Wow thanks for the awesome reviews! I kno I say it like all the time but I LUV them hehe. Here's sum personal messages to reviewers:

Starrgirl : omg I kno… ariel.. how cud someone so evil b so sexy haha that pic I showed u so looks like him! And u want ariel/elf tension? Lol that's scary! Ohh I was a bit mean to rushton in this one lol nah he's still cool. On a completely different note, Aww I cant wait till next Friday! I'm gunna take so many pics! And the party is gunna rock! Luv ya!

Also Thanks sooo much to MJSLSBS and Alenor for ur beautiful reviews! Oh and Alenor u asked if Ariel was a latent misfit? Umm I always thought he was too but I'm not gunna give it away hehe.

Anyway hope u enjoy :)

Chapter 12

I felt a hand on my shoulder, but roughly shook it off. Standing abruptly, I glanced around the cave quickly. Brydda and Kella were searching for Jik, who had disappeared when Ariel and Matthew had gone missing, and I took advantage of their lack of attention on me. Without a second glance I moved off towards the exit that Ariel had crawled down, walking with light steps so Brydda and Kella wouldn't notice. But someone had noticed. I felt his hand on my shoulder once more as I inched nearer to the exit.

"Elspeth, don't." he whispered.

I turned slowly to look over my shoulder, past his hand and into his eyes.

Our eyes locked there for a moment, and I could tell he was struggling with defiance to have some control on me, but I wouldn't back down.

Defeated, his eyes fell as he loosened his grip, letting his hand slide off my shoulder to hang down by his side.

It wasn't the first time I had walked away from him. I needed him to trust me, to believe in me, but he didn't understand. He never did.

I was almost at the exit when I heard footsteps behind me, echoing off the walls. I didn't need to turn around to see it was Rushton.

I stood before the entrance with bated breath bracing myself to walk through the transition from light to dark.

I had forgotten how complete the darkness was, and shivered as the unnatural coldness chilled me to the bone. Rushton's footsteps fell silent as he came into the tunnel. I sent a probe out to find him and found he was about a metre behind me.

Without warning, the eerie lights I had seen before flickered on again, filling the narrow passageway with light.

I turned to see Rushton and saw him staring wildly around at the torches. Making my way towards him, I stopped dead when the lights flickered off again, just as suddenly as they had turned on.

"Rushton?" I spoke into the darkness.

"I'm here."

I waved my hand in front of my face, but it was hopeless. I couldn't see a thing and had no sense of direction whatsoever.

"What is this place?" Rushton murmured, half fascinated, half scared out of his wits.

I shook my head, then felt incredibly stupid, remembering he couldn't see me.

We walked slowly, inching our way up and across the walls, all the while making sure we didn't trip on anything. Not being able to see the ground was the worst part. I grimaced, as with each step, I felt something different underneath my toes. Sometimes wet, other times sticky. The tunnel was almost silent, except for the sound of dripping water from somewhere above, and Rushton muttering from behind me, every time he'd take a step.

"Ah!" he shouted.

I whipped around violently and our heads collided.

"Ouch!" I muttered, rubbing my head.

"What happened? Lud, where are you?" I mumbled, reaching my arms out to grab him. They found air however, and I heard Rushton's voice from behind me and twisted around again, confused. I felt him walk past me, his leg brushing mine.

"I think I stepped in…something moist…. I think we are getting close."

"What? Where are you?" I asked puzzled. His voice sounded further away, and I had no idea how he got to be infront of me so quickly.

Before he could answer my question my head snapped up to the ceiling as the lights came back on. They flickered for a moment and I held my breath, waiting for them to fade, but they remained lit.

"Thank Lud." I whispered.

I turned to look in front of me but Rushton wasn't there.

I jumped when I felt his hand around my hips.

Whirling around to face him, he looked puzzled.

"What is it?"

"You…you were infront of me, I felt you."

Rushton arched his eyebrow.

"No, I was right here."

I shook my head again.

"Let's just keep moving. Who knows how much longer the lights will stay on."

I couldn't bear to look at the floor. I focused on the ceiling, but that, it seemed was worse. The moss that was hanging down had objects entangled in them and I swear I saw bones. Not to mention the smell that had wafted in out of nowhere. It was rancid, a mixture of blood and decay.

Then, I heard the sound that stopped my heart. Yelling and screaming echoed off the walls. The screams were never ending, ear piercing and intense.

Then the sound of water that had been dripping from the ceiling became louder. Gradually, it became so loud that it drowned the screaming out. It wasn't dripping water now; it was rushing, closing in on us, except there was not a drop of water to be seen.

