YES!!!! I HAVE CONQUERED THE ALLMIGHTY WRITER'S BLOCK! Thanks to the monotony of french class, actually. And here is a special thank you to everyone who helped with booby traps – I might not have used your idea, but it could have spurred a different idea, so EVERYONE'S suggestions helped. THANKS SOOOO MUCH. I wouldn't have done it without you – you being (and I'm using email names): mjzp, angel_child0011, alannangeorge4eva, CPRNC, Gaters2000, skysong_kitten, cartersgotback, bookwormforever407, j-emerson, and of course, LadyKnight, Cami and Keita, who help me with everything. I love EVERYONE who helped!

Moving on . . .

I'M SO HAPPY!!!! if you hadn't noticed, and you probably haven't, I haven't been here since LAST SUNDAY. Gah. I got grounded off the computer. Gah again. I strongly dislike parental needs to control.

Ooooooh, I'm watching titanic for the first time in like two years. I had forgotten how good it is. and actually, leonardo dicaprio is sort of hot. Sort of.

I'm estimating, that if all goes according to plan, the story will end in three (two? maybe) chapters. *breaks into tears yet again* I don't want it to leavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve. But haha-di-ha on everyone, because I have three stories-in-the-writing, not including azure's sadness. Which, by the way, is going to be short. Er. Shorter. But hah! I have more to write! One is a joke, which is already posted, and should (again, according to plan) be somewhat funny. Hmmmmmm. A little off the subject. BACK TO THE STORY!

The Statue of the Goddess

It took less than five minutes for Kel and Neal to load the saddlebags back onto their horses and mount up. They were both expecting a day of heavy riding — Greencroft was nine hours away.

They rode non-stop, mixing periods of cantering and trotting with rest periods of walking. Neal magicked them to look like Scanran officers, so no one bothered them – Scanran officers in a hurry were notorious for losing patience with petty complaints.

Kel and Neal trotted into Greencroft as the sun was setting. The guardsman at the gate to the village hastily saluted, averting his eyes. Neal gave a curt nod – neither Tortallan could speak because their accents would give them away.

As they passed the doorway, Kel caught a glimpse of what looked like a slave line, hauling heavy stones to help build a fortified wall around the noncombatant village. As she watched, one of the guardsmen lashed a whip out, nicking the bare back of a middle aged man. The man cried out, but he never stopped moving. Kel gritted her teeth and rode on.

The village was a sad mixture of sound. The normal clamor of a village at peace was replaced with the clang of weapons and armor, and the guttural language of the Scanrans. Everywhere they looked, Kel and Neal saw soldiers, be they huddled around fires or sparring in an open area.

As they rode on, it became evident that although Greencroft had only been under Scanran dominion for a short while, the tension was wearing down its inhabitants. Their faces were etched with shame and surrender, and hollow cheeks spoke of a starvation diet. Adding to that was the fact that their clothes hung loosely and raggedly on too-thin bodies — bodies that also reeked of exhaustion.

Kel couldn't bear to look. She stared into Peachblossom's mane. She and Neal rode on, trying to look as if they knew where they were going.

Fortunately, even if the two knights didn't know what they were doing, someone else did. A camp lackey, his uniform stained and wrinkled, ran up to them, shouting in Scanran. On the other hand, they couldn't quite understand everything he said, which only made things doubly more complicated. Especially since he was talking about quite important things.

"Milords Rachni and Tyslt, we didn't nsdhfayb you until day after tomorrow!" Neal gave a abrupt nod, and the lackey continued. "How ahdfb the ride?" Kel gave an offhand gesture that indicated absolutely nothing. "I see. Well, would you iwbcibihxbux consulting with milord Cheshin now?" Neal grunted and shook his head. "That's as well as anything. He's already bedded down for the night — So early, ahinkhxbh? Well, you know captured women — They'll do anything to get out of a day's work!" The man wiggled his eyebrows conspiratorially, and Kel fought the urge to smack the chuckle from his lips.

