Chapter 4: Deception; Part 1

  “Where am I?” Karkus asked, his voice echoing.

  From the moment he woke up — his body drained of strength — he saw nothing, just darkness, and the sensation of the cool steady air touching his face. He assumed he would be transported to an alleyway or the forest, then he would meet Cerea. However, he woke up with droplets of water dripping into his mouth. When he sat, he crashed to the jagged low-ceiling rock, and had to roll over and crawl until he found an area where he could stand. He was in a cave, definitely.

  Without any choice, he trailed the cave wall with his left hand. He still had a glove on his left while the other had none; Trakun probably took it. Under his glove, there was a very faint and steady yellow light between his index finger and his thumb. A sliver of his magic; much weaker than when he obtained it. As he walked, he would bump to a stalagmite or stalactite, or slid down on a wet, sleek floor.

  Although he was somehow sure that he walked for less than an hour, his breathing became ragged. Each step felt like he was carrying a heavy boulder, and added to this, his leather boots increased the strain. Running out of breath by walking made him a little bit disappointed. Just how long did he stay in Trakun’s place? His muscles ached in doing basic motions and retaining his balance.

  The path sometimes thinned and the ceiling lowered. It was almost like a labyrinth, but instead of facing monsters or finding some hidden treasure chests, he encountered slippery floors and stalagmites stabbing his clothes. Luckily, his leather clothes were durable enough to withstand the tip of stalagmites.

  Karkus eventually heard footsteps coming from the distance. Slow, sneaky, and sometimes pausing. Then he heard the sound metal banging on the wall.

  “Where is that damned exit?” A voice belonging to a man said. “If there’s none, then I’m going to make one.”

  The ground increasingly shook, and dust fell. Karkus went closer to the source of the sound, relying on his instincts to avoid the stalactites that might fall on his head. The man hit the wall again. Something grazed Karkus’ back as it crashed to the ground.

  “Hey!” Karkus shouted while making sure there was no blood pouring or wound. “Do you know where we are?”

  The bashing stopped.

  “A cave, of course,” the man said disdainfully. “Where else do you think we are?”

  “The cave. In what place could this cave be found?”

  “You’re here, and you don’t know? You must be as stupid as these rocks. Here in Verriad Forest, tremors are agitating the monsters, so you ought to be careful and not get lost in this damnable forest, creating caves out of nowhere.”

  “We’re lost in this place. I was just walking in a forest, fell on soft ground, and ended up here.”

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  “Don’t treat me as the same level as you. I am not lost; or will I ever be since I, Aasceon, am the greatest of Verriad in reconnaissance. When I was a young boy, at the innocent age of nine, I would always climb the wall of the city and look beyond the horizon. I like to do it during twilight; dawn and dusk. The great shift of the palette of the sky is something I’ll never get forget — no matter how it may seem repetitive. Every time, it gave me this chill that runs from my limbs and head to my core, somewhere inside this pectoral muscle of mine. As I grew up, I thought that I want to see beyond the horizon, and find out the thing that fascinates me from there. I did my training punctually, exercised my mind, and — hoped. Indeed, with hope. . .”

  Aasceon continued to narrate random things to which Karkus didn’t listen to since the latter zoned out. Karkus had to meet Cerea; the sooner, the better. If what Trakun said was true, then Cerea should be somewhere nearby. Yet, this cave had no sign that there were no other people inside. Lost. Karkus wished Trakun brought him to a brighter place, where the sunshine caress the skin and relax rather than a cave that forced him to contemplate.

  Were Spencer’s group okay? Nothing happened to Karkus. He did not break the promise, and the group must be alive. The Earth changed back to normal. Before Karkus was incapacitated by Trakun’s magic, the ghost town became lively; with people bustling and the quiet whistle of car engines. It was momentary, but still, he saw them with his own eyes.

  “. . . So I am not lost. I, the great Aasceon, chose to be in this place!” Aasceon proudly ended his speech.

  “Alright,” Karkus said. “What I want to talk about is the—”

  Aasceon banged the wall again. “Were you not amazed of my grand life?”

  “I am so let’s talk about how we escape here.”

  “You might be dumber than rocks, idiot. What do you suggest? Talk our way out of the cave and beg forgiveness to whoever locked us here. How about I just offer you to this cave as my gift? I am a generous and kind person after all.”

  “I have a Special Magic,” Karkus said. “It’s called . . . I think it’s called . . . Echolocation. Yes, it’s called Echolocation. It’s a magic where two people must cooperate together to map dark areas like this cave.”

  “Echolocation? First time I’ve heard that kind of magic.” The man paused. ”Very well, I shall see what this Special Magic of yours can do.”

  Karkus felt his stomach wrenching. If the man knew that that magic was something that the bats do, and was made-up, then he’s screwed. However, he started this. “Click your tongue,” Karkus said, clicking his tongue once for example. “And I will concentrate on tracking the sound. When the sound hits a solid object, I can envision this cave. But it must be continuous, or I will lose my concentration and get us lost.”

  Chapter 4; Part 1 End.