Chapter 15 - The Temple in the Hills Part 2

HI! New Chapter will probably be out every five - seven days from now on. We've got about 12 - 15 left. This is probably the haf way point

Jake POV

Cubby and I continued to push and bang at the door of the temple to get it to open, but it was like trying to move a mountain. Skully flapped above us, worriedly, for there wasn't much else he could do, being a parrot. Ria's evil laughter echoes around us, mocking our futile efforts. I stop struggling at the door, feeling frustration bubble up inside me.

"This some kinda sick joke of yours or something?" I sneer, turning around to glare at the evil woman. She simply shrugs.

"Humor is subjective, they say." she responded, casually.

"Please, you've got to let at least one of us out. Our friend is still bedridden, and she's getting worse. If she doesn't get any source of help soon, she might not make it!" I plead with Ria, hoping she'll have some semblance of mercy. But she just smirks, her eyes glinting with malice.

"Oh, don't worry about your friend," she says, her voice dripping with disdain. "If she's been sleeping this whole time, she'll wake up feeling fine. If you paid attention to the letter, I wrote that venom from the Phantom Viper suppresses when its victim is calm and resting. When she wakes up she'll think she's cured, in fact she'll feel better than she ever has, but that's just the calm before the storm." My heart sinks as the mistress' words sink in.

"What do you mean?" I ask, fear creeping into my voice. Ria's smirk widens into a cruel grin.

"A few hours after she wakes up and starts moving around intensely, the venom will flare up again, stronger than before. And without the real cure, she won't stand a chance. She'll be worse off than she was before. So don't worry Jacob, you not checking up on her won't kill her. Because her even running and jumping around will." she explains, relishing in my anguish.

"Well what if Izzy doesn't want to run and jump around?" Cubby asked, folding his arms. Ria walked over to a decorative table that had something on it, covered by a red cloth. She swiftly pulled the cloth like a magician doing a magic trick, to reveal a short sword, very similar to the one that Izzy had when she was the psycho pirate on the Island of the Bells.

"That my friend," she began, picking up the sword. "Is where a very intense game of tag comes in," Ria said, twirling the sword around, to our complete horror. "And tomorrow night, my dear Isabella and I are going to play it." I looked at Cubby and saw his jaw gape.

"I don't know what goes through adult women's heads but whatever it is, it makes me glad I'm a boy!" he exclaimed.

"I'd say brilliance is what circulates through us my dear boy," Ria answered, looking at her fingernails. "My agenda is flawless. If my prey doesn't run, then she'll think I'll kill her. If she does run, then she'll only be killing herself."

"Why are you doing this?" I pleaded to know. "She's been through enough suffering already! Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you!"

"Oh no she's done quite a bit," Ria corrected. Her sly smirk then bent into an evil glare. "That miserable brat is the reason my magic is gone and she doesn't even know it!" she growled. "So I will make her know!" Cubby, Skully and I all locked eyes with each other, knowing exactly what she meant by that. "And then, when I've finished her off, I will really get down to business," she finished. "Now gentlemen, I think it is best if you turn in for the night as my guests," As she said that, the pale teenage girl who had been at the top platform of the stairs all this time had finally descended down to Rias side. "Titan should just about have their room ready. Show it to them if you would?"

"Of course," the black haired girl obeyed. "But first," she said and then walked over to me. "I'll be taking my sash back, thank you very much!" she hissed as she aggressively ripped my red bandana, the one Izzy gave me when Peter first introduced us to each other, off of my forehead. Anger swelled up.

I instinctively reach out to grab it back, but her grip is firm.

"What do you mean your sash!?" I protest, frustration bubbling up inside me. "That is my bandana that my friend gave to me!"

"Yeah, and your friend also stole it from me!" the girl retorts, her tone sharp and accusing. The more I glare at her, the older she appears, maybe around seventeen or eighteen. "But I'm surprised you don't remember me, Jake. It hasn't even been that long after all."

"What—remember you!? I don't even know your name! I have never seen any of you before! Who are you people!?" I exclaim, bewildered by her accusation. Ria then intervenes, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Alright, dear," Ria cools the tension, though her eyes still gleam with mischief. "I think you have ruffled Jake's feathers for long enough. Now do what I asked and show them to their chamber. After all, they'll need somewhere to rest while I whip up that cure for the next two days."

"You better," I growl, unwilling to let go of the bandana dispute.

"I will." Ria responds, her tone innocent, through her eyes betraying her true intentions.

"If you don't…." I begin, but Ria interrupts, taunting me with the knowledge that I am powerless against her.

"What are you gonna do to me if I don't?" Ria challenges, her smirk widening. "Nothing. Because you'll be stuck in here while I'm out there fulfilling my obligations," Ria then turns her attention to the pale girl who had been silently observing. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Ria gestures for the girl to lead us. "Show our guests around."

"They are not guests. They are pests!" the girl huffs irritably, her annoyance evident. "Come along, pirates. This way." she says with clear annoyance, grabbing a torch off the wall and marching down a dark corridor, expecting us to follow.

