A/N: And another! Only because the last chapter was short and not much happened in it…
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Chapter Seven: Discoveries
The next morning, after putting a new icepack on Eric's side and eating breakfast, the two of us began a slow track back to the city, following the ravine, and the flow of the river at the bottom of said ravine. Every few hours, we had to rest for Eric's sake, especially when the painkillers wore off, but it would still too early to take the next dose.
"Are you okay? Do you need water? Food? I—"
"Flora! Please, stop fretting over me so much, my Flower," Eric said, cutting off my tirade as he caught my hand from where he was sitting. "I'm alright. I just need to rest. Fifteen minutes, tops," he said. I sighed, sitting down next to him.
This was the fifth time we'd stop.
"How's the icepack?" I suddenly asked after a few moments of silence.
"Well… it is kind of warm now," he admitted. I immediately pulled out a new one (my last one: I only packed three), activated it, and tied it to his side again. He shivered, a burst of goose bumps erupting all over his skin, and I couldn't help but laugh, brushing my lips against the bumps on his shoulder.
"Better?" I asked.
"Better," he confirmed, nuzzling my neck. As he pulled back, he froze. "What's that?" he asked, looking over my shoulder. I turned, realizing he was facing the ravine, and spotted what he saw.
Down at the bottom of the cliff wall was a dark hole with something reflecting sunlight, right in the entrance.
"I don't know…" I said softly. Eric slowly stood, a hand to his side.
"We should check it out," he said.
"Are you sure? We can't exactly climb down. Not with… your condition," I said. He waved it away.
"We don't have to," he said, pointing to something else I didn't notice right away.
There was narrow path that lead to the bottom of the ravine, which was now only about forty feet below us. I looked at him.
"I don't know, Eric. We need to get you medical attention," I said. Eric hesitated, looking at me.
"I-I know, but… what if that's a clue to the City of Silver? We can't exactly pass that up," he said.
"Eric—"
"I promise, this isn't about glory or excitement or the discovery or whatever, my Flower," he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "This is about finding Alfendi."
That bought my attention back to the original reason we were here. I was ashamed of the fact that I was so worried about Eric's well being, that I totally forgot about Alfendi. I lowered my head, looking around the ground. Eric put his hands on both of my cheeks, lifting my head again.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," he said softly, kissing my forehead. "Let's just get down there, okay?"
"Alright," I said softly. Gripping his hand, we made out way down the path carefully, until we reached the bank of the river… if it could be called that. It was only about two feet wide, and very shallow. Eric and I easily crossed it, and were soon standing at the entrance of a cave.
Just inside the entrance, reflecting the sunlight streaming into the cave entrance, was a silver sword. It was beautifully intricate, and the blade itself was wickedly sharp.
"Wow…" Eric breathed, moving closer to inspect it. I nodded.
"Wow is right. It's beautiful," I said.
"And… it's pure silver," he said.
"What?"
"Yeah."
I looked around, studying the cave. Against the back wall was a large, silver carving. I walked over, studying it.
"Hey, is that a puzzle?" Eric asked, pointing to the middle section. I looked at it closer, before smiling.
"It is. It's one of those slider puzzles, actually," I said, brushing my fingers over it.
"Can I try it?" Eric asked. I chuckled, stepping back.
"Sure."
Five minutes later, and some muttering from Eric, the wall clicked, and a door opened. Both Eric and I gasped.
"You don't think…" I breathed.
"I do…" he said.
"The entrance to the City of Silver…"
…
A/N: Aaaaaaaaand…. Another chapter where much doesn't happen. Okay, one more chapter tonight! The next one, a lot happens, promise! Well, I think. It starts out exciting, okay? I'll go get that one now… heh…