Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1) (15 page)

Before long, she shrunk out of her robes and kicked her shoes to the side of the swirling pools, pondering the origin of the girl. The water looked enticing. It cascaded down in front of her in thick strings of blue and white, making warm sprays shower her like a welcome rain. 

She dived in, head first, letting the waters engulf her in a liquid paradise. Kicking her feet, she plunged back up towards the surface and broke through the ripples in one fierce thrust.

For a moment, she just floated there. She let the comfort enrapture her physically and mentally, but soon the reminiscences of her lost dagger broke through her satiated mind. She waded towards the looming emerald-tinted rock. It stood just as firm and steady as the day the girl had cornered her.

When she reached it, the firebugs took golden flight at her intrusive touch and entwined her in soft, golden light. As she watched nature at play, she felt transported to the moment of her first encounter with the girl who played in the shadows.
“Let the water claim your weapon, or I’ll claim your life,”
she had warned.

Arianna laughed at the recollection, shocked once again at being accosted in her own secret getaway. Now, after all that had happened since, she seemed almost pleased at the encounter. She imagined the outside world must not be as dull as she once assumed. Lessa showed her it still held a lot of mystery, and Talis and Solomon were constantly trying to force her mind even wider.

For what seemed like an hour, she searched near the spot her dagger had fallen. Her eyes combed the still, glass waters until she was certain it was gone.

Exasperated and saddened by the sure loss of her precious weapon, she made her way to the shore of the warm pools. As she clambered out and squeezed some of the water from her kinky hair, she couldn’t help but glance longingly towards the tunnels. Lessa Thur had disappeared down one of them, and part of Arianna hoped her to return, bow and arrows and all.

She resolved to offer her hand in peace if they should ever meet again. After all, if that girl found her way to this cave of wonders, then she must have been hiding from something too.
She’s a slave just like me. How different can we be?
Regardless of the would-be answer to her speculations, Arianna wanted to find out for herself.

She wandered towards the tunnels, regarding the magnificent structures. Tilting her head, she gaped at the crowning mouths of the various passages.
Where do you lead?

Of the six tunnels looming before her, something caught her eye in the center where she stood. This entrance opened a bit smaller in comparison to the rest but still vast in its own deception. She advanced a few paces and tilted her head in disbelief.

Jolting forward, she ran into the passage. She knelt to the floor just below the hovering stalactites of the entryway. There, in plain sight, lay her beloved dagger. It dazzled in the light of the firebugs as if put on a display.

She turned it over in her fingers, basking in its unfathomable beauty before securing it back in the sheath at her thigh. Her skin still dripped with water, and she wore only coverings on her chest and hips, but with the added weight of her dagger, the cold steel on her flesh made her feel complete. She laughed, feeling that the discovery granted her a twinge of release at the giant lump of stress building up in her chest after the last month.

She glanced at the place where she found her dagger and her eyes noticed something more. A piece of folded parchment lay in the same spot. Arianna lifted the paper and unfolded it, her eagerness tearing a small rip in the soft sheet. The paper felt a bit dampened and worn but still comprehensible. The rip scratched through Arianna’s name, but she knew it to be addressed to her.

Scanning the flawlessly-inked letters, she only took a moment to admire the attractive calligraphy before she began to read:

Dear Belvedor—Slave girl of Warrior’s District,

I realize I bid a most hasty farewell. I do wish to apologize for my rudeness, but my time was up, as I’m sure you well know. I can’t imagine that the rules differ much in your district. That being said, I feel I must also give my apologies for how we met… precaution was needed in the circumstances. After much thought, I realize I am too intrigued to care about the consequences of our meeting, and I would like to possibly meet you again. I understand that this is a daunting task for us both with all of the penances facing us, but, if you’re up for it, I’m curious enough to try. After all, you are the first slave I’ve ever met outside of my district.

At that moment, Arianna knew she must see this girl again. It seemed like they shared the same mind. The possibility of another meeting elated her in every way. She continued to read:

Please, do me this kindness and accept my apologies. Meet me here if you are able. I will return every Sunday around the same time as we met since I have no way of knowing when you might see this. Also, please accept your dagger as peace-offering. It seems a precious possession, and I’m sure you must be fond of it.

In hopes that we meet again,

Lessa Thur

Slave girl of Healer’s District

“Damn!” said Arianna, slapping her hand to her face. The water on her skin made the contact sting and she winced.

How many Sundays have already passed?
She started counting in her head but became muddled. Time seemed so foggy since she’d been locked up in her dungeon of a room.

A revelation struck her, “Wait a minute! There was hardly anyone on the streets when I left. People were lounging in the Square. Today must be Sunday!” Her voice echoed off the walls of the cavern.

But still, how many have passed?
She pouted, uncertain, but guessed somewhere around five or six since their first encounter. She glanced back at the formal letter.

At the bottom corner of the parchment, Lessa had drawn an exquisite replication of Arianna’s dagger. The thrill of everything began bubbling inside of her, threatening to overflow her mind. She reread the scroll three more times, and her mind reeled with anticipation. She knew from where Lessa came—the Healer’s District. 

After a taste of something new and forbidden, Arianna couldn’t wait to know more. This could be her chance to find out a real, solid piece of information. She could take a break from pondering the riddles the mystic Talis Churry left to her.

