The Final Downfall [Inter-Universal Protectors Series: Book 2]

The cave was far more impressive than Jay expected it to be. He’d thought it would be nothing but rubble and sand. After all, that was how it looked when they were on that cliff. What he most definitely had not expected way a gave filled with a variety of glowing crystals, all a different colour. There were pinks, reds, golds, blues, greens, and whites all embedded into the black stone. The sight was amazing. Jay could help but look around in a wonder-filled daze as he swum.

He was jolted to a violent stop, pulling him from his daze. Tayla and Kayla dragged him back to the beginning of the cavern.

“You must watch where you’re going!” Tayla hissed. “Now, follow me closely.”

She swum to the roof of the tunnel, running a hand along the mix of stone and crystal as she followed a certain path between them to the entrance of the next cavern. Reaching the other side, she turned and gave the three a wave. Ethan went next, following the path exactly, Kayla close behind him. Muffled voiced from behind made Jay chase after his group.

As the four were about to enter the next tunnel, Ema and Festus appeared. The latter took one look at them, at the empty cavern between them, and swum straight through it with enough speed that Jay was impressed. And concerned. Perhaps they should move.

Ethan and Tayla didn’t look concerned at all. They sighed and turned to continue on the path. “What an idiot,” Ethan muttered to himself, turning a corner.

Confused, Jay looked back at Festus. The Terpolite was coming closer. Jay instinctively reached for the knife on his belt, preparing himself for a fight–

Festus stopped, a crystal shard whizzing in front of him, barely missing his eyes. It was the first of many. The Terpolite danced around the shards, roaring when one cut through his thigh with the same force of a small bullet.

Jay gaped as Kayla took his hand and pulled him away, Tayla close behind.

“Amns set a lot of traps,” the Water-Weaver explained. “We don’t know how to get through all of them, but that was one of the earlier ones.” She gestured behind them. “There are sensors in the walls. If you take any path but the one we took, that happens. From the pain our friend is in, I doubt any of us are keen to get caught in any other traps.”

“But you just said you don’t know how to get through all of them,” Kayla said, concerned.

Tayla smiled slightly. “Then I guess we have to figure it out as we go.”

“We might wanna get a move on!” Ethan called from up ahead.

Jay could see a bright light coming from the cavern they were approaching. “What’s that?” he asked.

Tayla’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap.”

She grabbed Jay and Kayla. Using her power, they were able to move faster. The walls around the three became a blur as they sped through the water with enough force that Jay feared he would lose his grip. Tayla stopped suddenly, and with enough momentum, that Kayla and Jay went flying forward. They crashed into Ethan. The three ended up as a pile on the sand.

“What was that for?” Kayla yelled, shaking sand from her ponytail and dusting it off her tail. “I can swim very fast, thank you very much!”

Tayla huffed. “Well excuse me for wanting to get through the light trap before it could notice us.”

Ignoring the argument behind him, Jay swam into the next cavern, and stopped. It was like the first one, covered in glowing crystal and stone. However, these crystals glowed brighter. Where last time he was able to count the colours, these one’s he couldn’t. There was a pedestal carved from crystal stalagmites in the centre of the cavern. While it was very impressive, there was no doubt about that, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He was expecting something . . . more.

Having noticed the sight, Kayla, much like himself, was staring with her mouth hanging open. No doubt she was planning to turn it into a painting now that she was paying attention.

Seeing no immediate threats, Jay begun swimming toward the pedestal. Coming closer, he could see there was something on it . . .

Ethan grabbed him before he got within touching distance. “It’s not what you think it is.” At Jay’s questioning look, he said, “You’ll see.”

The four swum around the bend in the next tunnel, all our peeking out from it to watch as Ema and Festus – leg now bandaged – appeared in the chamber. The former clapped at the sight of the pedestal, squealing in excitement. No doubt she thought it was an item, much like Jay had.

