Right!
Wataru ran to the water’s edge and dove in. Lit by the white light, the lake’s water was incredibly clear. Despite this, the irregular depressions in the rock floor made it difficult to find just where the bottom was. Wataru kicked with all his strength, and once he had the creature behind him, he resurfaced.
The creature was facing the Highlanders, spitting out ball after ball of flame. Wataru was now directly behind the creature. This has to be it, he thought
The light. The rocks near the bottom of the lake were practically glowing with it. Driven by some impulse he didn’t understand, he drew his sword. Then, of its own accord, the sword jerked to the right. Okay, I guess I should swim over there. Wataru kicked at the water and dove farther down.
He was coming to the end of his breath. Just a little farther…
Just then, the bottom of the lake came into view. There, in the middle of a small flat patch of rock, was a white gem about the size of a baseball. It was shining with an incredible light.
Wataru reached and grasped it with his empty hand. In his other hand, the Brave’s Sword shone, almost as if it were happy.
Wataru shot toward the surface. His lungs felt like they were ready to explode. The one-eyed creature roared, shaking the cavern with its thunderous voice. Quickly catching his breath, Wataru dove down again. This time he swam fearlessly to the front of the bellowing monster.
Timing was everything. Staying underwater, he held his breath until he was directly in front of the beast. Then he kicked hard and came to the surface, holding the white gem in both hands.
The gem shone brightly—directly into the creature’s eye. That baleful eye opened wide, and a roar of pain rocked the cavern walls. Its two arms rose in a last-minute attempt to shield the eye from the light.
“Now!” Wataru shouted. Trone threw his last spear. It flew true, cutting straight through the air, hitting the eye dead center.
Wrrrrroooowwwr!
The monster howled and flapped its arms and fins, trying in vain to pull out the spear. Like a punctured balloon, the creature began to deflate.
As it dwindled in size, its scream lessened in volume. Slowly the howl became less bestial, and more like the screaming of a person.
Before long, the creature had shrunk down until it was no larger than one of them. Then ever so slowly, it sank beneath the waves, no longer a threat.
Chapter 9
The Escape
Wataru slumped into the water.
“Wataru! Are you okay?” Kee Keema charged in, and yanked him up onto the shore.
When he came to, Wataru was still clutching the glittering gemstone to his breast. The stone glowed with a soft light and seemed warm to the touch.
“What was that thing?” Kutz muttered, glaring at the water. “And all those hands? Anybody ever heard of a monster that’s all hands?”
“The old records say that Cactus Vira called the believers who gathered at his feet his good working hands,” Trone offered.
“Working hands, indeed,” Kutz spat. “I guess they didn’t need brains. Sad that even in death they were bound to follow the every whim of their one-eyed master.”
Just then, on the far side of the lake, another column of water rose. The party jerked to attention, but there was no monster to be seen. Instead, the rock wall of the cavern had began to crumble. Giant chunks of rubble broke free and fell into the water, accompanied by a great overall shaking.
“Run! This place is coming down!” Trone shouted. As if on signal, part of the ceiling gave way with a loud crack, and a boulder the size of a darbaba’s head came crashing down. The rocky protrusions they had used to get here began to fall, as though plucked off the wall by unseen hands. Kutz moved quickly, her whip reaching one of the remaining footholds, but no sooner had her whip wrapped around the pointed end of one stone, than the whole thing broke off and fell. It was all she could do to retrieve her whip.
“Damn it!”
“Everyone, this way!” came Kee Keema’s cry. He stood holding a slab of rock from falling. “We can take shelter here!”
“The ceiling’s coming down!”
Wataru looked up at Kutz’s warning cry. A giant, jagged hole had opened above the underground lake. He could see the stars.
“An exit!” Wataru shouted, as he ran to help Kee Keema.
“And just in the nick of time,” said Kutz, dodging a chunk of rock. “But how do we get up there?!”
