After being separated by the forest debris and the fighting boars, a large tree fell and its massive center was unavoidable. It landed on top of me. Fortune Divinity must have favored me, however; I happened to be in a spot where the Boar's hooves had dug deeper into the earth. At first, I tried to climb out but the warring animals would no doubt trample me or another tree would fall and Fortune would be too distracted to help me again.

So, I stayed in my semi-safe haven hoping it would remain intact and worrying over the safety of Tallis and Zeph. Zeph could teleport himself out of any danger but what about Tallis? What if he is.... I hugged my arms and squeezed my eyes shut.

Please be okay.

It felt like an eternity passed then the deafening sound ended abruptly after a squealing crescendo. I peeked out to see one Boar laid on the ground while the other stood stomping softly, or as softly as the giant beast could. Something felt off about the victory displayed. Suddenly, the victor swayed on his feet and fell succumbing to his injuries and narrowly missing my shelter in the process. The fall caused the ground to shake and me to lose balance. Then all was calm.

I crawled out. The battle ground was hard to make out. The churned-up dirt still sprayed the air like a dirty fog over the expansion of tree corpses. Silence mourned the great loss. How long have these trees been here? Only to be torn down by an act of instinctual violence... was I the only survivor? I climbed onto a fallen tree and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Tallis! Tallis, can you hear me? Zeph! Tallis! Where are you? Anyone?!"

I yelled over and over. Just when I was about to give in to sobs, Zeph appeared next to me. "There you are! In the name of Aislei, how in the world did you survive that?"

I sunk to my knees and hugged the little gnome. "Thank the Divines you are alright!" Then I pushed him back by the shoulders and shook him. "Tallis? Please tell me you know where he is!"

The gnome hesitated and his eyes offered sympathy. "Well, you see, Princess... this---"

"I'm right here." Tallis climbed over the tree leaning on a long stick. I flung myself at him and he yelped in pain. Immediately I backed off.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Zeph spat at the ground. "He is fine! Not quite right in that soft head though. The stupid human tried to charge into the middle of a Gladyion Boar fight. He is lucky he got away with just a sprained ankle."

"What happened?"

Zeph stalked off grumbling but Tallis answered me, "Zeph was close enough to teleport me when the boars came but you fell a ways off. We couldn't see you... Zeph wouldn't teleport back down to find you--"

"It wouldn't do me or you or my village any good if I got myself killed! ---" Zeph interrupted.

"So, I tried to find you, but I didn't make it far. Zeph teleported me back after I fell. I supposed I would have been smashed under a hoof if he hadn't," Tallis admitted.

"You saved him?" I turned to Zeph, "Thank you!"

The gnome adjusted his hat, tugged at his mix-patched clothes and cleared his throat gruffly, "Well, anyone can have a lapse of judgment, I suppose. Anyways, we best go. Some low life scavengers will be upon us soon to make buffets out of these boars."

"Wait! Don't you need to rest your ankle?" I asked Tallis.

"He will be fine with his stick," Zeph protested. "The mountain is just up ahead. And we won't be climbing it. We will be going under through some hidden cave systems. We'll make better time... as long as we stay on course."

"Hold on! Let me just do one thing!" I spoke.

Zeph grumbled as I got down on my hands and knees and tossed around the surrounding dirt. Tallis limped after me. "I really hate to agree with the gnome, but he has a point. I'd rather not run into any scavengers." He gave a frustrated huff when I didn't acknowledge him. "What are you even doing besides getting dirty?"

"Haridra will help your ankle and prevent some pain."

"We'll keep an eye out for it on the way then!"

"No! Its root is what we need, and it is typically buried deep in the ground. It would take time to dig up, but all this earth is already dug up so there!" I pulled the thick elongated brown root up. I sliced it open with my dagger and a bright orange powder spilled out. Using a large bowl shaped magela leaf, I mixed the powder with some bits of rosemary and water until it became paste-like.

"Okay, come here so I can wrap this leaf on your ankle," I instructed.

"When did you become a medicinal herb expert?"

"I've just been waiting to do something like this since reading about it in the book." I smiled smugly.

"Waiting for me to get hurt? Gee, thanks," he laughed, and I finished wrapping the leaf about his ankle. "This leaf better not be poisonous... that may ruin your whole remedy."

"This is a magela leaf. The book says it amplifies root based medicines."

"Wow... you actually retained some good information."

"Nobody told me I could learn poisons and remedies from a stupid book!" His sock was not enough to keep the leaf on his ankle, so I tied it using the ribbon out of my hair.

"Yes, well those subjects would come secondary to the more refined subjects."

