Elementals

Chapter 30- The Castle

Chapter 30

•Alex's P.O.V•

When the sled finally stopped and everyone got out of the sled, Cameron snapped his fingers, and the sled, as well as the ice path disappeared. We all stood, gawking at the gigantic castle in front of us, partually hidden away by the massive towering walls surrounding it. The bricks were a mucky grey, fading into a deep purple, overgrown with countless vines and weeds. It looked like there were cracks all over the castle, eerily similar to the ones I'd been familiar with. I took a step back.

"This is where the orb was leading us?" Damian muttered grimly.

"Does that mean that the scroll is, in there?" Zack stammered. I looked up at the orb, it's light glowing brighter, pulsing blue and white. I took a deep breath.

"C'mon." I gulped before walking to the giant gate that stood within the wall. The others didn't protest.

Natalie's eyes glowed, and a second later, the rest of us were lifted into the air by thick vines, taking us over the wall with ease. The vines gently set us down on the ground before sinking back into the ground.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Damian asked.

"I dunno." I said. I caught the orb floating away in the corner of my eye, flying off towards the back of the castle.

"I guess we follow the orb?"

The others just nodded. With that, we followed after the orb. I always hated going to haunted houses as a kid, they always gave me the creeps. As a result of that, I couldn't help the bitter feeling at the bottom of my chest. After a few minutes, the orb stopped at a small opening in the wall, closed off by rusty metal bars.

"Hey, an opening." Cameron said, cheerfully.

"These bars look like they've been here for centuries." Keith said. "And all the more easy to break."

Keith's eyes glowed. He closed his fist and pulled his arm back. Brown light started to swirl around his fist, before he thrust it forward. The collision with the bars blew them right out of their sockets. I watched the bars fall to the ground with a loud *clang* before turning to Keith, pure surprise all over my face.

"Impressive, huh?" Keith smirked smugly.

"Show off." I grumbled.

"Come on, let's get going." Zielo said, following the orb through the opening. The rest of us followed.

We were led through a series of spacious, dark, damp tunnels, illuminated by the orb floating overhead. The sound of dripping water and the occasional squeaking if rats and mice gave me chills. Zielo held onto my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, which helped a tiny bit.

The orb finally stopped at as dead end, a wall made of the same stone brick as the castle's outer walls.

"Oh great." Zielo grumbled.

"What do we do now?" Natalie asked in disappointment. I examined the brick and the walls of the tunnel, running my hand along the cracks. Then I found something.

When the answer lies not in front, look above

"A riddle..." I muttered. While the others tried discussing a plan of action, I thought. I held my chin.

"When the answer lies not in front..." I then slowly tilted my head upwards. There was a circular trapdoor right above us, the rope dangling just out of reach. My eyes widened.