“This wall is solid enough to climb…I think,” Trone said, evaluating the situation. They were on the west side of the lake, directly opposite from the way they had entered. There were no large protrusions, but plenty of cracks and crevices that would make suitable handholds.
“I’ll climb to the top and lower a rope to you.” Trone loosened the rope around his waist and made a loop with it. “You’ll have to leave your weapons. Make yourselves as light as possible.”
“Wait, I’ll go!” Wataru said, snatching the rope from Trone’s hand. “I’m lighter than you!”
“Don’t be silly…”
“No, if I fall, you can catch me!”
Wataru leapt on top of the flat slab of rock Kee Keema was holding up, and jumped from there to the wall. He had seen a movie where Jackie Chan had climbed a wall like this. He heard that he really did it—no stuntmen. Well, Jackie Chan is human, Wataru figured. If he can do it, so can I!
Wataru began to climb. His mind went blank. No fear. Pure concentration.
And then he was there, only another two yards to the star-filled hole in the ceiling.
Just then, a particularly large jolt hit the cavern, and Wataru’s center of gravity shifted. His hands, then both his feet, detached from the wall. And just like that, he was cast into space. Below him beckoned the underground lake. He was falling, with the rocks, falling down…
Then something soft and slender wrapped around him. Wataru was floating in midair.
“Grab on!” said a girl’s voice. An arm covered in silky white fur hooked around his waist.
Meena! She was hanging from the hole in the ceiling with a rope tied around her waist. Both of her arms were gripping Wataru tightly. She carried another coil of rope on her back.
“Up my rope! To the top!”
Wataru grabbed the rope at her waist and pulled himself up hand over hand, clambering toward the hole.
Another shock came just as he reached the edge, but Wataru held on and crawled out through the hole. Looking down, he saw Meena hanging just below the level of the ceiling. She was trying to control her swaying motion while lowering the rope on her back. Wataru quickly looked around. He was on the western edge of the chapel ruins. Everywhere he looked things seemed wrong—tilted. The rocky crags around him were crumbling and sloping dangerously. The rope supporting Meena was attached to a rocky projection some distance away. Wataru turned to the hole and held the rope as firmly as he could to help Meena steady herself.
Meena moved her arms in a graceful motion, lowering the rope to Trone and the others. Afterward, she deftly spun in midair, getting a foothold on the edge of the ceiling hole, and flipping up to stand by Wataru’s side.
“Pull! Pull now!”
“Right!”
First Kutz, then Trone came clambering up the rope. By the time they reached the top, it was apparent that the whole place was sinking.
Kee Keema!
“Quickly! Quickly!”
The rope swung over to where Kee Keema stood, and he latched onto it with his powerful arms. He proceeded to dash up the rope. He was the fastest of all of them, but Wataru was still afraid for his safety. Please don’t let him fall!
“Hraah!”
With a triumphant roar, Kee Keema shot out of the hole. The ground shifted and buckled.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Now together, they ran as fast as possible. They didn’t have to look behind them to know that the ground just behind their feet was cracking and falling. Wataru ran holding Meena’s hand,
with Kee Keema tugging on his elbow.
A short distance from the chapel ruins, they reached a small rocky outcrop, about shoulder height to Wataru. “There—that rock!” Trone shouted. “Jump on the other side!”
Meena yanked Wataru’s arm hard, and they jumped through the air so fast it startled him. Just before they hit the ground, she led them in a midair flip. They landed on their feet, knees bent. Touchdown.
All around, dust rose in a great cloud. But the sounds of rock and earth collapsing had stopped. They were safe behind the outcropping.
“Well now, that was a close one,” came Kutz’s voice through the dust. A sudden snort sounded in the whirling sand and grit to her side, and two holes appeared, floating in the air. They were Kee Keema’s nostrils. He and Kutz were both covered with so much dust they blended in perfectly with the debris behind them.
“You okay, Wataru?”
Wataru nodded. He was sitting on the ground, the strength gone out of his legs. He was still holding Meena’s hand.
