Page 20
CHAPTER 20
Mei
E ver since my confession, Darcel had been behaving differently…but not in the way my fears had initially anticipated. Aside from his distance the changes were difficult to discern, but I sensed a definite shift between us, unseen yet tangible.
By the time the sun had fully risen we’d resumed our journey to the cavern that housed the eternal flame. The morning was brisk, mist clinging to the leaves like a lingering whisper of the night’s secrets, a contrast to the air between Darcel and me, thick with a new, awkward tension; his occasional stilted smiles and the way his eyes darted away when our gazes met spoke volumes of his inner turmoil. Every glance and word seemed measured, laden with hesitation, as if he were struggling to reconcile the companion he had known with the woman I truly was. With each step towards the cavern, I could feel the weight of my confession settling into the soil beneath my feet, rooting me deeper into the reality that Darcel now knew me not as Ren, but as Mei.
As we drew near the grove that had once denied me passage, the atmosphere grew tense. My steps slowed, my heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and hope. The memory of being deemed unworthy to proceed by the sacred grove’s magic lingered like a cold shadow at the edge of my thoughts, stirring the deep-rooted insecurities I’d harbored my entire life that I was truly fit to be an herbalist…let alone qualified to guide a quest that would affect the entire kingdom.
Yet my recent confession to Darcel gave me the courage to take a tentative step forward and touch the altar. The air, once heavy with an invisible resistance, shifted. There was no dramatic flurry of wind or light, but the mystical barrier that had once firmly held me at bay seemed to simply dissolve, melting away like morning mist beneath the gentle rays of sunlight, a sign that the magic within the grove recognized the sincerity in my confession to Darcel, as well as the truth of my identity.
Relief and triumph flooded through me at the grove’s acceptance that was more than just a passageway, but a vindication, a healing balm soothing the deep-seated insecurities I harbored about my worthiness to uphold my family’s legacy of herbalists. The ancient trees stood as sentinels as we passed, their towering forms imbued with a solemn dignity. I could almost hear their leaves whispering in hushed reverence, a soft chorus that seemed to echo their quiet encouragement. With every whispered rustle I felt a piece of my old doubts fade, replaced by a growing peace that settled deeply within my heart, knitting together the frayed edges of my confidence and giving me strength for the next leg of our journey.
Darcel’s figure cut through the early light that danced between the towering trees as he led the way past the grove towards the cavern entrance. The way the muscles on his back shifted beneath his shirt riveted my attention, a silent testament to the readiness with which he faced our quest. Yet despite his focus there was an awkwardness in his posture that hadn’t been present before, a hesitance that made him seem almost…vulnerable. I caught him stealing repeated glances at me over his shoulder, his eyes darting away whenever I met his gaze.
As the path lined by wild ferns and the occasional wildflower narrowed, Darcel’s behavior grew increasingly erratic. He often cleared his throat, as if to speak, only to shake his head and push forward in silence. When a pheasant suddenly burst from the brush he almost reached for me, his hand hanging suspended in the air before he pulled it back, clenching it at his side.
Each of his nervous fidgets hinted at an internal struggle, and the way he deliberately avoided my gaze made me fear that I was at the heart of his turmoil. The way he stiffened when I sidled closer only confirmed my unease. “You’ve been behaving oddly ever since…you found out. Are you upset with me?”
“Of course not.” He made the insistence a bit too hastily to be convincing.
I frowned. “Really?”
He ran his hand through his hair and angled his body away, as if he couldn’t face me. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the prince’s peculiar behavior—after one of Darcel’s many awkward interactions with me, Sir Jiang pulled him aside.
“Are you certain nothing happened with Ren last night that we should know about?” Despite his efforts to keep his voice low, it was too deep and loud to entirely evade my notice.
“Nothing unusual happened,” Darcel said. “Ren received the approval of the grove, so clearly he is trustworthy.” His voice hitched on my name, as if he suddenly found it awkward to say.
