Saving Caelum Earth

Chapter Two

     "Help! Help!" I screeched, but I knew that nothing could hear me from above. I struggled and swung my arms around, trying to get to the surface, but nothing would help.  Something is holding me down!  I could feel something scratching at my legs, keeping me down in the water. This is the same thing that happened to the boy! So, am I going to die?  In fear, I scrambled down to the bottom, and tried to detach the plants that were holding onto me from the ground. My lungs were screaming for air, and my long straight blonde hair swirled in my face as I tugged on the plant. My hands were sliding off of it, giving me some type of rope burn on my hands. It's not even budging! How am I supposed to get out?  I was almost out of breath, and I wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. Suddenly, the rope like plants tugged me farther down. And when I say farther, I mean it as into the ground farther.  By the time my legs were buried, I started to feel dizzy and that's when I had passed out.
     I woke up to a dark room. Well, not quite a room, more like a cave. A dark, wet, and depressed cave.  I was still covered in mud, sand, and water from the lake. How did I even fall into the lake? I thought it was impossible! And, what am I doing here? I stood up and felt the watery sand slide off my legs. I still felt dizzy from almost drowning.
        "She has awoken." What? Who is that? I scooted back closer to the cave wall.
        "Someone create the light." Said another.
       "I'm getting to it." There must have been at least five or six people in here, hearing all the voices. I heard a sudden thud on the floor and A small, but powerful light had appeared. Five men shone through the light, one wizard, one dwarf, and two elf soldiers, and one king elf.
       "K-King T-Thalion?" I began to step all over my words. "What are y-you doing here? What am I doing here?"
       "That is not a question that we can answer right now.  But we will answer them later in the palace."
      "We're going to the palace?" I said, excitingly.
      "Do not get your hopes up, little child. For you may not even survive against all of the other people who are already there." The dwarf spoke up this time, "We must take her now. She's the last one we need." 'That we need', what's that's supposed to mean?
      "Don't worry kid," the wizard coughed, "This won't hurt a bit." He slammed his staff on the ground, sending a wild shake go on throughout the rough cave floor.
      "What's happening!?" I yelled over the booming noise. A sudden blinding light came out of the staff and stayed for only about a minute, but when it left, I wasn't in the dark cave anymore, I must have been transported to a fancy, giant, and beautiful place.
      "Welcome to the palace Yáviel Eruanna, this will be your home for the next few weeks." King Thalion announced, and gestured for me to move along on the white marble staircase.
      "This is such a magnificent place." I said dazed, not even noticing what he said before.
      "Yes, passed down from many, many generations of my family."
      "Your majesty, we must get her to her room with the others. They need an early start tomorrow." One of the soldiers shuffled past me, almost knocking me over, to tell him.
      "I suppose so. You two," pointing at the two soldiers, "Tell the cooks to start dinner. And you," now looking at the dwarf, "Bring Miss Yáviel to her room. Tell her everything too." Everyone went their own separate ways, including the wizard, who left with King Thalion. Up above the marble staircase, led another floor of amazing architecture. The floor was made of gold, pure gold. Crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, and tables, flowers, chairs, and other types of furniture decorated  the room.
      "Wow." I gasped. This palace was truly a work or art.
      "You'll get used to it." The dwarf said, a bit annoyed. He must get newcomers often who do the same that I am.
      "Wait, what am I doing here anyway?" I was surprised I haven't asked that question yet.
      "Ah, now, that's a long, long story." He replied
      "I'm up for it."
      "I guess we can walk and talk." He sighed. "Well, a bit ago something very, very, powerful and important was given to a dark man, Morohtar." I gasped, interrupting his story, I began to say, "I thought he was dead! Remember? The brave hero Faeron struck him down!" He turned to me, "Such foolish nonsense! Who would teach you children such a thing?" Pausing, he realized, "Your elders are full of such nonsense!" Calming down, he said: "Well, anyways, he's alive and stole something very important. So we need someone to go strike him down and retrieve the book."
       "Wait, you're saying that Morohtar, stole a book? How important is a stupid book to you guys?
He stopped dead in his tracks and stared straight into my eyes. "You shall not, ever ask any questions about the book. Understand?" I nodded nervously, and continued the trail to my room. Silence followed the rest of the way there.
     It took about fifteen minutes just to get to my room. Well, it felt like a jail cell compared to the rest of the palace. The carpet was a scraggly, soft, and the was-to-be white color was darkening and fading. The bed was simple, a nice blue comforter, white fluffy pillow, and a spread of light blue bed sheets. There was only one window, a nice view if I do say so myself, it was of the beautiful sky, buildings, and an amazing lake in which the sun danced on. The room had a very, nice and quiet aroma. I looked out the window from my door, seeing all of the other rooms here, I wondered how many people that the king was keeping here.
       "So, you're stuck here too." I heard a deep but caring voice call from one of the rooms across from mine. I couldn't see his face, thinking he would be hiding behind the wall.
       "I guess so. How many people are here anyway?" I asked.
       "About forty three." What! But why would they do that, were not prisoners.
      "But why?"
      "I guess that this treasure that they're looking for is pretty valuable." He laughed softly.
      "It's a book."
      "A book?" He sounded surprised.
      "Yeah. Pretty valuable." I searched through the window, trying to figure out where he was in his room. But, I still didn't see anything. Interrupting the silence, I said: "So how'd you get here?"
        "Well, um." He paused, it sounded as if it was hard to say. "I was outside farming with my little brother in the garden, and well, I got pulled into the ground, with my brother too. I guess that the King  only wanted me so he only saved me, and" He swallowed, "My brother suffocated."
      "Oh. I-I'm so sorry." I try to say as comforting as I can, but the words don't come out as right as I wanted them too.
      "It's okay." I could hear his voice crack slightly, I guess he didn't want me to notice.
He was silent after that, for a few minutes, both of us didn't say a single word. Then He spoke up again. "So what about you?" He asked.
       "I got pulled through a lake and almost drowned." I didn't want it to sound like I got the easy way out, but, it was the truth.
      "Hey, you." Came a new voice. "I need to show you the training room." The man looked well in his fifties, a worn out elf, definitely not looking for and adventure. He unlocked my door, and opened it wide enough for my body to fit through it. . When I squeezed through, he took my upper arm and began to lead my down a hallway filled with rooms and "prisoners" on the sides.
      "What's your name?" The boy called back.
I looked back, glad to be able to talk to him before I left.
      "Yáviel." I smiled, even though I knew he wouldn't be able to see it.
      "Almárean."
    

