Celeste tied her hair back and
examined the murky pool. Looking up, she saw John William fidget.
“You, you aren’t
actually going to swim in that… are you?” he asked.
“According to the
maps, there is a secret entrance under the falls. Since we don’t have time to
search for another way in, the water is our only option. So, that means we are
both swimming in that.”
John William
hesitated. “Well then, in the water we go.” He unwound his scarf and stuffed
his bag in his coat. “To keep the sludge away from my tools,” he explained.
“It’s really not so bad.” She cautiously waded
in to her knees and looked back.
“Here goes
nothing….” John William cringed and walked in. His feet instantly sank in the
mud. “Not so bad – once you get past the stench and the slimy muck creeping up
your trousers.”
“John William, I’m
surprised; I thought you were a real explorer.” Celeste shot him a feisty grin
and dipped under the water, drenching her hair.
She came up in
time to see him wince. “Of course I am,” he said. “This is nothing. I have
dealt with far worse conditions! Now let’s get moving.” Pinching his nose, he
plunged into the pool.
Celeste followed,
but it was too dark to see anything. The water slithered through her fingers as
she glided past her friend. She concentrated, and her hair glowed. It gave the
water a luminescent red hue, lighting the way to a cave in the distance. The
waterfall thundered over their heads as they swam underneath.
Celeste eagerly
pointed at the underwater cave. As she glanced over her shoulder, a large
shadow dashed by. John William’s eyes grew wide. They weren’t alone in the
water. They grabbed each other’s arms and paddled to the surface. The two of
them popped up on the other side of the waterfall next to a steep rock wall.
“There’s something in the water!” He gasped for air.
“What? What did
you see?” She had only sensed its evil.
“I’m not sure,
exactly – it was just a shadow.” He rubbed water out of his eyes. “That! That’s
what I saw!” He pointed at primitive pictures of a giant snake with the head of
a dragon carved into the rock.
“That’s the
Hellion; it lived in the underwater caves at the time of Azra. Maybe you saw
something else,” she said.
John William froze.
“Something brushed my legs. Did you feel it?” Before she could answer, something
yanked him underwater. She ducked down in time to see him gaping at the massive
snake coiled around his legs. He swallowed water, fighting. But with each
squirm and kick, the grip became tighter. The Hellion’s fiery red eyes peered
through the murk. Stunned, she watched the Hellion squeeze the life out of her
friend’s body.
She hovered over them just beneath the surface,
feeling helpless. What could she do?***
Celeste is a wonderful friend to have around in a sticky situation - she is a bright spirit and empyrean wizard. Find out what she does to save John William from the Hellion.
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