Reluctantly, Cubby, Skully, and I trail behind her, the flickering torch casting eerie shadows on the ancient walls. As we walk, I can't shake the feeling that we're being herded like sheep, trapped in this creepy temple with no way of escape.

Suddenly, I notice a door at the very end of the hall that the girl never mentioned.

"Hey, what's that door for?" I inquire, pointing towards it. The girl stops abruptly, her irritation evident.

"That? Oh that's just where Titan keeps the amontillado."

"Really?" Cubby pipes up, his curiosity piqued. The girl rolls her eyes.

"No," she retorts sharply, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You can go anywhere in the temple, except that room. It's locked anyway, so I don't know how you'd even get in there."

"Why is it locked?" I press, curious about the forbidden door.

"Yeah, what's in there?" Cubby asks.

"And why can't we go in it!?" Skully added.

"Because Ria said so." the girl responds matter-of-factly, before resuming the tour with an exasperated sigh. I was getting a bit fed up with all these secrets and mysteries, one of which I just had to get the answer to.

"What is your name?" I asked the girl. She turned around to smirk at me.

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own. Or better yet have Izzy explain it to you when we capture her."

"Crackers! How do you even know Izzy?" Skully screethed. The girl chucked.

"Oh silly parrot, I knew her before you did." she responded.

As we follow the girl through the dim corridors of the temple, I can't shake the feeling of being led deeper into a trap. The flickering torch in her hand casts eerie shadows on the ancient walls, and each step feels heavier than the last. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we reach our destination: our room for the night. The girl swings open the door, revealing a surprisingly cozy space. The walls are painted the same crimson red as the main room, giving the space a warm, inviting feel despite our terrible circumstances. The ceiling stretches high above us, making the room feel more spacious than it actually is. On the little nightstand near the bed with a bowl of fresh fruit on it. It gave off sort of a ripe smell indicating that it was real, at least we wouldn't starve.

I step inside and take in the sight before me. There's a large bed that looks like it could fit three adults comfortably, adorned with plush pillows and a soft-looking quilt. A bookshelf stands against one wall, filled with dusty tomes that look like they haven't been touched in years. There was also a window—a massive, floor-to-ceiling length one that showed a breathtaking view of the mountains of Neverland bathed in the glow of the bright moon.

Cubby and Skully follow me into the room, their eyes widening in awe at the sight before them.

"So, this is our prison for the night?" I ask the girl.

"Oh don't think of it like that." she replied, tying my red bandana around her waist to secure her skirt.

"Well that's what it is isn't it?"

"Yes. But let's just not think of it like that," she snickered. "Now, you are free to roam around the temple except for the one room I showed you. We will feed and hydrate you plenty so no need to worry about that stuff. Before you try to fly the coop I will let you know that all the windows are barred and all the doors are locked. So just in case you get any idea of escaping….don't."

"Uh, lady…." Cubby spoke, grabbing an apple from the plate of fruit on the nightstand near the bed and biting into it.

"Yes?"

"Has anybody ever died in this temple?" the blonde asked with a mouth full of apple. The teen girl, her hand grasping the door knob, turned around and shot him a sly smile.

"Not yet." she sneered before leaving the room.

"Huh," Cubby let out. He paused to swallow the apple in his mouth. "Wonder what she meant by that."

"Oh crackers Cubby!" Skully moaned at the pirate boy's obliviousness, slapping his face with his wing. I just stood there numb. I couldn't believe this. Wait no, actually I could. I knew this was a trap. I knew they didn't really have the cure. I knew we shouldn't have given Ria that amulet. And I knew Izzy was gonna get hurt even more. We had to warn her about his Ria…..but how?

I looked at Cubby who had finished inhaling the apple, now made his way over to the bed and stared at it while rubbing his chin.

"Which side of the bed do you want dear?" he asked sarcastically, looking back up at me.

"Are you kidding!?" I exclaimed, which caused him to flinch. "Cubby, we can't sleep now!"

"I know," he responded. "But there's nothing we can do right now, so we best just sleep on it." he said, lying down on the bed, putting his arms behind his head. "Besides, you don't really think Izzy would fall for this stupid trap like we did. Do you?"

"Like we did!?" I let out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer, nearly lifting him off the bed. "I told you this was a trap and you didn't listen! So listen to me now! You got us into this temple. Now you can just get us out." His face bent in shock.

"I got us into this temple!?" he repeated, astounded. "You went through with the plan as much as I did!"

"I did," I began, my grip on his shirt was tightening. "But I told you that this was a bad idea and we shouldn't trust these strangers! But it was 'Oh come on Jake! We have to! It's for Izzy's sake!' Now as I said, you better find a way to get us out of here!"

"B-but how?" he stuttered.

"I don't know how. But you better figure it out before tomorrow night. Understand?" He nodded. "Although…." I said, letting go of him and walking towards the window to look outside at the trees and the mountains. "Who knows what these creeps will have done by then?"

'Please Iz' I thought to myself. 'Just this once, please, please please do not wake up.'

To Be Continued...