Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
A Cave
And a Warm Misty Pool
Bria hurried through the village paying little mind to the wary stares that followed her. Her thoughts raced too quickly to settle, one colliding into another until she scarcely knew which troubled her most. Winnie’s words still echoed relentlessly inside her mind.
One of us.
One of Driochmor’s own.
It was impossible and yet…
Her pulse refused to steady. She needed to find Kaelan.
The certainty of that rose above everything else.
Winnie had explained how to reach Elder Kilham’s cottage, but Bria’s thoughts remained too chaotic to focus properly. She missed the narrow turn between two stone cottages entirely and only realized it moments later when the path led her toward the forest edge rather than deeper into the village.
Frustration tightened inside her.
Drawing a steadying breath that did little to calm her, she turned back quickly, forcing herself to pay attention this time.
Then she saw it.
A large fire pit burned brightly, weathered stones circling the flames exactly as Winnie described. Beyond it stood a larger cottage built of dark stone and timber. An older man sat upon a weathered wooden bench and beside him stood Kaelan.
Relief struck her so suddenly she nearly stopped walking altogether.
Kaelan looked focused on what the older man was saying, yet the moment she stepped past the fire pit his attention turned instantly toward her. As though some part of him had sensed her presence. Or perhaps, it was what he wanted to believe when it was her footfalls he heard.
The moment that Kaelan saw her expression, he moved toward her without hesitation. His hand closed gently around hers before she could speak.
“Bria.”
Instantly warmth spread through her, followed almost immediately by something deeper and far more unsettling.
Concern.
His worry for her settled hard enough inside her chest that she nearly staggered beneath the strength of it. She jerked lightly against the feeling, pushing it away before it could settle deeper within her.
Not now.
Right now, she did not want to feel him. She did not want comfort. She only wanted… “I want to leave.”
The words rushed from her before either could speak.
Concern deepened in Kaelan’s eyes. “Bria—”
“I have had enough of Driochmor.” Her voice tightened despite her efforts to steady it. “Enough strange talk and half answers and people claiming to know things about me that cannot possibly be true.”
Several nearby villagers glanced discreetly toward them before quickly pretending not to listen.
Bria cared little. She folded her arms tightly across herself as though holding the confusion together by force alone. “I want to return home to Willowmere.”
“That might not be possible,” Kilham said.
Bria turned to him. “Why not?”
Kilham regarded her calmly beneath thick silver brows. “You may leave only if Driochmor allows it.”
The strange certainty in the elder’s voice instantly deepened her frustration.
“What does that even mean?” she demanded.
Kilham made no effort to soften the answer. “The forbidden land decides who remains and who leaves.”
Bria stared at him in disbelief. “Land does not make choices.”
“Driochmor does.”
The quiet conviction in his words unsettled her enough that she looked instinctively toward Kaelan.
What disturbed her most was that he did not appear surprised.
Her brow furrowed sharply. “You know of this?”
“I know Driochmor is unlike other lands.”
“That explains nothing,” she said, frustrated at responses that held no answers.
Kilham rose slowly from the bench then, the movement carrying more strength than his years suggested possible. “Many who enter Driochmor believe they may simply walk back out whenever they choose.” His gaze shifted briefly toward the dark forest surrounding the village. “Some discover otherwise.”
Bria felt unease stir hard within her chest now. “What do you mean, otherwise?”
The elder clasped his hands loosely behind his back. “Paths change. Forests close. Trails vanish where they once existed. Some seeking escape find themselves walking in circles for days only to return to where they began.” His eyes settled on her again. “Others never find a path out at all.”
A chill crept slowly along Bria’s spine.
Without warning, she remembered the moment she and Kaelan had turned to leave Driochmor. The forest had shifted around them almost immediately, growth thickening unnaturally until the way behind them vanished entirely.
It was as though the land itself had sealed shut.
Kilham noticed, understanding slowly dawning across his face. “You have already seen it happen.”
Bria looked toward Kaelan, reminding, “The forest closed behind us.”
“Aye,” Kaelan said with a nod.
