Lloyd's POV
"Lloyd. Lloyd," someone hissed. I immediately jerked awake, surprised at my ability to fall asleep even in this state. Somehow I had ended up lying flat on my back on the rough, uneven stone floor. It was very uncomfortable but I guess boredom could do wonders.
I looked up to see Ruby's face peering at me through the cage bars and sat up promptly. She was wearing one of the Shadow Riders' cloaks, leaving only enough of her face visible under the hood so that I could recognize her.
"What the―what―how?" I sputtered, and she quickly pressed a finger to her lips and glanced around nervously. There wasn't a single Shadow Rider in sight.
"I managed to escape," she whispered hurriedly, "They weren't guarding me this strictly. And speaking of strict, wow, this is insane. But their security at night is pretty lacking, isn't it?" I watched, dumbfounded, as Ruby pulled out a hairpin and began picking at the lock. Never would I have expected her to be able to do such things. But then I never would've thought that Rumi could fight so well in combat, either.
She got the lock open just as I finished melting away the manacles around my wrists and chain around my ankle. When she opened the cage door, Ruby handed me a cloak to put on as well. I did, and we both pulled our hoods down.
"Come on, this way's the exit," Ruby turned and headed for one of the tunnels. "You'd be surprised how accessible everything is. All I had to do was wear this cloak and then I could go wherever."
"How'd you acquire it?" I asked, hurrying to keep up with her accelerating pace.
"I just had to knock someone out. When you're desperate enough, anything's possible," she chuckled softly, "And since nobody's raised an alarm yet, I'm assuming nobody even checks on me. Let's just say you can take advantage of the fact that everyone thinks you're weak."
By this point we had entered the tunnel and we were already running.
"I don't think you're weak," I said, though I admit, I was quite surprised that she managed to get not one, but two cloaks. Still, the Shadow Riders she came across must've been some of the weaker ones, their cloaks just making them seem menacing, because while Ruby was definitely much stronger than she let on, she couldn't be that powerful.
"Thanks, but most people would probably disagree. Have you seen me in combat?" I could almost hear her grinning.
I didn't really know how to reply so I said nothing. Soon the underpass became more of a vertical hole and we began to climb. I craned my head upwards and saw only darkness, but since Ruby had said it was nightfall, I wasn't surprised. It was probably hard to tell since the cave was always illuminated by dark blue crystals. At least those crystals allowed me to see where I was stepping and what I was holding onto while climbing. Ruby didn't seem to have trouble rock climbing, moving with the type of speed and agility that I'd only seen in Morro and Cole before. The royal family must be trained well in these skills. Meanwhile I could soon feel my arms shaking after a couple of minutes and had to tread very lightly to avoid foot cramps.
My shoes had already been worn to the point where there were holes in it even before our adventure (an unwise decision of mine), so the bottoms of my feet hurt badly. Sweat on my hands made the rocks feel slippery. I gritted my teeth and dug my nails into the stone, the sharp, jagged corners pricking my fingers. My feet were barely able to hold their own and I felt the urge to look down, but knew that I could end up losing my grip and falling to my death if I did. There was no rope, no harness, no anything.
While I climbed, I scraped my knees several times in an effort to stay as close to the wall as possible. Though the walls weren't exactly at a ninety-degree angle, they were still extremely steep and hard to climb. All four of my limbs became sore within a few minutes, shaking harder with every step. I could feel the strain in my muscles. Even as the Master of Energy, I didn't have enough left to ask Ruby how far we still had to climb.
It took every ounce of motivation in me to hoist myself up each time. Eventually I couldn't resist and peeked below myself and nearly lost my hold. The tunnel was too dark to see anything too far away, so it looked like an endless pit. You will die if you don't keep going, I said to myself over and over again, ignoring the pain in my arms. They were practically screaming for me to release them from this torture. I swallowed and pulled myself higher and higher.
