Ria got swept away by the rushing water. The breath she had taken right before she went under was almost forced from her by the freezing water. Ria had no idea where the raging water was taking her, not only because she was unfamiliar with these tunnels, but also because there was no light. The darkness made the water seem even more cold (if that were possible).
There was a dim light ahead. Ria braced herself. She, along with quite a lot of water, were dumped into a very large, and still underground, room. There were tunnels leading off of the room everywhere, and a ladder in the middle. The water drained out into the other tunnels while Ria clung to the ladder. She started to climb up and through a hole in the roof of the cave into a stone room.
As soon as she was out of the hole, someone attacked her from behind. There was an exchange of fists but eventually the man had Ria tied up with some of the special rope. The man slunk to the other side of the black room. "Let me go!" Ria yelled at him. The rat-like man just smirked.
Then a man robed in shimmering white walked in. He had long white hair with bits of black in it. Ria wondered if he had dyed it, or was his black hair just fading to white because of age? The old man carried a menacing black staff. A closer look discovered that the cloak he wore was made of threads of all different colors. It was ugly.
He held up his hand and Ria stopped struggling. He spoke with the convincing tone of a close friend. "I am Saruman, the all-colored," he said. "Welcome to Izenguard." The rat-like man ran from the room at this point, answering some inaudible summons. The wizard's eyes followed the man, and then turned back to Ria, who had started her struggling again. "You are strong. A very good ally to have."
"If you were on the side I came here to fight for, then why would you have your servant TIE ME UP!" Ria pulled against her bonds hard with this dialogue.
"If you will not fight for me," Saruman hissed, "then I can't let you fight at all!" He raised his staff. "I will kill you." He growled as he aimed the staff at her heart. Then he whispered "die."
Saruman suddenly stopped. He whipped around in a fury and went the same direction that the rat man had gone. Ria struggled in her bonds and ended up traveling like a worm towards the ladder.
Just at this moment, Lilly's head popped up through the floor. Her eyes fell on Ria. "Ria!" she said, relieved. "You're coming with us."
"Lilly, I'm so glad you're here." Ria told her as Lilly tried to cut the bonds.
"Hey, we sloshed through the mud down here too!" Ria squirmed out of Lilly's grasp to look down the hole. Noeli had said it, and Nelena and Raul were standing below her on the ladder. Ria saw the relieved look on her sister disappear as soon as they made eye contact. Ria laughed inside; Nelena would never show that she had been worried. Raul's face was frozen, void of emotion, like always, which contradicted Noeli's look of complete amusement at the youngest of their group squirming around like a worm. It took Lilly and Noeli's daggers to weaken it. Nelena pulled against it hard, but the rope still wouldn't break.
"Dyv suri!" Raul said. A clean cut appeared in all the levels of the bonds and Ria squirmed free.
"What'd you say?" Noeli asked.
"Cut rope." Raul replied. Then the newly reunited girls climbed down the ladder. The five ran back along the tunnel. Ria slipped in the mud and landed on her face. She tried to get up, but her arms slipped out from under her. Noeli walked over to help her, and extended her hand. Ria took it, and accidentally pulled Noeli into the mud. Nelena walked over, and, careful not to step on anyone, picked up Ria and slung her over her shoulder. Noeli pushed herself up, and the now muddy party continued on their way, Ria struggling and yelling the entire way.
"Put me down Nelena!" Ria yelled. Nelena put her down. In her struggling, Ria slipped. Nelena picked her up again. Ria started pounding her fists into Nelena's back. Repeat several times.
Moon: Please Read and Review, for I will post anyway but I'll probably post faster with good reviews.