Chapter 10

THUD!

"Ow!" I mumbled as I winced in pain.

'Wait, I am still alive?'

'Your body has become stronger. But you're not immortal or anything like that. You can break like a twig, too, if in the right places.'

'Wow, thanks for letting me know I'm a twig.'

I looked down to see a ravine and looked up to see everyone on the edge of the cliff I had just fallen from.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Kaida yelled, concerned.

"I AM FINE!" I replied. I stand on my feet and dust myself off. I am pretty surprised that I didn't break or sprain anything.

"DON'T WORRY KRIOS IS GOING TO GET YOU OUT FROM THERE!" Kaida yelled.

"Okay, Huh? How is Krios going to he—WHOA!" I yelled. I felt the ground below me shake. I fell back to the ground. I looked up to see Krios, who had rocks and sticks flying around him. The ground shook even more when his eyes turned green.

The two grounds aligned and I was right next to Krios. All the rocks and sticks dropped, and his eyes turned back into the dark brown color they were before. I was delighted to know that even though we met a couple of hours ago, I knew that I could trust him. He extended his hand to help me off the raised platform.

"Thank you. I should watch where I am going." I told him as I held his hand.

"No problem. Are you hurt anywhere though?" He replied.

"I don't think so," I answered. He helped pull me across.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am fine," I told him. He looked at me suspiciously. But nodded, Krios walked me over to the group, and instantly Ryoko ran over to my side.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and looked very worried.

"Don't worry I'm fi—" I tried to say, but was cut off by

"You're not fine," Ryoko insisted seriously.

"It looks like you sprained your wrist." He added.

"Here let me help you," Kaida consoled. I showed her my wrist.

"It's swelling and bleeding, how could you not feel it?" She asked, and I shrugged. She walked me over to a tree nearby.

"You should be more careful Ayla," Kaida scolded as she bandaged up my hand.

"Yeah, I know," I say. I looked over, Tatsuya was impressed by Krios's power, but she didn't show it, just glanced over at him a couple of times. While Krios was showing off his powers to Ryoko.

"I'm done, I think you should be fine, just don't mess around with it," Kaida warns as she puts back the first aid kit.

"Aright, thanks," I rejoiced. I walk over to the cliff; I know it's a dumb idea. I just fell, but we have to keep going. The path is still going, on the other side of the giant hole, at least.

"Wait!" Ryoko yells as he grabs my arm.

"You don't want to fall again,'' he says.

"No, I don't but The path is still going on the other side," I tell him. He looks over.

"But there's a giant ditch, how do you think we can get across," Ryoko says. I walked over to Krios.

"Krios, can you help me over there?" I asked.

"Sure, what do you need?" He replied.

"Well, I need to build a bridge, from here to that cliff," I explained, pointing to the ditch.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Very sure," I replied.

"Alright." he agreed and got to work building the bridge.

"Wasn't that easy," I say, patting Ryoko on the back. After minutes of pulling boulders from the ground, and placing them in line. Krios finished up the bridge in no time; surprisingly the path continued with the bridge.

We all started to walk across the bridge, well, maybe not all of us, the dragons flew across. The bridge was narrow so only two people could walk side by side. Kaida walked along with Krios. I walked along with Ryoko, and Tatsuya walked alone.

I looked back just to make sure that everyone was there. Kaida looked like she was having a hard time with the bridge. She looked scared, and without hesitation, she held Krios's arm tight with no intention of letting go. Krios didn't seem bothered by her actions; he looked quite happy. Tatsuya looked a bit pissed off.

'Protective older sister.' I thought and smiled.

I feel a sting of pain hitting my wrist. I looked down to see the bandage falling off. I try to wrap the bandage back again, only to see my wrist perfectly fine. Not a scab or scratch on my wrist.

"Whoa, how did your wrist heal so fast?" Ryoko exclaimed in shock.

"I don't know," I replied. We made it to the end of the bridge, and we started walking into a forest again.

"Not again," I sighed as the Talila started dragging me back over to a giant rock.

"Again?" Krios asks.

"I think we should follow her, just in case she gets hurt again." Kaida jokes. She let go of Krios's arm. I finally came to a stop and my back is now against a rock. A huge rock.

"That's an igneous rock, right?" Krios questions.

"I don't know, you tell me you're a genius," I told him as I got up, rubbing my back.

"What's an igneous rock?" Kaida asked.

"Igneous rocks form when magma, also known as molten rock cools and crystallizes, either at volcanoes on the surface of the Earth or while the melted rock is still inside the crust," Krios explained.

