Kibble flew like a bolt through the top of the forest. He had sensed something from the east drawing him towards it. Initially, the feeling had been weak, like a tug in the pit of his stomach, but as he had accompanied SJ in the town, the feeling had grown stronger, and now it felt like a magnet. He couldn't resist.
As he hurried through the canopy, sweeping in and out of the branches as though completing a slalom course, he disturbed several birds, sending them squawking in protest into the air. The sun was still rising, and he was using the canopy for cover. The pull wasn't from the forest; he knew that; it was further into the mountains that surrounded the plateau to the east like an impregnable fortress.
It didn't take him long to reach the far edge of the forest. He saw none of the enemy as he flew, crossing the wide path that the beetles had created where they had flattened the trees as they had moved towards the town. The mountain now loomed ahead of him, and he didn't slow; the sense he felt was gaining strength as he grew ever nearer to its source.
The one thing that many didn't know about miniature wyvern was that they were basically the apex of the wyvern breeds. Although miniature, they held a status that other wyverns could only ever hope to achieve. Kibble was from a long, ancient line; he knew from his instinctive lore that it was so. He wasn't sure of the exact ages, as age wasn't something they ever considered.
As he soared over the mountains, heading further east. His breathing was fast, reflecting the speed at which he was travelling. He could never compete with the speeds of a larger dragon or wyvern, but for his size, he was fast. As he looked down on the world below him, the grey and occasional white patches of snow that clung to them passed by in a blur. It was as he crossed the highest peak and started down the far side that he sensed the creature.
Slightly to the north, he adjusted his flight towards it, slowing. The pull was stronger than ever now, and he followed it instinctively until there, in a bowl created amongst the peaks, he found his target.
The large, green-bodied form was curled up in the bowl. The skeletal remains of its food were strewn around where it lay. It was the wyvern, the one that had originally attacked Killic before being forced away after the resistance the town had shown it.
In the centre of the bowl, and where the wyvern lay, Kibble saw them, a clutch of eggs. Six mottled green shells, probably the same size as he was. He swooped down and came into land by the edge of the bowl.
The larger wyvern slept, its tail curled around the clutch, protecting them.
Kibble hopped forward, tilting his head as he did. Then, without further hesitation, he flew down to where it lay and, as he neared, let out a deep growl.
The wyvern reacted immediately, its head lifting and looking towards him. It followed Kibble as he neared until he landed, not fifteen feet from it. The wyvern snarled, its liquid-coated teeth showing its hostility towards the visitor at its nest.
Kibble again growled and hopped forward. This wyvern was young. It was probably its first clutch, Kibble thought. However, he did not know how he knew. Although it looked strong and healthy, Kibble could tell that it hadn't eaten in a while. There were no fresh corpses, and it must have been staying with its clutch, concerned about predators, which there were still many in the mountains. Foxes, bears, snakes. There may even be a stone giant; the area covered by the mountains was so vast. Although inhospitable to many humanoid beings, it wasn't for many other beasts.
The larger wyvern snarled, baring its teeth at Kibble, even more so. Kibble ignored it and hopped closer, standing regal and proud.
He chirped and called to it. The wyvern looked at him now cautiously, but its mouth closed again. Kibble then closed his little eyes and focused on it.
SJ had explained the current situation in the town, telling them that Zigferd was being held captive along with many of the townsfolk, and what she had witnessed. This had brought shouts of anger from those gathered, and Lorna had to calm the situation down, several immediately wishing to return to the town.
"I saw Zej and Lythonian by the smithy. They said they were heading onto the lake," SJ said, where she had joined Darren and Lorna, who sat at the fire. "I hope they made it to safety."
"If they made it to the lake, they should be fine. I haven't seen an attacker attempt to cross any water. We expected them to follow us, but they didn't. At least we should be safe for now."
"What is this place?" SJ asked, looking around.
"This was one of the original mines from when Killic was formed. I believe it used to be a copper mine," Lorna said. "But the veins ran dry, so mining was moved to the lake's eastern edge towards the mountains there."
"I see. It looks old." The tracks were rusted and bent; age had taken hold of them.
"Yes, very."
"Can't the enemy find the main entrance and get in here, if they wished?" SJ asked, looking over at the tunnel.
