The Prince of Light

Chapter 19

The wood was slick and smooth. The tunnel bent to a steeper angle. I picked up speed. The tunnel twisted and turned as I sped through it. The tunnel began to go up. I slowed down significantly. I soon could see the end of the tunnel. I shot out of it and landed on stone. I groaned. I picked up my head and looked around. I was inside of a massive cavern. It was at least eight school buses long yet the ceiling was close enough to touch. A path led down into the bottom of the cavern. I slowly picked my way down across the ledges and loose rocks. Soon, I arrived at the bottom. A bunch of stalagmites reached for the ceiling. As the far end of the cavern, someone stood, holding a giant club. The person was at least ten feet tall and looked well muscled. I slowly made my way over. The person was a statue. I saw a small birdbath of to the side. I was too deep for a birdbath though. A small water drip fell into the birdbath. I stepped back, puzzled. My leg sank into wet clay. I yelped and yanked out my leg. I pulled out the book. After the passage I had read on the floor above, was a passage labeled, 'The Stone Pillars and the Guardian.' I quickly scanned over it.

The second room is one of the most dangerous rooms. You must build yourself a guardian out of clay before the water in the bath fills. Once it fills, you will be assaulted by creatures of the dark. The escape route will open underneath the statue already there. But for it to open, you must defeat it first. For your guardian, I would make big yet fast with some sort of weapon. Other than that, good luck.

I looked over at the birdbath. It was already a fourth full! I quickly went over to the clay pit. 'Ok. How to do this?' I asked the Voice. It didn't answer for a moment. 'Sculpt it with light.' The Voice said. 'Really? That's the best plan you could come up with?' I asked it. I concentrated, and I attained a deep focus. Everything slowed down. I envisioned the warrior in 3-D. I put one hand over the clay pit, and my hand glowed bright white. Beams flashed out and sliced into the clay. I lifted my hand and the other clay burned away, and the clay warrior floated out. I sat him on the side. I did the same thing again, only now I made a sword, a war hammer, and a shield. I placed the hammer in his right hand and the shield on his left. I placed the sword on his back. I collapsed. I couldn't tell how long I stayed like that. After a while, I got up. The clay warrior was at least 12 feet tall, and he was big. I looked at the birdbath to see the last drop fall. It hit the water and a drop fell off the side. It seemed to go in slow motion. It hit the ground and it flashed. A circle of multicolored energy formed and spread out over the ground. As soon as it touched the enemy statue, he sprang to life and bounded right for me. I started to run into the forest of stone pillars as the energy touched my statue. Mine sprang to life and raced towards the enemy statue.

'I think my statue will be called George, and the bad statue will be called Bertie.' I thought. Bertie ran with a determination I had never seen before. George tackled his legs and got him in a wrestling hold.

Bertie swung his club around and smacked George in the face. His nose fell off. I stayed back and watched. They wrestled a bit before they both got up and started fighting with weapons. I heard a sound behind me. I whirled around. I didn't see anything. Then I saw movement on the top of one of the pillars. Then a different pillar had movement. Then all the pillars started moving. I realized what was happening. The pillars were the guardians too. I jumped in the air, spreading my light wings. One of the pillars shot out and grabbed my leg, like an octopus grabbing its prey. It slung me onto the ground. I hit hard, and the air rushed out of my lungs. I quickly tried to get up, but the ground was coming to life. New tentacles lashed my arms and legs to the ground. I squirmed and struggled to get out, but the tentacles thickened as they started to pull me into the ground. One slipped up around my throat and began to choke me. The ground underneath me became quicksand. My vision started to go black. I could hear the battle between George and Bertie grow distant. The only constant sound was the sliding of the quicksand. My vision went completely black and I slipped under. All the sudden, I was free. I floated around in the thick, soupy blackness. 'Am I dead?' I wondered. A voice answered me. 'Sort of. Do you wish to be dead?' I turned and saw a kid my age. He had chocolate brown hair and silver eyes. His hair reached his eyebrows, like mine. He was clothed in black jeans and a black muscle shirt. He had on a black leather jacket over that. Black biker gloves adorned his hands, the fingers cut off halfway. 'Wh-who are you?' I asked, startled. He sighed. 'My name is Ash, but most people just call me the Angel of Death.' He said, extending black wings.