Chapter 2 - Whirlpool of Knowledge

Volume 2. Thanks, Render, for starting again.

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Excitement and adventure were in the air. A giddy sense of purpose and climactic importance hung like a chandelier in the misty air on the beach. The group of friends bent over a map which Bonnie hastily placed on the sand and opened. It was worn and aged, and its leafy pages crackled dangerously as if they were protesting to their frail condition.

Will Robin’s eyes squinted as he tried to decipher the markings over the ancient map. On the left side was a series of lines and squiggles possibly representing mountains and rivers. The right side was filled with dots that could be trees and a tiny, red “x”. Charity stared at the coordinates on the bottom of the yellow papers while Marina read the words at the top out loud.

“Isle of the Night Star,” she said clearly, her voice quick in eagerness. “Property of …” her voice faltered as she frowned at the unknown name. “Berry Bates.” Her brown eyes looked up at the company there. “Who’s that?” Marina asked.

“Berry…Bates…” muttered Levi, his eyebrows close together making him look as if he was concentrating very hard. “OH! Bates!” he exclaimed so suddenly those nearest to him jumped. “I think I remember him. He was known for stealing knives, gold, and cinnamon. Yes, cinnamon,” he added, noting the looks on a few of their faces.

Render was walking over to Ancalagon with Will behind him when he clapped his hands together and asked, “Well, shall we get started?” Bonnie scooped up the map, grinning broadly like she usually did before a quest.

“Wait, wait, wait. First of all, where is this Isle of the Night Star?” asked Charity, following the others to mount the dragons. The sand beneath her feet was scratching her boots and the sensation made her cringe inwardly.

“I don’t really know…that’ll make finding it all the more satisfying,” said Render.

“I think we should ask around,” suggested Marina, brushing back a lock of dark hair that the wind had blown into her expectant face.

“Where to start?” asked Will. He gripped the scales behind Baladon’s neck and hoisted himself onto his back, swinging his legs onto the saddle of the giant dragon. Render mounted Ancalagon, who threw back his huge, black head and let out a blood-boiling roar.

“I’d say first stop is the Whirlpool of Knowledge,” said Render, matter-of-factly. “We can’t very well find a treasure on an island we can’t find. First one there gets to stir the water!” he called, then leaned back as Ancalagon leapt into the sky with a flash of white teeth. Marina and Cless immediately started to run with an inhuman speed and grace along the beach, soon becoming engulfed in the mists along the shore.

“Let’s go!” exclaimed Levi to Will, jumping onto Clesseath. Both riders whooped as their dragons extended their wings like sails and caught the wind. Charity turned to Bonnie, smiling.

“Where’d you park the Dawn?” she asked, ready to get out onto the open seas. Her green eyes sparkled as she rolled up the sleeves of her tidy blouse.

“Where I always dock it,” Bonnie replied, walking confidently toward the edge of the beach. A few seconds later, the mist cleared and she was standing on a long stretch of wooden planks extending out over the waters. Rocking softly by the dock was the beautiful Spanish galleon, The Golden Dawn. The two girls looked at each other, then at the ship. The next moment they were enjoying the wind in the sails creating a nice background beat to the swishing of the ship slicing through the waves.

The ever-ready crew rushed around the decks, preparing various things. Charity was bent over some charts of the sea and Bonnie was humming cheerfully at the wheel. The clouds overhead were few but large. A whooshing sound came from above them, and the girls looked up. Three dragons circled overhead, with shouting riders on top of them. They laughed as Ancalagon turned and twisted, seeming to be a dark star in the blue sky. Clesseath and Baladon raced forward, each trying to do more tricks than the other. Baladon swooped lower and flew alongside the Golden Dawn, dipping one claw into the water and sending sea spray up everywhere. Bonnie chuckled at the look on Charity’s face when a large quantity of water sufficiently drenched her.

“Hurry up slow pokes!” exclaimed Will, as he cut in front of the ship and Clesseath barrel-rolled to the side.

“It would be a whole lot faster if you’d stop getting in the way!” hollered Bonnie, grinning still.

“Please, children, stop your fussing,” said Render, sitting up straight and erect in his saddle like a regal prince. Ancalagon snorted and turned up-side down, a low chuckle reverberating from his throat.

