Page 63 of Kingdom of Rot & Ruin
Zariah jumped up. “I will scavenge for more blankets and materials, and we need more water. I’ll be just a moment.”
He shifted into his dragon form and took off into the air, his wings lifting the hairs on our heads as they beat furiously.
“I don’t need anything. I just want to sleep.”
D’s quiet voice was barely audible despite the heavy silence that fell over us. He cuddled into Shava’s side, shaking a bit.
“Might as well get comfy here, and wait until morning to survey the damage,” she sighed.
I nodded, seeing nothing wrong with that. It was a clear night, and the rocks were still warm from the day’s sunlight.
Shava sat against the cave wall, legs bent. Her arm went around D, who already snuggled into her side and resting his head on her breasts.
A kernel of irritation welled in me at that.
“I’m going to inspect the cave.”
Shava waved me away dismissively.
My lip curled, but instead of responding, I let the charred remains of the cave swallow me.
Black. It was just all … black. The moon only shone so far into the cave.
Well, at least I know there’s nothing alive inside.
That was the thought I carried with me as I stepped inside.
Ashes kicked up against my feet, giving me the sensation of something crawling against my ankles. I ignored it and pushed forward, going until I hit the back wall of the cave and spreading my palms against the rough texture ofthe stone. Closing my eyes, I ran my hands along the back wall, using it as a guide to explore the cave.
And nearly toppled head over ass when the rock disappeared under my hands into a giant crevice tucked into the back wall.
Where did it go?
I hesitated to explore a dark crack in an already inky abyss of a cave, alone and with no weapons or fire.
“What did we learn, other than that you’re a coward?”
Shava’s words rang in my ears, and a hot blush burned my ears and down the side of my face. I wasn’t a coward. I’d explore this crack.
Into the abyss I went.
For as monumental of a decision as it felt, it was anticlimactic. The crack was small and narrow, forcing me to bend and contort to fit through. But once I did, I emerged in another chamber of the cave that felt much larger than the first, if the cooler air was anything to go by.
Drip. Drip.
Water?
Be careful. Don’t want to die from water in a desert.
I didn’t know how to swim, exactly, but I’d been in the bathing chambers often enough with their deep pools to know how not to drown.
The further in I went, the lighter it became. Small holes and cracks in the cave ceiling and walls filtered in slashes of moonlight; not a lot, but enough to see the two large hot springs sitting in the darkness, small pockets of air bubbling up from the bottom.
I’d read about hot springs, but never thought I’d see one in person. It seemed too good to be true.
Crouching to the side, I cautiously dipped my fingers into the water.
Warm.
