“Where are we going?!” Gatnom asked as he kicked one of the monsters in the face.
“Fire be!” Wohie said. A flame ignited an Amokian who had been reaching for her leg.
Tselem threw an Amokian to the left with a toss of his head. “We must enter the peaks!” he yelled. “It’s the only escape! Not even these monsters would enter the peaks so long after they had risen!”
“But the peaks, if they descend, we’ll die!” Gatnom screamed. He threw a quick light spell, pushing the monsters back for a moment.
“There is no other escape. We must,” said Tselem as he slapped another Amokian with his large paw. The beast fell sizzling and convulsing. Will was so scared that he watched without interacting. He was fiddling with his mom’s locket, trying to remember how to do magic. He had forgotten every spell he had learned. Beneath him Radah was tearing Amokians apart two at a time.
“Mr. Will!!! Watch out!!!” Jabber screamed, diving from above like a bomber. Then, with a slice of pain, Will felt four claws slice through his jeans and push deep into his leg. An instant flow of blood began flowing the moment the beast’s yellow fingernails slipped from the wound. Jabber slammed into the monster’s black eyes, wildly attacking with all six of his arms. Will’s scream died in its middle, as his eyes rolled back in his head and his stomach jolted. The last thing he felt was a flash of heat, either from the wound or from the stream of fire Gatnom used to roast the attacker.
“Mr. Will!” Jabber screamed again. Again Will jerked violently and would have fallen from the back of Radah had Wohie and Parah not pushed over and steadied him on Radah’s back.
“Gatnom! The wound is foaming white! The claws are poison!” Wohie screamed. She roasted another Amokian just as Parah ripped one of its arms off. To Will, the sounds of the commotion was muted by a new pain pulsating from the wound to the tips of his fingers and toes. He even felt the pain in his scalp.
“We have to go!” Gatnom screamed as he and Tselem tramped over next to Will and Radah. He grabbed Will and pulled him onto the back of Tselem.
“Make a path Radah,” Tselem commanded.
Without an answer Radah began to plow through the swarm of Amokians, raising up on his hind two feet, snatching, biting, and roaring. He pushed down the hill right up to the cave opening, which was at least fifteen foot tall. Hundreds of Amokians were fighting each other trying to get out of the cave entrance. The path into the peaks hugged each side of the black opening like a double balcony stairway in an antebellum home. From everywhere, growling men who years ago forgot they were not animals, screeched and slobbered as they fought each other for a chance at their new enemy. The riot was so intense that the lions had to slow. They were stuck in the flow, trying to paddle up a waterfall. With every new light spell Gatnom and Wohie conjured, the closest beast retreated, but almost immediately those beyond the first splashed down upon them. No matter which way they went, not matter where they looked, they found themselves caged in growling faces.
“Wohie!” Gatnom screamed as a beast began to drag the young girl from her saddle. She and Gatnom both screamed more fire words, but it only killed a dozen or so, and those alive were on them as if there was never a break.
Will was drifting into a fog. He slumped in Gatnom’s arms. “Master Tselem, do what you did before! Will’s drifting!”
“I cannot. The poison in his blood would boil at my roar and kill him!”
Gatnom watched in slow motion as the beings pulled at his friends. A familiar feeling, one he had pushed down a million times since his parents had died, began to tighten his chin. He hated this feeling, this helplessness. It seemed, as usual, there was nothing he could do to protect those closest to him. He felt the same as he did the night he was snatched from his home and his parents were murdered. It was more than he could take, but this time it created something new, something normally forbidden and deadly. Out of his helplessness came rage, an emotion not created for small issues, but for big ones requiring war. This was such a time. Gatnom pulled Tselem around and stepped directly into the horde. His eyes glowed bright red, just as Will’s had in the cave at the lake, and without realizing it he spoke magic words he had never spoken before. “Pur Hudor Egeiro!” he shouted as he threw both hands above his head and slammed them down hard. A flame, but not just a flame, a bomb, a wave, a tsunami, of liquid fire became and crashed down upon all the enemy at once.
Every Amokian in sight fell to ash.