Pain seared through my right leg from my foot. Shoot. A cramp. I tried to uncurl my it so that it would stop hurting, but nothing worked. My teeth bit down on my bottom lip hard so that I wouldn't howl in pain. I shut my eyes tightly and opened them again and kept going. Tasting blood, I tried my best to ignore the agony as I continued pulling myself upwards. And finally, after what seemed like forever, I could see the stars that sprinkled the night sky. Ruby pulled herself up over the top, and once I was within reach, she grabbed onto my hand and I was on flat ground once again.
I licked the blood off my lips and collapsed.
"We can't rest yet," Ruby said, "They might come looking for us, so we have to get away from here, the further the better. We have to get to the others."
I winced as she pulled me to my feet, but my legs couldn't hold up my body weight and I fell to my knees.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Foot cramp," I wheezed, "And I'm dying, I can't move. I'm sorry."
She knelt down beside me and sighed. "Let's hope that they look far, then. But we still need to get somewhere that isn't right next to this tunnel, you know? Can you really not walk?"
I gnashed my teeth together. What was I doing? I was supposed to be the one protecting Rumi's sister, not the other way around. So ignoring every sign that my body was sending to my brain, I stood up. "Let's go."
We ran, and somewhere in the middle of it, I fainted.
Harumi's POV
Night had fallen upon us again. The afternoon had been pretty uneventful, with Morro's three outbreaks being the most interesting thing that happened. They had been getting even more frequent at an accelerated pace, and calming him down became harder with each time. Once Nya had to drag Morro into the water with her so that he wouldn't attack me. I tried to help but the others wouldn't let me get close, so I was stuck sitting at the other side of the raft. Jay suggested that we use the vial but we ultimately decided that was too risky. Besides, we didn't even know if it would work or not.
The others had fallen asleep and Zane stayed awake with me. I had volunteered to keep guard mostly because my body refused to rest. The sky was like an inky blue veil with tiny stars sprinkled across it, and the gibbous moon was like a brilliant oval orb shining against the darkness. Our raft aimlessly floated about, but Zane said not to worry, for it was still headed in the right direction. The water was illuminated by the moonlight, which casted a silver glow wherever it touched. It beat against the wood at a steady pace, almost like a lullaby. I felt my eyelids droop but was still restless.
"Do you find it strange," he said quietly, "That we have not yet seen the water creatures that captured you?"
Now that Zane mentioned it, I did find it strange. "Truthfully, I haven't really thought about it," I confessed, "But that is quite peculiar."
"Why do you think they have not attacked us at this stage?"
"I think maybe because their purpose has been served already," I said, "I'm guessing the Shadow Knight ordered them to deliver us to the island so we would be easier to ambush. But the island wasn't exactly little, so I dunno."
"His plans are quite perplexing," Zane agreed, "I have yet to figure out what he is trying to accomplish with this. Though I recall, the Shadow Knight has had several unsuccessful attempts at capturing you. The first of which was the village, correct?"
"Yeah," I replied, "Then I don't know what the forest was about, but it proves that the Shadow Knight knows where we are at all times."
Zane nodded, "Yes, Morro filled us in with all the details while you were out. About what happened in the forest, and why he loses control sometimes. Also, according to Morro, the Shadow Knight made a deal with Chrysanthe the day before we arrived at the mountains," Zane continued, "Meaning he visited the beetles while we were still in the forest. So either that was before or after he went to Lloyd."
I sighed. Everything was so frustrating to think about. This whole trip just felt weird. We were all being reckless and came searching for the Crystal Blade barely prepared. How silly of me to think the Shadow Knight couldn't figure out where we were at all times. It wasn't as if we were in hiding. Why didn't he ever simply ambush us out in the open, though? Nothing made sense.
"Well, he nearly got me back on the island," I said, "I'm almost happy that the... Shadow Rider sliced my wrist."
"I guess," Zane said with a shrug, "But what I find strange is, why would he want your blood? That seems like a totally unnecessary and unreasonable requirement for conquering Jade City."
I blinked, not knowing how to reply. Based on what Zane knew, of course it didn't make sense.