"Where is that coming from?" I whispered, terrified that Matthew was trapped.

"It sounds like it's coming from ahead of…." He stopped mid sentence.

His eyes dropped to the ground and I followed suit.

"Oh Lud." I whispered.

The water we had heard had finally caught up with us. It was only up to our feet but the water level was steadily rising.

Rushton went to turn around.

"Elspeth, you have to turn back."

I stared at him incredulously.

"You're not serious! I won't leave him. We've come this far. Leave if you aren't brave enough. I'll be fine without you."

"Elspeth you'll drown! He's a grown man!"

My hands shook in anger.

"I don't have time for this! Move!" I yelled in frustration, pushing past him.

But he wouldn't budge.

"If you're going to be stupid enough to risk your life, then great. I can't leave you."

I stared at him hopelessly.

"Rushton, for Lud's sake, let me go."

For the second time that day, he let go of me, and followed like a piteous indignant dog. It took him a while to snap out of his reverie, and he went back into hero mode, stepping in front of me, to walk ahead.

We kept walking for an age before we reached a cross tunnel that had two tunnels coming off from it. Rushton, who had been walking a far way infront of me, stopped dead at the ending.

When I reached him, I gasped.

There was water spilling out from the two tunnels. It had reached our waists already.

"Are you sure?" Rushton yelled over the rushing noise of the water, his eyes imploring.

I hesitated, then answered him by pushing forward through the water.

I grabbed onto the top wall of the cave that had once been the ceiling, and ducked under into the river of water and the huge cave opening.

Rushton came in after me and cursed at the site.

The water was wild, and I found myself being pulled under by invisible forces. Stuggling to stay a float, gasping and choking for air, I saw Matthew.

He and Ariel were far out in the middle of the river slashing out at each other, half drowning.

"Elspeth!" Matthew yelled when he caught site of me.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Ariel grabbed hold of him and pushed him underneath the water.

Then the lights blew out.

"Matthew!" I screamed, panicking.

I cursed, thrashing my arms around to find Rushton. I felt what could only be his hands grab me round the middle and pulled me upwards, slightly out of the water.

All I could think about was finding Matthew. I struggled against Rushton but he held on tightly.

"We need to find the edge!" he shouted.

He was pulling me away through the water, to the other side. I had seen a ledge there before when the lights were on, that had once been a hook in the ceiling. We hit rock and he pushed and pulled me onto the ledge and out of the water.

"No! Matthew!" I yelled, trying to throw myself out into the water to find him.

Then the lights flickered back on and off continuously.

I strained my eyes through the flashing light and dark, but couldn't see Matthew anywhere. Ariel's head was bopping on top of the water, his right hand raised in the air, holding the knife.

I cursed and lashed about, trying to free myself from Rushton. He wasn't giving in.

The lights flickered once more and through the slither of light I saw someone else in the water. Then the lights flickered off finally, leaving me helpless and panicked in the darkness.

Before I could break away from Rushton, using the darkness to escape his clutches, I felt him slide away from me. Someone was pulling him downwards into the water.

"Rushton!" I yelled, my hands clawing down the rock after him.

I threw myself in after him, but was pulled under by the strong currents. It was as if the water was spinning into a whirlpool, pushing me under, drowning me.

Then, incredibly I felt hands wrap around me again. Someone was pulling me upwards. I felt something hard and sharp brush against me as they were pulling me free out of the water and back onto the ledge. As I was being dragged up onto the ledge, whatever had brushed up against me before, stabbed into me and pierced my skin and I yelled out, my hand automatically reaching for my leg. As I was hauled up, whoever had me let go suddenly and I felt my head hit hard onto the rock, knocking me out completely.

I awoke dazed and confused, staring into darkness. Then it slowly, horribly sank in where I was.

At that moment, the lights flickered on and off again, giving me enough time to see who had rescued me. The twenty families gypsy was kneeling above me, eyes darting around.

"Swallow?" I choked and spluttered.

His eyes finally rested on mine when he'd noticed I'd spoke.

"Elspeth, are you ok?"

I nodded, speechless.

I knew now wasn't the time to ask him how he got to be here.

Then, remembering words I spat out, "Matthew! Rushton!" I went to get up but Swallow pushed me back down imperiously with one hand.

"Rushton is ok. He is over the other side. We couldn't get to Matthew." He spoke softly, his eyes fixated on the ground.

The lights blew out once more.

"No… where is he?" I yelled into the dark, where I could only guess Swallow was kneeling.

"We can't get to him Elspeth. He is lost."