“What was that?!” asked Wohie.
Gatnom could not believe what had just happened. He didn’t even know what he had said. His senses were popping, heightened like never before, and with them he notice two new things. One was the rumble from the inside of the cave. More Amokians were on the way, and the second was a light shining down from atop the hill.
“Wohie, what’s that?!” Gatnom asked, pointing up.
Wohie gasped. Her eyes could see what the others could not. “It’s the spy! It’s Andrias!” she screamed.
Andrias it was, and he was at the wood line atop the hill, staring down at the young magi. He and Wohie’s eyes met for a moment, then he lepta from the hill, running straight towards the cave entrance.
“He’s coming!”
“Go!” Gatnom shouted.
The lions spun and ran full blast up the path leading into the Sudden Peaks. The rumble from inside the cave grew louder as thousands more Amokians tore each other apart trying to get outside. Even from inside the cave their screeches made Wohie grimace. With her cat eyes Wohie could see the spy coming down the hill, but luckily they were going faster up than he was down. When he reached the cave entrance he stopped. He bounced from toe to toe like he was excited, then he planted his feet firmly. His blue glowing eyes danced back and forth behind his mask, from the retreating magi to the cave entrance, then, just in time, as the silence was broken by the return of the hideous shrieks, he turned and stared straight into the cave. Amokians burst forth like water crushing a dam. The disfigured torrent pelted down upon the spy from every angle. Flashes of light, like lightening inside a cloud, popped two a second, and monsters flew up and away from Lord Andrias in waves. It was as if with every spell he became a giant stone of fire being dropped in a pool of shallow water. He tossed them about like nothing, but there were so many that even he would be fighting for hours.
Wohie turned Parah and caught up with Gatnom and Tselem. “The beast have stopped Andrias,” she said.
“Then we must stop. We have no time to waist; Will is fading quickly. Let’s get off the path,” said Gatnom. A bit into the bush they laid Will down underneath a quiet tree. Gatnom spoke words of light magic that lit up the area. Will had only one eye opened, only part of the way, and he had lost all color in his face.
“What do we do, Gat?”
Gatnom looked up at Wohie with scared eyes. “We must heal him before it’s too late. The poison is strong.”
“Heal? Only magi with the strongest type of magic can heal such a wound. Only magi who are willing to die in the place of someone else. How are we going to heal him?” Wohie started crying as she spoke.
Gatnom placed his hands on Will’s chest. He felt as if a giant tear was trying to force its way from his heart to his eyes. Will was a brother now, and he had truly grown to care for his sad friend. He had compassion, and compassion was required for healing. He knew he could do it. He shut his eyes tight.
“Be healed,” he said.
Will didn’t move.
“You have to wake up Will. Wake up!” Gatnom screamed. There was heat in his palms, but nothing was happening. He thought he felt something, but perhaps it was just his imagination. “Wake up! Be healed!” he screamed again. Again, will didn’t move. He lay there, twitching.
“King of All. Please, help us,” cried Gatnom. He felt his heart roll in his chest, then something pushed its way up and out of his mouth. “Iaomai,” he said, and with the word a rush of power shot from his trembling hands.
Will sat straight up.
“Will!” Wohie screamed. Gatnom leaned back and let Wohie take over. All of his strength was drained.
“Young one.” It was Parah speaking. “You must force the poison out of his leg. Press on the sides. Yes, like that.” Will screamed in pain as the poison began to seep from the wound. “I’m sorry young one. I know it hurts, but we must do it. Try to hold still. Once those beast get there claws into you their poison stays until you push it out and replace it with something good. There, I think that’s all of it. Do you see any white?” Wohie shook her head.
Tselem stepped forward and dropped a piece of fruit from his mouth. It looked like a banana with the peeling of an apple. “Eat this; it has healing powers. It only grows here, in the low parts of the peaks.” Will forced himself to bite, then he ate the whole thing at once.
“Hungry?” Wohie asked.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Will answered. Will took the first look at his leg. There were four slits with dried blood. He felt the fruit go down his throat, then he felt a warmth travel from his belly to his finger and toes. As the warmth reached the wound the holes closed, each slit disappearing one by one. Will moved his leg; there was no pain.
