Page 29 of Wizards & Weavers
Braiden narrowed his eyes at the far wall as he considered the challenge. “I suppose I’d just have to conjure a blanket big enough to smother it.”
A wry smile — and two dimples — appeared on Augustin’s face. “See what I mean about our weaver friend, Elyssandra? He’s far smarter than he lets on.”
“Listen here,” Braiden said, bristling. “I resent the assumption that I’m some unlettered bumpkin who only knows about fleece and yarn and goats.”
Augustin spread his hands in an appeasing gesture, smiling, but that only raised Braiden’s hackles more. “It was meant as a compliment, Braiden. I never mentioned anything about goats.”
With a huff, Braiden continued down the corridor. Augustin could plead innocence all he liked. There was always something teasing about the way he spoke.
Boots scuffed across the stone floor as Elyssandra rushed to catch up, walking abreast of Braiden with a knowing smirk. She said nothing, only smiling as she stared ahead. Braiden bit his tongue.
They followed Elyssandra’s blueberry hairpin as it led deeper into the dungeon. They’d only been walking for a few hours, but Braiden was already wondering about the time of day. They should have brought a timepiece.
At last, they came to the mouth of a cavern that emanated a strange warmth. Augustin rushed to the front, raising his hand and clenching it into a fist. Braiden’s belly stirred with anticipation. For once, it wasn’t fear. Maybe it was the slow, comforting heat wafting from the cavern. Where was that warm air coming from? It was so tantalizing.
The wizard looked over his shoulder and nodded at Elyssandra. She nodded back, then pointed through the cavern mouth, sending her blueberry hairpin into the depths. They stepped through the passage, only to discover that they didn’t need the blueberry’s light at all.
The cavern was filled with all manner of plant life — flowers, grass, bushes — and most curious of all, enormous mushroomsthat glowed with bioluminescence. They radiated heat, too, each giving off the warmth of a lantern. Close to the cavern’s center was a bubbling body of water — an underground spring.
“This is incredible,” Braiden said, his voice echoing through the cavern. “How does this even happen?”
“Depending on the balance of the elements, dungeons can give rise to different biomes,” Augustin said. “We’ve already determined that this place is rich in elemental earth and water. That must be why this level exists.”
Elyssandra glanced over her shoulder, out through the cavern’s entrance. “Have we really gone that far down? Is this the second level?”
“Correct,” Augustin confirmed. “Depending on how deep we go, we might discover even more unusual environments. But I’d caution you both to be on your guard. With new surroundings come new threats.”
This was why adventurers found dungeoneering so profitable, coming to Weathervale from far and wide. Braiden recognized some of the plants from books and from their descriptions on the questing board.
Many of them could be harvested as reagents for potions. An alchemist might pay a decent sum for a large enough haul of medicinal herbs, but Braiden knew in his gut that there was more to be discovered in the dungeon’s depths.
“Over here,” Elyssandra said, kneeling by a cluster of heart-shaped leaves. She plucked gingerly, taking care to remove only what she needed. “Crushing these and applying them to your wound should help you heal faster.”
“Well spotted,” Augustin said. “See? You’re helping already. No need to be so down on yourself about fighting elementals.”
A little redness blossomed on Elyssandra’s cheeks as she tucked the leaves into a pouch on her belt. “Maybe next time I’llget to stab something very hard and show the two of you what I can really do.”
Braiden and Augustin exchanged bemused glances and shrugged.
“There’s one thing that bothers me,” Braiden said. “We haven’t run into a single adventurer this whole time.”
“It’s entirely possible they took different paths,” Augustin said. “Remember how much the caverns branched on our way down?”
“And we aren’t the first to come through here,” Elyssandra added, pointing to a patch of greenery and vegetation that, to Braiden, looked exactly like any other. “See there? Trodden grass, well worn enough to know that others have explored this cavern. I suggest we do the same.”
With the mushrooms there to light their way, Elyssandra could finally recall her blueberry hairpin. She chattered excitedly about the qualities of this plant or the surprising scent of that flower. Braiden nodded along and smiled as he listened.
It was part of what had drawn him to her in the first place, how enthusiastic she could be about the things she liked. Many of these plants must have been familiar to her growing up in the elf lands, what with her people’s fondness for and proximity to nature.
He hadn’t seen her light up like this since she showed him her scrapbook of heroes. He was glad to have her as a friend, in spite of — or perhaps because of — her eccentricities. Braiden was the same himself. Get him started on specialty yarns and their eclectic origins and he might never stop talking.
“And those berries,” Elyssandra said, pointing at a bush. “If you crush enough of them and thin the pulp out with water, you can make quite a refreshing beverage.”
“Good thing we have such a healthy supply of water,” Augustin said, peering at the nearby pool.
There was something delightful about the way its water bubbled. It reminded Braiden of the fizziness of beer, how a tankard of Dudley’s finest ale at the Dragon’s Flagon tickled and prickled the inside of his throat. Braiden had heard of spring water before, but he’d never actually tasted it.
“Do you think it’s potable?” Braiden asked Elyssandra. “I mean, does it seem safe enough to drink?”
