Chapter 28

cave continue

I was stumping out fire with my one hand because the other one was useless and in so much pain. Tears rolls over my cheek, this pain is unbearable but I have to go on if I want to make it out.  It's unreal to think that I just finished the second task.
            The smell of burned hair filled the air and hope that it is not my eyebrows or a patch on my head missing. When the light came on in the third room my tears disappeared instantly. My heart started to pound again not knowing what to expect next because there were two doors standing in front of me. New words appeared on the wall. It is another riddle, one I hope I would get.

            "There is two doors. One leads to the fourth cave the other to purgatory. The door that leads to the fourth cave is the one guarded by the old man telling the truth. The other door that leads to purgatory is guarded by his twin that always lies. One exact question you may ask but be careful for the question can only be a yes or no. Beware, they don't know time or space and your question may not be link to whether they are related."
            I have to ask them the same question.
            A yes or no answer to find which one was guarding the  door that leads to fourth room.
            Questions filled my mind immediately. If I ask the one are you guarding the door to the fourth chamber both of them will say yes, so that type of question is out. I can't ask them personal questions either or the time because they don't know what time is. Yes or no answers. My mind suddenly went blank.

            This cannot be happening to me and I force myself to concentrate on Lucian's words. "Come back to me Elena." He begged them and I nod my head.
            Think.
            If I was hiding the door to purgatory and lie, what question can I lie about that can give the answer away.
            It has to be about the doors, it can't be anything about the two men or their relations. Doors. One is hiding the fourth cave, the other one hiding purgatory. I know it is in me somewhere. I could feel it, taste it on the tip of my tongue. Are you guarding the door of truth, no. Are . . . both doors. My body went through an ocean of needles and pins. I might have it.

             I must ask them both the same question.  One question that has the same words. I turn over the hour glass again and two small crazy men appear.
            They were skinny as if they haven't eat in years and were missing a couple of teeth. They smelled really bad and I was starting to make gagging sounds and think how Becky would have break herself in two again. They each had long beards and hair with only a scruffy rag covering their private parts. When they saw each other they started to scold one another. Cussing and fighting. How could one of them be capable of telling the truth.
            "Do both doors lead to the fourth cave" I ask the first one carefully that I don't slip up.
            "No" the one on the left answer and the other one on the right answered yes. They started to fight again as they disagree.
            "I chose the door on the left" I yell and it opened up.
            I slip quickly past the crazy men that was starting to go mental on each other and through the door. It closed immediately after me and I was dumbstruck to found myself outside. It was a weird place. Mist and fog covered everything and I barely made out the shape of a small wooden row boat. It was surrounded by plants and trees that grows near a swamp. The Night Villain jumps to my mind. What if I have to fight a Night Villain.

