Asha fearfully held onto Jonathan. Nana was looking about at their surroundings--always focused on the task at hand--Clarice took a moment to pant and get her bearings.
It was bright due to silvery rocks embedded in the cave walls surrounded them glinting in their eyes and keeping the cave within the mountain bright. The cave they were in was spacious, but became narrower as the path stretched out ahead in front of them and out of sight as it twisted right.
The troll Clarice saw before appeared around the corner of the winding path and she jumped in surprise. "Who are you four? Are you here to hurt me?"
She was a young troll by the looks of it. Much younger than the fifty-year-old Clarice, but still an adult. She had red hair with a blue bow in it and was wearing a tattered dress stained with dirt.
"We're here to see the Roc. Where is he?" Nana demanded gruffly. The young troll cowered a little at her threatening tone. "Tell us now!"
"Stop it Nana!" Clarice interrupted as the young troll backed away from them and covered her face in fear. Clarice approached the young troll slowly and said to her, "what's your name?"
The young troll uncovered her eyes nervously. "Annabelle. What's yours?"
"Clarice, It's very nice to meet you! What are you doing here?" Clarice asked.
"I don't remember..." Annabelle said sadly. "You mentioned a Roc? That sounds familiar. If you want, I can take you to the top of the mountain--if that's where you were going...."
"Well, we can't go outside with those beasts swarming on the mountain..." Clarice said.
"That's okay! There's a way up through the inside of the mountain! Follow me!" Annabelle ran ahead cheerily.
"She better be leading us the right way! I'm sick of all of this! I'm worried about my family!" Nana growled angrily.
"What choice do we have, Nana?" Clarice said with a shrug. "I know all your brothers and sisters are depending on you; I promise we'll get out of this alive and you'll go home to them."
Nana sighed. "I don't need you to make me empty promises, Clarice. I'm not a child."
Clarice realized that Nana was not Asha. She didn't like to be comforted in the same ways Asha did. Clarice found the words to say to her gruff friend, "at least we'll give it our all for the people of Dru, unlike most folks."
Nana smiled at that. "You're right..."
Clarice heard Jonathan say to Asha, "Asha, you don't have to pretend like you're not sick. You should stay in this cave with Annabelle while we check the top of the mountain..."
Asha looked wounded. "I came all this way to help! I want to be a hero like you guys! I have nothing else in my life but my prowess with a blade... Let me prove it to the world!"
"You've done enough Asha. We'll ask the Roc to fix you..." Jonathan replied worriedly.
Asha nudged him angrily. "I'm coming and that's final! I just want to see the Roc... Clarice made him sound wonderful..." She calmed down with tears in her eyes as she ended the sentence.
Clarice, who was listening, felt guilty. She had hyped and inspired Asha so much by the Roc that not seeing the Roc was not an option for her--regardless of any damages to her health.
Nana groaned. "She's so naive. It's highly likely the Roc doesn't even exist."
"He's our only hope, Nana. We must have faith."
***
They walked along together for what felt like an hour, following the young troll girl. The path seemed to twist and turn unnaturally and even impossibly within the mountain. They were definitely heading upwards, but Annabelle got confused at a point where the path branched. "Now which way was it... It's been a long time since I even got close to the top..."
Annabelle tapped a heeled foot and thought for a moment. She turned back and looked at her new acquaintances. "Um, I forget... One leads down to my thinking cave, and the other lead to the top. I haven't been to either in a long time."
Clarice sighed. "Just do your best to remember. We can always come back."
Annabelle scratched her chin. She ended up heading down the left fork. Clarice and her friends followed.
As they went along a little the narrow path, Asha began coughing. At first, it was just a mild cough, and then she started coughing uncontrollably and violently.
Jonathan placed a hand on her back with concern as she coughed so hard that Clarice thought she might keel over right there.
Jonathan said worriedly, "we have to stop and rest!"
Asha held up a hand and tried to say through tears caused by coughing, "no, I'm fine! let's keep going!"
Clarice shook her head. "We're stopping."
***
They sat in silence and leaned against the walls of the narrow rocky way. It wasn't comfortable. There were muffled sounds of beasts outside crawling all over the mountain.
Asha was sleeping on Jonathan's shoulder, Nana was sharpening her blade on a whetting stone, and Clarice was crossing her arms and looking up at the ceiling. Annabelle was humming a little song and leaning against the wall.
"What's that you're humming, Annabelle?" Clarice asked her curiously.
"Oh this...? I don't remember." She claimed cheerily.
"Just where are you from, Annabelle? What are you doing here?" Jonathan chimed in.
Annabelle smoothed her dress down. "I don't know! I've been here as long as I can remember though! The last thing I remember is being in my thinking cave and something terrible happening, and then I never went back down to my thinking cave again. Now I live in these rocky halls!"
Nana said sarcastically, "what do you eat? Rocks?"
"I don't eat." Annabelle shrugged.
The four friends who were sitting exchanged incredulous looks. This girl sounded crazier by the second.
"Everyone eats, Annabelle. What do you drink?" Clarice prompted.
"I don't drink." Annabelle stated flatly. At everyone's looks she said, "what? I know it sounds crazy but I just don't get hungry or thirsty."
"Come on, Annabelle, you must eat and drink some things..." Jonathan said gently.
Annabelle looked miserable, biting back tears. "I wish I did. There was a time when I loved food..."
Asha woke up then and interrupted the conversation. "I feel much better. We can keep going now!"
***
Annabelle skipped along the narrow corridor cheerily. Clarice wondered how one girl could be so happy living alone in a cave with nothing to eat or drink. Ignorance was bliss, she supposed. She wondered if this young girl knew about the beasts crawling outside on the mountain. She wondered how long this girl was actually living in this cave, and what the girl was, in general, to be able to find this internal rocky structure and live in it peacefully.
Eventually, the corridor led into a larger circular area. It was almost like someone had made a little home in this area. There was a bed, there was a desk, there was a journal, and there was a little bracelet next to the journal on the desk.
Annabelle just stood there before what was definitely her thinking cave and not the top of the mountain with glassy eyes. "This place makes me sad. Let's leave."
Clarice was intrigued, however. "Hang on, do you mind if we look around?"
Annabelle, with tears in her eyes, said bitterly, "do what you want! I'll be waiting in the corridor!"
Clarice felt sorry for her, but was too curious about the girl to pass up an opportunity to learn more about her.
"Clarice, it's rude to pry when she asked us not to..." Asha was offended. She kept a diary of her own and would be horrified if other people read it.
"I know. But she may know something about the Roc. Any information we can get on him is useful." Clarice stated, looking around the silvery, bright cave curiously.
Clarice sat on the bed and grabbed the journal, crossing her legs and hunching over thoughtfully.
She began reading the journal, and the information inside was fascinating. It had the most insights into the Roc she had ever found, and much needed information on the girl as well--although none that explained how she ended up in this cave and managed to live in it.
Clarice read on, enthralled, enchanted, and disgusted by what she read. The journal was about thirty pages long, and detailed the girl's very personal relationship with the Roc.
Her friends asked her, when she was about a page in, "you may as well read it aloud..."
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