The Clutch of Sharys: Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter 22- Exploring the passages

When the First Children saw what their bitterness had wrought and how Sharys wept over their actions, their anger turned on the void that had twisted their hearts.

It wasn't fair, Cara thought as she followed Ahnn across the wet cave, small puddles splashing beneath her feet. Ahnn just expected her to have mastery over magic just a few days after hatching her dragon, and she was still learning, for Sharys sake. Her princess abducting Cara in the middle of the night hadn't helped speed that process along, yet here she was feeling small all the same. Cara kicked at a rock near her foot as she came to a stop behind where Ahnn was examining something. 

Continuing her silent argument, Cara didn't notice what the girl was doing until the long, whistling sound of a line being released sang out, and a great rustling of cloth sounded from over her head. A massive curtain retracted, splitting apart down the middle and sliding towards the edges of a great glass dome. Sunlight beamed in, letting Cara quickly drop her now exhausted arms, her body feeling as though she had the life sucked from its very limbs.

Before them, the newly illuminated chamber revealed a massive, clear pool a fair way ahead of them, its depth sinking deep into the earth. Natural springs and waterfalls bubbled and trickled around the back of the cavern, their waters feeding the pool below.

Shelves had been carved into recesses in the rock and were filled with musty old towels and glinting bottles of oils and soaps, the glassware elegantly shaped into pleasingly curved shapes.

"Not the worst." Ahnn pronounced, taking a quick look around while Cara introduced her hatchling to the water. 

After a couple of hurried, splashed assurances that the little dragon was not, in fact, ready to swim, Petra's voice faintly floated down the passageway, calling Ahnn back to the main hall. The girl swept away to the passage without hesitation, leaving Cara to hurry and follow, a moist dragon in her arms. Cara noticed that the way back was more sloped than had seemed coming in, but it made sense that the passage would have taken them deeper into the earth to reach the baths.

They found Petra lounging against her dragon, green eyes glazed in boredom as she stared up at the ceiling of the hall. 

"Took you long enough." She grumbled, pushing herself upright as Cara and Ahnn approached. "What did you find?" 

"Your Highness. We uncovered a few habitable residential rooms, a usable bathing area, and a collapsed tunnel to the middle tower." Ahnn remarked, listing off their discoveries with little ceremony. Nodding to herself, Petra's light green eyes raced back and forth as though thinking of something while she continued her discussion of the castle's layout with Ahnn. 

To Cara, though, the world slipped away in a rush of sound as she realized where she had seen those glinting eyes before. A clearing in the woods bathed in silver moonlight briefly flashed, foggy in her memory as though someone smudged the details of a painting. A headache beginning, Cara shifted uncomfortably as she refocused on the conversation in front of her. 

"-leaves the library, which is the only room they seemed to have bothered preserving properly besides the study." Petra's voice was purposely bland, but Cara could hear hints of frustration peeking around its edges. 

"While the bathing pools are certainly useful, I worry that the structural integrity of the residential tower needs to be looked at before I can allow you to safely stay there, Your Highness." Ahnn responded, brow creased in thought as she looked down.

"It's no matter."

“Your Highness. Your safety is a matter and one of great import.”

"Then I shall sleep in the study, and Ahnn can study the residential tower to her heart's content." Petra declared, sweeping into the middle door on the left-hand side, firmly shutting it behind her.

Cara looked back at Ahnn, who shook her head and turned towards the door at the back and right of the hall. "Lady Myzanti. Feel free to find somewhere to sleep around what remains." Ahnn said, wandering off. 

Cara was left alone, looking at the two enormous dragons blocking the castle’s entrance and the surrounding doors that lined the hall. 

She went through the one right by the tail of Petra's dragon, the wood creaking as she pulled it shut behind her. Sneezing her way down the dusty corridor, Cara noticed that instead of slits in the tunnel, small stone sconces lit the passageway. A closer examination led her to find a small red gem resting in the depths of the nearest sconce, flickering with light that was firmly set into the stone. Her eyebrows raised, Cara took a step back and continued down the passage.

