At least we’re out of that sweltering room, he said as he batted his grand, ebony wings.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean we’re in the clear just yet,” I reminded him.
“What was that, Cole?” Vesta whispered as her silver serpent easily slithered in circles on the surface on the water. “Did you say something?”
“Just talking to Alexander,” I replied.
“W-Which way do we go?” Penelope gasped in a panicked voice. “I-I can’t f-feel my f-fingers.”
“Neither can I,” Akira growled. “That bitch couldn’t roast us to death, so now she wants us to freeze down here.”
As the witches muttered amongst themselves while trying to keep warm, I closed my eyes and tried to think of a plan.
“Cole?” Faye asked in a soft tone. “Are you alright?”
“Yes… I’m thinking,” I replied as I opened my eyes. “We can either go forward or head backward. The only thing is… I’m not sure which way to take.”
“Can’t we use the periculum incantation to sense which way leads to danger and the other to safety?” Penelope suggested.
“It’s a clever idea in theory,” Morgana gulped as she tried to keep her head above the freezing, murky water, “but something tells me there’s danger lurking in every corner of this mine.”
“But perhaps one danger could be easier to defeat than the other,” Vesta suggested as she kept her head floating above water with no trouble at all, and her sage green hair fanned out behind her on the surface like an emerald oil spill.
“She's right.” Faye nodded with trembling, pale lips. “Why don’t we try to sense what lies at each end of the tunnel?”
“I’m in,” Beatrix said as she swiped dark strands of wet hair out of her eyes, “I think it’s the best idea.”
“Me, too,” I answered after a moment of deliberation. “Alright, let’s do it.”
It was going to be an arduous task to accomplish, considering how freezing cold the water was. I knew keeping a clear head and concentrating would be a challenge for all of us, but we had no other choice.
So, I narrowed my eyes and then stared upstream.
Periculum.
I tried to picture what laid north of the narrow, underground river, and as I strained to focus, I thought I could see a dead end a few miles up ahead. It was just a cold stone wall where the water ended, and there was no surface to climb upon. I cursed under my breath, because now we had no other choice but to head down in the other direction, and for some reason, I couldn’t see anything that way. I tried again, but I couldn’t get a clear picture of anything downstream.
“Are any of you sensing any danger in the other direction?” I asked. “I could just see up ahead, and it seems like it’s a dead end.”
“I felt that, too.” Faye erratically nodded.
“Same here,” Vesta purred, and her silver eyes glinted like coins in the dim light.
“Well, looks like we don’t have any other choice,” Morgana breathed with wide, blue eyes. “We’re going to have to take our chances going downstream. If we don’t start swimming, we’re going to drown or die from hypothermia.”
“I know,” I said as I began to swim. “Everyone, follow me and keep your eyes peeled.”
We swam as fast as we could through the glacial water, but it was tough for me to swim with one hand pushing through the water while the other was above the surface, lighting the way. The others were swimming in the same fashion, but their wands were not lit. They were simply holding them above the surface for protection, in case something, or someone, attacked us out of nowhere. At this rate, we could be paddling for hours, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.
“Is anyone sensing anything?” Beatrix asked as we slowly pushed onward several minutes later.
“Not a damn thing,” Penelope huffed. “So fucking annoying.”
“Hopefully, we’ll find dry land soon,” Vesta commented, and her voice was as light as a feather. “I’m not particularly fond of this grimy, freezing water. It’s probably terrible for my complexion and hair. ”
“None of us like the situation, princess,” Penelope snorted.
“Princess?” Vesta gasped. “You don’t have to be so rude--”
“Focus,” I interjected. “Keep repeating the periculum incantation in your heads. Maybe the way will become clearer in time.”
“I-I think I’m sensing something,” Faye suddenly blurted out, and then we all stopped paddling at once. “I can’t be entirely sure, though.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said in a rushed voice. “What do you see?”
