The princess walked ahead. She held her necklace, using it as a lantern to guide us through the cavern. I didn’t feel prepared for what lay ahead. I didn’t know what the dark creatures were. At first I’d believed them to be the Regaymor, but the more I learned about them, the more I doubted that conclusion. What did the princess know about them? Obviously, she knew more than she was letting on. Perhaps it was time to find out.
“What do you know of the dark creatures?” I asked. “And don’t tell me you know nothing, because I’ll know you’re lying.”
She didn’t answer. Our footsteps echoed, lending an eeriness to the dark, sulfur-smelling caves.
“You must tell us,” Kull said as he walked beside me. “We must know everything about our enemies to be prepared. It is the only way to defeat them.”
“Yet I have taken an oath not to reveal what I know,” she said. “It is impossible to tell you anything.”
“Then don’t tell us everything. Tell us only what you can,” I said.
“I cannot.” She pursed her lips.
What oath had she taken? Why would she need to take an oath in the first place? This was getting out of hand. She wouldn’t discuss the creatures, so maybe she’d fess up about something else.
“The dragon caves were built with elven architecture,” I said. “Any idea how it got there?”
“My people have traveled many places. Not all of their journeys have been recorded. The dragons’ caves may be evidence of one of these adventures, but I cannot say for sure.”
I wasn’t thrilled with her answer. “Yet you made no mention of the architecture while we were there. It almost seemed as if you expected it.”
She gave me her shrewd glance, the one that made me feel two inches tall. “Are you always so observant?” she asked.
“Only when I need to be. I’m also very persistent. Just ask Kull.”
“It is true,” he said with solemnity.
“So how did the architecture get there?” I asked.
She sighed.
“I think it would be wise to answer,” Kull insisted.
“Very well,” she answered. “An expedition was launched long ago, before modern times, in an age when dragons were slaughtered and our people had yet to learn the principles of peace they now uphold. It was a perilous journey. My people almost died, though they managed to make it to the smaller island. Most records of their journeys were lost, though a few were preserved in our libraries. There is one document in particular that tells of their journey.”
“Is this the document you spoke of earlier? The Pa’horan prophecies?” I asked.
“Yes, part of it. Pa’horan commissioned the trip to the outer isles. It was a highly controversial move. The isles were considered cursed.”
“Why did he commission the trip?”
She gave a sidelong glance at Kull. “Because there were some things meant to be kept secret, and there was no better place to store those secrets than on the isles.”
I recalled our earlier conversation. “Are you speaking of the elven torture?”
“Yes,” she answered. “The voic-py’anah.”
“I thought you said he wanted to do away with violence.”
“Yes, he did, but he also knew that destroying all knowledge of the magical torture would be foolish. It was a great power, and to destroy all knowledge completely would be unwise. He sent the information to the place he thought safest—to Verutith Island.”
I tried to put the pieces together. It sounded as if we traveled to some sort of library where knowledge of the torture was kept. If that were so, were we going to destroy that knowledge? And if we were, wouldn’t there be a few people angry at us for doing so?
“The dark creatures guard the knowledge of this torture,” the princess said, “but my people have decided that simply guarding it is not enough. The knowledge must be destroyed. And,” she added, “we must bring down their temple in order to do that.”
“Temple?” I asked. “Was that the labyrinth you showed me in the maps?”
She nodded. “The temple uses Verutith’s magic to guard it, but with the magic gone, the knowledge can no longer be protected. That is why it must be destroyed. Once it is, and once the temple has been demolished, the blossom will be able to flourish once again on Verutith.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” I asked.
“I could not. The very traitor who seeks the knowledge of the torture was aboard the ship. I was not able to determine who this infiltrator was, but it made revealing the truth impossible. I could not reveal more than was necessary. As it is, this infiltrator followed me through the forest, and although I believe they lost my trail, it is only a matter of time before they find it again.”
I held tight to my pack’s strap, feeling the weight of the orb inside and trying to decide if I could trust the princess. Dark crystals grew along the walls. At one time, they most likely glowed with magic, but now, they only reflected the necklace’s light, a strange combination of dark and light colors. An eerie stillness blanketed the caves, muffling the sounds of our booted feet crunching over loose pebbles.
I kept my knife out. The tunnel widened into a gorge. Far below, a river of lava snaked through the crevasse. Heat roiled, creating a breeze that sent embers flying up through the air currents. We followed a narrow path that led us along the wall and into another tunnel.
Time seemed to lose meaning as we traveled. We stopped only for short breaks, eating our dried fruit and drinking a little water. To me, it all tasted of sulfur. The stale air and my sore feet were beginning to weigh me down.
At one point, we set up a small camp on a flat ledge of rocks. With