Her pulse quickened. “And you knew this was possible, but never thought to mention such a thing?”
His gaze remained steady upon her. “There was no time to mention it. and you would not have believed me.”
The irritating truth of that only deepened her frustration further.
“This is madness,” she whispered. “Forests do not simply decide who may leave.”
Kilham’s expression remained calm. “No one truly understands Driochmor’s reasons.”
“But someone must.”
A shadow crossed the elder’s face briefly. “Perhaps the council does.”
Bria frowned. “The council?”
“The ones who rule Driochmor.”
She had thought that magic ruled Driochmor, its inhabitants as wild and mysterious as the land itself. Or so she had heard.
She had heard wrong.
Bria shook her head, nothing making sense to her. “Then tell them I wish to leave.”
Kilham sighed. “If Driochmor is not ready to release you, not even the council may force its will.”
The certainty in his voice frightened Bria more than the words themselves. She struggled to steady the chaos twisting through her thoughts, though nothing about this place or the things she had learned since arriving allowed her peace.
Kaelan’s arm slipped around her waist and before he turned her toward him, she felt it, a calm that comforted her. And she allowed herself to sink into it and to lean against him as he drew her close.
“We need to talk.”
The low calmness in his voice left little room for argument.
Before Bria could respond, Kaelan turned slightly toward Kilham. “If shelter may be found here for the night, we would accept it.”
Kilham regarded them both knowingly, his weathered gaze lingering briefly on Bria before returning to Kaelan once more.
“A wise choice. Driochmor is best traveled with a clear mind, and neither of yours appears settled at the moment.”
Heat rose faintly in Bria’s cheeks, though whether from irritation or embarrassment for speaking up as she did, something she had never done, never had the need to do, she wasn’t sure.
Kilham slowly rose from the bench. “A cottage will be prepared for you and food provided. It will give you the privacy that you need since you both have much to think on before morning. In the meantime, there is a place you can bathe in if you’d like.
Though sheltered in a cave, the water remains warm. ”
Bria couldn’t hide her delight with the offer. “That would be wonderful.”
She looked at Kaelan. “You have yet to eat. I will bathe while you satisfy your hunger, then you can bathe.” She turned a smile on Kilham. “We will be at Winnie’s cottage where a meal waits for Kaelan.”
“Winnie will have Tibby show you the way,” Kilham said. “We will talk again.”
Bria followed Tibby along a narrow path winding between cottages and towering trees, grateful for the quiet after everything that had happened since entering Driochmor.
The little fellow trotted happily ahead of her, pausing now and then to glance back as though making certain she remained behind him. His long ears bounced with each eager step, bringing the first genuine smile to her face since leaving Winnie’s cottage.
“You seem pleased with yourself,” she said softly.
Tibby gave a proud little yap in response.
Bria laughed faintly beneath her breath, though the sound faded quickly as the cool autumn wind stirred around them.
The day had grown steadily colder since morning, and now heavy gray clouds gathered overhead, thick enough to swallow what little sunlight remained.
The scent of rain lingered heavily in the air.
She pulled her cloak tighter about herself.
“A warm bath sounds more wonderful than you could possibly understand,” she told Tibby.
The little fellow barked again as though agreeing entirely.
Bria’s smile softened, though her thoughts drifted once more toward Kaelan.
She found herself surprised he had allowed her to go alone.
Not that she expected him to accompany her into the cave itself. The very thought brought warmth instantly to her cheeks. Such a thing would hardly be proper.
Still… she had expected resistance.
A warning perhaps. Or that look he gave her whenever he thought danger might be near. Instead, he had simply agreed.
The realization unsettled her more than it should have.
Why?
Did he finally trust Driochmor enough not to fear for her safety? Or perhaps he trusted Tibby to guide her there and back unharmed.
Or perhaps… Bria frowned faintly. Perhaps he simply needed distance from her as much as she suddenly needed distance from him.
Not that she truly did. The ache that always managed to settle in her chest when she was not near Kaelan had settled there as soon as he was out of sight. She couldn’t possibly miss him, but she did. At least that was what she believed she felt, his absence.
