The Guardians Crown (The Guardians Book 5) (12 page)

During the hike Rachel remained silent. She focused on keeping pace with the others, considering she had been the one who insisted they take her along, she was not about to allow herself to become a burden. Gabe, however, was incessant, checking on her every few minutes, asking if she was all right or if she needed a break. About a half- mile back she had finally unloaded on him, expressing she was fine and that he needed to quit worrying about her.

Since that time there had been an awkward silence that fell over the group.

“Do you think there’s any chance Mirada got the coordinates wrong?” Rachel asked. It was clear to the group that they had followed the directions precisely, and after thoroughly searching the area there was no sign of a cave.

At first nobody answered her question. Sophie and Haim collapsed on the ground, both relieving themselves of the rope around their waist. The rest of the group soon followed suite.

“I don’t know, maybe she had bad information,” Sophie suggested.

Gabe took a big gulp of the water then made his own suggestion, “Perhaps she’s not all that different from her sisters after all.”

Uri nodded in response, but Rachel quickly chimed in to defend the woman whom she barely knew. “That’s not fair. Mirada told us from the beginning that she was working off secondhand knowledge and that this could be a wild goose chase. I think you’re being too hard on her.”

“She has a point,” Haim added, moving to stand next to Rachel, causing her stature to look even smaller. “I don’t think Michael would marry someone who’s that dishonest.”

“You’re sure giving him a lot of credit when it comes to judging a pretty face,” Gabe remarked.

“Really?” Rachel snarled, leaning back against the surface of the rocks behind her.

Suddenly her face shifted from one of contempt towards her husband’s comment to one of pure terror. Before Gabe could react, he watched helplessly as Rachel slipped backwards and out of sight into the mountainside, a crumbling wall now the only thing he could see.

“Rachel!” Gabe shouted, rushing forward. Before Gabe could reach her Haim, being closer to where she had fallen through, leapt into the gaping hole after her.

The group now only heard Haim’s cries echoing in the darkness as they drifted further away.

“What the hell?” Uri shouted as he and Sophie hopped to their feet, peering down the hole with Gabe, only darkness staring back at them.

“Where did they go?” Gabe cried.

Peering into the darkness, Uri commented, “It looks like some sort of old shaft.

“Get out of my way, I’m going after them!” Gabe exclaimed.

He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed what remained of the sides of the cavern, and propelled himself through the hole, and down the ice-covered tube. As he rocketed through the shaft, he could see where pieces above his head had melted away, exposing solid rock, or in some place even an empty darkness.

The further he travelled, he realized the tunnel was no longer made of ice, but was now a smooth stone surface. He also noticed the temperature was rising with every foot he moved further into the core of the mountain.

“Rachel?!” he managed to shout. The only thing he could hear were the cries of Sophie and Uri who had followed behind him into the darkness.

Suddenly a soft light revealed itself at the bottom of the tunnel. Gabe saw the shaft was about to come to an abrupt end. He did his best to slow his descent. Clawing at the walls, he grasped for anything that would slow his high speeds. Nothing seemed to work. Letting out a scream as he was ejected from the tube, he landed with a thud and rolled to an abrupt and painful stop.

He found himself in some sort of vast cave, his eyes still adjusting to the dimness. Stuck to the walls were little round bits of blue light. Hundreds of them lit up the entire cavern.

“Gabe!” Rachel cried, rushing over and helping her beloved to his feet.

A second later Uri and Sophie came bursting forth from the shaft. Haim was able to soften Sophie’s landing by catching her mid air, Uri on the other hand was able to stop his rapid descent against a stone wall.

“What is this place?” Gabe asked, his focus still captured by the odd lights.

Sophie approached a wall, water trickling over it. She ran her fingers over one of the small lights. Gripping it tightly, she pulled it free, much to everyone’s amazement it still glowed.

“Magic?” Uri asked.

“Not exactly,” Sophie replied. “They’re bugs, they must have a high acidic content in them and after years of darkness and the exposure to the active volcano, they have this sort of reaction.”

“They glow?” Haim asked.

Rachel stepped forward, getting a better look at the creature. “It’s not that abnormal. Lots of creatures have been discovered throughout history with similar abilities. There are actually a number of aquatic life that do this, ranging from fish to squid.”

