by Brindi Quinn
“They’re . . . flowers?” I said. “Glowing flowers?!”
The glow was indeed coming from a small cluster of bright purple flowers that crept along the bottom of the tunnel. Each blossom was the size of my fist or larger, with dainty, scrolling veins that showed through thin, glowing petals – much like the intricate patterns found on my Elven traveling slippers.
Scardo leaned forward to inspect the plant. “How unusual. But how does it live in this environment?”
Surprisingly, it was Grotts who answered. “They’re effulgence flowers. They grow all over the mines in Crystair. They don’ need sunlight, and they pull moisture from damp air. Miners use them as a backup light-source if the lanterns burn out.”
“Effulgence flowers?” I repeated. “They’re beautiful!”
Farther down the path I saw another cluster. They really were as way-lights leading through the underground tunnel.
The most beautiful flower. My sister had mentioned something once. A flower of the night.
I stared at the effulgence flowers, and the forgotten memory flooded my mind as I became lost in the hypnotic glow.
Illuma . . .
“Aura! Marbeck Berfield just told me the most wonderful story!” Illuma came running into our cottage late one afternoon, slamming the door behind her. I was sitting on the kitchen table, a habit that always annoyed Mother, braiding a cloth bracelet.
“What is it?!” I’d perked up at my sister’s excitement. Her energy was always intensely contagious.
She became poised as she mimicked the stuffy librarian, folding her hands together at her chest. “The Song of the Midnight Flower:
‘A lady did but wander late,
A woeful move that sealed her fate,
A darkroad traveler found her there,
An ill intention he would bear.
The great Creator did send down,
An angel’s aid to her be found,
The angel fell but not in love,
Amidst the interest lady dove.
One midnight flower offered he,
A gift seduction surely be,
But lady’s heart was far too pure,
To take the flower offered her.
The darkroad echoed angel’s cries,
As she was left to dark demise.’”
She took a deep breath. “What did you think? Isn’t it creepy?” She wiggled her fingers at the word ‘creepy’.
“Yeah, it was!” I said. Though at the time I didn’t really understand the story.
Illuma plopped down next to me on the table. “That lady wasn’t very smart,” she said, grabbing and starting to braid the other end of the cloth bracelet. “I mean, if I were offered a midnight flower from an angel, I’d take it.”
I turned to her. “What does a midnight flower even look like?”
She thought for a moment. “I’m sure it’s the most beautiful flower of them all. It’s probably black like the night sky.”
“We can find one on our adventures!”
“Sure we can! We just have to catch the interest of an angel first.”
“The interest of an angel?” I cocked my head to the side and thought. “I guess we’d have to get pretty interesting first,” I concluded. “Maybe we should learn some random facts from Parnold Rekrap.”
“That boring old blacksmith?” She rolled her eyes. “Naw, I’m sure we’re interesting enough.”
“Really?”
“Sure. You just wait. Someday we’ll find a flower of the night; the most beautiful flower . . .”
Was this the flower Illuma had lusted after? How silly we’d been back then, two children seeking to seriously interpret the Songs of Old.
But the flowers liked it. They enjoyed bringing up the past – for in addition to arousing the memory, their glow reflected off of my silver hair, almost matching the deep violet of my lost sister’s.
I let out a sigh.
But the rest of the party was completely quiet, spellbound by the beauty of the petals. They stood circled around the cluster, basking in the glow and staring with dreamy eyes.
I felt the hair on my arm stand and realized that Nyte was next to me, his arm close to mine in the darkness. My breathing quickened in response. Goose-bumped, I looked up at him, but he wasn’t staring at the glowing mass like everyone else.
It was me his gaze was upon.
Ah! What is it?
I instantly felt nervous and very aware of myself. Was my growing heartbeat as loud as it felt?
I locked eyes with him.
I want your warmth again.
The flowers were bewitchingly beautiful, and yet it was Nyte I longed to stare at in that moment.
Nyte, if only we were alone . . . Why was I thinking something like that!? I need the warmth.
I felt like the flowers were bewitching me with their glow, or maybe a little of that warmth was lingering within me, calling for the rest.
Nyte held my gaze for only a short while before looking away. It was too intense. I was shy.
If only . . .
Then he slowly bent down and plucked one of the effulgence flowers. When he looked back up, his eyes were determined.
For me?
He rose and stretched the flower out to me, but it faded as he did, losing its glow and withering before I could take it.
“Aww!” Kantú’s disappointed cry broke the intimacy of the moment.
Nyte appeared as embarrassed as I felt. Rend said nothing, but her lack of fury informed me that she’d been too preoccupied by the flowers to notice anything.
Phew. For now I’d escape her wrath.
“I really wanted to take one with me!” Kantú puffed out her lip at Grotts.
“The only way’d be ta pot one of ‘em.”
Kantú sighed at her lack of said pot.
“Tell ya what,” continued Grotts. “Like I said, these grow all over the caves ‘o Crystair. I’ll pot one for ya myself someday.” He rubbed the back of his head bashfully.
“Really!? Yay!”
Rend made an annoyed clicking sound. “We should be off, should we not?”
