Verdantia: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Above and Below:Part One

"I received a visitor today," Minako announced, wasting not a moment upon Makoto's entrance into the drawing room. Minako's lips quirked and although both Makoto and Ami noticed, they remained silent and waited for the blonde to continue. "We've been summoned by her Majesty, Neo-Queen Serenity."

"What? Why?" Makoto blurted. To say the Traveler was surprised was an understatement, and she surmised from the Healer's expression of amazement that Ami had not anticipated such news either. She had been expecting a meeting where they discussed the information they sought from the blonde.

"Your appearance in Verdantia fits a much larger role than you thought. It was her Highness and her advisor that predicted your arrival," Minako explained. "Queen Serenity requested I discover your and Ami's whereabouts, which I would have happily complied with had you not come to me. Our meeting was destined."

Makoto could only stare at Ami in disbelief at Mina's words.

-x-x-x-

Wake up.

Wake up!

A voice spoke loudly and Rei woke instantly, knowing the voice came from inside her head. It was a familiar sound from her childhood; a voice that could be kind and loving or stern whenever necessary. When that voice spoke: Rei always obeyed. It was time to wake up. Her violet eyes opened slowly to greet utter darkness. Rei groaned as she stirred and the fine layer of dust covering her crumpled form shifted, motes floating into the air unseen as she rolled from her side onto her back. She coughed and brushed her face clean as best as possible in the dark; the jerky movement set off a pounding in her head that made teeth grit. She gently probed the spot below her right temple from where the pounding seemed to emanate and her fingers came away with a sticky substance. She bought her fingers to her nose and sniffed the sticky liquid gingerly; the copper scent of blood assailed her and she winced.

Staring upwards, she tried to gauge the distance of the surface from where she lay and could not even discern the twinkling of the stars. How long had she lain here? She had no way of knowing how much time had passed. She discarded that avenue of thought, knowing she would not find the answer just by laying there. Quieting her thoughts, Rei took stock of her condition and noted there were no broken bones although she did feel quite sore all over. Had she been injured in a worse manner she would have felt it the moment she rolled onto her back. It was a wonder she was not hurt worse than she actually was; the fall had seemed endless. She could not recall the moment she hit the ground, that part of the fall remained blank. Her puzzlement about her lack of injury was answered when she placed a hand on the ground in order to sit up and encountered a soft, sponge-like material under her digits. What could this be? Moss? No, I've only seen moss grow in wet or damp areas. She listened then, waiting for the musical sound of water, the beat of a steady drip or the rushing of a stream.

Silence assaulted her ears and the lack of sound brought back the feeling of unease she felt upon entering the clearing. Automatically reaching for her bow, she realized she had neither bow nor quiver lashed to her back any longer. She had lost both during the unexpected descent and there was no way she would be able to find it in the dark. The small pack of supplies and tools she usually carried was also missing. A soft curse escaped her lips at the discovery. A flare of vulnerability, a feeling of being naked caught her and she cursed again in response. In the darkness she was blind and weaponless; she did not like the feeling one bit. But she would not give in to panic.

Folding her legs in front of her, Rei closed her eyes and sat still while she counted down a minute in her head. She imagined being enclosed in a dark room with only a small, flickering flame of a candle in front of her. A memory emerged of being taught this technique for the first time at six years old. A lifetime ago but she could still see the stone walls of the large chamber, remembered the feeling of the cotton robes covering her small body, smelled the incense as smoke wound its way up. The main lesson of that exercise had been to instill calmness when one needed it most and very early on Rei had mastered it until she was able to send her own energy outward to detect all life in her surroundings. When she opened her eyes again the few moments had proved helpful as her vision improved and she felt more in control of her situation. Faint outlines revealed themselves and she understood she was not quite on the ground but resting on one of many circular ledges floating in midair. Another minute of staring into the darkness revealed the ledges were not actually floating but held up by thick stalks of various heights. As soon as she saw the stalks she realized that she was looking at a growth of gigantic fungi protruding from the very walls.

