Pale Peak Burning

by Paula Harrison

  She could still hardly believe her Mist magic was working. She’d struggled for so long to use water spells that she’d been sure her powers were weak. Now they flowed from her fingertips.

  Kim’s eyes stretched wide. “How are you doing that?”

  “I’m different from you.” Laney let the water drops fall to the table. “I can do things with water and fire.” She didn’t add that her powers over flame were broken. “And I’m not the only one that’s different. There are lots of us.”

  Kim swallowed and clasped her hands together tightly. There was a long pause before she managed to say, “Your dad’s involved too, isn’t he? I knew there was something strange going on and both of you knew about it. All the things that happened in Skellmore – the lightning, the flood… It’s why he got hurt, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Laney bit her lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I wasn’t allowed.”

  “It seems impossible … but it’s true,” Kim said to herself.

  “I have to warn people in Little Shackle that they’re in danger.”

  “Like your uncle – your mum’s family?” Kim said. “There’s more you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

  “Please let me go back there. I have to help them.” Laney pushed her hair out of her face. “It might help Dad too.”

  Kim stared at the drops of water on the table. Then she stood up and gathered the sleeping Toby in her arms. “Right then, let’s go.”

  Neither of them said much on the drive back to Little Shackle. The roadsides were still piled high with snow and it showed no sign of melting. The whiteness of the landscape began to hurt Laney’s eyes.

  Kim stopped outside their cottage. “I’ll drop you here. I must go back to the hospital.”

  “Thanks.” Laney started to get out but Kim stopped her.

  “I never knew your mum. You and your dad had been on your own for a while when I met him. But I think I see her in you sometimes when you do things your dad would never dream of, and I think I know what she’d say if she was here right now. If there’s danger, don’t be a hero and don’t be brave. Just hide, OK? Toby and I don’t want to lose you.”

  Laney swallowed. “I won’t do anything stupid. I promise.”

  Kim managed a smile. “I’m going to the hospital to stay with your dad. I’ll be back tonight.”

  “Kim?” Laney held her gaze. “If Simon comes back, don’t let him near my dad. It’s really important. I’ll explain later.”

  Kim’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “All right, I won’t.”

  Laney stood back and watched Kim turn round and drive back towards Kirkfield. Then she ran down the icy path to the village.

  Laney banged on her uncle’s door, the bakery door and the door of any other Blaze house she could find, but there was no answer. Either they weren’t opening the door to her or they were still searching the tunnels for the Sparkstone.

  Where would the Shadow be? She stopped by the corner shop and a small black cat brushed against her ankles. Laney was glad to see Dizzy. “Where’s Claudia?”

  Dizzy mewed and set off down a side street leading to the edge of town. Laney followed. They were heading up the slope that led to Beggar’s Chasm, she realised. The snow was even deeper here, but it had a frozen crust that let the cat pad lightly over the top. Taking the track that curved round the side of the hill, they entered Beggar’s Chasm. The stream that usually gushed through the valley was covered with a thick layer of frost.

  Laney shrank back against the canyon wall, her heart racing. A whirling mass of snow hung at the centre of the valley like a gigantic spinning snow globe. Shards of ice flew off. Some were caught by the faerie ring close by and vanished into the vortex.

  A tortoiseshell cat crouched beside a boulder up ahead. It had to be Claudia in her animal form. “Stay here, Dizzy.” Laney ran along the valley and ducked behind the rock. “Claudia, is that you?”

  With a slow shimmering, the cat’s limbs lengthened and its fur faded. At last Claudia crouched in front of her. “I saw the Shadow near that big white peak on the other side of the village. He must have disappeared into the caves for a while and when he came out again he flew off in this direction. He’d gone by the time I got here but I think he’s in the centre of that snow storm.” Her amber eyes fixed on Laney. “This is going to be a shock – I know who he is. I saw him transform.”

  “I know as well.” Laney’s fingers clenched. “It’s my dad’s friend, Simon Morden. I found out at the hospital.”

  “It’s unbelievable!” Claudia paused. “Are you OK?”

