Conjunction

"There may be spells that could help," he considered, "I'd have to check my book. I know that I can create fire without kindling or fuel. Still, I'm not sure that-"

He stopped, sensing something at the limits of his perception. A sudden bestial cry rang out across the desert, Caden and Kadal spinning around to see a figure atop one of the reefs maybe two hundred feet from them. It was a reptile, a female, her arm raised in the air as she brandished a spear with an obsidian tip. She repeated the cry, her braying chilling Caden's blood. From behind her emerged a dozen more, clambering up over the corals, primitive weapons clutched in their scaly hands. They began to charge down towards the sand, moving with such speed and grace that they almost seemed to flow through the rocks like water.

"Too late!" Caden yelled, starting to run. "The decision was just made for us!"

"They will not follow us into the caves!" Kadal replied, quickly outpacing him on her long legs as she raced into the tunnel. "Hurry, Caden! We must get as deep as we can!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see that the reptiles had already covered half the distance, their sharp fangs bared, their litany of stone blades raised in challenge. A fresh burst of adrenaline sent him practically flying into the darkness, his boots pounding on the sand. As he ran, he lifted his staff, his heavy breathing making reciting an incantation twice as difficult. He had to cast an illumination spell, or they wouldn't be able to see a damned thing. It was a simple one that had been easy to memorize, one of the first that the Master had taught him, but he had never tried to cast magic while running for his life before.

"Caden!" Kadal pleaded, beckoning to him as she stood beside a bend in the uneven passageway. They couldn't be more than ten feet beneath the surface, but he could already feel the bite of the cold wind that was blowing up from the depths.

She shielded her eyes, blinking at him as the bronze figurehead on the end of his staff lit up like an oil lamp, a glow that seemed as pure and as bright as starlight pushing back the inky darkness. He blazed past her, and she followed behind him, glancing back as the sound of reptilian hissing filled the tunnel. They took a few more twisting turns, their pursuers holding back, too afraid to brave the depths without a light source of their own. It wasn't cowardice that kept them back, however. Nor was it courage that drove the pair down into those winding tunnels.

They ventured ever deeper into the cave, not stopping to rest until they could be sure that they had evaded their pursuers. The tunnel had opened up quite a bit, affording Kadal ample headroom, Caden waving his staff around to illuminate the uneven walls as he caught his breath. They were damp with moisture in stark contrast to the dry desert above, their shine picking out the finer details as they reflected the bright glow.

The curved walls and ceiling of the tunnel were covered in a dazzling variety of corals. Their diverse shapes ranged from sponge-like structures that were pocked with tiny holes, to intricate patterns that almost looked like brains, to tubular and branched formations that still retained their shapes. There were fossils embedded in the rock, too, visible between the corals in places. He could make out seashells, some of them impressively large, many of them forming beautiful spirals. The ground beneath his feet was more silt than sand now, it likely hadn't been disturbed since these tunnels were submerged untold eons ago.

"Are you alright?" he asked, turning to Kadal. She already looked cold, her arms tightly wrapped around her torso, as though the very air itself was sapping the heat from her body.

"For the moment," she replied. "We should move quickly."

"We'll need to stop for a while so that I can check my book for spells that might be of use to us," he replied, setting down his pack on the silt. "I had hoped to take some time to prepare before even setting foot in the caves, but it looks like our hand has been forced."

He pushed his staff into the ground, standing it upright, fishing in his pack for his leather-bound spellbook. He sat down cross-legged, opening it in his lap, angling the pages towards the light as he pored over them.

"There are a thousand spells in this book," he mumbled, licking his thumb before turning another yellowed page. "There has to be something in here that can help us make it through the caves. I couldn't find any navigation spells that didn't depend on the alignment of the stars, and my compass doesn't work in the Coral Sea, but there must be a way around that..."

As he searched, Kadal sat down beside him, her head drooping as she closed her eyes. Was she conserving energy, perhaps? Preferring not to disturb her, he continued to flip through the pages, intent on finding them a way out of their predicament.

