The Royal Knight Academy

Chapter 23: The Unnamed Cave

We swam away from the kingdom, Elisia leading the way. It didn't take long before we came to a towering rock rising from the lake floor, with its shadow looming over us. The stone was eerie looking, almost warning of the danger within. The entrance of the cave had stalactites and stalagmites surrounding it as if the cave had its own set of impaling sharp teeth, ready to bite anyone who dared to enter.

"So, this is it?" I questioned uneasily.

"Yep," she winced. "It sure is."

"Come on," I said as I started swimming towards the cave. "The sooner we get in and I get what I need, the faster we will get out."

We nervously and cautiously swam through the cave entrance, making sure to weave through the dagger like rocks that were protecting the treasure within.

We twisted and turned through the long, narrow entrance way of the cave as if we were making our way through a maze. Soon enough, we came to the end of the passageway and were at a part of the cave that went straight down to a sandy surface below. Afraid of what might be down there, I took a deep breath, and swam down deeper into the cave with Elisia alongside me. When we finally reached the bottom, we carefully went around the corner, preparing ourselves for something dangerous. Instead of a menacing creature or the skeletons of those who had previously failed their mission, there were only a few large boulders with glowing green algae growing on them and a dark shadowy hole in one wall that was too small for even the smallest of people to fit through. Then I saw it.

There, above two boulders was the bubbling Water of Purity inside an ornately decorated glass bottle with a smooth tan cork. The bottle was hanging high up above us, resting on a golden plate that was being held up by three delicate silver metal chains. We were scared over nothing.

I glanced around the cave to make sure I didn't miss anything important. As I was scanning every nook and cranny, I spotted someone else silently hiding behind a large rock. I knew instantly it was Owen. He hadn't seen us because he was intently concentrating on the small hole in the wall. The moment I saw him, I quickly realized something. I needed to hide Elisia. I couldn't afford for her to accidentally spill my secret or for him to discover hers. I quickly pushed her behind a big boulder before Owen could see her.

"What are you doing right now?!" she angrily whispered.

"You need to hide! Trust me okay. You can't tell anyone that I am a girl, especially him."

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"So stay hidden while I get what I'm here for."

I came out from behind the algae covered rock and went over to Owen.

"Hello?" I said in my deep voice to get his attention.

He quickly turned his head around and I instantly noticed the bubble around his head. Elisia must have made him one too. I wonder if he believes in magic now.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, impatiently. "Took you long enough! The last time I saw you, you were completely out of it."

"Yeah, about that, thanks for leaving me," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "But that's not what's important right now."

I paused for a moment.

"What I want to know is why aren't you trying to get the Water of Purity when it is literally right there?"

I was shocked that he wasn't showing off.

"It is because everytime I try to reach that blasted thing, something comes out of that hole over there," he explained, pointing to the opening in the wall.

"Do you know what it is?"

"No! I didn't see very much of it. That is why I'm watching it closely. I'm waiting to see if it will come out again so I can get a better look at it."

"Oh, I thought you weren't scared of anything," I said, knowing it would hit a nerve.

When I said that, he had this furious yet embarrassed expression on his face.

"You know what, if you think you're so brave, I'll grab the water, and you can deal with what's inside!"

My eyes opened widely.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "There has to be a better plan to get it!"

Despite me trying to get him to stop, he was already trying to grab the glass bottle above us. Just as his fingertips grazed the bottle, the creature emerged out of the tiny hole in the depths of the cave.

I first noticed that it had hundreds of small suctions attached to each tentacle that came crawling out of the hole. First there was one tentacle, then two, until I realized there were eight in all. Owen realized what was happening and left the Water of Purity on its hanging pedestal and slowly backed away. Soon the slowly moving creature revealed its horrifyingly scary head and I immediately knew what it was. Attached to its eight red tentacles was a head that didn't seem real. It was gray on the top and white on the bottom, with its mouth full of razor sharp teeth strong enough to chew through steel, looking as if it wanted us to be its next meal.