            I ran towards the boat and cuss as the man inside the boat sleeping startled me. He wasn't an old man like the two in the third cave but smelled the same and resembles a lazy fisherman with a hat covering his head.
            "Excuse me" I shake him softly.
            He woke up angst-ridden and grab the boat for balance.
            "Jeepers miss, what are you doing here" he asks in a frantic tone but smiled as he realized where he is. "Ah, you come to take a look at your future, maybe present or past."
            "What is it I have to do." I holding my shoulder that was pounding, ignoring his remark.
            "You got hit."  I nod my head. "That balls are sure a bummer. It was my idea" he boost and I felt like kicking him but scared if I do, he won't help. "Hop in, I will take you to the final task." I got into the boat and closed my eyes. I don't know how long I have been away.
            "So, you want to visit the millpond" he asks.
            "No, I am here for the pleasure of it" I was sarcastic.
            "Oh that is a new one" he replies as if he has no idea what sarcasm was. "Have we met."
            "No" I said with a frown.
            Crazy man.
            "Must have mistaken you for someone else then" he replies. "Beside once you enter, you can never come back or get out." He started to fold himself in two at his lame joke and I just stare at him. I think he inhaled too much fog or something.
            The trip to the other side felt long. My head start to ache with his nonstop babbling. I jumped every time something bumps into the boat, maybe this is the fourth task.
            "Don't worry miss, it is the lost souls that wasn't worthy enough to complete the last task. They won't hurt you" he assures me.
            My heart was pounding and my eyes felt as if they are going to pop out of their sockets. Dead people. I pulled my gaze away from the water and stare at the idiot.
            "What is the fourth task" I ask trying to forget about the lost souls.
            "You will get the assignment on the other side" he replies and just kept rowing. Doesn't he ever get tired?
            It was hours before we hit something and manage to see some land through the  mist. I got out.
            "Good luck" he chants and start rowing back.
            "Wait, what if I need to get back" and he laughs.
            Idiot. I turn around and couldn't see anything in front of me because of all the fog. I tried to wave it away but was wasting my time. My heart was pounding again and I grab one of my axes for protection.
            I don't like this feeling of not knowing what might attack me and not to see meant that I should rely on my senses that I never had to do before.
            Lucian was right, I am not cut out for fighting with a dragon, especially one that spits acid.
            "Good day Elena Watkins" a deep voice rumbles in front of me. A strong force starts to pull me forward. I tried to stop with my shoes and hate that they are ankle deep in yucky mud.  "A true maiden." The a strong wind blows into my face and I almost fell over.  When I open my eyes, the fog was gone. In front of me was a huge dragon.       
            I have never seen anything like him before. My head start to thumb softly as I squint my eyes to make sure that my eyes are not playing tricks.       
            It almost looked as if he stole a rainbow and made a suit out of it. Vertical stripes covered his entire body and it looks like it's all the colors of the world. 
            "Hey" was all I could get out.
            "Here to take a look at my millpond" he asks and I nod my head. "But you can't even speak Latin or so the keeper tells me. He had to lend you the gift." I frown.
            "Thank you for that" I remember Blake's words as he ask me if I understood him.
            "Appreciation. It is a rare quality. You will be one of my most prized possessions. He says as if I have failed the final task already. Come in," he sings politely and I walk up to a massive gate. It almost resembled the one at Dragonia. They moved open slowly and I followed the dragon.
            The hill was steep and he was really friendly but didn't put my axe away. When we reach the top I saw that  it was some sort of a castle. In front of the castle was the most beautiful garden I ever saw. There were cupid and dragon statues surrounded by trees carrying fruit and a beautiful big pond with steam emerging from it. It reminds me of the Garden of Eden from the bible. It was night time and there were young women playing with each other. One was more beautiful than the other. They all wear garments that made me think of the ancient Greek era, looking like goddesses.
            "You know I can take away your pain for a small price" he says in a sly tone.
            "What is the price" I ask as the pain was moving towards my back.
            "No, you have to trust me Elena. First I will heal it and then I will ask something in return."
            A voice deep down inside of me said no. Hell it screamed no.
            "No, I will bear with it thanks for the offer."
            "Are you sure, they might have to cut it off the longer you wait" he says again. It was tempting to give in but I came here for one thing and that is to look in the pensive. It might be the final task, not to give in.
            "No" I reply again.
            "So be it. Your final task is this. I need to know the answer before sunrise" he says.
            "Before sunrise" I ask and he nods his head.
            "It is greater than God and more evil then the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you will die. What is it?"
            "You are asking me a riddle" I sound upset. As if all the other riddles wasn't enough.
            "Oh I love riddles, you have until sunrise otherwise if you don't know it you will stay here" he answers ignoring my anger and vanish.
            I realized what the Sacred Cavern is all about, it was a cave full of riddles and brain teasers. The people on the other side is afraid of nothing and I also know why no dragons can enter. Because they are very smart.
            I tried to think about the answer. I am so tired and in so much pain that it was hard.
            I started to cry as I realize I don't know what it is. I sit down at a rock and watch the maidens play in the dragon's garden. I wonder what would have happened if it was Becky and not me entering those wooden doors. Would he have let her in or ate her up and chuck her in the lake with all the other lost souls. It was probably why his breath was so powerful. He could smell whether I was still a virgin.
            I think of Lucian again. I gave him my word but feel so tired. I can't think anymore about riddles.
            My mind went blank for a long time. When it reboots my mom jumps into my mind. I will never know who she is. Somehow it switched over to the Bible and God because it is link to Him. What is greater than God?
             Could it be a dragon?
            A dragon might be more evil then the devil too but how can the rich need a dragon and the poor have a dragon. It didn't make sense.
            I was contemplating about everything for hours. I am ready to give up and will never see Lucian again. I wonder if Paegeia gets destroyed, will they find all of the maidens and the dragon here?
            I must have dozed off for an hour or so and when I woke up I got scared again.
It felt as if I have done this for nothing. I have really gave it my all only to strike a blank now. It is not fair.
            I saw the maidens playing again. They are not so curious anymore about me like they were in the beginning.
            I think back to the numerous times dad read from the Bible, right before we go to bed. Knowing what he was makes it sound ridiculous. A dragon reading from the Bible. He used to tell me that nothing was greater than God or more evil then the devil.
            I stop as my heart started to raise. Could the answer be nothing. The poor have nothing and the rich need nothing and if you eat nothing you will die.
            I jump up, over excited as I know it is the answer. It must be the answer and the maidens in the garden froze at my rejoice.            
            I look at them and then they started screaming hysterical. I turn around with my axe still in my hand thinking that there is something behind me ready to attack but there was nothing. Alert made my heart bouncing in my chest and my arm in so much pain that I could hardly see what's in front of me, staring at absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The earth starts to rumble and I fell down. It was the dragon running that made the ground beneath me shook. He came to a halt inches from me.
            "You got the answer" he roars.
             "Yes" I whimper.
            "What is it." All his friendliness where gone.
            "Nothing" I reply s**t scared.
            Fire came out of his nostrils as he was throwing a huge fit like a two year old while I crawled in fetus position. When he calmed down his whole garden was up in flames. I just look at it, not believing that he just destroyed it.
            "It has been a long time since anybody got one of my riddles. But a deal is a deal" he got hold of his temper and grabbed my whole body with his front claws and starts to fly. He took me up another mountain and put me down gently.
            There was a small forest . I got up to my feet as he went to lay down.
            "That path leads to a magical millpond right in front of a waterfall" his tone was calm as if the tantrum never happened.
            "You have one hour to ask one question. Make it clear otherwise you might not like what you see. Remember it can be of the past, present or future."
            I nod my head and walk straight down the path he pointed at. It has a mystical ambience. The ground was slightly misty but not as much as the lake. I could see the green grass next to the path. This place is nothing I have ever seen before.
            I found the waterfall and it took my breath away. It wasn't big but it was beautiful.
            I crouch down and look at my reflection. Will my friends still be waiting if I get outside. I start to think about my question. I need to make it clear. Today's date was Friday the eleventh. I will ask where the sword is on the night of Friday the eleventh. If it shows me nothing I know it doesn't exist anymore and we can go home waiting for doomsday.
            I sigh. I hope that it still exist.
            "I need to see where the King of Lions swords is on the evening of Friday the eleventh of May" I ask fast and forced my eyes open.
            The water became like a movie screen. My heart was jumping with joy as I see it safely tight up in a cloth bind with strings. It zooms out after a couple of seconds showing the inside of a jacket. It zooms out again to a man in his forties with a crooked nose as if it was broken way too many times. He had grey mixed with dark brown hair. He was flying on top of a dragon. It was a Sun-blast. I could see the scenery from the sky above and I know it wasn't the way we came. They just landed on top of a mountain. When his dragon let him slide off his wing he took a small path to what looked like a volcano.
            Nothing makes any sense until I see that he was in a trance. I didn't know what compelled looked like but I was positive that he was compelled. He enters the volcano. He didn't even care that he was busy melting and kept walking as if he felt nothing. I see his hand pushing away his jacket and taking out the sword that was bind up with strings.  He started to untie it and the strings turns into ash before it even hits the floor. The cloth was next and then he chucks the sword into the volcano, watching while he was melting away.

