Be sure to comment and vote if you enjoy the story. It really does encourage me to keep writing for you guys! <3
I come to in a small, dark room on a bed carved into the rocky wall, my body sore and tired and my head throbbing. I sit up slowly, ignoring the dizziness that comes with the sudden movement. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I notice that the rock across the room from me leads out of the room through a narrow tunnel.
Where's Alec?
Where am I?
Only one way to figure that out, I guess.
I stand up slowly. My legs feel heavy, like they haven't been used in a while. Running my fingers along the wall to guide me, I follow the tunnel and take a left.
I come across many twists and turns that lead into more rooms, all in the dark. I peek into each one, looking for Alec, and even risk calling out his name once or twice. With each empty room and nothing but silence echoing my calls, more and more panic grips my heart until I can barely breathe. Did the dark fairy bring me to Anabella? I wonder. What did it do with Alec?
I turn another corner and notices a warm glow at the end of the hallway. As I move closer to the source, faint voices drift to my ears, coming from the same place as the light.
I pause when I reach the doorway, listening for Alec's voice in the mix of sounds.
"With all due respect, your majesty, we must shelter the girl until she is ready to face Anabella." The voice is unfamiliar and deep with an accent I've never heard, heavy on the H sounds and rolling the Ls and Rs off their tongue.
"The fatoris have never dared to come this close," another voice argues. This one is deeper and fills the room and the tunnel with its presence. He has the same accent as the last speaker. "She is putting my people in danger."
"Everyone will perish if this girl does not succeed, even the mighty flame warriors. Surely you must know that," the first voice replies. Several voices start talking at once and soon I can't understand a word anyone is saying. I lean closer to the tunnel, turning my head to hear better. Are they talking about...me?
"Look who finally decided to wake up," a gruff voice says from behind me. I jump, my heart pounding, but before I can turn to see who it is or even raise a hand to defend myself, the owner of the voice shoves me into the room I'd been eavesdropping on. The arguing comes to a halt and my cheeks burn when the eyes of eight men and women sitting around an oval table made of rock fall onto me. I hold my head high and hold the gaze of the man sitting at the head of table, even though I want to crawl into a hole and hide.
My fear ebbs some when I see that my captors aren't dark fairies. In fact, judging from the masses of brilliantly burning fires on their shoulders, I'd say that they're ignis. Fire fairies.
"Where is the man I was with? What did you do to him?" I ask. To my horror, my voice is shaking uncontrollably. I don't know if I can trust them, or what became of Alec. If they hurt him...
The man leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. He cocks his head curiously at me. "Of all the questions I expected you would ask, that was not the one I thought would come first."
I clench my jaw. "Where is he?" I repeat. The room is pitched into an uncomfortable silence as the man looks at me. I imagine that he's deciding whether or not to let me live, or maybe what lie he should tell me.
Finally, he leans back in his chair and stands. "Come with me," he says, and exits through a tunnel behind him that had been previously hidden by his giant wingspan. I rip my arm out of my captor's grip and follow the man out of the room, unsure of what to think. I don't even know if I should be afraid, but regardless of whether or not he's a threat, my body is shaking like a leaf.
The tunnels are barely wide enough for the man's wings, but they quickly widen to huge caverns that lead in every direction. There's not a single torch hanging on the walls and we would be walking in complete darkness if it weren't for the ball of fire the man holds between his hands. His vibrant red and purple wings help to illuminate the darkness as well.
"Where are we going?" I ask after a moment of silence. We've taken so many different directions that I'm sure I would never find my way out if he left me. Maybe that's his plan.
"You wanted to see your friend, did you not?" he asks. I stay quiet for the rest of the walk, feeling tiny and insignificant next to this man who exudes power and confidence. He takes a sudden right into a room and I'm so deep in thought that I almost walk right by. I follow him in.
The room is similar to the one I woke up in, but a bit smaller. The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of dark, jagged rock that shine when light from the fire washes over it, and a bed of rock has been carved out in the corner. Lying on top of it is Alec, still unconscious and as still as a statue. One arm is draped across his stomach.
The question I've been dying to ask comes rushing out. "Is he alive?"
"Barely, but yes."
"When will he wake up?"
"If he wakes up, it will have to be within the next three days. Otherwise, he will die of dehydration." The man's voice is cold, unforgiving, unfeeling. He doesn't look at me as he gives me this terrible news.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" I ask, anger flaring in my chest. The man finally looks at me, his dark eyes narrowing.
"Our healers have done all they can. Healing is a job for the fish, not for flame warriors," he says, his nose wrinkling at the mention of the water fairies. "You will just have to wait." I cross the room and sit on the floor beside Alec, leaning against the bed of rock and folding my arms over my chest. The man's eyes follow me. "What is your name?" I ignore him, focusing on Alec's shallow breaths. He clears his throat. I still don't reply. "Alright, fine. In case you were wondering who saved your life, it was I, King Cedric."
"If you're expecting a thank you, you will get it when he wakes up," I tell him. I can feel his icy blue eyes boring into me, but I don't look at him. I want him to leave. I don't care if he's a king.
