Chapter 55
Aella
After we left the cacti forest, I rode next to Darrow and side-eyed him frequently, where the plant sat happily in his lap.
He’d ridden on his cat stiffly at first, anxiety leaking through our mating bond for much of the way, but in the last ten minutes, I noticed him absentmindedly stroking the baby’s green head.
There were no needle holes at the top, which likely made it the safest place.
Still, he didn’t seem aware of what he did.
The path grew steeper as we wound our way up the mountainside. I was relieved that the cats remained sure-footed, though they knocked pebbles and rocks down the sharp decline next to the trail. Everyone’s mood perked up when we finally arrived at the cave entrance, where Loden guided us.
“As a warning, there are dangerous spiders in here,” he said.
“How big?” I asked.
His brows scrunched. “Small, maybe the size of a thumb tip, but that makes them harder to spot until it's too late.”
Jax let out a snort. “Tiny spiders—as if that’s a big deal compared to all the other dangers in Zadrya.”
“I always put them to sleep if they get near me,” Faina said with a shrug.
“Perfect.” I drew her attention toward the little cactus, whose small mouth made excited hissing sounds. “You can do that when you see any, and Darrow can use his powers to move them to the baby. He needs to eat, anyway.”
“I suppose that works. Also, I did bring a special repellent cream, but it smells awful,” Loden said, gesturing to the pack he had tied behind him on the cat.
Jax dismounted. “I’ll take it anyway because I hate spiders.”
“They’re not that bad,” I argued.
Since they provided excellent nutrition for some of my plants, I occasionally made special trips to the woods to catch them.
A net and sturdy gloves worked for gathering the venomous ones, and I could grab the rest by their legs to put them in a container.
Crawling bugs never bothered me the way frogs did.
Darrow gave me an amused look. “Is it only amphibians that disturb you, then?”
“And arrogant men.”
“You like that about me,” he said, sliding down his cat with the hissing cactus in tow.
Only when you’re fucking me hard.
He stumbled over a rock and nearly lost the plant he held. Temptress.
You like that about me.
Darrow straightened and headed inside the cave. I won’t argue that point.
The rest of us dismounted, with me ordering Jax to bring the bag of sand we’d acquired. “Carry that until we find a place to put it.”
“Why me?” he asked.
I gave him a sweet smile. “Because you’re big and strong. But if you’d prefer to take the cactus off Dare’s hands, he can hold the bag.”
“Carrying the sand will be my honor.”
Just as I suspected. “Thank you.”
The rest of us lugged the mining gear while the cats found places just inside the cave to rest. It was mid-afternoon, with the day's highest heat for the time of year. This far up in the mountains, though, it was barely warm. They were likely hot from the climb.
We moved through the cave, following Loden.
He’d read the most recent accounts on where to find the turlarium and had a light orb he’d produced with his magic that enabled him to find his way.
It took half an hour to walk through the various narrow and wide paths behind him, often having to duck for low ceilings.
It was a relief when we finally came across veins of the silver-colored ore we needed visible in the walls.
He’d said it was plentiful here since it had few uses.
Just behind us, there had been a spacious cavern area. We backtracked to set down the gear. I took the bag of sand from Jax, placed it on the ground near a cave wall where it would be out of the way, and opened the top.
“Come on, little one. You need to rest and get some nutrients,” I said, gesturing at the cactus in Dare’s arms.
It made happy hissing noises as it hopped over to the bag and jumped into the opening.
A contented sound came from it as its roots settled inside.
Not a moment later, it fell asleep upright.
I was utterly fascinated by its intelligence and behaviors.
Had no one truly given this species a chance before now?
Or maybe some had but never reported it.
“Do you think when we pass back through its home, the cactus will return to its family?” Darrow asked, coming to stand by my side.
I brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. “I doubt it. This one is naturally curious, which is why we found it so far away. I have a feeling it will want to stay with us.”
He sighed. “I suspected you might say that.”
“Does the cactus really bother you that much?”
I could sense his sudden amusement through our bond. “It has grown on me…a little, but I’m not certain we are the best ones to care for it right now.”
He made a good point. “We’ll explain things to it, and hopefully, it will enjoy the variety of friends it can make in my garden. I have an open spot with plenty of sun that it might like near the crunchertraps.”
“What will they think?” he asked, skeptical.
“You never know until you try.”
Most of my garden was one big experiment, full of trial and error, which was why it never bored me. I did want to make the cactus as comfortable as possible, though. Most of my other intelligent plants weren’t as overtly sweet and cuddly as this one, which made it even more endearing.
“Let’s get this mining over with, and maybe later we can check on those hot springs Loden mentioned,” Darrow said.
“Sounds good.”
I watched as a small spider crawled straight into the sleeping plant’s open mouth. It closed and made an odd gulping sound. That was interesting. Some types of flora produced scents that attracted bugs, but no one knew much about the hissing cacti. Perhaps they do that as well.