***

Caden was starting to despair, he hadn't been able to find anything in his book so far that would help them. The most that he could do was leave a glowing trail on the ground to mark the path that they had taken, which would at least prevent them from unwittingly doubling back on themselves.

He glanced over at Kadal, seeing that she was still sitting there, motionless. She hadn't moved a muscle in all the time that he had been reading, and he was relieved to see that she was still breathing. He was about to ask her if she was alright, but thought better of it, letting her rest.

He turned back to his book, scouring the index once more for something that might lead them to safety.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, jolting Kadal awake.

"I hope you have found what you were looking for if you are disturbing my meditation," she grumbled.

"Dweorh's Boon," Caden announced, reading from the passage. "A spell that will lead its caster through mines and underground labyrinths by following the imperceptible air currents that circulate through the passages. It looks like this will lead us to an exit."

"Thank the Gods," Kadal grumbled, struggling to her feet. She already looked stiff and awkward, the grace that he had so admired now absent. She waited as he began to recite the incantation, gripping his staff in his hands, its figurehead still shining brightly. It was a rather complex spell, Caden referencing the book every so often, his voice echoing through the caverns. After a few minutes, it was complete, and something began to happen. From the glow at the tip of his staff emerged a small, shimmering shape. Threads of magic weaved together to form a little butterfly that fluttered away into the air, the two of them watching, mesmerized as it flapped its shimmering wings. It seemed to float on a breeze that only it could feel, flapping against the current. As they watched, it turned around, fluttering back up the tunnel the way they had come.

They stood there in silence for a moment, then Caden lay his face in his palm.

"Right," he sighed, "it leads us to the nearest exit. Of course it would take us back the way we came, Gods damn it..."

"Then...it will not work?" Kadal asked.

"No, no," he replied with a shake of his head. "It should still work, we just need to venture deep enough that a different exit is closer to us. I guess we should just...start walking."

Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls as they made their way deeper into the earth, the winding passage guiding them far beneath the ridge. It was like stepping into a different world, the heat of the desert left far behind them. These tunnels were downright chilly, it was a welcome reprieve from the blistering heat of the sun. Gone, too, was the dry climate. Down here, every surface was slick with moisture, dripping from the ceiling to form dangling stalactites that resembled icicles of rock.

Eventually, the tunnel widened, emerging into a vast underground chamber. It was like stepping into a cathedral made from flowstone. The ceiling was so high above their heads that the light from Caden's staff could barely reach it, the far walls so distant that they were shrouded in shadow. The whole chamber must have been fifty feet across at least. The stalactites here had joined with the stalagmites to create towering pillars of stone that seemed to hold the ceiling aloft, the endless dripping of mineral-rich water making them slick and bulbous. It was beautiful in a way, if a little eerie.

"This chamber is so huge!" Caden marveled, spinning on the spot as he looked up to admire the rock formations. "To think that all of this was once underwater!"

"What are those...growths?" Kadal asked, her scaly face twisting into an expression of disgust.

"Those are stalactites," he explained. "Water carries minerals with it, and when it drips from the ceiling, it deposits those minerals. Over eons, they form those long, spindly fingers. Sometimes, they build up on the cave floor, too. You can see where those formations have joined together to create pillars. Gods, they're as thick around as the trunk of a stout oak!"

"I don't like this place," Kadal complained, her teeth starting to chatter.

"Keep moving," he suggested, urging her forward. "It will help you stay warm. Watch your footing, the ground is uneven here."

He raised his staff to light their way as they weaved between the towering columns of wet rock. There were so many different formations, and once again, Caden lamented that he wasn't undertaking this journey in a purely academic capacity. How he would love to sit and sketch the vista before him, the Master would have relished the opportunity to pore over his drawings.

As they passed by one of the round pillars, its uneven surface reminding Caden of a melting candle, he caught something strange out of the corner of his eye. He paused, Kadal watching curiously as he took a few steps back, waving his staff. There was something in the shadow that it cast, something that glowed with an odd, blue luminescence.

"What is it?" Kadal asked, Caden peering around the pillar.

