Page 71 of The Delver
She leaned against him and hummed in agreement.
Urkot continued onward, his chest brimming with delightful warmth. He’d always had an easy camaraderie with his friends. They’d jested and teased each other for all their lives, and it had only brought them closer, had only made them more willing to fight for each other, to bleed for each other.
For a long time, he’d thought that was enough, that it was as close as anyone could get to another. Callie had shown him otherwise. She had shown him something he’d never dared to expect for himself.
You are not unworthy, Urkot.
Those words from the celebration drifted up from Urkot’s memory, carrying all the weight and solemnity with which Ketahn had spoken them. They’d been true all along, but it had taken Callie to prove it to him.
He was worthy. And he’d claimed what he’d wanted all along.
Her.
Gradually, the vibrations grew stronger, and soon the taste of fresh mist danced on the air. And then he heard it—the rush of falling water. It was soft at first, becoming louder with his every step. The mist tickled his fine hairs and dampened his hide.
The tunnel curved sharply before opening into a spacious chamber where a large waterfall flowed from above, filling a wide pool that itself fed a stream. The cavern walls and floor were covered with vegetation, including thick-stemmed flowers with luminous bulbs growing along the banks of the stream. Their white glow rivaled that of the glowworms.
Tiny flying bugs flitted about, some of which would undoubtedly end up caught in the worms’ snares.
“This is something straight out of a fantasy book,” Callie said with awe. “There’s an entireeekosistumdown here.”
“An…eekosistum?” Urkot asked, sweeping his gaze around in search of it. She’d made it sound like something large…
“You’re already looking at it,” she replied with a chuckle. “It just refers to all the life in a certain environment. The living things down here exist in their own little ecosystem…their own little bubble. They’ve adapted to the conditions to create a sort of community that’s entirely unique from the creatures on the surface. Even with these bugs, you have a balance of predators and prey, with the plants as the basis of the food chain.”
“So…the Tangle is its own ecosystem?”
“Yep. Same with the swamp. And there can even be smaller ecosystems within a larger one, adapted around points where conditions differ. Like even within the jungle, a different ecosystem might form around, say, a lake, where unique food sources and environmental conditions allow for other creatures to thrive.
“But the balance can be very delicate. The introduction of something new, like a new animal, a new plant, or a new weather pattern, can sometimes disrupt an ecosystem enough to destroy it entirely. We’ve seen them get altered drastically on Earth, like when humans bring different plants and animals to new areas, or when our activity changes conditions in the environment. And unfortunately, that disruption can eliminate entire species.”
He let out a thoughtful hum, studying their surroundings anew. Though human words were often confusing to him, he couldn’t deny that he was intrigued by the way Callie saw the world.
He also loved listening to her speak.
“Sorry for rambling,” Callie said after a brief silence. “I just find these things fascinating.”
“Me too. Thank you for helping me understand.”
“Any time, big guy.”
Urkot strode to the edge of the pool. Callie carefully withdrew her legs from around his waist, turning as he crouched and held his lower hand out to assist her down. Her boots landed softly on the vegetation below.
“Is the water safe to drink?” she asked.
He drew in a deep breath, flooding his senses with the crisp scent of the mist. “It is.”
“Finally.” She knelt and bent over, cupping her hands and plunging them into the pool.
Urkot lowered himself beside her, and they drank their fill of the cool, pure water.
When Callie finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, shouldered off her pack, and took out her waterskin. As she filled it, Urkot stood up and surveyed the chamber.
“Stay,” he commanded.
“Yes, sir,” she said with amusement.
Tough as it was to step away from Callie, even knowing that she would be within sight the entire time, he strode to the nearby vegetation to collect food. Threadleaf plants, which grew along the walls, had stringy leaves but were bulbous near their bases, and were edible from root to tip. Whiteroots, long, white-stemmed mushrooms that grew in thick patches, had a subtle, earthy taste, but were quite filling. But best of all were the shadowberries, small, plump fruits with dark blue skins thatgrew in clusters underground near sources of water. Their juice was the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
