I swallowed, wishing for water to quench my thirst. I should have taken some from our home before running off into the depths of the caves.
I had walked for ages, twisting and turning through caverns I hadn’t ever walked through alone.
A distant noise reached my ears. Running water. I’m almost to the river!
I started running again. I never ran; it was too dangerous. But now—the water was beckoning, and I couldn’t help myself.
The roar of the river got closer and closer until I spilled into the larger cave, my footsteps echoing louder off the cavernous roof. I slowed, not keen on careening into the river.
I looked up at the faintly twinkling stone of the roof. Somehow in utter darkness, there was shining stone.
I stumbled to the edge of the river and drank. “Thank goodness I made it here.”
“Leah?” A familiar voice asked from nearby.
My head shot up. “Elonyah? Are you here?”
“What are you doing here? I’m not coming home.”
“You are here! You scared ten years off my life, El.” Her words penetrated. “Oh. I’m not taking you home. At this point we are both wanted for treason.”
A long silence followed.
“Where are you? I’m coming to you.” I squinted at the darkness around me.
“I’m across the river.”
“Across the river?!”
“I swam.”
“Swam?!”
“Why are you repeating what I’m saying? Yes, I swam. The river is only a little over my head. Just kick a little.”
My mouth fell open. “I can’t swim!”
“Yes, you can. Come on, Leah.”
For some reason, I decided to trust her. I waded into the water, shivering at the cold. I walked deeper and deeper, until my feet couldn’t reach the bottom. “Ack!” I paddled frantically, kicking my legs.
I’m…moving! I was slowly moving forward. The river was pushing me downstream, but my head was mostly above water.
A rush of water smacked my face, and I instinctively breathed in, sucking water up my nose. I coughed and sneezed, kicking harder.
Then my feet found the bottom of the river, and I was climbing up the riverbank. “Elonyah?”
“You made it! I knew you could!”
My teeth chattered. “I might freeze to death, but yeah, I made it.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Elonyah said, her hand finding my arm. She pulled me away from the river. I crossed my arms. “If we start walking, we’ll warm up in no time.”
* * *
It was not warm.
We’d been walking for who-knows-how-long, following the river farther and farther from anything we knew.
I breathed on my hands, rubbing my hands together to create some warmth.
“My feet hurt,” Elonyah said. It wasn’t even a complaint; it was just a statement.
“Mine too.” I refrained from reminding her that this was her idea and her fault. We couldn’t go back home. No point dwelling on it.
We continued on in silence, having already exhausted all our conversation points. I didn’t know what time it was. Without the town bells to inform me, I couldn’t tell at all. Judging by how heavy my eyelids felt, probably late.
“We should stop and rest for the night soon,” I said.
Elonyah sighed. “I suppose. I doubt you’ll sleep very well on the cold stone.”
I hadn’t thought to grab anything from home. Elonyah at least had her sleep mat, her water container and a few changes of clothes.
I wrinkled my nose. I was cold enough as it was.
Our feet continued to move forwards, echoing through the cavern.
Then El’s feet stopped. “Ceceleah.” Her voice was hushed. “Do you see that?”
“See what?” I paused, squinting into the darkness. All I could see was the faint glimmer of the rushing river, the twinkling of the cave roof, and…a flash of brightness farther down.
“Is it…?” Elonyah’s voice trailed off.
“It looks…like light. Not pure darkness.” I gaped a little longer, then started coming forward again. “Come on! Let’s see how long it takes to get there!”
Our feet moved much faster now, going from a walk to a jog to a sprint.
The light grew brighter and brighter, drew closer and closer…
“Elonyah! You were right!” I shouted, laughter slipping out.
“I know!”
We reached the end of the cave. So much light was pouring in that I could see—see!—the river pouring out of an opening in the rock. “There’s a world outside the caves!”
I didn’t hesitate to plunge into the water and paddle myself through the opening.
Then…light.
The End of Part III
