Pale Peak Burning

by Paula Harrison

  Claudia caught up with her. “I’ll ask my mum to give us a lift back to Kirkfield. She came here with the other Skellmore Elders when news of the Shadow and the Sparkstone got out. I saw them all in the village earlier but the Blaze tribe wouldn’t let them on to the hills.”

  Laney’s chest tightened. She remembered how awful her dad had looked after being hurt by Simon’s shadow magic. She longed to see him well again. There was so much she wanted to say.

  Mrs Lionhart drew into the hospital car park as daylight faded. Laney climbed out of the car. She was grateful that Claudia’s mum hadn’t bombarded them with too many questions about the Myrical and the Shadow. She wasn’t sure she had the words to describe anything right now.

  “Urgh! It’s turning to slush,” Claudia said, stepping out into the soft snow. “I didn’t think it’d melt so fast.”

  Laney led the way towards the hospital entrance. Already the white blanket across the roofs and fences looked thinner, and water dripped slowly off the branches of the trees.

  “I can hear Gwen and Lucas,” said Mrs Lionhart. “Perhaps they came to see your father, Laney.”

  Laney knew she must be right – she was used to Greytails having a sharp sense of hearing and smell. But why had Gwen Whitefern and Frogley come to the hospital? A sudden wave of panic hit her and she dashed down the corridor and burst into her dad’s room. “Dad? What’s happening?”

  Gwen was standing next to the hospital bed with her hand on Mr Rivers’ forehead. Bunches of herbs were spread out around the edge of his pillow and they filled the room with a sweet scent. Her dad’s eyes were closed and his face was calm as if he was dreaming peacefully. The oxygen mask was gone.

  “It’s all right, Laney,” Gwen said. “He’s over the worst, I’m sure of it.” She picked up a sprig of dried flowers and rubbed them between her hands before placing them back on the pillow.

  Frogley stood by the window, his mouth drawn into a thin line.

  “You mean he’s going to be all right now? He’s going to get better?” Laney said eagerly.

  “I believe dark magic was blocking his recovery and now it has lifted. I’ve done what I can to speed his healing. Come here and see for yourself.” Gwen beckoned Laney to the bedside. Then she picked up her hat from the window sill. “Come, Lucas, we should let the Rivers family have some privacy.”

  “What if the nurses and the girl’s human stepmother come in and see all these dried leaves?” Frogley demanded. “And what about this girl’s secret Blaze power which was deliberately hidden from us while she lived in Skellmore? Did she learn the Shadow’s identity before he was killed? There are many matters to clear up.”

  “Yes, but not yet,” Gwen said firmly. “Some things are more important than tribe matters.”

  Frogley didn’t look as if he agreed but he followed Gwen to the door. Claudia and Mrs Lionhart were waiting in the corridor outside.

  Gwen turned. “Oh, Laney, I believe Kim will be back in a moment. We sent her to have a cup of tea. Just tell her the herbs are a hobby of mine – herbal medicine, perhaps. It’s not so far from the truth.”

  “I will.” Laney heard the door close but all she could do was gaze at her dad’s face. His skin seemed brighter and the lines on his forehead a little smoother.

  “Thank goodness you’re here!” Kim came in carrying Toby. “How did you get back?”

  “Claudia’s mum brought me.” Laney smiled at her stepmum. “The danger I rushed to warn everyone about has gone.”

  Kim sat down in the chair opposite and studied Laney. “I don’t know what question to ask first, I’ve got so many. Did you put all these dried flowers here?”

  “They’re Gwen’s.”

  Kim nodded thoughtfully. She looked as if she was going to ask something else. Then she sprang up. “Robert?”

  Mr Rivers’ eyelids flickered open.

  Laney looked into her dad’s gold-ringed eyes. “Hi, Dad.”

  “How are you feeling, Robert?” Kim scanned his face anxiously.

  Robert Rivers looked from Laney to Kim and tried to speak but it came out as a croaking sound. Kim poured a cup of water and held it for him while he drank.

  Laney’s eyes welled up and she gave him a huge smile. “Don’t talk yet if it’s too hard.”