            It stopped and I got what I came for. The dragon was still waiting.
            "We need to talk Elena."
            "Sure" I reply trying my best to forget about my broken shoulder.
            "I will now take you back to the entrance. I am sorry about my behavior earlier. It is not always that I get a true maiden that is worthy of the fourth task and it has only happened five times before you that I have to let go. I don't part easily with maidens so you can imagine that it is hard for me to part ways with you." He spoke to me as if I was the love of his life. It was really creepy. "You will sign a book. The keeper carries it with him. It's like a promise and you must never tell anyone what you saw in here, otherwise I will claim your first born. Your name in the book seals the deal. You may tell them what it is you have seen in the millpond, if that is your wish but nothing more. What you seen in the Sacred Cavern must stay with you till the day you die."
            "I promise" I understood why not one of them ever break it, especially the queen.
            "You can't tell them about the promise you just made either. About nothing Elena" he makes double sure that I don't forget that. "Not even hints. I can use the millpond at anytime and will know when you have broken that promise." I nod my head.
            He stretch his wings again and grabs me the same way he did earlier. This is so embarrassing and I was glad that I could not say anything about what happened here.
            He took me back the way I came, flying so fast that I closed my eyes. I was waiting for him to hit something. He was so huge but we hit nothing. He stops and put me gently down. "You sure you don't want me to heal that shoulder of yours" he ask one last time.
I shake my head. He might want my freedom and I am so close to it. He turned into a man, a really beautiful man with a glint of the rainbow in his eyes with auburn hair. His body was to die for and ask me the same question again. I closed my eyes knowing that it's his final attempt to keep me here. I shake my head one last time. "Farewell my fair maiden" he said and bow his head. The door opens up and I just hope my friends are still waiting for me outside.

