Unlike the cliffs by Harbor Town, which were virtually smooth and perfectly vertical, these were choked by roots and vines and had numerous ledges and outcroppings. James and Kilani were reassured. Even in The Never, plants needed fresh water to survive.
Kilani grasped the nearest vine and began to climb. James followed closely. When they reached the first overhang Kilani paused.
“What is it?” James asked.
“Those plants,” she said, looking at the low-growing purple and white plants that were tucked into where the vertical face met the outcropping. “I’ve never seen them before.”
Before he could stop her, Kilani jumped from the vine to the ledge and carefully pulled one plant, roots and all from the rock. The long white roots reminded James of the guardian’s tendrils. She wound them around the base of the plant and gently placed it in her satchel. James knew they were in a hurry but decided not to rush her. He had long since suspected Kilani’s obsession with finding the local ingredients for transporting powder directly correlated with her desire to leave this place and return to… to something.
Without making eye contact, Kilani jumped from the ledge and grasped the vine above. She continued upward. Near the top, she paused again. James was about to insist that they keep moving when she spoke. “Do you hear that?” she asked.
“I hear nothing out of the ordinary,” James replied.
“I hear running water,” she said.
Without another word, she began moving across the cliff face, jumping from vine to vine. James followed though he questioned whether several of the vines would hold his weight. When she reached a leaf-covered protrusion, she paused. James froze as he gained purchase on the vine beside her. He listened. Sure enough, he could make out the faint trickle of water echoing through a cavern. Kilani removed her short sword from its sheath and began hacking at the vegetation covering the cliff face. As it fell away, a small shelf was revealed. James climbed until his head was even with the shelf. It stretched back two arm-lengths where a small opening, no higher than James’s forearm and no wider than his shoulders, continued into the cliffs.
Having learned from Luno, James removed a fire tree leaf from his satchel. He removed a second, which he kept tucked under his belt, and touched them together just above a small torch he’d also kept in his satchel. The leaves immediately ignited and fell in a ball of flame onto the sap-soaked torch. He extended his arm toward the opening and the light from the torch spilled inside. Kilani crouched, looking.
“It goes back for some distance,” she said.
“Can you tell if it opens up?” James asked.
“No. It curves to the left.”
James shifted the supplies that hung from his belt to his back for more freedom of movement and crouched. He peered inside and saw just what Kilani had described, and he could hear the sound of running water clearly. There was no doubt that inside was what they were looking for. Getting there would be another matter entirely.
“I may fit,” James said, measuring the opening with his hands. He looked at Kilani. She had already removed all of the supplies she had been carrying, save a small dagger, which she slid from her hip to the small of her back, and her own ready-made torch.
“I’ll go first to see if it widens,” she said already lying prone on the shelf and pulling herself toward the opening. After lighting her torch from James’s, she wriggled her way inside shifting her hips from side to side. Her bare feet-eternally dirty as none of The Never’s residents wore shoes-disappeared into the opening.
Several minutes passed as James watched her silhouette dance in front of the torch that lit her path. Soon the opening fell dark as she turned the corner. Minutes ticked by, each longer than the next. The rustling of her body shuffling along the stone floor ceased, and James’s pulse quickened. He called out to her. With each silent moment that passed James could feel his heart steadily making its way up into his throat. Finally she replied. The echo off the tunnel walls made deciphering the words difficult. James thought he made out the words “Come in.”
He quickly removed his gear, lashing it to the vine hanging over his head, and crawled toward the opening. He began moving into the narrow entrance, gripping his torch awkwardly. James had never liked tight spaces and this was no exception. He kept his arms in front of his body to narrow his shoulders enough to squeeze inside. Unfortunately this also reduced the leverage he could get and slowed his progress.
He rounded the bend, grateful that it wasn’t a sharp corner. The tunnel began to widen ever so slightly until James was finally able to return his elbows closer to his body and move along at a much faster pace. He also noticed the walls were wet as they shimmered in the torchlight. The sound of the flowing water was much louder and he thought he could hear Kilani calling out to him.
“I think I’m almost there,” he replied.
The tunnel widened again, and he was able to crouch. Beneath his feet, James felt moisture for the first time. He could feel each step become less secure, like the algae-covered rocks on shore at low tide. As he placed his foot and shifted his weight, James’s legs slipped out from under him, sending him to his back. As he attempted to reorient himself, he realized he was sliding downward on the slime-covered floor at great speed. He tried to gain purchase with his feet and hands but was unsuccessful. The flame of the torch rippled as the wind blew past. The sound of water grew louder still and for the first time, James could make out what Kilani was saying.
“Mind the rocks at the bottom,” she shouted from somewhere below.
James began to panic as the speed of his descent began to exceed the strength of his light. He tried to sit up but the shifting of his weight only sent him rolling onto his stomach. Before another thought could run through his mind, he felt the impact tear through his feet to his heels and up his legs. He bent his knees in hopes of absorbing some of the inertia. His body crumpled and his torch went dark as he let out a pain-stricken cry.
Minutes, hours, days. James had no idea how long he was unconscious. He thought he may be dead as a dim glow moved in his direction. The pain quickly reminded him that he was indeed alive. The glow brightened and drew nigh. James could make out a shape beside it. He tried to remember what happened, where he was, but he could only focus on the approaching light and the figure beside it. Finally, his mind began to recall what had happened. At the same time, a figure came into view. It was blurry yet familiar. As it moved closer, James realized who it was. Akil Karanis was standing before him. Akil smiled, nodded, and said, “Get to the castle.”
James was about to reply when his vision went blurry again. He squeezed his eyes closed. When he opened them, Kilani was standing in front of him. She wore a smirk that gave James a sense of relief. Perhaps his injuries weren’t as bad as he thought. He tried to move his legs as she crouched over him. Pain shot through his hips and up his back. He let out a cry.
“Stop trying to move, you bloody idiot,” she said, inspecting his body. “I told you to mind the rocks at the bottom.”
“And how was I supposed to mind anything? That was like a bloody sheet of ice. How did you escape injury?”
“I know how to land,” she replied.
Kilani reached her hands under James’s arms and placed her palms against his ribs. Once again, James felt the warmth and energy travel between them. His mind went immediately calm, and the pain and despair that had gripped him a moment ago was gone. He looked into her eyes and she into his, and he longed for her. To touch his lips to hers. To feel her breath against his skin. The need was overwhelming. He reached for her, but she quickly pulled away. Their eyes met again, and she was smiling. It was then that James realized he was standing. The pain in his legs and back were gone. He could move again. He had no idea how it had happened and before he could ask, Kilani was on the move.
“Come,” Kilani said, handing James his re-lit torch and heading off in the direction she had approached. James followed, forgetting about his vision of Akil as he did.
The sound of flowing water grew as they moved down the tunnel until it reached a seemingly deafening volume. James thought he detected a faint glow ahead. Kilani stopped and looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. A deluge of water spilled across the passageway in front of them. We must be behind a massive waterfall, James thought. He stepped closer, looking for a way around in the torchlight. The water fell up against the passage on all sides limiting the exit to either turning around or stepping through the powerful stream of water. Because they couldn’t see the bottom of the falls, James wasn’t comfortable with blindly stepping into the stream. It could be hundreds of feet to the bottom.
