by Maya Banks
He motioned her forward, and she knelt on the silk pillow in front of him. She watched as he retrieved a medallion from the monk beside him and slipped it around her neck.
“This is the medallion your father wore in his quest as did every other Leaudorian king or queen before him. I offer my blessing on it. May it keep you safe on your journey.”
Her hand curled around the heavy bronze circlet making her feel a little bit closer to her father.
“May you go with God, Princess Isabella, and return as queen.”
He took her hand and pulled her to stand before him. The monks began to chant softly then louder. Though she didn’t understand the words, she knew what they said from her father’s translations. They offered their prayers and invoked God’s protection over her. Requested the four sacred elements of nature to be one with her and offer her haven.
She closed her eyes as the hum grew softer once more and let the beauty of the ceremony wash over her. When she opened them again, she felt invigorated, powerful and ready to fulfill her destiny.
Father Ling laid a hand on her shoulder. “You will need patience, courage, faith and wisdom to be successful in your quest. I pray that you find all four.” He then handed her a small pouch. “Keep the map in this. It will protect it from the water.”
He walked beyond her to offer blessing on Merrick. Merrick bowed his head respectfully before Father Ling as the monk performed a similar ritual over him.
When he had finished, he returned to Isabella. “Father Gregori will take you through the underground tunnel to the beach. You will have but one hour before the tide reaches its height.”
Quickly transforming back to the practical Isabella who held the fate of a nation in her hands, she felt for the dagger in her boot, reassured that she had easy access to it. With a deep breath, she looked at Merrick and said, “Let’s go.”
* * *
Simon squinted when they stepped out of the dirt tunnel into the sun. Shading his eyes, he did a quick perusal of their surroundings. They were on a small stretch of beach between two large cliffs, one of which they had just emerged from.
“God be with you,” the monk said and bowed before Isabella. He then disappeared back into the tunnel opening that was barely visible behind the rock outcropping.
“Where to now?” he asked. From where he stood they only had one option and that was to the other cliff.
“We go for a swim,” she said with a grimace, setting out into the water.
He followed her into the ankle-deep water. “Where are we going?”
“According to the map, the entrance to the cave is on the outermost edge of the cliff. To get there we have to wade through the surf, and we must get there before high tide.”
“What happens at high tide?” he asked, but she didn’t reply, already several yards ahead of him.
He hurried to catch up with her, the frigid water edging up to his hips. She cut a diagonal line toward the opposing cliff. When they had gone far enough out in the water to see down the edge, she turned abruptly right and began slicing through the water toward the rock surface.
The water was now chest-deep on her and getting deeper. If the water got high enough that she was unable to touch bottom, it would spell disaster for her. The current was strong and would dash her against the cliff. Add to that the icy temperature was fast numbing his extremities. They would have to get out of the water soon or freeze.
“There! There it is,” she said excitedly, pointing toward the wall.
He followed the direction of her hand and saw a small opening in the rock. She struggled to hurry to the entrance. Wanting to hurry as much as she did, he scooped her up against him and dug into the sand beneath his feet, propelling them forward.
They reached the entrance, and Isabella put a hand out to him. “We will have to swim a short distance through the tunnel but it opens up quickly.” Her eyes flashed anxiously, and her hand shook discernibly. “At least I think it does.”
“I’m ready when you are,” he said calmly, trying to infuse a measure of confidence into his voice.
She drew in a deep breath and quickly ducked under the water shooting forward into the cave. He gave her but a moment’s head start before plunging below the icy surface and swimming through the passageway.
The passage seemed to close around him as his hands skated along the walls. He fought the panic that swelled in his chest and concentrated on making it through.
Just when he felt he couldn’t hold his breath a second longer, the walls disappeared under his hands, and he pulled himself upward with powerful strokes. A few seconds later, he bobbed to the surface and saw Isabella come up for air a few feet away.
He glanced around the large cavern, amazed at its vastness. The diameter wasn’t overly large, but the height was immense, stretching nearly as tall as the cliff itself. He could find no apparent way out of the area and hoped it didn’t mean another long swim into the unknown.
“Where to now?” he asked.
“We wait,” she replied, treading water beside him.
He looked questioningly at her. “Wait for what? We’ll freeze in this water.”
She pointed halfway up the wall to another opening. “We can’t access the main tunnel into the cave until high tide. We stay afloat until the water level is high enough for us to climb onto the ledge.”
He stared at her in amazement. While he was certain he could withstand the cold, he wasn’t sure she could. She was much smaller than he. Something would have to be done to keep her warm.
Swimming over to her, he pulled her up in his arms, feeling her icy skin against his. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms trying to infuse some warmth into her limbs.
“I’ll be all right, Merrick,” she said. “The medallion will keep me warm.”
He glanced doubtfully at her. “Symbolism won’t keep you alive. I fail to see the importance of this so-called journey. What purpose does it serve? Aren’t the laws regarding succession enough?”