"No, the tunnel collapsed years ago. There is no entrance to the mine, apart from the path you entered by, which you saw yourself is only large enough for a single being."
"That's good then. At least you should be safe here."
"It's something at least, although not near enough to the town for us to offer immediate help."
"I'm not sure what good you could do. You're only thirty or so, and the number of hostiles dramatically outnumbers you. Without the remainder of the guard force available, I think we only have one option open to us," SJ said.
"And what's that?" Darren asked.
"Guerrilla tactics."
"Guerrilla?" Lorna asked. "What does that mean?"
SJ hadn't even considered the existence of the word in Amathera and explained its meaning. "It means hitting and running skirmish warfare. Attack and retreat. Cause chaos without getting directly involved with the enemy."
"Skirmish, I understand," Lorna said.
"Okay then. That is what we have to do."
"Perhaps, but we have a long way to go from here to be able to do that and no safe locations that I know of between here and there which we can use. It would mean being out in the open; it takes too long to get around the lake and strike otherwise."
SJ was aware of how far they would need to travel to get around the lake's edge if they headed north instead of retracing their steps back south and across the river. It was a considerable distance and couldn't be traversed easily. The northern side of the lake was much closer to the mountains that formed the bowl where the plateau sat, thick with wild forest. No one ever really ventured there apart from hunting parties that SJ was aware of.
"How about the lake?" SJ asked.
"The lake?" Darren frowned.
"Yes, can't we cross the lake and attack from the water? If you say that they don't appear to wish to cross the water, wouldn't that be our safer option?"
Lorna chuckled. "How? We can't swim across; it's too far. By the time we got to the town, for those who were even able to swim that far, we would be exhausted."
"No. I don't mean swimming; we can use boats."
"What boats? There are no boats on this side."
"I can bring them across from the docks."
"And what good will one boat do? They aren't ships; they are fishing vessels. They aren't large enough to transport all of us, and you couldn't possibly bring one of the larger boats alone. The number of crew needed to sail one of the larger fishing vessels is considerable."
SJ looked gloomy as her idea was dismissed. "What if I brought a smaller boat, then others could cross and take one of the larger boats and bring it back here?"
Lorna thought momentarily. "Perhaps, but I have no idea how to sail a boat." She turned and looked around at the surrounding guards. "Do any of you?" She asked.
There were a few murmurs, but nothing positive.
"Damn," SJ cursed. "We have to do something; you can't just stay here."
"I wasn't planning on," Lorna frowned, a little upset by SJ's unintended effect on her.
"Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come across this way. I'm just frustrated and upset."
"As we all are. Many of the guards here have families, but they have no idea what has happened to them," Lorna pointed out.
SJ closed her eyes, sighing. "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm not thinking straight."
"Stop apologising," Darren said. "At least you're trying to think of a solution."
"Well, I will be heading back over to the other side as soon as dusk falls. I will continue doing what I started last night."
"What was that?" Lorna asked.
"Killing as many of them as I can," SJ shrugged. She had absolutely no feeling of remorse for the beings she had assassinated the previous evening.
Darren nodded his head appreciatively, and Lorna smirked. "It's good to see you haven't lost your fighting spirit."
"If anything, it's helped me decide once and for all," SJ shrugged. "Oh. I followed a blood trail here, by the way. Who was injured?"
Darren suddenly looked very sheepish. "That was me. I gashed my arm on a damn branch," he answered, removing his tunic from his shoulder, showing the wound on his forearm.
"Aren't you supposed to be a ranger and able to move through rough terrain?" SJ said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Yes. I have already been berated and made to feel useless," he sighed.
"My concern is that if I saw it and followed it, if they did cross the river and come looking, they may also find and follow it."
"Damn it," Darren cursed. "Okay. I will go and deal with it now, I know where this place is," he said, standing to leave.
"I'll come with you," SJ said.
"Be careful, and if you see any enemy, retreat and come back. I don't care if they find us here; they can only send in one at a time, and we have enough men to stop them," Lorna said.
Darren just nodded as he started across the cavern. SJ followed, and as they started to wind through the passage towards the exit, SJ spoke.
"Darren. Alice escaped with Isavil."
The statement stopped Darren in his tracks. As he took a deep breath, his shoulders shuddered. She knew he was crying and wasn't going to disturb his relief. She had been waiting for the right moment to tell him and hadn't wanted to do it in front of the others. SJ felt hollow knowing that the others lacked any news about their families.
