“Well, we’re about to find out, I’m afraid.” I nodded to Toryn. “Get everyone together. We’re going back underground.”
* * *
Luckily, squeezing through the entrance of the cave was the worst part. Carved by nature itself, the tunnels were vast, open things, where cobwebs were nothing but a distant memory. The distant rush of the falls faded as we made our way down a long, sloping ramp pockmarked by ancient stalagmites. A few bats rushed by, their black bodies spinning ahead into the darkness.
Gaven continued to lead our party, sweeping the torch left and right to illuminate strange golden carvings embedded in the stone walls. I stepped off the path, motioning for him to pause for a moment while I examined them. They were ancient things, reminiscent of the symbols on the rocks outside, where the water poured through five circular stones. But there were more of them here.
I’d seen those same symbols a few times over the years, though only ever in storybooks. They were said to be from the ancient world, carved by the people who had lived in these lands before the fae and humans. Before Aesir and Talaven had even been a dream in someone’s mind, before kingdoms and wars and all the rage that permeated these lands.
But I remembered I’d seen them on Andromeda’s armor, too.
Druid Balfor started to shuffle past me, but I turned and touched his arm. “Do you know what these symbols mean?”
He averted his gaze. “Same thing the symbols on the stones outside mean, I assume.”
“Ah.” I tried not to be disappointed. It didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. “They’re interesting, don’t you think? It’s like they’ve been painted in gold, but that can’t be, right?”
“Truly, Tessa Baran, sometimes it is best not to look too closely at things you don’t understand. Whatever they are, they’re ancient. Much like the gods. And you know, better than anyone, the depths of their wickedness.”
“You think these carvings have something to do with the gods?” I asked, confirming my suspicions. “How could that be, though? Don’t these symbols come from a time before the gods came here the first time?”
“Yes, of course. The symbols are far older,” he replied, steepling his hands beneath his chin. “My point is, these markings are just as ancient and unknowable as the gods. And it’s best not to delve in to those kinds of things, yes? They are not the gods, but they could be just as dangerous. Understand now?”
I frowned. “Right. Of course. I should have known better than to ask. Carry on then, Druid Balfor. Thank you for your advice.”
He nodded sagely, then hurried away. I watched him go, my frown deepening. Druid Balfor knew more than he was saying. The look on his face when I’d asked him about the carvings wasn’t curiosity or surprise or uncertainty. It was fear.
Kalen came up behind me and observed the wall of carvings. “What were you talking to Balfor about?”
“I asked him about these. He seemed alarmed.” I looked up at him. “Do you trust him?”
“I don’t fully trust anyone but you and my Mist Guard. Why?”
“He’s been acting strangely, don’t you think?” I placed my palm against the rock and felt the rough edges of the markings. The ridges were deep, carved by something forceful. “He’s made it clear he knows more than he’s saying, but I’m not entirely certain that’s a good thing. And then when I asked him about these, he lied and said he knew nothing about them.”
“What makes you think it was a lie?” he asked.
“I…I don’t know. I’m just certain it was.”
“You may be right.” He paused as a few fae shuffled by us. When they’d passed, he spoke in a quiet voice. “There are carvings like this in some caves near Dubnos. When we were mining there, he warned us to stay away from them.”
“So he did lie to me. He knows what these are, and he doesn’t want to tell us.” I furrowed my brow. “But why?”
Kalen’s expression grew hard. “We’ll have to find out. In the meantime, memorize these as best you can. We need to keep moving, but the symbols might be important. Do you think you can remember them long enough to write them down once we reach somewhere with a pen and parchment?”
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
Kalen gazed down at me, brushing a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. My belly flipped. “I’m so sorry for fearing the worst had happened.”
“It’s all right. I understand why.” I palmed his leathers, then clutched them tightly, holding on to him for all I was worth. Having him here with me was the only thing keeping my feet steady. “Do you think we’re going to get through this?”
“I don’t know. But even if it’s hopeless, we have to try. For when darkness takes us all, at least we’ll know we reached for the light.”
Twenty-Nine
Kalen
Anew day had fully arrived. The gods had likely invaded Endir by now, and they would have discovered it empty. I knew their wrath would be aimed on us now, even if they did not yet know where we were. Soon, they’d realize we must have gone underground. I could only hope I’d done right by my people and made the best choice.