"Then I hope that he wakes soon." He pauses, probably waiting for me to say something. When I don't, he continues. "I suppose you'll want to stay here for the night." I nod. I'm not moving from this spot until I know that he's okay. "I will be back with food for you tonight. Also, a word of advice: do not try to navigate these tunnels alone. You will be lost forever in the mountain." He turns, his deep red cloak trailing behind him, and exits the room. The light leaves with him, throwing the room back into eerie darkness. I move closer to Alec, shivering despite the waves of heat moving through the tunnels, and lean my head against the bed of rock. My eyes feel like weights and my entire body yearns for sleep. My stomach rumbles loudly, reminding me that I need food, but I end up falling asleep before the king's promised meal arrives.
I don't know how long I sleep for, but my body is aching when I wake. My joints pop as I sit up and stretch, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Alec hasn't moved; his arm still rests on his stomach. I place my hand gently on his forehead. His skin isn't cold and clammy like it was the last day of our journey, nor is it hot and feverish. He feels almost normal.
I don't know if that should make me feel better.
There is a plate of food near the tunnel leading out of the room. My mouth salivates and my stomach rumbles painfully when I see it. I pick up the plate, examining the foreign food it holds. It looks like dark red leather with a side of fruit that has the size and shape of a blueberry, but instead of being blue, it's the color of a raging fire.
"I see that you're awake." The king's voice startles me and I drop the plate. It shatters and food goes everywhere.
"I'm sorry," I say quickly, my cheeks burning. I bend to clean up the mess, but he hands me a new plate with fresh food and bends to clean it up himself. The new plate is filled with the same food as the first. "Don't you have someone to do that for you? Like, servants?"
"I believe that a good king should do things for himself," he says. The plate and the food turn to ashes in his fingers and fall onto the floor to join the heavy layer already covering it. He stands, once again towering over me. I notice he has some dark stubble growing on his chin and above his lip. "What good is he to his people if he expects someone to clean up messes for him? Or to clothe him, or feed him? A good king does everything that his people must, or he will never understand them."
"I wish that human kings thought the way you did," I tell him quietly, some of my fear fading now. "When I was young, my village went hungry for several months. People fought, and a few died—some of hunger, some of violence. All so King Wayland could host an extra extravagant wedding to marry his fifth wife. Those months are my worst memory."
"See? If your king understood hunger, he would not cause it upon others," the King says. I smile a little. He nods at the plate in my hands. "Speaking of hunger."
"I'm starving, but I have no idea what this is," I admit. He chuckles and picks up a piece of the red leathery stuff.
"We call this fondes. It's boiled flame lizard. Delicious." He places it on his tongue and chews, smiling. I resist the urge to gag. "And the fruit is from the fireweed plant. Very spicy."
"I'm sorry, but I don't eat meat." I wrinkle my nose at the plate of food. "But I will try the fireweed fruit."
"Suit yourself," he says, shrugging. He grins as I pop one of the fire berries into my mouth. Heat sears through me, covering my body entirely in invisible flames. But it feels good. I'm suddenly filled with energy and the room becomes significantly brighter. The king notices it too, his grin growing bigger. "Wow. Didn't expect that."
"What did you expect?" I ask, already reaching for another berry. My heart is pounding and my skin is on fire, but in a good way.
"I expected you to go up in flames and turn to ashes." At first I think he's kidding, but the serious look on his face says otherwise. I stop shoving the berries into my mouth.
"What?" I ask, my voice muffled by the food.
He turns and paces halfway across the room, and then back again. "I was checking if you really have the power of fire. You passed."
"And if I didn't have it?"
He smiles again. "Like I said, you would have burned to death." My throat and mouth are dry and I struggle to swallow the lump in my throat. "Good thing you have it."
"So you know who I am."
"I know who you are, but not your name, White Witch," he says. He comes to stand in front of me again. "Your name and your identity are two very different things."
"Edlyn," I say quietly. "Edlyn Cevi."
"Ah, Edlyn. Good." He nods, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with his thumb and pointer finger. "You may call me 'your majesty.'"
I can't help it. I roll my eyes. "Whatever you say, your majesty." I give him an exaggerated bow and he chuckles.
"Those who don't have the power of fire cannot eat fire berries and live," he explains. "The berries enhance our magic."
I glance at Alec. "So he can't eat them?" The king shakes his head. "But...he doesn't eat meat either."
"He will have to if he's going to stay here," he says. He rubs his chin again. "These are the only food choices here." I eat another berry. Alec is far too stubborn. He won't eat the fondes. The king clears his throat. "Anyway, I thought I would show you around. One of our healers is coming to care for your friend soon."
"Thank you, but I want to stay with him."
"At least let one of my people take you to bathe and get a change of clothes. You'll be much more comfortable," he suggests. I raise an eyebrow.
"Oh, so now you're going to use a servant?"
"Only because I think you wouldn't feel comfortable bathing if I were there," he says.