  Her dad tried again. “I feel like I’ve been dreaming.” He pressed Laney’s hand. “Sometimes I could hear you calling me but I couldn’t reach you.”

  “You’re back now,” said Kim. “That’s what’s important.”

  “I’m back,” said Robert Rivers. “And I’m never going away again.”

  Robert Rivers was kept in hospital for the next few days so that the doctors could observe him. They couldn’t work out why he’d suddenly recovered but every test they ordered showed that he was completely well and just needed to build up his strength again.

  The third time they visited, Kim took Toby to the canteen to buy him a sandwich, leaving Laney and her dad alone.

  “Laney? Come and sit down.” Her dad gestured to a chair by the bed. “I know there are things you haven’t told me.” He watched eagerly as she sat beside him. His face was still pale but his cheeks had lost their hollow look. Laney hesitated. “I didn’t want to worry you with things. The danger’s past now…”

  Her dad placed his hand on hers. “The last thing I remember is facing the Shadow back in Skellmore. You have to tell me everything. Don’t worry – I’m strong enough to hear it.”

  So Laney explained what had happened in Skellmore after he’d been taken to hospital, and everything she’d learned since arriving in Little Shackle. She told him how she’d discovered her own fire magic and how she’d first met her uncle, her aunt and Tyler. Her dad’s face darkened as she spoke of Simon and the day he’d stolen the Sparkstone.

  “Gwen Whitefern visited again yesterday and spoke to me about Simon,” he said at last, his hand shaking a little as he lifted a cup of water. “I can’t believe I was so blind. I put us all in danger.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Laney said quickly. “None of the Elders realised what he was either.”

  Mr Rivers stared out the window for a moment, his mouth drawn in a straight line. Then he sighed. “Poor Cordelia … but she would have been so proud of you.” He smiled at Laney. “She always said you were a fighter.”

  Laney’s heart fluttered. Her dad hardly ever spoke to her about her mum like that. “But, dad – why didn’t you tell me she was a Blaze and that I might be one too? And why didn’t you tell me about Tara?”

  Mr Rivers’ eyes grew watery. “I’m sorry – I always meant to tell you one day but I wanted to wait until you were ready. I know I waited too long.” He took a deep breath. “You see, your mum and I went into hiding after we were married – there was so much hatred among many faeries for couples from different tribes and I knew we were in danger. That’s how I kept us safe – by keeping our lives a secret – and I really thought it was working until the day I brought the twelve baby gifts home.”

  Laney leaned forward, watching his face as he searched for the words.

  “You weren’t brought up as a faerie so you don’t know all the traditions, but in the Mist tribe it’s customary to give twelve gifts to a mother expecting a new baby. I made a trip back to my home village to collect gifts for your mum from my friends and relations. We expected you to be born any day. Cordelia was so excited when I got home with all the parcels.” His face looked sad. “I went to make her a drink as she started opening the wrapping paper and by the time I came back she was lying on the floor, white as a sheet.”

  “What happened?”

  Mr Rivers swallowed. “There weren’t twelve gifts at all – there were thirteen. An extra gift was hidden inside one of the others. I can’t remember how many times I’ve wished myself back to that moment – wished I’d checked them before I got home and then thrown the whole lot away.” He met Laney’s gaze. “The thirteenth gift was a curse, you see. I knew which one it was as soon as I
saw it – just an empty gold box edged with tissue paper. Someone had used Shadow magic to put the curse inside and as soon as Cordelia opened the gift, it killed your sister.”

  Laney’s heart went cold. “It must have been put there by Simon or the White Shadow he was working for,” she whispered, remembering how Tara had said she’d been killed by dark magic.

  “But they can’t have known that you were twins and the curse wasn’t strong enough to hurt both of you.” Mr Rivers took a shaky breath. “You were both born that night. Tara was so silent and beautiful while you were full of life. None of us knew, then, that her powers had passed to you.”

  “She’s still amazing,” Laney told him. “She helped me survive when I fell into the ring.”

  Her dad’s hand tightened on hers. “I nearly lost you. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you all this before.”

  Laney squeezed his hand back, smiling. “So no more banning candles and matches from the house?”

