She stood and wrung the water from her clothing as best as she was able and hopped up and down to regain the feeling in her limbs. Her gaze darted to the entrance to the main cave but all she saw was a small, very dark hole.
Glancing upwards at the openings in the top of the cave where sunshine poured in, she wondered if she could count on any light in the interior. Butterflies danced in her stomach. So much was unknown, and the idea of a dark, damp cave didn’t exactly make her cheer.
She heard Merrick grunt and rushed over to help pull him up out of the water. With a heave, he rolled over the edge and landed at her knees. He grinned up at her. “We meet again.”
Unable to help herself, she knelt, lowered her lips and kissed him softly and lingeringly.
“Now that’s one way to warm a fellow up,” he said as she drew away.
She smiled and stood, offering her hand down to help him up. “Well, that certainly took care of the patience aspect,” she said wryly.
He grasped her hand and pulled himself up to stand beside her. “Is that it?” he asked pointing to the entrance.
She nodded and gulped nervously.
“Shall we go then?”
Chapter Twenty-One
It was dark. So dark she couldn’t make out her hand in front of her face. She could feel Merrick close behind her and was comforted by his presence as they scraped along the tight corridor on hands and knees.
Isabella felt along the wall with one hand and kept the other straight in front, waving it back and forth to make sure nothing obstructed the pathway.
As they rounded a sharp curve, she blinked rapidly. In the distance she saw faint light. So faint she thought at first she had imagined it. But as she increased her speed, the light grew brighter.
Eager to reach the source of illumination, she scrambled faster. Soon the entire passageway was bathed in light, and a few feet ahead, she could see the opening enlarge.
She reached the end and crawled out of the tunnel into a large cavern. To her amazement the source of light was a series of torches placed in a circle in the middle of the room.
Merrick stepped out behind her and glanced around the room. Together they walked toward the torches. Each was about two feet long and held by a wire cradle. In the center of the circle was a carving of the sun.
She pulled out her map and carefully unfolded it. She studied the symbols and pinpointed their current location on the parchment. A frown creased her forehead as she looked up from the map and located several passageways leading from the room. According to the map, one of them would lead her to the next chamber, but it wasn’t specific as to which one.
“What is the matter?” Merrick asked, looking over her shoulder to the map.
“I’m not sure which passageway to take,” she muttered. She massaged her temple with her free hand, willing herself to think.
There were three exits around the room. The first had a huge opening, one they could easily walk into. The second was slightly smaller but was lit by a series of wall sconces. The third, if you could call it an actual passageway, was so small she feared Merrick might not fit, and it was completely dark. A feeling of suffocation assailed her at the thought of entering such a tunnel.
“Looks like someone has already lighted one,” he remarked, gesturing toward the middle pathway.
She frowned again. “Precisely. And that’s what bothers me. What is the challenge in walking down an already prepared passageway?”
The monk’s words came back to her. Patience, courage, faith…That was it! Courage was next. “There,” she said pointing at the smallest of the tunnels. “That’s the one.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Which of the passageways would you say required the most courage to go down?” she asked.
After a quick perusal of the three, he nodded. “I suppose you are right. At least I hope you are. I shouldn’t like to get stuck.”
She picked up one of the torches and handed it to him then took another for herself. “Let’s continue on.”
She folded the map and shoved it back into the pouch. They walked over to the darkened tunnel, and she knelt down to peer inside.
“Would you like me to go first?” he offered.
She thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t feel right. This is supposed to be my quest. I must prove myself worthy.”
