Another note: I removed a line from the end of this one, because the continuity error was too glaring.
Chapter 6
She had passed into another hall, but this one was very unlike the last one. In fact, it looked unlike any of the rooms she'd just walked through, so much so that, for a second, she wondered where she was. Inside Mount Cavora. Right. And, for the first time, it looked like it.
The ceiling was shrouded in misty darkness, the bare rock walls were damp and mossy, and a low, blue light seemed to come from both everywhere and nowhere. G'loona looked over her shoulder, half expecting the door that had led her here to have disappeared.
But it was still there, looking altogether out of place among all the rough, rocky surfaces.
G'loona peered ahead, down the hall, but the gloom and the mists prevented her from seeing the end of it. She swallowed. Returning to the room behind her suddenly seemed like a better idea than charging ahead into who knew what (despite the unconscious phoenix who was undoubtedly still there). But was it a better idea?
What if nothing lay ahead other than mist and a way out? Alternatively, what if the phoenix temple was under attack, and everyone had simply dropped what they were doing to defend it?
No, thought G'loona. That can't be right. If the temple was under attack, wouldn't Fluminox be the first to know. . . ?
At length she decided to keep to the path she'd chosen, and so started down the hall.
No matter how long she walked, though, it seemed the end would never come into view. The walls continued to loom on either side, the sound of trickling water grew louder, then softer. . . .
And when at last it did end, in the form of another door, someone was standing in front of it, a silhouette in the mist.
Watching. Waiting. Guarding.
As she drew closer it became obvious that the figure was a phoenix. Not Fluminox, thought G'loona. Please don't let it be Fluminox. . . .
Keeping her back to the damp rock wall, she inched closer . . .
. . . to find that, thankfully, it wasn't Fluminox.
He was, however, wearing both a jet-black mantle and a maniacal grin. Even more so than Fluminox, he radiated eeriness.
G'loona closed her eyes and forced herself to think. Obviously she couldn't reveal herself to this phoenix, but there wasn't enough space to sneak past him, either. She hadn't noticed any turns off the passage, but the mist had been thick in places, so there might be another way around. But what if Fluminox had recovered? What if he was coming down the passage right now?
The rock suddenly shifted behind her back, and she leaped into the center of the passage, stifling a gasp.
The oddly still phoenix guard snapped to attention, spotting G'loona immediately. Still smiling menacingly, he took a step forward and brandished his spear. "State your business," he said, in a voice too cold for a creature of fire.
G'loona took a deep breath. "I—er—Fluminox sent me," she invented, hoping against hope that the phoenix would believe her.
Needless to say, he didn't.
"Oh, really," drawled the phoenix. "Even if he did, I've always said he was a bit soft in the head . . . confused, like . . ."
He twirled his spear. "Nah, I'll check with Fluminox later . . . for now, I'd say you're a prisoner of the phoenix . . ." G'loona gulped as, in a blink, the tip of the spear was pressed to her throat.
"Just a safety measure," said the phoenix nastily. "If you promise not to make a fuss, I promise to not hurt you. Now get moving! Back that way!" He gestured back down the passage.
G'loona took a step back, but the spear remained at her throat. "What—what about guarding the door?" she asked, stalling.
The phoenix didn't even look over his shoulder at it. "Someone's guarding the other side, too," he sneered (though G'loona could tell he was lying). "The door should be fine."
G'loona nervously flicked her eyes towards the traitorous patch of rock that had startled her into revealing herself.
It was still moving.
She forced down another gasp and quickly looked back to the phoenix. But he already knew something was up.
Keeping the spearhead firmly on her neck, he turned to look as a previously hidden stone doorway slid to one side, revealing a deep, dark passage. "How are you doing that?" he hissed to G'loona, his smile disappearing. "Tell me how you're doing that!"
G'loona made choking sounds, pretending the spear was pressed too hard against her neck. And when the phoenix pulled it away slightly, she fell flat and rolled out of its reach. Then she leaped to her feet, fists curled--
--to find the phoenix unconscious on the ground.
A small figure stood over him, its features hidden by the mist.
