“Killer? Hunter? Cujo? Old Yeller?”
The wolf didn’t seem thrilled at any of the suggestions.
Just after mid-day, Trish decided they needed to stop. She couldn’t risk another night like the last one. They had to build a shelter.
She spent the next few hours building, using simple dirt blocks to construct the walls and roof. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it would keep the monsters out. Her pride wouldn’t let her settle for a plain-jane dirt house, so she added a structure on the roof that vaguely resembled a wolf’s snout.
When the shelter was finished, she realized she needed a bed. She searched the area, found a group of wild sheep, and took the wool from one of them. After she knocked down a couple trees, made some wood planks, and constructed a crafting table, she was ready to craft a bed. She set three wooden planks on the bottom section of the crafting table and set three pieces of wool on top of them.
The sun was setting by the time she finished. Her eyelids were so heavy by then that she could barely keep them open, but she forced herself to eat. She’d need her strength the next day. Then she closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Trish woke up rested and ready for more adventure. This day passed much the same as the last had. The two companions walked through the forest as Trish tried possible names for the wolf.
“Thor? Toosenela? Stinky?”
The wolf didn’t respond positively to any of her suggestions.
Building the shelter went much more quickly that afternoon. Now that the wolf knew the routine, he was much more helpful. He even found a sheep for her while she worked on the shelter.
Before going to bed that night, Trish consulted her map. If they traveled as far tomorrow as they had today, they’d easily reach Grazers Peak by mid-day.
The wolf seemed to sense Trish’s excitement. He woke up with the sun and let out a sharp bark to let Trish know it was time to get going.
They’d only been walking for an hour when they saw a mountain in the distance.
“That’s got to be it,” she said. “Grazers Peak. What do you think, Spike?”
The wolf gave her a look that said he didn’t much appreciate being called Spike.
“Sorry, I had to try.”
About an hour later, they came across an old man pushing a cart. He wore a hat that appeared to be three sizes too large for his head. He tipped the hat as he approached.
“Hello, ma’am,” he said, glancing nervously at the wolf. “Did you know you have a wolf following you?”
“Hi,” Trish said. “Don’t worry about him. He’s tame.”
The man visibly relaxed. “Ah, good. What’s his name?”
“I have no idea,” Trish said cheerily. The old man looked confused, but Trish barely noticed. She had to admit, after two days without any human company, it felt good to be having a conversation. She pointed toward the mountain. “Is that Grazers Peak?”
“It is,” he said. He pointed to the left. “And over there you’ll find Polton. Beautiful little village. I assume that’s where you’re headed?”
“No. We’re going to Grazers Peak.”
The old man’s smile disappeared. “Now why in the world would you want to go up there?”
Trish paused and considered how much to tell this man. She wasn’t used to keeping secrets. She had never before known anything worth hiding. But she’d never been on an adventure before, either. She had to adjust to a new way of thinking, of assuming there could be danger around every corner and enemies lurking in every shadow. This old guy seemed nice enough, but, for all she knew, he could be Carmine’s uncle or something. It was safer not to reveal too much.
“I’m meeting someone,” she said.
The old man shook his head. “If someone told you to meet them up there, either you heard them wrong or they’re playing a dirty trick on you. Trust me. I’ve lived around here all my life and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t go up on Grazers Peak.”
“Is the mountain dangerous?” she asked.
The old man looked up at the peak for a long moment before answering. “Not the mountain itself. What’s on top of it.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “It’s really not any of my business. You do whatever you want. Just know that of all the people who’ve gone up that mountain, very few of them have come back down.” He tipped his hat again and walked off, pushing his cart in front of him.
“Well, that was ominous,” Trish said.
The old man’s words had sent a chill up her spine, but that didn’t change anything. Carmine and his friends still needed to be stopped. It’s not like she hadn’t known it would be dangerous.
Before too long, they reached the bottom of the mountain. A thin dirt path snaked its way back and forth up the side of the mountain. Without giving herself too much time to think about it, Trish started up the trail. The wolf followed, walking a bit closer to her than he had in the woods. Trish didn’t know if that was because he was afraid or because he wanted to protect her. Either way, the wolf seemed to sense they were heading somewhere dangerous.
After twenty minutes of hard climbing, Trish rounded a corner and saw what was at the top of the mountain. She gasped.
Before her stood a massive temple. Vines grew along its walls and huge columns lined the front of the building.
“Wow,” Trish whispered. “This must be the spot that was marked on the map. Whatever Carmine and his bandits want, it’s got to be inside.”
They climbed the steps to the temple and were met with a strange sight. The first thing Trish noticed was that there didn’t appear to be a door.
“That will make getting inside slightly difficult,” she said to the wolf.
She saw four blocks near the front of the temple. One was wood, another glass, the third stone, and the final one was sand. There was a pressure plate in the ground in front of the blocks.
There was also a chest and a crafting table.
Trish was about to open the chest when something on the wall of the temple caught her eye. Words were engraved in the stone.
