Homework is evil. That's all I have to say.
Oh, yeah, thanks Vilya, Kaede, Norli, and Avaria for reviews. Alex too, and whoever else has been reviewing that I forgot. **********************************************************************************************
Everything made sense now.
"Hey guys," Videll spoke up. All eyes turned to her. "Remember the riddle? Lifesaving indigo?"
There were a few seconds of silence. Then understanding dawned on the others' faces. Except Garet, of course.
"What? What about the riddle?" Eyes rolled throughout the party. "What???"
"Garet," said Isaac slowly, patiently, "What just saved Videll's life?" Garet's face was still blank. "What color was it?"
"Oh... I knew that! Yeah, I, uh, really did!" The others ignored him, used to this behavior.
"And I found this." Videll held out the gem she had found in the wall. It shimmered with a silver light as the purple glow of the lighthouse hit it.
No one had any clue what the gem was for. "Well, let's go down and look more closely at that lightning bolt down there," Mia suggested. She glanced at Garet and added, "That's where the light came from, after all."
After a good two minutes of walking the stairway, the four arrived back at the ground floor entrance. The lightning emblem was glowing a bit more brightly than before. Kneeling to examine it, Isaac made a discovery.
"Hey, there's a hollow here!" The others bent down as well, to see a small indent about the size of a fingertip near the center of the symbol. It was exactly the size of the gem Videll had found. Dropping to her knees, she placed it inside the hollow. It settled in with a small click, and the emblem flared with bright light. The same indigo beam as before shone heavenwards, and the four Adepts began to slowly rise off the ground.
They joined hands and rose up, into the light.
The light faded, and their feet touched stone. They were in a dimly lit room that was very different from the elegance of the Lighthouse entry. The floor and walls were cold, gray stone, and the room was very drafty, bringing chills to all but Videll.
Garet glanced at a doorway in the far wall. "Come on, let's go. The sooner we get out of this room, the better." He stepped forward.
"Whoa, hold on a sec!" Videll jumped forward and caught Garet by the back of the cloak, earning a glare.
"What? Let's go!"
Videll groaned. "Don't tell me no one else has noticed those?" she asked, pointing to the walls of the room. They were lined with what looked like small metal vents, which were blasting powerful gusts of wind at intervals.
Garet shrugged it off. "So I would have been blown over toward the wall. So what?"
"Well, that particular wind current would take you right over there."
The others turned to see a sheer drop out of a hole in the wall. "Oh, man," Isaac groaned, looking wistfully at the other side of the room, "It'll take us forever to get through this wind maze and over there!"
Videll was looking smug. "What's so funny?"
"It won't take as long as you think." And with a wave of her hand and a surge of Psyenergy, the wind swirled tightly together toward the ceiling of the room, then disappeared entirely.
"Show off," Garet muttered. Videll said nothing, just smiled and started across the room. When they reached the other side, the smile was wiped off her face, replaced with a serious look.
"We're getting close," she informed them. "Get ready."
They stepped through the doorway and shielded their eyes against the sudden light. They were standing at the foot of a long stair leading right towards the sky - and the top of the lighthouse. Voices were drifting over the wind. Just as Isaac made out the words "get rid of him", Videll let out a strangled cry and tore up the steps, running as fast as her legs could carry her.
Videll reached the top of the stairs and threw up her shield. She drew in her breath as the pain shot through her, forcing her to her knees. But she didn't give up. Slowly, shaking with the effort, she drew herself up and stood strong against the pain, vowing she would keep her shield up for as long as she had to. She wouldn't let them kill him. Not Ivan.
Ivan trembled under the fierce glare of the man called Agatio. The shield still surrounded him, and the man did not like it. Suddenly, he let out an angered cry and struck the shield with all his might.
He watched helplessly as Videll screamed in pain and fell to the floor of the lighthouse. But the shield still stood. She was alive.
Unfortunately, Agatio had noticed this too, and began to stalk towards Videll. Ivan struggled desperately against the bonds that held him, but it was useless. Videll lay still, unmoving. And Agatio was almost there...
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CLIFFHANGER!!!!! Yes, I am evil. ^.^ Review and I will continue!