Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(29)
The sound of raindrops hitting the leaves and branches soothed me. On a whim, I decided to try to find the lake with the large waterfall. Heading east, I had difficulty seeing more than a few feet in front of me. Thunder boomed and lightning sliced across the sky. After five minutes of walking, my hands pulsed with acute pain, almost knocking me over. It was stupid to have come out here all alone during a storm when I was so unfamiliar with the area.
Closing my eyes, I thought back to what Anders said at the pond. I raised my hands out before me and slowly turned around, searching for some sort of pull. The only thing I felt was the rain pounding on my body and the throbbing in my hands. Squinting, I searched for an animal or someone lurking nearby. Nothing.
The ache intensified, and I fell to my knees, crying out. My arms shook, and I glanced at my palms, expecting to see them on fire. They appeared normal, but the cool rain did nothing to soothe them. The ground beneath me suddenly gave out, and I dropped into the earth, screaming as I fell through darkness.
I slammed against a hard surface; a sharp shooting pain pierced my right leg. Luckily, my head didn’t hit anything. The only light came from the opening through which I had fallen, a good ten feet above me. My clothes were soaking wet, and cold seeped into my bones. Taking a deep breath, I moved my foot in slow circles. My ankle was sore, but not broken. Relieved, I bent my knee and discovered it too was just bruised.
My father told me there were hundreds of underground caverns throughout Nelebek. Some of them opened up to the middle of the world, causing people to disappear forever. I would have to use the upmost caution searching for a way out.
Standing, I yelled in case someone above could hear me. No one came. The rocky floor sloped to my right, so I headed in the opposite direction, hoping there was an exit. Sliding one foot forward to ensure the ground didn’t suddenly open up, I shifted my weight, and then slid my other foot forward. It was slow going, especially since my leg was sore. The farther I moved from the small opening in the cavern’s ceiling, the darker it became until complete and utter darkness took over.
It smelled of damp sulfur like the pool Anders and I had bathed in. I shook my head, not wanting to think about the assassin right now. It was eerily quiet—the only sound coming from my feet. The darkness started playing tricks on me. I kept imagining someone grabbing me from behind. Balling my hands into fists, I continued on.
If I reached a dead end, retracing my steps would be difficult, if not downright impossible. This reminded me of being stuck in the closet when I was younger. Since my mother died in childbirth, there was no one to care for me when my father went to work. At first, he left me with a neighbor who had six children of her own. Papa never talked about it, but I got the impression she didn’t take very good care of me. He started leaving me home alone to fend for myself when I was only four years old. When soldats came to search the apartment building, I would hide in the secret closet my father built, staying in the dark, cramped space until he returned in the evening. Often times, I’d go all day without food and water.
A noise came from up ahead. I started shuffling my feet faster, hoping there was an opening and that sound was rain. Gradually, the floor and rocky walls became defined, a soft gray light filtering in from somewhere. I went around a bend and entered a large circular area in the cavern approximately fifty feet wide and thirty feet tall. An opening directly above illuminated the pool before me. A waterfall cascaded down from a cave twenty feet above the pool. Sun sparkled on the beautiful greenish-blue water. Kneeling, I stuck my hand in. The water was hot. Shivering from my wet clothes, I stripped and climbed in, basking in the water’s warmth.
After rinsing the dirt and grime from my body, I floated on my back with my eyes closed, trying to relax. Anders’s angry face appeared before me, shaking his head as if I’d done something wrong. His face melted away and was replaced with Vidar’s handsome one, smiling sardonically as if he knew a secret I didn’t. His face dissolved and Morlet appeared in his bedchamber, standing in front of a tall mirror, lacing up his shirt.
“Kaia?” Morlet asked, his voice hesitant.
Shock rolled through me—were we somehow linked together? How was that possible since I wasn’t asleep?
“You’re cape isn’t on,” I lamely said, noticing it draped over a nearby chair. The mirror reflected his beautiful face, tousled black hair, and penetrating blue eyes. There was something dark and sinister yet alluring about this man.
“I can hear you,” he softly replied. “But I can’t see you. Where are you, my Kaia?” He turned away from the mirror, searching for me.
Remembering that I was swimming naked, my concentration faltered and our connection severed. Did I just invade Morlet’s thoughts? Swimming to the edge, I swiftly climbed out of the water and put my heavy, wet clothes back on, trying to mask my feeling of vulnerability.
Before I could think about my power, how to control it, and what just happened, I needed to find a way out of the cavern. Looking at the opening far above me, I searched for a way to climb up there. It didn’t appear possible. Maybe if Vidar threw a rope down, but even that seemed sketchy.
My father taught me to be resourceful and to use the environment to help me. I focused on the details of the cavern. The waterfall came from somewhere, filtered into this pool, and then what? Was this where it ended? If so, why wasn’t the water filling up more? There had to be an outlet. I observed the pool’s movements. The waterfall came down, swirled around, and then headed toward the right. I went over to that area, looking for additional clues. The water flowed below the surface where I stood. There had to be a way out through there.