She frowned. “I suppose it would seem silly to outsiders, but it’s just the way it is done here. The journey is largely symbolic, I suppose. It is a method to gauge the merit of the potential ruler. Not everyone has succeeded in the quest, indeed, many have failed, so I have to think there is more to it than going in and retrieving a few relics.”
“What happens when someone fails?” he asked.
“They are removed from consideration, and the task is put to the next in line.”
So it appeared that the journey was, in fact, a large part of appointing a new ruler. It did sound odd, but the idea of a monarch proving their worth appealed to him. How many times did an inept person inherit the throne with no more qualification than his birth order?
The more he learned of Isabella’s country, the more he was convinced it wasn’t just a fanciful dressing at all, but a nation that took the responsibilities of their ruler very seriously. “So this is a test of sorts,” he said.
“Yes, exactly. If passed, the man or woman is deemed fit to rule and is crowned.”
“It’s logical,” he admitted. “Your customs are very beautiful.” And he meant it. The ceremony had been solemn but very powerful. He had felt humbled to be included, and it firmed his resolve to keep her safe until she was crowned. But more than that, he would see her succeed. At any cost.
After treading water in the frigid waters, Isabella could barely feel her legs. But warmth infused her chest and her arms just as her father had said the medallion had done for him. But more than actual warmth, she could feel her father’s presence. It made no sense, but she felt comforted in a way she couldn’t explain, and the encounter she had during her vision still weighed heavily on her.
A glance upward told her they hadn’t much longer to wait before the tide was at its peak, and they could enter the main cave. Excitement made her forget the discomfort of the cold as she imagined returning to the palace triumphantly.
Merrick swam over to the wall, pressing himself against it.
“If I boost you up I think you can make it now,” Merrick said, interrupting her thoughts. “At least then you can start to dry off.”
She looked up one more time then nodded her agreement. He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her up. “Stand on my shoulders,” he directed.
“But I’ll push you under,” she protested.
“I’ve got a toe hold in the wall. Just be quick.”
Reluctantly she placed first one boot then the other on his shoulders and pushed up so that she stood. It took her a moment to gain her balance and stop weaving precariously, but she steadied herself and looked down at him.
“Reach up,” he said with a labored breath.
She looked upwards and stretched as far as she could toward the ledge. Her fingers slid along the rock, and she was a mere inch from grabbing the edge. “I’m going to jump.”
He made no reply, and she focused intently on the ledge, knowing he could slip at any time.
Concentrating on her goal, she bent her knees slightly and jumped as hard as she could, reaching with both hands to grab the ledge. She caught the edge, and her body slammed against the wall, nearly causing her to let go.
Breathing heavily, she extended her arm so that her elbow lay on the smooth surface of the ledge. Then she pulled herself up so that both arms were completely on top. Her armpits rested against the jagged edge and she took a moment to rest.
She swung her legs, trying to hook her foot on the side so she could haul the rest of her body up. After three attempts, she finally caught it with her boot and pulled as hard as she could to slide the rest of her body up.
Finally, she managed to roll over the top and onto the flat surface. She lay there, catching her breath and closed her eyes in relief. Then she rolled onto her stomach and leaned over the side to look down at Merrick.
The water had risen so that he was a few yards from her now, and in a few more minutes, he would be able to climb up.
She stood and wrung the water from her clothing as best as she was able and hopped up and down to regain the feeling in her limbs. Her gaze darted to the entrance to the main cave but all she saw was a small, very dark hole.
Glancing upwards at the openings in the top of the cave where sunshine poured in, she wondered if she could count on any light in the interior. Butterflies danced in her stomach. So much was unknown, and the idea of a dark, damp cave didn’t exactly make her cheer.
She heard Merrick grunt and rushed over to help pull him up out of the water. With a heave, he rolled over the edge and landed at her knees. He grinned up at her. “We meet again.”
Unable to help herself, she knelt, lowered her lips and kissed him softly and lingeringly.
“Now that’s one way to warm a fellow up,” he said as she drew away.
She smiled and stood, offering her hand down to help him up. “Well, that certainly took care of the patience aspect,” she said wryly.
He grasped her hand and pulled himself up to stand beside her. “Is that it?” he asked pointing to the entrance.
She nodded and gulped nervously.
“Shall we go then?”
Chapter Twenty-One
It was dark. So dark she couldn’t make out her hand in front of her face. She could feel Merrick close behind her and was comforted by his presence as they scraped along the tight corridor on hands and knees.
Isabella felt along the wall with one hand and kept the other straight in front, waving it back and forth to make sure nothing obstructed the pathway.
As they rounded a sharp curve, she blinked rapidly. In the distance she saw faint light. So faint she thought at first she had imagined it. But as she increased her speed, the light grew brighter.