  Laney nodded. “If he went to Groaning Tor first, he must have collected the Sparkstone from where he hid it underground. But why didn’t the Blaze Elders stop him?”

  “I was too far away to see everything but he aimed lightning bolts at the ground in several places. I think he might have sealed some of the holes to the tunnels, trapping the Blazes underground.”

  Laney’s skin prickled. She could imagine how horrible it would be to be trapped down there. At least they should be able to find another way out, eventually. There were so many cave entrances on those hills. “I wish we could go back for them but we have to stop the Shadow before he works out how to steal the Sparkstone’s power. Imagine the Shadow with all the fire magic in the world.”

  Claudia shuddered. “He could destroy everything. But how do we stop him? We’re not strong enough.”

  “Maybe if one of us distracts him the other one can take the Myrical back. I can’t think of anything better.”

  Together, they darted along the chasm, hiding behind the rocks that were scattered over the valley floor. After a few minutes, they were close enough to feel the fragments of ice flying off the massive circle of whirling snow.

  A dark figure burst from the centre of the sphere. Stretching his wings like a hideous bat, he sent a bolt of red lightning into the sky and whitish-grey snow clouds began to churn overhead. Laney felt the bitter cold stinging her face and fingers as the temperature dropped far below freezing.

  “What’s he doing?” Claudia hissed.

  “He must be trying to overcome the fire within the Sparkstone,” Laney whispered. “But look – his hands are empty and that means the Sparkstone must be inside that snow storm.”

  A moment later, the water gushing over the cliff into the waterfall started to freeze. The pool turned stiff first then frost formed all the way up until the cascade was solid ice. Jagged ice fingers stuck out where the water had spurted over the rocks.

  “I have a bad feeling about this. He obviously doesn’t care who sees him.” Claudia wrapped her arms round herself and shivered. “This cold is easier to stand when you have fur.” She shimmered and became the tortoiseshell cat again.

  Clambering through the snow, Laney kept her eyes fixed on the Shadow, who was pacing up and down beside the whirling globe of ice. Claudia padded behind, her amber eyes watchful and her tail flicking from side to side. Laney wished she could change into a cat too. Not just because fur would be warmer, but to make herself smaller against the bare white valley.

  The Shadow continued pacing, his black cloak flying out in the icy wind. What was he waiting for? Was the Sparkstone definitely inside that ball of spinning snow? Laney forgot to keep an eye on where she was treading. Skidding on a slippery patch, she slammed into a boulder.

  The Shadow whirled round. “Who’s there?” he yelled. “Show yourself or I’ll strike you down.”

  Laney crouched low. She was hidden from view by a rock. Icy cold began to seep through her coat and jeans. Kim’s words about being careful echoed in her head. Claudia was tensed beside her, as if ready to spring.

  The Shadow glared round the narrow valley, before sending another bolt of red lightning into the air. It formed two crooked prongs like a snake’s tongue. The Shadow quickly stepped back inside the whirling globe of ice and vanished.

  High in the sky, the snow clouds churned and a blizzard of flakes whirled
downwards. As each snowflake hit the ground, it grew four legs and a tail. Sharp little teeth grew in the creatures’ mouths and their wicked eyes glowed red. The snow rats came racing along the valley, shrieking. They bit the rocks and they bit each other. Then they spied Laney and threw themselves at her in a torrent of teeth.

  Claudia pounced on the nearest rat. With a swipe of her claws, she sliced it in half and the rat crumpled until it was just a pile of powdered snow. Another wave of snow fell and more snow rats swept down the canyon. They climbed Laney’s legs and bit her skin with icy teeth. She tore them off and threw them down. Each one shattered as it hit the ground, but more of the creatures leapt on to her.

  Claudia sprang at the rats, breaking them to nothing. Laney’s skin crawled from the feel of their horrible tiny feet. At last the rats stopped coming. Silently, Laney and Claudia crept closer to the whirling mass of snow hovering close to the faerie ring. Laney peered through the blizzard but it was too thick to see the Shadow inside. He must be casting dark spells over the Sparkstone.

