"If you stay close to me it…will be fine," Princess Helena bashfully informed Hao Xuan.
He didn't think much of it and simply accepted.
"Alright, lead the way."
But then he reached back and picked up Ma Jiang like a stray kitten and placed her in between them, "You stay in the middle. Your mana won't last long this way if you keep draining it so quickly."
"Wha- Let me go!"
Taken aback and more than a little confused by Hao Xuan's actions, Princess Helena still flashed a smile towards Ma Jiang, "Lord Hao Xuan is right. Lady Ma Jiang should stay beside me."
"Yes, sister Helena."
Ma Jiang immediately calmed down and her entire demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. To her, Princess Helena had become somewhat of a role model in the few months she had spent with them so hearing a single sentence from her was akin to a gift, a gift she would never turn away.
She pushed Hao Xuan away while innocently smiling towards Princess Helena who returned the gesture with a courteous smile before looking behind her.
"Remember to stay close and don't make a noise. If you get separated then stay where you are and I will come to find you."
"Yes!" x2
Both the female guards replied in unison whereas Princess Inara gave a slow nod. She seemed a bit of it, lacking the energy to do even the most menial tasks. Yet Princess Helena recused herself from continuing that discussion with Inara.
Princess Helena was in the lead while Ma Jiang and Hao Xuan followed closely behind with Uri, Princess Inara, and the guards bringing up the rear.
A minute later they had already taken the first steps into the valley. The first thing Hao Xuan noticed was the green tint that the surroundings had taken.
Some fifty meters down they came across the layer of dark green and black misty clouds that covered everything in sight. They acted as a curtain separating the world above from below.
Hao Xuan's tongue and nose itched the more he breathed. The air tasted "spicy" for some reason. Upon reaching the layer of mist that carpeted everything below, Princess Helena reached out her right hand.
The green and black mist rumbled before slowly parting like the red sea, allowing the group entry to the valley's depths. At that point Hao Xuan's gaze was attracted towards one of the gold rings on Princess Helena's extended hand.
One of them which held a dim green ruby brightened for a fraction of a second to reveal a hidden rune inside. It was so quick that no one else noticed it. And if Hao Xuan wasn't paying attention and observing every little movement she made he would have missed it too.
The radius of five meters around Princess Helena was crystal clear. No poison dared crossed that boundary and all the turbid air that was too thick to even see through was kept at bay.
'A word of power.'
Hao Xuan only needed a momentary glance to confirm its origin. It was a glyph and from the looks of it quite an old one. Extremely simple with just three lines intersecting and twisting around one another.
In front of them was a stone stairway leading down into the inky depths.
Princess Helena took the first step and started her descent. Hao Xuan raised his foot but hesitated for a moment upon sensing the power of a law. Several laws in fact.
But he didn't have much time to ponder why or whose laws they were before Ma Jiang landed a sharp elbow straight into his ribcage. He instinctively tried to avoid it but ended up jumping down.
"You shi-"
"Shhh!"
He tried to curse but was stopped by Princess Helena who was looking straight ahead with an austere expression. Hao Xuan gritted his teeth at the smirking Ma Jiang before looking in the same direction as Princess Helena.
There was a misshapen corroded skeleton blocking their path.
Princess Helena bent down and touched its yellowed skull. The moment her hand came into contact with it the bone turned to white ash and turned to dust.
Hao Xuan couldn't understand why her expression was so grim. Was it that odd to find a skeleton in a poison valley? So he leaned in and asked in a low whisper, "What's wrong?"
Princess Helena stood and cleaned her finger with a black cloth.
"This wasn't here before. We passed through here just a day ago and it was clear."
From the looks of it whoever the skeleton originally belonged to was trying to climb back up the staircase and died just before reaching the exit.
"Maybe someone wandered in?" Hao Xuan suggested. It was quite possible, or so he thought but she shook her head without giving it any thought.
"No one can walk in. They would be turned around before reaching the first layer of miasma. Only someone that has already been here could find their way back."
"Then it's someone you brought before."
Princess Helena looked behind them before shaking her head again, "No, everyone that I have ever brought with me is here.. We never use this place unless it's an emergency."
