Snow was surprised by how easily ZaiWin seemed to mingle with the people living there, sharing a strange familiarity Snow hadn't thought he'd be able to show. At least he seemed to trust the villagers enough to allow him to wander around by himself, which had never happened before. And yet, after a while of roaming the stony village, he too found himself unwillingly relaxing a bit, an unknown sense of ease seeping into his brain.
Even though most of the men looked kind of rough, even dangerous at first sight, he soon realized that everyone was too busy with their own chores to pay him much attention, the men mostly dedicated to tasks that needed a strong arm.
He couldn't recall the last time he'd been able to walk outside, out in the open, without having to fear for his wellbeing or even for his life. Back in Weiin he always had to be careful not to drop his hood so that other people wouldn't see his strange hair, which would inevitably result in gathering unwanted attention. Here, however, even though everyone had dark hair, no one seemed to find him strange or out of place, as if they couldn't care less, which was rather refreshing, he concluded taking a large, deep breath.
After strolling around for a bit, Snow noticed another particularity. In that village there were no stores, no vending stalls, no inns anywhere to be seen. The only such public place he'd found was what looked to be a tavern, but its doors were firmly closed at that time of day. No one bought or sold anything, he concluded watching two women share the contents of a basket of cabbages. They lived as a large community where precious goods, like food, water, even livestock, belonged to everyone.
Another thing he noticed was that there were no younger people about his or even ZaiWin's age anywhere to be seen. They all looked older, like ZenTar, and then there were the children, that mostly played on the streets.
Still, it was a pleasant place, he had to admit, a smile touching his face when he found the pen where a few dozen goats were kept, their bleating noises filling his ears.
Since they had no arable land that high in the mountains, they had planted an assortment of vegetables in large stone tanks filled with dirt that, he suspected, had been brought up to the village much in the same way they carried the water on a daily basis. Besides the cabbages he'd seen the other women carry before, they were also growing beans, tomatoes, squash, and zucchinis. On another large tank he could already see a few green melons taking shape. Though they weren't as large as the vegetables he'd seen in other fields, they still looked healthy, their live colors fascinating him. And they tasted really good, he added with a smile, recalling the vegetable soup that Rain had fed them the day before.
With a second thought, Snow touched the dirt, burying his hand in it, feeling for its pulse. Unlike the land from Last Tree, which had been sick and ravaged, this one was warm and well cared for, he concluded. And he couldn't help remembering what ZaiWin had told him, about how the land needed its people as well.
A fleeting golden light at the edges of his vision captured his attention but, the moment he turned to look at it, it was gone.
Making sure he hadn't disturbed the large tank too much, he went around the goats' pen to take a closer look. Two women, feeding the animals, greeted him as he walked by them, but didn't pay him any more attention than that. And then the soft, golden light was within his eye-reach again.
Walking a bit faster, afraid he might lose it from sight, he eventually found himself standing by the entrance to a large cavern.
Peering inside, he saw it was used as a storage place, piles of crates and heavy-looking bags filling the open, wide area. There were two lamps hanging from the rough, rocky ceiling, bathing the cavern in a dim light. But the golden glow that he'd followed there didn't come from either of them.
Stepping inside, he peered to his right, to where the light had turned to, expecting to see someone carrying their own lamp, but all he saw were more crates. Turning around to take a good look at the entire place, he frowned. No one was there!
The cold wind that brushed through his hair made him turn towards the crates again, and he quickly made his way there, to closer inspect them. They looked empty, he concluded, touching one of them, the wood beneath his hand all too familiar, since it was similar to what had been used to make the wooden doors and window shutters he'd seen around the village. And then he could see the golden light again, he realized, quickly trying his best to push the big crates to one side.
There was a small passage on the rock wall in front of him, even smaller than the cave where they'd taken shelter before. And the light was coming from the other side of it.
Straightening his back, for a moment Snow looked back at the bright entrance where he'd come from, considering what ZaiWin had told him. But then the rock beneath his hand kept humming softly, granting him the determination that otherwise he wouldn't have possessed. And so he quickly bent down and slid through the small opening.
The narrow passage stretched for a while, forcing him to walk with his back bent, his shoulders rubbing against the stone walls on both sides, the air feeling damp and heavy. He'd have to walk backwards, if he decided to give up midway, he considered, since there wasn't enough space to turn around. But that soft glow kept lightening his way. And, although he was in such a confined space, which he normally hated, the rock around him kept humming soothingly at him.
A breath of fresh air reached his nose just before he stepped out of the narrow passage into another wide cavern.
Larger than the previous one, its ceiling was so tall that it was lost in the darkness. Large columns of stone rose from the jagged ground, and everything was pitch black, everything except the golden light gleaming to one side.
Since he wasn't about to venture alone in the dark, he turned towards the light, following it again. At least the air felt cool, in there, easy to breathe.
Turning around a large column so wide that a dozen men holding hands wouldn't be able to hug it, he found himself staring at a door, underneath which the light was slowly fading.
So this was another storage room, he concluded, feeling a bit more relieved. It wasn't as if he were somewhere he shouldn't be … right?
Since the light was quickly fading away, which meant he would soon be left all alone in the dark, Snow did the only thing he could do and opened the door. Or tried to. But it didn't even budge.
Giving it a quick once-over, he realized that four, large, thick metal sliding bolts had been used to lock it. Moving as fast as he could, he slid all four of them open, having to use both hands to do it since the bolts were too tight. Still darkness had completely surrounded him, by the time he finally managed to open the door.
The golden light that immediately washed over him made him squint and raise a hand to shadow his eyes. Still blinking, Snow stepped inside and tried his best to focus his vision. And then he couldn't help gape in disbelief, his arm falling to his side. No wonder the golden light had felt so familiar.
"It's you …" he whispered, and the tall woman with golden hair cascading down her back standing before him gave him a gentle smile. Still she felt … less real than when he'd seen her at the Temple, he thought. Before it had been almost as if she had been really there. Now he could clearly see the dark, stone wall through her semi-transparent body.
Taking a few steps inside, Snow took a careful look around.
Like the ones before, it looked like a natural cavern. And yet someone had gone to the trouble of building a door to close it. And not just any door. A strong, heavy-looking door, he added looking back, with four sliding bolts to lock it firmly. Was he in some kind of prison? Still, if that was the case, it was much larger than the small prison cell he had been kept in, back at the Fortress. On the other hand, if that cavern had ever held any furniture, now it was just an empty space.
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Dear Snow is so adventurous! 😲 This child knows no fear. 😊 Well, I guess the scariest thing for him is actually other people. 😔 So, as long as he is alone he always feels kind of safe and relaxed.😊