Bartholomew Nelson and the World of Zathya: The Prince and The Heir

Chapter 15

The water was extremely warm. Bart had expected as much since he felt the heat emitting from above the water but Charlotte looked surprised the moment they hit the water. They started to swim to the bottom where a white light was shining from a cave under the waterfall. Bart felt the urge to take his time and look at the beauty of the life in this pond. The deeper they swam the more prominent the glowing of the fish became. The fish were all different sizes, some large, some tiny, and some huge. They didn't seem afraid as some of the fish swam right up next to Bart and Charlotte. Some even swam along with them towards the bottom for a few seconds. When Bart looked over at Charlotte, he could tell she was amazed. Her eyes were wide and her head was swaying back and forth as she tried to look at every creature. Bart could still here the battle raging above him and he felt a little guilty for leaving Jason behind. This would be the second time he left someone behind and it was a habit that he was not trying to get into. He started to wonder if Jason's friends had come to help. Bart never asked about them and he didn't know if they were even nearby. As bad as he wanted to start swimming back and help Jason, he knew he had to keep going. Arianna didn't open the passage for nothing and he had to make it to Zathya at all costs. When Bart and Charlotte finally reached the cave they paused. Bart didn't need mind wielding to realize what Charlotte was thinking. They were scared. Both of them were, but Bart started to feel himself losing breath and he knew that fear was the least of his and her worries. Then Charlotte grabbed his hand and they looked at each other. They nodded and swam through the bright light.

What happened next, Bart wasn't entirely sure. He felt a small electrical surge go through his body, he couldn't see for at least a full minute, and the heat started to rise quickly. Then, just as quickly as the light blinded him and the heat toasted him, it all vanished and he was lying on his back inside of a cave. When he opened his eyes and sat up, he could see an exit ahead of him. He looked behind him and there was a wall of water and somehow it wasn't flooding into the cave as if it was behind a glass barrier. He stood up and dusted himself off as he walked towards the water. The heat was still there and Bart could feel it on his face as he got closer. It was still crystal clear and Bart could still see the fish on the other side of wall. He stuck his hand out slowly and to his surprise, he could put his whole hand into the water. As he smiled he thought of how amazing this place was.

"Charlotte," he called out after turning back around. She was just getting up and brushing herself off. At first Bart hadn't noticed it but as he looked at her he realized she wasn't wet at all. Her hair still looked just as dry as when they were above the water. He touched himself and realized his clothes were just as dry and somehow even after he just stuck his hand in the water, his hand was dry again. "Crazy," he said completely astonished by everything around them.

"What are you hiding?" Charlotte suddenly asked him. Her gaze was cutting knives at him and he knew it was because she didn't believe a word he had said about the "magic trick".

"Nothing, I don't remember the whole conversation, that's all," he said casually. She continued to squint her eyes and stare at Bart but since she stayed silent Bart assumed she was going to let it go for now. "Well I guess we should just start walking then," he suggested. After a couple seconds of some harsh staring, Charlotte sighed and agreed. "Really wish Jason was here right about now," he said starting to regret not running into Arianna sooner. Directly in front of them was the exit to the cave, with no visible features on the other side. Just like when they were swimming down to the cave, a bright white light was shining from the exit. Behind them was the pond from which they came.

"We can do this," Bart said finding his confidence. "We have to do this." The two friends looked at each other and Bart could tell that Charlotte was a little hesitant. Of course he believed she had a right to be, but he knew that he couldn't show his hesitance anymore. He had to be a leader. He couldn't let anyone else down. His mother, Victoria, Jonah, Mr. Cole, and Jason were all casualties of his failures. Now was his time to make amends. He turned to her and gave her a smile that was clearly a way of hiding his fear. She didn't catch on and she smiled back. Together they stepped into the light once more.