“I think it’s… aqua dragons,” she whispered with wide, green eyes, “and they’re coming closer.”
“Aqua dragons?” Akira repeated. “Just what the hell are those exactly?”
“Water serpents,” Faye answered. “One bite, and you’re as dead as Mathilda Greenhorn.”
As the words left the redhead’s full lips, I sucked in a sharp breath of air as a vision of two long serpentine creatures swimming in our direction came into my head. They had slim, muscular bodies and were covered from snout to tail in dark emerald scales. Their eyes were small, glowing slits, and they were at least twenty-five-feet long.
The witches all looked at one another with white faces and blue, trembling lips, and I knew they could all see the same vision in their minds, too.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“W-We can kill them with h-hydra-poison,” Faye said through chattering teeth.
“And where the hell are we going to get poison?” Penelope shrieked as she slapped the surface of the frigid water. “Do you happen to always carry a vial of it wherever you go?”
“It can be made,” Faye snapped. “Here, shut up and help me! Morgana, keep me afloat while I do this.”
Morgana did as she was told, and she quickly recited a spell that kept Faye floating in the water.
“It won't last forever,” Morgana said, “so you’re going to have to be quick!”
The redhead nodded, scooped up water in her palms, and looked down at the puddle with severe concentration. Then she muttered an incantation with her eyes squeezed shut, and it caused the water to pool in the cusp of her hands and not spill through her fingers.
“What do we need to do now, Faye?” I asked.
“Cut into your hand,” she ordered, “then spill the droplets into my palms.
“Do you need anything else?” Morgana asked with terrified, wide blue eyes.
“I need a strand of someone's hair,” Faye replied as she looked around. “Vesta, your hair is the most unique. Add it to the water quickly!”
“Alright,” the elvish witch sighed before she tugged a few sage-green strands from her head. “For the greater good.”
As soon as the hair was added, Faye closed her eyes and then began to mutter another spell.
“Sit mihi venenum naturae gustare celia,” she hummed with her eyes lowered, and the moment the last word fell from her lips, she looked up at me with a resolute and determined gaze. “Light it on fire, quickly!”
I stared at the small flame on the tip of my wand and quickly focused.
Motus.
The light from my wand drifted into the air and then formed a small ball of fire. It hovered toward Faye, and in my mind, I willed it to burn the small brew in her hands, but not the redhead’s skin. An instant later, the flame scorched Vesta’s green strands of hair, floated for a moment on top of the red puddle, and dispersed into nothingness.
“Now, when we see the dragons, we must throw the potion into their eyes,” Faye explained. “If we don’t… they’ll kill us in a matter of seconds, so look out for them.”
“We need to--” I started, but then something curled around my ankle and dragged me underwater.
The last thing I heard before I went under was the sound of the women screaming my name in a frenzied panic, but I held tightly onto my wand as I was dragged deeper and deeper under the water. It felt like
sharp daggers were piercing my bones as the icy cold penetrated my skin, and I struggled to hold my breath as I wriggled and kicked at the creature, which still had its tail wrapped tightly around my boot.
My eyes were open, and my wand was faintly glowing, even underwater. So, through my stinging, blurry vision, I saw the aqua dragon turn its ugly head to stare at me as it yanked my body down into the depths, and then I could have sworn the creature’s face broke out into a malicious smile.
What an asshole.
The aqua dragon looked exactly as I had seen it in my mind. Even under the muddy water’s depths, its scales shimmered like emerald jewels as its long meaty tail squeezed around me and cut off my blood circulation. It was a strong son-of-a-bitch, and I could tell it was using all its strength to pull me all the way to the bottom of the tunnel.
If I didn’t find a way out soon, it would surely drown me.
So, I shoved my wand into my waistband and then pulled out my dagger. I couldn’t see clearly, but I managed to squirm and bend over slightly, and using all my strength, I was able to reach the coiled flesh around my ankle. I knew it was a risk, but I had to stab it. Since my vision was unclear, I could end up piercing my own flesh, but I needed to take that chance. So, with all my might, I raised my hand and then swiftly stabbed the serpent’s meaty tail with quick, determined thrusts.