G'loona's eyes widened, and she was turning to run when a youthful voice called, "Wait!"
Neither of the sites have places showing customer reviews and ratings, and it seems like they were made a few weeks ago.
I'm kinda creeped out by them, for some reason...
I didn't think about that. I recognize one of the site names though, I feel like I've shopped there before.... or maybe I was just looking for things there but never actually ordered anything. I don't know.
Hm. Well, I'll try to find out everything I can about the sites, and I'll keep searching around other places, too.
G'loona froze. Something about that voice was hauntingly familiar, but she couldn't place it . . . "Wait!" it called again. "I--I'm not going to hurt you! Don't you . . . recognize me?"
Ninety percent of G'loona's brain was panicking, warning her that this was a trap; but she turned around anyway.
And there stood another phoenix, a smaller and more honest-looking one, whose wings were so tiny G'loona could just barely see them from the front. "Hey," he said awkwardly, giving a little wave. "So . . . don't you remember me?"
G'loona opened her mouth to tell him she didn't, then shut it quickly; she could hear distant yelling from the passage behind her.
The small phoenix seemed to hear it, too, and he glanced anxiously over G'loona's shoulder. "You should come with me," he said, extending a hand.
G'loona narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to lead me into a trap or anything, are you?"
"Of course not!" The phoenix looked surprised and a little hurt, and G'loona immediately regretted the tone of voice she'd taken. If Grumlo had heard me say that. . . . "Sorry," she said quickly, "but the other phoenixes are acting . . . er . . . weird. Do you know what's going on with them?"
The phoenix before her looked suddenly frightened. He pulled a contorted yellow crystal from his belt and twisted his wrist. "It's happening again?" he muttered, seemingly to himself.
"What's happening?" asked G'loona.
The yells from behind grew louder. The unconscious phoenix guard started to stir.
The small phoenix shook his head frantically. "No time!" he hissed; then he made a stabbing motion with the crystal and faded from view.
"Um . . . hello?" said G'loona nervously.
So it had been a trap after all. . . .
She ran to the nearby door, pounding on it, but someone snatched her shoulder from behind and hauled her back. She wrenched herself away and whirled around, expecting to find the smirking phoenix guard--but there was no one there.
What?
The distant yells weren't quite so distant anymore. G'loona flicked her eyes from the still-unconscious guard to various shadowy alcoves in the passage, searching for her assailant. And then a hand closed firmly around her wrist, tugging her towards the recently exposed tunnel.
She gasped, ears popping; and suddenly she could see who had her wrist.
It was the small phoenix, yellow crystal glowing in his other hand.
"You?!" cried G'loona. "What are you--"
"Shh!" hissed the phoenix. "No one should be able to see us, but hearing is something else entirely."
G'loona pressed her lips together, glancing anxiously over her shoulder as the phoenix led her into the darkness of the tunnel. With a grinding sound, the rock slab sealed off the entrance (and exit) behind them. From the other side it would now be completely camouflaged.
From this side it was now almost completely dark. Only the light from the phoenix's crystal kept the suffocating darkness from closing in too far. Though, it seemed to G'loona, the light could cause problems of its own. . . .
"Do you think someone'll see us coming?" she asked (a little too loudly); and the phoenix nearly leaped out of his skin.
"No," he whispered. "This is a cloaking crystal. We're literally invisible. And anyway, no one uses this tunnel. We'll be fine as long as we keep quiet." He held a finger to his beak and quickened his pace.
G'loona froze. Something about that voice was hauntingly familiar, but she couldn't place it . . . "Wait!" it called again. "I--I'm not going to hurt you! Don't you . . . recognize me?"
Ninety percent of G'loona's brain was panicking, warning her that this was a trap; but she turned around anyway.
And there stood another phoenix, a smaller and more honest-looking one, whose wings were so tiny G'loona could just barely see them from the front. "Hey," he said awkwardly, giving a little wave. "So . . . don't you remember me?"
G'loona opened her mouth to tell him she didn't, then shut it quickly; she could hear distant yelling from the passage behind her.