“Not that this science lesson isn’t fascinating,” Uri chimed sarcastically, “but don’t we have a weapon to find?”

Rachel pressed her hand against the wall, leaning her weight into it, taking in a deep breath. The fall had caused some pains in her stomach, and the baby weighed heavy on her mind. With her other hand she rubbed her stomach gently, contemplating what she should do next. Though she felt compelled to say something to Gabe, now didn’t seem the appropriate time, considering she had not yet revealed her condition.

Suddenly, the rock Rachel was leaning against broke off into her hand, causing her to stumble.

“All right Gabe, you’re going to have to keep an eye on your wife before she falls down another hole,” Uri grumbled, glaring at Rachel.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …” Rachel stopped. What could she possibly say in her defense? She was merely a human and it was becoming quite obvious, even to her, coming along on this journey was probably not her best idea.

“Honey, I know, just try and be careful, okay?” Gabe interjected, placing a hand on her back. She nodded in response.

“Remember what Mirada said, this place has been eaten away for decades by acid. It’s going to be like one big death trap, so everyone, be careful,” Sophie instructed, shifting the focus from Rachel’s recent blunders.

“So now which way?” Haim asked the group, glancing around.

Sophie moved to the left, searching for a trail of some kind. The others observed her for a moment, and then proceeded to do the same.

“Do you smell that?” Rachel asked, crinkling her nose as she looked around.

Sophie paused, sniffing the air. “Sulfur. My guess there’s pockets of it all over inside this mountain.”

“It’s disgusting,” Rachel complained, squeezing her nostrils, her stomach flipping wildly. “And is it me or does it seem to be getting hotter in here?”

“Rachel, are you okay?” Sophie asked, turning and staring at her.

“Huh?” Rachel’s moaned, her head starting to spin.

“You don’t look so good,” Sophie added.

“She’s right, you look really pale. Do you feel okay?” Gabe asked, taking his wife by the arm, and leading her to a nearby chair-height boulder. “Here, you should sit down.”

“I’m fine,” Rachel argued, but then complied with his request. “I think it’s just the smell, it’s making me nauseous. I’ll be fine.”

“Here, drink this,” Gabe commanded handing her the canteen. “Rest while we look for a way out of here.”

Rachel nodded, taking a sip of the water. The problem was that the smell was so strong it overwhelmed her senses and her mind kept telling her the liquid tasted like rotten eggs. Rachel watched silently as the others continued to search.

“I don’t get it,” Uri grumbled. “There’s no way out of here.”

“There has to be,” Gabe insisted, “just keep looking.”

From the corner of Rachel’s eye she caught a glimpse of an emerald colored sparkle, then a bright white twinkle, followed by a blue one. Turning and standing, she slowly approached the shadowy corner of the room. In front of her she spied a waterfall, the colors dancing throughout the cascading drops as they fell.

The closer she looked, the more she realized this wasn’t a normal waterfall. The water was not flowing down the rock wall, instead it seemed to be a solid wall of flowing water with nothing behind it. Rachel stared at the liquid a bit longer, shifting from side to side, looking for any abnormalities in it.

With a deep breath she reached out her fingertips, slowly immersing them into the flow. The water shifted, enveloping her hand. Pulling it out, she examined it and all seemed normal. It appeared there was nothing on the other side of the wall of water. Her heart began to race; perhaps this was the way out. Perhaps on the other side was another cave they could pass through.

“Guys!” she called over her shoulder. Nobody responded, they were too busy discussing possible options. “Seriously guys, come over here.”

Though she was pleading, nobody listened, not even Gabe. Looking back to the wall of water, she made a snap decision. If they weren’t going to listen to her, she would have to find another way to make them pay attention. Inhaling and holding the air within her lungs, she closed her eyes, and took a step forward, pushing her body through the liquid. Just as she did so, Gabe happened to look over.

“Rachel!” he shouted, but it was too late, she was gone. He ran to the liquid wall, repeatedly shouting her name, but there was no response.

“What happened?” Sophie called out, rushing to his side, Uri and Haim quickly joining them.

“Rachel, she walked right through, but she’s not answering me now,” Gabe exclaimed.

“What’s do you think’s on the other side?” Uri asked apprehensively.