  Her dad laughed. “That was silly of me. I knew the touch of fire could Awaken a Blaze faerie and I thought you’d be safer as a human. Now I know better – you’re safer with strong magic of your own. Although maybe you should just practise Blaze spells outside the house. I’m sure Kim doesn’t want scorch marks on the walls!”

  Laney laughed and hugged him.

  The following day, a Council of Elders convened in the room behind the village bakery with Alfred Hillburn, Gwen Whitefern, Mr Frogley and Mrs Lionhart. Laney was asked to attend and explain what had happened in Beggar’s Chasm the day that Simon had died. Many of the Blazes came to listen, including Laney’s uncle, aunt and Tyler, and Claudia came too. There was a lot of discussion about Simon’s treachery and his efforts to master the Sparkstone.

  Then Gwen recounted news from the Kestrel tribe in the north, who had been fighting a terrible White Shadow that had attempted to take their Myrical, the Vial of the Four Winds.

  “The Myrical is safe for now, according to the Kestrel Elders,” Gwen said seriously. “I shall travel north to meet them tomorrow and share the good news about the defeat of our Shadow. The tribes must work towards greater harmony. Quarrelling among ourselves only helps those who use this dark magic.”

  Even Frogley, the sour-faced Mist Elder, nodded in agreement.

  “And I would like to congratulate Laney on joining the Blaze tribe,” Gwen continued. “It was clear from the start that your magic was strong, my dear, and yet your Mist power never seemed to work. Now we know about your twin I can see why your magic was so tangled.”

  “We will hold a late Kindling ceremony on top of Groaning Tor tomorrow night,” Hillburn announced. “This will complete the earlier celebration that was interrupted by the Shadow’s red moon spell. Laney, we’d like you to complete the ceremony to join our tribe as you should have done that night. Faeries from other tribes are also welcome to attend.”

  Laney beamed. She was finally joining the Blaze tribe just like she’d always wanted. She turned to ask Claudia if she would come to the ceremony but her friend had slipped away.

  At the end of the meeting, Laney’s uncle stopped her as she left the bakery. “Do you have time for a walk? There’s a place I want to show you.”

  Laney nodded, knowing that Kim wasn’t expecting her till later. She followed her uncle along the road out of the village.

  “I went to visit your dad yesterday,” he told her. “It’s good to see him looking so well.”

  “I know. The doctors are amazed at how fast he’s recovering.” Laney realised they were taking the track to Beggar’s Chasm. Her uncle led them round the side of the rocky slope and past the cave that guarded the ravine’s entrance. Jagged cliffs rose up on both sides of the narrow valley and crows circled overhead.

  Suddenly Laney knew where they were going. “You’re taking me to see where you buried my mum’s dust, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, and I’ll show your father too, once he’s strong enough.” Her uncle beckoned her to one side of the chasm where the waterfall cascaded down the cliff into a frothy pool. There, beside the water, was a small grassy mound with purple heather growing on it. The snow from a few days ago had completely melted away.

  Mr Embers cleared his throat. “I put her here. I liked the thought of her becoming a part of the place she loved so much, and they say it’s good for a faerie to be buried close to a ring.”

  Her uncle walked to the far end of the ravine to give her some time alone. Laney sat down by the mound thinking of her mum – the Blaze faerie who’d loved water – and her twin sister, Tara. Cupping her hands, Laney gathered some water from the pool below the waterfall and sprinkled it over the heather. Then she walked slowly towards the faerie ring.

  As she got closer, haunting music made the hairs rise on the back of her neck. Leaning in, she said softly, “Mum? Tara? Can you hear me? Dad’s been ill but he’s better now and the Sparkstone is safe with the Blaze tribe again. I’m joining the tribe as a true member tonight.”

  Listening hard, she caught an echo of their voices as if they were calling from some valley far away. For a moment, she thought she glimpsed a pale face inside the ring. A girl that looked almost the same but with longer hair and lighter eyes. Her sister.

  Returning to the pool beside the waterfall, Laney picked a sprig of heather from the mound where her mother had been buried. She went back to the ring and dropped the flower, letting it catch in the swirling current. She promised herself she’d return soon.