He paused, and continued. "Also, I noticed that you have not had any head pains in quite a while."
"Actually, I had one yesterday," I said, "Sorry, I must've forgotten to tell you guys. There must be some reason behind that but honestly, this whole thing is just getting messier, at least in my opinion."
Zane sighed. "We will get through this."
"Yeah, I sure hope so."
Lloyd's POV
When I woke up, the sun was shining and Ruby was watching over me. She still wore her hood so I couldn't see her face, but I could still tell from the dark brown hair with pink streaks.
"You're awake," she said, relieved.
I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "Yeah," I said, embarrassed. Great. Now I was making a fool of myself in front of my girlfriend's sister. Again. I prayed that she wasn't going to tell Rumi but knowing how close they were, she probably would.
"Thank god no Shadow Riders found us last night," she said. Blood rushed to my face. I didn't need another reminder of how I almost screwed up our escape. But seriously. I wasn't unfit or sedentary, since I did go for a run every day. How did she not collapse as soon as she exited the hole? I wanted to compliment Ruby on her strength but then again, I didn't want to be humiliated any longer. Calvin Walters had demeaned me enough for a lifetime. Speaking of Calvin Walters, I couldn't help but grin inwardly to myself just imagining the look of horror on his face when he learned that I had spent so much time alone with Princess Ruby, his celebrity crush.
I must've had a glazed and stupid expression on my face because the next thing I knew, she was waving her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Lloyd. You okay?"
"Oh, of course. Reporting for duty, princess," I said, saluting, hoping she would think I was joking around and not talk to Rumi about it. Ruby giggled in response.
"How're you feeling?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," I said. The cramps were gone and I had energy again. Even my head was feeling better, but my stomach rumbled. I felt my face grow hot as I realized I hadn't eaten anything in a day. My throat was also dry.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, and pulled out a piece of bread from the folds of her cloak. "Here, take this. I decided to save it to eat later but it looks like you need it more than I do."
I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. You need to eat, I'm not actually hungry, my stomach just likes to do that..." The words sounded so lame coming from my mouth.
"We can at least split," she said, then broke the bread in half and offered one of the halves to me. I shook my head and pushed her hand back. Ruby eyed me with a questioning look but I shook my head again. My stomach grumbled again. Embarrassing.
"Just eat it."
I reluctantly accepted the bread and bit into it. Somehow it tasted better than anything I had been offered in prison, but that was probably because I was so hungry. It was nowhere near enough to satisfy my hunger, but who was I to complain?
After we finished eating, which happened in a matter of seconds, Ruby looked at the sky overhead.
"We need to go north," she said, "And hopefully we'll find the others."
"Wouldn't it be better to go south?" I asked. "We should go and get the Crystal Blade, since we really don't know where the others are. It could take days. Days could get us captured. If the Crystal Blade is only a couple of miles away, it would be our best shot."
We set off. Soon after we started walking, the soreness returned to my legs. I didn't complain or moan, instead focusing on the scenery to distract myself. Never had I seen such a luscious valley. The grass was soft and thick, and the rolling hills with the mountains in the near distance painted the perfect picture. Birds chirped merrily, flitting back and forth between the trees. Flowers of all shapes and colors dotted the landscape, and for a while I forgot about my hunger.
I took off my shoes and carried them instead, allowing the grass to tickle the bottoms of my feet. It was like a free massage and I loved it. The air was fresh and cool, the sun not too hot nor too cold. Ruby and I moved slowly and wordlessly through the valley, mostly staying within the shadows in case anyone came looking for us.
Even now I still felt somewhat uncomfortable in her presence. It was much easier talking to Ruby in the prison, if I was being totally honest. There was something unnerving about her that I couldn't really put my finger on, now that we could both see each other. Maybe it was because last night I had made a total fool of myself.
Later we realized that many of the trees bore produce, and after examining the fruits I recognized some and deemed them safe to eat. Some of the berries were sour, so I allowed myself to be picky due to the abundance of options. Ruby and I sat down in the shade after gathering food and using the cloaks as some sort of bundle to carry the berries.