“Children? Us? Look who can’t ride his dragon properly,” Levi interjected.

“I’ll show you how to ride a dragon!” Render said as Ancalagon turned upright and spun in dizzying circles around Levi. Clesseath let out a rumble and soared up into the air. All eyes were turned upward, and for that reason they all lurched forward when something big knocked against the prow. Charity’s eyes widened and she ran to peek over the railing.

“What is it? What’s there?” asked Bonnie, attention now on steering around a cluster of rocks. The stones had become more common as the landmass where the Whirlpool of Knowledge drew closer. The water became darker and harder to see through because the floor was covered with rocks. The air was suddenly silent as the dragons lowered down to be level with the ship. The only noise was their steady wings beating the air and their breaths on the wind.

Charity peered into the water. “I can’t see anythi—” She screamed as a giant tentacle reached up and wrapped itself around her waist, then picked her up off the deck. It had many scales that were dripping wet and it reeked like something long dead. It happened so suddenly they barely had time to react before it started lifting her over the railing. Charity growled and grabbed her dagger, stabbing it repeatedly with a mean look on her face. The dragons immediately flew over to it and began attacking the humongous tentacle. Their efforts seemed in vain, for the fire glanced off the damp scales of the beast and blasted them in the faces. The riders quickly did some mental collaboration and shouted a single spell that made the appendage burst into flames. Charity fell, flailing her arms and legs. Clesseath caught her in one outstretched claw and floated over the deck.

Bonnie let out some air she had been holding and released her grip on her sword. She concentrated on navigating. “We’re almost there,” she said.

“We’ll take Chair with us and head over to the whirlpool. Hope to see you there,” said Render. A sudden feeling of danger had slowly crept over each of them. Maybe there was something more foreboding to this quest than they had expected. Did they already have enemies? Bonnie nodded to the riders and watched silently as they flew off, a brief thought that the weather was suddenly chilly passing through her mind.

“I hope Marina and Cless are having a safer time than we are,” she thought.

Since they had parted, Marina and Cless had run swiftly over many miles on the beach. Cless was excellent at direction and he led them to a series of tunnels that were magically enchanted. They led under the seas and ran nearly everywhere save for when it got too deep. Marina enjoyed looking out of the enchanted tunnels that were transparent and seeing all the fish.

Vivid colors and strange hues danced in front of her eyes as breathtaking creatures swam by in schools and groups. She smiled at a fish whose buggy eyes blinked at her when it crashed into the glass. Coral reefs and sea anemone all amazed her with their beauty and completely unique patterns and designs.

“It’s so quiet and peaceful,” she said to Cless, smiling and treading lightly upon the glass tunnel floor. Her black dress swished around her ankles, making the only sound in the tunnel besides their breathing. The dress made her appear innocent, but she held many hidden weapons in the folds of cloth, including a sword and two daggers up her sleeves.

“Not always,” Cless said in a low voice. A large shadow covered the glass tunnel as something huge swam over them and obscured the sun. The two friends glanced up and felt shivers race down their spines, for above them was a monstrous creature the likes of which they had never seen before. It had long, dark scales on every inch of its fish-like body. Its head resembled a dragon’s, and its snarling mouth contained rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth ready to slice through flesh. Tentacles poked out from its body in such a way that it seemed like a squid until it thrust itself forward and its fishy body could be seen. It left a stream of purplish-black fluid in its wake as it swam through the sea in a pulsing motion, projecting itself forward with its tentacles as its body coiled up and then jolted forward.

“What is that?” asked Marina, her brown eyes wide and intrigued.

“Not something I’d want to mess with,” said Cless, following its movements with a thoughtful yet intense gaze. He memorized its appearance and pattern, taking note of the waves it created that could probably be seen from above the water. “Forget it for now; we’re probably late,” he said as he resumed his fast pace. Marina took two steps and matched his pace, but her eyes never left the sea monster.

“Cless…it’s coming this way!” she exclaimed. They turned and saw its yellow eyes boring into them from a black face, like two coals in the night. It opened its dangerous jaws, and somehow they got the impression it was grinning.

