Chương 43: Chapter 42: Sold for a Few Crowns

Selena, far from feeling satisfied, countered immediately. The questions continued to burn her tongue, accumulated over days of uncertainty, and now that she had someone before her who seemed willing to answer, she was not going to waste the opportunity. —Why are there no bioluminescent insects at the cave entrance today? — she shouted out, her voice cut through the silence-heavy air. —Why was the man I spoke with yesterday here? The tall, thin one, with the scar on his hand reaching down to his fingers.

Why should I believe any of you? Corren's smiling expression shifted. The look of wonder and recognition faded, replaced by a reflective, almost paternal calm. He spoke with deliberation. —You are very observant to have noticed the insects are missing today— He nodded slowly, a gesture of genuine approval. —I cannot answer you directly, but I can tell you that it is entirely my fault.

He touched his wrist with a quick gesture, almost a nervous tick, a movement Selena would not have noticed had she not been scrutinizing every detail of her interlocutor. It was a gesture of discomfort; of something he did not wish to reveal but which his body betrayed. —The man you refer to... — Corren continued, picking up the thread, —sometimes listens to our sermons of thought. He is not one of us, not exactly. But outcasts are drawn to one another, girl.

Those who do not fit the mold of society seek places like this. And some decide that here, where those who think differently gather, the climate is favorable for exchanging valuable information. He crossed his arms over his chest, a gesture that closed the topic but not the conversation. —You do not have to believe me— His dark eyes flashed with a spark of defiance. —Verify it in the books. Come every day, if you wish. A shadow of irony crossed his intense gaze.

—Though I suspect your friend would not be fond of the idea. Silence settled between them, dense, laden with everything left unsaid. Selena could only remember Kaela waiting at the threshold with tears in her eyes, gripped by that visceral fear of heresy that had been instilled in her since the cradle. The image squeezed her chest like an invisible fist. Finally, a long sigh from Selena broke the tension.

It was a deep sound that came from far within, dragging with it the weight of all the decisions she knew she would have to make. When she spoke again, her tone had changed. It reflected sadness, yes, but also cold, calculating determination. —It isn't fair to her— she said, the words falling like stones into a pond. —If you want more from me, as your dreams suggest, I can give you that ancient knowledge you expect. But you will pay us both. No less than five bronze crowns a day.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. She maintained a serious, inscrutable expression while her mind swirled with other thoughts. Selling something I don't understand. Selling something I don't fully remember. Sold for a few crowns. The irony of the situation did not escape her: she was bartering with knowledge she didn't even know she possessed, using currency words that had burst from her lips without her being able to explain where they came from. Corren did not flinch.

His pale face, gaunt from years of study and privation, showed neither surprise nor indignation. On the contrary, he nodded slowly, as if Selena's proposal were exactly what he had expected. —Fine— he said, the word resonating in the chamber with an echo of approval. —I know that only you possess concrete knowledge. It could not come from your friend. His intense eyes locked onto her with a depth that felt invasive. —Reading, as I said, is the bridge to everything.

Only you know how to build it, judging by what you have hinted at. He paused deliberately, and a subtle smile, laden with absolute confidence, played upon his lips. —But as a gesture of good faith, I will order Elian to instruct your friend in the literacy of Erahari. Let her learn to read. The offer hit Selena like a bucket of cold water. It was clever, terribly clever. The pay is far greater than a few crowns. An exit.

A new path for the tanner who had lost everything, who had been betrayed, and who had survived alone since she was ten. Kaela learning to read. Kaela accessing the world of letters, of books, of knowledge. —I will tell her immediately. Wait for me— Selena replied, turning to leave the chamber. It was just then that she noticed it. A flash. A minimal reflection under the light of the tallow lamps. Something that had gone unnoticed in the gloom but now, with the movement, caught her attention.

Around Corren's neck, almost hidden by the collar of his brown shirt, a necklace peeked through. It wasn't a jewel; it wasn't an ornament. It was a pendant of dark, cold metal, without shine, without pretension. And as a medal, hanging from a simple chain, was a moon. Not a full moon, not a crescent. A moon in its thinnest phase, barely a silver thread, a whisper of a celestial body. Selena felt her body go cold.

A visceral chill, unrelated to the cave's temperature, ran down her spine like a caress from beyond the grave. She didn't know why. She didn't remember seeing that symbol before. But something in the deepest part of her being —in that place where the echoes of the "man of the earth" resided— recognized that pendant as a threat. Without a word, she left the room with determination. Her footsteps echoed in the stone passage, marking an urgent, almost flight-like rhythm.

She headed toward Kaela, but her heart did not match her steady steps. It galloped with a relentless, wild speed, as if it wanted to escape her chest. Reaching the main chamber, she saw Elian. The man in the ashen robe was seated again where she had found him the day before. She kept walking. The passage narrowed, the torchlight grew dimmer, and finally, there, at the edge of the gloom where shadow met light, was she. Kaela. Her friend.

The tanner was still in the same position, rigid, arms crossed over her chest, eyes fixed on the darkness from which Selena emerged. When she saw her, something shifted in her face. The tension did not disappear, but it transformed. It became less about fear and more about relief, less about panic and more about hope. Selena walked toward her, feeling the weight of everything that had just occurred, of all the decisions she had made, and all those left to make.

But she also felt, with a clarity that needed no words, that Kaela was there. That she had waited. That she had watched over her return.