She looked up and saw a man with dark hair and a cool jacket standing on a perch high above them.
“Um, yeah, we’re good. Just a little stuck.”
“Say no more,” he called down. “Step back a little.”
Trish did so, backing up to the edge of the lava river.
The man lowered down a long series of leads tied together to form a rope. “Tie it to the mine cart. Then climb in and I’ll pull you up. One at a time if you don’t mind.”
Trish thought about that for a moment. She’d never seen this man before. At least he wasn’t Carmine, but still…could she trust him? On the other hand, what choice did she have?
“I’ll go first,” she yelled.
She was worried that if she sent Sharp up without her, he might attack the guy. She tied the rope and got in the cart. The man pulled her up. When she reached the top of the high perch, she climbed out onto the stone.
“Thanks! I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t shown up. I’m Trish.”
“I’m Aziz,” he said. They shook hands. His jacket looked even cooler up close. “Think your wolf will get in the cart?”
“One way to find out,” Trish said.
They lowered the cart and Trish dug around to see if she had any food she could use to convince Sharp to get in it. As it turned out, she didn’t need any. He hopped into the cart as soon as it touched the ground.
Aziz started pulling it up.
“Need any help?” Trish asked.
“No, I got it.” He nodded down toward the wolf. “What’s his name?”
“Sharp.”
“Because of his teeth?” Aziz asked.
“Er…something like that.”
“I’ll bet he’s pretty tough,” Aziz said. “Must come in handy in a fight.”
Trish said, “Yes, he certainly does.”
Aziz smiled. “Great. Then let’s have a little chat before I bring him the rest of the way up.” He tied the rope to a rock, leaving Sharp suspended halfway to the top.
“What are you doing?” Trish yelled. “Bring him up here right now!” She stepped toward the rope, intending to grab it and pull Sharp up herself. But before she could, Aziz spoke.
“Stop where you are.” As if by magic, he suddenly had an iron sword in his hand. He held it up, pointing it at her.
Trish froze.
“Now tell me who you are and why you’re trying to steal my treasure.”
Chapter 9: Puzzle of Fire
Trish stared at the sword. The tip was only a few inches from her face. She risked a quick look over the edge of the cliff. Sharp cowered in the cart as it swayed gently back and forth on the rope.
“I’m not here to take any treasure from you,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t even know what treasure you’re talking about.”
Aziz shook his head sadly. “Sure. That’s exactly what a thief would say. I would have respected you more if you’d come clean.”
“I’m telling the truth! Now pull Sharp up here and stop pointing that sword at me.”
Aziz waited a long moment before speaking, like he was trying to decide what to do next. “If you’re not here to steal the treasure, why are you here?”
Trish thought about that for a moment. Where to even begin? “There were these bandits who came to my village. They stole a map from a mine in my town. I heard them say it was going to help them bring the world to its knees. I caught a glimpse of the map, so I know it’s leading them here.”
Aziz’s eyes narrowed. “What else did they say? Did they mention treasure?”
Trish glanced at Sharp again. The poor guy looked pathetic sitting there in the cart. “I don’t know…something about finding the Blade of the Sea. I didn’t understand. Would you please just pull Sharp up?”
Aziz went pale. “Did you just say Blade of the Sea?”
“Yes. They think whatever is in this temple is going to help them find it.”
Aziz lowered his sword. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Again with this Blade of the Sea thing? It’s like I’m cursed.”
“You’ve heard of it?” She wanted to keep him talking. Now that his sword was lowered, maybe she could rush him and push him over the edge.
“I’ve heard of it all right,” he said with a sigh. “And I was kinda hoping to never hear of it again. I came here to find an ancient treasure. What are the odds it would have to do with this?” He paused, then said, “These bandits think something here will help them find the Blade of the Sea?”
“Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying.”
“Okay,” he said. “Here’s the deal. If you promise to help me get this thing before these bandits do, I’ll pull up your wolf.”
Trish raised an eyebrow. As long as they were making deals, she might as well see how far she could push it. “And if we do find it, who gets to keep this ancient item?”
“I do,” he answered quickly. “That’s not up for debate. But I don’t want to take over the world or anything. I just don’t want the bad guys to get it. Agreed?”
Trish thought for a moment. All she cared about was that the object didn’t fall into the wrong hands. She would have some time to determine whether Aziz was in the wrong hands category. “Fine.”
As Aziz pulled up Sharp, he said, “I’ve been searching this temple for two days. I’ve looked top to bottom and no treasure, no ancient objects, nothing. But I did find one clue. I’ll show it to you as soon as we get the wolf up here.”
The cart reached the top, and Sharp sprang out. He raced to Trish’s side, pressed himself close to her, and growled at Aziz.
“I don’t think he’s going to forgive you as quickly as I did,” Trish said.
“Yeah, well, I’ll try to contain my disappointment.” He picked up a long, black case off the ground and started walking.
Aziz led them through a winding passage that led down farther into the temple. “In my experience, they always hide the treasure in the deepest part of these temples. Usually behind a dozen traps and a puzzle or two. I was able to disarm the traps, but I couldn’t figure out the puzzle. If that’s what this even is.”
