The cave did feel smaller. With three people inside, the ceiling felt closer and the walls more oppressing. With no light illuminating the rock ridges that build the space, Larisa felt as if once again she lost consciousness. Like the time with the red scale and her arm. Only now, instead of a numbing pain she felt a heated and tight grip on her heart.

Under the surface of her mind a memory bubbled. Larisa’s head hurt but nothing happened. No new information. No recollection.

“Larisa? You got a flint? We should make fire. There has to be torches or something around here.” Farre asked.

Larisa did have a flint and some kindling. She always carried some around. Sometimes, when a day was particularly dry and hot, it was also possible to manipulate the Essence to aid in making the flame. Unfortunately, the cave was damp so that option was not doable.

The taller woman took out her fire making equipment and set out to make a small fire. Enough to lit one of the torches hanging on the walls around the cave. From then on out it’d be easy to light up the rest.

“It feels cold in here.” Ha’na said as she shuffled her feet near the entrance. Her arms were folded over her stomach and she seemed to be getting more uncomfortable the longer she stood there. Larisa suspected that might happen since Ha’na wore the lightest of clothes out of the three of them. In the jungle, when there was daylight, that didn’t seem to be an issue. At night, Larisa had to give her the bear skin to keep warm. Her shoes at least seemed to keep her warmed and comfortable. When Larisa noticed them the first time she could see that the craftsmanship on them was impeccable. She got a little bit jealous, but there was not much she could do about it.

After Larisa lit up all the torches she was able to find, she came closer to Ha’na and gave her the bear skin off her back.

“Here.” She pushed the piece of clothing into her arms and went back to the cave’s interior to put their baggage down. The metal box with the red scale in it went as far into one corner as it possibly could.

When she turned around, Ha’na was looking at her strangely. There was something intense in her stare and it made Larisa feel warm. It was a similar experience as to when she asked for Larisa to strip, but this time the taller woman still had all of her clothes on. She felt naked in a less literal way.

“What is it?” Larisa decided to be brave and ask. To break the visual connection that they made with each other. Was her heartbeat always so loud?

“Nothing.” A quiet and breathed out reply. Unusual. Larisa felt a crease form between her eyebrows.

“Moon-eyes, you mind moving aside?” A voice, Larisa thought called out to somebody. She turned to look for Farre but she didn’t need to search for long as she stood very close to the blond woman. She was holding a bedroll in her arms and Larisa could feel a swell of impatience forming over the shorter woman’s head.

“Moon-eyes?” Larisa asked for clarification as she got up to make way for Farre. Apparently, she’s been moving things around inside the cave because as she said before she ‘hated living in a mess’.

“Yeah.” Farre didn’t elaborate. Sometimes she didn’t answer what something meant when Larisa asked. She was wondering why at first, but after one time when she tried to use the new word she just learned, Farre laughed so loud and the Essence filled with so much amusement that Larisa could guess the reason.

When everything in the cave was moved around enough for Farre, the three women sat down at the small table near the entrance.

“So… I think we need to talk. About the smoke.” Farre started.

Larisa had to agree. It seemed like a very good place to start. The most important one, one could argue. There was danger on the horizon and they had no plan or ideas of what to do about it.

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“I think it’s pretty obvious what it means. They sent people after us, after the scale.” Ha’na was perhaps the most calm about this situation out of the three women. “The question is whether they followed us or simply went into the jungle hoping to find us.”

“They could’ve tracked us. We left signs, like burned out fires and scattered shelters. It’d be easy to simply follow the leads.” The red-haired woman said. “They will get here, inevitably. I don’t know. Should we move forward? Stay? They might go around this spur. It’s not like I thought there’s a cave up here.” Farre raised a good question.

“We should stay and look through books. Even if they come here we have the high ground. They won’t be able to do much.” Ha’na added.

“I agree. But we have to go down sometime too.” Larisa added. “For food and water.”

A few seconds of silence stretched into an anxious minute. What Larisa said was true, but who out of the three of them would do that? Larisa thought that she was perhaps the best option for that.

“Yes, we do. It’s not like only one person has to go down. I think it’s best - safer - if there was two of us outside if we need to go out. One person can stay and sort of look out.” Farre offered.

“I concur, Farre. Still, those people might come close to us soon. We should stack anything we might be needing quickly.” Ha’na proposed. “I can go first. I think Larisa should stay.” She turned fully to the blond woman. “Your arm is still weak and you might strain it even more by climbing this spur again.” Larisa didn’t like hearing that, but was equally surprised by Ha’na’s willingness in being the one to go out. Usually it was Larisa and Farre that did most of the things around. Ha’na had a tendency to stand around awkwardly and look lost.

“Ha!” Farre let out an amused huff. Then, when no one else followed in amusement, her brows shuffled closer together and a wave of astonishment got pushed into the Essence. “You serious? Hal’s tits.” Larisa wondered what ‘tits’ had anything to do with this situation.

Ha’na also made a confused face for a second there, but then her smile turned sour.

“Must you curse so grotesquely? And yes, I am serious. I can be of help with this kind of things too, you know? I mean-” Ha’na made a coughing sound and a bizarre hand motion. Larisa thought the cough was fake. “-we are on an adventure. It’s all part of the experience.”

At Ha’na’s words Farre got up quickly and irritation stunk up the air. Larisa felt a sting in her eye from how powerful it was.

“This isn’t some joke, sztafaz. We literally might get killed if we make a wrong move. This ain’t an adventure. This is survival. Not that you would know anything about that.” Farre spat the words out.

“Do not call me that.” Larisa usually thought of Ha’na as warm and passionate. She emitted excitement and wonder with almost every step. But, there was something to her actions and words that sometimes felt cold and chilly to Larisa. Like right now. Ha’na’s tone of voice had a gentleness and smoothness to it but now it sounded like a fast and focused breath of a cold wind. The words flew from Ha’na’s mouth through her teeth and gave her an otherworldly sound.

The Essence rippled to the tone of her voice.

“But that’s what you are, aren’t you? A pompous noble lady who thinks she’s entitled to everything. Especially to others. Well, news for you, sztafaz, this ain’t your home anymore and you’re not worth anything here. You’re nothing to me.” Acidic anger turned into hatred and Larisa could not handle such disgust coming off Farre. Ha’na was no better in that regard. Although Larisa couldn’t feel her, she could see how tightly she gripped the edge of the table and how furiously the Essence rippled around her. If Ha’na had better control over the jungle’s Essence, Larisa was scared of what could’ve happened.

“I do not care if I’m worth anything to someone like you. If you do not think I’m taking this situation seriously then let me illuminate your wrongness.” Ha’na straightened herself out and looked at Farre with piercing frost. “I was to be the next Duchess of Raan-Ta. Of the Golden City; where gold is as abundant as air and where people sleep in silks and furs. In a decade I would be second to the King. I left that future to be with you two. To be in this jungle. To experience adventure that I longed for since I drew my first breath. Do not speak to me as if I’m anything like your everyday noble, Farre. I am nothing but. I realize we come from very different backgrounds but we have slept under the same sky, on the same dirt for the past weeks. If we are not equal now, then when will we be?” Ha’na exhaled, and the Essence mellowed out slightly.

Farre was quiet after that tirade. Larisa was too. In the end it was the red-haired woman who spoke first.

“I’ll go with you for supplies. We need to prepare.” She seemed to decide to not address the problem now. Larisa hoped that they would find some common ground. Everyone turned away from each other and that was that.

Larisa felt cold, but it had nothing to do with the cave.