Neal leaned forward in his saddle and cleared his throat in such a way that it made it clear he was about to rebuke the man. The Scanran quickly continued. "Ah, well. You're not naibdugklik in that, are you now? You can bed down in there." He gestured to a building off to the left. Kel closed her eyes. It was part of the Shrine of Mithros, honored here as the consort of the Goddess. Neal nodded. "We'll send someone to qiknz you in the morning — sleep well, milords! Just give us a minute to clear out the pobbsnx — we've been using all the space we can."

Kel nodded. The man bowed and ran off.

Ten minutes later, they were ushered into the Shrine. Two mattresses were lying in the middle of the room, in front of the statue of Mithros. Kel gulped at the sight of the statue, which was cracked and slashed almost beyond recognition by the Scanrans. Kel sent up a quick prayer of apology for the disrespectful treatment of the Sun God.

Neal motioned to one of the mattresses. "Go ahead."

"Just a minute," she said, holding up a hand. "Are we alone? Is the door locked?"

Lifting his hand, green fire flew from Neal's fingers to the door. It hit the wall like a snowball and expanded until it covered the door in a sheet of green flame. "It is now," he said, a smile touching his lips.

Kel slung her pack carefully from her shoulders and lifted off the flap that covered the top. Byrn flew out with a low trill, taking off around the room. She flew for a few seconds, stretching her cramped wings, then landed on Kel's forearm. The phoenix spread her wings wide, and Kel noted that they only went from her elbow to the tip of her smallest finger — she was quite a small bird.

Neal's voice jolted her back to the present. "So," he said. "Where is the Sixth?"

"I've been thinking about that," Kel answered, shifting so Byrn climbed up her arm to her shoulder. "Did you see that statue of the Goddess in the square? I'm guessing that it has something to do with it. I mean, if it's not there, it's probably around there, or there are clues that start at the statue or something."
"What makes you think that?" Neal asked skeptically.

"Think about it. Pitken was sent by the gods to guard the Six. That implies that the gods know about these things and want them kept safe. And what better place for safety than the statue of the Goddess? No one would dare poke around it for fear of their wrath. If the Sixth isn't there, than the next clue is, so that's where we have to go."

Neal nodded slowly. "And how are we going to get to the statue in the midst of a camp filled with Scanrans?"

Kel turned to Byrn. "Byrn, will you wake us up in . . . oh, five hours? That's two o'clock in the morning – everyone in camp except the sentries should be asleep by then. All right?" Byrn chirped in response.

She turned her gaze back to Neal, who lay down on one of the ratty mattresses and covered himself in a thin blanket before saying, "Fine by me." Kel rolled her eyes and lay down next to him, hoping to get at least some sleep before this last, hardest part of her journey.

***

Five hours later, to the minute, Byrn softly trilled a wake up call. Kel opened her eyes, blinking, and yawned. Neal sat bolt upright.

"Wha–" he began loudly, and Kel grabbed his head and wrapped her fingers around his mouth.

"Shhhhh!" she admonished. "We're in the Scanran camp, remember?" Neal nodded, and she let him go.

"So, we're going now?" he asked. Kel nodded. "Right then," he stated. "I'd best get my sword on." Kel wisely decided not to yell at him for not wearing his swordbelt — If he hasn't learned by now, she thought, Then I guess the gods have decided that he will never learn, and he's fated to die because he wasn't wearing it and he needed it, and —

Her thoughts were interrupted when Neal shook her by the shoulders and said "Are we going, or what?" She nodded, and got to her feet.

Neal pushed open the door of the shrine and stuck only his head out. The camp was deserted; nothing moved. Light from a full moon shone into the camp, bathing everything in a ethereal pale blue glow. The statue was visible from his vantage point, just fifty yards to the left.

Kel stuck her head out the door, took in the scene, and then nudged him. "Full moon," she whispered in his ear. "The Goddess must be out tonight."

"Let's just get to the statue," he muttered back. "I don't like it here any more than you do."

