The World Below Me: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Elise arranged a two-week vacation from her students and packed her hiking gear.

“You were actually serious about going?” Zerdi shook his head.

“Well, yes. I need to see it for myself. We talked about it.”

“I know. I just... I was hoping you were not so determined. I still don’t think it is a good idea.”

“I can do it. I’ve traveled before,” she replied, zipping her pack.

“It’s not a vacation,” he protested.

“I know!” she shouted.

She hadn’t meant to yell at him. Ashamed, she left the room and went to her study. She closed the door behind her and sat at her desk. Two seconds later, she stood again and began pacing across the rug.

“Zerdi.” she muttered. “I want to see your home.”

She let out a heavy breath and sank back into her chair.

Zerdi looked at the floor and swallowed hard. Once underground, she would see him the way Oruthal saw him. How long did he think he could hide that?

He knocked softly on the study door. She opened it almost immediately.

“Amaresh. I am sorry.”

“No, Zerdi. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“I will take you to Oruthal.”

“Are you sure?”

He didn’t look sure, and he kept his head down, but he nodded.

It was a quiet evening. Neither of them spoke.

Early the next morning, Zerdi woke Elise, and she dressed quickly. He opened her backpack.

“We can’t take any of this, and you—” He looked at her thick denim jeans and hiking boots. “You can’t wear that.”

“What?”

Her voice was still quiet. She sat on the bed as he pulled a small tent from her backpack.

“This is not an exploration adventure into unsettled territory. It’s a settled town. We will be walking streets and markets, not trekking through damp black wilderness.”

Elise nodded slowly. This was his territory. She should have asked him instead of assuming she knew what was relevant.

He avoided eye contact as he rummaged through her closet and pulled out a light, flowing skirt and a simple blouse. He did it with such ease that it seemed as though he had memorized her entire closet. Next, he found a pair of flats she wore to work, comfortable but still right for the outfit.

“That will do for now, but we’ll have to get something else when we get there.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Elise.

“How are we going to pay for things? What’s the currency?”

Zerdi was prepared for this too.

“Do you remember what I told you about cinnamon?”

She nodded.

“We can take the jar you bought. I may have already used a good portion, but even what is left is really quite valuable.”

He showed her the small bottles of cinnamon he had prepared, having divided the bulk supply into smaller jars to sell when needed.

“You trade in cinnamon?”

“We have currency. We have coins. And we can trade the cinnamon for those. Cinnamon is very uncommon, but not unheard of. There are some daring people who do business with surface dwellers occasionally. I don’t really know how it works. I don’t think most people know. People just buy the spice when it’s available.”

Elise changed, then let Zerdi take her pack to the living room and go through it, rearranging whatever he wanted. When she emerged from her room, she found her entire backpack disassembled and Zerdi standing there with her messenger bag.

“That’s it?”

“If we want to blend in and not attract the wrong kind of attention, yes. Don’t worry. We can buy anything we need while we’re there.”

She nodded reluctantly and followed him out into the yard. It was early, before sunrise. That was for his benefit. She didn’t want to make him wear sunglasses and a hat just to reach the entrance.

Outside, he held out his hand to her. She hesitated, then took it. The entrance to the world below opened up to them, and they began their descent.