“Yes,” said Scardo. “It won’t be necessary for you to strain yourself with a song’s light as long as there are effulgence flowers about.” He tipped his head at me, but he didn’t pull his eyes away from the plant.
The news was a relief, not only for the sake of saving my strength but also for the sake of wandering through the soft purple light. It sounded so . . . romantic.
But unfortunately, it was not as romantic as I’d hoped. With no filter for atmosphere, it was a wonder Kantú had ever been a librarian’s assistant. She talked animatedly to Grotts while we walked from cluster to cluster, never once thinking that silence might be preferable in such a setting.
I grinned to myself. Batty squirrel.
“Something funny?”
I jumped at the question. Nyte had slipped in next to me unnoticed. The Elf was far too stealthy for his own good.
He slowed his long strides to keep my pace.
“No!” I said, caught off guard. “Just enjoying the serenity. I much prefer it to the mud.”
“Really?” He grinned cunningly. “I always thought the Heart of Havoc would enjoy such mire.”
I scrunched my nose at him, and he laughed. I was glad we were back to playful banter. Remembering to breathe was much easier around him when the mood was light.
“Actually, the Heart of Salvation is much too pure to walk through mud, haven’t you heard?” I batted my eyelashes obnoxiously.
“My apologies, Miss Heart.” He mimicked Scardo’s trademark bow.
“Very funny.” Then I gave him a sly look. “Shouldn’t you be returning to your bride?”
He smiled back through clenched teeth. I giggled, but then gained composure as an idea came to me. Maybe his mood was jestful enough to let something slip.
“So . . . ,” I said.
“So?”
“So, are you going to tell me what S
cardo and Grotts won’t?” I asked offhandedly, gesturing to the tunnel’s wall.
He thought about the question, the smile left his face, and he stiffened.
Uh-oh. Not the response I’d hoped for.
When he finally spoke, his response was teasing – as though he were trying to make light of the situation. “You do not think I would ruin the surprise for you, do you? Besides, who is to say I know anything anyway?”
“The surprise?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He sighed. This time he looked sympathetic when he answered and his words were serious. “I really do not think I can say anything, Miss Havoc. I am not in charge here, and those two do not trust me as it is.” He nodded towards Scardo and Grotts. “Plus, I am not supposed to know some of the things I do. It would not be . . . beneficial for me to disclose those things to you.”
His words only did more to confuse me.
It wouldn’t be beneficial? He knows things he shouldn’t? Did it have something to do with his ‘very different upbringing’?
“What do you-”
But he put his finger to my mouth before I could press him further.
Ah! My lips trembled, but I restrained myself from pulling in his spirit. Why is that my first instinct?
“Please, do not ask me more. I fear that I will not be able to resist if you do. I promise that if your questions do not get answered at Yes’lech, I will tell you everything I know.”
He waited for my answer, looking apologetic and forest eyes now brimmed with sadness as they stared me down. I couldn’t help but nod at the remorseful Elf. It seemed I was destined to be left in frustrated ignorance once again.
He grinned, relieved I’d agreed to his terms.
I couldn’t seem to stay mad at him, no matter how secretively he behaved. I knew so little about him, yet the inexplicable trust I’d felt towards him all along had grown even more after feeling his spirit’s warmth in Yh’tak.
Why did he have such a hold over me? What was he to me?
“Do you enjoy being so mysterious?” I asked as we passed another flower cluster.
He chuckled. “Do you enjoy putting me on the spot?”
“Most certainly.”
“Cousin!” Rend’s voice echoed from behind us.
Hadn’t she been ahead of us before? We must’ve passed her while we walked, lost in each other’s company and unaware of our surroundings.
“I am here, cousin.”
“I must speak to you.” She looked at me with blood-lust before grabbing Nyte’s arm and pulling him away down the corridor.
“Your carefree nature with that girl sickens me!” I could hear the beginnings of her rant as the two of them disappeared into the darkness ahead.
Poor Nyte.
Though admittedly I felt bad for Rend too. She expected the hand of someone that didn’t want her, and now she was forced to journey with the very person that caused her heart so much turmoil. I could understand her bitterness, even if I couldn’t condone it.
The last of her echoes disappeared, and it became quiet. Kantú’s ramblings to Grotts had also faded into the silence I had so craved earlier. Were they ahead of me now or behind me? And where was Scardo? I hadn’t been paying attention to anyone but Nyte, and now that Rend had stolen him away, I truly did feel alone. At least the tunnel was a straight shot, or I should fear getting lost.
I continued on until –
“Tchuuu!”
– A strange squelching noise sounded in the hall just ahead of me.
What was that!?
I stopped and cautiously examined the tunnel. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Earth . . . stone wall . . . flower cluster . . .
“Tchuuu!” Something squelched again.
“Kantú?” I whispered, deciding that she was the person most likely responsible for a noise like that.
There was no response.
I strained my eyes, but then decided it would be easier to just take matters into my own hands. I started my trusty lightsong but was interrupted by another squelch, this one more obnoxious than the first two.
Gah! Where is everyone?
