"Keep trying. Just a little more. You're doing great."
"Then what?"
"Then you find what you're looking for," the little golden man said. "You almost made it."
Lorit breathed deeply several more times, taking in as much air as his lungs could hold. He gulped one last time and dove into the well. This time he swam faster, harder, trusting he would reach some point that would be safe.
A silver light showed up ahead. Lorit swam for it, turning up into a short vertical shaft. He broke the surface of the water and emerged into a small cavern filled with air. He exhaled deeply spraying water all over the dimly lit cavern. Several shafts of light came from overhead holes that must have lead to the air above.
His chest heaved as he breathed in the fresh cool air. Lorit knew that if he could count on these air pockets at regular intervals, he could swim along the tunnel as far as needed. How this was going to lead him to Chihon, he didn't know, but he was willing to risk the water for her.
He breathed deeply and plunged back into the water. He swam until he came to a second short cavern where he recovered his breath. This time he was more tired and rested longer. The cool water was starting to feel cold to him. He could feel his body heat seeping out and knew he couldn't keep it up indefinitely.
Recovered enough to continue, Lorit dove once more. Within a short swim, he entered a large underwater cavern. In the center of the expanse was a shimmering bubble. It was lit from within, but Lorit could not tell what was inside.
He swam closer, until he could make out a huge cage. It looked to be made of iron bars woven in and around each other until they formed a large half dome of mesh that almost touched the shimmering bubble.
Inside the mesh, Lorit saw a table and a bed. To his surprise, the Wizard Zhimosom sat quietly on the chair. Lorit swam to the edge of the bubble and reached for the mesh inside, to see if he could find some way to free the Wizard. The bubble resisted his efforts. It was as hard and unyielding as glass.
Lorit pounded his fist on the bubble, trying to attract Zhimosom's attention. His efforts only made a dull thudding sound.
Lorit swam around the bubble until he was in front of Zhimosom's face. The old Wizard sat at the table, reading a book. His finger traced along the page as he read, his lips moving.
Lorit pounded once more, but the Wizard took no notice of him. He tried to reach out using his magical powers and the connection he had with the Wizard.
Still nothing.
Lorit felt the burning in his lungs. He had stayed under the water longer than he expected and his efforts to attract the Wizard's attention had consumed too much of his air.
He swam for the channel. He was not that far from the small cavern and fresh air. Lorit stroked madly, his lungs burning, his body tingling. He used the tunnel walls to propel himself along.
Just as he thought he could hold out no longer, the ceiling opened onto the shaft where he had rested earlier. Lorit looked up for the shimmering surface that meant fresh air.
It was gone.
He swam up only to find the air gap had vanished. In its place there was only rock.
Lorit wasted no time worrying about where the air had gone. He had to reach the next cavern or he would drown. He turned, pushing off from the ceiling with all his might to give him an extra boost as he raced for the next cavern.
The water seemed colder, the darkness ahead deeper. The pain started as a tingling in his whole body as his muscles cried out for air. He pushed and kicked along until he reached the next cavern. He turned and entered it, but once again, the air was gone.
Lorit wanted to scream, but he knew that would only release all his air. He felt the tingling in his body worsen. He had to reach the surface before it got any worse. He turned once again, heading now for the well ahead.
His lungs burned with the pain of it. All Lorit could think about was getting to the surface. He clenched his teeth, holding back the air in his lungs. As he swam, he slowly let the stale air out. He kicked with his feet and pulled with his arms, all the while letting tiny breaths out of his clenched teeth.
He felt his strength going. His lungs were empty now. All he wanted to do was take a deep breath, but Lorit knew he would certainly drown if he did. His whole being cried out for air. He reached out and grasped the side wall, pulling his weary body slowly along. He felt it more pronounced now. His eyes tingled and his vision narrowed until all he could see was a small spot directly in front of him. Lorit knew that soon, that too, would be gone and he would not be able to resist taking that last deep breath of water.