"Refined? More like boring. But I am sure you would make it less boring."

"Uh...." Tallis looked away. He and Zeph exchanged a look. Zeph huffed and told us to get a move on.

I felt like there was something they were not telling me. But I could not figure out what it was. Perhaps I am paranoid... after all, what secret could have developed between Tallis and Zeph in the short time we were all separated?

When we got to the cave hidden by some magic enchantment, we settled down to rest and catch up on some sleep. Zeph immediately went to work building a fire. I guess now that we were not out in the open, it was safe. I was all too aware of how dirty I was. I heard a trickling of water and found a small stream. The water seemed to glow like it was celestial. It looked like an answered prayer to this princess!

"I am going to bathe! Do not come around this rock, please!" I warned my traveling companions as I grabbed my spare garments from my pack and ran back towards the water.

"Wait! Don't!" Zeph called out and teleported in front of me before I could place a single toe in the stream.

"Why not?"

"Because that is YromėmFoRėvir. An ancient river that flows with power. Its waters come from a primordial spirit. Once submerged in the liquid, you will drown in your own mind."

"Oh." The river that had looked so refreshing now looked anything but. Still, I itched fiercely. "Well, I need to bathe. I'm covered in sweat and dirt."

"We have a spring in my village where you can refresh yourself. You will have to be patient."

"Patience isn't my strong suit..." I sighed and walked back to where Tallis laid out our blankets. The thought of going to sleep without having a proper bath made my skin crawl. Do peasants do this? No, surely not. But Tallis did not seem to mind.

But he is, as he needlessly pointed out not long ago, a man.

"Is there any cave dwellers we should be worried about?" Tallis asked the gnome.

"Keep this fire burning and we won't have to worry about those..." Zeph said.

"And we have to stay away from the river over there or it will drown us," I added.

"Great." Tallis gave me lopsided smile and rubbed his weary eyes.

I warmed myself by the fire and studied the walls of the cavern. "It is so huge... and it goes through the whole mountain?"

"Aye," Zeph answered. "It would be huge having once been the home of a dragon."

"Dragon? I thought dragons lived beyond The Teeth in The Abyss?"

"Only in today's time, Princess. Not in the days of the First King. This land belonged to them. They were revered as Gods. They say pyriostones were crafted by their fire and magic as a gift to our people to cook our food and warm our homes." There was an awe to Zeph's voice.

A yawn escaped my mouth reminding me of what I lacked.

"Get to sleep, Sienna. I'll keep watch first and wake you up in a bit," Tallis urged.

"Oh okay." I crawled into my blankets and closed my eyes. But my dirty state kept my mind from relaxing. I tossed and turned restlessly before sitting straight up. "I can't! I can't sleep! Just no. I'm tired and my feet hurt but... the ground is hard, and I feel so dirty and I feel like we're being watched."

"Aye, we are," Zeph said from his perch on a rock.

I gaped and Tallis groaned, "Why would you say that to her?"

"Because it is true. Truth has a way of coming out, Grey." He peered out into the surrounding darkness then added another branch to the fire. "They're waiting for the fire to go out. But not today, you filthy crawlers!"

I buried my face in my hands and groaned, "What exactly are cave dwellers?"

"Insect-like crawlers. They like the cold dark. They would devour a little thing like you in seconds... Since the dragons left, they have multiplied," Zeph answered ominously.

I shivered.

Shooting a glare at the gnome, Tallis murmured, "It's okay, Sienna... just go to sleep."

"No, it's not," I whispered. "It's not okay. This is the first time I have spent the night anywhere besides my castle... I thought I would be more ready for it, you know? I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep in a cave with big flesh-eating bugs crawling around."

A rock fell somewhere, echoing off the cave walls. Something had to have knocked it over, right? The noise made me retreat into my blanket, hiding my head as if a mere blanket would conceal me from the danger.

"Do you want to go back home? Say the word and I will take you back..." Tallis whispered back, patting my head.

"No..." I said swallowing my fear and peeking out of the blanket at him. "We have already come all this way and I still want to help. I'm sorry. I'm just being silly, I guess."

"Not silly," he said, a ghost smile teasing his lips. "It is sane to be scared in this situation. And of course, you're not used to being out here. You cannot be blamed for your upbringing. Here, maybe this will help. I haven't had a chance to play it for you." Tallis reached into his bag and pulled out the small music box, wound it up and placed it next to my head.

The music sang out a soft, wistful melody. The sound echoed in the cave tugging at my heart and bringing tears to my eyes.

"Wow... it's so beautiful. Thank you. I love it."

