Amidst the faint, rumbling roar, they rounded a few bends, and a waterfall appeared before their eyes. It resembled a ribbon of shimmering silver light, inlaid between the green mountains.
William, walking at the front, stopped and looked back at Malora, who was protected in the center of the group. "Lady Malora, we've reached the end of the valley."
This was the valley they had searched all day yesterday. At Malora's request, they had returned to it today.
"Correct," Malora replied faintly. "The place we are looking for is here."
William narrowed his eyes, observing carefully. Because he could sense magical fluctuations, simple illusions couldn't deceive him. However, he couldn't detect any magical fluctuation near this waterfall at all. "But this place... doesn't seem particularly special."
"The fact that there's nothing special is what makes it most special," Malora said, her icy gaze calmly fixed on the waterfall ahead. "Behind that waterfall. Last night, he shouldn't have launched that attack."
William nodded in understanding, looking around. "If we want to get behind the waterfall, we'll have to climb along that cliff face. We can only go on foot."
Under Malora's strict orders, Dora had remained on the summit of High Heart with two mounted men to care for the four soldiers who had been controlled the previous night, as they hadn't fully recovered.
Two more soldiers were assigned to watch the horses in front of the waterfall. In the end, five knights accompanied William and Malora, making seven people in total pressing onward.
As they prepared to set off, everyone else changed into lighter leather armor for easier climbing. Only William still wore his striking set of black plate armor.
Lyman couldn't help but remind him, "Ser William, wearing plate armor might make climbing rather inconvenient."
William laughed and strode toward the waterfall first. "Don't worry, Ser Lyman."
The closer they got to the waterfall, the louder the roaring became. Water poured down from the mountaintop, crashing against the surrounding rocks, shattering into a million jade-like droplets and sending up a vast mist that enveloped them.
The terrain grew steep, but fortunately, it wasn't vertical; it still had a slope, and the rock surface was uneven. Leaning against the rock face, they carefully searched for footholds, slowly moving closer to the waterfall.
Under Lyman's astonished gaze, William, in full armor, climbed nimbly across the mountain wall, even having energy to spare to occasionally assist Malora beside him.
Gravel occasionally tumbled down from under their feet. A knight from the Reach named Garedun Cockshaw lost his footing, but Bennard grabbed him in time, preventing him from falling into the torrent below the waterfall.
Just as William saw a large space behind the curtain of falling water, he suddenly sensed danger. He quickly looked up at the sky and saw a swarm of black dots speeding toward them. "Danger! From the air! Quick, get behind the water curtain!"
Malora pointed to the middle of the waterfall, saying calmly, "There's a ledge behind there. Jump to it."
Without a second thought, William grabbed Malora, leaped with all his strength, felt a cool sensation above his head, and the two of them passed through the water curtain. They landed with a splash on a stone platform.
"Are you alright?" William asked, helping Malora to her feet.
"I'm fine," Malora walked to the edge of the platform and looked out. "I hope they are too."
The already dim light behind the water curtain suddenly grew even darker, as if a dark cloud had blotted out the sky.
"Ravens," Malora identified the sound from outside; the booming water couldn't completely drown out their piercing cries.
"The others haven't made it in yet," William frowned.
After waiting a while, the light grew brighter again. The flock of ravens seemed to have dispersed, but still, no one else jumped in.
Seeing William's grim expression, Malora said calmly, "Don't worry too much. They probably just fell into the water. There's no immediate danger to their lives."
*It's a good thing they were all wearing leather armor. Their chances of survival are high if they fell into the water.* William could only console himself with this thought.
Malora examined the rock wall and pointed to a protruding stone. "Push it."
Setting aside his worries for Bennard and the others, William exerted his strength and pushed aside the stone, which was nearly as tall as a man, revealing a dark cave. Witnessing this astonishing display of strength, Malora merely raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Malora stride purposefully towards the cave entrance, William quickly moved ahead of her, only to stop at the mouth. He turned to her, looking slightly embarrassed. "Damn, we don't have any torches."
Malora gave him a cold glance, raised her left hand, and suddenly, an eye appeared from somewhere, crawling up her arm onto her palm, its tentacles wriggling animatedly.
She took a ring with her right hand and placed it on the eye's tentacles. The tentacles reached up high, clutching the ring tightly.
A point of light appeared just above the ring, slowly swelling into a glowing sphere the size of an apple, instantly illuminating the cave, though the white light seemed somewhat cold and stark.
Malora tilted her chin slightly. The eye leaped from her hand, landed on the ground, and swiftly scurried up the cave wall to the ceiling, positioning itself like an overhead lamp.
*This lighting magic is really practical.* William looked enviously at the eye and the ring.
"Let's go. You'll have your own in time."
By the light above their heads, William entered the cave. As he stepped inside, an eerie wind whistled past, bitingly cold.
The cave was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person. The walls on both sides were covered in green moss, and the ground was rugged and uneven, making the footing treacherous.
The passage twisted and turned. At every fork, Malora chose a direction without hesitation. The eye, ever diligent, crawled along above them, holding the ring aloft, providing perfect illumination.
Along the way, there were many stone pillars and stalagmites of various shapes. William made a mental note of them, thinking they could serve as landmarks if necessary.
After walking for what felt like a long time, the passage suddenly began to widen. William saw something resembling a plant root running down the middle of the passage, emerging from the ceiling and plunging directly into the ground.
William walked over to examine it closely and couldn't help but marvel. The cave's ceiling and floor were layers of rock of unknown thickness, yet this root had pierced straight through them. It was truly incredible.
"What plant is this root from?" William asked, patting it. It felt very hard.
"Weirwood," Malora said, pausing by the root and gazing deeper into the cave. "It seems we are almost there."
The two continued onward. The passage grew wider, but the roots became more numerous and thicker, still making progress difficult. Eventually, it felt as if they were walking through a forest made of roots.
Finally, a root of immeasurable thickness appeared before them. William heard Malora's voice, tinged with excitement, "We're here. I see you."
*Shing!*
William drew his longsword, looking ahead.
But Malora walked straight up to the thickest root and began caressing a knot that resembled something.
Curious, William moved closer. A chill ran down his spine when he saw it. The knot looked exactly like a human face. Looking up and down more carefully, he could vaguely make out what seemed to be a torso and limbs. It felt as if a person had grown into the tree.
Malora placed her hand on the forehead of the face-like knot. Her eyes became distant and unfocused. The light sphere above their heads began to flicker, brightening and dimming.