She was surprised that such rare materials as flicker crystals were in some nobles' summer home, a residence that supposedly would be used for only a few weeks out of the year. The magic-infused stones notoriously took years to produce a small batch of, as it was no minor magic to infuse power into the natural world.

Counting the crystals as she continued down the corridor, Cara found at least eight of the expensive, ever-radiating gems before she reached the door that they preceded in the stone passageway. Within the dark, solid wood were rich ruby undertones, brought out by the carvings that displayed the intertwined servants of house Aspas, stretching over a rising sun.

Resting against the left side of the door was a thick ring of bronze, which Cara gripped in her hands, feeling the heavyweight and cold metal as she heaved the heavy door open. A wave of stale air assaulted Cara's nostrils, and she let out a couple of coughs before taking a step into the room beyond. 

A library occupied this tower in the castle, albeit a disorganized one. Cara's heart leapt a beat as she looked around the shelves that filled its walls, leaving her boots by the door. Petra had mentioned earlier that the library had been well preserved, and aside from the fact that the air felt thick and stale to breathe, it was. Cara took a step forward onto the smooth wooden floor of the library, not a speck of dust laying on its shining surface. Pausing a few steps in, Cara raised her head and looked up at the tower's vaulting walls. 

Yellow and glowing softly, several round lanterns lit the room, hung from the distant ceiling one by one at different heights. Shelves made up most of the walls, piled with unique books and scrolls, connected to other nearby tomes by the silken strands of spider webs. Sunlight currently peeked in from one of three large windows going up the opposite side of the tower from where she stood, each one looming to a height far over Cara's head. Each window looked as though it was set deep into the wall and circled by some sort of metal rod from which thick curtains of blue cloth hung. Cara quickly looked away from the windows to look down at the floor in front of her, hoping for some sort of bench or couch on which she could rest her weary body. 

On the floor of the tower, she found several more bookcases, and walking through them revealed the back of a wooden object near the rear of the room. Quickly, Cara's hatchling grew bored with the cautious pace at which they approached the shelves and launched herself forcefully from Cara’s arms, taking wing to explore on her own. 

Rubbing at the painful red gouges left on her wrists, Cara glared up at the far-off ceiling where a certain patchy scaled hatchling was swooping around the enormous globular lanterns. She tried to continue onwards but found her eyes repeatedly drifting up to check on the little dragon rather than focusing on what was in front of her as she worried for the creature. This resulted in the lovely consequence of Cara walking shoulder first into a bookcase, the thick, polished wood repelling her painfully. 

"Nepthy's gash." Cara grunted, rubbing her sore shoulder. She had unconsciously been tracking the dragon's movements with her path as she walked and had veered too far to the right to continue without crashing into something. Correcting her course, Cara quickly approached the object that she had spotted earlier, the wood stretching out into the form of a desk. Cara forcibly exhaled as she examined the chair sat behind the desk, a carved affair covered with similar markings to the door. 

A pleased squeak sounded overhead, and several small flares of light drew Cara's eye up above. Perched on the railing of one of the several balconies that lined the walls of the tower was her baby dragon, who blew tiny breaths of light at the window below her flapping wings.

Quickly making her way over to the window, Cara was stopped momentarily by the two thick swathes of heavy fabric that had been pulled shut around the arcing metal rail. Pushing the musty curtains aside, Cara found they led to a deeply recessed window sill which stretched farther than Cara was tall towards an enormous window. 

A few books were scattered across the windowsill; an empty mug overturned near them. Cara took a step forward to examine the titles when her dragon called again, a long curious chirp. Fatigue overcame her at the thought of having to fight her way through the curtain again, and Cara found herself sorely tempted just to curl up and sleep there on the cold stone. 

