Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Sixty-One ۞ Confrontation (pt. 2)

Sunlight streamed through the hole where Valeriana remembered herself falling through. It was quite a fall, actually. As of the moment, she was groaning and grunting from the pain. She took a deep breath, as she found it hard to breathe all of a sudden after having the air knocked out of her lungs.

"I should've listened and stayed." She muttered in utter regret. "Why don't I ever listen? Because I'm an stupid, obstinate commoner. Right."

She closed her eyes for a moment and let the aching pass. There is loss in stupidity and death in a fool, she reminded herself. She could hear the guards coming over where she had been. As though electrocuted, Valeriana scampered to get away and hide in the shadows of the cave she ended up in, clutching her throbbing sides as she set her back against the cold and damp wall.

Her eyes were greeted by a luminescent cave. The ceiling and walls were ridden with glowing crystals of all varieties, glowing all sorts of colors in different shades—bright blue, purple, green, yellow, silver, and more.

For the second time that minute, she had her breath taken away—though in a better way than the last.

"You think she's in there?" Said a man.

Taking this as her cue, she forced herself to stand and head into the mysterious cavern, the adventurous side to her coming out and urging her to explore. Seemed as though the Ash Canyons was not entirely made of ash after all.

She trekked down the rocky floor, feeling the ground so slippery under her feet. She could hear it crumble as she accidentally fell on her rear end and slid down. A new wave of pain attacked her backside and she ended up howling, her voice echoing bouncing off the walls.

"Dammit! Why do I have to fall over every time? I should get my cerebellum checked!" She exclaimed, pulling herself to her feet once more. "Ugh. I don't get how one person can be so clumsy."

She dusted the back of her pants and noticed her clothes were damp. She grimaced in disgust and wiped her hands with her clothes and continued moving, pressing her palms against the wall to help balance herself just in case she fell over again.

With the dim light within the cave, everything seemed so magical. Even so, she did not know where she was headed.

"How can a cave in the middle of the desert be this damp?" She asked aloud, the echo of her voice bouncing back at her. "It's almost like there's a running river . . ."

And true to her guesses, as she took a step forward, her foot sank into a pool of running water. The current was gentle as it rounded her ankles. Valeriana gasped in shock as she looked down at it in wonder, her eyes following the flow of the water as it meandered down the path to her right.

Curious, she followed it. The water was cool at her feet and was really refreshing. The cave was a lot cooler than the air outside, so she bent down, cupped her hands, and splashed water on her face.

"That hit the spot." She said. "I wonder if this is potable—but I just stepped on it. Never mind."

Valeriana followed the trail, looking around with childlike curiosity and wariness. As she continued, her ears picked up the sound of a waterfall nearby. The cave was getting darker and darker—the glowing crystals embedded in the cave walls were becoming scarce. Valeriana looked around, tensed. Fingering a gem on the wall which was a beautiful translucent blue, she caressed the unpolished surface. She looked around her and saw a pointed stone from the floor. She picked it up and started digging through the rock by beating it repeatedly, hoping it would crumble.

Luckily, it worked. Crumbles and dust puffed and misted the air. When she finally managed to free the gem, she noticed it lighted up in her hands like a star. It was then that she recognized the familiar rippling it had inside. It was similar to the stone Gavin had shown her before.