The Tressians

Chapter 3

The stalls fade in the distance behind us. I follow Nayt away from the sound of laughter to the very outskirts of the fields. Soon, he comes to a sudden halt outside an old wooden fence. My eyes skip between its decaying planks and his honey-gold eyes. He flashes me a toothy smile.

'Are you ready for this?'

'Yeah?'

'Then you'd be wrong.' He cackles theatrically before jumping over to the other side.

'What in the world are you doing?' Through a circular hole in one of the planks, I watch his tall, agile body disappearing between the trees.

'You know that's the Iron Forest. It's dangerous. You'll get mauled by a wild boar or something,' I yell.

'For once, try not to be a coward. The place is safe...enough. A bit untamed that's all. Believe me, you'll like it. There are loads of trees you can climb here. Maybe you can visit your chimp brothers and sisters.' He laughs to himself.

I stick my hands on my hips and tut.

A light breeze carries Nayt's voice. 'Hurry up.'

I shake my inhibitions away, throw my purse over the fence then leap to the other side. My feet land with a crunch on a cushion of sun-baked leaves, shrouding the parched earth like a carpet. Densely packed trees rise out of the ground like titans. Their bare branches stretch towards the sky and block most of its dwindling sunlight. I amble in the shadows between their trunks.

Nayt glances over his shoulder at me. 'Now follow me.'

His legs pick up speed and he turns into a rough patch of dry stalks, meters tall. I fight my way through them, barely keeping up with Nayt as he disappears and reappears between them like a ghost. We soon arrive at a glade the size of a small room. Its parameter is enclosed by an army of evergreens that shroud the area, keeping it cool and dark. We walk to the end of the clearing towards the underside of a small rocky cliff; concealed for the most part by a tangle of creeping vines.

'We're almost there.'

I watch Nayt sit down and slide his legs under a small opening, half a meter high in the side of the cliff. It looks dangerous, dirty and more than I'm prepared for. Without thinking, I take a few steps back. Sensing my hesitation, Nayt glances over his shoulders.

'I'm not trying to kill you. Stop worrying and do what I do.'

He lies back, fingers curled over the rocks above him, pushes forward and slips under the cliff. I throw myself against opening and call his name. His voice echoes back, urging me to follow. I don't want to. But if Nayt is stupid enough to put himself in danger, I don't want to be the coward who left him behind. Pressing my purse against my chest, I sit down and wriggle my legs through the space. Beneath them the earth is cool and slopes downward; so I lie back to avoid hitting my head on the ridge of the opening and slide into a massive underground cave.

My eyes take a minute to adjust to the sudden shift in light. It should be too dark to see in here, but instead, the cave is shimmering. I suck in a sharp breath and arch my neck. Studding the roof are thousands of crystalline speckles twinkling above me like clusters of the finest aquamarine. The rocks are glowing, flooding the space with a breathtaking, luminescent, bluish light. It's like walking straight into a treasure chest. I hear Nayt's feet shuffle to my side and suddenly realize I'm still on my knees. My trousers have already soaked- in the cool moisture of the ground. I release the breath I was unconsciously holding and stand.

'Unbelievable.'

Nayt is thrilled to see the cave's effect on me and watches every shift in my face with a smile.