Broken Glass - Taekook

13

High up in the trees, a cold wind wails, a startling cry that sends shivers down my spine. Jimin and Hoseok decided to stay the night with us. As they tug their cloaks around their shoulders in an attempt to stave off the cold breeze that's blowing over the lake in our direction, I'm beginning to wonder if they regret that choice. 

We pack up quickly, keen to move on, because something just feels wrong about today. I wrap the mirror in my spare clothes, shove it to the bottom of my pack, push everything else on top. After a brief moment's consideration, however, I take the knife I was given by the Hazelpoint village elder, and hang it at my waist. 

I may be useless in combat, but I need to have something to defend myself with, regardless. I can't always force my companions to take the fall for me, whether I'm the Saviour or not. They're joining me, but it's my journey, and I have to remember that. I'm lucky to have them, but they're not my bodyguards. Eithyr is dangerous. There are soldiers, impossibly powerful Karulian knights, all searching for the opportunity to destroy something. 

The birds won't sing, the chattering arguments of small rodents have fallen silent, and the only sound comes from a white owl in the branches above us. It lets out a startled screech, taking to the air like a surprised ghost, the sudden sound causing me to shudder. Hoseok actually jumps, his eyes going wide with fear, and Jimin rests a reassuring hand on his partner's arm, murmuring something I can't quite hear. Even as he does so, I see the fear in his own eyes too. 

Merely a moment later, the pixie turns to Namjoon, suggests politely that they take a more hidden route through this area, just in case. After a quiet discussion, he directs us to a system of caves, which they apparently used yesterday whilst watching us traverse the lakes. It's one that Jimin and Hoseok are familiar with. And it's probably much more secure than being out in the open.

The entrance smells unpleasant, like a mix of damp and mould, but I don't complain. If this is really our safest option, I can deal with being uncomfortable for a few minutes. 

Inside the caves, it's dark, and cold, but the bitter wind is gone, replaced with stale air that's still and slightly rancid. I catch sight of Seokjin and Yoongi holding their shirts higher, to cover their mouths and noses, where they can, so the impact isn't as strong. I try to breathe shallowly, but the system is hard to traverse: in various places, we have to clamber over rock formations, jump over underground rivers, cling onto anything we can to get a stable footing. 

The walls and floor are slippery, and on closer inspection, covered in places by a thick moss. Aphelia floats alongside us, near the front, her pale light flickering as she bounces slightly in the air, creating phantasm-like shadows that flicker and move alongside us through the cave. Several times, someone loses their balance, and has to be caught. At one point, I fall over properly, and have to be almost lifted off the floor, my face red from embarrassment and my tailbone stinging from the impact. 

Much to my relief, however, nobody judges me for the accident, choosing instead to ask worriedly if I'm okay, and help me back to my feet. Hoseok tells me in a hushed voice that Jimin does the same thing every single time they go through this cave, much to his lover's frustration. In the corner of my vision, I catch the pixie hit his partner lightly on the arm, but there's no real fury in his eyes. 

After a few hours, of slow progress, however, we eventually make it to the other side of the cave system, into a small, enclosed valley, surrounded by high-reaching cliffs. 

The valley floor is covered with stunning flowers of all shapes and sizes and colours, and the setting sun casts a golden blanket over gently waving grass. Directly in front of us, a glittering waterfall flows into a perfectly round pool. I can't quite locate the source of the water, but logic states that it must be from some underground river or spring.