“Meena?”
“I’m fine,” she said brightly. “But, aren’t we missing someone?”
“That’s right, where is Trone?” Kutz said, looking around. “Trone! Stop messing around and get over here!”
“If you’re that concerned about my well-being, you might try getting up,” said a muffled voice.
Kutz looked down. Everyone’s eyes followed her.
“Oh, my,” Kutz exclaimed. “Sorry about that…”
Kutz was sitting on the tiger-man’s head. She rolled to the side, and Trone rose, his whiskers twitching.
“I’ve never been so frightened in all my life.”
“Oh, really? There are lots of guys who would love to be sat on by me,” Kutz laughed. She stood up, wiped the layer of grit off her face, and put her hands on her hips. “That’s quite the sight.”
Right in front of them—stretching out for about half a mile—was a gaping sinkhole. The ruins of the chapel clung precariously to the edge, but all of the standing timbers had fallen. What once had been the skeleton of a building was now just a pile of rubble.
“Nice of you to drop in,” Kutz said gently, turning to Meena. “You saved our lives.”
Meena lowered her eyes, embarrassed. Her tail was quivering down to its very tip.
“You move light on your feet,” Trone said, impressed, “and you’re skilled with a rope.”
“How did you know we were here?” Kee Keema asked.
Meena flinched. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize about. There was such a commotion when we left, I’m sure you would have heard it all the way from the hospital,” Kutz offered. “And besides, who could blame you for wanting to come help rescue Wataru from certain danger.”
Chapter 10
The First Gemstone
What parts of Meena’s face weren’t covered with soft white fur were glowing a bright red. Wataru felt his own face redden. He realized he was still holding her hand, and quickly let go.
“Well, aren’t you two something,” Kutz said, throwing her head back with laughter. “You’re both red as beets!”
“Leave me alone!” Wataru retorted, when a sudden bright light filled his eyes, and he staggered back.
“What was that? Wataru, that came from your shirt!”
It was just like Kee Keema said. Wataru looked down to find his chest shining with a white light that radiated from inside his shirt.
Wataru gasped. The gemstone! He had tucked it inside his shirt so that it would be safe as he climbed up the cavern wall.
When he pulled it out, the gem glowed in his fingers with a soft, warm light. Then it drifted from Wataru’s hand, defying gravity to float up in the air. They all had to lift their gaze to see it.
Shining brighter than before, the light took the form of a woman wearing white robes. Everyone stood, eyes open wide, unable to speak.
She looked like a nun, or a saint. Except she was very young, and smiling ever so faintly. Her eyes moved, looking at Wataru.
Wataru heard a voice in his head. A young girl’s voice.
—You have freed me. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It was all Wataru could do to blink.
—For too long I was held by Cactus Vira’s evil strength, locked within that lake. Cactus Vira brought me there, hoping to use my power, but I never let him. Nor did I give my blessing to his deeds. That man thought to rule people, to stand above them, to be worshiped by them, all to fill his empty soul. For this he lied and killed—and worse, he locked the spirits of the dead in his cave, and made them serve him even in the afterlife. By saving me, you released those who could not free themselves, and purified this land at long last.
Wataru took a step toward the glowing woman. “Who…who are you?”
The phantom woman smiled a benevolent smile.
—I am the white strength, the Spirit of Healing, the manifestation of a portion of the Goddess’s power.
“The Spirit of Healing…”
Then the phantom woman put her hands together in front of her face, as though in prayer, and closed her eyes.
—And I am the one who opens the way for the Braves whom the Goddess has summoned.
The white light shone brighter for a moment, then began to coalesce into a single point. It became small, like a tiny star, and drifted down until it was level with Wataru’s eyes.
Wataru reached out and cradled the light in his palms. The gemstone, now only as large as a fingernail, shone once more in his hands—then was still.
“The first gemstone,” Wataru said quietly.