  Red lightning shot into the sky again. Then snow poured to the ground and grew into a huge vertical sheet of ice. The wall of ice grew, stretching into a gigantic barrier around the faerie ring and shutting off their view of the whirling globe of snow completely. Laney ran to the ice wall and pushed it hard. It was thick and tall, and there was no way to get through it. She clenched her hands. If she still had Blaze power she’d have tried to melt this wall.

  Claudia shimmered and changed back into a girl. “We should just transform and fly over this.”

  Laney rested her fingers against the ice. “I don’t know. Don’t you think he’ll have thought of that?”

  “What else can we do? We’ll never break through this wall.”

  Laney shivered. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. He’ll spot us more easily in the air.”

  Claudia changed to faerie form. Flexing her amber wings, she lifted into the air. “That’s why we have to be fast. Come on.”

  “Claudia, stop!” Laney saw the ice forming on Claudia’s wings. Frost ran over them in a river-like pattern. Claudia tried to land but her wings wouldn’t move and she lost control, vanishing as she fell behind the wall of ice.

  “Claudia?” Laney hissed. “Are you all right?”

  There was silence.

  “Claudia! Can you hear me?” Laney bashed on the ice until her arms hurt. Then she leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. Beyond this ice wall, the Shadow would be using stolen magic – her dad’s magic – to attack the Sparkstone. He’d almost killed her dad by stealing his power. She had to stop him. But first she had to get Claudia out, before the cold weakened her friend even more.

  She followed the ice wall, running her hand along it. Maybe there was a crack somewhere, a chink where the barrier was thinner. She’d almost gone the whole way round before she found it. Putting her fingertips inside the crack, she wished she had her Blaze magic to melt the ice. What else could she do to break this wall?

  A sudden thought made her heart jump. She didn’t have Blaze powers, but she still seemed to have water magic. In fact, her Mist powers seemed stronger now that her fire magic was gone. Maybe she could summon water to force the crack open.

  Gathering all her strength, she cupped her hands and wished for rain. Only a few drops fell from the sky, pattering on to her fingers. Whispering to the water drops, she sent them floating into the gap in the ice wall. When enough water had collected there she willed it to burst outwards. With a snapping sound, the chink widened and the crack ran further along the wall. Laney did the same again and again, until the gap was wide enough. Then she edged through, only to be faced with another wall.

  Laney stumbled along the narrow corridor with towering walls of ice on either side. She turned a corner and then another, sometimes discovering new passages of ice and sometimes finding a dead end. Claudia must be trapped here but there was still no sign of her.

  “Claudia?” she called softly, and heard an answering groan a little way ahead.

  She crossed the maze, taking dozens of different turns. At last she found Claudia slumped against an ice wall, her teeth chattering.

  “If I had any Blaze magic left I could make you warmer.” Laney crouched down by her friend. “Can you change back to a cat? Like you said before – you’ll be warmer.”

  “So … so … cold,” Claudia said, but she didn’t manage to change her shape.

  “Stay here, OK?” Laney told her. “I’ll come back for you.”

  The cold grew stronger as she made her way through the maze. The ice walls thickened, making the path narrower. Laney rubbed her cold hands. If another wave of snow rats appeared, she didn’t know if she could fight them all. She had so little energy left.

  “Toby and I don’t want to lose you,” Kim had said. They needed her and she needed her Blaze fire back. There were no cracks in the wall where she could force a gap. Maybe she could fly for just long enough to get over the next wall. But she must be close to the Shadow now.

  Nearly out of ideas, she built a mound of snow next to the wall, piling more and more on to it. Then she scrambled up and used the mound to climb to the top of the wall. Her heart plunged as she stared over the top.

  The whirling mass of snow had vanished. The Shadow was only a few steps away. He was holding his black-gloved hands above the Sparkstone as if warming them over a fire. His black cloak billowed out behind him in the frozen wind.

