The roar of the river below thundered in her ears with the pounding of her own heart. Spray flew up, drenching her legs and splashing her body. Long tendrils of honey hair whipped her face and salt spume filled her nose, her mouth and her eyes.
The flight was exhilarating and too short. In seconds the shingle of the beach was flying up to meet her feet and she landed with a thud that knocked her over and left her breathless.
Saxon ran to help her up. He was saturated and shivering with cold, with a bloody scrape down one leg.
Three tugs on the rope and the belt went slithering back into the darkness, hauled back by the thinner rope. Moments later all the packs came flying down on the belt. Aisha came across in a sling made from a blanket and two saddle girths, with the belt attached to her collar.
At Lily and Saxon’s end she struggled out of the blanket, shaking herself in indignation at the unfamiliar sensation of flying. Dogs were meant to stay firmly on the ground!
Roana followed, then finally Ethan. Aisha capered around the four of them, her tail wagging furiously, licking each one of them in turn.
‘Well, that was easy,’ grinned Ethan. ‘Now to find the entrance to the secret tunnel.’
‘Easy! It was terrifying!’ exclaimed Roana, her eyes shining with excitement.
‘Easy for you lot,’ retorted Saxon. ‘What about me? You dropped me down the cliff, almost breaking my leg, then I was swept nearly out to sea and thought I was going to drown for sure!’
‘Poor Saxon, we thought you were going to pull us all down the cliff after you, you great lump!’ laughed Lily, thumping him on the back with delight.
‘So, Roana, where is the entrance to this secret tunnel?’ Ethan asked, jerking everyone back to the present.
Roana frowned. ‘On the map in the palace library, it showed a narrow cave at the base of this cliff, facing the river but not far from where the river meets the sea, with a tree above it.’
‘We daren’t use a candle or someone will see us,’ Ethan said. ‘We will just have to split up and look carefully around the base of the cliff. For goodness sake, be careful in the darkness. You can hardly see one foot in front of the other.’
They split into two search parties – Lily, Ethan and Aisha went downstream towards the sea, while Roana and Saxon headed upriver, scrambling about the base of the cliff. Lily and Ethan had just reached the bend where the river met the sea, when they heard a shrill bird whistle signal from Saxon, repeated three times.
They hurried back upriver as quickly as they could in the darkness. They found Roana sitting on a huge pile of rocks with her head in her hands. Saxon had his foot up on a huge old tree trunk on the shale beach, its spreading roots a blacker shadow against the dark cliff.
‘Roana thinks this must be the place,’ called Saxon softly.
Roana looked up, tears welling in her eyes and despair etched onto her face. She rubbed her face, leaving a streak of mud across her cheek.
‘There seems to have been a landslide,’ Roana said. ‘The tree has collapsed and there is an enormous pile of rocks blocking where the cave entrance might be. We could never move them all, and we don’t even know if this is the right place. It’s so difficult to see in this darkness.’
‘Well, we didn’t find anything either up or down river that fitted your description any better, so this is the most likely spot we’ve found,’ Ethan replied in a forced cheerful tone. ‘I guess we had better get to work!’
Roana stared at him in amazement. ‘But … but all these rocks …’ she stammered.
‘Dadda used to say that the only way to climb a mountain is one step at a time,’ Lily said softly. ‘So the only way to move a pile of rocks is one rock at a time.’
Ethan nodded. ‘Exactly, but we need to be careful we don’t start another landslide, so we’ll have to work slowly and carefully.’
The four children set to work, cloth torn from Roana’s old petticoats bound around their hands to protect their skin from the rough rocks. Aisha bounded around excitedly at first but soon gave up and flopped on the beach, her tongue hanging out.
The pile of rocks seemed never-ending. They toiled for hours, until their fingertips were raw and bleeding. Sweat and rain dripped down their foreheads into their eyes, and ran relentlessly down the back of their necks. Their shoulders ached and everyone felt that they just couldn’t go on.
‘Just one rock at a time, just one rock at a time,’ muttered Roana as an endless mantra in her head, determined not to give in before the others.
At last they had cleared away a huge pile of smaller rocks and dirt but there was no sign of a cave – just a huge boulder wedged into the cliffside. Using a sharp-edged stone, Saxon chipped a deep hole into the crumbling earth at the side of the boulder, then wedged in the end of a large branch torn from the upturned tree. Using the branch as a lever, Saxon gently wriggled the boulder free from its earthen prison. He worked methodically and slowly, driving the end of the branch a little deeper behind the rock each time, and gently loosening it. At last, with a powerful surge, using all his and Ethan’s weight, the massive boulder broke free and tumbled down the beach with a huge crash.
They all froze at the unexpected noise. Aisha leapt to her feet, barking ferociously, the fur along her back standing on end.
‘Shhh, girl,’ hissed Lily, running her hands down Aisha’s spine to quieten her.