With the gem resting on the palm of his left hand, Wataru drew his Brave’s Sword. The indentation on the topmost point of the sword hilt shone once brightly, and the gemstone responded with a faint pulsating glow. He put stone to the hilt—it fit in the indentation perfectly.
The Brave’s Sword glowed from the inside with a gentle light. It was hard to say, but it seemed as if the blade had lengthened at the same time. Yet it felt lighter in his hand, somehow.
—The sword grows with you.
Wayfinder Lau’s voice rang in Wataru’s ears.
No one said a word. The sky was growing light in the east. The dust had settled, and the light of dawn became a single white glimmering line on the horizon. A new day was beginning.
Meena yelped. This time, something was shining at her breast. It was much smaller than the glow of the gemstone, but it radiated the same warm light from under the pink shirt she was wearing.
She reached down her shirt, and pulled up a small compact-size mirror. It was hanging around her neck on a leather strap.
“What’s this?” Meena asked, eyes wide. “Did my lucky mirror just glow?”
“Mirror?” Wataru said, rushing over to her. His Brave’s Sword glimmered again, and light spilled from the mirror.
Wait, does this mean…
“Is that the Mirror of Truth?”
Meena nodded, without looking away from the mirror. “Yes. My parents gave this to me. It’s a good luck charm that has been in my family for generations.”
Kee Keema gave Wataru a slap on the shoulder. “Now you just need to find the star sigil.”
Wataru was lucky. He didn’t even need to look for the Mirror of Truth. It had found him. Wayfinder Lau was right again. Wataru nodded.
They had just started back down the road to Gasara, when Trone stopped, hands on his hips, looking at the ground. “Looks like you won’t need to search long.”
They were standing by the ruins of the chapel. There in the sand amongst the rubble was drawn a large five-pointed star.
Just like the one on the Brave’s Sword.
Chapter 11
The Real World
Wataru stood in the middle of the sigil with Meena’s mirror hanging from his neck. The mirror began to shine.
Though no one had ever told him to do so, Wataru drew his sword and held it over his head. He closed his eyes. The tip of
the blade shone, and the sigil glimmered in response. First white, then red, and then blue. Eventually it changed back to white. Finally, the lines of the giant star-pattern in the earth glowed with a golden radiance, and disappeared.
Wataru opened his eyes.
Darkness. It was pitch black. He was surrounded by darkness so thick he couldn’t even see the ground upon which he stood. Before him, behind him, the Brave’s Sword in his hand, even his nose—he could see nothing.
But there was light coming from the mirror on his chest. It was an odd light that stretched forward like a corridor ahead of him, yet cast no light at all on the surrounding area.
Wataru began to walk. He was alone. His feet made no noise. Outside the tunnel of light was only darkness. Maybe this was the Vale of Eternity of which Wayfinder Lau had told him.
Soon, he saw a man some distance ahead of him, down the corridor. It was Wayfinder Lau! Wataru began to run. “Master Lau!”
Wayfinder Lau did not seem to be in the best of spirits. He looked bored. “Certainly kept me waiting, didn’t you,” he said, yawning. “Didn’t think it would take quite so long for you to find the first gemstone.”
“Sorry! A lot of stuff was going on.”
“No matter, it is done.” The Wayfinder finally smiled. “A bit farther down the Corridor of Light you will find an exit. Beyond that, the real world.”
Wataru swallowed. His throat was dry with excitement.
“It will lead you to the place with the person whom you most wish to meet. There is no need to fear getting lost. Now, go.” Wayfinder Lau gave Wataru a push on the shoulder. “But do not forget. When you hear the bells ring, you must return to the corridor. Your mirror will become more agitated as well. Go back through the tunnel and run, for should it disappear, you will fall into the Vale, never to be seen in either world again.”
Wayfinder Lau cocked his jaw to one side. “I’ll leave now. I will not wait for your return. Listen to the mirror. Be careful, and listen well.”
“I understand.”
Wataru began to run forward. Soon he saw something white in the distance. The exit! There was something white there. White…
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