~part two of chapter 9~
THE UNDERWAY
A vivid light shone into Rollan's closed eyes. He lay still, breathing slowly, his entire body sore with wounds, as he listened to the two voices who moved around him.
"Elden! I think you killed the boy when you shot him with that dart." Boomed a femine voice angrily.
"I told you they are only for the Cave Lurker's, not people! Also you shoot them on the neck, not the chest. He will probably be in a lot of pain because of the stupid shot you made!"
"Sorry, I'll try better next time." Said a male to his right. "But to be fair, they were very high and you couldn't have done any better."
"I could have!" She shouted, but had a more comical tone this time.
"Next time you shoot!" He joked. A hand pressed into his throat and a boy said, "He's alive Jada, his heart is beating."
"But he is probably dying at this moment. Mother will not be very pleased when she hears you killed another Kar." The girl spoke.
"The last two had just fallen through The Hole and I didn't get to them before the Bat's did. Not my fault. Blame Eebia, she wanted to show me her new sword she made out of the bones of a Raptor."
"You still hang with that girl, didn't she try to make you a weapon one time and it was so sharp you accidently cut off someone's fingers when carrying it in the tunnels?"
"That was one time and she's my sister, so I will always talk to her."
"Fine. But don't come to me when she convinces you to try a blade made out of the bones of your right hand."
Elden laughed and started to lean into Rollan's neck as he soon forgot the boy was still under his hand. The Greencloak flicked his eyes open, lifted the hand from his throat, and took a deep breath as the pressure lifted. Elden yelped and leaped to his feet in fright.
"You're alive!" He said.
Rollan looked up at the two people lit by a torch who looked around the age of nineteen. Jada had striking green eyes that shimmered like a clear lake, long braided brown hair, an indigo dress covered in orange leaf-like designs, and a black cloak with a fur rim around the top. Elden had slate gray eyes, a brown tunic with leather laced into it, a set of red pouches at his belt, and a sword strapped across his back. The only thing they both carried was a matching set of white-stoned amulets around their neck.
"Where am I?" Rollan remarked.
"This is the Underway. You fell through The Hole and were caught by a Cave Shifter before you could hit the spikes." Jada pointed to the tall, angled death sticks a few steps ahead. The Greencloak swallowed back his fear that he had come seconds away from his death and turned back to the two strangers.
"What happened to the bat? You hit it with a spear, where is it?" Rollan said, not seeing a carcass anywhere.
"It got away before we could fully kill the beast. But my spear is still in the neck." Elden spoke. "It should die in a few hours. The good thing is you are safe, not being eaten by a man-sized winged animal."
"Elden, you almost choked him to death and shot him in the wrong place." Jada stated. "On top of that, that creature is still out there. Be more careful next time!"
"No, it's fine. He did me no harm." Rollan said. He patted his chest, "The dart hit me, but I pulled it out before it took full effect."
Elden bowed his head and placed out his right hand as a kind gesture. "I'm Elden and this is Jada." Rollan inhaled his own name as he saw the young man's hand was an assortment of animal scales combined in the shape of a false human limb. A few fish scales, snake, lizard, and maybe Raptor were tied together with what looked to be thin grass.
"I lost it on the second day of Scouting the Underway after turning sixteen when I decided to become a cave guard. A Shadow Shifter had found its way down here and attacked me. They are rare to find down here, but it ripped my right hand off, and I stuck my sword through it before it could escape. Now Jada wears the beast's fur around her neck." He said, running his hand over the black and gray fur on the girl's cloak.
"What's a Shadow Shifter?" Rollan asked. "You know, those large canine-like animals with long limbs, night-black eyes, and tall, rough fur along their backs." Said Elden.
"No, I haven't seen them."
"Do the Kar not hunt them anymore?"
"I don't know? I'm not a Kar."
"An Outsider then?"
"No, I'm from Amaya, which is in Erdas."
The two stiffened and glanced at each other. Did I offend them? The Greencloak thought. Rollan saw the girl flinch, as Elden touched her arm. He whispered something into her ear and she nodded slowly.
"Is Erdas real? Like we can go there now if needed?" She asked, her green eyes shone with a bit of hope.
"Yes, it is real, but I can't leave Kaein without finding my other friends. Rollan answered.
"But you will be going back?"
"I hope so. If not, we all die here." Jada nodded and grabbed her lit torch tightly. Elden grimaced, pulling at his tunic as if it was getting hotter in the cavern.
"Well, we should be getting back to the safety of our group and you need a healer for those wounds." The girl said, standing above him. "Elden, help him to his feet." The young man pulled Rollan up and caught him as he wavered.
Careful not to touch the bloody gashes along his body, they hobbled in front of Jada, who's dress swayed as she moved. She looked like she could have been a Zhongese warrior with her sharp features, sleek hair, and perfect stance. The girl could have been Meilin's twin if not for her brown hair that was braided almost to her feet. The thought of Meilin pained him as he remembered she was still in the Kar camp as a prisoner. Would they punish her when they returned from the trial. Or had she managed to escape when their leader was distracted. Where are you? He internally whispered.
The three walked the wide cave until they reached an opening in the wall, where they entered a tunnel totally covered in the glowing moss. Rollan reached out his non-torn hand, touching the moss that was feather soft under his fingers.
Jada led the way quietly, her steps hushed by the moss, and white cloak flowing from behind. Rollan noticed at once that she had a small limp and wondered if she had been hurt in the incident. Although he stayed quiet, knowing that she most likely would be offended if he said anything that made her look weak.
