Chapter 4 (The Deserted Dwelling)

Finally, the long overdue...

Chapter 4

"What?" Josh squeaked. "Who's Elandai?"

Ben and Kaela took turns explaining their last adventure in Elandai--from falling into the follower dwelling to fighting Daran in Mahal--and when they were finished, Josh and Lindsey looked much more pale then they had before.

"That's no fair!" whined Lindsey. "You didn't tell us we were going to Bananai, and I want to go back! Take us back, Ben!"

"Actually, we're in Elandai, not Bananai--" Ben barely caught a smile "--And we aren't going back. Trust me, you'll have fun! All the swordfights, adventure...come on, Josh, don't you like adventure?"

"No," Josh stuck out his lip. "I don't like adventure, and I want to go home."

Kaela rolled her eyes, an action she'd probably do a lot of over the next weeks. "Well, by the end of our time here you'll love Elandai. Now come on." With that, she began marching through the path that led straight on. Ben followed her, and Josh and Lindsey unwillingly took up the rear.

Kaela looked around at the forest they were walking through. This was so different then last time. Her and Ben's first walk was a spooky one; the path had been surrounded by skeleton trees. But then Adonai had made the trees come alive again, so now they were green and friendly. Some had flowers in their branches, and birds chirped from all over. A squirrel dashed across the path, and then paused to look at the humans.


She glanced from side to side. Somewhere...there it was, a highly disguised, stone trapdoor. She and Ben had fallen through it on their first visit. It was the entrance to the dwelling of Klii, Learka, and Yevelina (Yev for short), three followers of Adonai and good friends to Ben and Kaela.

Ben caught up to her and knocked on the trapdoor. "Hello? Klii? Learka? Yev?"

No answer.

He knocked louder. "Guys, open up! It's Mikaela and I, and we brought our cousins. Hello?"

Still nothing.

Puzzled, Ben turned and looked at Kaela. "They aren't answering!"

"Well, maybe they're out or something," Kaela suggested. "And they might have moved back up to the surface once Daran was defeated. Open the trapdoor and we'll see."

Ben pulled on the door and it opened with a rusty creak. Peering inside, he shouted, "Hey guys, it's me!"

He hopped down into the dwelling and stared around him, shocked. Cobwebs and dust were all over the small room, chairs were falling apart, the lamp chain on the table had all but rusted away--everything was a wreck.

"What happened!" Kaela cried as she followed him down. Josh and Lindsey stared down into the dwelling, not very interested.

Ben shrugged helplessly. "They must have left to live above ground. But that would have been a month ago--or less--and this looks as if it had been deserted...years ago!"

"What kind of place is this, anyway?" Lindsey said from above. "People just run off and leave their homes like that?"

"Oh, be quiet!" Kaela shouted back, starting to get annoyed. "You aren't helping much!"

"Well, sorry, your highness! I didn't mean to upset your royal crown," Lindsey had more than a hint of sarcasm.

With an effort, Kaela ignored her cousin and turned to Ben. "But that can't be possible; them leaving their home years ago when only a month could have passed."

"Maybe someone trashed the place," suggested Ben. "Though that wouldn't account for the rust."

Josh stuck his head down the hole. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're trying to find out what happened to our friends," Ben replied grimly. "You're welcome to help."

The cousins cautiously entered the dwelling, squeaking whenever they got dirt on their hands. At one point during the descent, Lindsey screamed, "A spider! A spider! Ewww, get it off! Off!"

She waved her arms around desperately and lost her balance, falling down the rest of the way, taking Josh with her. He was also squealing, "Spider? Where? Oof!" (The last part was when they fell and Lindsey landed on top of him).

Ben and Kaela exchanged glances. Not un-similar to our first landing, Kaela thought with amusement.

Ben walked over to the old, familiar rug on the wall and brushed it (and more cobwebs) aside, revealing the door behind it. The wood had rotted some, and he nearly pulled the knob out trying to get the rusty thing open.

He glanced around inside. "It's dark in there," he reported. "We need illumination."

Kaela had been scanning the room for something, while Josh and Lindsey sat, huddled in the middle of the room, glancing fearfully around them. Then she suddenly exclaimed, "Aha!" and pulled out...her and Ben's old swords!

She touched the purple pommel stone of her sword. These weapons were special; they shot light for all the followers of Adonai, and did many other things. At the end of their last adventure, they had disappeared when Ben and Kaela had crossed the creek back over to their world, and she had always wondered what happened to them. Adonai must have brought them back here.

Handing Ben's sword to him, she drew her own out of it's scabbard. Josh started at the shink it made and looked fearfully at her. "Don't point that at me! It's sharp!"

"I wasn't pointing it at you, and the swords are supposed to be sharp." Kaela explained slowly and carefully, trying not to yell. "You're going to have to get that into your noggin if you're going to stay here, Josh. Now c'mon, we're going down the tunnel."

The cousins followed her and Ben as they stepped into the tunnel. Immediately, Ben and Kaela's swords lit up with the same pure glow as before.

Kaela grinned as they started down the passageway. It's good to be back.
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It's so fun making Josh and Lindsey spoiled. I know, it's sad.

Izori