Reign of Shadows - Deborah Chester [50]
Nothing.
He crept up to the mouth and peered in. The air inside the cave felt clammy cold. It smelled only of ice and damp, nothing else. He poked the stick inside and banged it on the ice-covered walls.
Nothing stirred, fled, or jumped out at him.
Relaxing, Caelan beckoned to Lea, who came hopping without the food basket.
“I told you it was safe,” she said and ducked inside.
Annoyed by her lack of caution, Caelan shed his cloak and pack and followed her. “Lea, I should go first—”
“Hush.” She gestured at him with equal annoyance. “You’ll scare them.”
“Who?”
“The earth spirits. Be quiet so they can know I’m here.”
He crouched just inside the entrance, tucking his hands under his arms for extra warmth. Maybe he shouldn’t have removed his cloak.
The cave was silent, gloomy, and cold. The inside was completely encased in ice. Even the floor offered a slippery surface.
Lea crept farther in, taking one careful step at a time to avoid slipping and falling.
“It’s good,” she said at last. “We’re welcome here. Come on.”
He scrambled up, almost slipping, and followed her with his hand on the wall for support. The farther in, the taller the cave became until Lea could stand upright. He hunched along, his hair brushing the icy ceiling.
“Not too far,” he warned her. “I didn’t bring a lamp.”
“Silly,” she said impatiently. “I’ve been here lots of times.”
He sighed and abandoned the attempt to be responsible. She didn’t want him cautioning her constantly.
“How far to the emeralds?” he asked.
“Hush. They’re a gift. You can’t demand them.”
Hard not to do so when his need for them was so great. He glanced around him and wondered how he was supposed to appeal to the earth spirits.
“Well, do we look for them or do we—”
She stopped and glanced back at him. “Stop asking questions. We have to stay in the cave long enough for them to decide whether they will give us gifts or not. You’re making everything harder.”
Accepting her chastisement, he rolled his eyes. “I’ll be quiet.”
“Good.”
Finally they emerged in a small chamber about the size of Lea’s sleeping room. It was still too low for Caelan to stand upright, and icicles hung down from the ceiling, some flowing all the way to the floor in frozen forms and shapes that made him smile in wonder. Natural light filled the chamber, but although he looked around he never saw the opening.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Lea asked, her face glowing. “The cave itself is a treasure. The earth and ice spirits made this one special.”
He nodded, enjoying her pleasure. No wonder the earth spirits had given her precious jewels. Who else could appreciate the natural beauty of this place except a child like Lea?
“This is my palace,” she told him, shifting into her own land of pretend. She launched into a whole story then, telling him of all the imaginary rooms that lay beyond, and where her guards slept, and where her servants worked, and where her stables stood, and how many beautiful steeds she owned. She described fabulous white horses that could fly and carry her to any corner of the earth.
She had earlier gathered stones, twigs, and pieces of bark twisted into play cups and platters. These she brought out from behind the ice formations and served him a pretend feast as a welcome guest.
“Wait,” Caelan said. “We brought food. Why not eat some of it now? We don’t have to pretend.”
The light momentarily faded from her face. “That food is for you to take when you leave us,” she said sadly.
His heart turned over, and he realized he shouldn’t have assumed he could keep such an important secret from her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“Take me with you.”
He groaned a little