  Trembling, Laney slid down from the wall. She hated looking at the Shadow, especially now she knew who he was. Simon wasn’t just Simon any more. He was someone cold and cruel – someone who’d befriended her dad for dark reasons. What was it he’d said? I came to watch… What had he meant? Why had he been watching?

  She shuddered as a wave of icy cold crept over her. Whatever Shadow spell he was casting, it was strong. As she crept closer, a magpie flew down and landed on the snow. It looked at the Shadow and then at Laney.

  The Shadow had lain the Sparkstone on a slab of ice and he was bent over it, muttering. His hood hung low, covering his face. Red lightning sparked from his fingertips, hitting the stone time after time. Laney crept forwards a little more. She was only a few steps away now, too scared to even breathe in case he heard her.

  The magpie tilted its black-and-white head, watching Laney with beady eyes. Suddenly she wondered if this was the same magpie she’d seen in the garden and on the roof of Pebblenook Cottage. She’d seen a magpie outside her dad’s hospital room too. The bird had a particular way of staring at her, as if it was waiting and thinking. It gave a sharp cry. One for sorrow, thought Laney.

  The Shadow took something small from under the folds of his cloak. Laney recognised the purse that Mrs Willowby had used to keep her husband’s dust in after he died. A sick feeling surged from her stomach to her throat. He must have kept some faerie dust back when he cast that red moon spell on the night of the Kindling.

  Now she was closer, she could see that the Sparkstone had changed. The smoky-grey crystal looked dull and there was no glimpse of a fiery heart at the centre. Was there much Blaze power left inside the Myrical? The burn mark on Laney’s finger prickled. There was still some magic there. She could feel it.

  The magpie cried out again. Then, to Laney’s horror, it flew up to settle on the Shadow’s shoulder. Laney could hardly breathe. Had the magpie been Simon’s helper all this time?

  Sweeping to his feet, the Shadow reached out and seized her arm. “You should not have come, Laney. You see, Vull has been keeping an eye on you for me so I know everything you’ve been up to.” He glanced at the magpie, which gave a harsh cry. “This is the last time you will ever interfere in my spells! From the night you Awakened you have been blundering into my enchantments and ruining my plans.”

  Laney gasped. “The red moon on the night I Awakened – that was you!”

  “I was casting a spell to look for Myricals.” The Shadow’s grasp tightened, his fingers digging into her arm. “All
I found was a Tainted girl. You should have died as a baby, just like the other one.”

  “Let me go!” Laney tried to struggle out of his grip. What had he meant – what other one?

  The magpie flew down to settle on an icy boulder. The Shadow dropped the purse of dust and seized Laney’s other arm. “Now you’re here – I can think of a use for you after all.” He let go of her arm and clamped one hand to her forehead. “I need a little more power. Let’s see if any remains in you!”

  Pain burst through Laney’s forehead like a jagged icicle. She cried out and kicked the Shadow as hard as she could. He staggered and released her. From the corner of her eye, Laney saw a tortoiseshell cat slip behind a rock. Claudia had broken out of the maze and transformed.

  “You’re going to regret that!” The Shadow’s hood slipped back. Simon’s thin face was contorted with fury, his eyes completely black.

  Laney’s head throbbed as she backed away. “Why did you pretend to be friends with us? What did you want with my dad and Kim?”

  Simon laughed coldly. “It wasn’t them. They mean nothing to me. I was watching you.” Laney’s stomach plunged and Simon laughed again as he saw the look on her face. “Haven’t you worked it out yet? You’re different from the others.”

  Laney shook her head. “You’re lying again! That’s all you do – just lie to people!”

  “Ask your father then.” Simon pulled the hood back over his face and advanced on her. “Ask him what he’s been hiding all these years.”

  The mention of her dad made Laney’s anger rise. She dodged round the Shadow. He tried to grab her but the tortoiseshell cat ripped her claws across his ankle. Laney made a dive for the Sparkstone and was surprised at how cold and heavy it felt in her hand. Whirling round, she raced along the chasm. Her breath came in icy gasps. She had to get the Myrical out of here.