A long, drawn-out wail echoed around me, and the beast quickly released me as a cloud of deep green, almost black blood spread throughout the water like spilled ink. My lungs felt as heavy as lead as I swam back up in rapid, unwavering strokes, but the knife was still in my hand, so if the dragon beneath me decided to swim after me, I’d stab it right between the fucking eyes.
When I finally burst out through the surface, I voraciously gasped for air, and it was almost painful to feel the oxygen returning to my body.
“Cole!” the women exclaimed all at once.
“I stabbed one,” I coughed as I wiped my eyes and swam closer toward them, “but I don’t think I killed it.”
The women huddled together as they floated closer toward me, and each one had their wands extended. A small flame flared at the tip of Beatrix’s wand, and she was the only one lighting our way, so I tucked my dagger back into my waistband and then pulled out my wand and cast the illuminana spell.
“These fuckers are hiding,” Akira growled as her black eyes scanned the equally dark water. “It’s almost as if they know we have a poison waiting for them.”
“Let’s not wait for them, then,” Penelope suggested as she turned to look at Faye with a confident smile. “Faye, will the potion kill us or any of the familiars?”
“No.” The redhead shook her head. “It only kills water dragons.”
“Perfect.” Penelope grinned. “Then I want you to spill the potion into the water when I say so.”
“What?” the redhead gasped. “Why? Are you crazy? We need to throw it into their eyes when they surface.”
“Just trust me on this,” the bright-haired witch snapped with pinched eyebrows, but when Faye didn’t make a move, the bright-haired witch’s eyes darkened. “Do it! What are you waiting for?”
“Do it, Faye,” I commanded.
I trusted Penelope, and if she had an idea that would help keep us alive, I’d help her in any way I could.
“Yes, master,” Faye sighed before she lowered her hands into the water.
The redhead reluctantly let the poison spill out into a small, floating red splotch that laid on the water’s surface like stubborn oil. Penelope then lit her wand, pointed it at the stain of hovering poison, and scrunched up her buttoned nose in concentration.
It took me a moment to realize what she was doing, and I grinned when her plan hit me like a spell.
“You’re going to spread the potion through the water,” I laughed. “They’ll be swimming in a river of venom.”
“I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a shot,” she started. “Will you be my lookout while I concentrate?”
“Of course.” I nodded as I stared at the spec of red water in front of us. Then I recited the periculum incantation in my head and raised my glowing wand. My skull trembled from the effort as I tried to foresee what laid beneath us, and after a minute, I saw the two serpentine creatures swimming right toward us. One was still bleeding profusely, but it didn’t matter.
They were just as determined as ever to kill us.
“Do it now, Penelope!” I shouted.
“Motus!” the witch screamed without hesitation.
The floating poison quickly spread like ink, and then the entire tunnel of water turned into a ruddy shade of red. At first, nothing happened, but then the two creatures exploded out of the water, and their skin was sizzling. They writhed and twisted, and their blood-curdling screeches echoed around us as their scales and fat tissue melted away from their bodies. Finally, one aqua dragon ultimately gave up and fell backward into the water, and we watched as it sunk into the hungry depths below.
Its counterpart, however, was too damn stubborn, and even as its scales melted away, it stared right at Vesta, opened its snake-like mouth, and hissed.
Ursula must have sensed her elvish master was in danger, and she curled herself around Vesta’s neck and hissed back at the aqua dragon three times her size.
Even though my limbs were still numb and weak, I aimed my wand at the deadly, dying beast. For some reason, it was determined to hurt Vesta, and the next chain of events felt as if they were happening in slow motion. The two serpentine creatures lunged for each other, and my heart sank as Ursula got closer.
One bite, and she would be done for.
