Eevie’s eyes widened. She reached out and grasped Tommy’s shoulder, making him jump.
“Don’t do that!” he exclaimed.
Eevie ignored his outburst. “Tommy, did that door just move?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure; I’ll check it out. Keep treading water and don’t touch ANYTHING!”
Eevie nodded. “What are you going to...?” Tommy’s head disappeared below the silvery surface into a sea of bubbles. It took only a moment for Tommy’s eyes to adjust. Four large wooden gates jutted upward from the silty bottom, cutting upward through the water at least another ten feet.
Whoa, those things are massive!
Mounted beside each gate was a lantern, each burning a different colored flame—white, gold, red, and yellow.
Tommy exhaled hard, releasing a stream of bubbles. “What the...!”
Tommy, or Should I Say Einstein...
The giant door with the red lantern had risen about a foot. Beneath the door, bathed in red light, two giant, hairy insect legs scraped and clawed furiously at the ground trying to get out.
Tommy exploded upward from the water. “Eevie, get to the other side! Don’t touch anything—get to the other side!”
“What is it?!” she screamed at Tommy.
“All I could see were the legs! They looked like massive spider legs! Go!”
All thoughts about whether or not they could swim across the lake disappeared. In a matter of seconds, they dragged themselves out of the water onto the large rock ledge. Struggling to catch their breath, they sat staring toward the gates.
“Tommy, if it’s a huge spider...,” panted Eevie. “It’s another puzzle, isn’t it?”
Eevie put her hands to her face and closed her eyes. She simply wanted to cry, for all of this to be over—but she knew she couldn’t have a defeatist attitude and make it through this nightmare. She looked over at Tommy. He was wading in the shallow water, his head down, looking for something. Her head moved as if she were watching a tennis match. Check the gates to see if they moved again; make sure Tommy is OK. Check the gates; make sure Tommy is OK. She relaxed when she saw that he had found what he was looking for, and he returned safely to the rock’s ledge.
Tommy quickly dropped to his hands and knees and, using a piece of what appeared to be limestone, etched “What Erodes and Then Revives” onto the ledge.
Tommy rocked back onto his heels and relieved himself of his backpack. “C’mon Eevie,” he said, calling her over. “This puzzle’s not gonna solve itself, and I have yet another amazing plan.”
“What’s your brilliant plan?” asked Eevie, sitting beside him, her spirit lifting.
“There are about thirty poles out there. Each one has a letter and a number, and my guess is...that they mean something.”
Eevie nodded her head, looking impressed. “OK, keep going, Einstein.”
“That’s all I got.”
Eevie closed her eyes and groaned. “We’re gonna die.”
“So dramatic,” said Tommy, gazing out over the water stoically.
Eevie arched her eyebrows. “You know, if I wasn’t so afraid of dying alone, I’d beat you to a pulp.”
“I guess I’m pretty safe then, unless you plan on befriending the lovely spider over there. I’m sure it would love some company.”
Eevie shuddered at the thought. “OK, we need to focus. Let’s type what we know so far and see if we can figure out what we need to do next.”
Tommy looked down where he had scrawled the black swarm’s message. He looked up at Eevie.
“Eevie, let’s save your battery and just write on the rock.”
“Good idea. You’re edging back to your Einstein title.”
“OK.” Eevie closed her eyes. Tommy flashed back to school in his mind’s eye. He could see Eevie safe and sound sitting in class, her eyes closed, deep and thought. How quickly things had changed.
Eevie opened her eyes. “Here’s what we know. There are about thirty poles with letters and numbers. There are four stone doors, each with a different colored lantern—red, yellow, white, and gold.”
“Hang on one second. It’s not easy transferring dictation to stone.” Tommy’s fingers were already beginning to cramp as he struggled with his rudimentary writing implement.
Tommy looked up. “We can’t forget our last clue: ‘WATER.’ We also know that red door number four is not a happy place.”
Eevie looked around. “Right now, the only way I see out of here is those four doors, and we have no idea what’s behind the other three.”
“OK. Well, I guess you work on the puzzle, and I’ll start swimming for clues.”
