Tempest War

Chater 6

In the morning I rolled over and was faced with Asami. She was inches away from my body and my breath caught in my throat. Freckles dappled her cheeks and nose. The curves of her body were also apparent under the sheets. The smell of her body soap made me want to lay back in bed, but I resisted the urge. This is not what I was here for. I slid out of bed and got dressed. In the kitchen, a prepared breakfast sat on the counter. He had left a note saying he had gone to the Ocean Trials. I picked up a muffin and scarfed it down. A glass of orange juice followed as well as a bowl of fruit salad.

As I was walking back upstairs to grab the bag with the Thunder Crown, Asami was walking downstairs.

"You're up early," Asami commented. "Where's Caspian?"

"He's at the Ocean Trials. Muffins, fruit and orange juice for breakfast," I walked by without acknowledging her properly. I felt her gaze follow me up the stairs. I brushed my teeth and slung the bag over my shoulder.

"Was there a reason you avoided me earlier," Asami had materialised behind me with a muffin and an apple.

"No," I shot down the question too quickly.

"It wasn't last night was it?" Her eyebrow quirked up even though I couldn't see her. "When you are asleep you are often unaware of what goes on."

"Some part of me believes you chose to get closer to me," I stared at the floor.

"Some part of me hopes you can accept me," Asami whispered. "Not for the person my father makes me out to be, but for the person that I am. I want you to love me as if I were one of your other friends."

"Hopefully I can do that," I say. "But that kind of trust is hard to gain." I walked out the door praying my answer wasn't too selfish. But it was true. It was very hard to accept somebody who had just shown up out of the blue in the desert and whisked you away to another world.

We passed by the area of the Ocean Trials on our way to the palace. Caspian and Pike were displayed on a stage with a huge crowd of people watching in the stands.

"Today we have the fabled Ocean Trials!" A commentator shouted. "If our two contestants can bring back the hidden pearls they will be victorious and cleared of all charges. If they lose? They'll never be seen again!" Raucous laughter burst out around the commentator.

Me and Asami snuck behind the spectacle of the Ocean Trial and to the palace. As suspected, the guards were all at the Trial. We slipped in through the palace's backdoor. The palace shone in colours of blue and white, gold and pale red. It was a site to behold. There was a staircase hidden behind a wooden door. It almost looked like it led to a cellar of sorts.

"What's down there?" I asked. Asami's gaze followed my finger.

"That's where we're going," Asami grabbed my wrist and dragged me over. "The Ocean Sapphire is in the depths of the castle crypt." I gulped. I didn't want to get locked in a wizard's dungeon.

The door creaked open and the stench of decaying fish and seaweed wafted out. I put my hand over my mouth as I walked down stone steps, my foot sliding on the slick surface. I didn't want to know what coated the stairs.

"Why are the stairs slippery?" I asked.

"The crypt is used for more than just the hiding place of the Ocean Sapphire," Asami replied. "The dungeon is down here and most prisoners die in the cells. Scenting the halls with decayed fish and seaweed." Asami's voice was muffled by her hand over her mouth. As we proceeded through the hall, another set of stairs led deeper down.

The next floor was a pitch black large circular room with prison cells. Across the way were the stairs down. As I walked across the middle of the floor a latch clicked off. A gate rolled up and something snorted. I tensed up, waiting for something to attack me.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," As a loud screech echoed through the chamber, I jumped back landing on something soft and plush. A giant beast blocked the way to the stairs.

Something cleared their throat. "Please get off of me, this is rather uncomfortable." I had landed on top of Asami. My face instantly flushed red, before I realised what was standing in front of us. "On the count of three we make a break for it." I nod. "And shut the door behind us." I nod again.

"Three, two, one!" Me and Asami sprinted for the exit, going under the legs of the beast we jammed a rusted pipe in between the door handle and the wall. The stairs were completely closed off and a series of torches led the way to the final level of the crypt. "What was that?"

"Part of me wants to say that it was a Deep Dragon," Asami huffed. "They are dragons that lay dormant at the bottom of the ocean. It was probably shackled, but they are very terrifying creatures to face."

"Why is there one guarding the Deep Crypt?" I asked.

"You just answered your own question," Asami shimmied past me and took the lead down to the Deep Crypt. At the bottom of the stairs, a giant blue gem pulsated with magic. It was supported by spires of blue crystal. It was truly a masterpiece. The Thunder Crown hummed softly in my bag and I pulled it out. The spike next to the one coloured green was vibrating. "Take the crown up to the gem." I did as told. As I raised the crown to the light of the Ocean Sapphire, I was plunged into the depths of the sea.

I was seated on a small rowboat in the middle of a stormy sky. The waves were taller than me and they threatened to capsize the boat. As the storm progressed, a wave came up under my boat, sending me into the dark sea below.

Below me, creatures of all sorts swam through a complex network of roads. I gasped in amazement. One creature looked like Caspian, but with the tail of a fish and scales up and down his arms. I swam over to see what they were.

"Koa?" Caspian asked. I nodded. "What are you doing down here?"

"What do you mean?" I replied. "Should I not be here?"

"No, you are viewing the Ocean Trials from within a dome of water," Caspian suddenly looked panicked. "You are in the Deep Crypt and the Thunder Crown is showing you this. However, should the magic break, you will drown."

"It's fine! I'm fine!" I shouted. Caspian turned his attention back to the Trial.

"You need to leave!" He was at the mouth of a cave with a glow coming from it. He deftly swam into the entrance and came back out with a pearl. I followed him all the way back to the beginning of the games where Pike had already finished.

"A trespasser!" The commentator shouted. I realised I had surfaced with Caspian. A single bolt of magic was shot at my bubble and it burst. I was too in shock of Caspian's legs drifting apart into two legs with small fins at the back to realise I had already drowned. The air leaving my lungs as I hit the sandy bottom. My whole world went dark.

Suddenly, with an electric surge and a crushing force, my head started to clear. I jolted awake. My eyes finding Asami's, her lips on mine, resuscitating me. I came into clear focus and jumped onto my feet.

"What happened?" Asami asked. I was confused and I was wet.

"I watched Caspian's Ocean Trial from a magic bubble, then I was sinking to the bottom of the ocean then...." My voice trailed off as I touched my lips.

"I'm glad you're okay," Asami ran over to me and crushed me in a hug. The air left my lungs again. And I was having trouble staying conscious. The only feeling I remembered before I blacked out was a pair of lips meeting mine in an intoxicating kiss.