Slipping under his arm, Kel walked off in the direction of the statue on cat-quiet feet. Neal exited the shrine and closed the door quietly before running after her. Byrn glided out of the shrine before the lock caught, soaring after them and exuding a soft light.

Kel was so preoccupied with checking all around them for Scanrans that she didn't realize how close she was to the statue. Therefore, it came as quite a shock when she suddenly found herself right in front of it.

The statue was impressive. The Great Mother was cut out of marble, and was at least twice the size of Kel herself, although probably larger. The statue was carved with such delicacy and attention to detail that it looked as if the Goddess could just begin to walk away. Every hair on her head was carved, as was her fingernails and her eyelashes.

She wore a simple dress, and her hands and feet were bare. The Mother's face was tilted down to look at her worshippers as they paid homage, so Kel could see a thin circlet that banded her forehead.

"It's like she's really here," Neal whispered reverently, staring up into her face in awe.

Kel nodded. "But what are we supposed to do now?"

As if in answer to her question, Kel noticed a faint heat at her side — coming from the belt pouch in which she kept the Five Stones they had recovered. Remembering the last time, she hurriedly unhooked it from her belt and let it fall to the ground.

Neal opened his mouth to ask a question, but froze when he glanced at the pouch.

"It's glowing," he stated.

"Again," Kel added.

"Open it," he told her.

Kel, looking at the light now emanating from the pouch, shook her head fiercely. "You do it," she told him. "And quickly! Before someone notices!"

Neal bent down, muttering about stubborn knights. He nudged the pouch with his boot, and nothing happened, so he reached down and pulled the drawstring.

Five dancing balls of colored light shot out of the pouch and flew to the statue. Kel could just make out the colors — red, green, blue, copper, and white. She could just see that they ended up in five distinct places — the Goddess's hands and feet, and the copper one to the band across her forehead.

For a split second, all five lights flashed bright, blinding Kel and Neal. When their eyes cleared of the resulting white lights that clouded their vision, two things become immediately clear.

One, the balls of light had been extinguished, and two, the statue had slid back several feet, silently revealing a dark hole beneath the moonlight. A ladder grew out of the hole, leading downwards into the gloom.

"Well," Kel finally said, staring at the hole. "Let's go." She marched up to the hole and lowered herself onto the ladder. Neal followed her lead, and Byrn slowly dropped along with them, her fiery glow lighting the way. The statue slid closed as soon as they were all on the ladder.

By Kel's judgement, they had descended at least fifty yards before the hole bottomed out. Kel extracted herself from the ladder and waited until Neal had both feet on the ground before she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. The two knights headed warily down the corridor.

"Kel, I don't like this," Neal said anxiously. "It's too quiet."

Kel turned to stare at him. "Of course it's quiet, you halfwit! We're the only ones here!" Her voice echoed down the passage before fading into the dark. She gripped Neal's hand harder. "But I agree," she added in a small voice, unlike her. "I don't like it here either. So let's find the Sixth and get out."

After several minutes' quick walking, they came to a doorway.

Byrn flew into the next room, her glow illuminating it. The light revealing a narrow room, with rows of wooden statues of what looked to be men in guard uniforms lining the wall.

"What is this?" Neal murmured.

"Let's not go in just yet," Kel suggested nervously.

"Good call," Neal replied quickly. He shifted his weight, and in doing so, one of his feet moved just the slightest bit into the next room.

The first stone of the room's floor made the smallest movement, and a small soft sound, like a puff of air, echoed through the chamber.

"What wa–" Kel started to say, but Neal pointed into the room, and when she saw what had caught his attention, her words caught in her throat.

A crossbow quarrel stuck quivering in the base of a statue on the left side of the room. Following the direction of the bolt with her eyes, Kel realized that it must have come from the open mouth of one of the guard statues.

"I do feel better now, knowing what's going on," Neal supplied cheerfully.

"Someday your optimism will get you killed," Kel replied absently. "I wonder . . ."

