Moon and Star - Part One

The Crystal Cove

  ~ Chapter Three ~

Ugh. Xiala rubbed her head as she sat up. She was back in Crystal Cove. Mira was lying lifelessly beside her, still clutching the Prophecy Gem to her forehead. Xiala ripped it away, angry at her sister now. "Stupid Mira. Always getting into trouble. Can't she listen to me for one minute!?" She waited for a while. Mira opened her eyes. Her face was pale. "What did you hear?" Xiala asked anxiously. "Why did you leave?" Mira yelled immediately. She leapt to her feet and started a two-minute scolding lecture. "Didn't you listen? Don't take your hand off me!" Xiala shrugged. "You didn't listen to me. Why should I listen to you?" "Because, I-" Xiala clamped her hand over Mira's mouth. "What?" Mira snapped, her voice muffled. Xiala put her finger to her lips and looked around. "We need to go to America." She hissed quietly - so quietly Mira had to strain her ears to hear her. But she nodded as they navigated their way through Crystal Cove. To Xiala's relief her sister didn't pick at any gems as they went. Finally they emerged at the end of the Cove. In front of them was a winding stone hallway, with forked paths - one left, the other right. Mira glanced at the both of them. They were all dark and the same amount of narrow. She exchanged glances with Xiala. "What about this - you go right, and I'll go left," Xiala told her. "Send a signal through the tunnel if there's trouble - and let's meet back here by the evening. But how do we make sure we don't get lost?" "We need a ball of yarn." Mira said. Xiala gave her a quizzical look. "Here." Mira said, producing two balls of gray yarn and handing one to Xiala. "Let it out as you go. You can trace it back to here." Xiala nodded. "One of these paths wind deeper into the labyrinth. The other is an exit. Be careful," she told Moonmira, who nodded. "Meet you back in five hours," she said, before tying some yarn around her waist and tying the other end to a crystal sticking out of a rock. Xiala did the same. Then Moonmira tucked the prophecy gem and the water gem into her pouch around her neck, and the two set off down the different paths. Moonmira lit a torch and walked down the deep tunnel. Soon the sparks of light from Crystal Cove disappeared behind her. The path was surprisingly still. No monsters jumped out at her; no arrows shot toward her as she went - it was just too creepy. The path was short, too. Soon she saw a speck of light ahead of her. She walked faster toward it. It was an oval portal, hovering above the dead-end. Hesitating for a moment she stepped in. When she landed she realized she was in open space. A clear, cloudless blue sky loomed above her. She was at the foot of a single, tall mountain. Beneath her was soft green grass. Rubbing her eyes she stood up. The mountain was in the shape of an eagle. Wait a minute. Could this be - Eagle Mountain? Eagle Mountain in America? Where Eve and Moonheal and Evera used to live? She glanced back. The portal was hovering a few inches above the ground. I should go find Xiala. Wait a minute. If this way was the exit, then - She blinked in horror, momentarily frozen in shock. A thousand possibilities flashed in her mind. Without a word she leapt into the portal.

When she reappeared on the stone rock her torch was hovering in the air. She picked it up and turned back. The portal flashed and disappeared to its new location. Nevermind that; I need to find Xiala. Trying to swallow her fear and unsteadiness, she followed the yarn towards the end of the tunnel. Then, suddenly, the yarn stopped. She looked around. It wasn't tied to a stalagmite. It wasn't tied to anything. It was just lying cut on the floor. She didn't see the Crystal Cove anywhere near. A forked path came into view. No yarn. She was sure she'd gone by one of the paths - but which? She closed her eyes and called on her photographic memory. She hadn't thought that someone would cut her yarn. Nor had she prepared to navigate the Labyrinth alone, relying on her memory. Then she knew it - she'd turned left on the forked path. Which meant, in this case, right. She gave a cry of relief and hurried down the right path. She wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Suddenly, when she crossed a stalactite, she saw a piece of thin gray substance. Jumping back, she realized it was a piece of gray thread - that led deeper into the tunnel. Her heart beating with excitement she followed it, barely noticing where it led to. Finally the yarn stopped. It was cut, but she knew that if she used her photographic memory she could go all the way back. She'd already crossed all the hard cross and turns. Suddenly the earth beneath her rumbled. She turned back and gasped in horror. A stone wall was slowly coming down behind her, blocking her way and the tunnel she'd just come through. What was even more startling was that, behind that wall, she saw the Crystal Cove glimmering maliciously. So I already passed it. Then who's thread is this? Inhaling sharply she realized it. Xiala's thread. It was cut, too. And now we're trapped.

