Secrets

Seventeen

"Valin?" The timid words echoed throughout the cavern, swirling into the air before disappearing. 

"I'm right here Sophie." 

She whipped her head towards the sound. A grinning dark-headed boy winked at her from behind a large sparkling stalactite. 

"Why did you leave me?" 

"To show you this." The boy lifted his gangly hands and pointed to a blue light glowing in the distance. His Adam's apple bobbed within his throat. 

"Where-"

"I'll show you." Valin closed his eyes and disappeared. 

Silence.

"W-where?" Sophie stuttered as her mind tried to make sense of what had happened. How could Valin just disappear? Questions darted through her mind. Should I trust him? Should I follow? 

A hand grasped her shoulder. 

"Right here." His shaky voice filled the cavern- coming from right behind her. 

Sophie tried to catch her quickening breath. "How did you?" 

"Vanisher." 

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

Valin gave her a greasy grin. "I'm a Vanisher." 

"Oh."

Neither of them knew what to say after that. 

Then, "You never told anyone." 

"I know, I had to keep it a secret." 

"Why?" Sophie asked, curious.

"I have two other abilities."

--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--

"Wha-what are they?" The words hung in the chilly air, sparkling like the crystals.

The silence shattered them. 

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

Valin shook his head, greasy grin gone. "I-I just... can't." 

Sophie felt her hopes plummet to the ground. This was one person who could relate to her situation. The one person that she new who had more than two abilities. 

She snuck a quick peek at Valin. The drooly grin slapped on his face again. 

A mask. 

"Valin, please." 

His grin wavered. 

"We have to escape." 

Valin shook his oily head. "I'm sorry s-Sophie, but no." 

Sophie felt her throat constrict as she gazed at the ground. The sparkling handle gleamed in her eyes. Then, a looming thought pierced her mind. "Valin, where is the loctoga?" 

"I-I don't know," he stuttered. "Maybe it's gone?" 

Sophie raised her head, looking at the ceiling. Standing up, the turned a 360, eyes searching in every nook and cranny for any sign of the creature. 

Nothing.

"Valin." Sophie nodded in agreement. "Valin, I think it is gone." She froze. And so was Keefe. 

"And that means, we can escape." The greasy grin was back on his oily face as a mischievous glint raced across his sparkling blue eyes. He glanced at the towering crystals glimmering around them.

The answer dawned on Sophie with a horrible realization. 

"Nonononono. You can't possibly mean..." She shook her head furiously. "You k-know I'm not..."

--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--

Five minutes later, Sophie was clinging to a stalactite, the slippery surface sliding through her clammy hands. 

"Just a little bit further." Valin's voice resounded through the cave, echoing all the way to Sophie ears. "Come on, you've got it." 

Sophie lifted her right hand an inch above her and pushed with her legs. "Am I almost there?" She called, looking through half open eyelids. 

"Uh..."

Sophie glanced down.

Valin stared at her from a foot below. "See? You only have forty-nine more feet to go!"

Sophie sighed. Typical.

"Why can't I just levitate?" she asked, panting.

"Because you have to wrap yourself completely around the crystal for this to work."

Ugh. At this rate, it was going to take her forever for her to reach the top. 

Using a brain push to exert energy to her trembling arms and legs, she climbed faster.

"You're almost there!" Valin's cheerful voice echoed throughout the cavern.

Sophie raised one trembling hand to finish the last foot. Pushing with her legs, she reached the top.

"I DID IT!" She shouted, looking down at Valin. 

 Securing herself, Sophie wrapped her arms and legs completely around the crystal. Looking down, she saw the glittering handle shining even more than before. 

"Hey, Valin." Sophie squinted at the mysterious object. "Valin, what is that?" She nudged her chin in the direction of the handle trapped under the crystal.

Valin looked confused. "What are you talking about?" 

"Uh..." Sophie could see it as clear as day, the glittering jewels sparkling like hundreds of diamonds. 

There probably was.  

"The handle?" 

"The what?"

Sophie rolled her sparkling brown-gold eyes. "Under the floor." 

Valin blinked. 

"ARGHHHHHHH!!!!" The scream of frustration ripped from Sophie's throat, full of grief for Keefe, anger at Valin, and hopelessness. 

"Sophie." The grinning, drooly mask slipped as it twisted into a face filled with confusion. "What's wrong?"

What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! Sophie wanted to shout. YOUR PLAN IS WHAT IS WRONG! But instead of doing so, she took a deep breath. "Nothing."

The mask slapped back on his face as she locked her eyes on his. "That's good." 

Sophie mentally slapped her face.

 But as she looked around at the jagged, yet beautiful crystal protruding from the ceiling and floor, an idea clicked into her mind. 

In spite of her swirling emotions, Sophie managed to part her dry and cracked lips to form something close to a smile. 

Her mouth moved, the words barely reaching Valin's ears. "I think that handle belongs to a sword."