They continued down the passage, the tears eventually stopping, and SJ spoke again.
"Were you affected by the system?"
Darren glanced back at her briefly. "If you mean affected, everyone did. It went through a reboot. All displays were lost for some time."
"And your AI?"
"Uh. You know mine doesn't talk like yours does."
"I know, but has there been anything different?"
"Such as? The only interaction I ever have is when I level, and that is a long way off yet."
"Okay, I just wondered."
"Why?" Darren asked, intrigued now.
"Erm, things have happened which I can't really explain."
"Go on?"
"Well, the desert region. Fas and I located a gila beast, you know, as we planned to bring it back."
"No, I wasn't fully aware. I just heard you had gone there; I had no idea why. I have been on the ridge for days."
"Well, I went there with Fas to locate a gila beast for Kibble to influence it and bring it back to Killic to fight the lizards."
"And?"
"And a rather bizarre event took place. I have discovered something unique, beyond unique, something outside of the system's control."
Darren stopped in the passage, turning to look at her, the torch he carried casting shadows across his face. The clear tear streaks were visible.
"What have you found?"
"An ancient being. One before the system existed. It had been guarding an egg, the last of its line, apparently. I'm not even sure how old the beast was, but the egg hatched, and a new gila beast was born. That gila beast has since transformed into a humanoid form that can heal mana strands. It's a little complicated to explain."
Darren looked confused. "And this is going to help us?"
"I have no idea yet. It is apparently a healer by all accounts. It heals the land by correcting mana flow. I can't explain it properly, but I had to mention it to you since you are the only other Legionnaire here."
Darren frowned. "I'm not sure what help that would be currently. If anything, we need troops, and a lot of them."
"Yes. I know, I just needed to mention it."
Darren turned again and continued down the passage. It didn't take them much longer to reach the entrance. Darren moved the brush aside and stepped out into the brilliant sun of a bright Killic day. He shielded his eyes as he extinguished the torch.
"I'll check ahead," SJ said as she shrank and took off, flying back the way they had come.
There was no sign of any hostilities as they moved back along the path the fleeing party had taken, and Darren, as they retraced their steps back towards the cave again, erasing any signs of the group's passage. His ranger skills came into full effect as he did. SJ hadn't even considered the number of different signs that showed the groups passing as Darren aligned rocks and similar and brushed over imprints, as well as clearing the blood spots as they returned.
"That should do us," he said as they neared the cave's entrance again. "Thanks for the eyes."
"It looks like they fear the water. I'm pretty sure those lizards could jump over it if they needed to."
"I'm sure they could, and they may eventually. At least for now, though, we have a little respite."
"I'm just glad that everyone got away in time." As SJ approached the cave fissure, she felt a vibration. Calling the communication stone from her inventory, she pressed the gem. It was Fas's stone.
"Fas?" SJ answered.
"SJ. Where are you?" Fas sounded out of breath.
"West of the lake, by the mountains. Are you here already?"
"I just arrived. I have landed on the southern edge of the mountains. I'm still a distance from Killic, but at least back in the region."
"That was fast. I wasn't sure how long it would take you to get here."
"I flew through the night. I set off not long after you left."
"But you were exhausted?"
A soft chuckle came through the stone. "I still am."
"Why then? You should have waited."
"No. I couldn't leave you here by yourself."
"I'm not alone; I have found Lorna, Darren, and the guards who were at the ridge. The town has been taken, but I can explain everything to you when you get here. Are you still able to fly?"
"No. Not currently. I'll be honest, I barely made it back. At least without having to worry about looking for anything in the desert, I could just fly directly north. It cut down the travel time significantly."
"Is she..." SJ trailed off.
"Yes, Aletheia is here with me. I'm not sure how she stayed on my back."
"Okay, rest then, and when you are able, contact me and I can let you know where I am exactly."
"I will do," Fas said as the call dropped.
At least that was one good thing: having Fas back would help with her plan to attack and eliminate as many of the attackers as possible at night. Having two assassins rather than one, and particularly one as skilled as Fas, would be a significant advantage.
"So, your dragon friend is back," Darren smirked.