Eager to reach the source of illumination, she scrambled faster. Soon the entire passageway was bathed in light, and a few feet ahead, she could see the opening enlarge.
She reached the end and crawled out of the tunnel into a large cavern. To her amazement the source of light was a series of torches placed in a circle in the middle of the room.
Merrick stepped out behind her and glanced around the room. Together they walked toward the torches. Each was about two feet long and held by a wire cradle. In the center of the circle was a carving of the sun.
She pulled out her map and carefully unfolded it. She studied the symbols and pinpointed their current location on the parchment. A frown creased her forehead as she looked up from the map and located several passageways leading from the room. According to the map, one of them would lead her to the next chamber, but it wasn’t specific as to which one.
“What is the matter?” Merrick asked, looking over her shoulder to the map.
“I’m not sure which passageway to take,” she muttered. She massaged her temple with her free hand, willing herself to think.
There were three exits around the room. The first had a huge opening, one they could easily walk into. The second was slightly smaller but was lit by a series of wall sconces. The third, if you could call it an actual passageway, was so small she feared Merrick might not fit, and it was completely dark. A feeling of suffocation assailed her at the thought of entering such a tunnel.
“Looks like someone has already lighted one,” he remarked, gesturing toward the middle pathway.
She frowned again. “Precisely. And that’s what bothers me. What is the challenge in walking down an already prepared passageway?”
The monk’s words came back to her. Patience, courage, faith…That was it! Courage was next. “There,” she said pointing at the smallest of the tunnels. “That’s the one.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Which of the passageways would you say required the most courage to go down?” she asked.
After a quick perusal of the three, he nodded. “I suppose you are right. At least I hope you are. I shouldn’t like to get stuck.”
She picked up one of the torches and handed it to him then took another for herself. “Let’s continue on.”
She folded the map and shoved it back into the pouch. They walked over to the darkened tunnel, and she knelt down to peer inside.
“Would you like me to go first?” he offered.
She thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t feel right. This is supposed to be my quest. I must prove myself worthy.”
She inched forward into the hole, using her free hand to brace herself on the floor. Though she couldn’t move quickly, she was able to make steady progress. The torch flickered and warmed the cramped area around them, and she could feel her clothing drying more rapidly.
The tunnel narrowed the farther they crawled. “Can you make it?” she called back to Merrick.
He grunted in return and she smiled, imagining his large body compacted into such a small space.
After nearly an hour of torturous travel, she tumbled out of the tunnel and onto the floor of another cavern. “Careful,” she warned, but she heard Merrick tumble out behind her, cursing under his breath.
She held up her torch to illuminate her surroundings and could only make out that they had entered a similar room to the one they had just left. She walked forward, swinging the torch from left to right in an attempt to see anything.
“Over here,” Merrick called.
She whirled around and quickly walked to where he stood. He lit a torch that hung on the wall and walked a few spaces more to light another one. Soon the room glowed with the light of a dozen torches.
Once again she unfolded the map and studied it intently. On the map, the room they were currently in was identified with a moon. Made sense. The last room was the sun. This much darker room was the moon. From the moon, a line was drawn to the right. She looked toward the left then the right. Both had passageways leading from those directions.
Carrying her torch, she headed for the right tunnel. Though the passageway was narrow, th
ey could both easily stand and walk which made the going much faster. When she stepped out of the tunnel and into a larger open area, she paused and waited for Merrick to catch up.
As she moved her torch slowly from right to left, she heard a noise that sounded like hoof beats. Then she realized it was the flapping of wings. She barely had time to duck before hundreds of bats swarmed over her head and into the tunnel Merrick had just stepped from.
She placed her hand over her chest, trying to still the thundering of her heart. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath. Surely a year had just been frightened from her.
Merrick slid an arm around her and squeezed reassuringly. “You are doing fine.”
She smiled and moved forward into the small room, looking around for torches to light. To her surprise, as she neared the far end, she discovered that this was not the small space she had thought. Indeed it was an enormous cavern. They were just on a small ledge with a large gap between them and the rest of the cavern.
As she neared the edge, she looked down into the darkness. She kicked a stone listening for when it hit bottom. But silence was the only thing she heard. Gulping, she backed away from the edge.
“Looks like you have two options,” Merrick said, gazing out over the chasm.
She moved in his direction and took in what he was looking at. There were two bridges leading across the drop off. Both led into a tunnel on the opposite side. But neither was accessible from the other bridge. A huge stone outcropping jutted outward over the gap, isolating the two passageways from one another.
It appeared she had another choice to make. She consulted the map, but she already knew it wouldn’t be any help. It was more a general guide to keep her on the right path. Any choices to be made would be hers to make alone.
“This one isn’t safe,” Merrick spoke up.
She put away the map and walked over to the rickety rope bridge that led to the other side. Her gaze went to the other option. A natural stone bridge spanned over half the gap and where it ended, sturdy logs had been laid to complete the path.
