Haven

As Tenebris lead us down the moist alleyways of long abandoned towns, he conversed with us, asking us what we had been doing and how we had survived in the ruins of Caelum. When he wasn't interrogating us, he would go on and on about his "glorious" settlement, say things like "It's the safest haven in present day Caelum!" so on and so forth. His enthusiasm over his settlement began putting pictures in my mind. I imagined this settlement full of bright and cozy lights, citizens talking amongst themselves and working, and delicious food to share. I small grin appeared on my face as my thoughts formed. I looked over to Fesha to see her reaction on Tenebris's praise on his community, but her face stayed stern, almost like she was uninterested.

We continued along as the corridors of this crumbled city grew darker. We had gone deep into the labyrinth of stone, so much so that the beams of light  could only be view from a distance just over the tops of the collapsed roofs. As the light settled out I began to feel unnerved by my surroundings. I stared down one of the long stone corridors. Nothing but static darkness could be seen at the other end, yet something about this darkness felt more alive than I've seen before. I blinked once and just like that, I felt my unease somewhat subside. The darkness was still yet again. I'm sure I was just hallucinating; the dark tends to move in your mind when you stare for too long.

Within the cramped avenues of broken stone, the path began to narrow bit by bit until we wandered upon a small tunnel of vines. The tunnel walls were entirely covered in foliage with vines hanging loosely from the ceiling. Its roof was low, so low that all of us would have to duck down the entire way of the tunnel to make it through.

"This way, we shall soon be there." Tenebris said smiling.

He ducked and went under, swatting away the vines that covered his face. I followed suit and looked back. Fesha seemed hesitant as she had been the entire time we've known Tenebris. I reached my hand to her from the inside of the tunnel.

"Listen, lets just trust him for now. We'll only be with him for a night, and we need the food and shelter." I said trying to reassure her.

She grabbed my hand and I gently pulled her in. I turned my sight back toward the other side of the tunnel. Fesha let go of my hand we continued steadily through the path of vines. After sometime walking we eventually saw a bright light. We exited the tunnel to find Tenebris patiently waiting. When the light finally cleared from my eyes I witness the haven I've been hearing many praises about. We stood in a small grassy field with scattered patches of yellow flowers. The layer above had fully collapsed, large pieces of it were on the level we stood at, allowing an ocean of orange light to fill the air. High walls covered in fauna surrounded the large, open space, making it impossible to see anything outside from the ground. At the end of the field opposite to us, a series of buildings that have crumbled have been archaically repaired with tarps and rope wrapped around stone bricks and pillars. A large garden of vegetables and a small fenced in area that housed a group of animals was in the midst of it all. Amongst the repaired ruins, there were people scattered about and the lively sounds of banter could be heard. Groups of people gathered around small fires cooking super. There meals filled the air with a smokey aroma even from where we stood. The atmosphere put me at ease. I looked over at Fesha, but she was not pleased, still holding the same stern look.

"This way." Tenebris said calmly.

Fesha and I lagged behind him a bit. I needed to know what her problem was, but I had a feeling she didn't want Tenebris to know that, despite her obvious facial expressions.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" I whispered.

She quickly pinched my arm and pulled me close to her face. "Not now, we shall talketh over dinner." She said frantically.

As we continued on our way toward our room, the smell of meat and vegetables became all the more present. My mouth watered at the sight and smell.

"We usually have supper as a community, but if thee wisheth to eat separately, some do that as well." Tenebris said, as if enticing us to eat with everyone. "Anyhow, thine room is just ahead." He continued. As we walked by the people gave us faint smiles and bowed their heads. I bowed back and Fesha hesitantly followed.

He pointed at a mostly intact building, only having one small hole in its roof and shatter windows. As we approached, I noticed a glimpse of an small and old looking building out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at it, appreciating its detailed archways and beautifully carved stone pillars. Its cracks showed its age, yet it was one of the only buildings that were fully intact. Fesha seemed to notice it too as I watched her distrust shown even more on her face. She quickly put on a blank face and turned toward Tenebris.

"Tell me, what god does thou worship." She asked forcefully yet with respect.

"Ha, no need to fret miss dragon slayer, for I have no ill intentions for thee. Though we may have different gods, who's to say we shan't get along?" He said with a smile.

I turned toward Fesha, awaiting her response. She let out a brief sigh before looking back at me. "Cometh, we need to prepare dinner soon." She said to me coldly.

As we walked into our home for the night, Tenebris got the last word out. "Food supplies are in here. Just don't taketh more than thee can eat!" He pointed at a large stand with a tarp roof. There were shelves of assorted vegetables and a tray of small pink animal carcasses on a counter.

Once we were both in the house, I shut the door and looked out the broken window to see Tenebris walking off to join the crowd.

"You've got some explaining to do." I said to Fesha sternly.

She sighed. "Grab what thou thinketh tastes good, I shall make dinner. We can talk while we eat." She said calmly.

I sighed back, turned and opened the door and made my way toward the rickety food shed.