She forced herself back out through sheer force of will, being greeted happily by a chirp from the little pale dragon who was still perched on the railing overhead. Wearily, Cara wandered the edge of the shelved tower until she came across an attached metal ladder that seemed to give access up to the balcony above. The toils and stresses of the day seemed to add even more weight that Cara needed to move as she pulled herself up its rungs, and she was close to giving up when a small, warm little nose poked her forehead in greeting. 

"Yeah, I'm coming." Cara wearily told her hatchling, swinging her legs over the balcony railing and standing up. Blearily, she followed her grey and silver patched dragon over to the curtain, which was slightly pulled aside. Cara barely registered anything there other than a mess of blankets, pillows, and cushions before she crawled onto the deep window seat, her little dragon settling nearby as they both fell asleep. 

She awoke later, unsure of how long she had slept, laying in momentary bliss that it had been only dark, empty, and peaceful. Reality brought her a cold awakening when her hatchling stirred beside her, having made a small nest in the blankets strewn about the sill. Cara awkwardly made her way over to where light from the window should have been coming in, fingers grasping as they pulled aside the heavy fabric of the curtain. 

The tall window looked out over the west side of the castle and the courtyard below, over the waterfall that emerged beneath that castle, pouring into the canyon below. Looking up, Cara spotted what looked like an abnormally large balcony protruding from the top of the tower, most likely another sun pad. Gradually her eyes wandered to the scene painted by the setting sun across the sky from her and the dark purple dragon swooping its way across the horizon towards the courtyard below, a large bundle in its clutches. 

Ahnn guided her mount down onto the large stone stretch in front of the castle, her dragon dropping a large parcel before it landed on the stone of the yard. After a few moments, the Kitisalian smoothly dismounted, no doubt spending the time to release her legs from the clips that held them in a kneeling position. Once she had reached the ground, Ahnn turned and began slowly rifling through the contents of the large bundle, seemingly absorbed in the task that seemed to take quite a while.

Looking away from the scene below after a long stretch of watching Ahnn inventory whatever she had brought, Cara quickly examined the place she had slept with the last light of day. 

Shoving the curtains further back, she found numerous blankets, some made of thick fleece and others of light cotton, and pushed them all aside. Underneath five or six large, flat cushions heaped together were many small pillows completing the pile that she had crawled onto the night before. From the look of the books she found, this had been some young person's hideaway, a place they sheltered themselves from the outside world, and now this spot was hers. Leaving her cloak to mark her space, Cara adjusted her jumper, pulling the baggy sweater back over her knees before she hustled her way back down the ladder and out into the stone-lit corridor leading to the entrance. 

On approach, she could hear Ahnn and Petra conversing, presumably about whatever that enormous parcel Ahnn had brought back was.

"-think that's all? If they're nearby, I don't see why we can't just tap them whenever we need some more resources." Petra sounded inquisitive, seeing no flaw in her argument. 

"Your Highness. I told them I was a traveler to excuse the amount and brevity of my purchases. If we make ourselves regular customers in such a small village, they'll wonder…" Ahnn's businesslike tone trailed off suddenly, causing Cara to pause. 

Footsteps sounded before the door to the main hall opened, a pair of amber-brown eyes shooting her an unamused look. 

"Oh, it's just the Myzanti girl," Petra said, sounding slightly disappointed. "The way you looked, Ahnn, I thought some assassin had made their way here without our knowledge.”

Cara noticed her sliding the blade of her sword, half-drawn, back into its thin scabbard. The Princess was now dressed similarly to Ahnn, in impeccably tailored, high-waisted breeches and a blouse, though Petra's was pure, stark white to Ahnn's deep plum. 

Glancing between the pair of them, Cara couldn't help but wonder to herself if that had purposely coordinated these clothes or if this was genuinely what they believed 'normal people' wore. 

"Well, don't just stand there gawking." Petra said, raising a pale eyebrow. Beckoning with a slim hand, the Princess waved Cara out of the corridor and into the entrance hall. 

The parcel that Cara had seen earlier turned out to be several bags and boxes of supplies, wrapped in a large tarp to be carried by dragon claw. Petra's giant, emerald-green beast was nowhere to be seen, and Cara assumed it was probably off hunting somewhere nearby.