Sir Jiang frowned and cast me an uneasy glance. Though he thankfully didn’t press the matter, I sensed the matter wasn’t fully resolved in his mind.
Darcel’s strange resistance seemed to entirely falter when we came to a stream barring our way. As I paused at the bank assessing the best way to cross, Darcel suddenly appeared at my side, his hand outstretched.
“Let me help you.” His low voice was almost drowned out by the rush of the stream, the soothing sound of water acting as a balm to the strange tension festering between us.
My gaze darted towards Kael and Sir Jiang, who’d already waded halfway across without any concern for getting wet. “I am perfectly capable of crossing by myself. Besides, it’ll look too suspicious?—”
“Let me help you.” A hint of pleading filled Darcel’s tone and I sensed a deeper meaning in his request. I tentatively placed my hand in his, the warmth of his grip encircling my fingers like a promise.
His touch was firm and secure as he guided me over the slick stones. Even after we reached the other side his fingers lingered around mine, as if hesitant to let go. The heat from his hand seemed to seep through my whole being, stirring something within me that I struggled to keep buried. He hastily released me when the others glanced our way—Jiang in confusion, Kael with an almost calculating look—leaving my hand colder, as if it had been submerged in the water we’d just traversed.
Ahead, the cavern loomed like a gaping maw on the mountain’s side, its entrance draped with vines that hung like curtains shielding against the lingering dawn. As we drew closer, the air chilled, hinting at the presence of the eternal flame ahead with each whispering breeze that rustled through the foliage.
The last stretch of the ascending path was unusually rocky, which kept Darcel at my side. “Watch your step, Mei.” He murmured my name quietly enough for the others not to overhear, but the way he spoke it sounded like a new discovery, as if he was still coming to terms with the person he now saw before him.
Carefully, we navigated the uneven ground, the tension between us palpable yet unspoken as each step brought us closer to our destination until we reached the cavern entrance.
“Stay close behind me.” Darcel entered the darkness with a torch in hand. The cool, musty air enveloped me as I followed him into the cave, the walls glistening with moisture that reflected our torchlight in hundreds of tiny stars. Darcel remained close, his presence a constant heat against my back. Every so often I felt him lean in, as if drawn by a force he couldn’t resist, only to catch himself and step back, leaving a cold space between us.
I felt every glance and brief touch as we navigated the cavern’s twists and turns. Lumis’s soft glow offered no insight to Darcel’s thoughts, but if his inner turmoil echoed mine, he was wrestling not only with the treacherous path beneath our feet but also the uncertain trajectory of our relationship. As we approached the heart of the cavern where the promised flame awaited, I wondered if its light would bring clarity—allowing us to truly see one another—or if the shadows it cast would only deepen the mysteries that lay between us.
The cavern stretched before us, a sprawling network of pathways veined with damp, glistening walls of time-worn stone. The constant drip of water from the cavern's ceiling accompanied our steps, forming reflective pools that caught the sparse light from our torch.
Navigating through the cavern became a test of patience and observation. The paths were unmarked, rendering each decision about which direction to take as uncertain as the one before. With his tracking experience, Kael initially led the way. As we delved deeper, the pathways multiplied, transforming into a labyrinth of enigmatic turns and twists that challenged our every step.
The air gradually grew cooler and more humid, thick with the earthy scent of moss and the subtle tang of minerals that seeped from the stone. I paused occasionally to examine the growth along the cavern walls. Tiny fungi and patches of bioluminescent moss thrived in the low light, emitting a faint, eerie glow that provided natural markers.
My herbology texts taught that these organisms often grew in areas with consistent air flow, indicating passages that likely led to larger chambers such as where the eternal flame would reside. I felt the familiar twinge of magic surrounding each plant, making me wonder if they served as stepping stones guiding us in the direction we needed to go.
I paused to examine them more closely and Darcel suddenly leaned closer, a proximity I’d missed too much to even consider pulling away. “Have you noticed something?”