I quickened my pace and tried again, but mid-song I ran into something squishy hanging from the ceiling. I felt the thing, and it was cold and clammy and gross to the touch, like a long stringy tongue.
“Ugh!” I swatted at the dangling thing, and it limply swung forward at the prodding of my hand.
Is it alive? I strained my eyes, but it was too dim to make out what it was.
I should’ve run then, but my curiosity got the best of me. I started the song again, this time speeding through the words, eager to find the identity of the squelching thing. When the light orb finally shot out of me, I braced myself.
“Tchuuu!”
What the hell?!
I stared in horror when I realized that the dangling thing was some sort of clear appendage attached to a much larger creature that was stuck to the ceiling just above my head. The creature looked gelatinous, with many other clear appendages strewing from a thick, stubby core – like some giant land anemone.
Within the core, one giant, pale eyeball was suspended in a cloudy liquid. It rolled around sickly before locking onto me. The creature squelched, and the eye shook violently.
I screamed, but it was probably the worst thing I could’ve done. The anemone responded by releasing itself onto me. The base plopped down, squishing my body, and the giant eye pressed up against my face.
I shuddered at its cold, dead touch and frantically squirmed out from under it, but its stringy arms wrapped around me when I tried to run, pulling me to the ground. As I fell, I accidentally released the song, and the light fell too.
I was alone in the dark with the creature.
“Aura?” I heard footsteps running toward me from both directions of the tunnel. The scream had alerted them to my peril.
“Help!” The anemone pulled me towards its eye, dragging me along the earthy floor with its clammy arm. I kicked and struggled, but it only caused more arms to reach out and wind around me.
“Aura!” yelled Kantú. “What’s wrong?”
She, Grotts, and Scardo came running up the hall behind me.
“What-” Scardo ran to me but stopped short when one of the arms flailed at him. In the dim light, they couldn’t see clearly what was happening.
“Be careful! It’s some kind of monster. It’s- it’s got a hold of me!”
They stopped and frantically tried to make out the unknown creature.
“Damn Elf! I thought he was with ya!” Holding his hammer high above his head, Grotts ran toward the anemone. He swung into the creature, but the body rebounded the attack, and he was knocked back by the force of its impact.
“Miss Havoc!” A panicked Nyte ran around the corner in front of me.
“What is that?” yelled Rend, closely behind. She came to a stop in front of me, eyes wide.
Though he squinted at the creature, Nyte didn’t falter. He ran toward me, sword unsheathed, and sliced at it. The sword jammed into its plushy body but seemed to have no effect and bounced back. The creature’s body was too squishy to be cut.
“Tchuuu!”
“Be careful, Nyte!” I screamed.
The creature flailed its arms wildly at the party, who dodged it the best they could, but they were at too much of a disadvantage in the poor light. Kantú was slapped by one of the arms, and she fell down, but Scardo rushed in and pulled her away before it could wind around her.
“Take ‘er over there!” Grotts pushed Scardo toward Nyte and Rend and then made another swing at the anemone.
Nyte was still swinging wildly at the squelching creature, trying to chop away the arms that clung to me.
Gotta get loose!
I squirmed, but then stopped at the realization that my energy would be better spent lighting up the cavern. I sang the lightsong even quicker than the last time, summoning the orb and finally revealing to the rest of the party j
ust what they were fighting.
“What the hell?” Grotts stared at the milky eye that swiveled about.
Kantú yelped at the sight and cowered behind Scardo who wasn’t much better off. He said nothing – only made a small cry and stared, paralyzed by fear. Suddenly remembering that she possessed magic, Rend bolted forward from her previously frozen position and cast a red light at the thing. For once, I was glad to see her hands circled.
Her light pierced the creature. It let out a pained squelch before releasing its grip on me slightly. Nyte took the opportunity to pull me from the arms, dragging me with him behind Rend. The creature recovered quickly from the spell and swung its arms after us.
By this time, Grotts had realized that his trusty hammer would be of no use. Though its enchantments pulsed, its attacks were futile since no physical attack could hurt the creature. He joined the rest of the party where we stood watching helplessly behind Rend. She shot another ball of red at the creature. It let out another squelch before stopping its fervent swinging altogether.
“What’s it doing?!” Kantú’s voice quivered behind me.
The anemone rose up and attached its arms to the walls, floor, and ceiling. It pulled itself up off the ground.
It’s spreading out!?
The base hung suspended in the center of the tunnel.
Rend shot another ball at it, but the anemone shifted its body to avoid the blow.
“UGH!” she yelled and shot another. It dodged that one too.
At that moment, the giant eye split, revealing a circular mouth holding a set of fang-like teeth. It now looked even more terrifying.
“Tchuuu!”
“Run!” Scardo spoke at last.
We obeyed his panicked order and turned to run down the hall away from the creature. It used its limbs as legs to propel itself forward along the tunnel, quickly pulling itself after us.
We dashed to get away from its reach, but the thing was too quick. Its mouth swung at the back of our necks – a rotten cloud of stench emitting each time it lunged. Still, we ran faster past the flower clusters, stumbling over the soft earth. The thing followed and paid no attention to the delicate petals. It ripped them from their stems and destroyed their purple glow.