I ate handful after handful like a pig, and my fingers were soon stained purple. Juice dribbled down my chin and I wiped it off. When I glanced up at Ruby, she was eating them one at a time instead of shoving the berries into her mouth. I wondered if I should at least try to have table manners in front of the princess, but only after I started eating did I realize just how hungry I was. For a second I completely forgot about them until I thought about what she might tell Rumi. I felt so ashamed of myself and attempted to wipe as much juice from my face as I could. Ruby did seem to notice but didn't say anything about it.
To try and distract her from my blunders, I decided to start a conversation about life back home. I told her about my dad and uncle's endless search for jobs, and immediately regretted it. She smiled in the way an adult does when a child acts in a foolish manner and is proud of themselves. Why would I tell Ruby about my financial issues? Surely she and Rumi would just find me to be another meager commoner.
I felt my face redden and quickly asked about her parents. Ruby's smile vanished and I remembered that the Shadow Knight had killed hers in an instant. I just had to ask her about a sensitive topic literally right after saying something so stupid. She had handled their deaths so well in the past, why did I have to be the reason for her to crack now?
"I... didn't mean to... I'm so sorry," I said quickly, reaching for her hand with my purple fingers.
"It's okay," she mumbled, her bottom lip trembling. Ruby hung her head, her hair falling over her face.
My hand froze in midair and I slowly drew it back. Why was I so stupid, and how many dumb things did I have to do or say in front of Ruby? I wrung my hands together in my lap, feeling the tension in the air. Having always been somewhat socially awkward, I had gone through uncomfortable silences a lot, but with the princess it just made everything a hundred times worse.
At this point I still didn't know why Rumi agreed to be with me so quickly. I only remembered how the first time she saw me her face paled and her mouth fell open. It probably wasn't because she thought I was handsome or anything. Just the thought of anyone thinking I was handsome made me feel a bit queasy, as I was always wearing drab, second-hand t-shirts and pants that hadn't seen the washer in a week. Especially Princess Harumi. The only person who ever said I was "cute" was my mom. Truth to be told, I still didn't know much about Rumi outside of the stories Ruby recounted, since she didn't really talk about herself. So not only was I insensitive, I was shallow too. I was disgusted at myself.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Ruby whispered, pulling me back into reality. She shyly brushed her hair out of her face and took a deep breath. "We're going to fix this. But thanks for taking me and my sister in."
I bit my lip and nodded. "Of course. We're honored, princess."
She smiled sadly and motioned for me to eat. "We should finish up and get going," Ruby said, "And get that Crystal Blade."
The Light Alps were only about a mile away. They stood majestically, shrouded in a foggy mist. The ground sloped upwards as the green plant life faded away. Though the Light Alps were only the second mountain range we had come across, they felt very different from the first. The more I stared at them, the more power I could feel pulsing through my veins. The Crystal Blade was here. I could feel it.
We quickly finished the remainder of the berries and stood up. I slipped my feet back into my shoes. The sun vanished behind the clouds which had gathered while we were walking, making the temperature of our surroundings drop a little. I flipped my cloak inside-out and put it on with the hood over my face so that the juice-covered side was facing outwards. Ruby did the same.
Neither of us spoke as we made our way towards the sierra. I started to get chilly and wrapped the cloak tightly around myself. My breath escaped my mouth in small wisps. The melody of the birds disappeared into the sounds of our footsteps, which soon became the only thing I could hear besides my chattering teeth. It didn't help that I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts underneath. The one pair of pants I had brought were probably somewhere at the bottom of the gulf, never to be seen again. How did it suddenly get so cold?
Ruby trailed closely behind me when we entered the mountains, and though I wasn't completely sure which direction the Crystal Blade was in, I followed my gut instincts, praying that they were right. She didn't say a single word the whole time.
And soon enough, we found ourselves standing in front of a cave entrance.
A/N: Okay, since this is a double update I won't elaborate here lol
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading!