Neiko's Five Land Adventure (Neiko Adventure Saga Book #1)

Chapter 43

After her eyes adjusted to the glare, the two friends could see there was a cavern that was full of perfect crystals. They were in all shapes, sizes, and colors and they came out of the walls, floor, and ceiling. The beauty was spellbinding. "Wow! If I found this in Hawote, then I'd be rich! This is a rock collector's dream come true!"

"Yeah, but didn't you say that there were writings about Ramses somewhere in here? I wonder where the ruins of Shadazar are," Quickstrike rambled.

"Somewhere in here, I guess. I think we're close. Let's keep walking and look at the walls. If there are any branch-offs, then we'll split up. If you find anything, then come looking."

"Actually, I'd rather stick together, so we won't get separated."

"Good idea, well, I like that idea better too," she said as they journeyed deep into the caverns. They walked and looked at the walls, but all they found were arrangements and shapes created by crystal; they gleamed and sparkled when the light hit them like multicolored diamonds. Luckily for them, there were no branch-offs, and the caverns appeared as if they were carved into the crystal. New formations were growing in the hewn walls. Neiko found several broken pieces on the cavern floor; she picked them up and slipped them into her pocket.

"Look, there's an exit up ahead," said Quickstrike as he saw a break in the glamour and a darkened cave. As they entered the door, darkness overtook them and there were ruins just ahead. "We found what's left of ancient Shadazar!"

"Yeah, and we have an underground lake to cross. I wonder what's on the other side."

"I dunno, but I've noticed the further we go in, the further we go back in time, so that could mean the writings are probably after the lake. How do we get across?"

"There's a boat right there." They climbed into the boat, and Neiko got the oars and began to paddle while Quickstrike carried the torch. They could see broken columns and the remains of a bridge that possibly was a shortcut long ago towering over them. She kept paddling, and then they saw a waterfall just ahead. Neiko paddled around it and parked the boat on the bank of the hidden cavern. When they entered the hallway, there were pictures and writings. "Neiko, look! We found it!"

"Hmm," she said as she looked at the letters which were surprisingly in the alphabet of her tribe. "Well, it's written in English, but it is written in the alphabet of my tribe. This will be easy for me to translate."

"That's good. So, what does it say?"

Neiko looked at the battling figures and the dark, shadowy form of the Dark Pharaoh fighting and slaying them. She ran her finger under the letters as she read. "This is talking about something called the Good Pharaohs. It says that Great Spirit created powerful beings called Pharaohs to protect the universe from evil. They possessed magic that Great Spirit gave them, but he made them to be his children—kind of like us. They protect this universe while he created angels to protect mine. There were few evil spirits floating in this one, so Great Spirit told them to find and destroy them. There was one he created to be the best and most powerful, but something happened to him. Sometime after Satan fell, he somehow was turned on his brethren and slayed many. He developed the desire to dominate the mortals, so then he called himself the Dark Pharaoh. Yahweh sent the remaining Good Pharaohs after him to stop him and banish him to limbo, but he destroyed his pursuers. Great Spirit hasn't given up, and he's all under control, so I'm part of this plan. I wonder if he is trying to turn him back."

"His evil hasn't even begun yet. I think turning him back is a lost cause."

"Yeah," Neiko sighed and read on further. "Ooh, check this out, he looks at the Pharaohs as sons and Pharaohesses as daughters. So he looks at Ramses as being a wayward son, and sending him to limbo is like he's sending Ramses to his room and grounding him even if he was turned against his will or something..."