"Here," roared a voice that woke Ahri up from a deep slumber.
Skye stood by the chamber's entrance with what looked like a thick blanket in his hands. Ahri blinked a few times and began to get up, but the man seemed impatient and closed the distance between them before she could stand on her feet.
"What is it?" She asked once he placed the soft fabric in her hands.
"Your mattress." He turned to leave, and Ahri rolled her eyes. The man had an uncanny ability to be rude with little to no words.
"Can you show me around?"
Skye stilled, and after a couple of seconds, turned around to face her again.
"Why?"
"So I don't get lost when I leave this chamber."
"Why would you leave this chamber?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, as if he couldn't grasp the need she had to find something to do.
"You can't be serious." Ahri had no idea how long she was going to stay there, but even if it were just for a day of so, he couldn't expect her to sit still in an empty room.
"I can bring you food and water. And whatever else you need, I suppose."
"Look, I won't mess with your stuff. Just tell me where I shouldn't go, and I won't bother you." He seemed like a guy who valued his privacy, and she wasn't planning on going to his room. There were several paths in the cave, she could certainly stick to the common areas.
"You'll get lost. It's best if you stay here." After that, Skye turned around again and left.
Well, he didn't forbid her to leave. He just suggested she stayed, but she could just refuse his suggestion. She checked the alleged mattress he had given her, and found it was quite nice. A large piece of fabric stuffed with something soft, probably wool or feathers. She raised a brow at the now empty corridor, thinking about that strange host of hers. He seemed annoyed by her presence, but gave her something almost luxurious to sleep on.
Ahri dismissed the thought, promising to find out more about the man in the future. She took a moment to assess her condition, noticing her fever wasn't high, but her headache was still alive and throbbing.
The best she could find in her bag to treat it was peppermint oil. It wasn't the strongest medicine, but it was better than nothing. She just needed hot water to vaporize the oil. Fine, maybe she didn't. She could just as easily spread the oil in a cloth and let it diffuse by itself. But then she'd have no excuse to leave that chamber.
Ahri coursed the corridor back to the entrance of the cave, and found herself looking at the paths ahead, lit by torches. Skye was out of sight, and she couldn't see or hear anything from the corridors. She analyzed her apparently indistinguishable options, until the light smell of sulfur made its way to her nose. It came from the second path to the left, and she couldn't smell the same from the other ones.
Sulfur meant she was closer to the volcano's heart, if her reasoning didn't fail her. She had never seen a volcano, but Eleanor had told her about them. 'The Earth breathes out in fire and water, Ahri. And life grows from her exhale.' If that path led to the heart of the volcano, that was where she wanted to explore first.
Ahri followed the path for a few minutes, and soon understood why Skye mentioned she might get lost. Tunnels and small chambers shaped the cave, leading to dead ends or even more tunnels. The maze was intricate, but Ahri's ability was paramount. The map formed on her head like a drawing on white paper.
The smell of sulfur rose high from a particularly warm chamber, and she could hear the unmistakable sound of running water. The path required her to climb down into a dark hole, but she could see light at the far end of it. Ahri descended into the deepest part of the cave, feeling the rocks beneath her hands and feet before each move.
The hole eventually stopped going down, and she reached a chamber bathed by light. As she turned around to see it, her breath got caught on her throat and she had to blink to make sense of the beauty that laid ahead.
Clear water bathed the rocks in a lake the size of a cathedral. The heat from the water formed a light fog that escaped the chamber through an opening above, where Ahri could see the sky.
The smell of sulfur was still there, but her senses got used to it during her walk and by now it was only mildly pungent. What she did notice now was the light salty smell, one she was more than familiar with. Lightbridge's north border was bathed by the sea, and she could easily remember the smell of Sunday afternoons when her mother took her to the beach during church hours.
She circled the chamber and confirmed her suspicions. No river feeding the lake, but a small one took the water out. That meant she was on a spring, and the cerulean blue water came from the center of the Earth. Ahri couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face.
Next she knew, her clothes were piled on one of the rocks and she was making her way inside the hot spring. Ahri felt the warm water around her feet and was glad she could see most of the lakebed from this depth. The rock below was smooth from years of erosion, meaning she had less chances of harming her feet, but more of slipping.
She stepped further into the spring, using her hands to steady herself, and soon the water circled her body. Ahri held her breath and allowed herself to submerge into the healing waters of that mysterious cave.
Ahri emerged with a deep sense of cleansing, and her headache seemed to have caved to the experience. She refused to feel the pain in such a natural paradise. Her hair fell to her shoulders, and the water washed away the brown to give way to her natural silvery white. She was getting ready to submerge again when she heard a sound from the entrance of the chamber.
"Skye?" She asked, seeing the broad back of the man about to climb up to leave. He was wearing loose pants only, and Ahri felt herself blushing at the sight of him.
"I didn't realize you were here," he replied, but didn't turn to face her. He didn't sound mad, just uncomfortable, and Ahri was suddenly aware of her own unclothed situation.
"I can leave if you want to bathe."
He stood silent for a while, then slowly turned around to face her. Ahri immediately braced her body, but the man's gaze was fixed on her eyes.
"Fine. Can you find your way back to your chamber?"
Ahri cocked her head in surprise. She didn't expect him to take her up on her offer, but now she had no choice but to leave. She nodded after a while, and Skye turned around to allow her some privacy. It was not nearly enough for her to feel comfortable, but then again the man's presence alone was disturbing. He was way less unsettling in his dragon form.
She got out of the water and put her clothes back on, still half wet. Skye was standing near the chamber's entrance, and as Ahri got closer, she noticed a thin layer of sweat coated his toned body. His black skin shone against the faint light in the cave, and Ahri wondered if it was because of the heat or he had been exercising.
"What happened to your hair?" He asked in a low tone, that she would have failed to hear if the room wasn't so quiet.
"I had to dye it before. It came off in the water."
She was glad he was finally talking beyond the bare necessary, but her hopes were soon crushed when he simply nodded and walked away. Ahri climbed out of the chamber, and as she made her way back to her room, she wondered why she ended up in the lair of such a disquieting man.
Skye watched the girl climb out of the chamber, wishing he had the nerve to say something else. He had watched her, and he felt guilty about it, but how could he not? Her white hair had flown underwater like dandelion seeds spreading in the wind. Her peaceful demeanor brought back memories of an easier time, and he had to close his eyes to breathe the longing away.