Ender Kingdom (On Hold for Shadows of Mianite)

Chapter Ten: Down by the River

Bubbles surged around DiamondBlade. He slowly opened his eyes, and he saw Plower floating in the water with him. The water! DiamondBlade nearly gasped. He stopped just in time, remembering he was underwater. He kicked through the river and grabbed Plower’s arm, and he started swimming as fast as he could to the surface. But he couldn’t hold his breath forever — DiamondBlade had never been that good of a swimmer, and now he had extra weight. He knew he couldn’t swim by himself. DiamondBlade pushed Plower in front of him and slapped him. Plower slowly opened his eyes, and then flinched. Am I dead? he mouthed.

DiamondBlade shook his head and pointed upwards. He made sure his expression showed his fear. His lungs were screaming for air already. Plower nodded and grabbed his hand. Together they kicked through the water, and DiamondBlade was feeling lightheaded. His vision began to fade in and out. Just as he was about to pass out, Plower pulled him up onto the surface of the water. His head broke into the air, and DiamondBlade gasped for air. Plower grinned. “Hey, we survived!”

DiamondBlade coughed and agreed, “That’s a plus.”

They were floating down the river current, and Plower pointed at the sky. The sun was starting to go down. “Luckily we’re going in the right way. This river flows north, which is where the Ender Kingdom should be. And the horses are right…there!” Plower pointed behind DiamondBlade, who twisted in the water and saw two horses, one brown and one black. They were running beside the river, and DiamondBlade saw the chests of food still on their backs. “Good horse!” he called to them. Then he turned back to Plower. “Should we get out?”

“Whenever you’re ready. The spiders who fell with us are dead, by the way.”

Good. DiamondBlade started kicking through the water, and he swam with powerful swipes of his arms. Within a few moments he was at the riverbank, and he pulled himself onto the dirt. Then he rolled onto his back, breathing hard. Plower came out soon after. The NPC chuckled and pulled DiamondBlade up. “You showed quick thinking up there, DiamondBlade. Good job.”

DiamondBlade laughed and shrugged. “Thanks. But I’d prefer not to go high diving ever again.”

“I can agree with that.”

The horses reached the pair and neighed. DiamondBlade smiled as he thought that Dawn was scolding him. “Sorry, Dawn,” DiamondBlade apologized, stroking the mare’s mane. “I won’t do that again, don’t worry.”

Dawn whinnied and pushed her muzzle onto DiamondBlade’s chest affectionately. DiamondBlade smiled and went to the chest on her back. He selected four cooked pork chops and a cookie. He ate them up quickly, relishing the feeling of a full stomach. Plower ate as well. When they were refreshed, Plower asked, “So what’s the game plan?”

DiamondBlade looked out at the sparkling blue waters of the river. The lowering sun cast a golden glow over it. “We should follow the river as far as that ravine…” — here DiamondBlade pointed at the two steep mountains ahead of them that the river cut through, forming a ravine — “…and camp at the base for the night. We’ll keep close to the river until we reach the Ender Kingdom. But if the river even flows the slightest bit east or west, we have to abandon it and keep going north. I want to reach the Ender Kingdom in the next…oh, maybe ten or fifteen days. Do you think that could happen?”

Plower nodded. “Perhaps, if we’re fast enough. Lead on, DiamondBlade.”

They saddled their horses and put on their armor. DiamondBlade stayed a bit farther ahead than Plower, but he stayed close enough to talk to his friend. As they got farther from the cliff they fell from, DiamondBlade remembered that Plower was about to tell him something before the spiders interrupted. “So, Plower,” began DiamondBlade, “you were…ah, you were going to tell me something earlier. What was it?”