Festus pushed her back. “I will take the item to our mistress.”

“I saw it first!” Ema complained, shoving him aside and swimming toward the pedestal. Her hand touched the crystal. The room shook. She retreated slightly, confused.

Festus growled at her. “What have you done, female?”

“How was I supposed to know it was a trap?”

“We should move now,” Tayla whispered, concern obvious in her voice. “We don’t want to be around when this one goes off. It’s a real doozy.”

Jay looked between her and the chamber. “But – but–”

“No buts, Jay,” Ethan said. “If we don’t go now, we’ll be caught in it.”

He ducked to the side as a stone fell from the roof, pulling the two women out of its path. Jay jumped in the other direction to avoid being crushed.

“See what I mean?” Ethan muttered.

Jay nodded, eyes remaining on the stone as though it would come to life and crush him.

“Move out, people!”

Jay decided the rest of the traps encountered by the four were rather cliché. They were cliché enough for him to wonder why Amneris set them in the first place. Was she having that bad a day? He couldn’t help wondering as Tayla and Kayla dragged himself and Ethan into a small alcove to escape a giant boulder rolling toward them.

Having escaped the boulder, the four found themselves in a dead-end cavern, only to find a hidden all behind crystal. As soon as it was opened, the apparent dead-end caver was suddenly home to a giant fish, at least four times Jay’s size, with very sharp teeth. Jay decided that was the most terrifying trap.

By the time they reached the final cavern, all four were puffing. Jay hadn’t thought it possible for dead people – himself and Kayla, to be specific – to be breathless. Then again, the caverns seemed to keep on going with no end in sight. He’d thought the island was a lot smaller than its undersea caverns made it out to be. Perhaps it had been big once upon a time.

The final cavern was bland, made of only the dark stone. There were no crystals here, meaning there was no light. That made it difficult for them to see. Even Jay found his Fae eyes rather useless in this darkness. Ethan, somehow, was able to summon a ball of light. It was small, but enough to let them see the walls around them.

Jay watched as Kayla swum to one of the walls, running her hand over it. He went to see what caught her attention, discovering she was tracing over carvings with her fingers. He looked closer and was able to see the story they told. He knew it well.

A woman holding a sphere of light between her hands, surrounded by ten items.

The same woman sending the orb of light toward the man she appeared to be fighting.

The man vanishing, leaving a scar in the sky where he had stood.

The woman kneeling, the crack vanished.

“I’ve got it!”

Kayla, Ethan, and Jay turned to find Tayla holding a small box triumphantly. They gathered around her. From a distance, the box looked about as impressive as the cavern they were in. Now, closer, Jay realised it was a midnight blue crystal case with the symbol of the Photon Core carved into it.

“Good,” Kayla said. “Now, we just have to–”

“Get past us?” asked a female voice from behind.

Jay spun, finding Festus and Ema floating in front of the only exist from the cavern.

“I see you have the item.” The Fae Female held out her hand. “Give it to me and I’ll let her past.”

“Don’t believe a word she says!” Kayla exclaimed.

Ema’s silver eyes narrowed. “You have my word.”

“Because we totally believe you,” Jay said, rolling his eyes. Somehow, he knew she was telling the truth. Even so, there was no way he would risk taking her word only to be killed. Again.

Festus growled. To the surprise of everyone, he whacked Ema over the head with a fallen stone. Her eyes widened as she fell to the sand, both shocked and betrayed. The blow was hard enough for red mist to float from her head as she fell. A part of Jay wanted to go over and catch her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He was frozen in surprise.

“She won’t be letting you go anywhere.” Festus grinned sadistically, dropping the stone like nothing had happened. “Now, give me the box. I may consider letting you go.”

Tayla gripped the box tighter.

Festus frowned. “Very well.”

He unsheathed his scarlet sword. The blade was pointed at his unconscious partner’s throat. Festus raised his arm, thrusting the blade toward the Fae female.