"English please?" Kaida asked.

"Lava rock," Ryoko told her.

"Oh, well you could have just said that in the first place," Kaida pouted.

"Tatsuya, can I have your help over here?" I asked.

"Sure, what do you need?" Tatsuya replied.

"I need you to heat the rock," I explained, pointing to the igneous rock.

"You know it will turn into lava, right?" She told me in a serious tone.

"I know, but we need the amulet's next piece," I answered.

"Alright," she replied. She breathed in and out. She aimed at the rock. I took a few steps back to avoid getting burned. She started throwing fireballs toward the rock.

A few fireballs later, the rock was only half-melted. Tatsuya was too tired to continue. Fortunately, the rock melted enough to pull the crystal out in one piece. I pulled the amber crystal out with ease, only to set off an earthquake.

'What's going on?'

'They're coming!'

'Who's coming?'

Then the fire crystal and Talila merged and then changed colors. Krios looked shocked but calm. The earthquake stopped once Krios was able to control it.

Ryoko looked suspiciously at Krios.

It looks like Ryoko thinks Krios caused the earthquake on purpose. Krios denies the idea quickly.

We all heard loud stomping coming from the trees. We all stood in defense, ready to attack. Only to see little people in wood masks and spears in their hands.

One of the little men tried to jump on me, but Tatsuya threw a fireball at the guy in mid-air. The tiny people stopped coming for us but went running for Tatsuya. We all ran to stop them from reaching her, but it was a trap.

They dropped a cage from the trees above us and stopped us from getting to her in time. More masked people came and this time were carrying a chair, on their shoulders.

They had the dragons put in cages and tied down. They carried the tires and sleepy Tatsuya onto the chair and tied her wrists and legs. They carried her away. I have to admit they are pretty strong for two-foot-tall people. The cage was lifted off the ground and started moving.

'I guess we're prisoners now.'

Minutes later we were all inside a volcano. Don't worry, you heard me right inside a volcano. Waterfalls made of lava, I mean, lava-falls. They set Tatsuya down on a cliff not too far from where the rest of us were. They chained the dragons to a cliff.

They tied the cage to a pit of lava. Slowly dropping into our pending doom.

'GREAT JUST GREAT.'

Not only that, Krios is too calm about this whole situation. Just leaning on the bars of the cage. What a weird guy.

A few minutes later our tiny captors came back chanting;

"Pepehi I ka ʻenemi, Pepehi I ke ahi, E Noho me ka Maluhia," They yelled. All were headed to Tatsuya.

"What are they saying?!" I yelled.

"Kill the enemy, Kill the fire, Live in peace," Talila translated.

"They are planning to kill Tatsuya! We have to think of something," Ryoko wailed.

"Kaida, are you able to make water into ice?" I asked her.

"Yes, but one problem, no water." She sighed.

"Well, there's always combining elements," Krios suggested.

'Combining elements?'

"Krios, that's not a good idea," Ryoko warned.

"Why not, it seems to be the only option to get us out of here," Krios replied.

"It may be, but it is too dangerous. People have died in the process of trying to combine elements or have become too powerful for their bodies to handle." Kaida objected.

"But we are going to die a very slow and painful death if we don't try," I tell them. They all sigh and agree.

"I have to combine elements with Tatsuya," Krios explained.

"Why her? She melted the big igneous rock by herself. She's all out of power and she can't make lava into rock." Kaida remarks.

"Yes she can, because she reversed nature's doing. It wasn't done by any other human or dragon. It's not very easy. I am an earth element. I can only move and cool the earth, not melt or reverse it. Combining our powers will stop the lava and cool it." Krios explained.

'There has to be another way. We are slowly getting closer and closer to the lava'

The Talila started glowing.

'What is with you? I have been dragged enough this week. But now I am probably meeting death the third time.'

'Oh please I am trying to help'

The next thing I know, Zaya's book comes flying toward me out of nowhere and lands on the floor of the cage. This book has a mind of its own. I looked at the open book and picked it up.

'What's this?'

The book was opened to a specific page.

'Amulet Powers. Wow, this would have been useful ages ago.'

The page showed the stones that we have so far; it was finally in English! They're about to push Tatsuya off. So to activate the amulets fire element, am I supposed to say this?

"Bursting out angry tears to scold the earth," I read. Talila was lifted off my chest and changed to a red amber color. Our captures pushed Tatsuya off the cliff and the cage fell.

Everything went white.