Chapter Sixteen~
Emma blinked for a moment seeing the honest look of hurt and pain on his face before a scream tore through on the walkie-talkie and they both jumped at the sound.
"Darcy what is it?" Emma asked into it as Darcy replied,
"The room—it's filling with water!" at that both of them looked at each other before seeing David running over towards them calling out,
"We're setting up to get ready for the search in the town hall, do you two have the maps?" nodding, the two quickly followed him to the hall where they discovered everyone with flashlights and getting back on the stage Emma called out,
"Darcy has told me that she is in a glass room that is filling with water. I don't know what sort of time limit it's on so think as if every minute is her last. We need to keep in contact and we know she's in town limits because the walkie-talkies keep to that limit. Each of you are getting a copy of the maps now, she says to look for a room with a gated entrance and then call for Mr. Gold who will take it down since it'll most likely be under some sort of Magic. I'm going with Mr. Gold—let's do this." and with that the town dispersed off for the mines, Emma speeding through town like a crazed person.
"Ready for a show-down if it comes to it?" Emma asked an eerily silent Mr. Gold who said with in a wicked tone,
"Oh aye dearie, don't even need to ask." weary of his tone of voice, they reached the main entrance of the mines and got out, Emma with her flashlight and saying into the walkie-talkie,
"We're coming to find you Darcy." on the other end, Darcy was ankle deep in water that was just appearing from seemingly nowhere in the ground as she tried to break the glass with her bare hands. Finding it useless, she then tried to use the walkie-talkie but realized if she succeeded she wouldn't be able to talk and communicate to them so they could find her. Going into a corner, she spotted a figure and saw it to be Regina and frowned shouting,
"Let me go!"
"No dear, I think I'd rather watch you suffer—a bird trapped in a cage only to be left out to dry." she said trying to hold back her manic laughter as Darcy said,
"You know this is wrong Regina, you know you shouldn't do this."
"Are you try to talk sense into me? Really now that's no fun." Regina said with a wide grin but Darcy shook her head telling her,
"I'm not talking sense into you, I'm talking sense into your heart—or whatever is left of it. I know you must have had one and that it's telling you that watching a person drown in a cage like this isn't sane!" Regina faltered for a moment as she realized that something ached inside her at Darcy's words.
"Think of Henry, he actually believes that you might have some Good in you! If that's true then you would allow someone to drown in a cage and suffer like this. Regina, let me out and prove to him and everyone that you're better than your past!" Darcy cried as the water continued to rise now to her shins as Regina stepped up to the glass putting a hand up onto it and tapped her forefinger on it as if in thought.
"You know what," Regina began as Darcy took a step or two forward towards her as Regina said with a smirk and a wicked glare,
"I think I'd rather watch you die!" and out from her fingertip shot a tiny bolt of energy at Darcy so that she was bumped back into the other side of the glass as Regina disappeared laughing. Darcy coughed and spat out water that had got into her mouth as she heard Emma calling her name,
"Darcy what happened?"
"Regina, she—she's going to kill me." Darcy said realizing her fate was sealed but Emma and Mr. Gold were already in the mines using the flashlights light to guide their way and Mr. Gold to read the map as Emma told her,
"Not while I can stop her."
"Come on, it should be down this left hallway, then down three levels before we hit the third lowest level." Mr. Gold said so that they rushed onwards telling the others where they were going at every turn. Finally they came to the third lowest level of the mines and Mr. Gold froze narrowing his eyes so that Emma asked,
"What is it?"
"Regina, she's put up spells here to block Magic wielders." Mr. Gold replied so that he picked up a stone, spat on it making Emma gag but she watched as he threw it and it got zapped in mid-air.
"So now what?"
"We get someone non-Magic to go through, find the source of the power and turn it off—like a light switch." Mr. Gold replied so that a voice called,
"That would be me."
"Henry!" Emma shouted turning to see him standing behind them with his own flashlight smiling as he said,
"What should I look for Mr. Gold?" Mr. Gold actually smiled at the boy's tenacity of coming down here against his moms and grandparents will so bowing his head to him as a sign of respect told him,
"A jewel of some sort, any color but with Regina I'd suspect a shade of red."
"Got it!" Henry called running right through the barrier as Emma shouted his name while he slowly began his search. He was nearly all the way down the hallway and out of sight when he spotted something shinning above him, and nearly in the ceiling.
"I see it! It's just under the ceiling! I'll have to climb and get it!" Henry called putting his flashlight in his mouth to start to climb at the jagged rocks as Emma shouted from the complete other end of the tunnel,
"No Henry don't you dare!" but he was already climbing the rocky wall and halfway up when his foot slipped.
"Henry!" Emma cried lunging forward only to get zapped herself and pull back to see smoke coming off her hand as if she'd been burnt. Turning to Mr. Gold for an answer she heard something fall and break and screamed,
"HENRY!" there was silence and hesitantly she tried her hand through the barrier to find it was gone—the stone was broken. Running in an instant towards her son, Emma found him on the ground trying to get up and smiled despite her watery eyes grabbing him into a tight embrace saying into his hair,
"Oh thank goodness." before pulling back saying as she looked him over and then into his eyes,
"Never do something like that again. Understand?"
"I just wanted to save Darcy, and help my mom." Emma was about to say something when they heard a scream from the walkie-talkie and Darcy's voice shriek,
"Emma!" helping her son to stand, Emma let him lean on her as she asked,
"Yeah Darcy, what's wrong, what's going on?"
"The water, it—it's up to my neck and I'm nearly treading water! Guys please I don't know when this is going to fill up!" eyes bugging out of her head Emma was hit with the horribly realization that by breaking the stone they must have speed up the water entering the glass cage.
"Come on guys!" she said taking Henry's hand and the three ran with Mr. Gold shouting directions, all of them knowing that time was ticking down as fast as they were running. Suddenly Henry shouted,
"I see a gate up ahead Emma!" and pointing true to his words there was a gate that stood in the way of them and saving Darcy. Emma turned to Mr. Gold to ask what they were going to do but it seemed he had had enough games because he raised his hand and the gate gave way with one mighty blast and shattered into bits. Finally in the room they all let out gasps of horror upon seeing the glass cage filled completely with water and Darcy's floating lifeless body drifting inside.
"Stand back." Mr. Gold said raising his cane so that Emma was about to stop him only he raised it and with one good swing smashed the glass enchanted or not allowing Darcy's lifeless body to come drifting out and into his arms.