~ Andrew stood for a long, long time, gazing into the abyss, as if at any moment the solution to their first conundrum would appear in big neon letters, shining out of the darkness. Jaden explored what remained on their side of the room. Solid flooring stretched from the door they'd entered through, now firmly closed, to the chasm, about 20 yards apart Jaden estimated. From side to side the chamber was at least triple that, the chasm spanning the entire thing. The ceiling high, high above was obscured by shadow. The entire thing was far from well lit when it came right down to it.
Jaden ran his hands along the walls, searching for some kind of clue, or key, or...something. Anything really. He found nothing but a patch of wetness seeping through the wall from minuscule fissures, sticky with a bit of algae. He rejoined his two companions.
"I didn't find anything but a trickle of water, for all that's worth."
Takyle and Andrew looked at each other.
"Water?" they asked in unison.
"Yeah, a tiny bit coming through over there." Jaden gestured behind himself at one of the side walls. Takyle looked excited.
"If there's a stream behind the rock...Jaden, that might be it." She grabbed her pack from where she'd set it on the ground, jerked the bindings loose, and pulled out a folding pickax.
"Show me," she ordered and Jaden didn't hesitate to usher her over to the place. She ran her hand over the wall and, finding where the most water was coming through, had at it with the ax.
Andrew, not waiting for orders, immediately headed for the opposite side of the room to look for any more water near the chasm at the other end.
"I found another patch of water over here! I'm going to start working at it," he yelled across to them. Neither Jaden, who had since begun utilizing his own pick, nor Takyle took the energy to acknowledge Andrew's shout.
It didn't take long at all for Jaden's arms to get tired of swinging the ax again and again, taking the constant percussive blows of metal against solid granite, and surely Takyle was just as worn out. Jaden's thoughts began to read futility into the seemingly endless exercise and he silently cursed and threatened the wall.
"Oh you had better have a hell of a damn good bit of water behind you, or I swear I'll...I'll...You'll be so sorry!"
Takyle interrupted his mental seething by waving her hand for him to stop for a moment. They stood still and studied the wall. Oh yes. There was definitely more water coming out now. A steady little stream flowing down onto the floor. Jaden grinned at Takyle and they began again with renewed vigor. The amount of water seeping out continued to increase, by more and more noticeable amounts.
Suddenly and without warning a large section of weakened stone gave way under the water's pressure and Jaden was knocked to the ground by the powerful jet as the water came gushing out. It splashed the ground all around and flowed over the jagged edge of the floor, cascading out of sight. The echoing roar of water in the room doubled as, at the other end, Andrew got the same result from his assault on the far wall.
Mopping water out of his eyes, Jaden went to stand by Takyle and peer over the edge, watching the water disappear into the shadows. All that there was left to do was wait and see what came of their labors.
They waited. And waited some more. The water continued to pour out of both walls into the divide. Jaden played a few games of tick-tack-toe with Andrew, made possible by wetting their fingers and drawing on one of the dry patches of floor. Takyle sat on the edge looking down.
"Hey guys. Come over here and tell me if I'm crazy." Jaden crawled over to her and followed her gaze. If she was crazy, then he was as well. Out of the dark he could definitely see water swirling and glinting. The chasm was filling up. Andrew let out a whoop and slapped them both on the back.
"Yeah! It's working! It'll be full in no time and we'll swim right across." Takyle grinned at his enthusiasm.
"That wasn't so bad," she remarked. ~
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