He saw light streaming down from the well up ahead. It was so close, but it might as well have been leagues away for all the good it would do him. He was too weak to reach it. He was never going to make it.
Lorit reached out to Chihon with his magic. "I didn't make it."
"Where are you?" she asked. The connection was weak and muffled. He could hardly hear her response.
"I'm in a well deep in the mountain. I found Zhimosom, but I'm trapped down here without air."
She answered him but he could barely make out her response. It almost sounded like 'remember the water nymphs'. He lost the contact. Now Lorit was truly alone. Was this how it would end? Trapped beneath the mountains, all by himself? He struggled and fought against the growing urge to take the deep breath that would mean the end of his life.
His thoughts grew dim. He was afraid that he would pass out and that would mean the end of him. Lorit recalled the trials and troubles he had been through with Chihon. All the things they had overcome had come to nothing.
He relented and took that deep breath, expecting to choke on the cool water as it rushed to fill his lungs. Instead, as he breathed in, it felt like fresh warm summer air, with just a hint of flowers. He sucked the water into his lungs, letting it fill him and restore him. The tingling and dimness was driven away by the freshness of it.
As he breathed deeply, Lorit swore he could hear the water nymphs off in the distance, singing. He smiled and swam for the well, breaking the surface with a splash that sent water surging over the wall and onto the floor.
The little golden man was gone, and the torches had burned almost to the end. His clothes were piled on the floor, where he had left them.
Lorit reached out for Chihon to let her know he was all right, but there was nothing.
Something was wrong.
He rushed to don his clothes and ran off down the passageway, hoping it was going to take him to the library. He had to find Chihon. He was confident that working together they could free Zhimosom.
Chihon was talking to Lorit at one moment, the next he was gone. She found herself in a long hallway that stretched off as far as she could see in either direction. "Lorit," she called out, but all she could hear was the echo of her own voice.
She raced along the hallway, opening doors and calling out for Lorit. She reached out for him with her magic, but he was gone. She opened one door and burst into a room where a small golden man stood calmly, watching her. He came up to her knee and was clothed completely in gold.
"Looking for something?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, I'm looking for a Wizard. His name is Lorit. Did you see him?"
"Perhaps," the little man said. "Do you want to find him?"
"Yes, of course I want to find him." Chihon was frantic. She needed to find Lorit.
"I can help you find anything, if you have the courage for it," the little golden man said.
"Where is Lorit?"
"Is that what you desire to find over anything?"
"Yes. Where is Lorit?" she demanded.
"I can help you find anything," the golden man replied. "Provided you have the courage to seek it. Not everyone does. Actually, almost no one does." He shook his head sadly.
"Where is he?" she screamed at him. "Stop playing games with me. Where is Lorit?" Chihon advanced on the little man, raising the magic within her.
He held up his hands as if in defense. "Through there." He pointed to a short archway. It was small, but passable, the top of the arch coming almost to the middle of her thighs.
It was tight. She could fit through, but she couldn't turn around. If she wanted to get out, she was going to have to back out.
The crawl space made its way back into the darkness. Chihon saw a faint light up ahead. It looked like torches shimmering and flickering. She crawled towards them, hoping to find a large enough area where she could turn back, if this proved to be the wrong path.
She reached out for Lorit. His presence was still there, but muted. She couldn't make out where he was or how he was faring. She tried to talk to him, but got no answer.
She crawled along, her back brushing the overhead bricks, her knees occasionally striking small bits and pieces of burnt wood that littered the floor. The light ahead got even brighter as she crawled, until at last she entered a large room. It was made of the same brickwork as the passage, stretching several times her height.
The room was crowded with bales of straw stacked up to the ceiling. They formed a wall of yellow with but a single hole. A small opening almost the same size as the tunnel showed near the middle of the wall. Chihon looked into the opening. She could see more of the room on the other side. Bales of straw were stacked in a circular pattern forming a neat wall inside the room.
