We headed deeper into the cave, following a male guide who was carrying a torch.
The water source turned out to be a clear pool fed by an underground spring, and it was illuminated by several torches mounted on the cave walls.
Following the girls' advice, I pulled a washcloth out of my pack, wet it in the cold water, and then rubbed a piece of soap on it. I took off my shirt and started on my armpits. Codric did the same, but Morek seemed to have other ideas.
The guy stripped down completely, grabbed a bar of soap from his pack, and then dove into the pool with a whoop, the soap clutched in his hand.
"Idiot show-off," Codric muttered. "He'll freeze his ass off and get sick."
"Come on, you two," Morek taunted from the pool, pretending that he was doing great and somehow keeping his teeth from chattering. "The water is great."
"Yeah, I bet." Codric kept rubbing the washcloth over his chest.
When two more Elucians followed Morek's example, stripping and jumping into the pool, Codric and I exchanged glances.
We couldn't let these Elucians best us. Our pride wouldn't allow us. We had to prove that Elurians weren't as soft as they all thought.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I started stripping down. Codric muttered a curse under his breath and did the same. I grabbed a bar of soap and dove into the pool.
The cold hit me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs. Every muscle in my body seized up, and for a moment, I thought I might die. But then survival instinct kicked in, and I forced myself to move, to swim, and to prove I could handle it.
Codric's splash beside me sent a wave of icy water over my head, and when he surfaced, his teeth were chattering so hard that I could hear them over the splashing of the other men who'd followed our lead.
"This was a terrible idea," he managed to say between chatters.
I couldn't argue with that assessment. We washed as quickly as possible, but by the time we climbed out, I couldn't feel most of my extremities. The cave air that had seemed so warm before now felt like a freezing wind against my wet skin.
"Look at those softies," Morek laughed as we frantically dried off with washcloths and scrambled into clean clothes. "Can't handle a little cold water?"
"That's not water," Codric said, his teeth still chattering. "That's liquid ice."
We practically ran back to our fire, both of us reaching for our sleeping bags and wrapping them around ourselves. I huddled as close to the flames as I dared, trying to control the shaking.
"Poor baby," Kailin said with a barely contained laugh. "You look cold."
"Your observational skills are as astute as your talent for understatement," I managed to say through chattering teeth.
Morek returned with his usual swagger and a bright smile on his face. Sitting down on top of his sleeping bag, he braced his elbows on his knees. "Crazy story time!" he announced, seeming completely unaffected by the icy plunge.
I looked at him skeptically. "What do you mean?"
"On the second night of the pilgrimage, it's tradition to share stories based on our hallucinations. One person starts, then the next person continues the tale, and so on."
That sounded suspiciously like something he'd just made up. I glanced at Kailin for confirmation.
"I've never heard of this tradition," she said, but there was amusement in her eyes.
"My cousin told me about it when he came back from his pilgrimage last year. We even played it a few times." Morek shifted to get more comfortable. "I'll start. Once upon a time, there was a mountain goat who wanted to be a dragon…"