They entered a long room. It was wide where they stood, but the walls narrowed on the other end. The room ended in a sheer stone wall with three objects painted on it.
“I wonder if the paintings mean anything?” Aziz said.
Trish walked across the room for a closer look. The painting showed three objects in a line. On top was a painting of blaze powder. Under that was coal. At the bottom was gun powder.
“It’s a puzzle all right,” Trish said. Then she turned and gave him a skeptical look. “You couldn’t figure this out in two days?”
“Sorry,” he said. “Puzzles aren’t my thing.”
“Then how’d you get past the musical puzzle to get in the temple?”
He looked confused. “There was a puzzle? I just played that song on my bass guitar.” He held up the black case. “What, you didn’t bring a bass guitar?”
Trish shook her head and turned back toward the wall. “It’s showing a crafting recipe. Blaze powder, coal, and gun powder all lined up like that is the recipe for a fire charge.”
Aziz scratched his head. “So we’re supposed to make a fire charge? I don’t have any of that stuff.”
“I don’t think so,” Trish said slowly. “Fire charges are used to start fires. Maybe it just wants us to set this wall on fire. Do you have a flint and steel?”
“Uh, I don’t know how to tell you this, Trish, but stone walls aren’t flammable.” He pulled out his flint and steel and tossed it to her.
“We’ll see about that,” she said.
She struck the flint against the steel, sending a shower of sparks against the wall. The wall burst into flames as if it were made of old dry wood instead of stone. Trish leaped backward away from the flames.
The fire burned out in a few seconds, revealing a door in the stone wall.
“Cool!” Aziz said.
&n
bsp; She tossed the flint and steel back to him. “I’d like to see your bass guitar do that.”
She opened the door and walked through. On the other side, there was a small room that contained a single chest.
“Guess this is the place,” she said.
Aziz brushed past her and fell to his knees in front of the chest. He opened it and then let out a weary sigh. He brought out what looked like a golden triangle the size of his hand. “You got a map?”
Trish handed it over.
Aziz touched the gold piece to the map. A spot in the eastern sea lit up. He squinted at it. “You were right. Touch this triangle thing to any map, and the location of the Blade of the Sea starts to glow.” He shook his head. “And here I was hoping for a real treasure.”
Trish watched the spot carefully for a long moment. It was hard to tell, but it almost looked like the spot of light was moving. Heading farther away from shore and toward the edge of the map.
A voice from behind Trish made her freeze.
“Well, you’ve certainly made this easy.”
She spun around and gasped. Carmine, Mac, Chiece, and Roger all stood at the far end of the long room, their weapons drawn.
Chapter 10: The Battle Under the Temple
Trish drew her sword. “If you think this is going to be easy, you’re crazy.”
Carmine smiled a sinister smile. “I have to congratulate you on how far you’ve come. I never imagined you’d get here. Surviving three nights out in the wilderness. Solving the puzzle to get inside this temple. Making your way through the temple and finding the location device. I’m impressed.”
Trish held her sword steady in front of her, not responding.
“But nothing has changed since the last time I saw you,” Carmine said.
Chiece raised his hand. “I got the arrow out of my leg.”
“And we ate some sweet tacos in Porton,” Mac said.
“Nothing important has changed!” Carmine growled at them, then turned back to Trish. “You’re still just a villager.” His eyes flickered toward Sharp and Aziz. “Even if you are a villager with a couple of friends.”
“I beat you here,” Trish said.
“Yes, we didn’t realize you were following us. We stopped and spent the night in the village.”
“Didn’t you hear me about the sweet tacos?” Mac asked.
Carmine walked forward and the bandits followed.
“To be fair, I just met her,” Aziz said. “It’s a little early to be calling each other friends, don’t you think?”
Sharp growled at him.
“Okay, fine, we’re friends!” Aziz said.
Trish glanced at Aziz and whispered, “You lose your sword? Are you going to fight them with your bass guitar?”
He sighed and set the guitar case down. “Actually, I have two swords, neither lost.” He pulled out two long swords and held one in each hand. “Who’s the toughest?”
“The woman,” Trish said. “I think.”
“Great,” Aziz said. “You take her. I’ll take the limping one.”
“I can totally hear you,” Chiece said.
“I’m kidding, by the way,” Aziz said. “I’ve got the woman.”
“Just follow my lead,” Trish said.
Trish ran forward. As she took her first step, Sharp raced past her and slammed into Roger. Roger was completely unprepared for the attack, and he flew backward, hitting the stone wall hard. He went limp and slid to the floor.
Sharp turned and sprang at Chiece. The wolf sank his teeth into the man’s right leg.
Chiece roared in pain and anger. “Come on! That’s my good leg!”
Sharp let go and bit into his arm. He held on tight and swung his head, sending Chiece onto the floor next to Roger. Both men started to get up, but they did so slowly.
Aziz ran toward Mac, his twin swords moving through the air as smoothly and gracefully as a pair of snakes. But Mac was ready with her own sword. It was clear she was faster than Aziz, and she blocked every attack from both his weapons. Aziz didn’t slow his assault, and Mac backed up, retreating from the fury of Aziz’s blades.
