“The next rock looks farther,” he says.
I step up beside him and slide my hand onto his back. “Perhaps slightly. But it’s also lower than this one, and quite level on top. That should make my landing safer.” I look into his eyes. “But thank you for warning me.” I wish I could ease his worry. “Shall I go first this time?”
He shakes his head, then makes his leap. I follow, and we quickly cross the final four boulders to land on the riverbank. In hindsight, the crossing was more like a bridge, and even my leaps were like long strides, but I’m touched he was so worried for me.
The moment we’re across, Zogar gathers me into his arms, holding me tightly, and his racing heart slows to a more normal rate.
“Fuck, that was terrifying.”
I nod against his chest, even though I didn’t find it that harrowing. “Where to now?”
He loosens his hold. “This way.” He points into the woods. “I can see the start of the caves.”
“Where?”
He smiles down at me. “Even in my human form, my eyesight is superior to yours. At least when sprites aren’t involved.”
He takes my hand, and we start weaving through the forest. He’s never mentioned his superior eyesight before, but I suppose he can do virtually everything better than a human can.
“Have the sprites stopped showing you visions?” he asks.
“Yes.” I’m glad he finally seems to believe they were helping.
Not far from us now, a heaping mound of moss-covered boulders juts up from the ground like sentinels. As we get closer, I see there are gaps between the boulders, like fissures leading into the darkness.
Now it’smyheart that’s beating too quickly, but Zogar’s becoming much calmer. Calmer, yet clearly excited, and I love this look on my husband.
We walk along the edge of the mound, weaving around boulders. Zogar’s brow furrows as he studies the formations. He touches some of the surfaces, clearly looking for something specific. Each of the crevices looks the same to me, and none look wide enough to travel through, but Zogar is a man on a mission and clearly knows where he’s headed.
“Here.” He turns toward me, a huge grin on his face. “This is the way. It’s been four hundred years, but I’m certain.”
“I’m glad.” I hold his hand more tightly. The gap is narrow, even out here at the edge, and it’s hard to imagine there’ll be enoughroom formeto squeeze through, never mind Zogar. But I need to trust that he knows where he’s going—just like I asked him to believe I could cross that river.
Keeping a tight hold on my hand, he enters a gap between two of the boulders. We weave through the crevice. The path leads down into the large mound, and the dim light of the forest continues to fade.
We reach a point where I can’t see at all, and I cling to his hand. The air is damp, so are the crevice walls. At times, they startle me when they brush my skin. My legs tell me that we’ve been descending, and we’ve made many turns. If we get separated, I’ll have no idea how to return to the place where we started.
“Duck down,” Zogar says. His large hand lands gently on the top of my head. “We need to crawl for a while. I’ll stay right in front of you.”
My heart gallops at the idea of letting go of his hand, but I go down on all fours and follow the sound of his breathing, as he moves through a tunnel in the rock that’s so small that even I brush against its sides in places. I can’t imagine how Zogar’s much wider shoulders are getting through.
I lose track of him. My heart races. I stretch forward, to touch his boot, but don’t make contact.
Panic rises, but then his fingers stroke my face. “You can rise to your feet,” he says, with clear joy in his voice. “We’re here.”
Holding on to him, I rise and then press myself against his side, loving his warmth against the damp air, as he drapes one of his arms around me.
“I can’t see anything,” I tell him. “Can you?”
“Yes,” he says. “I can’t see well, but my eyesight allows limited vision, even when there’s no light.”
“Now,” he squeezes my shoulders. “I must step away from you for a moment.”
“No, please.” I suck in a sharp breath, embarrassed at my fearful outburst. “Why must you leave me?”
“Fear not.” His deep voice is like a thick blanket. “You’re safe. Stay where you are until I tell you to move.”
The combination of the unknown, the darkness, and his ominous instructions are terrifying, even with his assurances. My sense of adventure has abandoned me.