“No, Ursula!” Vesta shouted. “Don't!”
There was no way I was going to let Ursula die, so without another second of hesitation, I raised my glowing wand and pictured the beastly creature burning to a black crisp.
Motus.
The flame hit the spiteful aqua dragon, and it jerked its body back and hissed violently as the fire melted away the rest of its flesh. It then tossed itself back into the water, and the poison finished it off as it sunk down into its watery grave.
No one said anything for a long moment until finally, Akira broke out into manic laughter.
“Unholy, fucking shit,” she laughed and threw her hands up over her head. “That was a fucking close one.”
“We’re alive thanks to you three,” Vesta purred as she stared at Faye, Penelope, and me.
“Yeah, good call with that poison, Faye,” I added. “You, too, Penelope. You both outdid yourselves.”
“Thank you, master,” Faye replied through blue, trembling lips.
“Yeah,” Penelope said, and I could have sworn she was blushing, but it was difficult to tell under the dim light. “Thanks, Cole, but we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you.”
“She’s right,” Beatrix responded.
“Thanks.” I nodded, but then I swerved my neck to look down the tunnel. “We have to keep moving. We’ll celebrate after we win.”
“G-Good i-idea,” Morgana said through chattering teeth. “Staying in one place isn't a safe plan… Everyone, keep reciting the periculum incantation in your head while we swim. We have no idea what else could be out there.”
“Agreed,” I said, “now, let’s move it.”
We continued to swim through the icy water for several more minutes, and so far, I didn’t feel any hindering dangers nearby, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Where do you think this tunnel leads? Alexander asked as he continued to fly through the air.
“I have no fucking idea,” I muttered, “but I know it’s not anywhere good.”
Finally, after an hour of swimming through the painfully freezing water, we came to a towering, barred iron gate, and I cursed under my breath.
“Shit!” Akira screamed, and her shrill voice bounced off the stone walls. “I’m going to kill that faceless bitch with my own bare hands.”
“What are we goin
g to do?” Morgana groaned. “This was our only way out.”
“Hold on,” I said as I felt a shift in the air.
Something was lingering in the atmosphere, and it didn’t feel like hopelessness.
In fact, it felt like the exact opposite.
You must be patient, the mysterious woman said in my head. You can lift the gate with your mind. Just focus…
So, I took a deep breath and stared at the exit for a moment, and then its bars started to slowly open like a castle portcullis. The gate screeched and echoed as it lifted, and as soon as it was fully raised, I could see a stone stairwell just ahead leading to only Satan knows where.
“Cole, did you do that?” Penelope asked in an impressed tone.
“I did,” I replied breathlessly.
“Well, the good news is, we have a way out,” Akira noted, “but we have no idea where it leads.”
“Is it crazy that a part of me would rather stay in the icy water?” Beatrix muttered when none of us moved or responded.
“No,” Vesta purred, “but I’d rather be dry and in danger than soaked down here in a dank, dirty tunnel with deadly, ugly creatures lurking underwater.”
“Good point.” Morgana shivered, and I noticed her face was as pale as white marble. “Besides, I don’t think I can take the cold any longer.”
They’re right, Alexander said. We need to get out of this tunnel.
“Trust me, Alexander,” I answered, “I know… everyone, keep together.”
“Yes, master,” my coven answered in unison, while Penelope and Beatrix simply nodded.
We swam together toward the mysterious stairwell, and once we climbed onto the steps, I turned back to look at each shaky witch. Their lips were violently trembling, and their glowing skin was pallid and sallow. Even Vesta looked like a less radiant version of herself as she stood below me shaking and embracing herself on the bottom step.
Once we were all situated on the stone stairwell, there was no other option but to go up. From where I stood, there were at least a hundred stone steps leading up to a small, plain wooden door with a shimmering gold knob. It was our only way out, but the problem was, we had no idea what was waiting at the top of the stairwell and behind that fucking door.
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