“I don’t think the plants in this cavern are here by chance; they seem to be a natural map.”
Kael sighed. “I’ve navigated plenty of caves and never had to rely on plants as guides. It’s risky to depend on a mere hunch for direction.”
“Unlike the other caves you’ve explored, this one isn’t just a physical journey; it’s a traversal through nature’s hidden language, one I’ve spent years learning to interpret.”
At my counterargument, he and Sir Jiang looked to Darcel for the final decision. He didn’t even hesitate. “I think we should follow Ren’s lead.”
Sir Jiang snorted and Kael rolled his eyes. “Of course we’ll side with the herbalist and not the trained tracker.”
“We’re not trying to follow an animal’s tracks or locate an enemy force. These puzzles have all been designed for those who possess an herbalist’s knowledge,” Darcel argued. “It makes sense to rely on Ren.” He cast me a reassuring smile, the first direct eye contact he’d made with me all day. My cheeks warmed at his faith in me, a blush thankfully lost in the dim light.
Kael reluctantly stepped aside, allowing me to lead us towards a tunnel dense with clusters of glowing fungi. Their soft light cast an otherworldly glow that served as both a guide and reassurance as we ventured into the cavern’s deeper, forgotten corridors.
I moved forward with cautious optimism, relying on the echo of my own conviction to navigate through the darkness. As we wove through the labyrinthine underground, I brushed my fingers against the cavern walls, my touch attuned to subtle variations in texture and temperature. Cool, damp drafts emanated from the narrower passages, tapping into my instinctual ability finely tuned to nature’s subtle signs.
I periodically paused to survey our surroundings, recalibrating our path based on the environmental cues ingrained in me from years of study. My expertise in herbalism, typically focused on plant properties, now expanded to interpret the broader language of our natural surroundings. With each deliberate step towards our goal, I felt the growing weight of responsibility to lead us correctly through this subterranean maze. At the same time I felt a burgeoning delight as for the first time I was not merely relying on information I’d been taught, but was able to use my instincts and communicate directly with the flora I’d devoted my life to studying.
At first, Darcel and the others followed silently, the torchlight casting elongated shadows that danced grotesquely against the rough walls. But as minutes turned into hours with no sign of the eternal flame’s chamber, the atmosphere grew heavy, weighted with unspoken doubts. I cast Lumis an anxious glance, but it hung silently at my side, as though waiting for me to discern the clues that were obvious to a magical lantern.
Kael’s punctuated sigh eventually broke the tension, his annoyance reverberating in the cramped space. “Forgive me if my patience has long worn thin, but I feel as if we should have reached our destination by now.”
His complaint echoed my own dwindling confidence, which had eroded with each dead end we encountered. “I think we should have taken the left fork back at the stalagmites,” I admitted.
“It’s easy to get turned around in these places.” Darcel’s expression was unreadable in the flickering torchlight, but the strain in his voice suggested his own patience was thinning. This impacted me more deeply than my own ever-present self-doubts, and I found myself worrying about the still uncertain future of the relationship that was just beginning to form between us.
Desperate to live up to the faith he’d placed in me, I led the group as we retraced our steps to the stalagmites jutting sporadically from the ground. I stopped to examine them more closely. They were cloaked in an array of mosses and lichens, some resembling the natural guideposts my father had taught me to decipher, markers known only to those versed in their language.
My gaze traced the subtle trail of spores that seemed less disturbed than the others we’d been following like breadcrumbs. They diverted down a less worn path jutting from our right, unexplored yet promising. An odd sense of aversion came over me as I glanced down the rocky corridor, and by the expressions on my companions’ faces, they felt similarly. My sense of dread grew as I took a step in that direction, as if my intuition was guiding me away from a dangerous route.
I took another look down the unpleasant path and horror seized my breath. On the far edges of where our flickering lights cast I saw twisting tendrils of darkness. My stomach twisted and I involuntarily took a step back. Surely if the curse was affecting this route we should stay far from it. By the others’ concerned murmurs, they’d drawn the same conclusion.