"Ahnn procured us supplies this morning at my behest to ease the burdens of our residence here." Petra announced, looking proudly over at the pile of supplies that still lay in the middle of the hall. 

Scanning over what was assembled, Cara said nothing, continuing her refusal of communication as her hatchling perched on her shoulder, both of them staring in silent disapproval at the Princess.

"Don't pout; it’s unbecoming,” Petra said, after several minutes of silence. Cara's lips twitched in wry amusement as she met Petra's gaze with a mocking glare.

“If it bothers you, Your Highness," Cara threw a pointed, venom-laced glance at Ahnn before continuing, "You could always take me back to Cebrene. Or you could drop me off at the foot of the mountain if you're not feeling up for a long flight." 

Petra's eyes brightened at Cara's words, the girl annoyingly unbothered by their antagonistic nature and more excited that she was speaking again.

"I'd rather not." She responded, flicking a blond lock of hair behind her ear. "We went through a great deal of trouble getting you here, and I would rather see us as allies than captors." 

Keeping calm, Cara nodded, looking away. "A lot of trouble those allies went to, what with the walking and sticking knives in people's backs they had to endure." She muttered the words, but not under her breath, keeping her tone loud enough to be heard. 

A pause lingered after that, and Cara looked up to see Ahnn's expressionless stare currently fixated on a sheaf of paper. The Princess silently considering Cara with a tilted head. "Do you do that often?" She asked bluntly, the words bursting out of nowhere. 

"Mutter?" Cara asked, "Or get abducted?" 

Lips twitching in amusement, Petra took a step forward. "The muttering thing. It's going to be unbearable if you have to get the last word in every time, and it's a most unbecoming habit." 

Cara's eyes flicked to Petra's, a small coil of anger unfurling in her chest. "And I suppose that should always be left to you, Your Highness?" She said archly, crossing her arms. 

Pursing her lips, Petra slowly shook her head, wryly smiling. "No. But if we're going to disagree, make a point and leave it. Don't mutter on about it. That produces nothing but ill feelings left between us." 

Breathing deeply, Cara exhaled before responding. "You do realize that you can't just tell me how to react or not, right, your highness? People don’t work that way, especially not after what you’ve put me through thus far.”

Petra shrugged, unruffled by Cara's statement. "I suggest you re-examine your approach to your situation then, Lady Myzanti. Know that this isn't the end and that we will be going back to the Capitol once we have my family's support and allies of our own." With that, the Princess picked up a bag of grain near the pile, tossing it over her shoulder and walking towards the kitchen tower passageway. 

"How are we accomplishing any of that by abducting me and hiding in a castle?"

"Write some letters, of course!" Petra called, walking away. 

Cara looked over to Ahnn in confusion, who gave her a blank stare before walking past her to fuss with the crates. "If you want to be useful, start unpacking things." Ahnn said, her voice muffled by the fact that her back was currently turned towards Cara.

"And if I don't want to?" Cara responded, reaching a hand up to stroke her little dragon's chin. 

"Then you bear the weight of my disappointment and can forget about being fed until absolutely necessary." The flat manner of Ahnn’s speaking softened the blow of the cruel thing she threatened, but that fact did little to soothe Cara's agitation. 

With a reprimanding headbutt to her cheek, the little hatchling on her shoulder squeaked at Cara indignantly, causing her rider to sigh and start trudging towards the crates. She had assumed upon first glance that it would just be food and non-perishable supplies, but there were several other things like fresh cloth, wood, and nails among the goods piled in the center of the room.

Silently, Cara and Ahnn worked side by side to sort and stack the various items, with Petra sporadically reappearing to carry some supplies away. 

"Lady Myzanti. Leave the building supplies in the main hall, put the linens and those boxes over by the residential tower." Ahnn directed her, carrying more of the food crates towards the kitchen. Cara exhaled and rolled up her sleeves, getting ready to go to work.