Cursed Shadow

8.

Caterina roused from slumber, her senses attuned to the gentle rustling of nearby bushes, likely stirred by curious wildlife. Exhaustion had dictated a pause in their southward journey, granting both humans and horses a brief respite. Their ultimate objective lay in the Middlands, the region from which they intended to secure passage on a vessel headed for Kallinis.

The night had blanketed their makeshift camp, where they had halted a few hours earlier. In the embrace of slumber, Airas lay motionless, his back and head cradled by a substantial boulder positioned opposite Caterina's own makeshift resting place, nestled beside another massive rock. The crisp night air, which gently enveloped her, appeared to have its own effect on him, prompting him to clasp his arms tightly around his frame, seeking solace in the warmth he could muster. Even in slumber, his face retained its handsome allure, partially obscured by the cascade of beautiful curls that framed his striking features. Contemplating his luscious lips, Caterina found herself revisiting the events of the festival night. She hadn't yet had the chance to thoroughly analyse the occurrences.

Drawing from her past experiences with men, her own desperate pursuit of him that night should have been alluring enough to entice any man. This introspection prompted her to wonder whether Airas simply hadn't been interested in her advances. Was she not appealing to him? Had his tender touches and sweet kisses simply been a genteel way of refusing her advances? A wave of embarrassment washed over her. While she could attribute some of her bold actions to the aphrodisiac's influence, deep down, a part of her longed for him to have reciprocated her kissing attempt that night, craving something beyond a mere touch of lips.

Caterina rose, determined to gather branches and materials to ignite a campfire and divert her thoughts. Her only source of light was the silvery glow of a third-quarter moon, presiding over a celestial spectacle. It was a tapestry woven from countless stars, interstellar dust, and shooting stars, each leaving ethereal trails of light against the vast expanse of the inky black night sky that stretched endlessly in every direction.

From her surroundings, she saw a shift that marked the transition into the southern part of Sahilab. Here, the lush foliage gave way to a more resilient, drought-tolerant ecosystem. Trees became scarcer, replaced by spiky, thorny bushes dotting the landscape. Tall grasses now blanketed the terrain, and the earth beneath her feet turned notably sandy. The topography featured rocky outcrops and rolling hills, creating an increasingly rugged environment. The air carried a dustier, drier quality.

Caterina had managed to collect only a handful of petite, desiccated branches scattered near a cluster of thorny shrubs when a faint gleam flickered from a cave just a few meters away. It occurred to her that within its shadowed recesses, she might uncover a campsite that offered a more inviting refuge. With utmost caution, she ventured toward the cave's entrance, her right hand poised above the holstered pistol snugly nestled within her trousers. It remained at the ready, prepared to draw and deploy if any potential threats should materialize along her path.

As she drew nearer to the cave, she perceived only a faint, subdued luminosity radiating from its interior. No audible sounds permeated the murky confines. Noiselessly, she pressed deeper into the tunnel, executing her footsteps with the utmost stealth, avoiding dislodging any loose rocks within the sandy terrain beneath her feet, and thereby averting any echoing sounds that might inadvertently betray her presence.

Suddenly, her movements were abruptly halted. A surge of panic overwhelmed her as her limbs were immobilized, ensnared in a sticky, adhesive substance. Desperation and vulnerability consumed her as she fought relentlessly to break free, attempting to retrieve her firearm from her pants, but to no avail.

From the glisten of the dim light, Caterina discerned that it was a silky filament that enshrouded her limbs, entangling her further with each frantic struggle. The silk clung tenaciously to her legs, arms, body, and even her face, rendering her escape all the more elusive.