The next morning, Julia’s eyes were red and puffy; she had been crying. Falcon frowned at that. There had been something wrong for the past few days, and he knew it wasn’t just the experience at Hilltop that was bothering her. But why wouldn’t she talk to him?
Lotus was no help―she knew what Julia was feeling, but she wouldn’t tell him. It wasn’t for her to tell, she kept saying. He crouched beside Julia and sighed as he ran the back of his fingers across her cheek gently.
She woke up, seeming confused for a moment when she saw him. “Is it time to go?”
He nodded. “Why were you crying?” he asked, trying to find the truth in her eyes, but she wouldn’t look directly at him. “Jules… talk to me.”
She sat up and looked at him. Her eyes were filled with emotion, but the only one he could read was sorrow. “I…” she started, but her gaze flickered to something behind him and then fell to her hands. “I’m just homesick,” she mumbled.
“Come on,” he said, standing and holding out his hand to her. “We’ll get you home soon.”
She got up on her own and started packing up her bedroll and blankets without another word.
He continued to watch her, trying to understand. She had wanted to get home since she got to Kelstone, but that had never made her turn away before. She had never shut him out―until now.
As Julia walked away, a hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He looked over at Lotus and sighed. “I wish I knew.”
“You will, when she’s ready,” Lotus replied.
“Why won’t she talk to me?”
Lotus smirked. “Why won’t you talk to her?” she challenged and walked off to join Julia.
Soon, he thought―but right now, they had important things do.
“Isn’t it time?” Julia was asking as he approached.
“Wait. You’ll see,” Lotus said, holding her hand.
Falcon’s frown deepened. Julia wouldn’t let him touch her, but Lotus could. He wondered if he had done something to upset her. He sighed again and let it go as well as he could.
As they waited, Julia noticed Lotus’ eyes, which were glowing slightly in the dark. “Your eyes…”
“Woodlander eyes,” Lotus said simply. “They take in more light than yours do, so I can see better in the dark.” She glanced down at Julia's cat. “Like Jade.”
Suddenly a group of butterflies fluttered into the clearing. They weren’t normal, though. They had an orange glow, and looked like little pieces of flying fire. They swirled around the three of them and up the mountain, rising forty feet to a natural balcony in the rock. They stayed there, flying round and round in a small circle.
Lotus lifted her lute and began playing a slow, almost haunting tune. She sang in an angelic voice:
“Here I stand beneath the moon,
Hollowed is her golden tune,
Luna in a diamond sky,
High above my faithful eye,
Let your beams of radiant light,
Fall upon this gentle night,
Fill my heart with tender glow,
Drift away my sorrows go,
In your cove my life to save,
Grant me entrance to your cave,
Hold me close in rocky arms,
Keep me from all worldly harms.”
The glowing butterflies flew toward them, swerved around, and then disappeared back into the forest. Then they heard a rumble, and saw the rock of the mountain wall adjust, almost melting away to reveal a cave entrance at the top of the balcony.
“This cave was created as a refuge a long time ago,” Lotus told them. “But now I’m sure there will be not-so-nice things inside.”
As they followed the bard up the stairs that had materialized in the mountain along with the door. Falcon glanced back at Jade, who stayed below. “Isn’t Jade coming?”
“No,” Julia answered. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”
Falcon just nodded.
Once they were inside, the opening closed behind them, leaving them to stand in the darkness. Before Julia had time to cast her light spell, Lotus hummed for a couple of seconds and a glowing sphere appeared a few feet above her head. It shone like Julia’s light, but was golden instead of white.
Suddenly, a light blue beam of light flashed toward them and struck Lotus’ shoulder; she staggered back a step, but recovered quickly. She sung out a single, high-pitched note, and there was a loud boom ahead in the tunnel.
They raced forward until Lotus and her light stopped ten feet before the monster that had cast the spell. Now illuminated, they could see the large, floating brown head. It was covered in tentacles, six of which had eyeballs at the ends. There was one large eye in the middle of its face and, below that, a huge mouth full of long, sharp teeth.
Julia sent a fireball toward it, but missed. “What is that?” she asked as she held up her hand, preparing to shoot again.
“Eyhaar,” Lotus answered.
Falcon moved forward with his sword raised. He sliced at it, and one of its eyed tentacles fell to the ground. It bit back at him; he yelled when he wasn’t quick enough and its teeth sank into his shoulder.
Lotus was suddenly beside him, having taken a short sword out of her pack. She slashed at it, and another tentacle fell to the ground.
The eyhaar released Falcon's shoulder, then shot another light blue beam. Julia cried out, and there was a thud from behind him. He took another swing and the eyhaar moved back, avoiding the strike.
“Get behind me,” Lotus commanded.
When he did so, she started humming. The monster shot another spell, but this time it hit an invisible barrier in front of them. Gold lines, like breaking glass, appeared under the impact, then faded away. Lotus sang out another note, lower this time, and gold fell like rain over the eyhaar, covering it in sparkling dust. The eyhaar shook and whirled, trying to get it off, but the gold dust stuck, blinding it.
“Attack,” Lotus told them.
Julia’s fireball shot past Falcon and exploded, sending the eyhaar back several feet. He stepped forward and thrust with his sword, sinking it into the lower left side of the huge head. The monster screeched and Lotus lunged with her blade. They pulled out their swords at the same time and the eyhaar fell to the floor, dead.
