CHAPTER 9 #3
By the time we reached the outskirts of the city, the sun hung low on the horizon.
This was a different entrance than the one we’d used coming from the sea.
It was guarded by a spiral of spikes that snaked back and forth overhead and ended in a long point.
Passing beneath it was no less intimidating than entering the maw of the Great Dragon.
When we made it through the short tunnel, we emerged into the deep, rich greens and browns marking Rihtish nature.
Vast clearings spanned either side of the road, harboring fenced and sectioned crops.
The road turned into a wide dirt path that eventually led to the dense forest.
My stomach growled, and my spine ached. Drakh was even larger than I remembered, and winding through street after street took most of the day. I shifted to dismount, but Dane turned and held up a hand, halting me.
“Is there something—oh!”
Dane wasn’t just holding up his hand, he was handing me the reins. “You’ve been judged by the people,” he said, failing to mention the verdict. “Now, you must be judged by the divine.”
I stared at him, my mind providing me with absolutely nothing to say.
“Prepare yourself,” he continued. “Above all else, stay calm. Any command I give you, follow without question. Do this, and there is no need to worry. Fail, and I cannot guarantee you your life.”
“My life? What in the Nine Martyrs is going on?”
Dane scoffed. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave your Martyrs behind.”
At that, he withdrew to a beast of a stallion, large enough to bear his frame, and mounted with ease despite his favored leg. The party followed suit. Horses were provided for all, even Gerta.
We rode on as the sky darkened and began to drizzle. Raindrops dampened my hair and tickled my cheeks, refreshing me after a long day in the sun. The winding forest path meandered toward a mountainside. Bracht pulled up beside me and wordlessly handed over a flask.
“I couldn’t possibly,” I admitted, gripping the silver canister. The last thing I needed was alcohol muddling my senses, especially on an empty stomach.
“It’s choirsa. Nourishment. Trust me.” He winked, pulling out an identical flask from his belt. Apparently, winking was a thing he liked to do.
I uncorked the cap and put the flask to my lips.
A rich, sweet, earthy scent wafted up. I took a long drink.
It was thick and hearty, but it went down as easily as cream soup.
The sweetness of oats and honey and a hint of something savory danced across my tongue.
After one swallow, my body demanded more.
I emptied the flask in moments, and when it was gone, I felt satiated though not quite full.
The path curved, revealing a bare patch on the mountain. Through the dim, I could just make out a crack between the rocks.
“We’re headed to a cave?” I asked, turning to Bracht, but he had dropped back.
“Come.”
I stiffened, and Kappa bristled. The voice was low, grumbling, and entirely inhuman. And yet, it was as familiar as a dream. I looked back at the others. Not one looked the least bit perturbed.
“COME.” The voice filled every inch of my being. My body trembled. Still, no one reacted. Even Kappa was steady this time.
Are you a god? I thought back, but there was no answer. Turning again in my saddle, I sought out Gerta’s gaze. Where are we? I mouthed.
Gerta shook her head once. Her eyes were blown wide. They snapped from me to something straight ahead on our path.
I whirled, but there was nothing before me except the approaching mouth of the cave—our destination.
My skin prickled. A thick darkness filled the chamber.
I couldn’t see anything within. As we drew nearer, what had looked like any other cave entrance now loomed like a massive maw, not unlike the entrance to Drakh.
Dane, already off his horse, stalked to my side, motioning for me to dismount.
“Walk into the darkness, Daughter. Do not speak. I know you’re all questions”—he held up a hand, halting the one that was already on my lips—“and answers will be forthcoming. First, you must enter, face any truths that the cave gives you, and return.”
“Walk into the cave and come back,” I reiterated.
He nodded.
If it weren’t for the deathly serious expressions on everyone’s face around me, I would have thought this a bad joke.
My eyes wandered to Gerta, who was still staring at the open cave.
Kahvrah, next to her, was bowing her head and murmuring.
Was that a prayer? Behind Kahvrah, Bracht stood stoically with the copper-haired general, whose stormy eyes, for once, were not focused on me.
I turned away quickly before my gaze drew his attention, but not before noting the ridiculous amount of muscle in his crossed arms. Fuck, his body was inconveniently distracting.
A hand landed on my shoulder—Dane.
“Serae. It’s time.”
I nodded.
“Come,” the voice echoed a third time in my mind, and this time, I was ready for it. It held a different note—alluring and seductive. It was nothing like how lovers call to each other, and yet it was every bit as enticing. My body responded to the beckoning, begging me to move toward the blackness.
So, I did.
Simple as one foot in front of the next, I approached the cave of un-empty dark.
“What are you?” I asked into the cave, afraid to know the answer.
Something beautiful and terrible wrapped around my mind, its warm fingers caressing my thoughts. Everything I thought I knew fell away, leaving me stripped bare in the ebony night.
“Let me in,” it seemed to say.
So again, I did.