She leaned forward, squinting to read the letters.
The path inside will not be clear till you remember what you hear.
Echo back the temple’s song, but be exact and don’t be wrong.
The right note will open the way. The wrong note and you’ll die today.
Trish turned to the wolf. “It’s a puzzle! To get inside the temple, we have to solve the puzzle!”
Chapter 7: Puzzle of Song
Trish stared at the poem for a long time as the crisp wind blew, sending her hair flapping around her shoulders. She knew what she had to do, but didn’t know how to do it. There was a song hidden somewhere outside this temple. She had to listen to the song and then repeat it. Seemed simple enough.
Although...there was the whole The wrong note and you’ll die today thing. That definitely added a little pressure.
The first step was figuring out how to play the song. She walked back and forth along the front of the temple looking for something that might play music. She didn’t see anything that seemed musical. What if the poem was referring to a person? What if there had once been a musician at the front of the temple who would play the song on a trumpet or something? If that was the case, the musician was long dead and there would be no way in.
No, that couldn’t be it. She had to keep looking.
Then she remembered the pressure plate in the ground in front of the blocks.
She ran over to it and raised her foot. She looked at the wolf and said, “Either this is going to play music or I’m about to be shot full of arrows. Wish me luck, buddy.”
The wolf’s tail drooped. Trish didn’t know if that was because he was worried about her or because he didn’t like being called buddy.
She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and stepped on the pressure plate.
Dun-dun-dun-dun.
Four deep, rich notes came from somewhere inside the temple. It was a
short song, but the four notes worked together to form a haunting melody.
Great. Step one complete. Now what?
She stepped on the pressure plate again, and again the song played.
Dun-dun-dun-dun.
Clearly she was supposed to do something else. But what?
Trish looked at the wolf. “Here goes nothing.” She hummed the four notes.
She was right—nothing. Nothing happened. On the positive side, she didn’t die. On the negative side, the temple didn’t open either.
“Huh,” she said. “What now?”
She stepped on the pressure plate one more time. Again the song played.
The wolf threw back his head and howled an imitation of the song. “Awr, awr, awr, awr.”
Trish cringed. If that terribly off-key rendition didn’t cause their deaths, nothing would. Talk about one wrong note! But, again, nothing happened.
She patted the wolf on the head. “That was a little pitchy.”
The wolf’s tail dropped.
“Sorry, but you were sharp,” she said.
As soon as the last word left her mouth, the wolf’s tail shot straight up and his eyes grew large.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Your name is Sharp?”
The wolf let out a happy bark.
“Okay. Pleased to officially meet you, Sharp.” She scratched her head “Now if we could just figure out…”
Her gaze settled on the crafting table. “Of course! We’re supposed to craft something.” She looked at the unopened chest. “And I’ll bet I know what’s in the chest!”
Sure enough. She opened the chest and found redstone dust inside. “Sharp, I know what we have to craft!”
Trish ran to the edge of the clearing, chopped down a tree, and made the wood into planks. Back at the crafting table, she set wooden planks all around the edges and then put the redstone in the middle. She’d done it! She’d crafted a note block.
She knew she could play the note block by hitting it, and that hitting it harder or softer would change the pitch. She’d had one of these things in her house for years, and she was pretty sure she could play the song without any trouble. But was she sure enough to bet her life on it?
She stepped on the pressure plate to hear the song one more time. Then she wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead, took a deep breath, and hit the block.
Dun.
She paused. That wasn’t quite right. The note was correct, but the tone was all wrong. She scratched her chin and looked at the four blocks near the pressure plate. Wood, stone, glass, and sand.
“Of course,” she said. “Note blocks sounds different based on what material they are set on top of!”
The temple had played a rich, deep song, so it would have to be stone. She set the note block on top of the stone block, then she hit it three times.
Dun-dun-dun…
She was about to hit it a fourth time when Sharp whimpered, causing her to stop. Sharp was right. The note block didn’t sound exactly like the temple’s song.
“Wood,” she said. “It’s got to be wood.”
She moved the note block to the top of the wood block.
Sharp nuzzled up against her, and she felt his fur tickle her leg.
“I’m nervous too,” she said. “But it’s the only way.”
She hit the note block four times—dun, dun, dun, dun—and the ground began to rumble. Trish put a hand on Sharp’s back to steady herself.
A crack appeared in the temple wall. It grew wider and dust spewed into the air, causing Trish to cough violently. A moment later, the rumbling stopped. There was a gap large enough to walk through.
Trish pulled out her torch and entered the temple.
As soon as she passed through the opening, the temperature dropped. She envied Sharp for his fur coat. Each step echoed loudly through the massive stone chamber.
Something on the ground caught her eye, and she lowered her torch. A fine layer of dust covered the stone floor. A single set of footprints in the dust led away from the door and into the darkness.
She was too late. Someone had come before her.
Wait a minute...there were no footprints leading out! Whoever had left those prints had either found another exit or they were still in the temple. There was still a chance.
