by Cody Hyde
Within minutes Charlie had already made his way to the floor to check on Ted in hopes that he was alright. At the moment he didn’t care about making his run for the portal leading home.
“Ted?”
The smoke cleared. In front of Charlie stood a man, not Ted, but a short man in a red robe with a beard only about four feet tall. Muri.
What is going on? thought Charlie. I’m almost home now, it can’t end like this.
He got up the courage to speak to him. “You’re Muri, Dultona’s assistant, the one who was holding the torture ceremony,” identified Charlie.
“Correct, and you’re Charlie James,” replied Muri.
Charlie avoided responding to his name being mentioned. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” mocked Muri. “What do you think I’m doing here? I’m here to capture you, of course, bring you back to the castle.”
“But it’s not me you want, it’s the Book of the Underground.”
“Oh, the Book of the Underground, what a great book, isn’t it?”
“I’ve only read a few pages, and this is where it got me.”
“Haha, well you’ve read from the right book.”
“The right book? More like the wrong book. I never wanted to be here.”
“Oh, well you will be here now...and for a while.”
“No. I’ll be going home now.”
That was the cue. Ted was alive, and standing right behind Muri. With a powerful hit, he knocked Muri off of his feet, then spotted his sword only a few feet ahead of him.
After grabbing it, it was time to head for the portal. No time to take out Muri.
“Come on, let’s go, Charlie!” Ted ordered.
They began to race to the exit door. Only a few more feet away... almost there... and they were through the exit doors.
Ahead of them stood a shimmering cylinder-shaped object.
“Now!” ordered Ted. Together Charlie and Ted stabbed their swords into the portal, and the waves began to rise up around them.
Everything was spinning, and about five seconds later, they were out of there.
Charlie was standing in what appeared to be... wait... this wasn’t home.
Small candles were lit up alongside both sides of what were dark brown walls of dirt. They were back at the cave entrance.
“It was supposed to bring me back home!” yelled Charlie angrily at Ted.
“It’s been over five years, Charlie, the portal’s changed by now!” he replied.
“So you lied!”
“I wasn’t sure! I didn’t think it would have changed! I should’ve known when you mentioned you were brought to Dultona’s castle when you entered the Underground!”
“Well, it’s a bit too late now, don’t you think?!”
“I’m sorry!”
“You better be sorry!”
“Just be grateful you made it through the cave alive.”
“To be captured!”
“It was a trap, Charlie!”
“Obviously!”
“Well how was I supposed to know? On the upside of things, you have your own sword and ring now, just--”
Then he spotted the creepy figure laying across the floor next to a wooden table. It was the cave keeper. He was dead.
Charlie saw him too. The cave keeper was indeed dead. Very dead. The bag of eyeballs were spread out across the floor, all of them crushed, as if they were all stepped on… who else was with them? Where were Sheila and Rocky?
Suddenly a voice was heard from behind. “Hurry up, Bouldan!”
Charging out of the entrance doors to the first task came Muri with Bouldan as well as a few other members of the Rock Army... and the dragon??
But it was too late to make a run for it.
A couple other members of the Rock Army stepped out from around the other corner leading out of the cave, restraining Charlie and Ted by the arms.
Bouldan yanked their swords from their hands, handing them to a couple of the Rock members directly behind where he stood. He then went for Charlie’s hand.
“No, not the ring!”
And he took the Blue Ring as well.
“Any last words before we depart back to the castle?” questioned Muri.
“I thought I killed that dragon,” commented Ted.
“Oh, you mean my dragon?” replied Muri. “I revived him, I can heal dragons. I’m not only the Dark Master’s servant, I am also the Dragon Lord.” “Dragon Lord?”
“Indeed,” he replied, then avoiding any more conversation he turned to Bouldan, handing him Ted’s sword. “Here, Bouldan, return by portal and meet me in the secret room.”
Secret room? Charlie and Ted both thought as they turned to each other as if one had a clue what room Muri was talking about.
“Now, let’s return to the castle, shall we?”
Soon Charlie found himself chained to the dragon with Ted, Muri being the one flying it to the castle.
Beyond the cave again and up and over the trees they flew.
This is so uncomfortable, thought Charlie, trying to adjust the chains a bit. Where are Rocky and Sheila??
Ted spoke. “Don’t worry, Charlie, we’ll make it out of here. I left Sheila with my ring, remember?”
“I hope so.”
And they flew through the night sky towards the castle Charlie never wanted to go back to.
From the distance, Sheila and Rocky witnessed everything.
“We need to get to the castle,” ordered Sheila.
Rocky grunted in response, nodding his head.
“Come on.”
Chapter 23