Now that her eyes could recognize the edges she estimated the mushroom cap she sat on to be around eight or nine feet in diameter. Carefully crawling to the edge of the mushroom, she looked down. An involuntary sound of disgust rushed past her lips and her hands tightened their hold as she stared down into what appeared to be an endless abyss. The thought struck her that she could have quite easily missed the mushroom cap and ended up falling to her death. A spike of panic hit her then, her heart beating heavily in a chest that could barely draw air and she sat back hurriedly, her movement causing the spongy ledge to sway to and fro precariously. The black void had evoked another memory from her childhood, a recurring nightmare that had left Rei incapable of speaking until someone had taken the time to break down the fear and loneliness to replace it with love.

Remembering the kindness calmed Rei's heart and focused her thoughts.How do I get out of this? While the question dominated her mind her eyes feverishly explored the huge cavern. She had almost made it a full circle when her gaze came upon what looked to be a large crack in the far wall to her right. A hint of a glow leaked through the fissure and she wondered what lay beyond. Would it lead to a way out? The light was so imperceptible she would have missed it had she not looked carefully. The barest outline of a ledge sat below it like a jutting lip.

That could lead somewhere but how do I get there? The only solution would be to jump across the mushroom tops. It shouldn't be too difficult considering the caps are only a few feet apart. Anything would be better than sitting here in the dark doing nothing.

Having made up her mind, Rei took a deep breath and stood carefully to prevent the mushroom from wobbling. Taking the most minute of steps she approached the edge and nervously eyed the gap between the surfaces. There was only one way to do this, she decided: the moment she began to move there could be no stopping.

-x-x-x-

Miles above the cavern where Rei was trapped, on the western coast of Verdantia, fifteen year old Hotaru Tomoe tossed and turned in her sleep. Her complexion was pale, alarmingly pale even for Hotaru, whose skin was normally the color of alabaster. Every so often a whimper escaped her lips as she grimaced in her sleep. A window had been left open to entice the ocean breeze into her bedroom; despite the breeze Hotaru was burning up. Her body glistened with sweat and her skin was starting to soak the sheets she laid upon.

"No..."she whimpered once more, a look of despair marring her young face. "Don't...please don't..."

"No!"

The scream rocked through the room and she jerked upright, tears streaming down her face, the white sheets tightly clutched in her fingers. Her pulse raced while she gasped for air. Her efforts at regaining control of her breath seemed all for naught until she fumbled for the amulet which hung around her neck, grasping it in a pale fist. The smooth round stone felt warm to the touch and it calmed her immediately, her breath to returning to her body in a regular manner. The breeze washing through her bedchamber cooled the sweat on her skin. Hotaru glanced out the window and into the night sky with its many mysteriously twinkling stars. The sea lay below it, reflecting and echoing the many lights of the cloudless sky.

Automatically, her legs moved and she found herself standing beside the bed before taking half a dozen steps to the open window. Here the wind was stronger, rolling off the surface of the water as it carried the scent of brine. Her dark straight hair fluttered back from her face as the breeze brushed past her not-quite shoulder-length hair. She wished then for her Michiru-mama. But Michiru was not at home in bed, she was out there somewhere, sailing above the deep currents of the smooth, nighttime-darkened sea. She allowed the thought to bring her solace, knowing the woman would be home eventually.

Her large mauve eyes were drawn back upwards to the stars. One day she would fulfill her goal and become a full-fledged Star Gazer and serve the royal family. But until then the tiny pinpoints of light remained shrouded in mystery. She did know one thing, however; having experienced that nightmare again and again, Hotaru knew the images she had seen to be true with every fiber of her being.

Something dark was coming.

-x-x-x-

Rei backed up slowly until the slope of the surface under her feet indicated she had passed the middle of the mushroom cap. Taking another breath to calm herself she ran towards the edge and leapt. The gap yawned below her and for a flashing second she thought she would not be able to make it before both her feet landed. The mushroom cap rocked forward with the force of her landing and she didn't dare stop her running in case the impact proved too great a strain on the giant stalks. One, two, three strides, her legs a blur and she leapt again, before the mushroom could begin its rebound sway. the space between this ledge and the next was considerably reduced compared to the one before and she jumped it easily.