She slid her foot into the room again. Another crossbow quarrel flew past. "So," she said slowly, working things out. "The room is rigged to shoot at anyone that tries to enter – did you see how high the bolt was aimed?" she finished abstractly.

"Maybe about chest height? Four and a half feet off the ground, at the least," he answered, staring into the room and the two crossbow bolts.

"Okay," Kel said, shrugging. "So we'll crawl."

"What?" Neal said, looking confused.

"We'll crawl across," Kel repeated slowly, as if talking to someone very stupid. "Because then the bolts will shoot over our heads."

"Aha," he said, pointing at her. "Good plan." Kel rolled her eyes, got on her hands and knees, and started to crawl across the room.

As soon as she put her first hand on the stone, crossbow bolts began to shoot in a steady continuous stream over her head. Even though she knew there was extra space between the bolts and her head, Kel practically hugged the ground as she scuttled along.

Glancing back, Kel saw Neal begin his crossing. Byrn waddled along the floor, too cautious of a stray bolt to fly.

And stray bolts there were. After not being used for several centuries, some of the bolts were shot crooked and ricocheted around the room before shattering on the walls. One bolt pinged off the stone right in front of Kel. One of the statue's sights was off, and the steady stream of bolts was a good foot closer to the ground. Kel pressed herself into the ground and continued.

Even with the obstacles, it took Kel just a few minutes before she was safely on the other side. She lifted herself off the ground and looked with distaste at her grimy hands before wiping them on her tunic and turning around.

Neal pulled himself into the corridor but didn't get up, instead laying spread-eagled on the floor. "That," he said, "Was not fun."

Kel laughed despite their situation, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, lazybones," she teased as she pushed him down the hall. "Or should I just leave you alone?"

"No, I'll come," he said hurriedly just as they reached the next door, barely twenty feet away. Both knights skidded to a halt, remembering all too well the booby trap of the last chamber.

Kel and Neal paused, surveying the room before them. It looked absolutely normal. The room was about a hundred yards long, and it looked to be square. The door to the next corridor was directly across from them.

"What do you think?" Kel asked after a few seconds' study.

"No way. This room is rigged, just like the last one," he replied immediately.

"That's pretty much what I was thinking, too," Kel told him. "I'd just feel a lot better if I knew what was coming, though."

Byrn flew into the room once more, and nothing happened. Neal inched his foot into the room. For the better part of a second, the floor behaved like a normal floor – that is, it supported his foot. After that, he had to grab Kel for support, because the stone turned to liquid and tried to suck him in.

Neal let loose with a string of curses he had learned from his knight-master, and finished with "This complicates things."

Kel didn't answer. She was digging in her pocket. "Do you have anything we can throw in there?" she asked. "To see whether it's just at the beginning, or if it's the whole floor that changes."

Neal stuck his hand into his pocket and came out with a small leaf. He tossed it into the room. Once again, the floor reacted normally for a fraction of a second, and then it turned into liquid. The leaf behaved as if it was on water, floating and slightly revolving on the surface.

And then something ate it.

A huge wave of the floor surged upwards. Kel caught a flash of white fangs and pearly gray scales before it was gone, and the floor became solid once more.

Kel and Neal had grabbed each other when the floor began to move. Now, they both detached from the other while letting loose with more curses than they thought they knew.

"How, in all the god's names, are we ever going to get across?" Kel moaned.

"We run."

Kel looked at him as if he had suddenly grown horns.

He explained. "Did you see how the leaf stayed on solid stone for a short time? And my foot did, too. If we spring across, our feet will only touch the ground for a very short time. We can do it. It's not impossible."

"What about the . . . thing in the floor?" she cried.

Neal shrugged, a grim smile on his face. "We hope we can run faster than it can move. Here – I'll go first, to show you it can be done."

She grabbed him. "Go first? Why can't we both go at the same time?"

"Because if one of us was slower than the other, the floor would go soft, and the slow one would get sucked in."

"But–"

He cut her off, holding up his hand. "Kel, it's the only way across. We have to do this. Now, back up – give me some room to start."