The small phoenix seemed to hear it, too, and he glanced anxiously over G'loona's shoulder. "You should come with me," he said, extending a hand.
G'loona narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to lead me into a trap or anything, are you?"
"Of course not!" The phoenix looked surprised and a little hurt, and G'loona immediately regretted the tone of voice she'd taken. If Grumlo had heard me say that. . . . "Sorry," she said quickly, "but the other phoenixes are acting . . . er . . . weird. Do you know what's going on with them?"
The phoenix before her looked suddenly frightened. He pulled a contorted yellow crystal from his belt and twisted his wrist. "It's happening again?" he muttered, seemingly to himself.
"What's happening?" asked G'loona.
The yells from behind grew louder. The unconscious phoenix guard started to stir.
The small phoenix shook his head frantically. "No time!" he hissed; then he made a stabbing motion with the crystal and faded from view.
"Um . . . hello?" said G'loona nervously.
So it had been a trap after all. . . .
She ran to the nearby door, pounding on it, but someone snatched her shoulder from behind and hauled her back. She wrenched herself away and whirled around, expecting to find the smirking phoenix guard--but there was no one there.
What?
The distant yells weren't quite so distant anymore. G'loona flicked her eyes from the still-unconscious guard to various shadowy alcoves in the passage, searching for her assailant. And then a hand closed firmly around her wrist, tugging her towards the recently exposed tunnel.
She gasped, ears popping; and suddenly she could see who had her wrist.
It was the small phoenix, yellow crystal glowing in his other hand.
"You?!" cried G'loona. "What are you--"
"Shh!" hissed the phoenix. "No one should be able to see us, but hearing is something else entirely."
G'loona pressed her lips together, glancing anxiously over her shoulder as the phoenix led her into the darkness of the tunnel. With a grinding sound, the rock slab sealed off the entrance (and exit) behind them. From the other side it would now be completely camouflaged.
From this side it was now almost completely dark. Only the light from the phoenix's crystal kept the suffocating darkness from closing in too far. Though, it seemed to G'loona, the light could cause problems of its own. . . .
"Do you think someone'll see us coming?" she asked (a little too loudly); and the phoenix nearly leaped out of his skin.
"No," he whispered. "This is a cloaking crystal. We're literally invisible. And anyway, no one uses this tunnel. We'll be fine as long as we keep quiet." He held a finger to his beak and quickened his pace.
-last edited on Mar 20, 2017 17:11:24 GMT by Epic: Formatting
Post by Epic on Mar 20, 2017 17:10:27 GMT
Chapter 8 (I forgot to tag the last one, sorry )
Though she had many questions, G'loona continued through the near-darkness in silence. The phoenix's hand on her wrist was actually comforting, despite the fact that some part of her still distrusted him.
What's not to trust, though? she thought.
She was starting to trust him more and more, but the part of her didn't was insistent (and annoying).
Eventually the passage opened into a cavern--or, at least, G'loona assumed it did. The only noticeable difference was the lack of walls on either side.
Looking out into the inky blackness, though, she could almost feel the massive stretch of space surrounding them.
The phoenix continued to guide her through the dark, stopping when they reached the foot of a spiral staircase.
He then turned towards her. "You can see well enough, right?"
G'loona followed the path of the stairs with her eyes: they curled around an ominously tall pillar that disappeared into the darkness above. She gulped. "Y-yes."
"Good." The phoenix started to lead her up the stairs.
The climb took less time than she'd thought it would, but the steps were narrow and crumbly, and there weren't any railings. It was both a curse and a blessing that the height was hidden by darkness. At the top of the pillar sat a small pedestal with a strangely shaped socket in the center.
"You OK?" the phoenix asked G'loona.
She nodded, taking deep breaths. "Yeah."
He released her wrist; then, with both hands, he set the cloaking crystal on the pedestal. It sunk into the socket with a dull clack, then started to glow brighter, until the entire cavern was dimly illuminated.
And G'loona could see that they weren't alone.
"It's OK, it's OK--" said the phoenix, as G'loona started with worry and almost fell from the pillar. "They're friends."
