The water echoed harshly behind them, drawing closer by the second. The two entrances yawned open hungrily, beckoning their prey to the stifling darkness beyond.
"If we got back to the cavern, we could find the tunnel we came in!" Phillip paced anxiously in front of the openings, Traveler close in hand. "Was it this one?"
"I believe we came from this one." Matilda gestured to the one on the left.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely...not. Let's go." She turned sharply and walked swiftly down the corridor, dripping water behind her. They followed, as well as the sound of gurgling water. The horses's hooves clattered on the stone, adding to the rising beat of each pounding heart.
Shadows chased after them silently, menacing shapes following. The travelers felt the ghosts of the past glaring at them, urging them to hurry. This tunnel narrowed, forcing them to slow down a bit when their instincts screamed at them to run as fast as they could. Matilda dissapeared around a corner, as did Phillip and the two other horses, making the blue light fade away from Cole and leaving him in the dark.
Slightly panicking, he broke into a trot and accidentally bumped into Liana, making her stumble. With a cry she fell to the stone, palms stretched out to stop her fall.
"Oh man, I'm sorry!" Cole gasped, and knelt by her, instantly feeling guilty for knocking her over. "I'm so sorry, Liana! Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. It's OK." She murmured as she pushed herself off the rough floor and rubbed her palms. He reached over and helped her up. She pressed herself against Aquilla's black and white pelt and whispered. "I want to get out of here."
"Come on." Hand on her shoulder he steered her down the corridor, Shauntel's reins in the other hand. Matilda's light was fading fast, leaving them in dim, cold shadows. The stone flashing by his vision glistened with moisture. "Matilda, Phillip, wait up!"
They turned a corner and saw that the tunnel split into three, the others nowhere in sight.
The water echoed harshly behind them, drawing closer by the second. The two entrances yawned open hungrily, beckoning their prey to the stifling darkness beyond.
"If we got back to the cavern, we could find the tunnel we came in!" Phillip paced anxiously in front of the openings, Traveler close in hand. "Was it this one?"
"I believe we came from this one." Matilda gestured to the one on the left.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely...not. Let's go." She turned sharply and walked swiftly down the corridor, dripping water behind her. They followed, as well as the sound of gurgling water. The horses's hooves clattered on the stone, adding to the rising beat of each pounding heart.
Shadows chased after them silently, menacing shapes following. The travelers felt the ghosts of the past glaring at them, urging them to hurry. This tunnel narrowed, forcing them to slow down a bit when their instincts screamed at them to run as fast as they could. Matilda dissapeared around a corner, as did Phillip and the two other horses, making the blue light fade away from Cole and leaving him in the dark.
Slightly panicking, he broke into a trot and accidentally bumped into Liana, making her stumble. With a cry she fell to the stone, palms stretched out to stop her fall.
"Oh man, I'm sorry!" Cole gasped, and knelt by her, instantly feeling guilty for knocking her over. "I'm so sorry, Liana! Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. It's OK." She murmured as she pushed herself off the rough floor and rubbed her palms. He reached over and helped her up. She pressed herself against Aquilla's black and white pelt and whispered. "I want to get out of here."
"Come on." Hand on her shoulder he steered her down the corridor, Shauntel's reins in the other hand. Matilda's light was fading fast, leaving them in dim, cold shadows. The stone flashing by his vision glistened with moisture. "Matilda, Phillip, wait up!"
They turned a corner and saw that the tunnel split into three, the others nowhere in sight.
1. They're doomed. At least she's honest. xD 2. Oh no...this is not looking good... o_o
She got you too? She's right though, there's no escape... We're both doomed to feel the same emotional pain the characters do, along with absolutely enjoying ourselves...
The faint blue light dissapeared, and left them in a terrible, inky black darkness. He couldn't hear any sign of the others, save for the faint gurgle of water and the horses' soft breath. He blinked, trying to see through the stifling shadows. If he had shut his eyes tight there wouldn't have been a difference. He gripped Shauntel's reins tightly, feeling his blood pound. "Phillip?"
"I can't hear them." Liana whispered. "Can you see anything?"
"No...It's pitch-black."
He heard her riding boots scuff against the moist rock as she moved away from him. "There's a lantern in one of Aquilla's saddle bags."
After a minute or so of groping about blindly around the horse's saddle, they managed to find a flashlight in one of the bags strapped to the side. Though his fingers kept slipping because of nervousness, Cole finally switched the torch on. The light shone yellow, making the walls around them glisten with moisture. The three tunnels stood before them, yawning widely.
"Could you tell which tunnel they went down?" He asked Liana.
"No."
Cole was about to say something when he realized his feet were wet. He looked down, and saw that black, murky water swirled beneath him, soaking his shoes. The tide was rising fast.
"We need to move." He placed a hand on her shoulder to lead her down a tunnel, but she drew back.
"I don't need to you guide me like a service dog!" She muttered, though Cole detected a tremor in her voice. It was mostly out of fear that made her snap at him.
"Sor-ree, but we gotta go!" Tugging Shauntel along, he trotted down the stone corridor, with Liana and Aquilla close behind.
* * *
Matilda halted. "Hang on." She whipped around, wand held out like a blue torchfire. Her expression became very grim. "Where are Cole and Liana?!"
