Aryo & the Missing Prince

CHAPTER THREE: THE KAPPAS

When people told stories about the creatures that lived in the forest, they always mentioned the werewolves, the zombies, and the giant reptiles. They told stories about the Wailing Wife or the Creepers. What they didn't talk about was the Kappas.

"Why hello there," a voice half-croaked and half-whispered from somewhere across the pond. Aryo looked up, surprised.

"Hello?" he called out, buttoning his pants again, more embarrassed than frightened. The voice had been odd, but friendly.

"Yes," croaked the voice again. "Hello. How are you?"

"Who's there?" Aryo called, edging closer to the green little pond.

"Me," said the voice again. "Right here. In the pool."

"Oh!" exclaimed Aryo as he glimpsed the little green head that floated on the surface of the pond. "I didn't see you there." He knelt in the mud by the water's edge and squinted to look at the little creature. "What are you doing in the pond?" he asked.

"Oh you know," the little head croaked as it drifted nearer. "Just having a bit of fun. The pond is loads of fun, you know."

"Is it?" Aryo asked, eyeing the little pond. "It looks murky to me."

"And so it is, so it is," the head conceded with a nod. "But it's fun all the same. Very wet and very cool, especially after a long walk cruel."

"You've been walking, too?" Aryo asked. "Where from?"

"Oh you know," the little head said without blinking. "From here and there to who knows where." It drifted even closer to the bank. It was only a few feet away now. "Wouldn't you like a swim?" it asked.

Aryo raised an eyebrow. He thought that as it drew closer, he'd be able to see the rest of its body through the surface of the water, but he couldn't. It was too murky. All he could see was the creature's funny little head, which looked like a turtle's head, with green scales, big, unblinking eyes, and a sharp little beak of a mouth.

"Aryo!" came Barin's voice from the other side of the willow. "Are you finished yet?"

Aryo turned his head away from the pond. "Yes!" he called. "I'm com—"

SPLASH!

Before he even realized what had happened, Aryo found himself being dragged down into the pond's murky depths. He blinked his eyes open and found himself in a world of green. Up, down, everywhere—green. In front of him, a scaly green claw clutched his shirt and dragged him down, down, down.

The pain started in his chest, but quickly moved into his head. He couldn't breathe and he wouldn't be able to hold his breath much longer. He grabbed the claw with both hands and yanked on it, but it was no use. It held him tight and kept pulling him down into the watery abyss.

Suddenly, there was an explosion from above. A flash of silver shot past him and into the murk. There was a flash of red and the claw released him. Something jerked him upward and toward the light. But then the others came. Dozens of those eerie, turtle-like faces appeared in the murk, reaching out with their little claws at him. He could see their bodies now—bodies that looked like an evil cross between a frog and a turtle—and he fought them, trying to bat their claws away as he continued toward the surface.

But they were strong. One caught hold of his shirt and another his leg. They pulled at him, trying to drag him down again.

The flash of steel split the murk once more, scattering the creatures. The world was fading, though, and Aryo felt himself slipping—slipping into a deeper sleep than he'd ever known. Then there was a rush, a bright light, and a voice.