“Good lu...” Eevie’s voice trailed off and she squinted and leaned forward. “Tommy, I think I saw a shadow in the water.”
Tommy looked out over the water. “As long as those doors stay down, I think we’ll be fine. We just can’t make any more mistakes. However,” said Tommy smiling at Eevie, “thanks to you, I have a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, so before I begin my aquatic quest, I’m going to make sure Mr. Spider is still behind his door.”
Tommy slowly slid off the rock ledge into the water. He held his breath as the warm water flowed around him. He blinked a couple of times and his eyes cleared. He could see the huge hairy legs stretched out underneath the door. Whatever it was—spider, mutant grasshopper—it was still trapped. Tommy rose to the surface and breathed a sigh of relief. “Your new best friend is still behind the door—all’s good.”
“OK. Please be careful, and don’t touch anything!”
Tommy gave Eevie a thumbs-up and began his trek around the lake. Below the surface, the floor of the lake was soft and silty with clumps of reeds and green leafy vegetation. What did grow looked like long, wispy blades of grass that gently swayed with the water’s current. Huge stones lay scattered, giving off a weird iridescent glow. The walls were gray and rocky, just like one would expect in an underwater cavern.
Tommy carefully examined the craggy walls as he swam the perimeter of the lake. I hope that Eevie’s having better luck than me, because there is nothing down here but rock, and more rock.
Tommy broke the surface and gave Eevie a thumbs-up. “Nothing yet!” he called out.
Eevie was crouched down on her knees, her hand busily carving into the rock. She waved an OK, then turned back to writing.
Tommy lowered beneath the surface and began patiently examining the rocky walls again. There was nothing but rocks, and more rocks. Tommy was beginning his ascent when he noticed a huge shadow over him. Immediately, he clutched onto the wall, pulling himself as far as he could underneath an outcrop of rock. What the heck is that?
Tommy’s eyes bulged as the shadow passed over him. He stared, not daring to move as the huge creature swam slowly above him. After it passed over Tommy, he cautiously and quietly rose to the surface. His simple task of “finding a way out” had just become a little more complicated.
I better warn Eevie before she tries to go into the water. Tommy watched as the creature slowly moved farther and farther away. He slowly rose to the surface and quietly sucked in a huge gulp of much needed air.
Eevie squinted as she stared out at the columns of stone. She could make out a few numbers and letters, but to see the rest she would need to have a closer vantage point. So far she had scraped A-12, B-7, C-25, D-16, and E-21 onto the rock.
She looked out over the water to find Tommy. She slowly scanned the surface and the walls, but he was nowhere to be seen. I’ll just swim out to the columns and begin memorizing a few at a time.
Eevie slowly slid into the water and began swimming toward the rock columns.
Tommy was almost halfway across the lake when he spotted Eevie swimming toward the columns. His heart jumped. He wanted to yell, but he was afraid that the beast would attack them. Eevie swam into the forest of stone columns, staring upward. G3, H6. She turned her head downward just in time to see Tommy quickly swim
ming toward her.
“Eevie! Eevie!” he urgently whispered.
Tommy’s mind exploded into stars as he was struck from below. His flailing body flew through the air, crashing into several columns. Instantly they collapsed into the water, releasing multiple screeching black swarms into the air. Their shrill cries were deafening. Tommy’s limp body began to sink, bubbles rushing to the surface as his lungs filled with water.
“No!!!” screamed Eevie.
Eevie swam as fast as she could to Tommy. Diving downward she could see his lifeless body lying on the floor of the lake. Above her, the shrill black cloud screeched and then plunged into the water, throwing up a wall of silt and bubbles. Instantly the temperature of the water rose twenty degrees or more. A bellowing cry shook the cavern as the behemoth that had struck Tommy arched through the air, screaming in pain. Eevie’s mouth gaped open. It looked like a giant whale with enormous curled tusks on either side of its head. It crashed into the lake, creating a splash that sent burning hot water to the ceiling of the cave. Scalding hot waves burned Eevie’s face and eyes. She struggled to get her bearings as the giant beast launched out of the water again—crying out in agony.
