Chapter 6 of 6
Over the next day and a half, the storm slowly rolled through the mountains. The pair planned their next adventure, consulting maps and taking frequent breaks to tease each other -- usually leading to a spirited and playful wrestling match, and ending in them fucking wildly on the floor. The only worry that still pricked in the back of Clay's mind was the thought that he hadn't realized that saving Juniper's life had somehow exonerated him. He could have come back from fetching them snow and, if she hadn't looked so adorable fast asleep, confronted her and began their rivalry anew. The thought haunted him.
Clay couldn't be sure at first that the storm had moved -- the wind would die down only to pick back up again. But after a full day, it was impossible to ignore that the weather had gotten less extreme. Another few hours, and an eerie calm filled the cave: silence.
He hadn't realized how loud the wind had been until its howling was gone. Now, it was so quiet he could hear the crackle of the firepit, the ticking of the ceremonial sex clock (even thinking of it made him smirk), and even Juniper's soft breathing.
While both of them had grown comfortable in the cave, there was no denying that they would need to eat food, real food, and soon. Juniper's hunts had turned up a few more rabbits, and she'd found some roots that grew around the base of a nearby evergreen tree, but they were bitter and barely edible no matter which way they cooked them.
They needed to leave, and soon, before the next storm arrived, trapping them for longer. Clay told her this, and she nodded in agreement. It was almost impossible to tell what time it was, as the cavern was constantly dark, so Juniper suggested they leave whenever it got bright enough outside to see clearly. The nearest village was miles away. However, it was still less treacherous to use the path for merchants, Berry Breeze Pass, than to attempt crossing the Devil's Clouds again.
They packed their bags, eating the very last of the rabbit Juniper had caught -- seasoned with rock pepper of course. Clay found himself lost in thought as he watched the dying embers in their firepit. He saw Juniper gearing up to meditate again, and he couldn't face the blank pages of his journal again.
"Did I regain honor for myself the moment I saved your life?" he spoke up.
She looked at him for a long moment, her tongue flicking across her lips. "This is strange," she murmured, "I can taste the hint of a lie, but you have asked me a question. What do you mean by this?"
Clay turned his gaze back to the fire, fixing his eyes on the smoldering chunks of wood. He leaned back, putting his palms flat on the reassuringly cold stone before pushing his shoulders down, exhaling slowly. "When did you realize you no longer needed to kill me?" he finally clarified.
"...ah." she sat down next to him, cross-legged, looking into the fire with him as it died down, crumpling inward into ashes. "Technically, it should have been as soon as I knew I would not die. You use the word 'realize', and I think that is accurate to the ways of the Order of the Bearded Dragon's. In matters of honor, there is no choice. There is no decision-making. I should not have had to choose not to kill you. I should have realized that you saved my life, and known that your honor was strong, and acted accordingly... but then again, the honorable thing would have been to tell you immediately this was the case. Instead, whether on purpose or not, I let you wonder about my intentions.
"This is the tricky thing with honor," she said, crinkling her nose. "And it's the same thing with my firestarter. I did not know why my body chose you. You still infuriate me, even now, in your misunderstanding of my people's customs. But if I am brave enough, I can choose my own path..." she unclipped the fang choker from around her neck and looked down at it, then unclipped the long, curved bead on the front. "Regardless of those who would scorn me. Regardless of those who would simply turn their heads away as I leave. Regardless of those who would not walk it with me."
"I would walk it with you," Clay said, leaning forward again. "If you'd have me."
She grinned as she gazed into the colors of the flames, oranges and pinks and soft glowy reds: "I would." And with that, she threw the bead into the fire.
The charred remains of their fire glittered and sparked for a moment. Strange, magical shimmers danced around each other before spiraling upward, the smoke deep red and violet in alternating color, glittering. The movement of the hot, fragrant air looked almost as if it was liquid -- the starry golden sparkles moving gently downstream, until they vanished through the vents far above them.
"I think that was a good omen... right?" Clay asked, scratching his chin.
"Good or bad, it does not matter," Juniper said, surprising him with a smile. "We choose what has meaning now. The path is ours to walk."
"I have always been a little superstitious, so I'd like to say that was a good sign," Clay said with a smirk. She laughed.
"Very well. It was a good sign. We should get some rest. Looks like the sun is coming up, and we should leave in a few hours."
He murmured in agreement, and they settled into their shared bedroll for the last time, their belongings and weapons ready at the door.
***
When he awoke, Clay immediately tensed. They were not alone. Murmuring voices echoed through the cave. Clay propped himself up carefully, glancing around, then roused Juniper, shaking her shoulder gently and holding a finger to his lips to indicate 'Quiet'.
Juniper blinked her eyes blearily, then met his gaze with razor-sharp focus. He looked up to their weapons, but they were directly across the cave. The strangers would get to them first. Juniper moved silently, with a swiftness that both frightened and impressed him. Before he could form coherent thoughts, she was halfway across the cave, creeping and barely visible in the shadow.
The rustling got louder, and Clay was struck once again by the ingenious design of the zig-zagging hallway. He hadn't realized it also amplified the sound of anyone entering.
It may have made for some awkward moments if a devotee was running late to a religious service, but for them it was ideal. Actually, Clay mused, it was likely that 'religious services' for this goddess were orgies or at least orgasmic in nature, so anyone unexpected or disruptive would likely want to announce themselves as much as the Magi would want to be warned.
Luckily, Juniper never had to make it to her weapons -- because as if they'd had the same thought as Clay, the strangers announced themselves.
"Anyone still here?" a deep female voice called as the strangers made their way up the last part of the zig-zagging corridor. "We saw smoke coming from the chimney of our temple... the storm was too aggressive for us to come down sooner, but we saw a flare a few hours ago and got worried... Hello? Is anyone here?"
The stranger, a dwarven woman in a woven gray tunic and impressively well-crafted snow boots, finally reached them. She stopped short when she saw Juniper, who was still half-dressed. The dwarf was then forced aside by two others, a halfling woman and a scraggly boy in his late teens, both dressed in the same woven gray tunics with their hoods pulled up.
