by C.K. Bryant
Chapter Forty
The first thing Kira did was strap on her dagger, the leather cuffs she found in the trunk and her healing pouch. She sat her bow and quiver of arrows near the shelves so she could grab them quickly, then took time to fill two vials for Octavion. It wouldn’t hurt to have a spare.
When she’d finished, she decided to go exploring. The heavy wool blanket that hung on the wall of the cave piqued her curiosity. She took one of the candles Octavion had lit earlier, poured some wax onto a small metal plate and pressed the base of the candle into it to hold it in place.
She glanced behind her to make sure Toran still guarded the door, pulled back the wool blanket and stepped inside. The opening was wide, but low. She had to hunch over to walk down a narrow rock corridor before it opened up into a small room. Much smaller than the outer cave, the walls were rough and jagged instead of smooth. As she stepped further into the space, the flame of the candle brought the primitive furnishings into view. To the right, a rustic cot rested against the wall. The frame, crafted of hand hewn logs and sections of rope weaved from one side to the other, supported the mattress of hides and blankets.
At the back were more shelves—filled mostly with books, their yellowed pages in much better condition than the ones in the other room. Between the stacks were small wooden bowls and containers as well as a ceramic cup filled with metal instruments—most with sharp edges or wicked-looking blades. To the left was a small desk, also made of logs, topped with a slab of wood that had been polished smooth. Kira ventured a little closer, pulled out a small stool from underneath the desk and sat. It felt strange invading his privacy, but there was another part of her that felt comfortable and at ease among his things.
Kira spun around on the bench to set the metal plate on the desk. As she did, her elbow knocked a pile of papers onto the dirt floor. She sighed, slid onto her knees and gathered them into a neat stack, returning them to the desk—all except one. A black leather bound book had been among them and now lay open, a delicate ink sketch of a young girl’s face staring back at her. Picking it up, Kira returned to the bench and laid the book to rest on her lap. The sketch was of her.
She slowly turned the page to find yet another sketch, this one of Toran. The words written beneath it were a combination of letters and symbols. She flipped to another page, and another, until one in particular caught her eye—a detailed sketch of Kira sleeping in the shelter. She ran her finger over the foreign words written beneath it. Sleep well, my love. The meaning seeped into her mind as if someone had whispered it into her ear. How do I know that? She tried to decipher the other words on the page in the same manner, but nothing came.
Kira closed the book, slid it under the pile of papers and picked up the metal plate. The candle had burned within an inch of going out, so she thought she’d better get back to the main cave. She stood and took a few steps toward the opening, but hesitated when the lid from a large wooden crate caught her eye. She’d thought it was simply leaning against the wall near the bookcase, but now that she saw it from a different angle, she realized it hung from hinges and large metal bolts drilled into the cave wall. She looked down at the sliver of candle that remained and almost dismissed her curiosity, but then decided to give in.
As she neared the door, she noticed sections of animal fur skirting the edges, especially near the bottom. She reached for the makeshift handle and untwisted the piece of rope that wound around it, letting the door fall open a couple inches. A burst of cold air escaped, chilling the room. Kira pulled back the door and held the candle out in front of her. The opening seemed much like the one leading into the small room, she had to duck her head to get through. Once inside, she blinked hard to be sure of what she saw.
For one thing, the little glow of light coming from the candle was lost in the expanse. She could only see darkness beyond ten or fifteen feet. And then there was the ice. High above her head she could just make out the tips of frozen stalactites. Water dripped down their lengths and trickled down the side of the walls. She lowered the candle to the ground to also find ice beneath her feet.
She took two small steps into the cave, noticing a small stack of wooden crates off to one side. Her feet slid carefully along the path as she neared them. She pulled open the one closest to her to find it filled with fruit. Now she knew his magic. He had his own little cooling system tucked inside his lair.
After grabbing an apple off the top, Kira replaced the lid and turned to exit the cave. Her sudden movement not only caused a breeze to extinguish the flame, but her feet to slip out from underneath her. She landed on her butt, sending her apple flying into the abyss. It bounced once before finding silence. Kira listened for it to hit again. Several seconds passed before she heard a distant splash.
Now in complete darkness, she’d lost her bearings. She felt the icy floor around her until she found a loose piece of ice. She tossed it at her feet—but there was no sound. She waited again, only to be horrified at the tiny echo coming back as it hit its mark in the depths of what she could only imagine to be a deep cavern.
Slowly, she leaned forward, brushing the ground with her fingertips until she found the edge—under her ankles. Panic set in as she imagined herself careening over the rim. She scooted back to find one of the wooden crates, rolled over onto her knees and crawled her way along the corridor that led to the other room. She was never more grateful than when she felt the warmth coming from the other side of the makeshift door. Still feeling her way, she stood, wound the rope around the handle and stumbled her way back out into the main cave.
Kira’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the light as she scanned her surroundings. Toran was gone.
“Toran,” she whispered, careful not to alert whatever may have pulled him away from his post. A muffled snarl came from behind her, making her jump and her heart race. She turned to find her guardian pushing the curtain aside with his massive head and body. He stretched his back, wandered back to his position in front of the opening and collapsed onto the ground.
Kira smiled. “You brat. You scared the crap out of me.”
She’d had enough exploring for one day and needed some fresh air. Even though Octavion warned her to stay close to the cave, she didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t go into the clearing for some warm sunlight. Besides, she was thirsty.
“Come on, Toran,” she urged. He lazily stood, as if annoyed at her request. She gave him a little rub behind the ears. He purred as he nudged her hip, almost knocking her over. “Careful, buddy.”
Kira grabbed her bow and quiver and followed him out into the clearing. It was too warm for a fire, but she spent a few minutes gathering kindling and larger branches to prepare the pit for the night. Toran watched from a distance while going through his familiar grooming routine.
She’d started removing the blankets in her shelter to shake them out, when Toran stood. He let out a low rumbling growl, exposing his teeth. Kira followed his line of sight, but saw nothing.
“What is it boy?” She grabbed her quiver and strapped it to her back, checking her dagger to make sure it was in place. The sudden burning of the Crystor sent visions of Altaria being wounded racing through her mind. She couldn’t sense where her wounds were or how badly she’d been injured, but the fear that raged through her melded with Kira’s emotions of anxiety and confusion. Altaria was in trouble. Altaria? What’s wrong? Where are you?
Kira. I need help. Hurry!
Kira instantly knew where to find her. It was as if a rope was tethered between them, drawing her in a straight line to Altaria’s location. She wasn’t far.
I’m on my way. Are you okay?
No, bring your healing pack. Kira, hurry. Octavion’s hurt.
Terror rushed through her veins. As Kira and Toran ran through the trees, Kira felt Altaria’s panic and for the first time since she received the Crystor, her increased senses detected the metallic odor of blood. She could almost taste it on her tongue, it was so strong. A few more seconds of d
odging rocks and tree limbs and they finally found Altaria collapsed next to Octavion, who was unconscious. Blood was everywhere.