Another onslaught of waves buffeted Eevie. She was by no means a strong swimmer, but she had raw adrenaline coursing through her veins. She dove downward with all her strength. Below the surface, the water had become a whirlwind of debris. With her hands outstretched, she swam toward the bottom. Finally, her hands felt Tommy’s chest.
She reached her arms around Tommy’s torso and tried to swim upward. Eevie began to panic; she had seen lifeguards grab the person from behind and swim, but was she strong enough to swim with one arm supporting Tommy? She’d have to try!
Quickly she swam behind him. Reaching her arm under his arm, she cradled his head on her shoulder. Here we go, Tommy, hang on. Eevie’s lungs were burning as she forcefully kicked off from the bottom. Her head broke through the surface, and Tommy’s head lolled from side to side on her shoulder. Eevie fought to stay afloat. Time after time she went under, gulping water into her lungs, choking as she fought to make it to land.
Slipping and sliding, she dragged Tommy up onto the rocky ledge. Pulling her wet hair from her face, she placed her ear to his mouth. Nothing. She placed her fingers to her friend’s neck to feel for a pulse. Nothing. She quickly leaned his head back and pinched his nose. She blew into his mouth, filling his lungs. She watched as his chest rose and fell. She blew into his mouth again. Nothing. She moved to Tommy’s side, tears streaming down her face.
“Tommy, please!” she screamed. Placing her hands on his chest, she began rapid compressions. “One Mississippi, two Mississippi...”
After thirty chest compressions, she quickly gave him two more breaths.
Tommy’s lips had lost all their color, and Eevie screamed his name. “Tommy!” She shook his shoulders in desperation.
Her hands clasped over one another again: “One Mississippi, two Mississippi, thr...”
It Had to Be a Spider...
Tommy’s head flew back, and he began to vomit water and the contents of his stomach. Eevie quickly rolled him onto his side, cradling his head on her knees. Tommy began coughing and retching.
“It’s OK, Tommy. It’s OK,” Eevie whispered. For what seemed like an eternity, Tommy lay still, not moving. His breath was ragged and shallow.
“Thank you, Eevie,” whispered Tommy hoarsely.
Eevie simply nodded, her body convulsing, the raw emotion hitting her in waves. She had saved her best friend’s life...she had saved her best friend’s life. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, falling into his hair.
Tommy tried to sit up as waves of nausea and dizziness coursed through his body.
“Rest, Tommy, just rest.”
Tommy smiled a weak smile up at Eevie, his voice caught in his throat as he saw the tears coursing down his friend’s face.
“I’m OK, Eevie.... You rock. What the heck was that thing? It looked like a whale.”
“I think you’re right,” nodded Eevie. “It looked like a whale with tusks...long, curvy tusks like an elephant’s.”
“At least I didn’t get impaled. I just happened to have the misfortune of being over it when it decided to breach. I don’t think it meant to harm me. It could have skewered me and had me for dinner if it wanted.”
Eevie smiled. The color had returned to Tommy’s lips and he was able to sit up.
“Tommy, I need to get the rest of the clues. Will you be OK for a few minutes? I promise I’ll keep a close eye on our friends.”
Tommy’s eyes suddenly flew open wide. “Eevie, I crashed into more columns. Is our spider friend still in his cave?”
“I...I have no idea. I was so worried about getting you to shore that I forgot about everything else.”
Tommy looked intently at Eevie. “Please tell me that spiders can’t swim. Out of all the creatures in the world, even the hairless newt, I hate spiders.” Tommy shivered as he thought about it.
They both turned their heads in the direction of the caves.
“Well,” said Eevie in a soft but determined voice, “there’s no way to tell without going in the water.”
Tommy opened his mouth to argue, but he knew she was right. The only way to solve the puzzle was to get the numbers and letters off the columns. Hopefully he hadn’t destroyed the ones that they needed.
Without another word, Eevie slowly slid underwater, keeping her back pressed against the rock ledge in case she had to quickly pull herself back up to safety. The water was painfully hot.
