Part 2 (2/2)
”It doesn't go all the way through?” I ask, feeling smothered by the darkness.
He shakes his head. ”Some do, though.”
”Where do they lead?”
He shrugs. ”I have no idea.”
”You've never tried to find out?”
”No. And I really don't want to. The caves ... They're not my favorite place.”
My gaze travels along the domed ceiling and rock walls. ”Because of the curse?”
”The curse is just a legend.” But he seems less convinced than he did when we were outside.
I summon a breath to alleviate some of my anxiety, but the foul stench of rotten eggs nips at my nostrils, and I nearly gag. ”What's that smell?”
”Sulfur.” Ryder slips off his bag and heads deeper into the cave.
My eyes water against the unpleasant odor, and I pinch my nose as I endeavor farther into the cave. I keep expecting something bad to happen, like the roof to cave in or a wild animal to appear.
”Why does it smell like sulfur?” I wonder as he kneels down on the ground.
He doesn't answer, unzipping his bag and taking out a can of beans. ”I wish I could heat these up for you, but building a fire would probably lead the Forsaken straight to us.”
”I'm fine with eating them cold.” I sigh, sit down on the ground beside him, and crisscross my legs. I'm trying not to get frustrated that Ryder won't straightforwardly answer my questions, but I really do want to know what's going on.
Blaise once told me that Reece and Ryder sugarcoat the truth. I wish Blaise were here now. He would probably tell me about the curse and why the cave reeks.
”Can you check if there's a lantern in your bag?” Ryder asks, pulling out an oddly shaped silver tool from his backpack.
I shuck off my bag and search for a lantern. ”There's not one in here. Sorry.”
”That's okay. Reece probably has one.” He sits down in the dirt, stretches out his legs, and balances the can of beans on his lap. Using the silver tool, he cuts the lid off then dips a spoon inside. He takes a bite of the beans before handing me the can and the spoon. ”Eat up while I go get Reece's bag.” He starts to stand up, but pauses. ”What's that look for?”
I stir the beans. ”What look?”
”You look like you're upset.”
”I'm fine.” I scoop up a spoonful of beans and stuff them into my mouth. ”I think I'm just hungry.”
”No, that's not it.” He leans closer to me. ”Come on, Allura, please tell me what's wrong, or I won't be able to relax.”
I sigh, more at myself for stressing him out. Why couldn't I just let it go? He's just trying to protect me from being scared.
”It's nothing. I just wish I knew more about this curse and why the rocks smell like sulfur in here.” I nibble on a bite of beans. ”You seem more unsettled in here than you were outside, and I'd like to know why, even if I may get scared. I'd rather be scared than confused.”
Heaving a sigh, he sits back down and opens his arms. ”Come here.”
I pause mid-bite. ”Huh?”
His lips quirk. ”I promise I won't bite. I just want you to sit on my lap.”
”Oh.” My heart skips a beat, which seems like such an odd reaction after everything that has happened. All three of the guys have carried me at one time or another, so sitting on Ryder's lap shouldn't be a big deal. Still, as I crawl over to him and sit down, I nearly choke on my ragged breaths.
”We should sit like this all the time,” he says, urging me to lean against him.
”That'd be a little hard to do while we're walking,” I retort nervously.
He chuckles, sweeping my hair to the side. Then he grows solemn.
”You really want to know about these caves and the curses?”
”I really do.” I nod. ”I know you guys think I'll get scared, and I probably will, but everything out here is scary. And I've spent so much time never knowing what's going on ... It's nice to have the option.”
His expression wavers between worry and pity. ”I didn't think about it like that ... I should've, though. Back when I lived on the docks, I didn't get to make my own choices. And everyone was so dishonest. They kept secrets from each other, and half the people lied, cheated, and stole. And when we disobeyed ...” He trails off, gulping.
”Did they ...? Did someone hurt you when you did something bad?”
He clears his throat, collecting himself. ”It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. And I escaped.” He rests his chin on my shoulder. ”I need you to promise me one thing before I tell you about the curse.”
I want to talk to him more about what happened on the docks, but I think better of it. If he doesn't want to talk about it, I shouldn't force him.
”Promise me that no matter what, you won't go running out of this cave.”
”Why would I do that?”
His breath feathers against my ear. ”Because after I tell you, you're going to be so d.a.m.n scared you're going to want to run as far away from here as you can.”
Chapter Three.
Curse of the Caves ”Still want to hear about it?” he asks after a minute of silence ticks by.
I force down the lump wedged in my throat and nod, even though I'm not certain I still do. Ryder's clearly worried, and my anxious mind is coming up with all sorts of scenarios of what could be so frightening about these caves.
”Okay.” Disappointment weighs in his tone. ”But if at any time you want me to stop talking, just say so.” He waits for me to nod before continuing. ”I'm not sure how the legend first started, but the story goes that, when the Grim first showed up in our world, a lot of people took to hiding in these caves. From what I understand, the fault line runs along nearly half of the land, and caves cover the hills. Some of them run so deep into the hills that you can get lost for days in them.”
My gaze wanders to the back of the cave. ”Is that why you picked one that has a dead end? So we wouldn't wander off and get lost?”
He slips an arm around my waist. ”That and so I won't have to worry about someone or ... something showing up unexpectedly.”
”Oh.” I twist back around and relax against his chest. ”Is that why everyone's so afraid of the caves-because they worry they'll get lost?”
”That's only part of the reason. There's way more to it than that.”
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