The White Order

Chapter 5

When Lapis opened her eyes she looked around not knowing where she was for a moment. Then she remembered last night and realized that there was light again. The boulder that had blocked her in last night had vanished and now sunlight was shining in. Lapis looked around the cave for a sign of Leo, but it seemed as though she was alone for the moment. She could hear the soft sound of rain outside. She decided that the best idea would be to wait here, at least until the rain stopped.

She sat down against the wall and pulled out the little crystal she always wore around her neck. It had been a gift from her sister before they were... separated, and now it was the only thing she had left from her family. She had never really known her parents, her sister said their father left them when Lapis was only a baby. And their mother died when Lapis was five, leaving her and her sister to fend for themselves. Of course, the other citizens helped out every now and then but they mostly kept to themselves. So for as most of her childhood Lapis had been alone with her sister.

She let the crystal rest in her palm and looked at it. Staring into its endless depths of green. Whenever she looked at it the colors seemed to swirl around inside it, making staring at it endlessly interesting. She was so captivated by the tiny object that she didn't notice Leo walking up to the cave.
"Oh, hey you're awake. You had me worried last night, you know," Leo said.
Lapis was snapped back to reality by the sudden sound of his voice. Startled she looked up at him.

Leo chuckled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,"
"Leo!" Lapis said, deep inside she felt a huge relief. She had been worried Leo would have left her behind.
Leo sat down beside her, "What's that?" he asked pointing at the crystal that was still resting in her palm.
"What? Oh, this? It's nothing," Lapis said, quickly tucking the necklace back inside her shirt. "What were you doing outside? It's raining," she said eager to change the subject.
"I was looking to see if I could find something edible," Leo said. Lapis only now noticed he was holding some food. "Oh and I think I found something up ahead, we've got to check it out," Leo said cheerfully
"Sounds good, but can we eat first? I'm starving," Lapis said. As if on cue her stomach made a low rumbling sound.
"Yeah of course. I could do with some food myself as well," Leo admitted grinning.

They ate the food in silence, when they were both filled up Leo stood up and dusted himself off. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Where are we going?" Lapis answers, standing up as well.
"I found someplace. I think it might be where we'll find what we are looking for," Leo said.
"How do you know?" Lapis asked, confused.
"Well there is this waterfall, and behind it there is a long tunnel. It seems to go on for quite a long way," Leo said
"A waterfall?" Lapis asked.
"Yeah, there is a waterfall a little bit further into the forest. Just wait and see." Leo said. Lapis noticed a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Alright, let's go then. Lead the way I'll follow you," Lapis said.

Leo walked outside the cave and into the forest, Lapis followed behind him.
It was still drizzling, but Leo was too excited to even notice and Lapis liked the feeling of the rain falling down on her. Leo lead to a narrow path hidden in the trees. The path twisted and turned a lot and after a while, Lapis had no idea which direction they were going in. After about an hour they reached the waterfall Leo had mentioned. It was located on a small clearing in the trees. The water was coming down a big rocky wall and dropped into a small lake. The wall could be reached by walking along the side of the lake.

Leo stopped walking on the side of the clearing and turned around. "The tunnel is behind that waterfall," he said. He turned back around and started walking towards the waterfall, Lapis followed him. There was a narrow strip of land at the back of the lake, leading behind the waterfall. The stroke of land was quite slippery due to the water from the waterfall. Lapis had to be careful not to sleep. Now that she was closer she could see that there was indeed a gap in the wall behind the waterfall, just wide enough to fit trough. When Leo reached the gap he went through the gap sideways. Lapis also went sideways through the gap.