“What’s happening?” Michael asked.
“I’m disabling all of the magical incantations and protective spells. It might take a while,” Darren replied.
“What sort of incantation did they have in place?” Noah questioned.
“Fire flames, deadly poison, silver dust, and illusion vapor.” Darren turned around and eyed the orange and red sun that blazed their back with scorching heat. “It’s beautiful despite being deadly if we stay here too long.”
“The view?” Michael wondered, glancing back. “I guess, since fire is your element, you’d find this beautiful in a grotesquely and deadly way.”
“Is no one finding it odd that there aren’t any sentinels posted here?” Grace asked.
“They are on a different planet. They might assume they are safe, and the protection spells will alert them to intruders,” Darren replied.
“How much longer do we have to wait before entering the cave and continuing on our way?” Noah asked.
Darren peeked into the cave through squinted eyes. “It’s safe. Let me just plant a sentinel of my own so no one sneaks behind us.” He walked to a wall and imprinted a seal on the rock that glowed orange and yellow. “Done.”
“Darren in the front, Michael behind, then Grace. I’ll guard the rear,” Noah instructed. “Like Darren suggested, leave your cloaks and masks at the entry. We need to stay alert once we move forward.”
As instructed, everybody ventured into the cave.
“I like green pastures with a blue sky more,” Michael mumbled as an afterthought.
“I like rainy days and stormy nights,” Grace shared.
For a few seconds, everybody remained quiet until, as if rehearsed, they tilted their heads back to look at Noah.
He frowned. “Are we playing a game?”
Grace grinned. “Talking helps calm us down.”
“Fine,” he muttered. “I like dark and starry nights when the two moons are high in the sky and look like silver disks. I also like sunny days. I don’t like this planet, though. It’s hot and dry.”
“It’s dark in here,” Michael complained.
Darren held up his hand, and a glowing orb formed on his palm. The orb floated over their heads and illuminated the way.
Michael sighed. “Much better.”
For the next twenty minutes, they crossed the creepy corridor and fought against the wizards that came their way.
“Eight guards aren’t a lot for one of the main entries,” Noah commented as they continued on their way.
“I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe we’re arriving at the central chamber,” Darren said.
“Prepare to encounter resistance,” Noah warned.
“What about the other teams? My comms don’t work here. There’s too much interference,” Michael grumbled. “Do you think they are safe?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Grace said.
Noah commanded, “Darren and Grace, shields up. Michael, stay behind Darren.”
Once they stepped into the light, a high ceiling chamber carved into the mountain waited for them. Inside that chamber, aligned into three rows, the wizards stood in a defensive stance with their menacing eyes targeting them.
Grace put up her shield and merged it with Darren’s. Glancing around, she noticed that the other teams were already there.
***