"What is this?" He muttered with interest, tapping the walls to free his mind.
"That's Underglow Moss, it only glows in the main cavern and this tunnel. Our collectors harvest it for light or weave the plant into clothing. Neither myself or Jada wear them because the Cave Shifters will be able to spot us easily when patrolling the caves." Elden said.
The ground was also covered with the illuminated plant, making a cushioned walkway. Unfortunately the tunnel lasted for only a few minutes till it dipped down and ended with a dead-end wall. Elden pointed to their feet and Rollan saw for the first time a large, dark, cracked spot that led downwards, breaking the moss apart.
"That hole leads to our largest base, home of the Underway Outsiders." Elden said. He gestured for the girl to jump and she sprang up, bringing her feet together, and slid down the hollow. "See you at the bottom." Her voice echoed as she fell.
The two waited in stillness, neither speaking. The only sound was Elden's quiet whistling that moved around them. Rollan all of a sudden winced as his shoulder throbbed with a blazing touch, and he remembered Artaran. The man's image was clear in his head, the soft expression when he spoke about his past, and the four's future. But questions still hung in the air that had yet to be answered. What still lies ahead for us? He pondered. Are we still in the line of danger, or is there more than meets the eye? Was Artaran telling the truth about me having a bigger role to play? Who is he?
"Do you know who Artaran is?" He blurted without thinking.
Elden blinked at the question, his whistling stopped. A shadow passed over him. "Artaran? As in Artaran the-" He was at once cut off as Jada yelled, "Come on down!"
"Ask Aliea when we get to camp. She will tell you who he was."
"Who's Aliea?"
But Elden was already at the hole before he could talk, and in one bound he disappeared. Rollan spun his head around and took one last look at the brightly lit tunnel, taking in a long breath. Flipping back around, the boy thought to himself, I hope whoever this Aliea is, they can give me the answers I need. Coming to the border, he closed his eyes and toppled off the edge, a scream escaping his dry mouth. "Ahhh!" He cried loudly, the ice cold wind whipping past him like before. His heart beat violently, as fear tore into his chest. All of a sudden a force hit him like a shield, knocking his breath out, and he was no longer falling. A rough hand touched his shoulder and Elden said,
"You did well. Most people miss the net and hit the hard, but padded ground." When Rollan opened his eyes, a wonder hit him. It didn't look like he was underground anymore. Slowing his breathing, The Greencloak crawled off the webbing and onto solid stone, placing both feet firmly down.
Surrounding the cavern were over thirty huts, all covered in vines, small trees, and weird little flowers. Greenery hung from the ceiling, giving the area a makeshift jungle look. The air was noticeably fresher and didn't cling to his lungs like in the other cave, so he inhaled. People were huddled all around, watching the newcomer with interest. A group of small children stopped their game, staring at the three as they stood up.
"Where's mother?" Jada said to a elderly woman, her green eyes demanding.
"She just went into the upper lift." She muttered. "Said something important was going to happen."
Jada grabbed Elden and Rollan, pulling them along the crowd. "Make way!" She yelled, pushing some people aside.
A hand yanked up as a person tried to move, hitting a gash on Rollan's side, making him scream out in pain. Blood soaked over his tunic and the wound reopened, dripping a red trail as they hurried away. Elden grabbed his arm and helped him walk, steadying him as he drifted with agony. Coming to a set of wooden stairs, they climbed slowly until they reached a hut with leaves woven over the doorway.
"Mother!" Jada spoke, pushing the veil away and stepping inside. The boys followed, coming into a room nearly empty except for shelves of jars and five lone beds lined against the exterior. A woman stood in the middle, her back turned, and brown hair tied with beads.
A misty essence hung over the room, making chills run down Rollan's spine.
"Mother? Are you alright?" Jada said again. Then the woman hollered an ear-splitting screech, making the group jump. The girl reached a hand forwards in worry, but drew it back quickly as she hissed, turning to reveal pure white eyes.
"You brought him here! You don't know what you have done!" The woman wailed, shaking. "He will seal our fates! He is cursed!"
Rollan stepped backwards, wincing at the words. Cursed? "The Darkness will live within him, there is nothing we can do! Run, run or you all die! Fate has chosen him as the first victim!" The woman fell to her knees, gasping as her long hair fell over her like a blanket. Her eyes widened and color flowed back into them, the same green as Jada's except they sparkled with horror.
"Mother! Are you okay?" Jada yelled, running to her side with Elden close behind. "What happened? Was that another vision?"
Rollan bit back tears of fright, alarm caught tightly in his chest. Is she like Conor? His mind said. Did she see that I would die? Why am I cursed? Rollan gripped his heart where Essix was, hoping she could hear him. Help me! What is happening!?
Elden dipped his head to the girl and brought two darts out of his pouches, placing one beside the woman, then coming over the boy, he spoke. "This will help you calm down and not feel those wounds. Hearing Aliea like this can be traumatizing, so relax."
A warm feeling set over Rollan as the young man pressed the dart into his neck. "By the way, this is different from the one I hit you with earlier. It goes into your neck, not your chest. It's a healers dart." For the first time since he arrived in Kaein, lost his spirit animal, and almost died countless times, Rollan relaxed, forgetting about his problems that floated horribly over him.
Now he drifted between reality and unconsciousness, both tugging to pull him under. He was safe. He was alive. He was free. A burst of light blinded him and he let it overcome him, resisting the urge to return to the real world.