Into the Depths Below

Chapter 3

Breakfast went by pretty uneventfully for the trio of people.

It was, of course, as lavish as the dinner she had had the night before which she should have expected. Every ingredient used to make the divine breakfast foods were clearly either freshly grown or found on the grounds of the mansion. There was a spread of fresh fruit jams and jellies, delectable eggs with chives, freshly made bread with a drizzle of honey and seemingly pieces of lavender baked into it. There were coffee and tea bags that were made from tea leaves that had been grown in the gardens of the mansion.

But there was an air amongst the three of them that was a little unsettling. 

Nadira refused to speak of what Shyla had shown her last night, deeming it to be the young mermaid's secret to share instead of her own. She mostly refused to speak in general. As much as she trusted the two men sitting across from her she still couldn't shake this anxiety running through her veins.

She may have been a little frazzled. She hadn't slept well that night. No nightmares had plagued her sleep, she was genuinely exhausted. Sleep hadn't come easy to her with her overworking brain.

Snapping her out of her thoughts, Dalathu cleared his throat from his seat across from her.

"I would like to introduce you to some people who can help you today," he said, making eye contact with the young mother. "In order to do that, we will need to go deep into the forest behind the mansion. It will be a long and tiring trek. There should be suitable clothes for the journey in your room. We will pack a bag for you. Meet back here in half an hour, if you could."

"Is there anything you can tell me about these people?" Nadira enquired, raising an eyebrow at the fact that Dalathu was purposefully omitting information from her. The man in question smiled.

"These people are quite interesting, they operate much unlike you or I. If I have a piece of advice to give you, do not let them take you anywhere that isn't with Simon or myself. If we get separated, they may try to convince you to make a deal with them. Don't let them do that," Dalathu said cryptically which made the woman across from him curious.

"The forest dwellers are quite mischievous creatures. They've been around for centuries. They know exactly what to do to mess with people," Simon added. That comment immediately put Nadira on edge and her whole body tensed.

"Worry not, as long as you stay by us you will be safe," Dalathu said gently, slightly relieving Nadira's fears but not by much.

"Thirty minutes?" She asked and the two men nodded.

"Thirty minutes," Simon confirmed, and they each went their separate ways to prepare.

Nadira re-emerged her room in a comfortable pair of explorer pants and a loose fitting long sleeved shirt. Shyla had told her that there may be bugs that could sting or bite so it was best to be careful. Her deep brown hair had been pulled up into a long ponytail so it no longer hit her waist.

She looked and felt ready for adventure.

Dalathu and Simon appeared around the thirty minute mark as well. Dalathu looked completely prepared. Simon... Looked over prepared. He seemed to be wearing at least three layers of clothes on each half of his body and an oversized hat. If he and Nadira were on closer terms she would allow herself to laugh out loud at his antics. She resigned herself to hiding a small smile and chuckling in her head.

"Better be safe than sorry," Simon muttered under the collar of his outermost layer of shirts. That had Nadira covering her laughter with a cough and Dalathu chuckling.

"You look like we'll be trekking through the ice caves, Simon," Dalathu commented and Nadira minutely nodded.

"I am allergic to forest wasps, I do not wish to be stung," Simon responded and stomped his foot on the ground lightly. He was acting just like a young child, much younger than her daughter.