"Goodnight, Sienna." He smiled tenderly, the fire light dancing in his gray eyes.

Sleep claimed me soon after. In my dreams, the music played on. I was spinning in a meadow I did not recognize, pink and blue flowers bloomed where I stepped. The sunlight twirled me around faster and faster until I was in a tornado of colors. Suddenly, I was no longer in the meadow. Instead, I was in the ballroom but the pretty blue and pink petals littered the floor. Candles gave the space an amber glow. All around me, my sisters danced and beckoned me to join in.

We danced for ages, but did not tire. It was like gliding through clouds. My feet did not hurt. Rose and Saffron swung a squealing Amber through the air, then launched her at me.

"Catch me, Enna!"

I turned and caught her in my arms, then twirled around with her. Her golden ringlets bounced as she leaned back giggling. I spun her around so fast, she had to pull herself back up to cling to me. Like a phantom, she vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Just gone. I was holding air. I looked around frantically to find her. All my sisters had stopped dancing. I was about to enlist their help to find our youngest sister, but the words stuck in my throat. Something was off.

They all formed a circle around me, all looking down to the floor. When did the music stop? I heard a scream and turned in time to see Cerise disappear in the same smoke. I looked at Carmine, but she just held a mask up over her face, turned and walked away into the darkness.

Ruby suddenly went down on her knees clutching her throat. I ran to her side, but before I could do anything she sunk down into the ground out of sight. I fell upon the floor where she had sunk. My heart pounded in my ears and tears blurred my vision.

"Ruby! Carmine, where did you go?" I looked back at my remaining sisters. Saffron was down on her knees. Head knelt, she whispered to herself in a fast tongue.

"Sienna," Rose's voice distracted me from Saffron. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

She closed her eyes and the smoke took her from me as well.

"No! Rose! Come back!" I sobbed, my throat closing and my nose sniffling. "Jade, we have to get everyone to---" But Jade and Olive were gone as was Violet and Lavender. Did the smoke claim them, too, when I was not looking?

Indigo was all that remained.

I turned to her, but a dark-skinned woman wearing strange clothes stood in her place. She reached for me. Her golden eyes glowed and a gold light emitted from her hand. Her power lashed out and darkness started closing around us. "Sienna, you must listen to me. There isn't much time. Find Nazam. He---" I was backing away from the woman. Her power was too bright and frightening. My hand collided with something hard. The throne, my mind registered. "Wait. Don't turn around!"

I turned around and fell to the ground. A decaying corpse sat on my father's throne. Realization came to me too fast, but my mind still tried to deny it. I tried to scream, but my breath was stolen.

I opened my eyes to find myself still in the cave, a cold sweat down my neck. I was laying on my side, my back was warmed by the fire. I took a few deep breaths and tried to recall the nightmare that was slipping away from me.

My sisters.... it was just a dream. But who was the woman at the end? Did my mind make her up? What was she saying? Magic flowed through her threatening and hissing like snakes.

How long have I been asleep? Was Tallis actually going to wake me up? Well, I am up now. I was about to turn when my ears picked up on an ongoing conversation. Zeph and Tallis were talking? What about? I should not eavesdrop... but I am tired. I should just sit still and wait for their conversation to end so I do not rudely interrupt.... and if I just happen to hear what is being said, it should not matter, right?

"Sometimes the ends justify the means. It is a universal truth. From what you say, going back to that castle is not an option," Zeph was saying.

"I'm not going back," Tallis said after a long pause.

"And the princess? When do you plan to tell her? She will not like it especially if she were to find out the only reason you came out here with her was to escape your imprisonment."

"She doesn't have to know that. You're not going to tell her."

"Is that right? Your princess may not have the powers to detect lies like I do but she is bound to put two and two together. She thinks you are her friend."

"We are not friends. She is a princess, and I am a foreign orphan. I will leave after your village is saved. I am going to write a letter explaining myself to her... I'd appreciate if you gave it to her."

I closed my eyes willing myself not to cry. A quiet fury raged under a controlled surface. He was never my friend. He used me... the tears were impossible to stop. They silently slid down my cheeks and soaked the blanket under my head. I shook from the effort and hoped they wouldn't notice.

When Tallis "woke" me up, I gave a grunting sound like I was still tired to conceal my choked throat. I turned my face away from the fire so he would not see my tear-stained cheeks. He went to sleep unsuspecting. 

Picture for this chapter is actually a picture of glow worms in a cave in New Zealand. What I am picturing for YromėmFoRėvir is if the water, not the ceiling, had this very magical glow like that. (Not due to glowing worms, of course.)

It's the closest picture I could find to what I had in my head.