“We can’t stop now. We have to keep moving. The end of this tunnel is just up ahead. The walls are protected by magic, so we should be safe,” Cless said, picking up his pace. Marina breathlessly ran beside him, her feet feeling heavier because she knew the beast was swimming toward them this moment. The silence inside the glass tube was overwhelming, and Marina let out a breath. WHAM! The tunnel shook as the sea monster collided with the tube. Cless and Marina fell to the ground, their arms spread out to catch them. As soon as they were on the floor, they jumped up again and continued running, not daring to look back. A second tremor shook the path before them, but they managed to continue their race without faltering.

The exit to the tunnel drew closer. It was a wooden door set into the glass. Marina’s heart quickened when she saw it. Her lungs were struggling to fill with air, but she was determined not to stop. Just as they drew closer, the monster was suddenly right next to them, extending its jaws to their next footfall. Its teeth slid off of the slick glass, but as they raced through the door, neither one of them would forget the look in its yellow eyes that seemed to follow them, memorize their faces, and decide to lie in wait until he would meet them again.

Once outside, Marina and Cless panted and caught their breaths. When they looked up from their doubled-over positions, they were puzzled by their surroundings. The tunnel had led them back to rocky land and out of the water. The land they were standing on was hard, black rock. Its many jagged boulders and pebbles scattered all over the island made it seem like a mountain range. They were in a kind of canyon, for steep walls surrounded them on two sides and stretched as far as they could see.

“What took you so long?” asked a voice. They turned to see Will and Render waving to them as Baladon and Clesseath landed, blowing back bits of rock with the wind generated by their mighty wings. Levi and Clesseath emerged from a dark cloud above them and landed also, Charity sitting patiently in Clesseath’s clenched fist. He gently put her down and she looked around her.

“We got distracted by a … thing,” Marina tried to explain.

“You too?” asked Bonnie, coming out from behind a boulder she had been inspecting.

“Do you think…do you think whatever it is, it was sent to deter us?” questioned Charity, fingering a knife in her belt nervously.

Will frowned and dismounted Baladon. “Why would they want to do that? Is the map really that valuable?”

Render and Levi also dismounted and paced in the narrow canyon. “It seems we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet,” said Render, his hand on his chin thoughtfully. “Which means the visit to the Whirlpool of Knowledge should be very enlightening.”

They all agreed and set out in a southern direction. As they walked, they noticed the farther south they went, the less rocky it became. The stone beneath them became earth, and before they knew it they had come out of the canyon and into a mushy swamp area. The trees were tall and aged, most twisted and bent over. Dark clouds that had loomed above had dropped down to mingle in the trees. An aroma both sweet and bitter wafted through the air, tempting them to trace its source. Soon the silent air was interrupted with the music of water rushing somewhere nearby. With a few more steps, they came upon a sudden pond. But it wasn’t a pond. It was a whirlpool. The dark water was spinning around in circles, flowing over the edge of its embankment and splashing onto the grass. By this time it was dark and the travelers were aware of that sense of excited dread of the unknown.

“So…how does this work, exactly?” asked Charity, curiously eying the mysterious liquid. She wondered if it was special water, or simply normal water that had been enchanted. Would it hurt to drink the water? Would she turn blue?

“We have to tell it to be still in the ancient language,” said Render, “and then it will tell us what we need to know.”

“Does it do that automatically?” asked Marina. Her hand had unconsciously moved to touch her quiver, reminding her she was armed in case any danger arose.

“It depends on the person asking. It’s enchanted to provide knowledge to the seeker, and that’s just what it’ll do,” answered Levi.

As agreed, the person who had arrived first got to rouse the water. Will stepped forward and knelt at the water’s edge. Levi and Render stood behind him on his right and left sides. Will lowered his head and closed his eyes, thinking of the proper spell. Opening his eyes, he whispered words into the night that would awaken the knowledge contained in the waters. The whirlpool stopped flowing suddenly and stood so still not a ripple showed on its surface. The darkness seemed to breathe in the sudden silence.

