All the Stars and Teeth(75)
* * *
The air is damp and stagnant, nearly suffocating in the tight space. My lungs are heavy and the ground’s chill bites at my palms and knees as I crawl forward. The others are directly behind me.
“Is everyone doing all right?” I ask.
Bastian responds with a breathy laugh. “Couldn’t be better. I’ve got a nice view.”
Though he can’t see it, my eyes practically roll straight out of my skull to compensate for the heat that warms my cheeks. If this space were any larger, I would have turned and punched him on the shoulder.
“Enjoy it while you can, pirate.”
Fortunately, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes for the walls to stretch around us and the world to brighten as we ascend into the depths of a cavern, able to stand tall. Stalactites dangle precariously from the ceiling.
Beneath the surface, luminous jellyfish-like creatures skirt over the water. They shine through the murky tide, a green light that brightens the stone walls.
“What is this place?” I’m breathless as I stare down at the small creatures. At my feet, a tiny salamander with long gills poking from its neck flees from its hiding place and dives away from us, toward the opposite corner of the cavern.
I sneak a careful look at Bastian, whose chest rises and falls shakily. His lips are pressed together as he scans the cavern, eyes brimming. Zudoh’s shore is a desolate, burnt wasteland, but this cavern is the picture of undisturbed beauty. It’s a small glimpse into the island I imagine he remembers as his home.
“It’s beautiful,” I tell him.
His eyes flicker briefly toward me, throat bobbing as he nods.
“I thought I knew every inch of this island,” he whispers, voice stolen by the cavern. “But thank the gods I was wrong.”
I clasp a hand to his shoulder and squeeze, just once, certain we see the same sign—Zudoh may be suffering, but this island isn’t gone yet. If a place like this still exists, then there’s hope.
But even with that hope, Bastian’s shoulders slump a little more with each step he takes. As the others walk ahead, I set my hand upon his shoulder. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? We’re finally here.”
He meets my eyes for no more than a fleeting second and offers a small, tense nod. “It’s just been a while. I’m … not sure if anyone will recognize me. Or if there’s even anyone left for me to recognize. I was so young.”
“All we can worry about right now is making the most of our time here.” I smile, expecting Bastian to mirror it, but his jaw is tense and his shoulders rigid.
“Amora, there’s something you should—”
“This way!” Ari yells as he dashes ahead of us, making both Bastian and me flinch in surprise. I turn back to the pirate to let him finish, but he screws his mouth shut and nods ahead.
“We should keep moving.” And before I can stop him, he turns to catch up with the others.
I want to press, but decide to give him the time he needs to process whatever it is he wants to tell me. Back home for the first time in years, I can’t imagine the emotions he’s going through.
“Our village was destroyed,” Ari tells me as I catch up to them, trying to ignore the way Bastian purposely avoids looking at me. “But some of us were able to start a new camp. It’s secret, and we’re not supposed to leave, but…”
“But Ari and I sneak out sometimes, to scout,” Raya says when his voice fades shyly away. She nods to Ari’s side, and he lifts his coat to reveal a tiny silver telescope. “We saw your ship. Zudoh’s the only place with wood like that. If it belonged to Kaven, we wanted to be able to warn our families. But then we watched you anchor your ship so far out; the last thing we expected was Visidians to wash up on shore.”
Her eyes squint angrily; whenever she looks at me, it’s as though she’s scrutinizing my soul and doesn’t favor what she finds. Her face isn’t soft, but taut with a sharpened jaw. Though she’s young, the world has hardened her.
This should never have happened to her.
“Is Zale the one in charge?” I ask, keeping my voice quiet. This place feels almost holy, a peaceful haven meant to remain untroubled.
Ari’s lips twist, forehead scrunching into a dozen wrinkles as he considers this. Finally, he sighs. “Over here, she is. But the other side belongs to Kaven. Like I said, we’re not supposed to go there.”
From the corner of my eye I see Bastian’s hands balling into fists. They’re shaking.
“You have to tell Zale you’re going to help us,” Ari says urgently. “Hurry! She’ll be so excited, come on!”
He bounds ahead, to where sunlight signals the cavern’s exit. All I can see is a glimpse of water feeding into banks of emerald-green grass and, when I squint, a haze of shifting figures.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Ferrick offers, though I sense no danger. My nerves are settled but I check that my satchel is secured tightly at my hip.
A dozen faces jerk toward me as we exit the cave. Unlike me, they don’t hesitate to grab their weapons.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
It takes everything in me not to grab my new dagger. Sweat licks my brow as I look into dozens of frightened but determined faces.
The villagers before me hold weapons I’m unfamiliar with—dual axes linked by a black chain, sleek white staffs, and even some strange smoking tubes that look like something better left not inhaled.