Far below, dozens of creatures were scattered about the cavern. One of them walked to the bottom of the pillar and waved. The phoenix waved back.
"Ready to head back down?" he asked G'loona, offering his hand. She took it and nodded.
The climb down, though unsettling, wasn't as scary as the climb up had been. All the same, G'loona was glad when she had both feet on the cavern floor again.
Gorillas belong on the ground, she thought, before remembering she was inside a floating rock thousands of treeheights above the ground.
The creature who had waved to them turned out to be a leopard, and he bowed as they approached. "Master phoenix," he said, "did you discover anything new?"
"Not really," said the phoenix, glancing at G'loona. "But the other phoenixes have turned again. The whole mountain is feeling the full effects of the Wave."
G'loona looked from the leopard to the phoenix, fear welling up inside her again. Something was wrong with the whole mountain? "What's happening here?" she asked, almost to herself.
The phoenix smiled ruefully. "That's what we're trying to find out." He gestured to the leopard, who nodded at her. "This is Lundor—captain of my guard. And . . . well . . . since you really don't seem to remember me, I'm—"
"Flinx, son of Fluminox," said G'loona softly, surprising herself as well as the phoenix.
His wings twitched, and he blinked. "Yes--well--I guess you do remember me," he said.
G'loona closed her eyes and shook her head, almost crying. She knew, somehow, that she should remember.
But apart from the name, she didn't.
"Anyway," said Flinx, getting over his surprise (and seemingly ignoring hers), "I should at least bring you up to speed on the things we do know. . . ."
"We--er, everyone in this room, that is--are the Wave Riders. We're the only ones in Mount Cavora who don't go cuckoo when the Wave hits."
"But what is the wave?" asked G'loona.
Flinx shrugged nervously, and Lundor replied, "It's our name for an event that happened recently--ever since then, the phoenix have been experiencing fits of madness that come and go as they please. Stranger still, the temple passages have been turning cold and rough, filled with blue fog."
"Sort of like the cave we're in now," said Flinx, "and the tunnel I found you in."
Lundor looked at Flinx sharply. "You found her here? In the temple? What was she doing, wandering the passages alone during the Wave?"
Flinx looked to G'loona, grimacing. "Well?" he asked.
G'loona let out a breath. "I--I was kidnapped," she said, still barely able to believe it herself.
Flinx and Lundor exchanged a worried glace.
"By who?" asked Flinx.
"If she knew," Lundor sighed, "it wouldn't have been a very successful kidnapping--"
"Fluminox," said G'loona fiercely, cutting him off. "It was Fluminox. He tried to hide it by covering my face . . . he even changed his voice, somehow. But I know it was him."
"Now--be reasonable," said Lundor, eyes shifting. "How can you know if you didn't even see him? Fluminox doesn't go as mad as the other phoenix; and, mad or not, I've never seen him leave the temple."
"Then he's better than the others at hiding it," said Flinx quietly. "He must have another identity. . . ."
Lundor glared down at him. "You believe her?"
Flinx stared back, unfazed. "Of course. You do too, so drop the act. We've been over this. There's no need to talk down to anyone."
"I'm taller than both of you. It's only natural."
"And yet you never seem to talk down to me."
G'loona cleared her throat. "Please. I'm right here."
At length, Lundor sighed and backed down. Flinx nodded with a hmph.
"So..." said G'loona. "What does the phoenixes' madness mean?"
Flinx sighed. "We really don't know. During the Wave, we've overheard them talking about conquest and a 'Project', but . . . they don't really say much. It's like they all share one mind: they all know what the Project is, so they don't need to say much. Creepy."
An uneasy silence fell. G'loona was struggling to contain one last question, one she needed to know the answer to. But even thinking about it tied her stomach in knots. Considering everything that had happened, though, did the answer even matter?
G'loona took a deep breath.
"Can you take me home?" she asked at last.
Lundor closed his eyes and bowed his head.
Flinx looked at her sadly.
"What?" said G'loona, feeling a stab of irrational panic. "Am I not allowed to leave after what you told me?" ". . . It's not that," said Flinx. "Just . . . well, if Fluminox kidnapped you once, he'll do it again. But why he did it once is something else. . . ."