Eevie let her eyes adjust and then took in her surroundings. A surge of panic shot through her. The spider’s gate was now fully open and another gate had raised about a foot. She could see a huge clawed foot, like a lizard’s foot, clawing at the opening.
About thirty feet away she could see the enormous whale creature using its tusks to move large rocks, and eating whatever it was that lay underneath. Maybe Tommy was right. The whale looks like an herbivore, probably harmless.
Keeping her position against the ledge, she scanned the entire lake as well as she could. No sign of Mr. Spider. Not good; he could be anywhere.
Eevie pulled herself up out of the water. Tommy had grabbed the backpack and was eating a candy bar.
He looked at Eevie expectantly. “Anything? Did you see the spider?”
“The spider’s gate is open, but I didn’t see the spider, so I’m not sure where it is.”
Tommy shook his head, his mind already going to horrible places. “Great, it had to be a spider.”
“We’ve got the clues up to the letter G. I’m going to swim out and start calling them out to you. It’s our only chance to get out of here.”
“Let’s do it.”
Eevie slid into the water and opened her eyes. In the distance, she could still see the whale flipping up stones and tearing at leafy underwater vegetation. She quickly scanned the perimeter of the lake. No spider.
Eevie reached the stone forest and began to call out to Tommy— “H-6, I-10, K-22, L-18.”
Some of the columns had been destroyed when Tommy was flung into them. The J, the P, and several other letters were missing.
“Slow down!” shouted Tommy, furiously trying to scrape the clues onto the rock. “I want to make sure it’s legible.”
“OK!” shouted Eevie, looking nervously around. I just want to get out of this water.
Several minutes later, Eevie was on her way back to the ledge. Tommy had scrawled out all of the clues into rows.
A-12, B-7, C-25, D-16, E-21, F-4, G-3,
H-6, I-10, K-22, L-18, M-24, N-5, O-15,
Q-23, R-19, S-20, T-2, W-1, Y-8, Z-14
“Don’t mock my artistic integrity—it’s not easy writing with a rock.”
Eevie smiled. The jagged chalky letters and numbers looked like a small child had written out the clues. “It’s legible,” smiled Eevie. “That’s all I care about.”
“I have an idea,” said Tommy. “The last clue was water; we could start there.” Tommy etched out: W-1, A-12, T-2, E-21, R-19. “So it comes out to WATER and 1, 12, 2, 21, 19. We could start there,” suggested Tommy.
“Do we really want to risk touching the wrong columns?” asked Eevie, studying the clues. “Bad things happen when we make mistakes, and if we make that water any hotter, we won’t survive in it for more than a minute.”
“Well, there are infinite combinations of letters and numbers, and we either try something or we sit here and do nothing.”
Tommy grabbed the rock that they were using as a makeshift pencil. He stood wobbly and hurled the rock into the stone columns. It struck one of the columns and it exploded into pieces. They covered their ears as the black swarm swirled skyward. The whale creature shrieked in pain, hurling itself out of the water.
“Tommy, stop! Stop!” screamed Eevie. “We’re killing that creature.” Tommy watched as the creature bellowed, throwing itself into the air and crashing down into the water. It began swimming toward the ledge.
It’s coming right at us!
The whale struck the ledge, and huge stalactites came crashing down around them. Eevie screamed, falling backwards.
Tommy stood frozen, staring into the whale’s eyes. The whale moaned, clearly in pain. Tommy wasn’t sure why, but he slowly walked over to the whale. He had never been this close to such a majestic creature.
“We’re sorry,” he sobbed. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. We’re trapped in here and we’re just trying to get out.”
Gently he reached out and touched the whale’s skin. It felt rubbery and slick, but incredibly hot.
The whale made a vibrating sound, deep in its throat.
“We’ll figure this out,” said Tommy quietly. “We have to.”
Eevie stood beside Tommy, looking at the huge, beautiful creature. The whale moved itself half on the ledge, half off.
Quest Chasers: The Deadly Cavern (A Magic Fantasy Adventure Book Series) Page 5