Guardians: The Last Elder

Chapter 21: The Cave of Jeweled Waters

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
~ John Green (The Fault in our Stars)

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Miss Feathers flew off somewhere and I worried if I had lost the only pet I had ever owed. Kace assured me that the bird would come back to me when she felt like it. Magical creatures often had free-spirited souls that didn't like being caged but their loyalty was unwavering. When we reached the edge of the forest, the sun had considerably risen upwards, although a certain chill remained in the air from the night – a sign of approaching winter.

Josh let out a shrill whistle and our rides almost appeared instantly. We all climbed up quietly, each one of us preoccupied with our thoughts. I barely registered the early morning beauty of the city when there still lingered the quiet of the previous night and it felt like the hazy blanket of sleepiness hadn't quiet lifted.

It was only a matter of time before we landed behind the Fort and then made our way back to our rooms the exact way we sneaked out. Thankfully, we didn't face any obstructions on the way.

"We obviously have a lot of things to discuss. But I think we can all agree we need some sleep. We'll meet after training," Vanessa said before the four of us parted ways to go to our respective rooms, tiredness from being awake all night evident on our faces.

I collapsed on my bed and instantly closed my eyes, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. I dreamed again, I think, although I could no longer remember what it was about.         

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I groaned as I dragged my feet out of the dining hall, desperately hoping for another round of sleep, especially after the fulfilling breakfast that we had. Josh, Kace and Vanessa looked no better.

We all gathered in a large hall where standing waiting for us were Mrs Becker and three other male coaches, although one didn't really look human – he had curling horns sprouting from his head and goat legs. A satyr, I realised.

Mrs Becker blew her sharp whistle and called everyone to attention. "We'll start with the usual stretching exercise and then you all can move for your favored weaponry and practice. So, go on everyone, take your positions. Coach Ravenoak is going to lead you through the first round..."

I didn't get to hear the rest of Mrs Becker's words as I abruptly felt Josh's hand slip onto mine. I looked at him surprised but his gaze was focused on Vanessa and Kace. He leaned towards Kace and whispered something in his ears. Kace nodded and shot a smirk at me. I scrunched my eyebrows, wondering what was going on.

"Josh--" I started but was cut-off when he suddenly tugged me forward. He pulled me towards the open doors of the hall just as everyone was moving around, trying to find their allotted positions. Still completely mystified, I followed as the both of us slipped past the doors, Mrs Becker and the coaches completely oblivious about it as they were busy organizing everyone into lines.

"What's going on? What are you doing? Josh?" I asked as we ran away from the hall and away from everyone.

He looked back at me and threw me a mock glare. "Good gracious, you sure like to ask a lot of questions. Just keep quiet and follow me for once in your life, yeah?"

I was about to reply but bit it back and did as he asked. Finally, as we weaved through the corridors of the Fort which were finally starting to look a little familiar, I could no longer hold back. "But shouldn't we be training? Won't they realise we sneaked out?"

"I asked Kace and Vanessa to cover for us if something happens. But don't worry. They won't notice two people missing in that large crowd."

"Where are we going, Josh?"

"You'll see," was all he said in reply.

Out of nowhere, I had the strangest feeling in my belly. I furiously tried to calm down my racing heart and that wriggly feeling in my stomach, not allowing my imagination to get the better of me as it finally sank in that the two of us were ditching and sneaking out...all alone. And, God help me, I couldn't figure out what for.

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He led me down to the dungeons, of all places.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.

But nonetheless, I decided not to question him and followed him obediently, swallowing down my rising nervousness, which I wasn't sure was whether a result of the creepy darkness or the strange foreign emotion welling inside of me.

I looked around nervously at the walls that almost seemed haunting with the golden glow of the distantly spaced oil lamps. Stone walls with low arching ceiling enveloped us, a heavy quietness dampening the atmosphere. There was no one guarding the entrance to the dungeons and all the prison rooms were empty, dust and moss creeping over the metal bars over the years.

"Josh," I started nervously as he led me forward.

"Trust me, Ava. I'm not going to kill you, I swear. Just follow me," Josh said, looking at me over his shoulder.

I frowned but nodded as he paused for a second, looking around. Then, he moved to his right and started tapping the wall. He's lost his mind, I thought. But then abruptly, a low groaning sound broke the quiet. I gasped as the walls parted and a small archway appeared. Beyond that, I couldn't see anything because it was so completely dark, until Josh brought out a torch. I smiled when I realised it was the same one I handed it over to him last night.

He shone it through the archway where a flight of stairs seemed to have been made out of stone. He held out his hand to me and asked, "Ready?"

I nodded, even though I wasn't sure what it was I needed to be ready for.

We climbed down the stairs carefully, my hand still clutching his. He didn't let go so I assumed I didn't need to either. In that moment, I had a brief sense of déjà vu.

Soon though, the stairs became more of rocks with some footholds here and there. After a few minutes of clambering down awkwardly, I heard a curious sound. I paused, straining my ears. Josh stopped too and said, "You can hear it, can't you?"

"Yeah. Is it...water?"

He just smirked. 

I rolled my eyes at the continuous vague answers he was throwing at me. However, after a while, it became clear it was indeed the sound of water. I was about to exclaim, "Ha! I knew it was water!" when abruptly, the rocks we were descending gave way to a more or less flat ground. The both of us found ourselves in a short, narrow tunnel, from the end of which strange glimmering lights were visible.

With a mixture of excitement and confusion, I rushed ahead with Josh, although we had to bend a little because of the restrictions of the small tunnel.

Finally, at the end of the passageway, Josh paused, turning to face me. He spread out his hands and gestured dramatically, "I, Josh Bradford, present to you Ava Young, the Cave of the Jeweled Waters."

With barely restrained excitement that was edging on giddiness, I burst inside and immediately let out a gasp. Before me, was one of the largest caverns I've ever seen, its ceiling soaring above, some sort of writings and sketches etched in it but it was too far to make them out. A small waterfall was cascading down the rocks and boulders and emptying into a large pool. Vines and ivy grew everywhere, blanketing everything in emerald green. But the most astonishing part was the light reflecting off the pool, making rainbows dance in the walls and ceiling.

I edged closer to the pool and sure enough I could see all sorts of jewels embedded in the sand below.

I was pretty certain my jaw was touching the floor by now. I turned around, still completely awed, when I felt Josh come closer behind me. And sure enough, he had sneaked up behind me, except now his hands were gingerly holding a bright blue sapphire and there was almost a nervous expression on his face, hinting on shyness, as he held it out to me and said, "Happy birthday, Ava."