Page 77 of Beneath the Flames
“Here,” I said with a sigh, fishing it out of my pocket and handing it to him.“First task is done.Here’s your relic thing.”
The golden metal glistened in the moonlight, and Rhydian paused, blinking at it for several seconds.
“You actually found it.”The tone of his voice made it sound like he wasn’t so much doubting that I would find it, but that he was still in awe that we made it through the first task alive.
“Did you doubt I would?”I folded my arms over my chest.“I guess I’m not just a dumb human after all.”I fought the childish urge to stick my tongue out at him.
“I sent you into a dark cave in search of a tiny object.The odds were against you.”
I considered for a moment and then shrugged.“The cave might have been dark, but the relic wasn’t.That’s how I found it.It was glowing.”
Rhydian’s brows shot up his forehead, his steps slowing.“Glowing?”
“There was a blue light surrounding it.I don’t think I would have been able to find it otherwise.”I dared to lightly punch his arm.“Thanks for sending me into a pitch-black cave unprepared by the way.”
Twin furrows appeared between his brows as he stared atthe relic held aloft between his fingers.
“What’s wrong?”
Rhydian brought the object closer, studying it.
“I’ve never seen this glow before.Are you sure you weren’t imagining it?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
His eyes met mine over the relic, but I couldn’t read whatever was in his expression.
“What is it?”I pointed at the diamond-shaped orb.“What does it do?”
Rhydian finally slid the relic into his pocket and started walking once more.“What lies inside is required for the second task.”
“Inside?What’s inside?”My curiosity was piqued.The object was already so small, what could possibly be hidden in it?
“You’ll find out when we start the next task.”
As annoyed as I was by that vague response, I swallowed my objections.I was too tired and weary to fight him for answers.
“How did you even know it was in the cave?”I asked.
“When the curse was first laid, there was a small window of time where I could still move between the kingdoms through the portals.I knew the relic was required to free myself, so I snuck into Siris and stole it, and hid it on Mount Kharos thinking no one would ever look for it there.It was only after they realized it was gone that they amended the first task so thatIwouldn’t be able to retrieve it again.All these years, it’s been up there, waiting for the right human to wander in and find it.”He gave me a knowing look.
“Did they know it was you that stole it?”I asked, trying to keep up with his long strides.
“They assumed it was me, and used their magic to messwith the portals, banishing me from anywhere but Eroth.Honestly, what did they expect me to do when it was required to break the curse?”
“So in addition to being a kidnapper, you’re also a thief.”
“Among other things,” he muttered so quietly I might have imagined it.
Rhydian went silent after that, both of our attentions entirely fixed on trying to get down the volcano in one piece.He went first, lowering himself down one step at a time, and I did my best to follow.I only slipped twice, and both times Rhydian’s hand was there to catch my foot.How many times was he going to save my life?
We descended the rest of the mountain in silence, both focused on not falling to our deaths.By the time our feet touched solid ground at the bottom, I didn’t know how I was going to make it to the cave.My limbs threatened to give out with each step, my stomach growling a ferocious roar every few minutes.Rhydian’s steps swayed every so often, but we both pushed on, desperate to get out of the biting wind and rest again.
The hour it supposedly took to walk to the cave felt like a hundred, and when we finally ducked inside, Rhydian wasted no time getting a fire going from the remnants of when we were here last time.As soon as I sat down next to the warmth of the flames, exhaustion encompassed me so completely I had to shake myself several times to keep my eyes from sliding closed.Rhydian was rummaging around in his bag, but it fell to the background of my mind as I struggled to stay awake.
At least until somethingthunkedme on the head then rolled a few feet away.It appeared to be some sort of fruit.
I spun to face Rhydian.“What was that for?”