“Better?” Gatnom asked, still trying to catch his breath.
“Yeah.” Will stood and bent his leg in and out. He squatted. “All gone. Man, thank you!”
Gatnom smiled and looked down and away.
“Good,” Tselem said. “Now. We need to move. Andrias is close behind.” Down the path towards the cave the sounds of the fight continued. “If you can make it to the western ranges of the peaks, through the valley, you’ll be okay,” Tselem added. “The western range hasn’t fallen in a thousand years. Before you go to the city you can rest in the valley. From there, the only other pass, other than the trade road with the city, is much too high. You will have to plan.”
“So how long until these things fall again? This one?” Will asked.
“Two days at the max. We have no time to lose.”
Will and Wohie looked at each other to see if the other was scared. They both were. “How far is the valley?” Gatnom asked.
Tselem looked to Radah, directing the question at him. “We must move fast. We will need all the time we have.”
“They should know our plans, mighty Tselem,” said Parah, quietly.
“Yes, you are right,” Tselem replied. “Young magi, once we reach the valley you will be forced to continue alone. We cannot make the pass with you.”
“Why?” Gatnom asked. He sounded exasperated.
“There is a part of every journey that must be faced alone. Sometimes the lonely road is the only one leading to victory. Besides, what you have told me about Lord Andrias and the Kingdom is weighing on my mind. There is something stirring...” With this Tselem’s voice faded out as if he had moved unknowingly from talking aloud to speaking silently to his two brothers.
“What? What is it?” Gatnom asked, clearly concerned.
Tselem’s eyes narrowed. “We are discussing the Amokians. They are bound to the spirit that once possessed the witch years ago. They have never extended so far from the caves. There’s something strange going on for them to venture that far out. The spirit may have moved.”
“What do you mean? Has the spirit of the witch returned?” Gatnom asked.
“It never left. It just moved to a different host. But one thing is certain, the Amokians are still under the spell which enrages and binds them. It could be it is gaining power through someone new, but this conversation must wait. We must go; time is passing too quickly.”
The three magi mounted the three Lions and the beast ran upwards and westwards as fast as they could. Once they crossed a certain height the air turned cool, and before long patches of snow were spread sporadically. Soon, the snow seemed not only to be falling from the sky, but to be growing from the ground as well. The mountains raised far above the low narrow pass on both sides, their peaks disappearing into the dark clouds. Will shivered hard, remembering the last time he had seen snow. The next morning found the travelers shivering at the highest point of the lowest pass through the eastern range of the Sudden Peaks. Other than the cold and the threat of the peaks descending, there was no danger here. No animal or bird or person dared to live or venture into this place of instability. Only a few plants sprouted here and there where the ground was not covered in snow. Not much could survive the long hours of freezing in contrast with the sudden change to the humid underground air. The only inhabitant of this land was snow, and he was a most inhospitable host. Around midday the band of travelers trekked beyond uphill to downhill, and soon, in the distance, smoke could be seen from the valley separating the Sudden Peaks into East and West.
Again, the ground shook.
“Mr. Will, I hope we’re close,” said Jabber from beneath Will’s coat. “It sounds like before, when the peaks rose.”
“No worries Jab,” replied Gatnom. “We can see the smoke ahead. We’re very close.”
“I wonder how high we are. The smoke looks thin,” said Wohie.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll be okay,” Gatnom answered. “Let’s just keep moving.”
And so they pressed on, bobbing to the left and right with the Lion’s moderate gait, until they came to a sudden drop off. The three peeked over the edge of the cliff. The fall was almost vertical, with small ledges (just large enough for one person) protruding every fifty feet or so. “What now?” Will asked.
“You must climb down,” Tselem answered.
“Can’t we wait?”
“No. If the peaks fall while you are here you will be sucked underground. You must climb quickly, the peaks seem to be growing unstable.”
“Is this where we part company?” asked Gatnom.
“Yes, young magi. Stay on the path of your quest. Don’t let your eyes be lured to the left or right. Stay focused.”