Flying in the air toward the third swaying ledge she spotted a familiar shape laying on the waiting cap: her quiver, which still contained three arrows. Her bow was nowhere in sight. Adjusting her steps only slightly she scooped the item up and quickly slung it over her shoulder with barely a pause to indicate she slowed. The sound of her harsh breath couldn't mask a growing low rumble, as though the very earth was protesting her motions. Even as she took one more step a cracking, splintering sound reached her ears and her body reacted before her brain could fully absorb what was happening. Stopping in her tracks she whipped around to see the mushroom she woke up on crashing down into the darkness below, the rumbling gradually starting to sound like a roar.

Small pebbles the size of her fingertips began to fall down around the fungi caps, hitting her shoulders and head. It was only a matter of time before the entire growth of fungus collapsed and if she did not want to go down into the depths with it she needed to keep going no matter what. Her footing was sure even with the wobbling mushroom but the human-sized break in the wall did not seem any closer. The fracture appeared to be an impossible distance away and she was terrified she would not make it, instead she would inevitably fall into the patiently waiting maw below. She shook her head free of fear, and focused on the task at hand: moving forward No Matter What. "I'm fine, I'm fine as long as I keep going," was the mantra repeating through her mind while she sucked in air and started forward again, clearing four more of the ledges without any hindrances.

Then she abruptly stopped short once more, as she came to the second-to-last edge. The very last mushroom before the crevice in the wall stood higher than the others, rather than level or lower. The gap was also much wider.

"Shit. Shit!" she swore angrily. The debris raining down upon her was much larger as the crashing continued behind her. The mushroom she stood on tilted haphazardly to the side and Rei knew it was now or never. Backing up two steps, her legs quickly reversed positions and brought her forward again to the edge. Without hesitation she jumped, her arms outstretched, her dark long mane floating behind her through the air.

Please, please, please!

Her left hand caught the edge but she couldn't keep her grip. Blindingly fast her right hand whipped over her shoulder back towards her quiver and pulled out an arrow, deftly flipping it around so that the arrowhead pointed down while she gripped the shaft in her fist. Stretching her hand upwards over her head she brought it down into the spongy material of the mushroom. It caught then sank into the surface, securing her tenuous hold for at least a few precious seconds. Rei knew it would not last long: the arrow was thin, hardly designed to bear any sort of weight.

She held on with her right hand, scrabbling to haul herself upwards with her left, her teeth gritted as if tightening every muscle possible would help her abused body save itself. She had just leveraged her upper body onto the mushroom when the arrow shaft snapped off in her hand, the tip still buried in the blessedly strong cap. Gasping, almost crying in relief she pulled her legs up and thought how nice it would be to just lay there and catch her breath. But the shaking she felt killed the thought immediately and she rose, huffing and puffing, trying to prepare for another jump. Her legs felt like jelly, her arms the same. She just wanted to be done.

Her head ached. Closing her amaranthine eyes, Rei opened them again, determination shining in the depths. There were people depending on her: she would not give up and let herself die in a place like this. The ledge below the fissure was five feet away and before she could think about it any longer she jumped for the last time, her bruised fingers aching even as she caught hold of the rock. Her body smashed into the wall, causing new pains to flare up along her already battered body but she persevered and clung to the thankfully rough wall. Pressed into her front the small outcroppings of the rocky wall were painful but they made climbing much easier and she pulled herself onto the ledge barely wide enough to hold her body.

Safely atop the ledge, Rei looked back to see nothing else remained in the cavern. A huge, gaping hole on the opposite wall marked where the growth once clung. A laugh of relief escaped her as she stared into the bottomless expanse below. So close. Too close. The rush of adrenaline still flowed through her body as Rei stood: bruised, battered and covered in scratches, but alive. As long as she was alive there was hope. There was no way of knowing what awaited through the crevasse but she hoped it would somehow lead her up and out of the darkness. Clinging to that hope Rei stepped into the break in the wall.

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