Gasping, Phillip spun around and realized they were gone. "What--?!"
The water echoed harshly behind them, drawing closer by the second. The two entrances yawned open hungrily, beckoning their prey to the stifling darkness beyond.
"If we got back to the cavern, we could find the tunnel we came in!" Phillip paced anxiously in front of the openings, Traveler close in hand. "Was it this one?"
"I believe we came from this one." Matilda gestured to the one on the left.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely...not. Let's go." She turned sharply and walked swiftly down the corridor, dripping water behind her. They followed, as well as the sound of gurgling water. The horses's hooves clattered on the stone, adding to the rising beat of each pounding heart.
Shadows chased after them silently, menacing shapes following. The travelers felt the ghosts of the past glaring at them, urging them to hurry. This tunnel narrowed, forcing them to slow down a bit when their instincts screamed at them to run as fast as they could. Matilda dissapeared around a corner, as did Phillip and the two other horses, making the blue light fade away from Cole and leaving him in the dark.
Slightly panicking, he broke into a trot and accidentally bumped into Liana, making her stumble. With a cry she fell to the stone, palms stretched out to stop her fall.
"Oh man, I'm sorry!" Cole gasped, and knelt by her, instantly feeling guilty for knocking her over. "I'm so sorry, Liana! Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. It's OK." She murmured as she pushed herself off the rough floor and rubbed her palms. He reached over and helped her up. She pressed herself against Aquilla's black and white pelt and whispered. "I want to get out of here."
"Come on." Hand on her shoulder he steered her down the corridor, Shauntel's reins in the other hand. Matilda's light was fading fast, leaving them in dim, cold shadows. The stone flashing by his vision glistened with moisture. "Matilda, Phillip, wait up!"
They turned a corner and saw that the tunnel split into three, the others nowhere in sight.
"They were right behind us!" He exclaimed. Hands clenched into fists, he stared intently down the tunnel. "Liana!" He called out. "Cole!" Traveler shied away at the shout, but Phillip ignored the horse, only thinking about his sister.
While Phillip called and shouted, Matilda raised up her wand and inspected their surroundings. Her brown-eyed gaze fell on the stone walls around them. They were a dark gray.
"Oi." She stepped closer to the stone and furrowed her thin eyebrows. "I thought this stone was beige, not gray."
"I don't care if the rocks are all the colors of the rainbow!" Phillip snapped. "Liana's missing, and there's some thing in these tunnels you won't tell us about!" He brushed past Traveler and started toward the dense shadows of the corridor. "I need to find her!"
"Hold it." Matilda snatched the end of his hoodie and pulled him back. "Something's wrong."
Phillip glared at the witch. "Of course something's wrong! Liana, Cole, and their horses are gone--!"
"Quiet." She snapped.
"No, I won't be quiet, aren't you listening?! We need to go back and look for--"
She flicked her wand at him impatiently. "Silencio!"
Phillip fell silent with a stunned expression, for he could no longer speak.
Matilda ignored the boy's furious glare and swept her gaze back to the stone. Staring intently, she ran a thin finger over the rock. It wasn't wet, though it was very cold.
She cocked her head and listened. All was quiet. Too quiet. Where was the water? She looked down, and saw that instead of sand, she stood on stone.
"Surely the earth formations couldn't have changed that quickly." She murmured to herself. Why had the rock changed colors so quickly? Where was the river? Matilda knew Ninjago had unique landscapes and underground formations, but surely the tunnels couldn't switched size and color so fast...!
She drew in her breath sharply. Unless they weren't in Ninjago.....
"There is strange magic in the air." She announced.
Phillip looked confused and indignant, and tried to say something. The only sound that came from his mouth was a gurgle.
Matilda stared intently at the stone walls, thinking. How in the name of Merlin could we have ended up here, of all places?! Then she realized. Magic. Powerful. This was no accident, somebody lead us here so something could finish us off. Now, who do I know wants to smash me? She snorted ruefully at her own question. Too many. She twirled her wand through her fingers, making the light on the walls dance and bounce wildly. I thought I was would be at least a little safer in Ninjago, but I see that somebody tracked me down. Wonderful.
She glanced at Phillip, who was glaring furiously at her. We need to get out of here, before somebody...or something finds us.
"We're retracing our steps." With a casual flick of her wand, she released Phillip from the spell.
"You dog!" He gasped angrily. "I didn't think you'd use that hocus-pocus stuff with us!"
Matilda regarded him, knowing that it was only fear for his sister that made the usually good-natured kid so ill-tempered. "I needed to think, and you wouldn't shut your pie hole. Now come on," She steered the black stallion around. "We need to find the others and get out of here...Before any trolls find us."
Phillip gaped at the retreating witch. "Before what?!"
* * *
Cole, Liana, and the horses trotted swiftly down the corridors, flashlight in hand. They wanted to call out to Matilda and Phillip, but something about the dark, forbidding passages made them want to be quiet. They felt as if they were being watched by invisible eyes, though the corridors were devoid of any life.
They followed the endless tunnels this way and that, curving and twisting and sloping relentlessly, feeling as if they weren't getting anywhere at all. They felt like rats caught in a maze, with no sign of escape.
( even though he's bad at it. 
What a waste.