The boulder had left a gaping black hole in the cliff. Saxon peered into it, cautiously hunching his broad shoulders to squeeze through the gap.
He waved to the others to come closer.
‘I think this is it! We’ve done it,’ he exclaimed joyfully. One at a time they peered through the hole. There was nothing to see except a deep blackness which seemed to stretch back under the cliff for some way, opening to a deeper blackness a short distance away.
Despite their aching muscles and exhausted limbs they jiggled with excitement, thumping each other on the back and hugging.
‘I think we deserve a little rest, and maybe something to eat before we tackle the next challenge,’ grinned Lily, her teeth gleaming white out of the darkness of her filthy face.
‘At least now we can get out of this interminable rain,’ shivered Roana.
One by one they climbed through the aperture and down into the wider crevice beyond. Ethan struck the tinderbox to light the candle. The flame flickered and wavered, casting strange shadows on the rock walls. The deeper shadow at the back seemed to be a low tunnel leading back into the heart of the island.
Saxon held up the candle. In its flickering light they could see a stone archway. Carved in its center was a sun, its stylised rays flaming out in a circle. Roana stretched up to trace the sun with her fingertips.
‘This must be it,’ whispered Roana, her blue eyes shining with excitement. ‘All we need to do now is to follow the secret tunnel all the way up into the palace.’
‘Let’s see if we can build a fire in here, so we can dry off, warm up and have a rest,’ Ethan suggested. ‘I don’t think anyone would see it from outside on this wild night.’
‘Some of the branches under that old fallen tree might not be too wet,’ Saxon agreed.
With renewed vigour, they gathered some twigs and branches and built a fire. It took a few attempts with the tinderbox but eventually they had a small, smoky fire to huddle around inside the cave entrance.
They unpacked some supplies from their packs – delicious crumbly cheese biscuits baked by Saira, and dried fruit, washed down with icy river water.
‘Thank goodness my feet are starting to thaw and my front is toasty warm. But my back is still freezing!’ complained Lily, wriggling even closer to the meagre flames. Small wisps of steam drifted up from their wet clothes.
After their meal they huddled down into their damp cloaks, trying to sleep. Gradually they started to dry off.
Saxon wriggled and squirmed, unable to get comfortable. He threw the last of the wood onto the fire. The flames flared up once more, but
soon died away into a pile of smouldering embers.
‘It’s no use,’ he said. ‘I can’t sleep. There’s no more wood and maybe it would be warmer if we started moving. Besides, I just have to find out where the tunnel leads.’
Lily groaned and pulled her cloak over her head. ‘All right, Sax. If we must.’
Saxon leapt up and had a swig of cold river water from the water bottle. The others slowly clambered to their feet and followed suit.
In single file they crawled behind Saxon through the low opening of the tunnel, dragging their packs behind them. The rock fall had brought down the original tunnel roof, leaving only a narrow passageway. Aisha pushed past impatiently to take the lead. She alone did not need to crawl.
After long minutes of painstaking crawling, which scratched their bloodied hands and bruised their knees, the tunnel widened and was high enough to walk comfortably. They all stretched and rubbed their aching muscles.
‘We should be able to move along a bit faster now,’ said Ethan approvingly.
They strode out, happy to be able to stretch their legs, following the bobbing flame of Saxon’s candle as he led them gradually uphill. Weird shadows danced on all sides, looking like black hobgoblins and ghouls.
Suddenly Saxon stopped and Lily nearly knocked into him.
‘There’s a fork in the tunnel,’ Saxon hissed. He peered down each tunnel, holding the candle up high. One tunnel led to the left, meandering slightly downhill, while the tunnel to the right rose steeply straight ahead.
‘Which way should we go?’ asked Lily, frowning.
‘Upwards to the right,’ announced Roana emphatically. ‘The tunnel must climb up to the palace cellars.’
Aisha sniffed the dank air of the right tunnel. The fur on her back stood on end and she pointed straight with her nose, one paw lifted in anticipation. Then she bounded forward, streaking like a ruddy flame away into the darkness ahead.
Saxon nodded and set off up the steep path to the right, the others trudging behind him. Lily whistled shrilly, calling Aisha back to heel. A few minutes later, Aisha reappeared, her tail between her legs, ears down and eyes mournful. Lily fondled her silky black ears then stroked the soft bundle of fur snuggled into her pocket. Charcoal stretched and purred then curled up to sleep again.
The children started to puff and pant as the path turned into a flight of steep narrow steps that twisted and turned.
‘What’s that smell?’ asked Lily, wrinkling her nose in disgust. A waft of a revolting stench reached the others, who suddenly stopped.
‘Ooooh. I’ve never smelt anything like it,’ said Roana, pinching her aristocratic nose with two long grubby fingers.
‘Smells a bit like Sax after a hard day chopping wood,’ laughed Ethan, nudging Saxon in the ribs.
