Page 25 of One Last Promise
“NO!”I screamed.I tried to reach for Darce, but it was too late.
Bolting awake, I adjusted to the light inside the cave.The wildest dreams had taken over my mind last night.
“Nightmare?”Darce questioned when my eyes found him warming near the fire.“You’ve been tossing and turning all night.”
“It’s the noc beast,” I lied.“He’s been haunting my dreams since I lost Raiden.”I took a moment to stretch before I reached for my gold armour and boots to put on over my undergarments.Darce was dressed and ready to go.“You could have woken me if you were ready to leave.”
“We have a long, two day hike.I’m not sure how much rest we’ll get.It made sense to let you sleep as long as you could.”
“These caves we’ll be travelling through...are they safe?”I questioned, standing to roll up my sleep mat.
Shaking the rock dust off my cloak, Darce moved towards me.“This land isalwaysdangerous.Hopefully nothing too deadly has wandered deep into the caves.”He handed me some smoked meat from the wild boar I’d shot yesterday.“Here, eat some of this and put the rest in your bag.If we get separated for any reason, I need to know you have food to keep yourself alive.”At my alarmed expression, he chuckled softly.“Relax, Alora.I’m not saying we’ll get separated.”
“But you’re giving me a fighting chance if we do.”
“Exactly!”Looking me over in a non-predatory way, he picked up his packed bag.“Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be going on my pilgrimage with aNoxlin,” I snorted with a smirk.His returning smile took the breath out of me.
“Alora, you hardly had any venom in your tone.Are you feeling alright?”
“Don’t push your luck.Lead the damn way.”Rolling my eyes at the pleased look on his face, I followed him out of the cave.
****
WE WALKED FOR A FEWhours in silence.His skin looked sun kissed while we were outside.Very different from my healthy, snow coloured skin.It made me wonder if all his kind had that colouring, or if it was because he’d been roaming the mountains for so long.
“The entrance to the cave is over there.”Darce pointed to a ledge on the side of a mountain.“Can you climb?”
“You saw me in that tree, right?”
“Rock climbing is a little different.I’m not dragging your skinny ass up there.”
“I’m more than capable,” I snapped, pushing past him.I stubbornly started the climb without him.It didn’t shock me that Darce had so little faith in me.It was my need to prove him wrong that confused me.I reached the entrance swiftly.Darce wasn’t too far behind.“See!I’m not completely useless.”
“Did I ever state that?Why are you always so uptight?”I didn’t have an answer for that.Wind whistled into the tunnel that lay ahead.“Did you want to go first?”
“I’mpayingyou to guide me!”
“It was worth a try.If you want to use a little of that light power of yours, it might be useful.I can see the way through the blackness, but I’m not sure how a Dylin will cope in the mountains with so much darkness.”
Forcing a flicker to my fingertips was easier this time.“Will this do?I’m not sure I can pull much more for a long period of time.”
“It’s only a day’s travel through the tunnel.If you trust me, I can guide you with my hand.Once we get out on the other side, you’ll set eyes on your sacred mountain.Climbing that is another day’s walk.”
When Darce offered his hand, I searched his eyes for any sign of conflict or treachery.If there was an army of Noxlin waiting for me on the other side, I couldn’t see it.Everything in his universe-speckled eyes told me to trust him.“I’m trusting you, Darce.Please don’t let me down,” I whispered with sincerity, taking his hand.A surge of energy prickled down my hand as our skin touched.Where was the heat coming from?
“I’ve got you, Alora.I’ve told you this before.Out here, we are allies that simply want to survive.If you have my back, I have yours.It’s that simple.”His thumb made small circles across my fingers as he spoke.Swallowing hard, I allowed him to lead me into the tunnel.
****
I’D NEVER FELT DARKNESSlike this.I couldn’t even make out the hand that was in front of my face.We hadn’t needed to use any of my light yet.Darce assured me it was safer to travel in darkness the first part of the way.He kept reassuring me with hand squeezes and gentle strokes of his thumb.If there was anything hiding in this mountain, we didn’t want to awaken it with our voices.
We had been walking for hours.I’d lost count of the number of times I tripped over rocks that were scattered on the floor.Darce had steadied me each time.The closeness of his body in the darkness was clouding my senses.His fresh, midnight scent was making my body react in ways I never had before.
“A few more hours and we’ll reach a place to rest for a bit.Moonlight trickles in from the breaks in the mountain, so you’ll be able to see for a little while,” he whispered, close against my ear.His breath tickled across my collarbone.“You can use a little of your light if you want.I can’t see or hear anything ahead.”
“No.If you think it’s safer, I can cope a little longer.”