"Don't be alarmed, I want to try something," he replied as he lifted his hand. He encompassed the bronze figurehead, blotting out its glow, plunging the cavern into absolute darkness. It was the most total blackness that he had ever experienced, going beyond closing one's eyes, beyond the most overcast night. Without the light of the moon, or even a solitary star, he couldn't see his own hand if he held it in front of his face. It was akin to blindness, the absence of sight.

"Caden!" Kadal wailed, her voice conveying her fright even if he couldn't see her expression. Before he could reassure her that everything was fine, something began to shine on the ceiling above them, drawing his eye. It was as though obscuring clouds were pulling back to reveal constellations of faint, glowing stars. There were clusters of luminescent dots all over the rock, their off-blue glow seeming to pool between the stalactites, the pair turning on the spot as they took in the sight.

"What...are they?" Kadal whispered, their beauty taking her breath away.

"Bioluminescence," he gasped, "like a firefly! They're all over the walls and ceiling, we just couldn't see them in the glare of the staff."

"Are they insects?" Kadal wondered.

"I think so, it's hard to tell at a distance. They look like they're moving."

They stood there for a few minutes more, gazing up at the ceiling, only the sound of their own breathing punctuating the silence.

"They don't provide quite enough light to see by, I'm afraid," Caden whispered. He slowly removed his hand from the end of his staff, its glow bleeding between his fingers, the two companions blinking their eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"How are you doing?" he added, glancing over at Kadal. She was shivering, her arms wrapped around her torso protectively.

"Cold," she grumbled.

Caden set down his pack and began to remove his cloak, Kadal cocking her head at him as he shrugged it off. He presented it to her, the reptile hesitating for a moment before reaching out to take it. She wrapped it around her shoulders tightly, the garment so small that it only just covered her torso, barely reaching her lower back.

"Thank you," she mumbled, "but will you not suffer in its absence?"

"This is nothing," he chuckled, jogging on the spot for a moment to illustrate his point. "I can withstand a lot more cold than this. I used to love playing in the snow when I was a child." He stooped to pick up his pack again, gesturing with his staff. "Let's keep at it."

They walked across the chamber, soon locating passages that led deeper into the caves. There was some debate over which one to take, as there were three, and they seemed to veer off in wildly different directions. Caden suggested that they should keep going as straight as they could manage unless they encountered some kind of obstacle or impasse, and he cast a spell that would let him leave glowing marks on the ground at the touch of his staff, ensuring that they could find their way back if there was a need.

***

The winding cave system eventually led them into another chamber, this one sporting a pool of water in its center, so crystal clear that Caden could easily see the rocky bottom.

"This seems as good a place to stop as any," he said, shrugging off his pack. "We should take some time to eat and sleep."

Kadal was still shivering, even the abundance of walking seemed to do little to warm her up. She was clinging to his cape like a shipwrecked mariner to a piece of floating debris, her sharp teeth chattering as she exhaled clouds of condensation.

"I'll start a fire," he said, pulling his bedroll from his pack. He set it on the ground, then gestured for Kadal to sit on it, hoping that it would provide a buffer between her and the cold floor. As she slowly lowered herself to the straw-filled bed, he began to recite an incantation, soon summoning a ball of roaring flames. It didn't need any kindling or fuel, and he set it on the naked rock nearby, the magical campfire spitting embers as it flared.

Its intense heat seemed to soothe Kadal, and she exhaled a sigh of relief as its flickering glow reflected off her scales.

"Don't worry," he said, passing her his waterskin. "I'm sure we'll be out of here soon. It's practically impossible for us to lose our way."

"I think my people made the right decision when they decided never to enter these caves," she chuckled wearily.

"What can I do for you?" he asked. "Will food help?"

"Maybe," she replied, Caden leaning over to fish inside his pack for more paper parcels. He handed her some salted pork, and she began to chew on it. She even ate sluggishly, it was as though her entire body was slowly turning to ice. Caden raised his hands and warmed them before the fire, staring into the crackling flames.

"Does it get this cold where you come from?" Kadal asked, making conversation.

