Fade To Black, The Curseborn Saga, Book 1

Chapter 12 - A Path of Light and Dark

A few minutes of silence passed uncomfortably after Rakaella had left them. Baelie had not spoken a single word to Remi, undoubtedly upset over what her sister had said to the guard. Maile could feel the tension between her sisters and knew better than to get in the middle. The silence wrapped around them like static electricity, pricking its way across their bodies until it was too unbearable to ignore.

"I can't believe you, Remi," said Baelie, cracking the silence like a branch.

Remi turned her a cold eye. "You can't believe me? All I did was defend us!"

Maile tightened her grip on Remi's hand, hoping she wouldn't be too tough.

"The only thing you did," said Baelie, "was ruin my chance at becoming Vice-Captain!"

"Ruin your chances? What world are you living in, Baelie? Do you honestly think that they would even consider—" Maile squeezed her hand tighter, stopping her mid-sentence.

Baelie's face flushed red. "Honestly consider what, Remi?"

Remi caught her reaction and was glad that Maile had stopped her. Who was she to tell Baelie her dreams were impossible? She felt her anger begin to slowly slip away.

"Baelie—" she started again, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry, all right? But she deserved that. I hate it when people look down at other people and assume them to be something without even giving them a chance. We don't deserve to be treated like that. Don't you get it?"

Baelie looked at her coldly.

"You never change, Remi," Baelie finally said. "There are some people in the world that you just have to respect, no matter what." She turned and faced a long corridor proceeding away from them. "But you're too stubborn to understand."

She walked away, her kitchenware-armor clanking with each step.

"So it would seem," muttered Remi. "But I can't just bow down like that when I feel wronged. And like you say, it's not like I'm going to change." Her voice was low enough that only Maile could hear her.

After a few moments, Remi looked at Maile and forced a smile. "Shall we?"

Maile gulped and nodded. "Yeah, let's just get this over with."

The path before them was an archway of stone that tunneled far enough away that they couldn't see the end. It was well lit, and they soon realized that the bright light wasn't from candles or lanterns, nor any kind of alchemy, but from the light of day outside. After about twenty paces in, glass panels replaced the left side of the wall, allowing the light of day to fill the space, creating a path of light and dark. Little passings of water trickled down the sides of the walls into grooves at the bottom, filling the hall with the tranquil sound of running water.

"We're underground?" Maile asked. "It's kind of peaceful."

"And pretty deep underground by the looks of it," said Remi, gazing out the glass panels. They stretched from the floor to the ceiling, allowing the two sisters to take in the entirety of the sky outside. Maile placed her palm softly on the glass. She could feel the warmth on her fingers.

The sky was vast and blue, spotted with little white clouds. There wasn't a single bird to be seen, but the view itself was utterly breathtaking. They had never seen the sky from beneath the ground before.

"Pretty . . ." said Maile. "The world is so beautiful, isn't it?"

I didn't have any idea they had built something like this so far underground, Remi thought, not really listening to her sister. She looked around. I wonder how many other secrets exist in Risia that normal people know nothing about . . .