Before I could retreat farther, another sense made me pause. If the curse was attempting to stop us from this particular path…perhaps it was the direction that would lead us to what we sought.
I hesitated for a moment, fearful of guiding us on yet another wrong way. Closing my eyes, I searched for calm so I could better consider the decision. As peace enveloped me, Lumis's warmth intensified, its deepening glow seeming to encourage me to trust my intuition.
With a steadying breath I lifted my chin. “It’s this way.”
Darcel gestured towards the darkness with concern. “Are you sure? How can you be certain?”
I pointed to the growth patterns I’d noticed and Kael groaned. “This entire time we’ve been taking guidance from mushrooms? ” Fatigue softened his biting complaint.
“These spores are from lantern moss. They grow more abundantly near sources of natural energy…such as a flame. I’m certain they’ll lead the way.”
I could feel Darcel’s eyes on me, soft in his admiration as I unraveled the mysteries with my herbalist knowledge. He nodded, once more placing his trust in me and my capabilities.
As we followed the new path, I lifted Lumis, my heart hammering as we approached the darkness. Yet the tendrils shrank and vanished as my lantern shone. In addition the air began to grow warmer, the distinct scent of sulfur mingled with the earthy dampness. My heart quickened with the prospect that despite my earlier misstep I’d been able to correct our course.
“This way.” My voice was steadier, bolstered by the tangible signs of nearing our goal. The others nodded, their earlier frustration giving way to renewed focus as they followed me through a narrow passage that twisted steeply downward.
As we descended, Lumis shone steadily ahead on the path. But as we came around a tightly winding corner, its beam swung suddenly to the cavern wall. Puzzled, I stopped to examine it. In a crevice, a tiny plant grew with pale green, bristly leaves. I leaned close to stare in wonderment.
“What is it?” Darcel asked curiously.
“I’m not sure,” I responded. “I’ve seen some similar plants, but I don’t recognize this specific one. I think we’re supposed to take a sample.” Carefully I dug the plant from the wall and tucked it away before resuming our trek. Our footsteps echoed as the tunnel grew wider, and we came around another corner to see our destination.
A vast chamber opened before us, at the center of which a flame danced above a pedestal—a vibrant, luminous blue glow that cast an otherworldly, beckoning light across the cavernous space.
The timeless dance of light and shadow flickered across Darcel’s awe. “You did it, Mei.” His approval warmed me, his quiet use of my true name during such a sacred moment a balm to our earlier trials.
The flame’s heat brushed against my skin like the whisper of some ancient secret as I stepped closer, my eyes fixed on the flame, mesmerized. “We need to figure out how to harness this.”
The flame appeared untouchable, ensconced within a natural basin of rock that seemed to have been sculpted by the hands of time itself. I circled it, my mind racing through various herbal concoctions that could potentially protect us from the heat or help contain the flame.
Though we appeared to have reached the destination the riddle had led us to, something about the setup felt too deliberate, an uneasy niggling in the back of my mind. I examined the flickering light against the cavern walls—the play of shadows and firelight created patterns that seemed to shift and change, drawing my attention to the less obvious features of our surroundings.
While the others admired the flame and discussed ways to harness it, I beckoned Darcel over. As we studied the light, it flared for a moment, the reflection casting vivid hues across the rocky surface. A particular cluster of crystal formations caught my notice—deep red, like smoldering coals, something similar to rubies that appeared almost alive .
Darcel’s breath hitched. “Are those crystals?”
“Not just crystals.” Excitement swelled at the realization. “They’re part of a very rare type of succulent that crystallizes minerals from the cavern environment to form ruby-like structures on its leaves. This one is known as flameheart cactus . I’ve only seen diagrams of them; I didn’t even know some still grew.”
Darcel’s eyes widened in wonder, but Kael and Jiang remained unconvinced when he relayed the information to them…though Kael’s expression appeared more pensive than skeptical.