Today is Sunday.
She had all the time in the world since Solomon bid her goodnight. Arianna ran back for her robes sprawled on the floor near her familiar passageway. Stashing the letter in a pocket stitched into the lining of her robes, she slipped on her boots, tied up her hair, and sat at the mouth of Lessa’s passage.

She waited and waited until she heard the unsettling vibrations of the bell signaling curfew. The firebugs hummed in tune to the sound. She knew from Lessa’s letter that it would be curfew in the Healer’s District as well.

Arianna paced in nervous anticipation.
It’s too late for her to come now.
She let her head fall to her hands.
Maybe she gave up waiting on me.
It had been over a month.

She speculated the possibilities of Lessa’s absence over and over, but her mind only stopped on one conclusion; Lessa had lost faith. If this was so, and Arianna truly believed that it was, she would have to go and find Lessa herself.

She felt braver on her second chance at life, like maybe she held more purpose than fulfilling the role as a dutiful slave-girl. An insatiable curiosity had formed the very moment she read that letter. The yearning burned at her skin and clawed at her mind.

With it, an idea formed. Urging her body forward, it willed her down a dangerous path. Her legs moved, and she followed the glow on the ceiling of the jagged passageway. The nerves in her body rattled her bones, but her mind pushed forward relentlessly. She wanted answers and would get them herself. She was going to find Lessa Thur.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Further and further Arianna wandered into the twining tunnel. With every step, her courage became more defined.
I will find Lessa Thur.
The passageway didn’t differ much from the one she felt accustomed to. The firebugs lit her way like gleaming lanterns attached to the wall, just the same.

Removing the black-leathered glove from her right hand, she let her fingers slide against the cool, sweating rock. It sent a shiver through to her bones, and her skin prickled at the touch.

As she walked, she came upon a center area. Gray, translucent stones reflected the light. The lustrous, ashen gems caped most of the floor and jutted in all directions from the walls. Arianna gaped at the sight as she stepped into the vortex of dancing lights.

Her soul blazed in happiness, much like the time she first laid eyes on her hot springs. Her eyes knew nothing as raw and beautiful as this to be found within the Jar, and a spark of defiance whizzed through her brain and heart as she looked on. She noted all her best experiences came when defying the rules and expectations set for her. Something changed in her then, altering the course of the rest of her life; she rather enjoyed doing things differently.

As she soaked in the sight of the jeweled cavern, her eyes began to adjust to the splendor, and she detected more. Four small passageways carved into the far side of the cavern. Her heart sank as she registered the impasse. She didn’t have a clue as to where to go next.

Suddenly, she remembered Lessa speaking of her make-shift map and threw her hands up in frustration. It only occurred to her now that this is why she had needed it. Arianna never ventured further than her utopia before. She knew only the one large tunnel that led her to and fro from her district, so she had never needed any help with navigation.

Her surge of bravery began to flounder, and she took a seat on a wide, flat facet of one of the gems. Her chin rested in her hands as she contemplated turning back. Racking her brain for guidance, she let her eyes droop to the mudded floor.

For some time, she studied her footprints in the mud as she let her mind wander, but nothing came to surface. Then, as if a jolt of electricity ran through the stone, Arianna jumped up from her seat. With her eyes still glued to the ground, she placed a heavy-set boot against one of the footprints she observed.

“It doesn’t match!” Her voice bounced off the glassed rocks and ricocheted all around like a mocking chorus.

Kneeling to get a better look, she noted that the boot print under speculation seemed much narrower and shorter by at least two inches in comparison to her own.
This has to be hers!

She turned in circles, careful of her footing, until positive as to which direction the prints led. Then, she headed with as much gusto as before towards the passageway off to the right. Never losing sight of what she hoped to be Lessa’s tracks, she started to hum a familiar tune which echoed all around her and reinforced her courage. Though the jeweled chamber shrank back behind her, she stayed optimistic all the while.

Following the footprints through the twisting tunnels, she saw the light began to fade as the firebugs grew sparser until soon she wandered in complete darkness. Carrying on with a brave face, her heart began to beat at her chest in defiance of her courage. After some time feeling around in blindness, she reached the end and pushed through, breaking into a dim light.

Vines crumpled and splintered at her force, and she fell, headfirst, into a soft pile of snow. The cold shocked her at first, but she welcomed the outside air. Wary that she might very well be in the Healer’s District, she crouched low. 

Scanning her surroundings, she memorized the way back home. The place from where she exited concealed itself under a cover of nature. Barely visible to the untrained eye, roots of a large tree enclosed a small opening, and the thick snow blanketed it in a protective closure, keeping its secret well hidden.

As her eyes adjusted to the glare of the large, white moon on the snow, she realized she stood surrounded by some sort of scant forest littered with blackened trees. They stretched towards an equally black sky. Arianna pulled her robes tighter around her body as the cold settled in… and the nerves. It made her uneasy in these unknown parts, and she hoped her luck still boded well as she began to intrude on the night. Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled at the same moon she looked upon for guidance through the dark.

She wobbled on the uneven ground but found it easy enough to navigate with the light of the moon shining down. The trees snaked all the way to the top of large knolls, some grounded at the bottom. Hopping from tree to tree, she moved, careful not to be seen.

The bark felt rough and sticky under her fingertips, and she smiled. In the Warrior’s District, all the trees had been hacked away and used for weaponry or housing structures. She never once saw so many unwounded in one place before. Beautiful in its own right, she reveled at the sight of the unfamiliar landmark.