She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Sharp standing in the doorway. “If you think you are waiting outside, you’re crazy. Come enjoy the creepy old temple with me. That’s an order.”
Sharp let out a single whine, but he stepped through the doorway and followed her into the darkness.
Only one set of footprints…Had Carmine gone in or had he sent one of his bandits? Trish didn’t think he would risk going in himself, and he wouldn’t send Chiece because of his injured leg. It had to be either Mac or Roger. Hopefully Roger. Mac freaked her out.
When they had been walking for ten minutes, she heard a hissing noise. Then another. Then a third. A chill ran through her. She’d never heard that sound herself, but she knew what it must be. Cave spiders!
She hurried forward, still following the footprints, as more and more cave spiders hissed at her from the blackness. Sharp let out a low growl.
They had to get out of here fast. She and Sharp could probably kill a couple cave spiders, but there had to be a dozen down here!
Up ahead, the footprints stopped at a set of mine tracks. Whoever she was following must have hopped in a mine cart. Lucky for her, there were four more carts waiting on the track.
In the torchlight, Trish could see that the tracks plunged steeply downward just ahead. These tracks didn’t appear to be in the best condition. Who knew how long they’d been sitting here unattended?
The cave spiders hissed again. Trish hesitated. Stay and face the cave spiders, or race a mine cart into the heart of an ancient temple? She smiled and jumped into the closest cart.
“Come on, boy. We’re going for a ride.”
Sharp leaped into the next cart. They rolled forward and plunged into the depths of the temple.
Chapter 8: Race to Danger
The mine cart raced down the tracks. Trish clutched the edge of the cart as the wind whipped past her face. For a moment, they were in total darkness. Sharp whimpered his disapproval at the situation, and Trish didn’t like it much either.
Then a set of nine glowing red eyes appeared, rushing toward them. A cave spider! And they were speeding directly toward it. At the angle they were heading, it would hit her right in the face. Trish fumbled for her sword, hoping she could stab it before it bit her, but they were moving too fast. There was no way she’d even get her sword out in time.
At the last moment, the cart shot downward once again, missing the cave spider by a mere block. The relief lasted only a moment before the cart whipped around a sharp curve, sending her sliding across the seat and pushing her against the side of the cart. Then, suddenly, they were climbing into the sunlight. Trish saw they were in a large, open chamber with slits cut in the walls to let the light shine through. She glanced back at Sharp to make sure he was still there. He had his head stuck over the edge of the cart and his tongue hanging out. He looked like he was having the time of his life.
Trish turned back around and saw they were reaching the top of the hill. She forced herself to quit gripping the mine cart, to relax and enjoy the ride like Sharp. They went over the crest and again began racing downward. The cart dove through a gap so narrow Trish could have reached out and touched the walls on both sides of her. And then they broke into a sea of green trees. They were outside!
The track wove back and forth, up and down around the exterior of the mountain. Trish was startled to realize she was actually enjoying herself. She laughed with pleasure as the cart dipped down another embankment.
Sharp let out a howl of joy. Trish joined him, doing her best imitation of the wolfish cry.
They rounded another bend and raced through another narrow gap in the stone. When it took them back inside the mountain, Trish ab
ruptly stopped laughing.
“Um, Sharp? Is it just me or is that a lake of lava below us?”
The orange glowing lake was large enough that Trish would have had trouble swimming across it. If, you know, she could swim in lava. Trish gulped. She could feel the heat rising off the surface even though the lava was at least fifty blocks below her. All that stood between her and a fiery death was a rickety old mine cart track.
She looked up ahead and realized they had a bigger problem. There was a massive lava waterfall ahead, and they were heading straight for it.
Trish remembered the cave spider. Surely the track would dodge around it at the last minute, right? As they got closer and closer, her confidence began to shrink. Then, she saw the track divided into two paths. One went upward and one ran directly into the lava!
Just before the split in the track, she saw a lever. But would the lever send her cart into the lava or down the safe track?
She swallowed hard and squinted at the track. There was no way to tell. She’d have to guess.
As they sped past, she reached out and flipped the lever.
Her cart pivoted away from the lava. Trish sighed with relief. She glanced back and saw the switch reset itself.
The cart shot upward, angled to the right, and raced out of the lava room and into another chamber. This one only had a lava river, so that was an improvement. Light shone in from slots in the stone wall, filling the room with natural light.
The cart glided to a stop next to the lava river, where Trish climbed out.
“I give that ride five stars for terrifying,” she said.
Sharp hopped out of the cart and shook himself. He began to walk forward, then stopped.
Trish quickly saw the problem. The lava river was in front of them. There were solid rock walls to the right and behind them. And to the left, there was a cliff. Trish looked over the edge and saw only darkness below. They were trapped.
They had two options: climb up or climb down. Trish didn’t like either. She was considering the problem when she heard a voice from high above.
“Hey, you all right down there?”
Blade of the Sea: A Children's Survival Unofficial Minecraft Book Page 3