She didn't answer him, only moved off to the side to give him a run up. Byrn flew into the room, and suddenly began to glow brighter, lighting the entire room. Everything was thrown into sharp detail.

Neal gazed at her for a long time, emotion deep in his bright green eyes. Suddenly, without warning, he took off, sprinting into the room.

Kel ran to the door, her breath catching in her throat as she watched him tear across the room. She closed her eyes and swallowed, hard, dreading to hear a pained cry or a sickening crunch or sucking noise.

After twenty or thirty seconds, she opened her eyes, unable to bear having them closed any longer, and Neal was safe on the opposite side, holding his arms above his head to catch his breath.

Kel quelled the joy that rose up inside her — she still had to make it across the room. Staring out across the floor, she gulped. Did the floor just ripple?

Closing her eyes once more, Kel used her Yamani training to settle her heart and mind, forgetting about white fangs and water-floors. Her heart was like the surface of a placid lake . . .

Her body under control, Kel's eyes fluttered open and she watched Neal across the room before she began to sprint.

Her feet pounded against the impossibly solid stone floor, and her breath made almost no noise. Kel began to relax about halfway across the room. This was no different than running on real ground. If she just kept going . . .

The floor thirty feet in front of her writhed and roiled as the fang-creature surfaced. Kel, still sprinting, tried to run around it, but the thing's spiked tail broke the surface just three feet from the wall on the side she was aiming for, leaving her no way to pass it.

So she sprinted sideways, trying to keep track of the solid ground. Panic welled in her throat, and she struggled with it as she tore across the width of the room.

The creature lifted its head from the — water? Floor? — and snapped at her as she passed it. The head went down, and to her horror, Kel heard a sound like water makes when a large creature swims quickly through it. A quick look back confirmed her fears — the creature had begun to pursue her.

I can't slow down, not one little bit! Kel thought frantically. The left wall loomed in front of her, and she saw the beast propel itself through the floor . . .

She turned on a dime, sprinting back to the door she had come from, but with everything the same dark gray, she couldn't find the door.

Terrified, Kel turned forward again, toward the door she needed to pass through. The monster had tired of its chase and had settled just ten feet from the door. Kel found Neal, and sprinted for him.

Panting for breath, Kel began to lose her grip on her fear. The time she had spent sprinting started to tell. Horrified, she realized that the ground was beginning to suck at her feet, meaning her steps were slowing down.

Kel shoved the panic down once more and aimed for Neal.

Once again, the tail of the beast flailed on the surface, just where she needed to pass. Kel made a split second decision and headed for the liquid surface around the tail. Taking a flying leap, she hurled herself across, landing on the other side of the tail safely.

She took two steps and tripped.

Falling forward, she felt the stone beneath her left foot turn to liquid, and she began to sink rapidly.

Just as her waist entered the liquid, dragging her down so she would have sunk forever, Neal reached out from his position in the door and grabbed her collar. With a massive heave, he pulled her onto the solid floor in the next corridor. The creature had turned, and now it snapped at her feet.

Kel and Neal lay huddled on the solid stone floor, rocking back and forth. Kel realized that she was sobbing. Neal's arms were tight around her, and he whispered soft nothings into her ears and smoothed her hair.

It took her several minutes to calm down enough to continue. When she finally did, Kel felt acutely embarrassed. But Neal didn't even mention it, saying only, "Let's go have a look at the next room, shall we?" Kel nodded, her eyes silently thanking him.

They turned to face the next room.

Whooooooeeeeee! That sure was a doozie. Hehe. I like torturing them.

Do you think that was hard enough? I have the whole next chaper written on notebook paper — all I'm doing is writing it into the computer, which takes time. I broke up chapter 33 into two, so you guys can read it! plus, this is long, and both of them together would have been REALLY long. So yeah. it's a matter of days until the next chapter is up. But isn't it always?

If you want to IM me, I'm always up for it — punkpenguin16, that's who I am.

Love ya'll — Review, peaseasy!