  There was a fluttering in Laney’s stomach as she climbed the slope to Groaning Tor the following evening. Tyler chatted all the way about the Sparkstone and how he’d managed to hit the Shadow with a ball of flame. “I mean, I’m not saying it was what finally defeated him but it was a good shot, y’know. It hit him right on the chest. Bam!”

  Laney grinned. With the Shadow gone the whole atmosphere around Little Shackle was different. Blaze faeries who’d only nodded to her before were stopping to say hello.

  Strains of wild music drifted down the hillside and soft mist swirled round them as they made the final climb.

  “Did Frogley make this mist?” Laney said, surprised.

  “I heard he offered to do it to hide the celebrations from human eyes,” Tyler replied. “Handy trick, huh? Maybe this new friendship between the tribes will really work.”

  When they reached the summit, Laney gazed round with her heart racing. The hilltop was dotted with golden flames and the tallest one blazed from the peak of Groaning Tor itself. New arches of May blossom had been made and people were already leaping through them. Laney felt the music fill her with a wild energy and she wanted to throw herself into the dancing straightaway.

  Tyler nudged her. “Claudia’s waving at you.”

  Laney swung round and gasped. There was a tall boy beside Claudia with untidy brown hair. “Fletcher!” she yelled, rushing across the hillside and hugging him. “When did you get here? I didn’t know you were coming!”

  “Claudia rang me and told me I should come and watch you become a proper Blaze,” Fletcher grinned. “My dad drove me here today.”

  “I’m so glad you came!” Laney smiled back. “This is my cousin, Tyler.”

  “Hi.” Fletcher nodded at Tyler before turning to Laney. “I guess you’ve had a pretty exciting time here. You’ll find it a bit dull coming back to Skellmore.”

  “Laney’s staying with us in the summer holidays,” Tyler put in. “And that’s only a couple of months away so she won’t be gone from Little Shackle for long.”

  Just then Alfred Hillburn called for silence. “Welcome, fellow Blazes, Mists, Greytails and Thorns. We’re here to complete our Kindling celebration and welcome new members to the tribe. Most of the ceremony has already been completed and there is only the final part to do. Laney, you shall go first!” He motioned her forwards. “Touch the flame burning at the top of the tor and you will become one of us.”

  Laney climbed over the rocks to reach the peak. Nervously, she stretched out her han
d and touched the golden fire pouring from the crack in the hilltop. There was a flash of sparks and she felt as if the fire ran right through her. It was warm and full of energy. It made her feel as if she could do anything.

  A round of applause broke out in the crowd. Laney’s friends scrambled over the rocks to join her.

  “You did it!” Tyler told her. “You’re one of us now.”

  “Well done, flame girl,” Fletcher said with a grin. “All that Blaze practice really paid off.”

  Claudia swept back her dark hair. “I don’t like the frost flames though! I’ve had enough cold for one week after all that horrible snow.”

  “No frost flames – I promise!” Laney linked arms with Fletcher and Tyler as she watched the Kindling ceremony go on. Fiery sparks danced in the sky and the wild music grew faster and faster. Laney smiled. Here, on the pale peak with flames burning brightly all around her, she knew she’d never been so happy.

  Acknowledgements

  Firstly, I’d like to thank my editor, Sarah Levison. Sarah has worked on so many books with me and I would be lost without her insightful comments, her eye for detail and her unfailing good humour. She makes everything a thousand times easier and more fun! I’d also like to thank Nicola Theobald who designed the covers for this series, Sarah J. Coleman, who created the lettering and the maps, and Lisa Evans who illustrated the beautiful front covers.

  I must thank my family for sharing the ups and downs of life as an author. It can’t be easy living with someone who stares at the computer a lot of the time, occasionally breaking into bouts of fast typing as if their life depended on it!

  Lastly, I’d like to thank my sister, to whom this book is dedicated. A few weeks before I began writing the story, we travelled to the Peak District and stayed at the Youth Hostel in Eyam. We spent the day walking from Baslow all the way along Curbar Edge and Froggatt Edge where great shelves of rock jut out above the valley. These places are the inspiration for Little Shackle, Groaning Tor and Beggar’s Chasm. The Dark Peak is such an amazing landscape. I only wish I lived closer and could go there all the time.