     My arm had a giant red mark from where the old elf was holding me. I rubbed my hand over it while he was opening a humongous door. He knocked on the door with some weird pattern and it disappeared. I stood, amazed on how magical the palace and everything to do with it was.
        "Come on!" The old elf yelled with a scraggly voice. He was already walking, and was a few feet ahead of me. I hurried my pace and caught up with him. We were walking through tons of weapons, ropes, and any other training material that would get you ready for a fight. Different of swords, knives, magic dust and potions, were topping the shelves of many different cases. The ropes were hung from the ceiling, following nets and mats below it. A huge circle was placed in a clearing of the training area, This was probably for practicing sword fighting and other arena matches. A table was set with more magic, and how to use it properly. This reminds me of my training area at home. Actually, it seems just like it. I guess I was dreaming a little too much and I started to touch the weapons.
         "Get your hands off the weapons!" He said. I was startled by his voice and I jumped back, just fast enough to have one of the swords leave a nice, long slit across the back of my hand.
         "Ow." I shook my hand trying to ease the pain.
        "That one ought to stick with ya." He snickered, "That blade is one that will leave a scar." I sighed, just what i need.
"Have you seen enough?" He huffed
       "I guess. Wait." I scurried over to shelves with all the swords on it. I picked up the one that had tiny speckles of blood on it, from my hand.
       "Go ahead, try it out." The elf said. Gladly, I held it up making it shine in the light above and brought it back down harshly like I was trying to bash someone on the head. I swiped it to the right, feeling the power go through my body, and I kept on swinging the sword as if a person was in front of me. After a few minutes, I stopped, and thinking that I looked like an idiot, I set the blood-splattered sword back down.
      I looked back at the old elf and saw him leaning up against one of the shelves and snoring loudly.
       "Are you ready to go?" I whispered in his ear.
      "W-what!?" He jumped up, knocking over knives and other blades, making an ear shattering noise. I couldn't help myself but laugh, but I quickly covered my mouth with my hands when he woke up all the way. "Oh, yeah, yeah I am. C'mon."  While I was still laughing, he took my arm and brought me back over to the door, and then out of the hall.