“A plant? ” Sir Jiang scoffed. “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely.” I moved closer to inspect one of the formations. The flameheart cactus was legendary in herbalist circles, said to contain the essence of an eternal flame within its very biology. The plant thrived in extreme heat, absorbing and crystallizing minerals to create a protective barrier against the elements, making its leaves take on the appearance of precious gems.
Carefully, I used a pair of tongs from my herbalist kit to detach a crystallized leaf from the cactus. The leaf was warm, its edges glinting with a fiery brilliance that seemed to pulse with life. It shimmered as I held it up to the light. “This is what we need—not the flame itself, but what it protects.”
The respect I coveted from Darcel deepened as he observed the leaf. “So the flame was a guardian, not the prize itself.”
I smiled, feeling a surge of pride in my discovery. “It’s a natural safeguard, protecting the true treasure from those who might not understand its value or how to properly cultivate it.”
Together, we harvested several of the crystallized leaves, carefully wrapping each in a length of silk and storing them in my pack. As I handled each leaf, I couldn't help but reflect on the mystical plant that was more than just a component for our quest—it served as a symbol of resilience, thriving in harsh conditions that would destroy anything less adapted.
Before we departed, I pulled out the ancient scroll whose riddles had guided our path thus far. The parchment crackled slightly beneath my fingers as I carefully unfurled it to reveal the next riddle inscribed in the faded ink: “ Amidst whispers of despair and a land bereft of light, roots entwine with secrets rare, hidden from mortal sight .”
Darcel’s brow furrowed as he read aloud, his voice resonating through the cavern, each word echoing off the stalactite-laden ceiling. “The Kingdom of Shadows…it’s said to be a realm that remains cloaked in perpetual dusk, where the sun’s rays fear to tread even after the light’s return to the rest of the kingdom due to its ancient secrets, swallowed by the shadows of time.”
I peered over his shoulder at the cryptic words, recalling fragmented lore from old texts. “Based on this description, the herb sounds like the ShadowRoot, a mythical plant believed to grow only in the deepest shadows, absorbing the essence of darkness itself.” A fitting remnant from the cursed night.
Darcel’s expression grew solemn, his eyes reflecting a mixture of resolve and concern. “Then that is where we must go next. If the ShadowRoot is as entwined with secrets as the riddle suggests, it could be key to dispelling the remnants of the curse.”
We nodded in agreement and gathered our belongings to begin the trek back through the maze of rock and stone, each step drawing us farther from the cavern’s mysterious depths, back towards the light of the known path that lay ahead. As we made our way back through the cavern, the weight of our forthcoming journey pressed heavily upon us, the thrill of our recent discovery threatening to overshadow our joy with the daunting path ahead.
Yet as we walked, our eyes met and a smile crossed his face, filled with a warmth that I longed to explore more fully. To my joy I realized that the previous tense awkwardness that had hung between us had vanished; instead the wonder of our discovery filled the spaces between us.
The setting sun greeted us upon exiting the cave, concealed by a thick canopy that cast elongated shadows across our path, as if reaching out with fingers of the impending dusk. The sky deepened into twilight by the time we entered the forest, the dying light seeming reluctant to leave the sky, as if wary of the darkness that crept steadily around us, whispering warnings of the challenges that lay ahead.
As we navigated through the thick trees, the last rays of sunlight finally vanished behind the distant hills. I drew a deep breath and unconsciously moved a little nearer to Darcel, fighting my usual dread of nightfall. The warmth of his presence reassured me, reminding me of our purpose…and that I was not facing it alone.
Despite my lingering unease twisting in my stomach, a newfound determination fortified my resolve. The Kingdom of Shadows would undoubtedly test us in ways we had yet to face. Yet with Darcel at my side with the truth of my identity shared between us, I sensed an unspoken bond—a commitment that extended beyond our cause to each other.
Together we would venture into the Kingdom of Shadows. With its whispered despair and hidden secrets, we would face whatever darkness awaited us.