They reached Rozindell after another day and a half of traveling. The town was small—hardly a handful of rock-dome houses—and behind it rose jagged hills of black and brown sands.
"The Burnt Sands," Griffin murmured aloud. He glanced at the map he'd been holding, scanning for some sort of note or symbol indicating the entrance to the caverns. Only the title "Burnt Sands" marred the drawing of desert hills, however.
"What are you looking for?" Ash questioned, coming forward to walk alongside Griffin.
"The entrance to the Burnt Sand Caverns." Griffin frowned. "I can't find anything on here though."
Ash held out his hand. "May I?"
Griffin nodded and handed over the map. The golden-eyed phoenix stared down at the map, brow furrowed in concentration.
Finally, he broke his gaze and handed back the map. "I'm not seeing anything either. We'll have to ask around. Are you sure there's even caverns in this area? The map only says, 'Burnt Sands'."
"Yes, I'm sure." Griffin glanced around the Rozindell streets, gaze locking onto a street speckled with merchants. "We'll ask around there. Someone will know."
His band trailing behind him, Griffin turned onto the street and stopped in front of the first vendor on the right. He was a naiad with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. A full beard hid half his face and his clothes consisted of loose-fitting pants and shirt the color of the desert sands. A leather belt coiled around his waist, securing a sword at his hip. Griffin briefly observed the man's magic, noting him to have a decent amount, though not quite as much as his.
"Can I help ya?" The vendor gestured at his table of dried meats. "I've got most of everything. What do you prefer?"
"I'm not here to buy," Griffin replied. "I need some information."
The naiad's eyes narrowed but he didn't speak, apparently waiting for Griffin to continue.
Griffin held up his map and pointed at the Burnt Sands. "This is where we are, correct?"
The naiad nodded once. "Yes."
"And there are caverns here as well?"
The naiad stared at Griffin for a long moment, eyes unreadable. "Yes."
"Where's the entrance?"
"Why do you want to know?" the vendor asked, ignoring Griffin's question. "The Burnt Sand Caverns are not a place many choose to go. Most who do never return."
"Perhaps they didn't want to return," Griffin countered.
"Perhaps." The naiad took the map from Griffin and took out a thin piece of charcoal from a pocket. He drew a crude X just above 'Rozindell' where the dune drawings began. "That's the main entrance. You can't miss it—it's the only hill that's pure black."
"Thanks." Griffin took back his map and began to turn away.
"Young spriggan."
Griffin stopped and glanced back.
The naiad's eyes locked onto his, his gaze hard and unwavering. "I know what you're looking for. But it's not something you want to find."
Griffin smiled stiffly. "I'll keep that in mind."
The Moonlight Band leader turned away once more, walking down the street toward the Burnt Sands. The naiad vendor did not stop him again.
***
Griffin led Moonlight Band into the stretch of jagged hills, eyes scanning relentlessly for one that wasn't speckled black and brown.
"Th' sand sure is hard," Mac commented, taking a bite out of one of his many apples.
"It's all rock," Pounce replied, rapping a fist on one of the larger hills. "Sandstone maybe?"
Night Shade's eyes narrowed as she studied the petrified black and brown sands. "No. Not quite."
"The sand was hardened together by flecks of solidified spriggan magic," Khopesh finished for her.
Interesting. Griffin continued searching, leading his band deeper into the Burnt Sands. He shadow veiled his eyes, hoping it would aid his quest. The entire land only blurred together in an endless black, however. Griffin dissipated his magic.
"Whoa! Gilda, look!" Cyanus suddenly exclaimed.
Griffin turned around and followed the kid's gaze to the left. An immense hill could be seen piercing the space between two speckled hills, its petrified sands an untainted black. The mouth of a cave stretched open like the maw of a roaring dragon.
"That's where we're headed. Let's go," Griffin commanded.
"Are you sure?" Solar questioned hesitantly. The phoenix tugged on her coat's hood. "It, um, doesn't look too friendly."
"Yes, I'm sure. And it's a cave, not a creature," Griffin reprimanded. "There is no reason to be nervous. Don't question me again."
Solar nodded and lowered her gaze.
They reached the cavern entrance fairly quickly. As he neared the opening, Griffin felt himself slowing down, uncertainty beginning to shiver along his spine. The cave itself didn't look unordinary, at least in his perspective of what a cave would look like. But there was something off about it...maybe the pure black stone that radiated with ancient spriggan magic? Or maybe the unnatural silence hanging around it?
Griffin shook himself. Don't be silly. This is a desert—of course it's silent. There's hardly any wildlife over here to begin with.
But still, he hesitated.
Gardrinol's Orb, he reminded himself. All I need to do is find that and then we can get out of here.
Griffin turned to face his band. "I want Night Shade at the front by me. Pounce, you hang around the middle of the group. Gilda will take up the rear. The three of you will intensify your glow so that we'll have plenty of light."
The wisps nodded and wordlessly moved to the places Griffin had indicated. None of the other band members talked, but Griffin could sense their unease. He found himself turning to glance at the dark maw of the cave.
They're just caverns, he reminded himself. The chilly darkness stared back, inanimate and lifeless like it should be, yet seeming to warn him at the same time. Griffin shadow veiled his eyes, but again all he could see was an immense blur of black.
"Bad," someone whispered, breaking the silence.
Griffin frowned and turned back to his band, searching for who had spoken. "What?"
Jubilee raised a trembling hand and pointed at the cave. "Bad," she said again, voice hoarse from disuse. "Something bad...in that cave..."
YOU ARE READING
The Land of Green and Gold Part II: Silence
Fantasy*On hiatus until the rewrite for book 1 "Flight" is finished. Also note that chapters 1-19 are being rewritten and will actually form the final part of book 1* Long ago there were humans and a magical people called Elder. The humans despised the El...