"It used to," he replied. "Before the endless summer, we would have snow every winter. It would coat the fields in a fine, white powder, like the frosting on a cake." He quickly realized that she likely had no idea what cake or frosting was, but he continued anyway, wanting to keep her talking. "Have you ever seen snow, living in the desert?"

"Only once or twice, when I was a hatchling," she replied. "I remember it well. I awoke one morning intending to chase mice in the dunes, only to find that they were covered in a fine, white dust." She paused a moment, shuffling closer to the fire, pulling the bedroll along with her. "It frightened me, so I ran to the Shaman, and she explained that it was frost. When cold winds blow from the West during the rainy season, the water can freeze and fall to earth as snow. I remember thinking that it was beautiful once I understood what it was, but I never saw it as an adult. It almost feels like a dream when I remember it now."

"You might see it again if I complete my task."

"Do your people truly suffer so?" she asked, glancing over at him with her yellow eyes. The firelight reflected off them, making them seem to burn like hot coals.

"My home isn't like yours," he explained. "We depend on crops and livestock for our food, and if the rains do not come, then our crops fail."

"Crops?" she asked, not recognizing the word.

"You know, agriculture," he replied. "Wheat, barley? Do your people not cultivate plants of any kind?"

"Oh," she said, nodding her head. "The Shaman grows certain kinds of flowers that she uses in her potions."

"Well, we feed our people primarily with grains. We use them to make bread, beer, that kind of thing. Without water and fresh grass, the cows and sheep will die, too. This endless summer threatens my kingdom, and others like it, with famines the likes of which we have never seen."

"I do not understand," Kadal muttered as she stared into the crackling flames. "Can they not forage for their food as we do? Even the desert is bountiful if one knows where to look, it is full of edible plants and easy prey."

"Foraging cannot feed a population of sixty-thousand," Caden replied. "We depend on our farms and herds to provide us with food. When the stores of grain run dry, I know not what will happen. Starvation makes people desperate, there will likely be unrest as people are driven to steal what they need to survive from others."

"I had not realized that the situation where you come from was already so dire," Kadal admitted. "In my vision, I saw the world burn. I imagined that it would happen in an instant, spreading across the land like a wildfire, not that it would kill so slowly."

"It's already happening in the lands to your West," Caden lamented. "Rivers have become but a trickle, the lakes are drying up, and the greenery that once dominated the landscape wilts." He wrung his hands, wishing that he had something to occupy them with. Magical fires required no stoking, and there was no need to collect wood. "I try not to think about it too much, but if I fail, everyone that I've ever known will die. Gods, it would drive me mad if I let it..."

"I am all too familiar with the feeling," she muttered, Caden glancing up at her. "To feel as if you must shoulder all of that responsibility alone. I think you must be the only person I have ever met who has asked nothing of me so far."

"Well, you did show me the cave, and you told me that I was going in the wrong direction."

"Those are things that I volunteered," she replied. "You did not set out with the expectation that I would guide you, that I would provide some help or useful service."

"Are those the only interactions you ever have with your tribe?" he wondered, feeling a pang of pity. She was so strong, so self-sufficient, it was a quality that he admired in her. Yet to be so competent was to distance herself from others, to be seen almost as a tool for solving problems rather than as a person who might have their own needs and desires.

"For the most part," she sighed. "I have to say, it has been strange having to rely on someone else for the first time. I'm so used to doing everything on my own, it's all I've ever known, so it makes me feel a little like my feet have been kicked out from under me."

"You mean...me?" Caden asked, pointing to himself.

"Of course," she replied, her frill fluttering. "In these tunnels, I am relying on you for my very sight, for warmth, for food. Perhaps that kind of situation is normal for you, but it is not for me. It makes me feel...vulnerable."

"Is that bad?"

"In some ways," she said, not elaborating further.

Kadal opened her mouth in a yawn, exposing its blue lining, her sharp teeth glinting in the light from the staff.

"We should sleep," Caden suggested, his companion nodding in reply. "You can take the bedroll, and I'll, uh..."

"Nonsense," she replied groggily. "You cannot sleep on freezing rock. Come, there is room enough for us both."