- Chapter 7 -

“So you’re like... The Chosen one?”

Elara’s eyes finally beams with awe. I admit, an intricately carved toy is more impressive than a feather. The fireplace is starting to die down, being kept barely alive by two thin planks. It takes me a second to consider if it would be too pretentious of me to agree.

“Heh... I haven’t really thought about it that way.”

“Did you feel more powerful after all that? Have your spells always been this strong?”

“Hmm... Not particularly. After all, I’ve failed most of my quests since then.” I wince just thinking about it. “To be honest, this has been the first time I’ve noticed any kind of connection while casting spells.”

I stare down at the smaller feathers of the sleeping creature on my lap, wondering if there really is a bigger plot at play here. Elara thinks for a little while before resuming the interrogation.

“I’ve heard of a Hero being currently on their way to the Capital. Could you be someone like that too?”

Her optimism warms my heart, but I can’t help but feel like we’re reading into this a little too much.

“Maybe, but I think I would have a little more direction or an idea of what I’m supposed to be doing if I were.”

“So is that why you’re travelling towards the Edge of the World?”

“No.” I blurt out. She’s smarter than she lets on, and I’m not the best at lying. “I mean, I guess I am, but pretty much, every adventurer wants to go there regardless. Right?”

“Right... The few adventurers I’ve talked to said they were looking to cross the mountains, and the Woods to visit the Edge after this goblin issue is solved.”

Her brows scrunch up in intense deliberation. This dialogue is getting a little too close for comfort at this point. I need to change the subject.

“Speaking of which; considering how big of an issue it is, it didn’t seem like there were that many goblins in the cave. Were there more of that giant earth monster attacking the village?”

“No, there were only goblins. Nothing else.” She answers as she throws in a bundle of wood to fuel the flames. So much for being frugal.

I had been wondering for a while now that the goblin population seemed sparse, scattered, and unorganized. Nothing a dozen guards as well as a handful of adventurers wouldn’t be able to handle. Granted, we had not reached the final depths of that cave yet.

I feel a fullness in my heart. My Spirit is finally back to a good level. Hovering a hand over the fledgeling, I carefully chant a Heal spell, hoping to get the most out of the Spirit I'm about to use. Dropping the Spirit from the centre of my palm, a thin yet strong light envelopes the creature. The spell feels... decent. I am hopeful it’s wings will be well come morning.

“I’ve never met a healer before.”

I look back up to see her leaning, quite dangerously over the now roaring flame to take a look at the effects of the spell. Her scabbard dangling loosely on her belt.

“They are quite rare. I’ve only met a handful of spellcasters who can even use Void magic in general.” I tell her.

“Aren’t you one yourself?” She asks.

“I can barely use Light and Heal. Of course, I received a new spell earlier today, but there’s no guarantee of being able to use it again. Even with the blessings of a Greater Spirit, it takes a lot of practise and luck to really internalize a difficult spell.”

“So you are one right?”

“Not quite. My affinity with Void magic is fairly low. I only begged my master to teach me the two spells because I thought they would be useful to have as the Village Witch. I probably would’ve been a more proficient spellcaster if I did not spend so many years trying to learn just those two spells.”

“So... you aren’t one?” She keeps pressing. the topic is difficult to explain and her frustration is showing.

“Let me put it this way. You are not an archer, so you may be useless with a bow, but you can still throw an arrow with your hand right?”

The words feel clunky coming out of my lips. The analogy sounded much better in my head.

“Ah yes. I get it now.” She smiles, seemingly satisfied. I wonder if I’d made a mistake, but it might be best to leave it at that. “So what is your main... is it, affinity?”

“Air. My Protection, Swift, and Lightning Bolt are all blessings of Eurus, the Greater Spirit of Air.”

“Then why did you only shoot Fireballs today?”

“Embarrassingly enough, I just couldn’t think of anything else in the heat of battle.” I laugh nervously. Just when I thought I was starting to impress her too. In my defence, it probably was the right call in both situations.

“They were so powerful though. I wish I could use magic.” Her eyes look really excited.

“It’s not as great as you think it is. Magic users tend to have weaker bodies for some reason, so you wouldn’t be able to wield that sword as beautifully as you do now.”

“Hmm you’re right.”

She goes silent again, deep in thought. I guess her swordsmanship holds greater significance to her than I realized.

Gareth stirs in his sleep. He had fallen into slumber quite quickly. The events of the day had left us all quite exhausted, with even my eyelids starting to weigh heavy on my face. Elara still looks quite energized, whether by the meal or the conversation, I do not know. Though her posture clearly reveals some weariness.

“I’m sorry to do this to you, but I need to get some sleep.” I tell her. I’ve started to become more aware of the heaviness in my limbs.

“Of course. It’s fine. You should get as much rest as you can. I’m glad we had this discussion.” She does genuinely look happy now. “Why don’t you pass her on to me.”

I gently lift the creature and walk around the fire. My forearm balancing its injured wing carefully as to not loosen the bandage. She takes it on to her lap and gently strokes its feathers.

I head over towards the sleeping Gareth and scout a flat patch of dirt by the wall. The cave is fairly warm so the lack of a blanket isn’t too bad, I only wish I carried my larger cloak to use as a mattress. Although considering the ordeal we endured, maybe it was for the best. After all, the last things I need in a narrow cave are bulky clothes and an extended hat.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Laying down with my bag beneath my head, the events of the day replay in my mind. I begin to wonder if there was anything I could’ve done differently, but the exhaustion hits me before I can get far into my assessment. My memories muddle up with previous adventures, the faces of people walking next me seem to shift between a handful of past acquaintances.

The sleep is peaceful.

