Chains of Fate

Chapter Six

The next morning, Daisy invited Jin to the cave by way of a handwritten note. He sent his reply to her in the afternoon. Through a subsequent exchange they promised to meet after dark, once the dojo's practice ended. Everything was prepared beforehand. Daisy asked Rei to set out a change of clothes for her that were serviceable and a pair of gloves to protect her hands from sharp rocks. She pulled her hair back into a tight knot. Then, placed the lavender berry gown inside her pack. All that was left was the rope they were going to need for the climb down the cliff face. Jin agreed to bring it with him, so Daisy was all set.

After the sun set and the islanders were for the most part indoors, Daisy pried open the latch securing the window above her bed and snuck out of her chamber, leaving it lit so as not to arouse suspicion. She knew her way around the island, even in the dark, as it had been her playground during her brief childhood. She flew past the servants' quarters on the east side of the long house, the stables, up the main road leading away from the sea, and around the old tavern overlooking the coastline. Jin was waiting for her at the cliff's edge. A black rope encircled his arm.

"I brought the rope as you wished, Your Highness. But I'm a little confused. What's all this about?"

"You'll see when we get there," Daisy promised, taking the rope from him.

She secured one half of it around her waist. Then had Jin do the same. Daisy was going to suggest that she go down first since she knew the way, but Jin wouldn't hear of it. He was confident that he could get to the bottom without incident and began descending before Daisy could protest. The faster they got down the rock face the better. Soon, even the moonlight would be hard to see by.

Daisy followed Jin at a slow but steady pace. Unlike the times she had climbed down with Ace, this time she was on her own. There was no deep voice calling up to her from below, telling her where to put her foot. Still, she felt comforted by the sound of Jin's breathing. Whenever she stalled, fear creeping into her mind, his presence gave her the courage to keep going. It took some time to maneuver from rock to rock but eventually they both reached the sandy bottom.

It was much softer than Daisy remembered. She pushed her feet under the pearl-like beads of sand, savoring the way they rolled over and in between her toes. Jin caught her wiggling her toes around.

"Having fun?" he asked, amused. He stood farther away, closer to the mouth of the nearby cave.

Daisy flushed. She lifted both feet out of the sand and pushed herself to catch up with him. Without asking, she tucked her hand in his as they went inside.

The cave was spacious. The walls curved up and wrapped around them. Even Jin's height was no match for the eight-foot ceiling. They walked for a while, silence sinking in like the weight of Daisy's impending confession. The pitch black dark made them pause. Jin retrieved a torch from his pocket. Daisy sighed, relieved to see it. She had completely forgotten to bring one.

"Careful where you step. The sand's not as smooth in here."

Daisy nodded and together they kept going. The torch illuminated their path. It brought to life the erratic patterns running across the surface of the cavern walls. They went straight and then came upon a curve in the path. Here, they found the entrance to a second and third tunnel, leading deeper into the encompassing dark. Jin looked at Daisy, a question in his eyes. She shook her head.

"This is far enough."

"Now what?"

"Now we wait."

They had about a half hour to kill before it would be dark enough for the glow worms to emerge from hiding. Jin was probably expecting to sit around until then, but Daisy had other plans. She wanted to know all about his trip to the Western territory.