“Will we see you again?”
“I sense we shall,” Radah answered.
The three young magi dismounted and said their goodbyes. Tselem, Parah, and Radah turned upwards towards the tip of the Eastern Peaks. One second they were walking slowly in silent conversation, the next all three had sprouted wings and soared away until they were out of sight.
“That would have been easier than climbing down,” Will said.
“Until you fell,” joked Wohie. “But still, they are awesome, aren’t they?”
“Indeed,” said Gatnom. “These are the beings that once filled Baru before the witch. I’d always heard of them, but mostly thought they were just a myth.”
The team watched the empty sky until the ground shook again.
“Are you guys ready for this climb?” Wohie said just as the eagles faded out of sight. “It shouldn’t be that hard, not with magic.”
Will peaked over the edge. “Sure,” he said chuckling. “I mean it’s only like a thousand foot fall to our deaths.”
“Don’t worry Willy, I’ll catch ya if ya slip!” Wohie said, punching Will in the arm.
Will growled playfully at her. He didn’t mean it, not anymore. “Gatnom,” he said. “Since I came here it’s been one thing after the next. It feels like something on TV man.”
“TV? What’s that?” Wohie asked.
“Yeah, Mr Will? Who’s TV?” Jabber added.
“It’s like a box, with pictures in it that move. Kinda like a book... with a cord.”
“Huh?”
“Oh forget it, it’s too hard to explain,” Will answered. “You guys ready?”
Jabber, Gatnom, Will, and Wohie all peeked over the edge one last time. “It really is a long ways,” Gatnom said.
“Not for you, you big Giant!” laughed Wohie. “Should I go first? Or are ya scared?”
“I’ll lead... shorty,” Gatnom said with a wink. “You follow and try to keep up. Will, you come last.”
The climb was hard and blind. Will learned to use his legs more than his arms and double kick every rock to be sure of its holding. After a slight stumble
too close to one of the ledges he learned to only drop when the distance was just higher than he was tall. Jabber buzzed from person to person, encouraging them to keep at it. In a little over two hours they had made it nearly half the distance to the valley.
Then the unthinkable happened. Wohie was half way down, humming a tune to herself, when she lost her footing on a loose stone. “Gat!!!” she screamed. Will looked down and saw Wohie dangling from a boulder.
“Hold on! I’m coming!” Gatnom yelled from below. He was already climbing up twice as fast as he had come down.
“Gat! The rock is slipping!” Wohie cried. “Hurry! I can’t hold on. What are the falling spells?! How do I stop a fall?!”
At that moment a few pebbles fell on the rocks next to Will. Shielding his eyes to the sun he looked up. He had to squint against the sunlight, but then slowly, as his eyes adjusted, he recognized the shadow staring down at them. Lord Andrias, the spy. “Gatnom! Look!” he screamed. He didn’t know whether to keep climbing down, stop, or what. Gatnom paused quickly and looked up towards Will. His face changed.
“Gat, I’m slipping! I don’t remember the falling magic, how do I stop a fall?! What do I do?!”
“Imagine yourself swimming! Use words to thicken—” Gatnom shushed as the boulder slipped from its lodging and Wohie fell. She drifted out and away from the cliff, far beyond the reach of the next ledge and every other below it. Gatnom set his feet and prepared to jump. If he could catch her he could slow their fall with magic. Jabber had flown down and was pulling at Wohie with all his butterbug strength, flapping his wings faster than he ever had before, but he slowed her fall none.
“Gatnom!!!” screamed Will.
Gatnom glanced up just in time to see Lord Andrias swan dive from the top of the cliff. As he fell the dark knight straightened himself into a spear aimed directly at Wohie. He fell faster than gravity, pushing himself forward, flying not falling, with both arms stretched downwards at a point (the tip of the spear). With one arm the knight snatched Wohie out of mid air, then with perfect grace he spun until he and Wohie were right side up. Slowly the two stopped falling, until they were hovering just out of diving reach of Gatnom. Wohie was trying to struggle, but was held with the strength of an angel, her mouth muffled by Andrias’s free hand.
The Winter Letter Page 16
