Su Qinglan followed Xuyu's directions, pushing past a curtain of thick, winding roots until she found the mouth of the small cave.
It was dark, damp, and smelled strongly of earth and moss, but it was hidden and silent, and she knew this is what she wanted now.
She didn't even make it three steps inside before her wobbly legs finally gave out. She collapsed onto a bed of stone, too exhausted to even pull her aching body into a more comfortable position.
The last thing she remembered before succumbing to the black abyss of sleep was Xuyu's tiny, worried voice instructing her to rest and the satisfying coolness of the stone against her cheek.
***
Su Qinglan was having a dream.
It was a glorious, breathtaking dream. She wasn't in a dark, cold cave; she was surrounded by a cool, perfect embrace.
Her fever-racked body, which moments ago felt like it was simmering from the inside, suddenly found relief.
