A Devious Exchange

The Inevitable

After collecting our bearings, expressing our respects to the dead and gratitude to the heroes (which I was not a part of), Atticus continued down the rabbit hole of the unknown. A few soldiers had a mouthful to say about continuing forward, which Atticus quickly dismissed. He simply blamed us for not being observant enough in avoiding the beast, which I scoffed at under my breath. I hope we don't encounter another one of those beastly creatures. If so, we may not be so lucky.

I was also surprised when Miook called over Tomathy for some of his medical supplies. He was more than happy to share, slewing a bunch of curses about how 'nasty' the cut looked. I rolled my eyes at all the attention but was greatly thankful for the salves to put on my cut. It turns out, Tomathy's mother was the Quale's apothecary. She had mountains of healing herbs and gauzes, which she of course donated to the Helacian military. What a thoughtful woman.

Curling the paste towards my nose with my fingers, I smelled a hint of peppermint and chamomile. It was strong, but its significance was a well-known indicator of a natural healing-herb mix. I wiped the paste to smear over the cut, the cloudy white mixing with my blood, and covered it securely with a new strip of cloth from my skirt. It lessened the pain by several degrees, but I feared it would only last for so long.

"Don't be hurling any more fires, you hear me?" Miook scolded from behind me, helping me secure the bandage.

"You'd be dead if I didn't. I deserve some thanks more than scoldings." I grouched, turning my head over my shoulder to give him a lighthearted smile.

His crooked grin tickled me, his eyes not leaving the wound as his fingers nimbly tied the knot back. "I am grateful for what you did, Lady Williams."

I felt heat rise on my skin at the faint complement, my head quickly turning away.

He made my mind buzz with uncertainty; his sudden tolerance and dare I say- kindness, towards me was new. By the time I managed to stand on my feet, I looked up to find him standing right in front of me, face to face.

"I truly am, you're not what I thought you were." He stated, bowing his head in my direction. I didn't quite understand the gesture, but his words were touching.

He respected my decision. I smiled triumphantly, which he only chuckled at. Something kindling to a friendship was on the horizon with the brutish, foreign man who I swore hated my guts. I guess I proved myself worthy in his eyes. Nevertheless, his gratitude felt more genuine, rather than the other soldier whom I was still upset with. "The captain" hadn't even batted me an eye, and perhaps I was getting too caught up in our relationship, but what he did and said was due for some conversation.

At least apologize for yelling at me like I was a child.

But I shouldn't expect it. I watched afar, as the group progressed forward with Nicholas in the lead. And with sluggish steps, I followed too. I'll just have to be more careful about starting up new relations in here, you never know if they're a true friend until we're in the thick of it.

The cavern was growing more cooler by the second, the moisture growing as I supposed we were reaching a body of water. We weren't descending anymore luckily, so this had to be the bottom of the cave. After a few more twists and turns with the small lantern's light guiding the way, a new light clashing in colors against the hazy orange suddenly announced itself in the darkness. A faint mixture of light blues the color of the day's sky mixed with the shades of the depths of the night glowed along the cave walls in sporadic spots. Originally, I thought we had reached the surface magically, the sun's rays finally reaching down to us to bring us out of the dark prison. The blue was so bright and normal, and even as it dimmed, I wished it were true.