“Only one way to find out,” Gabe replied, rushing through the liquid, not waiting for his friends to reply.

“Gabe!” Rachel said rushing up, and falling into his embrace.

“How come you didn’t answer me? You scared me to death!” Gabe snapped.

“What? I didn’t hear anything,” Rachel defended herself.

Gabe paused, looking back at the wall, and listening for a moment. “You’re right, I don’t hear the others.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Uri emerged through the water, soon followed by Sophie and Haim. “What the hell was that?” Uri exclaimed, turning and staring at the plate of water, suddenly captivated by the lights that danced within it.

Sophie examined the liquid silently. Reaching her hand back through one again, she gasped when she touched stone just on the other side. “It’s gone …”

“What do you mean?” Gabe asked, “What’s gone?”

“The room we were in, it’s gone, that was a one way portal,” Sophie explained.

“So what’s that mean?” Haim questioned.

Rachel turned away from the wall, “It means we keep moving forward.”

“Not so fast,” Sophie cautioned.

“Huh?” Gabe huffed.

“Let me try something.” Sophie stated, holding up a hand and bellowing, “Illuminare.”

Much to everyone’s surprise nothing happened.

“What’s that mean?” Gabe asked.

“It means that wasn’t just a portal. It was enchanted with a no magic spell. Once we passed through, it meant we could no longer use magic,” Sophie elaborated.

“Why would anyone put that here, inside a mountain nobody knows about?” Rachel inquired.

Sophie considered the question for a second, “If I had to guess, it’s a precaution. A keeper will have a lot easier time protecting a weapon when they don’t have to worry about magic.”

“Are we going to be okay?” Rachel asked, looking to Sophie for the answer. She already knew how Gabe would respond, but she didn’t want anything held back.

“I don’t know.” Sophie replied in a flat tone. Her honesty brought Rachel comfort for some strange reason.

“Do you guys see that?” Uri asked, pointing to a light up ahead.

“I do,” Gabe replied. In an instant they all took off in a full sprint towards the light. “Wait! Stop!” Gabe shouted, coming to a sudden stop. The crew skidded to a halt.

“What’s wrong?” Uri cried, looking at his friend.

“About five more steps and there’s no coming back from that,” Gabe replied, motioning in front of them.

Uri edged himself forward, a dark cliff side coming into focus. Approaching the edge he looked down into a vast ocean of bright red lava.

“Wow, that would’ve been bad.” Uri laughed nervously, backing away slowly.

“Can we jump it?” Haim asked, unable to adequately judge the distance.

“Are you crazy?” Sophie barked. “Maybe one of us makes it, but I doubt even that, and I know Rachel won’t make it.”

Uri looked back and forth, examining the gap. “Well that’s where the light is, and that’s where we need to go, so what do you suggest?”

“I don’t know!” Sophie snapped. “I’m just telling you, trying to jump it is a bad idea.”

“I think I can make it,” Uri reaffirmed, staring at the distance.

“Look man, I know out of all of us, you’re the most likely to succeed at this, but Sophie’s right. It’s too much of a risk. Without magic, if you fall there’s nothing we could do to save you. There has to be another way,” Gabe told his friend, as he gripped his shoulder.

“Too bad we still don’t have that rope,” Rachel grimaced.

“If we can’t go back and we can’t go forward, what are we supposed to do?” Haim was frustrated.

The group was silent for a moment.

“Wait! Look!” Rachel called out pointing up above the water portal. Immediately everyone’s eyes shifted in that direction. “There’s something written there.”

“What’s it say?” Uri asked, squinting in the darkness.

Sophie took a step closer and then read, “
Things aren’t always as they seem.
”

“What the hell does that mean?” Uri barked, even more frustrated.

“It’s a riddle. We just have to figure out what it means and then I think that’s our ticket across,” she offered. Picking up a pebble, she tossed it. The group watched, breathless as it went over the edge and tumbled to the river of lava below.

Uri laughed. “What, did you think, it was a mirage or something? Can’t you feel the heat in here, this feels pretty real sweetheart.”

Gabe moved in between Uri and Rachel, “Back off man, at least she’s trying.”

“And what, I’m not? Is that what you’re saying?” Uri snapped back.