Master of the Maze

Chapter 8: The Fatal Lie

The three of us walked in silence down the dark hall. The memory of the fallen revolutionary on the front of our minds; his last words repeated in my head like a broken record. He honestly believed that the Great Circle was evil which is ludicrous. They protect us and guide our ways towads the path of true magic. Yet somehow his words still haunted me as we progresse farther into the endless catacombs of this hell. Why are we here?

"Aha!" Ann Marie exclaimed. "There is running water nearby! Maybe we could follow it to find a way out of here."

"Or maybe it's just another trap," Maggie said..

"Might as well just follow it. We've got nothing t lose," I told Ann Marie.

"Except our lives," Maggie murmered, as anger flashed across her face.

Her face settled into a stone cold mask of indifference. Ann Marie led the way, and I walked beside her while Maggie stalked along behind us. I laughed a little as Ann Marie rambled on about how upset she was that we were missing Mistress Dixon's liquid fire lesson and how we would have to work overtime to catch up in our other classes. "Do you know how awesome it would be if I learned to control the liquid fire? I would be a water mage that could control FIRE! It would be so..." Ann Marie's sentance ended abruptly.

I followed her gaze and saw the most eerily beautiful sight I have ever seen. A heavy white mist drifted over a crystal clear lake that seemed to give off a faint light.A blue-green tint filled the room from the luminous lake. The shores consisted of pearl- white sands interupted only by jags of slightly luminescent crystals in varying shades of blue, green, and clear. I found myself speechless and short of breath. I looked at Ann Marie and found her in the same state of awe as me.

A haunting melody pierced the serene silence of the cavern; a melody that was so alluring that I had to listen more. The longer I listened, I could begin to make out words in the music.

Tyree, right now you are doomed to an endless hell, but there is an escape. I can help you and your friends escape. However that is not all. If you come to me, I will give you the highest pllace in the High Council and the one your heart truely dersires. All of this await you with me. Just walk into the lake, it is the door to your dreams.

I found myself taking steps foward. When my foot touched the sand, a beautiful Enchatress emerged from the surface of the water, and the song grew louder. Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard Maggie scream something, but I knew that if I reached this women, she would save us from whatever danger approached. Also in the same corner of my mind, I processed a strong searing pain on my finger as if it was lit on fire. The Ring of Truth, Maggie must be lying about the danger; she is probably trying to test the Enchantrees to see if she will truely save us from all of our woes. 

A screech worthy of a banshee interupted the Enchantress' song, as my feet reached the brink of the lake. Darkness enveloped the woman, and I snapped back into reality as if broken out of a trance. Through my state of bewilderment, I heard a desperate call, " Tyree! Ann Marie! Help me!"

Ann Marie responded to Maggie's call first, and the crashing wave that followed snatched me out of my confusion. I summonned the power of the earth around me and looked up to see a huge orb of darkness hovering above the lake. I brought up crystals from the bed of the lake and encased the orb emitting that horrible noise in crystal. That darkness instantly vanished to reveal one of the most hideous creatures I had ever seen in my life. The top half was green and scaly with blue, scraggly hair, and the bottom half of the monster was a sleek grey fish tail. Its teeth were bared to reveal yeelowing, blood-stained fang, and its hands were talons with long black nails that were sharp as knives.

"What in the name of magic is that horendous thing?" I asked.

"Siren," Maggie panted.

We spun around to see her collapsed onto the rocks at the entrance of the cavern. we ran to her together and sat beside her. Ann Marie helped her to sit up. "Told you it was a trap. You both would have died," she whispered.

"This is all my fault! How did I not think of a siren's lair being at the end of the stream?" Ann Marie exclaimed.

"It's not your fault. If we are going to get through this we cannot go blaming ourselve for every little mistake made along the way," I said. "Thank you, Maggie, for saving us from that thing."

"Don't mention it" she said. "But I need to rest. The siren was a powerful creatue, aand it took a lot of energy to contain it and break its hold on the two of you."

"Understandable, but can we at least leave this place?" Ann Marie asked.

Maggie nodded, and Ann Marie helped her to escape. We found a small, empty cavern in the side of the wall that appeared to be safe. Maggie disspelled some of the darkness, and I caught a glimpse of my finger. I held back a sigh at the sight of the blisters around the Ring of Truth. Ann Marie saw and reached out and grabbed my hand; water flowed from the Charm of Eternal Springs and healed my burns. The siren's lies almost cost me my life, and the ring tried to warn me. Suddenly the darkness flooded our little cavern and I knew Maggie was out. Now it was Ann Marie and I's turn to make a stand against any danger. I heard her chuckle lightly, and a new hope filled me, a sense that we would make it through this adventure alive.