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“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” Illario said, sounding sulky. It was hardly surprising: the damp ground was swarming with mosquitoes, and every so often there was the loud “plop” of his hand as he swatted them away, trying – unsuccessfully – to avoid being bitten.
A little further on, nimbly scrambling over rocks and ledges, Valeera let out a little chuckle. “Of course you don’t understand! Anything that involves taking someone as sophisticated as you away from civilisation must sound downright sacrilegious to you!” Her companion’s snort confirmed just how spot-on her observation was. “But don’t grumble so much – I promise it’ll be worth it. I didn’t convince Viago to untie you for nothing.”
Despite his training and skills as a Crow, Illario was far more accustomed to halls and cities than to the wilderness, and even less so to one as inhospitable as this. Valeera had made him walk for hours with hardly any rest, and they were in a part of the forest where it seemed nothing but wild creatures had set foot for years. He almost regretted agreeing to what he’d thought was a romantic date. Almost.
They finally reached the top of that rock formation, towering above the marshy ground they had just crossed.
“Come on, don’t whine so much.” Valeera put her arms round his shoulders and kissed him tenderly on the lips, though it was far too brief for his liking. “I’ve taken you along the quickest route—if the other one’s still standing, that is.”
“The other one?” he asked, curious and a little afraid.
Leera had already set off again – that damned woman – and was making her way through a collapsed archway. “Yes, there was another path. A sort of bridge, rather fragile and with a few traps. The only reason we’ve been able to climb up here is because the walls no longer exist,” she explained, in a regretful tone that Illario didn’t share in the slightest.
“What’s so precious that it’s worth braving the traps, the threat of collapse and the bugs?”, he asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously. “I hope—I don’t know—that we’ll strike it rich with this,”
She turned to him with that bright, enthusiastic smile that had dazzled him from the very beginning. “Not all the good things in life are about money,” she replied, winking at him. “My spoilt, materialistic Antivan man.”
She turned round at the very moment Illario shook his head, rolling his eyes. As he followed her up a flight of stairs so dilapidated that it made him miss the rocks they’d been climbing earlier, he couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have been given a second chance – both with the Crows and with her. It had been difficult, but for some reason the elf had continued to trust him even when he himself no longer knew what to believe in. It was Valeera who made him rethink every single decision he’d ever made in his life and who managed to free him from his demons. She and Lucanis had shown a capacity for forgiveness that defied all logic, although the fact that his cousin had put him in charge of the stuck-up and tedious Viago could be considered a punishment in itself.
“Are you coming or what?” He heard her say. He’d lost sight of her at some point, but she sounded a little further ahead. He quickened his pace, taking great care not to trip, and made his way to where she seemed to be.
It was a domed hall, surprisingly well-preserved despite the passing of the centuries, covered in engravings on the walls and with an opening at the top that let light in. However, the forest was beginning to reclaim what was its own, and here and there vines were creeping through the cracks. A walkway in the centre led to an orb set in a metal pedestal, tracing whimsical shapes and covered in symbols that were completely unfamiliar to him. Beside the pedestal, a radiant Valeera was waiting for him, holding out her hand.
“What do you think?” she asked, looking around.
Illario wasn’t particularly fond of ancient settlements, but he didn’t want to offend her either. “It’s… interesting.”
“Pffffft.” Judging by her stifled laugh, his attempt at politeness had failed spectacularly. “Always so romantic. Come on, take my hand.”
He looked at her, intrigued, but obeyed. Valeera placed their joined hands on the orb, activating a mechanism beneath their fingers. A loud crash signalled that everything around them was beginning to shift, sending up a cloud of dust that alarmed Illario, but Leera did not seem the least bit concerned. The small opening in the ceiling gradually closed, covered by a slab that slid into place, and then from the underside—which he hadn’t even noticed—a myriad of iridescent beams emerged, moving of their own accord, tracing patterns on the ancient stones and on both their faces.
“Wow,” was all Illario could say, marvelling at that explosion of colours and shapes, as incredible as it was unexpected. Turning round, he looked around until his eyes fell once more on Valeera’s.
"See?," she said softly. "The world is full of beautiful things. You just have to know where to look."
"Maybe," he shrugged, still holding her hand as he moved closer to her. “But I didn’t need all that fanfare to realise it.” A tiny crease formed between the woman’s raised eyebrows, giving her a charmingly comical look. “Especially since I’ve brought the most wonderful thing with me.” That was all he whispered before kissing her, filled with a love that, despite his many previous affairs, he had never managed to experience until that very moment.