Before she could dwell on it further, Tibby disappeared around a cluster of large stones ahead.
Bria followed quickly and slowed in surprise.
The entrance to the cave rested partially hidden behind a curtain of trailing vines and moss-covered rock, the opening wide enough for two people to walk through side by side. Warm mist drifted softly from within, curling into the chill autumn air.
And beneath it all… a faint glow.
Bria stepped inside slowly.
The cave stretched farther than she expected, smooth stone walls arching overhead while soft shimmering light rose from the water itself, casting gentle silver reflections throughout the cavern.
Steam curled lazily across the glowing pool, the warmth already easing the chill from her skin before she had even touched the water.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
Tibby yapped once, clearly pleased by her reaction, then turned and padded back toward the entrance.
Bria looked after him in surprise. “Leaving already?”
The little fellow gave another bark as though assuring her he would return later. Likely with Kaelan.
The thought he had let her come here alone stirred unexpectedly through her again. She shook it aside gently, slipped off her boots, and moved toward the water’s edge. She carefully dipped one foot into the glowing pool.
A deep sigh escaped her instantly.
The water was far warmer than she expected. Pleasant warmth curled around her skin immediately, softening muscles she had not realized remained tense.
Without another thought, Bria hurried to disrobe, laying her garments carefully upon a nearby stone before sinking slowly into the steaming water.
The glowing water wrapped around her like silk, easing tension from muscles sore from days of travel, fear, and restless thoughts. Steam drifted softly through the cave while the faint silver light beneath the water danced across the stone walls in quiet ripples.
For the first time since entering Driochmor, she felt something close to peace.
She leaned back slowly against the smooth stone edge and closed her eyes. Pleased there was nothing to disturb her peace, no whispers of strange powers, no questions she could not answer, and no unsettling truths waiting around every corner.
Only warmth and silence.
Bria dipped beneath the water, letting the heat surround her completely before rising once more with a slow breath. Water streamed through her hair and down her shoulders while the warmth continued easing away the lingering chill that had settled deep within her bones.
Nearby rested the small chunk of soap Winnie had pressed into her hand before she left.
“For your hair,” the older woman had said with a knowing smile.
Bria reached for it now, breathing in the faint scent of herbs and flowers as she worked the soap gently through her damp hair. Soft lather slipped through the long strands while she slowly massaged her scalp, the simple task unexpectedly soothing.
When finished, she dipped beneath the glowing water once more to rinse it clean.
The cave fell quiet again afterward, too quiet.
Bria stilled slowly in the water, a strange unease creeping over her skin, and listened carefully.
No strange sound reached her ear, only the soft drip of water against stone.
Bria frowned faintly at herself. Driochmor had filled her thoughts with too many shadows and too much uncertainty. She had begun imagining danger everywhere.
Still… she could not shake the feeling that she was no longer alone.
Her gaze lifted slowly toward the far side of the cave.
Something moved, or did it?
Was that a shadow against the stone wall?
Bria’s breath caught instantly.
She remained motionless in the water, her pulse quickening hard enough that she felt it pounding in her throat. Her clothing lay several feet away beyond the edge of the pool, too far to reach without leaving the water entirely.
Was she being foolish or had she seen it?
Then the shadow shifted… she wasn’t alone.
Bria’s fingers tightened beneath the water.
She did not know whether to flee, scream, or remain perfectly still.
Then a familiar voice drifted quietly through the darkness.
“That fear you feel could turn much worse if it were not me standing in the shadows.”
Relief hit her so suddenly she nearly sagged beneath it. Then immediately nervousness followed close behind.
Kaelan stepped forward into the soft silver glow cast by the water.
Mist curled around him while shadows still clung partly to his broad frame, though not enough to hide the steady intensity of his gaze fixed upon her.
Bria swallowed hard. “How long have you been there?”
His mouth curved slightly, though the look in his eyes remained far too intent.
“Long enough.”
Heat rushed instantly into her cheeks.
Before she could even begin deciding how to respond, Kaelan calmly reached for the fastening of his leather vest.
And he began to disrobe.