Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 64: The Beginnings of a Joined Path - Part 3

After their rest, the two of them started moving again. According to Tessa, it's lucky he chose the ruins he did for the tunnel network. It spans several dozen miles in all directions, which helps them stay out of the sun and cover some ground.

To occupy their minds beyond the monotony of their footsteps, they exchanged words now and then, like their ages, for one. At first glance, and because Tessa is a foot shorter than he is, he assumed she was younger. To his surprise, she is actually five years older. When the topic of siblings came up, Tessa stated she is the youngest of four, and Elek is the oldest of five. He didn't want to get into the details of how there could be many more than just that.

When it came to their magic topics, things were kept vague. Elek was told never to reveal the secrets of the Glass Eye, in case someone tried to use them. It took a couple of days, but he eventually shared a few of his spells. Vision in low light and the ability to see through walls and skin are more useful for their journey, so she knows what he can do to help if needed. Even if he died, she couldn't be bound to the Eye anyway without having Ocular Magic. There was a time when Elek tried to use an Earth circle, but nothing happened. It's surprising that she can use all of them when the history books he read said the Urushians only use one each, though she uses her Earth circles the most, being born in the Earth Potreros.

About halfway through the tunnel, they found an underground spring where they sterilized and filtered the water, and had a chance to wash their clothes and themselves, separately, of course. Though Elek would love a hot bath and a full meal, he knows this is the path he chose. Despite the lack of comforts, he feels... free. No father, no Ervin, no dealing with pointless matters.

Once they reach the end of the tunnels, they will only be able to travel at night. As much as Elek isn't looking forward to traveling through the cold desert nights, he can only imagine how unbearable it would be during the day. Even his visits to the Estranus Flower facility were a chore just because of the heat.

Speaking of which, that's where they'll have to go next. Since his father entrusted him with overseeing regular checks and the production of tincture projections, Elek has access to the entire facility, including keys to any area he needs to access. During his visits, he would bring bundles of Gems to keep in the safe in his office; the plan is that Elek goes in and collects them.

What will be difficult is that he cannot be seen or spoken to.

Yes, the workers at the facility will not know about his 'death' for some time, but once they do find out and confirm that he appeared days after a monster swallowed him, it will raise suspicion.

After a few days traveling south through the tunnel, followed by more nights of surface travel toward the southeast, Tessa had to build temporary shelters of hardened sand beneath the surface during the day.

The two of them are currently resting in one of Tessa's shelters, an oval air pocket about several feet in diameter just a few feet below the ground, while they wait for nighttime. Tessa has noticed that Elek seems off since they started traveling today.

Earlier, he was nauseous and vomited his breakfast, commenting on his stomach cramping. His usually kind demeanor had become much more agitated than she had seen in him over the past few days. She guessed that his attitude was due to a lack of sleep, which he seems to have had little of in the past couple of days, and he's been constantly yawning. It could also be that his nose is quite chafed and irritated from wiping it because it's been running so much, especially with the cold nights.

Now, he is lying on the ground, his body curled in a fetal position, and he hasn't spoken a word in hours. It's been worrying her, hoping he isn't getting sick, but he has been determined to reach the facility as quickly as possible, so he's been pushing himself.