A roaring sound issued as the waters drew up into a column that rose many feet above the adventurers, spinning and twisting but staying always in the same place. It seemed to illuminate everything around it, for the trees suddenly sparkled like stars had been set into them, and the eyes of everyone there glittered like jewels. The glowing water cast shadows on their faces that made them seem older and wiser. Their hair was blown back from their faces with the pulsating wind coming from the swirling liquid column and the edges of their jackets fluttered in the breeze. The column reached up so far Marina wondered how much water the whirlpool really contained; for it seemed like the sky itself was consumed with the swirling lights of knowledge. Curiosity and a slight feeling of apprehension rooted itself in their stomachs. All eyes were on the pillar of rustling light currents.

“Show us the Isle of the Night Star!” shouted Will, gazing up at it and shielding his eyes. The waters stretched back into a kind of screen, stretching horizontally in front of them. The color changed from its many hues into a simple, dull white. Then, as they stared, a series of images floated across the screen. First there was a magnificent view of mountains from overhead, their twisting ranges looking like snakes bent on getting somewhere fast. Then the scene shifted to one of plunging straight down into a valley in between two black mountains. Closer and closer the green grass raced toward them, until suddenly it opened up and there was a straight vertical drop for a good amount of distance. The images blurred and Cless muttered, “The Sky Mountains and the Valley of the Moon.”

Then, suddenly, there was a cave half-filled with water and the prow of a boat extending in front of the vision. Dark waves rocked the boat and they could see a faint outline of what could be an island out in the middle of an underground lake. The waters went murky and calm. The three closest to the water began coming back toward the others, turning their backs on the water. Suddenly the waters roared up again, spinning and lighting up with another gust of powerful wind that knocked Levi over and forced Will to his knees.

“What’s going on?” someone shouted.

The waters reached out once again, seemingly of their own accord, and flashed another set of images. This time the images were startlingly real. Before they were of something unfamiliar, superficial, and far away, but now they were depicting people they all knew and loved. In the water’s vision, Will was hunched over a sword that he had stabbed into the ground while it was raining, eyes closed and head bowed. With a swirl of foam the image was gone and replaced by one of Levi holding up a small object in both of his hands with an evil look in his eyes as lightning and thunder emanated from his billowing cloak. The water darkened and Marina was seen running down a hallway with eerie red light, breathing heavily and eyes looking wide as if she were either searching for something or running from someone. Marina’s eyes narrowed at this, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the waters. The red tint changed to one of green as Charity was seen chopping down everything in her path made of trees with a crazed look in her eyes. The eyes changed to Bonnie’s, and her mouth remained in a firm line as she watched herself from the perspective of someone else as they stabbed her shoulder and she slumped to the ground, still. Render was seen next, his eyes stained white all the way through, holding up his sword in a hall of mirrors and letting out a scream that chilled the blood of everyone there. The last and final scene was the most horrifying and foreboding of them all. Baladon, Clesseath, and Ancalagon were on their backs, falling into darkness, none of them moving. A series of minor dragons fell after them, seeming as leaves fluttering after a fallen tree. Chilling fear penetrated them all.

“Enough!” cried Cless, snapping his whip. Render and Levi shouted something in the ancient language together and the waters hissed. The liquid column collapsed into the ground, steaming and bubbling with a dark color running through its fading light like veins of night lighting. The wizards were panting and everyone stared at each other, confused and fighting terror.

“Render…what just happened?” asked Bonnie, her hand placed protectively over the hollow in her cape where Maya was sleeping. Will smoothed out his jacket and Charity re-tied her hair. Marina adjusted her weapons distractedly and Levi soothed his minor dragons. Ancalagon let out a puff of smoke, a hint that he was mentally communicating with his rider.

“I think that we just experienced too much knowledge. There are some things we just aren’t meant to know that we have now been exposed to,” Render said. His eyes were still on the violent waters.

“But…everything we saw…will it happen?” asked Charity, frowning. Cless shook his head. His red eyes looked ready for a challenge.

“I think someone is trying to mess with our heads. We just have to be aware of what could happen and make sure it doesn’t. Still…it could be dangerous,” he said.

“Well, now we know where we need to go. Can we leave? This place gives me the creeps,” said Marina. They all agreed and set off the same way they had arrived. However, no matter how hard they tried, no one seemed able to get rid of the images of themselves. Will finally had the idea of mentally striking up a song that they all sang. Yet the notes held an aftertaste of a morbid thoughtfulness…