Keys to the Demon Prison

"You’re a miracle worker," Trask said.

"I try to be prepared," Tanu replied. "I originally designed these for Wyrmroost."

Kendra unstopped a cylinder and drank the contents. The clear liquid tasted sugary at first, then spicy hot, then cool and tangy.

After everyone had downed the potion, Vincent accepted the iron egg from Trask. Tanu held the canoe steady as the two men climbed inside and got situated.

"Let’s not capsize," Vincent recommended.

"Not in the mood for boiled Aborigine?" Berrigan asked.

"I could live with that," Vincent replied. "It’s the side order of Filipino guy that worries me."

Tanu gave them a gentle shove away from the entrance. Vincent and Berrigan dipped their paddles into the simmering water. Kendra estimated it was about fifty yards to the damp island. Handling their paddles with careful competence, Vincent and Berrigan guided the canoe swiftly to the destination. Vincent disembarked first, one foot sliding on the shiny black surface. He steadied himself, and then Berrigan climbed out too, remaining at the edge of the island with a brown hand on the canoe.

"Hot out here," Vincent called. "You might end up with steamed Filipino guy."

"See a keyhole?" Elise asked.

"Sure do, right here at the center of the island." Vincent stood up straight and turned in a slow circle. "I don’t see any other options. Should I go for it?"

"Time is a critical issue," Trask shouted back.

Vincent knelt and took out the iron egg. The island was high enough that they could not see the keyhole from the entryway, but they could see Vincent’s posture change as he turned the key. He held up a slightly smaller key to show he had accomplished the task.

The water stopped bubbling, creating a momentary silence. After the brief lull, a strong wind swept through the room. Vincent fell flat to avoid being blown off the island. Berrigan sprang into the canoe as the gust pushed it adrift. The small craft rocked severely, then capsized, dumping him into the water.

Kendra noticed when the sound of the wind changed, becoming fuller and more violent. The volume seemed to increase behind her, as if a gale were whooshing down the corridor. She turned in time to see a frothing wall of water hurtling down the tunnel toward her. Mara called out a warning. Kendra barely had time to close her eyes and tuck her head before a foamy explosion of water hurled her and the others into the searing pool.

The water felt scalding, although Kendra hardly noticed since the force of the flash flood kept her tumbling blindly. Hot water sluiced into her nostrils. As the colossal influx of water pushed Kendra farther from the tunnel, the turbulence diminished. Having lost all sense of direction, Kendra opened her eyes to verify which way was up, then stroked toward the surface, following the bubbles churned up by the flood. The weight of her sword made her progress slow, so, with her lungs beginning to burn, she unbuckled the weapon. When her head finally broke the surface, she coughed out water and gulped air in greedy gasps. Her clothes felt billowy and cumbersome, but she could keep her head above water. At least her shirt of adamant mail didn’t exert too much downward pull.

The water seemed cooler than it had at first. Either the new water rushing from the tunnel was lowering the overall temperature of the pool or the potion was compensating, because although the water felt uncomfortably warm, it was endurable and did not seem to be inflicting physical harm.

Already beyond the island, Kendra treaded water, drifting toward the far wall of the room. She saw Seth and Tanu not far from her. Trask, Elise, and Berrigan had righted the canoe and clung to the sides as they swam toward her.

Suddenly Vincent’s head shot out of the water, breathing hard. "I lost the key!" he spluttered.

"Where?" Trask demanded urgently.

"Right around here," Vincent said. "Below me. I think Mara dove for it."

"I’m on it," Elise said, disappearing under the water.

"Me too," Berrigan said, vanishing as well.

"Everyone grab the canoe," Trask instructed, towing it toward Kendra. "I’m worried we aren’t out of the woods yet."

Kendra reached the canoe a moment before Seth and Tanu. The water level in the room surpassed the top of the entryway. Although the water continued to rise, the influx of water stopped making noise. They drifted in silence.

"Should I dive down?" Tanu asked.

"I saw you could barely stay afloat," Trask said. "You’re like me–too much gear. Give the others a few more seconds."

Mara came up first, taking deep, controlled breaths. "Berrigan has it," she reported. "The key was too heavy. I could barely make upward progress with it."

Several seconds later, Berrigan and Elise surfaced together. They swam over and heaved the iron key into the canoe.

"I don’t know how she did it," Berrigan said, nodding at Mara. "When we found her, she was on her way up, but she still had to be forty feet under."

"The key sank a long way before I caught up," Mara responded. "I found it sliding down the underwater slope of the island. It was slow going."

"Butterfingers," Vincent lamented. "My bad. The flood caught me off guard."

"It’s hard to swim with it," Berrigan said. "No harm done."

"Are we going to drown?" Seth asked, glancing up at the ceiling. The water level continued to rise.

"Good question," Trask said. "Did any of you notice an exit down there?"

Mara shook her head. "I looked, but didn’t see any exits or keyholes. Of course, I couldn’t see everywhere."

"Could you see the floor?" Kendra asked.

"Yes. Maybe twenty feet below the lowest point of my dive."

"Do you feel all right?" Seth asked. "Can’t you get the bends from coming up too fast after a deep dive?"

Elise smirked. "We weren’t that deep. Plus, decompression sickness is less of a threat when free diving. You know, with only the air in your lungs."

"Meanwhile, the water keeps rising," Vincent pointed out.

"Let’s hunt for another keyhole," Trask decided. "Do I have it right that Mara, Elise, and Berrigan are our best swimmers?" There were no objections. "You three explore underwater as best you can. The rest of us will look up. Let’s find an evacuation tunnel or a keyhole."

Still holding the canoe, Kendra dipped her head under the water and watched as Berrigan, Elise, and Mara swam away and down in different directions. With her eyes below the surface, and the water no longer bubbling, the underwater scene was surprisingly clear and well-lit, although Kendra could not clearly discern whether she could see all the way to the bottom.