SJ's cheeks flushed. "Yes," she replied awkwardly as they re-entered the cave.c
Kibble flew like a streak through the top of the forest. He had sensed something from the east drawing him towards it. Initially, the feeling had been weak, like a tug in the pit of his stomach, but as he had accompanied SJ in the town, the feeling had grown stronger, and now it felt like a magnet. He couldn't resist.
As he hurried through the canopy, sweeping in and out of the branches as though completing a slalom course, he disturbed several birds, sending them squawking in protest into the air. The sun was still rising, and he was using the canopy for cover. The pull wasn't from the forest; he knew that; it was further into the mountains that surrounded the plateau to the east like an impregnable fortress.
It didn't take him long to reach the far edge of the forest. He saw none of the enemy as he flew, crossing the wide path that the beetles had created where they had flattened the trees as they had moved towards the town. The mountain now loomed ahead of him, and he didn't slow; the sense he felt was gaining strength as he grew ever nearer to its source.
The one thing that many didn't know about miniature wyvern was that they were basically the apex of the wyvern breeds. Although miniature, they held a status that other wyverns could only ever hope to achieve. Kibble was from a long, ancient line; he knew from his instinctive lore that it was so. He wasn't sure of the exact ages, as age wasn't something they ever considered.
As he soared over the mountains, heading further east. His breathing was fast, reflecting the speed at which he was travelling. He could never compete with the speeds of a larger dragon or wyvern, but for his size, he was fast. As he looked down on the world below him, the grey and occasional white patches of snow that clung to them passed by in a blur. It was as he crossed the highest peak and started down the far side that he sensed the creature.
Slightly to the north, he adjusted his flight towards it, slowing. The pull was stronger than ever now, and he followed it instinctively until there, in a bowl created amongst the peaks, he found his target.
The large, green-bodied form was curled up in the bowl. The skeletal remains of its food were strewn around where it lay. It was the wyvern, the one that had originally attacked Killic before being forced away after the resistance the town had shown it.
In the centre of the bowl, and where the wyvern lay, Kibble saw them, a clutch of eggs. Six mottled green shells, probably the same size as he was. He swooped down and came into land by the edge of the bowl.
The larger wyvern slept, its tail curled around the clutch, protecting them.
Kibble hopped forward, tilting his head as he did. Then, without further hesitation, he flew down to where it lay and, as he neared, let out a deep growl.
The wyvern reacted immediately, its head lifting and looking towards him. It followed Kibble as he neared until he landed, not fifteen feet from it. The wyvern snarled, its liquid-coated teeth showing its hostility towards the visitor at its nest.
Kibble again growled and hopped forward. This wyvern was young. It was probably its first clutch, Kibble thought. However, he did not know how he knew. Although it looked strong and healthy, Kibble could tell that it hadn't eaten in a while. There were no fresh corpses, and it must have been staying with its clutch, concerned about predators, which there were still many in the mountains. Foxes, bears, snakes. There may even be a stone giant; the area covered by the mountains was so vast. Although inhospitable to many humanoid beings, it wasn't for many other beasts.
The larger wyvern snarled, baring its teeth at Kibble, even more so. Kibble ignored it and hopped closer, standing regal and proud.
He chirped and called to it. The wyvern looked at him now cautiously, but its mouth closed again. Kibble then closed his little eyes and focused on it.
SJ had explained the current situation in the town, telling them that Zigferd was being held captive along with many of the townsfolk, and what she had witnessed. This had brought shouts of anger from those gathered, and Lorna had to calm the situation down, several immediately wishing to return to the town.
"I saw Zej and Lythonian by the smithy. They said they were heading onto the lake," SJ said, where she had joined Darren and Lorna, who sat at the fire. "I hope they made it to safety."
"If they made it to the lake, they should be fine. I haven't seen an attacker attempt to cross any water. We expected them to follow us, but they didn't. At least we should be safe for now."
"What is this place?" SJ asked, looking around.
"This was one of the original mines from when Killic was formed. I believe it used to be a copper mine," Lorna said. "But the veins ran dry, so mining was moved to the lake's eastern edge towards the mountains there."
"I see. It looks old." The tracks were rusted and bent; age had taken hold of them.
"Yes, very."
"Can't the enemy find the main entrance and get in here, if they wished?" SJ asked, looking over at the tunnel.