Falcon turned around to check that Julia was okay. She walked toward him and seemed to be fine; he, on the other hand, had a bleeding shoulder, which was throbbing painfully. Julia held his face, and he felt the familiar sensation of her healing spell. He watched his wound heal in extreme fast-forward―it still amazed him. “Thanks,” he told her.
She just nodded as she let him go.
“You know,” he said, grinning at Lotus now, “For such a delicate-looking thing, you sure kick some ass.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of practice,” she said.
“Don’t like fighting?”
She shook her head. “Sparring is fun, but I dislike having to kill anything.” She sighed. “Well, are you ready to continue?”
“Yeah, think I’m warmed up now,” he joked. He took the lead, Julia and Lotus flanking him.
The hallway widened into an oval room. There was a tunnel to the east, two to the west, and a larger one heading north. He shot a smirk at Julia. “I don’t think rock, paper, scissors will work this time.”
She forced a smile in return. “Guess not.”
“Well, straight ahead probably leads deeper in,” he reasoned. “But we don’t know where the orb piece is, so we should search the side tunnels first.”
“Sounds good,” Lotus agreed.
“We’ll stay together, though,” he added.
“Obviously,” Julia said. “Anyone who’s seen a horror movie knows not to split up.”
He chuckled. “True.”
“Movie?” Lotus asked.
“Like a painting that moves and tells a story,” he explained.
“Oh!” she said, excited by the idea. “Is that from your Earth?”
“Yeah.”
They tried the tunnel to the west, but it was narrow and ended quickly; it looked as if a cave-in had been the cause.
Next, they took the eastern tunnel, which was closest to where they entered. It was straight and level for a long time, then dipped down slightly before widening and turning north. As they turned a corner, they heard a snort.
By the time the creatures stepped into the light, it was too late to move. Two minotaurs came charging toward them; Julia and Falcon took the blows from the top of their large, bull-like heads. They flew backward, hitting the cavern wall behind them before falling to the ground. Falcon was dazed for a moment before he could get back to his feet.
One of the minotaurs raised a large ax and brought it down with a swoosh toward Julia. Falcon threw himself at her, unthinking, and the ax made contact, tearing a gash in the side of his leg. Just as sharp pain erupted, shooting waves through his body, Julia grabbed him, and he felt the tingling of her healing spell once again. The pain was gone in seconds, and he breathed a sigh of relief, very thankful for her magic.
Realizing that he had dropped his sword, he pulled the dagger out of her belt and stabbed the monster’s thigh. It growled and staggered back a step.
Julia, finished healing him, reached out for the minotaur. A whitish-blue light came from her hands and seeped into his leg with a crackling sound as she cast her shock spell.
When she let go, Falcon took hold of her wrist and pulled her with him, dodging past the beast. Letting Julia go, he picked up his sword and gave her back her dagger, before turning back to the monster.
The minotaur faced him now, towering over him. It stood on two hoofed feet and looked like a huge, muscled human that was covered with shaggy, brown hair. It had a bull head, with long horns that were flat and spiked out at the sides. It pulled its leg back and dragged it across the dirt floor, preparing to charge again.
Falcon stood his ground and waited. “Jules, get back,” he commanded, not taking his eyes off the monster.
Finally, it charged. When it got close enough, Falcon thrust out his sword, letting the monster impale itself on it. As soon as his blade sank in, he let go and quickly moved to the side and out of the way. The minotaur fell forward, landing with a loud crash.
He looked around and saw Lotus standing next to the other minotaur, which was lying dead a few feet from her, covered in fading gold dust. He smiled at her and shook his head in amazement. “You’re something else.”
She returned the smile. “I try,” she said lightly.
With the help of the others, Falcon turned the monster he killed over and retrieved his sword, then led the party west. Moments later, they reentered the main room―the tunnel had just been a loop.
With no other option now, they headed north. The tunnel opened almost immediately into a very large cavern with a floor covered in sticks and other debris. They hadn’t gone far when Lotus called out, her voice echoing in the vast space. “Stop!”
Falcon, in the lead, immediately halted.
She went to his side and kicked at some of the sticks on the ground. When she did so, they fell away, revealing a giant pit below with iron spikes at the bottom.
He swallowed hard. “Thanks.”
She nodded. “No problem.”
Three tunnels led out of the room―one east, one west, and again, a wider one to the north. Falcon was about to suggest starting with the west one when Julia walked carefully around the pit and pointed ahead. “Look. All the walls in here are rough, except that one.” The far wall, through the wide northern pass, had a large, rectangular, smooth patch on its surface.
“Well spotted,” Lotus complimented and headed for Julia. Falcon followed behind her.
Julia got to the wall first, and it opened easily at her touch. Behind it was a small pedestal with the familiar purple pillow and orb piece. “Found it,” Julia called back to them.
As she reached out for the white quarter of the orb, Lotus yelled, “No!”
But it was too late: a trap was activated, and the cave began to shake and rumble.
Lotus turned to Falcon and shoved him with surprising force. He fell back onto the ground, and when he tried to get up, he couldn’t. It was as if he was being kept in place by some invisible force. He met Lotus’ gaze and held it for a few seconds before watching helplessly as the roof of the cave fell in on her.
Rocks rolled out from the collapse; several hit his right leg and arm, and then one hit his head, causing an explosion of pain. Everything blurred, seeming distorted, like being underwater.
Somewhere in the distance, he though he could hear someone calling his name. She was frantic. I’m here, he wanted to say, but he couldn’t manage to make any sound come out. Jules, I’m here…
