Chapter 31 - Underground, Underwater

Lydia knew the underground river was cold. She could feel it, but it had no effect on her. There was no tensing or shivering. She smiled to herself, relieved this part of her magic still worked.

She waved to the others. Freddie was grinning. He knew she could do this. There was not a doubt in his mind. Oddy looked concerned — horrified, even.

Now, however, Oddy was behaving in ways she would never have predicted. It was not only the recent phenomenon of all that eye contact, though that had been disturbing enough, but there was more. She had held his hand, and he had not pulled away. Quite the opposite: he had gently enfolded her fingers in his. Oddy was… thawing. That was how it seemed to Lydia.

She ducked her head below the surface and allowed the current to sweep her away. Her senses reached out to feel the rock, feel the tunnel through which the stream flowed. She was feeling for air pockets, obstructions, and ways out. It crossed her mind that Ambrose might have worked some magic to open Oddy up. It did not matter. She would work Oddy out again. It was not a problem: she enjoyed the new Oddy.

For now, she needed to focus on finding an escape from this underground world. There was an air pocket coming up. She had to see what it was like for the sake of the others. As she reached the space, she tugged twice on the rope so the others would stop her where she was.

Lydia could sense the size of the air pocket without torches. She pulled herself up so that her top half was on a rock out of the water. She turned on a torch and wedged it between two boulders, lighting the space above the water. Another torch she angled down into the stream so that the others could find the space easily.

The 'air pocket' was a sizeable chamber. It was large enough for the team to gather, with an area for most of them to sit and dry out. It would serve as a resting place if the exit was much further. If needed, they could tie off another hundred metre rope. Lydia reflected that a hundred metres of rope was quite a bundle once out of their rucksacks. When wet, it would be something different again.

The torches secured, Lydia slipped back into the stream. She pulled to signal she was on her way again. The current flowed faster as the tunnel narrowed. She could feel a disturbance ahead. The flow was becoming turbulent. There was air in the tunnel above her. A void was approaching.

She tugged on the rope to slow the payout. There was no response. The rope continued to feed out. She did not feel scared for herself. If she needed magic, she had plenty, with or without a wand. She was concerned for the success of the quest, if she could not find a way out.

Then she reached the void. The tunnel and the water fell away from her. She also fell, but the rope pulled her up short, a couple of metres past the edge. The water was emptying into a chasm. At this moment, it was emptying over her.

Lydia reasoned the rope reaching its end had saved her from the fall. She had come over a hundred metres in the tunnel. She was fine. Hanging over a bottomless chasm with a ton of water emptying over her head every few seconds was no problem. It was not, however, getting them out of this underground prison.

Lydia turned and flailed with her legs until she could brace them against the side of the chasm. She heaved three times to tell them to haul her back. Finding an exit was going to be harder than she had hoped.

The others hauled in the rope. It was slower than the outward journey because of the pull of the flowing water. As she saw a glimmer of light in the tunnel ahead, she remembered the air pocket. Perhaps it was worth investigating further.

She got the others to stop reeling her in as she arrived in the chamber. She climbed from the water and onto the shelf beside the stream. Then she concentrated. She reached out with her mind to the rocks around her and beyond. Yes! There it was. As she had dared to hope, a passageway lay the far side of a fallen rock. They would have to move the rock, hopefully without magic, but there was another way out. Perhaps when they uncovered the passageway, she would feel how far it went. She was not sure why, but she felt going onwards was better than going back.

Lydia lowered herself back into the glistening black water, signalling the others to continue reeling in the rope.

"Hi, Lydz! Have a pleasant trip?" Freddie asked.

Sophie rushed to where Lydia was clambering out of the stream.

"Here, put this on quick," she said, holding out a towel.

"I'm all right. I don't really feel the cold."

"That wet T-shirt's calling you a liar!" Sophie hissed.

Lydia grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her. Jimmy was grinning. Dev had averted his gaze. Oddy tipped his blushing face towards the floor.