Chihon crawled through the opening until she could stand on the other side. She stepped over and around bales until she reached the curved wall. It was only slightly taller than she was. If she pulled a loose bale close and climbed on top of it, she should be able to see over the wall.
She struggled with the heavy straw bale, dragging it across the floor until she had a platform from which she could see. She peered over the wall.
In the middle of the circle sat a large iron cage that was formed of rods pressed together to create a tight mesh. Chihon could see someone sitting at a table inside the cage. It was Zhimosom.
Chihon shouted to him, trying to catch his attention, but the figure remained motionless. She worked her way around the piled straw until she was in front of the Wizard. She dragged another bale up to the wall and peered over.
Zhimosom was hunched over a large tome open on the table before him. His hands traced the words in the book, his lips silently moving in time with his reading.
"Zhimosom!"
Nothing.
She dragged more bales over. They were heavy and scratched her arms as she worked to make a platform to stand on that would allow her to jump over the wall. She was sweaty and sticky from the dust that swirled around her as she worked, but finally she had a large enough step to pull herself to the top of the wall.
She vaulted the wall and dropped to the floor. There was very little space between the straw wall and the mesh. She reached out for the mesh but came up short. There was a clear wall of glass between her and the cage.
She pounded on the clear wall, trying to get Zhimosom's attention. Her fist made a muted thud when it hit, but the Wizard did not hear her, or give any indication that he knew someone was outside of his prison. Chihon beat harder, to no avail. She slumped against the glass prison and sank to the floor.
As her breathing quieted, Chihon heard the crackling sound of flames. She sniffed the air. There was fire somewhere, and not just the flames of the torches.
The straw was on fire.
She turned back the way she had come. She could see the flames licking at the straw stretching to the ceiling. Dark smoke started to accumulate above her. It was choking and hot. She had to find a way out.
Chihon tried to scale the inner wall she had dropped down to reach Zhimosom. She couldn't get her hand on it to hoist herself up. It was too tall and the straw gave way as she tried to grab hold of it. She jumped up and threw her arms across the wall. All she succeeded in doing was to get a series of painful scratches. She fell to the floor, twisting her ankle as she landed.
The pain was intense, but the smoke and heat worried her more. She had to find a way out. She limped around the wall. The space between the glass prison and the wall of straw was even and offered her no escape. She felt the heat rising as she made her way around.
Finally, in desperation, Chihon kicked her uninjured foot straight into a bale of straw. It stuck, offering her purchase to climb the wall. Slowly she made her way up the scratchy yellow wall. She reached the top and flung herself down the steps she had made.
She lay on the floor, panting with exhaustion. The smoke was getting thicker. The black cloud was steadily dropping from the ceiling; she knew it would choke her just as effectively as if it had been a living thing with its hands around her throat.
She crawled for the opening through which she had come.
The whole area was awash in flames.
She slowly made her way towards it. She could feel the heat on her face, but the opening looked to be safe from the direct flames. She pulled back in pain as the heat flared in her face. She was not sure she could make it through before the smoke reached the floor or the flames spread through the opening.
She crawled faster, trying to beat the advancing flames. The smoke at floor level was thinner, white and wispy. She gasped as she drew it into her lungs, coughing so hard it made her head ache. The smoke tasted like burned straw, with an acidic aftertaste that left her throat raw.
Her eyes watered, stinging with the smoke that penetrated her eyelids, even when she clamped them shut to wash away the tears. The flames licked the straw above her, shedding heat on her back. It felt as if she was inside one of the bread ovens that her Grandma'am used every morning.
She collapsed on the floor, hoping for the briefest of respites before proceeding further. The floor was hot and covered in dark ash. As she settled her stomach to the floor, a searing pain shot through her. A hot ember had landed on the floor and swept beneath her. The spark scorched her stomach, adding the smell of burned flesh to the already heavy air.