There is a heaviness on my chest. Did I overdo it yesterday? I suppose I pushed myself more than I thought. There is a pulsing sensation on my forehead too. Surely I’m being punished for using up my Spirit. I’m sorry Master, I should’ve listened to your warnings more intently.

“Hey Melo! You’re going to hurt her.”

It’s Elara’s voice, or so I think. I try to open my eyes, but the grogginess of my mind has yet to subside. From the tiny bit I’ve managed to open, I can make out a light much cooler than the yellow-red of last night’s fire. A string of happy chirps fill the room as I finally manage to open my right eye.

“She’s happy to see you awake.” It is Elara.

The burden on my chest finally subsides as I see the small creature being lifted away from my face. She pulls it up to her chest and shoots me a good morning smile. The chirping continues to ring, as its beak opens and closes slightly out of synch with the sound.

“Good morning Elara. Is Gareth awak- Ouch!”

I try to lift my head but the spot on my forehead is surprisingly sore. I rub my fingers on what I assumed was a headache but it seems to be too tangible to be one.

“See Melo, I told you she’d get hurt if you peck at her.”

“Huh? Melo? Who is that?” I ask in confusion.

“Oh. She’s been trying to wake you up for almost an hour now by chirping at your ears. The sound was so beautiful so... I thought... I’d give her a name. Melo, like Melody.” Elara shyly explains.

“Hmm... To be honest, I did try to come up with a name last night, but nothing really hit me. I like it, and it seems to like it too. Right Melo?”

Melo lifts its head and chirps happily before jumping out of her arms and landing on to my lap, nudging it’s head on my belly. Its feathers tilt open as its head softly vibrates to the rhythm of its purr.

“You look to be awake now.” Gareth chimes in, crouched down by the flowing water. “I thought it was best to let you sleep as long as you could, but I didn’t think it would be this long.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I needed more time to to recover from my Spirit exhaustion.”

“That’s alright. This room has proven to be quite safe, and it looks like we aren’t too far from escaping this hellhole.”

He points up towards a corner of the room. A fairly long beam of sunlight streams through the edge of one of the numerous cracks on the ceiling. The morning light shines bright and true. So that’s why the room feels less suffocating.

I stand up and head to freshen up at the spring. Gareth looks to have heated up some of the leftovers from last night.

“Elara, there’s a metal box in my bag. Open it up.” I say pointing towards my satchel.

She follows my direction to find the last two hard-tacks in the container.

“Should I toss them in to the boiling soup?”

“Sure.”

Freshly rested, bellies filled, Spirit recovered, and confidence lifted. Gareth, his wounds now largely healed by my spell, pulls the wedged boxes away from the entrance. The boxes were fairly brittle and the uneven planks that made them had large gaps and holes in between. For all intents and purposes, we were exposed the whole night, yet as he pulled them away one by one, the oppressive air of the cavern seems to leak in, smothering me.

With the last box removed, I turn back to call Elara. She stands at the end of the sunbeam, gazing up towards the gap as if it were the way out. Motes of dust dance around her shimmering blonde hair as she lifts her hands hands, as if to witness the warmness of the cave. She turns to me and smiles confidently.

Re-entering the passageway we’d escaped from the previous night, the daring trio stands huddled around my Light infused staff.

“So... which way?” Gareth begins.

Elara is silent again. So it’s time for me to chime in.

“The slope isn’t very noticeable, but the path seems to go up towards the way we came from.”

“I see. Elara, I was passed out for the most part, did you notice anything while you were taking care of me back then?”

“No.”

Silence again. Gareth ponders for a moment before he starts to walk towards the crevice we’d appeared from initially. Two steps in, he is stopped by a sudden chirp from Melo, who has been sitting on top of the satchel around my waist. It jumps up away from us towards the unexplored path, staring down the darkness as if it were the enemy itself.

Gareth doubles back over and walks up, crouching down to pat it on the head. Melo’s wing has now recovered and stretches firmly without the bandages.

“Alright little fellow, if you want us to go down there, we will.”

He looks back over to us, gesturing to proceed. Elara pulls out her sword and takes her position behind me. The gentle slope continues downwards, as the cave narrows towards the end. The walls begin to taper, however it eventually straightens out to a rectangular hallway, too polished to be a natural formation. We remain silent, but the tension in the air confirms that the others have realized it as well.

We finally reach the end. A fairly large stone door stands opened, its thick, single cut-out appearing too heavy for any single person to push. Gareth sneaks up to one side of it, peering in from behind the thick jutting rock frame.

[

“No signs of movement. The chamber inside is quite large, and unlit so I can’t see the further walls. The floor is smooth. the immediate walls seem to be flat as well so whatever is inside this room, is deliberate.” He reports.

I hear Elara rummage through her bag behind me.

“Meer, light this for me.”

I turn back and recite a cantrip that sparks a tiny zap from my fingertips, lighting the torch in her hand. Gareth formulates a plan.

“Meer walk at half my pace, and Elara at half of hers. We fight no matter the creature unless there is an actual horde inside. Let us say... a maximum of ten. If the enemies are on the ground, we’ll taunt them into approaching us while we recoup our positions. If they’re above us, we’ll have to throw a torch at it to figure out what we’re fighting. If we have to retreat, Elara make sure nothing gets to this door before we do.”

I hear his words, but my eyes can’t seem to look away from the darkness beyond the door. I feel like it’s been an eternity since I’d seen an open space. He takes out a smaller torch from his bag and lights it using the freshly lit one. The warm light casts hard shadows on his face, highlighting the multiple scars etched by the bitter battles he’d endured throughout his life. His mouth opens to speak.

“Alright... Let’s move.”