Lydia launched into telling them what she had found. They groaned when they heard of the waterfall into the abyss, but were relieved when she told them of the passageway leading from the air pocket.

"The good news is that it's not far," Lydia said. "The water's cold, but you won't be in it long. Each of you has a dry bag in your rucksack. Put the rucksack in the dry bag, it'll stop your gear getting wet. Xander, you had best go in Sophie's rucksack."

"I'll have you know I am a competent swimmer," Xander corrected her. "A descendant of tigers, who are fond of water. However, I will agree to go into a rucksack. It will keep my fur more manageable."

"You don't want to go all floofy, again," Freddie said.

"I am not floofy, I am sleek," Xander protested.

"Pretty floofy, I'd say," Sophie said.

"Floof," Freddie agreed.

"Sleekster, who may appear floofy when mistreated," Xander decreed.

"I'd advise you all to take off your outer clothes and stow them in your rucksacks, too," Oddy said. "You'll have dry clothes to put on."

"Just for clarification," Corben asked. "What do you define as 'outer clothes', Oddy?"

"Strip down as far as you feel comfortable," Oddy said.

"I'm pretty comfortable in the nuddy," Jimmy grinned.

"Perhaps you could consider other people's comfort, Jimmy," Oddy suggested.

Christie and Sophie were giggling.

"Have a good laugh, everyone," Lydia said. "Get it over with. Any sensible questions, anyone?"

Shona raised a hand. "How far is it to swim?"

"You won't need to swim, Shones," Lydia soothed. "We'll let you out on the rope. You'll be under water for thirty seconds, forty at the most. You can hold your breath that long, can't you?"

Shona nodded.

"We should send someone ahead to help the others out of the water," Oddy suggested, glancing at Jimmy.

"Yeah, I'll go," Jimmy said. "I'm a decent swimmer and I've got a good reach. Tunnel's not dead narrow, is it?"

"No, it's pretty wide this side of the air pocket, or 'chamber', I suppose I should call it," Lydia assured him. "Just keep an arm free so you don't bump your head."

"It'll be dark, won't it?" Shona asked in a small voice.

"Not for long," Lydia said. "There are lights at this end and you'll see the lights in the chamber by the time you're about halfway."

Shona still looked uneasy.

"I can go along with anyone who isn't confident," Corben offered. "Is it wide enough to go side-by-side?"

Lydia smiled. "Yes it is. Thanks, Corben. That's really helpful."

"Dev and I will go together," Oddy chipped in.

Lydia shook her head. "I can't allow that, Oddy. Just in case. I don't want both of my knowledgeable guys getting into difficulties together. I'm sure you understand."

Oddy and Dev held a whispered exchange. Oddy approached Lydia and led her apart from the others.

"Dev isn't comfortable with anyone else," Oddy murmured. "Especially not Corben. He's not happy with Slytherins. His father lost relatives in the war. I know, I know it's silly. But once Dev gets an idea like that, it's hard for him to change it."

Lydia pursed her lips and frowned. "Would he go with me?"

"I imagine so," Oddy said. "Who wouldn't? But isn't that as dangerous a tactic as Dev and I going together?"

"If there's any problem," Lydia said. "I'm best placed to fix it, without having to have a wand in my hand."

"Perhaps you and I should go together, too," Oddy suggested.

She smiled. "That's probably wise."

The Companions stripped down in varying degrees. They stowed their clothes — and Xander — and bagged their rucksacks. They persuaded Jimmy to keep his shorts and T-shirt in place, though it was the subject of some debate. Dev removed his jacket and boots. The girls, Lydia included, elected to put on sweatshirts.

They took turns to climb into the stream and have the others let them down on the rope to the 'air pocket' chamber. Jimmy went first. Corben and Shona followed, then Dev followed with Lydia.