Meanwhile . . .

Xiala looked around fearfully as she continued around the maze. The darkness seemed to close in on her and she wanted to hide, to run - to do anything to get out of this horrible place. Snip. The sound of someone cutting yarn. Her yarn. "No!" Xiala cried, turning around, but the masked figure had already tangled the yarn. It would be impossible for her to weave her way through again. She immediately wished she hadn't said anything as the figure turned toward her and pulled out a gleaming dagger. Planting her feet, fists clenched, Xiala was sure she was about to get crushed. She turned and turned and turned, struggling to keep her eyes on the figure that was running in circles. For a second, Xiala was confused. Why is he - or she - hiding behind a mask if they're so confident they will win? She thought. She quickly got her answer as her breath caught in her throat. She found it harder to breathe. Her throat closed and her lungs screamed for air but she couldn't. Xiala gasped for breath, sinking to the floor. At first she thought it was her allergies but she'd never had a reaction this severe before. There was only one explanation and it would cost Xiala her life. 

*Before you keep reading, Medusoid Mycelium is actually a thing, just so you know.*

"Medusoid. . .Mycelium. . ." She gasped. Xiala had an hour to live and right now, she was completely defenseless. This was her fault. All her fault. Mira was completely innocent this time. It was Xiala's fault and no one else's that she'd wandered into a cave filled with the deadly fungi. But it wasn't her fault at the same time. The fungi waxes and wanes and she'd just been unlucky. No time for pouting now. There was no cure. Her breath came in and out in ragged coughs. The figure almost seemed to be smiling before he - or she - attacked her with the gleaming dagger. Her mind barely registered the pain in her stomach, her heart was pounding and blood roared in her ears, blocking out all other sounds. Then everything went black. But not before she thought, Fifty five minutes.

Panic overwhelmed Mira. Her sister was strong, yes, brave, yes, but also reckless. What if she'd gotten hurt? Her heart pounded as she raced through the maze, never hesitating at the twists or turns. She was pretty sure she'd circled back a few times but she couldn't bring herself to care. Only one thing was clear: Getting to Xiala. She was about to give up when she heard a cough. And another and something that sounded like, "Forty five minutes." 'Till what? Mira thought. She couldn't abandon her sister but this person clearly needed more help than Xiala did. Rounding the corner, she saw Xiala coughing and instinctively tied a cloth around her mouth to keep out whatever was happening. Then she rushed to Xiala. "What happened?" She demanded angrily, tears stinging her eyes as she scanned Xiala for injuries, only seeing the gash in her stomach. "M&M," Xiala gasped, clearly not meaning the candy. "Do you mean the Medusoid Mycelium? But that doesn't grow in the Crystal Cove!" Mira said. Xiala nodded weakly, pointing to the walls. "Outside of the Crystal Cove." She muttered. "How long do you have?" Mira demanded. "Forty minutes." Xiala said simply, almost calmly. She opened her mouth to say more but a cough interrupted her. "Mira...cough...take Fang...cough...and fix this...cough...mess." Xiala gasped. Mira shook her head and rummaged through her pouch of herbs. "No no no, not this one, no, no no no no no and NO!" She cried furiously, hot tears falling to the ground. She reached into her pockets for her water bottle to heal Xiala when her fingers found a wrinkly old petal. A Dream Rose. She didn't see how that would help now but she pulled it out anyway. Reaching farther into her pockets she found a half-eaten bar of chocolate. Xiala loved sweets. She ought to give her older sister one more before she died. Throwing aside the Dream Rose she handed Xiala the bar of chocolate and told her to eat it. Not having the energy to protest, Xiala took a few bites. The chocolate melted in her mouth. For a moment, she felt a warm burst of energy. Then it was gone and Xiala told herself not to get her hopes up. Finishing the chocolate bar, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. It was a bit easier to breathe now but Xiala thought it was just symptoms of death. After one last hacking cough she lay still. "Xiala?" Moonmira whispered, smashing any tendrils of hope rising in her. Xiala didn't respond. "Xiala, please wake up!" No response from her sister. Mira glared at the walls furiously, her cheeks flushed from crying, she looked away from her sister.