Hexed

4

"It's rare you'll find a mage with a pleasant past."

― Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon

☽★☾

Brynn stared at the other young woman for a moment longer, trying to figure out whether she was joking with her or not. But Joan's expression was all seriousness; not a hint of amusement could be found in her dark-eyed gaze. Brynn gulped and dipped her head. "I'll do whatever you need me to."

Joan seemed satisfied with her answer, because she nodded and got up from her seat, gathering her tarot cards into a deck and slipping them back into the cloth pouch. "Good," she said as she carefully set the bag back on its shelf. "Then I'm going to trust that you're speaking the truth. If I find out that you've betrayed us or that I was wrong to put my trust in you..." Joan trailed off, a small smirk resting on her lips. "Well, let's just hope that never happens."

A chill went down Brynn's spine. She nodded again, finding it hard to meet Joan's eyes as her heart raced with fear. "You won't regret it. I promise." Even though the words were barely a whisper, the young woman made a content humming sound in response.

"Alright. Then get up; I'm taking you to our hideout." Joan gave an impatient toss of her hair, settling her weight onto one hip while Brynn hesitantly stood up.

"Hideout? I thought this was your hideout." It definitely seemed like it was meant to be, with all of the supplies that could be found around the room. Not to mention all the people... If this isn't their hideout, then why are there so many people that Joan knows who seem to be living here?

Joan rolled her eyes with a soft snort. "It wouldn't be very hidden if it was, now would it? This is just the entryway. Think of it like a common room. Or like the first of many compartments in a labyrinth." Even though Brynn was still confused (and Joan seemed to realize that), the dark-haired woman slipped her hand into Brynn's and started off towards the far corner of the room. Her hand was cool and dry; it reminded Brynn of a doctor's hand whenever you shook it. Joan paused at a narrow doorway that appeared to be missing its door. She ran her hand up and down the wooden frame, seemingly searching for something, before inserting the tip of a fingernail into a knot in the wood. As Joan gave it a light twist, a patch of darkness slid out on the wall before them. No, not a patch of darkness, Brynn realized as she was tugged forwards. A pathway. A doorway to who knows where. She gave Joan's hand a squeeze as the young woman led her through.

Even though it had seemed dark and strange before Brynn entered, she quickly realized that this wasn't some paranormal portal that would take them into another dimension. It was actually just the entrance into some sort of tunnel, a space between the walls. It was far too dark for Brynn to see, so she kept bumping into Joan whenever she slowed down. At least the ground is fairly even, Brynn grumbled to herself after once more tumbling into the young woman in front of her. Finally, after what had seemed like hours of walking and crawling through the tunnel, the path reached a steep incline and the darkness seemed to fade away.

"It's getting lighter, right? I'm not just imagining it?" Brynn murmured as they continued upwards. Her calves burned from the climb, and it was a little difficult to find balance while clinging to Joan.

A rough laugh from in front of her signaled that Joan had heard what she had said. "Yes, it is. We're almost there." Brynn's sigh of relief was so loud that the young woman laughed again, a sound that reminded her of rocks on a tumbler. Even though it was rough and loud, it felt healing somehow, like spending enough time around the sound would make you feel better. It did ease some of Brynn's worries as the two steadily made their way upwards, until they finally stepped into a brightly lit room.