By this time, there were only four left in the cave to haul on the lifeline. Lydia returned to help them. Christie was a confident swimmer, as were Sophie and, of course, Lydia. Freddie and Oddy were not, at least in this situation. Those remaining were not the strongest in the group. Oddy suggested they tie off the rope and guide themselves down it hand-over-hand. Lydia proposed letting the other half of the team do the work.

They ran the line through a securely fixed carabiner, and Lydia took one end to the others. One-by-one, the team in the air chamber eased the remaining four down the stream. Lydia floated downstream alongside each of them, then they hauled her back to the start. The cave and the chamber must have been about fifty metres apart. There was just enough rope. Freddie went first, followed by Oddy, then Sophie.

By the time Lydia returned to take Christie, she was trembling with exhaustion. Christie noticed this.

"Hold on with me, Lydz," she suggested. "We can go together. There's eight of them on the other end. Well, if they can get Xander to join in, there is."

Lydia smiled and slid back into the water to wait for her. The two girls clung to the lifeline and floated downstream. Christie took a deep breath as they dipped under the rock. They had torches, but Christie could make little sense of the passing rocks and swirling water. Rounding a slight bend in the tunnel, they saw the lights of the others. As they drew close to the chamber, the rope went slack. The loose end snaked past in a tangle.

Lydia pushed Christie to the surface as they swept through the chamber towards the wall of rock. Hands reached into the water, grabbing them both, but they slipped from their grasp. The current swept them on and under the rock wall.

Christie flailed her arms and tried to say something, but only released a bubble of her precious air. Still holding the rope, Lydia put her free arm around her companion. Christie struggled weakly. Lydia knew that the end of the tunnel was not far, and that it ended in a sheer drop. That was not a problem. She would use magic. It was annoying, but not frightening.

What she had failed to recognise was how much narrower the tunnel became as the water rushed onward. The two girls became wedged between some rocks. There was a strip of air by the roof of the tunnel, only tantalising centimetres away. They could not reach. Lydia could not get Christie to that vital air.

Lydia realised how easily, and how soon, Christie could drown. She considered her magic, but realised that there was air closer to hand — in her own lungs.

Lydia took a deep breath. She was not sure exactly how it worked, but there was always cool, clean air for her to breathe. She wanted to test blowing air out of her mouth, but there was no time. Lydia held her closer and covered Christie's mouth with her own. Christie squirmed, but then seemed to understand. Lydia blew into Christie's mouth. Christie coughed a cloud of bubbles. Lydia drew another deep breath and gave it to Christie. The girl squeezed Lydia's hand.

As Lydia continued to breathe for them both, she thought about the magic she might use to free them. Then she felt a tug on the rope, which was still wrapped around her forearm.

"Inherent magic is OK, Oddy said," Lydia thought. "Telepathy must be inherent, I hope. Surely? Sod it. I'm using it. We'll just have to see."

"Christie?" she said into her companion's mind. "I think they're trying to pull us back. Hold on to the rope. Let them get us out, if they can. I'll keep giving you air. If they can't get us out, I will — even if I have to use my magic. Don't worry, you're safe with me."

"Aye, I realise that," Christie thought back to her. "Though you could have used your telepathy to ask before you started snogging me."

"Soz. I was in a rush. To stop you drowning, that is," Lydia explained. "I'll be more polite next time."

"Maybes less garlic, too," Christie suggested.

Lydia gave her another breath.

"Get used to it, Miss Picky," Lydia joked. "I'm going to talk to Oddy and see what…"

There was a heave on the rope. The two of them came free of the constricting tunnel. Lydia reached out to Oddy with her mind.

As the team reeled Lydia and Christie in, Lydia used her telepathy to talk with Oddy. He apologised for the dropped rope. They had been cold, wet, tired and Corben had lost his footing. At least they were pulling together again now.

Lydia could see the lights from the chamber. She gave Christie one last breath. She could see hands in the water reaching for them. Oddy was in the water, as was Sophie. They helped Lydia and Christie out and onto the rock shelf. A cheer rose from among all the coughing, sloshing, and shivering people. It was a tremulous roar of triumph. They had won another victory.