Chapter 85 - In the Depths of the Purple Oasis ... and When Friendship Fades(2)

And behold, as they entered that cave, the first map vanished. They could see only the image with some corridors and the directions where they had to go, as well as the plan of the room where they had to enter.
At the same time, those mermaid tails disappeared too. They had legs again, so necessary to walk in a cave.
Following the directions on the map, the two went along some corridors beautifully illuminated by those magic floors. As they read the map incorrectly, the children came to a dead end at one point, but after looking more carefully at the indications on it, they managed to find a beautifully carved, large and heavy door, locked and protected by a kind of a magic field. Perhaps it was the door leading to the last room on the map, because the part of the map with corridors disappeared too.
'Behold, we found it," the girl said, gladly.
'The trouble is just beginning. We have to open the door," Alexander managed to get her smile fade away with his low voice.
The boy began to inspect the door. Elizabeth did the same.
It seemed that door was locked. It could only be opened by solving a riddle.
What can burn like the most terrible fires,
To put out any flame or glare, such as water,
But also to float like a flake,
Which makes it very pleasant to the touch ...
'Riddle again. I don't like riddles," Alexander sighed.
'I do," smiled the girl. 'Let's see. What could burn like fire? But also can put out the fire. A liquid ..."
'Yes, I know this has to be, but what exactly?"
'In chemistry we talked about substances ..."
'Yes. Theoretically, Nitrogen, Hydrogen or Oxygen can be liquid, if they're cooled to very low temperatures, but ..."
'It might be water," the girl tried to interrupt Alexander.
'Nitrogen burns under certain conditions the skin and cools everything, so it can be used to put out a fire. It may float when it's gas, but it's not advisable to touch it, it's by no means pleasant to touch at that moment ...," Alexander ignored any help from the girl and continued to stick to his thoughts.
'I think it's water."
'It can't be water, silly with no…!"
The boy irritated by so many interruptions, wanted to say something in the end, but stopped because he'd have certainly offended her worse.
'If you read carefully you can see that it says ‘like water'," the boy said the word 'water" loud and clear. 'You can't be given the answer in a riddle because ..."
But the boy stopped talking. That field guarding the door disappeared like a fog. The girl was right.
Without looking at Elizabeth, still feeling the pressure of the smile that spread all over her face, the boy approached the door to see what the other signs were. At the top of the door was a row of cubes that had on four of their faces a pawn, a knight, a castle and a bishop drawn.
Underneath that row were four other cubes that had on four of their faces drawn a fire spitting horse, a swirling horse, a horse letting out steam through its nostrils, and a horse swimming.
'Other riddles," Alexander felt like going mad. We have less than twenty minutes before the potion loses its effect," the boy said, looking at the hourglass he gave Elizabeth at the beginning of the test and which was now round her neck.
Order it properly
But be careful that you might,
Need it
Until it's over ...
'Chess pieces ...," Elizabeth smiled. Fortioris, Fortioris, Fortioris ... Fortioris ... yes Fortioris!"
The chess pieces were ordered pawn, bishop, knight and castle. And even at that moment a part of the door lock system opened.
'Now the second line" the girl said proud of herself.
Alexander without saying a word, even though he had no idea how the chess pieces were to be ordered, began to carefully inspect the four horses.
'Order it properly, but be careful that you may need it until it's over ...What does this riddle mean?"
' Maybe it has to do with water."
"Maybe," Alexander said, thoughtful. When water is in liquid form, you can boil it and it evaporates. The order could be swimming horse, fire spitting horse, swirling horse, and steaming horse."
Using Fortioris magic, the boy arranged the cubes like that, but nothing happened.
'Something's wrong."
'The swimming horse can be the first."
'That's how I placed it," Alexander said, angrily.
'Yes, I know, but the steaming horse should be next to it."
The girl also used her wand to arrange the pieces. Again, nothing happened. And probably if it wasn't the pressure of time, Alexander would tell her "see... you weren't right" and would embarrass her as usual. But this time it was important to find the solution.
'The steaming horse might mean it's cold."
'Yes…"
'It could be water phases. Icy water, that is the steaming horse because it's very cold. The swimming horse means liquid water, and that swirling horse may mean that water evaporates ..."
'And the fire-spitting horse changes the water phase," Elizabeth also supported the idea.
'Fortioris, Fortioris, Fortioris, Fortioris ... and Fortioris!"
Alexander's wand placed the cubes in the order fire-spitting, steaming, swimming and swirling, which eventually ......