"You would be right about that," I agree. I tell him that I would be grateful for a chance to clean up and get a change of clothing. As he leaves he says that he will send a woman for me with the healer. I leave the plate of fondes near the doorway, wishing for more fire berries already, and return to my place beside Alec. I watch over him until an unfamiliar man and woman enter the room. The woman is a fire fairy and the man seems to be a dwarf. My throat tightens painfully. He looks just like Rurrous. Same messy brown hair, same thick beard, same brown eyes with crinkles in the corners from laughing.
"Edlyn?" the woman asks. She has a red piece of fabric draped over her arm so dark that it's nearly black. The man is already going to work on Alec, checking his pulse, cleaning his wounds, bandaging them with fresh bandages. I watch the man for a moment before pulling my eyes away from him and Alec and turning to the woman. She's older, maybe fifty or sixty, but her wings and her eyes are still bright. Her dark hair has many streaks of grey in it, matching the color of her eyes. She smiles at me. "Come with me."
I follow her, but not before glancing one more time at Alec. We take a left, then another left, then go straight, and then take a right. We walk forward for a while and end up in a wide room with a high, curved ceiling. The floor is mostly pools of dark water, but the room is instantly illuminated by the fire the woman holds between her fingers, just like King Cedric.
"The volcano has many rooms like this. We use them for bathing. This is one of the smaller ones and it's pretty out of the way, so no one should bother you here," the woman says. She stands in the doorway, watching me dip my hand in the nearest pool. The water is hot. Boiling, actually. But it doesn't hurt. It feels amazing. "Cedric noticed that you'd burnt holes in your clothing, so he had me bring you this—it's made of fireweed. It won't burn no matter how fired up you get." She holds out the fabric hanging on her arm and smiles again, reminding me of an elderly woman who lived near me and my grandfather years ago. She was the only adult besides my grandpa and Father Stefan that would get within a few feet of me. She passed away before I was ten.
"Thank you," I say, returning her smile. She leaves the dress in a neatly folded pile nearby and moves out to the tunnels to give me some privacy. I leave my slippers beside the dress and take off my cloak and toss it on the ground. King Cedric was right. I hadn't realized it, but my cloak is in tatters. My shirt and my pants are even worse. They can barely be considered clothes at this point. I toss them away with the cloak and step into one of the pools.
My skin is bruised and cut and covered in dirt and ashes. The water can't do much about my wound, but it quickly dissolves most of the grime covering me. Some of it is tougher to get rid of, but eventually comes off after a little scrubbing. I wash away the dirt from underneath my nails and, finally, the ash darkening my hair.
Although I'm clean, I don't want to leave the water yet. I decide to talk to the woman waiting for me outside the cave. "What's your name?"
"Kalima," she replies. Her voice is warm and comforting, like she's smiling while she speaks. It makes me smile too.
"That's a beautiful name," I tell her.
"Thank you," she says. Her smile has gotten bigger. I pull myself out of the water and sit on the edge to dry off. "Your name is very pretty as well. Do you know the meaning of it?"
"Small, brave one. That's what my grandfather told me, at least." I run a hand down my legs and my stomach. My hair is still a little damp, but otherwise, I'm completely dried off already. I pull my fingers through my hair a few times to loosen the tangles.
"It suits you," she says. I pull the dress on. It's a little tight, but it fits. "Your mother must be proud that you are living up to your name."
I join her in the tunnels. I was right, she is smiling. "My parents disappeared shortly after I was born." Her smile fades to an apologetic frown.
"Oh, dear, I'm sor—"
"It's okay, really. My grandfather was enough for me." I smile again and she returns it, a little sadly. She ignites a ball of flames between her hands once again and we fall into step beside each other as we make our way back. The dress is soft and cool on my skin, reaching to my ankles and secured around my shoulders to leave my arms and neck free.
"My husband passed when poor Cedric was just seven years old," she tells me, placing a hand over her heart. "At the beginning of this dreadful war."
"You're his mother?" I ask, stopping in my tracks. She pauses as well and nods. I bow immediately, but she stops me with a light touch on my shoulder.
"No need for that, my dear," she says kindly. We continue walking.
The healer is just leaving when we return. I ask him how Alec is, but he can only tell me that his fate is in God's hands. I find it comforting that even fairies believe in God.
Kalima follows the healer out of the room, but I have one more thing to say. "What does your name mean?"
She smiles again. I'm coming to really like her smile. "Burning stick," she answers, laughing. I grin. Her laugh sounds like chiming church bells. But not the ones in my village. No, those made ugly sounds.
The room is dark once again with the sudden absence of the fire fairy. I feel my way across the room to Alec, where I take my usual spot beside him on the rocky ledge. Still breathing, still alive, still with me.
I lean my head against the wall, smiling, and close my eyes. "I miss you yelling at me," I say aloud, voicing my thoughts. "I bet the first thing you do when you wake up is scold me." I know that he can't answer and that he probably can't hear, but it feels good to talk to him.
Pretty pretty please leave a vote/comment if you enjoyed this part! :)