"No, the tunnel collapsed years ago. There is no entrance to the mine, apart from the path you entered by, which you saw yourself is only large enough for a single being."
"That's good then. At least you should be safe here."
"It's something at least, although not near enough to the town for us to offer immediate help."
"I'm not sure what good you could do. You're only thirty or so, and the number of hostiles dramatically outnumbers you. Without the remainder of the guard force available, I think we only have one option open to us," SJ said.
"And what's that?" Darren asked.
"Guerrilla tactics."
"Guerrilla?" Lorna asked. "What does that mean?"
SJ hadn't even considered the existence of the word in Amathera and explained its meaning. "It means hitting and running skirmish warfare. Attack and retreat. Cause chaos without getting directly involved with the enemy."
"Skirmish, I understand," Lorna said.
"Okay then. That is what we have to do."
"Perhaps, but we have a long way to go from here to be able to do that and no safe locations that I know of between here and there which we can use. It would mean being out in the open; it takes too long to get around the lake and strike otherwise."
SJ was aware of how far they would need to travel to get around the lake's edge if they headed north instead of retracing their steps back south and across the river. It was a considerable distance and couldn't be traversed easily. The northern side of the lake was much closer to the mountains that formed the bowl where the plateau sat, thick with wild forest. No one ever really ventured there apart from hunting parties that SJ was aware of.
"How about the lake?" SJ asked.
"The lake?" Darren frowned.
"Yes, can't we cross the lake and attack from the water? If you say that they don't appear to wish to cross the water, wouldn't that be our safer option?"
Lorna chuckled. "How? We can't swim across; it's too far. By the time we got to the town, for those who were even able to swim that far, we would be exhausted."
"No. I don't mean swimming; we can use boats."
"What boats? There are no boats on this side."
"I can bring them across from the docks."
"And what good will one boat do? They aren't ships; they are fishing vessels. They aren't large enough to transport all of us, and you couldn't possibly bring one of the larger boats alone. The number of crew needed to sail one of the larger fishing vessels is considerable."
SJ looked gloomy as her idea was dismissed. "What if I brought a smaller boat, then others could cross and take one of the larger boats and bring it back here?"
Lorna thought momentarily. "Perhaps, but I have no idea how to sail a boat." She turned and looked around at the surrounding guards. "Do any of you?" She asked.
There were a few murmurs, but nothing positive.
"Damn," SJ cursed. "We have to do something; you can't just stay here."
"I wasn't planning on," Lorna frowned, a little upset by SJ's unintended effect on her.
"Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come across this way. I'm just frustrated and upset."
"As we all are. Many of the guards here have families, but they have no idea what has happened to them," Lorna pointed out.
SJ closed her eyes, sighing. "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm not thinking straight."
"Stop apologising," Darren said. "At least you're trying to think of a solution."
"Well, I will be heading back over to the other side as soon as dusk falls. I will continue doing what I started last night."
"What was that?" Lorna asked.
"Killing as many of them as I can," SJ shrugged. She had absolutely no feeling of remorse for the beings she had assassinated the previous evening.
Darren nodded his head appreciatively, and Lorna smirked. "It's good to see you haven't lost your fighting spirit."
"If anything, it's helped me decide once and for all," SJ shrugged. "Oh. I followed a blood trail here, by the way. Who was injured?"
Darren suddenly looked very sheepish. "That was me. I gashed my arm on a damn branch," he answered, removing his tunic from his shoulder, showing the wound on his forearm.
"Aren't you supposed to be a ranger and able to move through rough terrain?" SJ said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Yes. I have already been berated and made to feel useless," he sighed.
"My concern is that if I saw it and followed it, if they did cross the river and come looking, they may also find and follow it."
"Damn it," Darren cursed. "Okay. I will go and deal with it now, I know where this place is," he said, standing to leave.
"I'll come with you," SJ said.
"Be careful, and if you see any enemy, retreat and come back. I don't care if they find us here; they can only send in one at a time, and we have enough men to stop them," Lorna said.
Darren just nodded as he started across the cavern. SJ followed, and as they started to wind through the passage towards the exit, SJ spoke.
"Darren. Alice escaped with Isavil."
The statement stopped Darren in his tracks. As he took a deep breath, his shoulders shuddered. She knew he was crying and wasn't going to disturb his relief. She had been waiting for the right moment to tell him and hadn't wanted to do it in front of the others. SJ felt hollow knowing that the others lacked any news about their families.
