Nina Vale: Keep reading. You'll get your answers eventually.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."
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Chapter 7: Gone
Twenty minutes later, the team walked onto the dock with their swimming gear in their hands. Wilder was waiting for them next to their boat. They all got in, and Wilder drove them around to the east side of the island. On the way there, the girls changed into their wetsuits in the rooms below the deck. When they finished, the boys went down and changed into theirs. Wilder switched places with Zhalia, giving her directions, before going down and also changing.
By the time he'd finished, they'd reached the island of the Hippocampus. Wilder had been right; it was more like a giant rock than a small island. Putting on their air tanks, goggles, and breathers, the team and Wilder dived down. Wilder led them through the water and into the tunnel that led up and into the cave. It looked very similar to the cave that was the resting place of Umbra in the Sea of Cortez.
Taking off their air tanks, goggles, breathers, and flippers, and setting them aside, the group walked forward with Wilder in the lead. The tunnel was paved with flat stones, each a different shade of brown.
"Everyone keep your eyes open," Wilder said. "No telling what sort of traps could be here."
The words had barely left his mouth when the stone he had just stepped on gave way beneath him and he stumbled forward. Lok and Harrison caught him and pulled him back just in time as some of the stones surrounding the first one fell away as well and dropped a long way down. Listening closely, the group heard a series of splashes that signaled the stones hitting the water.
"The stones are rigged," Zhalia said. "One of the shades must be a trap. Did anyone notice which one it was?"
"It was the darkest shade," Sophie said.
"Watch your step," Wilder said.
The group walked a little slower after that. Wilder picked up some stones that were lying on the sides of the path and tossed one onto the dark stone that was closest to them. It and the surrounding stones fell away and ended in a splash. They walked around the opening. Each time they reached another dark stone, Wilder would toss a rock and set off the trap.
"Why are we setting off all of them?" Harrison asked.
"If we set them off now," Wilder answered, "we won't have to worry about them later."
They reached the end of the stone-paved path. Now it was just dirt. Wilder walked slowly, looking around for anything that seemed different or off about this section. Luckily, there were no traps. They did see small clumps of grass growing on the path. The further they walked the bigger the clumps, until it was impossible to take a step without getting some grass under your foot. Soon the whole path was covered.
The tunnel then opened up into a large cave. Where they stood was the only solid ground. The rest of the cave floor was nothing but a pool of water. The walls were brown. A wide and thin white stone was standing in between them and the water, not even coming up to Wilder's waist. Rising out from the middle of the pool was a tall, white, stone pillar that nearly went all the way to the ceiling.
"The amulet must be up there," Sophie observed.
"Cherit, can you fly up there and get it?" Lok asked the small white Titan on his shoulder.
"Too easy," Zhalia said as she picked up a rock and tossed it into the air. A whip of water rose up out of the pool and swatted the rock into the wall, where it shattered.
"I think I'll stay right here," Cherit said.
"What next?" Den asked. "Swim through the water and climb the pillar?"
"The sides of the pillar are too steep and smooth for climbing," Wilder said, "and the water's probably a trap just like the air."
"Then how do we get the amulet?" Harrison asked.
"The clue I found in the Organization's archives said that 'water on white stone will show the way.'"
"We've got plenty of water but there are two white stones," Lok said. "And one of them is already touching the water. What's our next move?"
Sophie, thinking quickly, scooped up some water from the pool and poured it onto the white stone in front of them. Where the water fell the stone turned black, except for some symbols that looked like they could be letters. The rest of the team, following Sophie's lead, scooped up more water and poured it onto the stone. They continued until the entire side facing them was black, revealing a hidden message in white Greek letters.
"'Surrender an item close to the heart, and the waters, for you, will part,'" Wilder translated out loud.
"What does that mean?" Den asked.
"It's a riddle," Lok said, "and the key to getting the amulet. To do so, we have to exchange something for it."
"Something close to the heart," Zhalia added. "We need to exchange an item of sentimental value. Does anyone happen to have something like that on them?"
The boys, Wilder, and Cherit all shook their heads. Sophie, on the other hand, looked sad for a moment, then dug into her backpack and pulled out a chain. On the chain was a ring. The ring was a simple silver band with small pink gems embedded in the metal.
"Leblanche said this ring once belonged to my mother," Sophie told the rest of them. "It's one of the few things I have that were hers, and it's been my good-luck charm for the past few years."
"Sophie, you can't give that up!" Lok told her in a horrified voice.
"It's alright, Lok," Sophie said.
"It's not alright," Zhalia said. "You said so yourself, that ring is something of your mother's. Are you really going to let it go just to complete the mission?"
"You won't get it back," Wilder added, voicing the fact that Sophie was trying very hard not to think about.
"I know," Sophie said in a quiet voice, "but, in a way, I'm still trying to move on from the loss of my parents. I've already defeated the man who killed them. Maybe giving up this ring is just another step." Sophie took a few steps forward with the ring in her hand, stepping into the pool.
The instant her foot touched the water, a staircase rose up out of the pool and up towards the top of the pillar. Sophie climbed up the stairs. When she reached the top, she set down the chain with the ring on it and picked up what she found on the pillar. She turned around and climbed down, the staircase lowering back into the water behind her. She stepped back onto the path inside the tunnel and the team gathered around to see the amulet. Sophie looked up at them.
"The amulet. It's gone."
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Cliffhanger! How was that? Where's the amulet? Who took it? What do you think is going to happen next?
I sort of got the idea on how to get the Titan from a Doctor Who episode and I got the idea for the water-on-stone from a movie. Cyber cookies for whoever can guess which episode and which movie.
Please review.