            Tears filled my eyes as I know in just a few seconds I will see Lucian's face again. It was only a crack width and I huff thinking that he wasn't kidding when he said he takes it extremely hard to part ways. I squeeze myself through the opening crying as the pain in my shoulder got worse and the first person to grab me was Becky.
            I cried out of the pain and she let go as if I was a hot potato.
            "What happened" she asks and look at me frantic.
            "My shoulder."
            "You got hurt" she asks and I nod my head. "And they let you out" she yells surprised while pulling me away from the doors. All of their eyes were huge.
            "No I had to finish" I reply confused.
            "You finished" and I nod my head. What is going on with them.
            "Elena, you just went in a minute ago" Blake answers.
            "What" I ask and see that it is still night. Lucian got himself free from whatever holds him to the ground and he hugs me the same as Becky.
            "Ouch!" I cried out and he saw my arm. I was crying now and confused of the minute thing. I know that I wasn't in there for a minute. I saw the freaking sun came up.
            "You dislocated your shoulder, how?"
            "I can't tell you Lucian" I said as the tears were rolling down my face and he sigh as he wipe them away, kissing me so many times.
            "We have to push you shoulder back.”
            "Wait, you said you finished" Arianna asks in her bitchy tone.
            "Yes, I know where the sword will be."
            "It still exist" and I nod my head.
            "You really finished" Lucian asks with a smile and I nod my head.
            The wind starts to blow heavy and followed by a loud thud. The keeper came back and we all bow down again. He stopped me with one of his front paws.
            "Not you" he said and he bow his head towards me. He stayed like that for a small moment and got back up. I look over my shoulder at Lucian and he bow down his head again. I  did the same. "Well done Elena Watkins."
            A book appears out of nowhere and hold it out towards me. I swallowed hard knowing what that book is because the rainbow dragon told me about it. I took it from him, forcing myself to let go of my other arm.
            It wasn't a big or a thick book, it looked really like any ordinary one you would use to write in. I open the page and saw the five names of the five women that made it out. I then start to look for a pen.
            "Does anyone have a pen" I ask and they all chuckle as none of us brought a  stupid pen.
            "You don't need a pen Elena" the keeper said. "Give me your hand."
            It was shaking a little in his big claw which felt like ice and then he slashes my wrist. Blood was oozing out and I thought that this was it. There is no way I am going to make this alive. The blood squirt on the blank pages destroying the other five names and he closed the book. He took my wrist and sealed my wound with something that looks like a small laser coming out of his claw. It left a small scar.
            It was a weird feeling and didn't burn at all, they way I thought it would. I look for it a long time and know that it was some sort of magic.
            He showed me one more time the book and the stain my blood should have make was gone. In its place was my name, Elena Watkins and the date written in small beautiful red letters.
            I saw the one above me.
            Catherine Squire and the date was Eighteen forty two. He shut the book and bow one more time before he took off.
            Lucian was the first one that reached me and give me a long kiss. He then look at my wrist and gently stroke over my scar with his finger.
            "We have to move" Blake said.
            "She is hurt Blake" Lucian and Becky speaks the same time. I was glad she was back in my corner again.
            "We have to get it now."
            Lucian was really pissed at his tone and the two of them were in each other's personal space.
            "Don't fight, it is no use" I yell at both of them.
            "What do you mean it is no use" he wanted to know.
            "Because I don't know where it is right now" I snap back.
            "Then when Elena."
            "Tomorrow night" I reply.
            "We have to wait a whole night" he grunts.
            "Deal with it" Lucian snaps and lift me up in his arms and carries me down the steps. The others set up camp while Lucian and George pushed my shoulder back into its socket.     He gave me his belt to bite on and I scream out of pain that lead to tears. It hurts like hell and felt the click. Tears were streaming down my face but Lucian was really gently. Afterwards he puts it in a sling he made of his shirt and pulled me on top of his lap.
            I never felt save and tired at the same time.
            New tears arrive as it sinks in what I did tonight. I accomplish something only five women did and the only one alive that knows what goes on behind those doors, but I promised on the life of my first born not to reveal any of it to anyone else.
            I fell asleep as Lucian's rocking started to become more than just soothing. I could feel how he took me inside a tent and lay me down gently on a sleeping bag.
            Then everything fell silent.