"Well?" said G'loona, more loudly than she wanted to. "Can you help me get back?"
Flinx's shoulders sagged. "Yes," he muttered, "if that's what you want."
"It is."
"You'll have a hard time of it without wings," said Lundor, opening his eyes again. "There's a small glider bay, but it's under heavy guard; and there are many checkpoints along the way."
"Which is why my secret tunnel system exists," murmured Flinx, staring at the ground. "Leaving the mountain unnoticed is the hard part. . . ."
"Or is it?" said Lundor, opening a pouch at his waist. From it he drew a pair of oddly-shaped yellow crystals.
"Of course," said Flinx, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand. "We have more of those. . . ."
"Alright," said Flinx, holding his cloaking crystal wardingly in front of him. "To work these things, all you have to do is stab one forward once." He demonstrated, vanishing into the air soon after.
G'loona tried it herself, her ears popping as Flinx came into view. "I'm invisible now?" she asked.
The phoenix nodded.
"How come I can see you?"
"The crystals are linked somehow?" said Flinx. "I don't know."
G'loona didn't bother asking how they learned to use them in the first place.
"Now, to turn visible again, you either have to twist your wrist or stop touching the crystal. Whichever works better for you."
G'loona dropped the crystal into her other hand, and Flinx disappeared again. "OK," she whispered to herself. "I can do this."
"One more thing," said Flinx's voice: he had yet to reappear himself. "Don't jab the crystal when you're invisible. I saw someone do it, and he was just . . . gone. Forever. We never found him."
G'loona looked at her crystal and swallowed. Flinx promptly reappeared. "Hey," he said softly, "you'll be fine." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Think you're ready?"
"No," murmured G'loona; "but yes."
Flinx took hold of a knob on the nearby rock wall and pulled it to the left. A section of the stone began to slide in that direction, slowly revealing the entrance to a dark tunnel.
"Remember," said Flinx. "Keep quiet most of the time, and don't touch the walls. Some of them are very thin."
G'loona nodded and followed him again into the tunnel. The stone sealed itself off behind them, leaving them in a blackness only dimly illuminated by their crystals.
For some reason the air felt heavy to G'loona, as if they were walking underneath a cavern flooded with lava. Or maybe . . . she was actually feeling the Wave herself. She had felt that something was wrong as soon as she'd started talking to Fluminox. . . .
Quite suddenly, she bumped into Flinx, who had halted just ahead of her. She panicked, quickly jabbing her crystal forward and (despite Flinx's prior warnings) putting her back to a wall.
Flinx gave no reaction. For a long moment, he stood still as a stone, seeming to stare down the tunnel at something. Then he slowly turned around, eyes darting all over the tunnel as he looked for G'loona. "You there?" he whispered.
"Yes," answered G'loona, having already forgotten how to reappear.
"Listen," said Flinx, pointing at the wall opposite her.
G'loona held her breath and strained her ears. Distantly, she could hear voices.
"What--" she began, but Flinx shushed her.
The voices grew louder, and G'loona realized there must be a passage directly next to the one they were in. Flinx gingerly put an ear to the wall; but soon the voices were so close that this didn't matter.
G'loona could hear them loud and clear--and she realized with a jolt that she recognized one of them.
"Unhand me, you firebird fiends!"
"Ha! Not likely!"
"Not until you tell us how to find site A, at least . . ."
"Ouch! Those beastly chains are cutting my wings, you know!"
"That's fine . . . you won't be needing wings much longer . . ."
"WHAT?! You monsters! I don't even know what site A is!"
"I think you do. Does the name 'Forever Garden' ring any bells?"
"Er . . . I . . . well . . . I shouldn't—"
"Thought so. Number One will have you singing out what we need to know before long."
"G'loona will miss me . . . she'll know something's up . . . "
"I've told you, she's our prisoner! No one's coming to save you . . . "
Is it Flinx? 
You actually changed your Update Status to "SEMI-depressed". How can we get that to "NOT-depressed?" 
Sig by Sam