The Sage's Vow

11.1 || Desperation

THEY APPROACHED THE waterfall with caution. Mara glanced across the small lake. Cale walked on the opposite shore with only one of his swords drawn. He'd shown her his bleeding had slowed, but he still clearly favored his other arm.

Always so strong willed, that child, Kidron mused.

Mara readjusted her hold on her bowstring and faced the waterfall once more. Its roar almost hurt her ears now that they were this close. That isn't always a good thing, she said.

She felt Kidron's exasperation even as he chuckled. I never said it was. I was about to encourage you not to let it make you pause. You may see this as his trial, but don't let worry about his wounded pride slow your shots.

Before she could argue, Kidron summoned an image of their very first encounter in the Plane. She bit her lip. Okay, you've proven your point.

His response was only to trickle affection and steady encouragement through the bond. She took a deep breath, focusing on those feelings, and some of the nerves calmed their unsteadying assault on her mind.

A faint mist brushed across Mara's face as she rounded the edge of the waterfall. She raised her bow, eyes narrowed, watching for the slightest hint of movement. One well-placed shot was all it would take to—

There was nobody behind the waterfall. At least, not directly behind it, and it didn't lead to a dead-end cliff wall as she'd expected. A cavern mouth opened wide like the cliff had its own gaping maw, crying out with an echo of the waterfall's roar.

Mara swallowed and lifted her eyes to Cale. He stood at the opposite end, frowning deeply at the opening. This was his call, one it seemed he was still deliberating, so she turned to the cavern, pulled back her bowstring so the bow's end rested near her lip, and watched.

It took at least a full minute before a low whistle brought her attention back to Cale. He met her gaze and nodded. They were going in.

He took the front while she followed at a slight distance. The cavern wasn't much. Teeth-like formations rose from the ground and hung from the roof. Below the waterfall, Mara faintly made out dripping water leaking into small pools of water on either side of the cave pathway.

"Watch the sides," Cale whispered. "I'll watch ahead of us."

Mara made a small grunt of acknowledgement. It was dark enough in the cavern that even with her soul-bound eyesight, she had to squint to see outlines of small creatures hanging from the stalactites or clinging to the wall. Something moved in the water as well. None of them were human shaped. They were monsters, but nonaggressive ones, using this cavern to hide away from the threats outside.

After a few dozen meters, the cavern narrowed, coming to a focused point at a passageway that looked created by something rather than naturally formed. Hard labor? Magic? After seeing the wild man, it was hard to tell.

Cale hesitated at the top of the incline. He shifted his grip on his sword hilt.

Mara lowered her bow. Not fully, but just enough that she could see him clearly. "Are you sure about this?"

He licked his lips, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "No, I'm not." And with that, he pressed on.

Mara sighed but followed. She understood why they couldn't ignore this, but she wished they would go directly to Xander.

My offer to tell those here still stands, Kidron said. I understand Caleb's reasoning for wanting to investigate first, but I do not like sitting here while you two potentially go head-first into trouble.