Links/Previous Chapters – link

As Orlando sat dozing in the corner, Kayla and Derrin sat silently together. They’d agreed that it’d be best not to move again until Derrin had recovered a sufficient amount of strength. The pair hadn’t said much since to each other since they’d arrived in the phosphorescent cave, but finally Kayla spoke, “I never got to thank you back there, for saving us, once again.”

Derrin made no physical reply, “It wasn’t anything I haven’t done before. Shouldn’t you be thanking that Orlando kid again?” he asked, disdain oozing from the question.

“Ohh!” she said with a giggle. “Why don’t you like Orlando?” she asked, her voice now filled with mock wonder. “Could it be that someone’s a little jealous?”

Blood rushed to Derrin’s cheeks as Kayla hit the nail on the head, “That’s redicu…”

“Oh, please! The only way it could have been more obvious was with a neon sign.”

Derrin mustered a pouting expression, and Kayla sighed. She was frustrated by his immaturity and insecurity, but could help finding it a little cute. Suddenly she got up from her spot and quietly walked over to Derrin. He still sat up against the wall where he’d struggled to two hours or so ago. After a short pause, she sat down next to him. It had become apparent to her that Derrin’s self confidence was not as solid as it seemed. She wouldn’t let it be broken. She curled up and leaned her head against him. In a few movements she’d made it clear that she was loyal to him and him alone. For the first time since he’d awoken, he smiled.

Countless hours later, the group prepared to set out. The cave remained dimly lit throughout the day, but Derrin’s circadian rhythm told him it was somewhere around early morning. He still felt much less than 100%, but at the same time he was more than good enough to swim, and he refused to lose to that pretty boy.

A fantastic array of colors greeted them as they came out of the nook. Hues of red, purple and orange emanated from the sun above and refracted through the water into a light show fit for a king of kings. The slightest movement or flicker of the eyes changed the scene in front of them entirely. As they swam, Orlando explained the phenomenon, “The water in this area has the distinct character of refracting light extremely well, almost as if the sea was made of crystal. When seeing this, it is easy to understand why this area is called the Crystal Valley.”

Derrin and Kayla were mystified as they swam; the view was just as breathtaking as one from any mountaintop peak or jungle canopy. A problem, however, was incipient as they continued on: their oxygen masks were running out. Fortunately, Orlando quickly solved the problem, distributing two masks to both Kayla and Derrin. When Kayla asked about how Orlando had managed to swim both yesterday and today on one single mask, he explained that his was one of greater high quality, designed for permanent use to be refilled before setting out each day. It could hold up to 24 hours of air.

As he finished his explanation, a colorful spot appeared on the horizon. He stopped in mid sentence, “There lies Aquarius.” The group remained silent as they approached, each keeping to their own thoughts. Inch by inch, Aquarius grew larger until they could discern large buildings and then individual people. Finally, they arrived at their destination: Aquarius: The Underwater City.

I had fun coming up with that, hope you like the level of detail.

Don’t see Eragon. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll nitpick it all the way through for it’s blindingly obvious abandoning of several key parts of the plot. Everything seemed condensed and less majestic and grand. The sword training was condensed to one scene, the battle at the Varden’s stronghold (I forget the name; it’s been so long) seemed much less gigantic and hopeless than what I got from the book. While the Shade’s death was done well, it strayed too far from the book. From watching the movie, one would get the impression that it took place over a month instead a year. It was only an hour and forty five minutes long! Bottom line, if you’re a fan of the series and are over 12, you’ll hate it for condensing it so much and abandoning the book. If you’re not a fan, you’ll think it’s a terrible movie as well.