They continued down the passage, the tears eventually stopping, and SJ spoke again.
"Were you affected by the system?"
Darren glanced back at her briefly. "If you mean affected, everyone did. It went through a reboot. All displays were lost for some time."
"And your AI?"
"Uh. You know mine doesn't talk like yours does."
"I know, but has there been anything different?"
"Such as? The only interaction I ever have is when I level, and that is a long way off yet."
"Okay, I just wondered."
"Why?" Darren asked, intrigued now.
"Erm, things have happened which I can't really explain."
"Go on?"
"Well, the desert region. Fas and I located a gila beast, you know, as we planned to bring it back."
"No, I wasn't fully aware. I just heard you had gone there; I had no idea why. I have been on the ridge for days."
"Well, I went there with Fas to locate a gila beast for Kibble to influence it and bring it back to Killic to fight the lizards."
"And?"
"And a rather bizarre event took place. I have discovered something unique, beyond unique, something outside of the system's control."
Darren stopped in the passage, turning to look at her, the torch he carried casting shadows across his face. The clear tear streaks were visible.
"What have you found?"
"An ancient being. One before the system existed. It had been guarding an egg, the last of its line, apparently. I'm not even sure how old the beast was, but the egg hatched, and a new gila beast was born. That gila beast has since transformed into a humanoid form that can heal mana strands. It's a little complicated to explain."
Darren looked confused. "And this is going to help us?"
"I have no idea yet. It is apparently a healer by all accounts. It heals the land by correcting mana flow. I can't explain it properly, but I had to mention it to you since you are the only other Legionnaire here."
Darren frowned. "I'm not sure what help that would be currently. If anything, we need troops, and a lot of them."
"Yes. I know, I just needed to mention it."
Darren turned again and continued down the passage. It didn't take them much longer to reach the entrance. Darren moved the brush aside and stepped out into the brilliant sun of a bright Killic day. He shielded his eyes as he extinguished the torch.
"I'll check ahead," SJ said as she shrank and took off, flying back the way they had come.
There was no sign of any hostilities as they moved back along the path the fleeing party had taken, and Darren, as they retraced their steps back towards the cave again, erasing any signs of the group's passage. His ranger skills came into full effect as he did. SJ hadn't even considered the number of different signs that showed the groups passing as Darren aligned rocks and similar and brushed over imprints, as well as clearing the blood spots as they returned.
"That should do us," he said as they neared the cave's entrance again. "Thanks for the eyes."
"It looks like they fear the water. I'm pretty sure those lizards could jump over it if they needed to."
"I'm sure they could, and they may eventually. At least for now, though, we have a little respite."
"I'm just glad that everyone got away in time." As SJ approached the cave fissure, she felt a vibration. Calling the communication stone from her inventory, she pressed the gem. It was Fas's stone.
"Fas?" SJ answered.
"SJ. Where are you?" Fas sounded out of breath.
"West of the lake, by the mountains. Are you here already?"
"I just arrived. I have landed on the southern edge of the mountains. I'm still a distance from Killic, but at least back in the region."
"That was fast. I wasn't sure how long it would take you to get here."
"I flew through the night. I set off not long after you left."
"But you were exhausted?"
A soft chuckle came through the stone. "I still am."
"Why then? You should have waited."
"No. I couldn't leave you here by yourself."
"I'm not alone; I have found Lorna, Darren, and the guards who were at the ridge. The town has been taken, but I can explain everything to you when you get here. Are you still able to fly?"
"No. Not currently. I'll be honest, I barely made it back. At least without having to worry about looking for anything in the desert, I could just fly directly north. It cut down the travel time significantly."
"Is she..." SJ trailed off.
"Yes, Aletheia is here with me. I'm not sure how she stayed on my back."
"Okay, rest then, and when you are able, contact me and I can let you know where I am exactly."
"I will do," Fas said as the call dropped.
At least that was one good thing: having Fas back would help with her plan to attack and eliminate as many of the attackers as possible at night. Having two assassins rather than one, and particularly one as skilled as Fas, would be a significant advantage.
"So, your dragon friend is back," Darren smirked.
SJ's cheeks flushed. "Yes," she replied awkwardly as they re-entered the cave.c
