Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 11: A Dark Secret

Mina

"It is around here somewhere." Vannah had led Mykall and Mina through the woods into an area where there were several caves, the black rock surrounding them suddenly, just as they exited the forest. "Umi is just west of us now," Vannah explained. "This is not an area frequented by many. There is someone here you need to meet."

Vannah proceeded to climb a steep path leading up. By the light of the Aurora, the caves looked cold and desolate, their craggy, granite surface rising up, a sharp outline in the darkness. Like a mirage in the desert, their sudden appearance against the forest appeared unnatural. Mina looked at Mykall with trepidation. She noticed the warrior's normally calm demeanor disappear. His hand went to his sword. Beyond the grim exterior of the caves, there was something alive, something that wasn't right. It was palpable, the feeling of unease.

"You both feel it, yes?" Vannah's smile was at once eerie and disconcerting. "A great evil lurks in these caves. Something powerful, something ancient." Vannah limped along, leaning on her staff for support as she led them slowly up the path.

"The Naga caves lie just beyond the Forest of Korobuku. They do not receive much traffic. People in the neighboring villages of Taiyou avoid this place at all costs. Travelers take the longer, safer route around the coast instead."

Vannah's hands moved about, gesturing as she spoke. "There have been stories told of the Naga, snake-like creatures that make their home in these caves. Of travelers entering but not leaving."

Noticing the fear in Mina's eyes, Vannah smiled at her, placing a delicate hand on her shoulders. "You know of these caves, little one?"

Mina nodded. "The stories of them are often used to frighten little children. I did not think they were real." Mina looked around, visibly perturbed. They were very close to the cave opening now. Mina ran her hands over her arms to warm them. She shivered, but not entirely from the cold.

"But real, they are. Though one such as you has nothing to fear from them. Indeed, it is the denizens of this cave that have more to fear from you, the maiden that brings the light back to Kuro."

The wind howled. In the darkness, Mina imagined she heard soft voices carried in the air, as if the very caves whispered to her: soft murmurs of nameless fears, of death, and gloom.

The cave opening stood before them now. The feeling of evil had grown significantly, so that it threatened to overpower everyone. "Vannah, what is inside here?" Mina whispered in a half-whimper, the feeling of dread so overpowering now that she could barely open her mouth.

The entrance to the cave was blocked by a boulder. It stood there, unmoving. A stone sentinel guarding the gates. Cool, dank air came through gaps in the stone. It was hard to spot in the darkness, but a small, thin slip of paper had been stuck to the boulder. Mina could make out characters written in black ink, but could not read them. Vannah waved her hands in front of the boulder, whispering softly to herself in a language Mina did not understand, as she pulled off the slip of paper. Slowly, gradually, the boulder acquiesced, rolling away, leaving a gaping maw in its place.

"You two are not the only ones with secrets." Vannah smiled at a dumbfounded Mykall and Mina, her eyes turning to slits, betraying an ominous nature. There had always been something off with Vannah, but it was always her eyes that showed her changing nature first. There were times when Mina would notice a fleeting but deep sorrow in them. Then there were the times she appeared gentle, benevolent even, and the eyes would be calm and tranquil. But there were times like these that Mina didn't like, times where the eyes betrayed something sinister. Now, in the darkness of the cave, Vannah's sinister nature was in full force. There was great evil here, no doubt, and one that was now indistinguishable, from the nature of the girl that stood before them.