That left Trish and Carmine. The man held his sword loosely, down at his side. Trish knew this was her moment.
She lunged at him with all the strength and speed in her body, putting everything she had into the attack.
Carmine casually lifted his sword and blocked her blade like it was nothing more than an annoying bug flying around his head.
“You have more confidence,” Carmine said. “But you’re still a terrible fighter.”
Trish knew he was toying with her, but she didn’t care. Angry now, she attacked again. And again. And again. Each time, Carmine blocked her sword. She swung again, aiming her sword for his chest. He blocked, but just barely. Her sword missed him by an inch, cutting his shirt on the right side.
Carmine’s eyes grew wide. “Better. Much better.” He shifted his feet into a wider stance. “But not good enough.”
Then it was Carmine’s turn to attack. He swung his sword so hard and fast that Trish could barely even see it, let alone block it. She somehow managed to deflect his first blow, but the second sent her sword flying.
Trish groaned in frustration. She’d lost again to this guy!
“Everyone stop!” Carmine yelled. “Stop fighting, or I’ll put my sword through your friend.”
Sharp froze, a deep growl coming from his throat.
Aziz stopped too, but he held his twin swords at the ready. “Aw, man, I was doing so well.”
“Not that well,” Mac said. “I almost had you.”
“That’s what I wanted you to think,” Aziz said.
“If we could please focus,” Carmine said. “Now, who has the location device?”
No one spoke, so Carmine lunged forward as if he was going to stab Trish.
“I have it!” Aziz said.
“Good,” Carmine said. “Just give it to me, and we’ll all leave in one piece.”
“Don’t do it, Aziz!” Trish said.
Aziz sighed. “Here it is.” He pulled out the location device and offered it to Mac.
She stepped forward and eagerly took it. “Woo-hoo! Closer than ever to the Blade of the Sea.”
“Excellent,” Carmine said. He glared at Trish. “That’s twice you’ve taken the thing I’m after. If I ever see you again, you will die. That’s my guarantee. Do not follow us.”
Carmine nodded to the bandits, and they all strutted out of the room like they were the lords of the temple.
“Unbelievable!” Trish said. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
Aziz scratched his head. “Wow, you know some really cool people.”
A few moments later, Trish said, “You think we’ve waited long enough?”
Suddenly, a BOOM filled the air, and the stone around them shook.
“That’s TNT!” Aziz said.
Trish, Aziz, and Sharp ran up the corridor and back toward the room with the lava river. Trish’s heart was racing. There was only one thing she could think of that Carmine might want to blow up down here.
They burst out onto the cliff overlooking the lava room. Trish looked down and groaned. It was just as she’d suspected.
“Tell me there’s another way out of here!” she said.
Aziz rushed to the edge and looked over, squinting to see what she was talking about. When he saw it, he groaned too. “Nope, there really isn’t.”
A huge section of the mine cart track was gone. The same section that went over the lava river and led into the next room. They were trapped.
Chapter 11: The Hidden Potion
Trish looked down at the lava river. She was too far up to feel the heat coming off it, but the smell burned her nose. She looked across the gap. The mine cart track had led into a tunnel on the wall across from them. Though the track over the lava was gone, the track inside the tunnel was fine. If she could find a way to get to it, they’d be able to follow it out of the temple.
“Okay, let’s think about this,” Trish said. “We have the rope you used to bring us up the cliff. If we could hook it to something, we could swing across.”
Aziz rolled his eyes. “You see anything to hook it to?”
She looked up and saw the smooth, round ceiling far above. “I was brainstorming. There are no bad ideas in brainstorming.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
She scowled at him. “What do you have in your inventory? Maybe we can build something.”
“I don’t have anything useful.” He looked down at the lava. “Why are you so panicked? We’ll figure a way out of this. We just have to take our time and think.”
“We don’t have time!” She knew she was getting angry.
Aziz turned back to look at her, his eyes wide. “You’re going after them, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. We can’t let them get the Blade of the Sea.”
“I don’t believe it!” Aziz said. “After all this, you still want to mess with those guys?”
Trish shook her head. He was just like the villagers she’d grown up with. He didn’t understand the importance of helping people.
“Look, I get it,” he continued. “You want to help. That’s a good thing. But you’ve done so much already. You can’t save the world all alone. Maybe it’s somebody else’s turn.”
“Who?”
Aziz shrugged. “How should I know? Someone will take care of it. They always do.”
“So I’m just supposed to sit back and hope someone else stops these guys from getting the Blade of the Sea?”
“You worry too much.” He slid down the stone wall and sat on a rock. “How about this. When we get out of here, instead of going to fight bandits, which you are clearly unqualified for, come with me. We’ll travel the world, find temples, search for treasure. It’s a good life.”
Trish had to admit that did sound pretty great. She imagined it for a minute. Solving puzzles and exploring temples every day? That would be a dream come true. But no, she had a responsibility to see this through.
“Maybe after this is all over and I’ve stopped Carmine,” she said.
Aziz scoffed. “Don’t expect me to wait around for you. When I get out of here—”
Blade of the Sea: A Children's Survival Unofficial Minecraft Book Page 4