‘Ha ha. And you smell just like your mother’s roses after mucking out the royal stables,’ retorted Saxon swiftly.
‘Actually, after all our rock moving and climbing, we probably all smell pretty bad,’ said Ethan, sniffing himself loudly and wrinkling his nose.
‘Well, whatever it is I suppose we had better keep going,’ grinned Lily. ‘And let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse. I suppose it’s something dead up there.’ She shuddered.
Aisha’s nose quivered with excitement, tasting the air as if she was a wine connoisseur.
‘Heel, Aisha,’ warned Ethan. ‘I know you. You’re probably just dying to go and roll in whatever disgusting mess there is up ahead.’
Aisha strained forward longingly but obediently trotted next to Ethan. Charcoal crawled out of Lily’s pocket and curled in her arms.
They kept climbing. The smell grew stronger and stronger until they had to cover their noses and mouths with cloth to keep from gagging. Water ran in rivulets down the walls and steps, forming tiny waterfalls and puddles. It was slippery and dangerous.
At last, the steps finished and the tunnel levelled out again. They sighed in relief at the break from climbing, and stopped for a breather.
A small black shadow scuttled up the wall. Then another and another. Saxon held up the candle.
The walls and ceiling of the tunnel ahead shimmered and rippled in the candlelight. Lily blinked in disbelief. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Was she so tired she was seeing the very rock shiver?
Saxon stepped forward with a sickening crunch. Aisha lunged and barked madly, snapping at the walls.
Huge black and brown creatures scuttled up and down the walls, ceiling and floor of the tunnel, fleeing from the light.
‘Cockroaches,’ said Ethan in disgust. ‘Millions of them!’
‘I’ve never seen such enormous ones,’ groaned Lily, bile rising in her throat, her stomach twisting with nausea. ‘I hate cockroaches.’
‘I’ve never even seen such creatures before,’ shrieked Roana in panic. ‘What are they? Are they dangerous?’
‘No, not dangerous.’ said Ethan calmly. ‘Just disgusting. Well, nothing for it but to keep going, I guess.’
Saxon stepped forward with another sickening crunch of cracking shells. Cockroaches fled from their approach.
One fell from the ceiling into Roana’s hair. She screamed loudly, clawing at her spiky short hair with both hands. Lily reached up and quickly brushed it out of her hair.
A huge black cockroach scrambled up Lily’s leg, tangling itself in her skirts. She squealed, slapping at her legs. It was quickly followed by another, then another.
Charcoal spat and hissed, her black fur standing on end, her white patches gleaming in the darkness. Aisha barked madly, the loud screams and barks echoing up and down the tunnel.
Let’s get out of here,’ screamed Lily furiously. ‘Run!’
No-one hesitated. Saxon led the charge up the tunnel, the candle bobbing and spluttering as he ran, hot wax flying. Their feet slipped and slid on the treacherous floor of slimy crushed insect carcasses.
A few minutes later, they burst out of the tunnel into an enormous cave. A terrible stench hit them like a hot slap in the face. It was much, much worse than in the tunnel, making their eyes water and their stomachs heave, even through the cloth wound tightly around their faces.
The candlelight cast a weak circle of light around them. They stopped. Aisha stood completely still, every hair on her body raised in alarm.
‘I think we need some more light in here,’ said Ethan weakly, his eyes straining uselessly through the gloom. He fumbled in his pack and pulled out some more candles. He lit these from Saxon’s candle, his hands trembling, making the flames wobble.
All four friends held up a candle into the deep blackness of that enormous cave. In the middle of the cave, looming high over their heads, was a gigantic mountain of rubbish. Rotten vegetables, broken furniture, smashed crates, rags, dead animals, bottles, torn paper, offal and sodden filth rose in a towering pile of putrid garbage.
The four children stared in disbelief and horror. In a moment their eyes adjusted to the light and they saw something worse. Something much worse.
The mountain was moving. The mountain was heaving. Rats! Thousands of rats scurried, scuttled and climbed, snuffling at rotting vegetables and tearing at offal.
Then they stopped. With one movement the mountain of rats turned and stared at the unexpected intruders. For a long moment the rats stared at the children and the children stared at the rats, seeing thousands of red eyes glaring through the dimness.
A bitter metal taste swamped Lily’s mouth. She thought she was going to vomit.
Roana moaned and stumbled, clutching onto Lily for support.
Then the rats started to run. Moving as one, thousands of rats ran rustling through the rubbish, straight towards the four children cowering at the tunnel entrance, like a torrent of flood water rushing through a sewer pipe.
Aisha streaked silently towards the onslaught. Snapping rats in her sharp teeth, she shook them fiercely with a loud crack, then tossed the limp bodies aside. Rats ran over her, swamped her, nipped her with their needle-sharp y
ellow teeth. And still they came swarming towards the children.
Roana screamed, dropping her candle. It rolled in the rubbish, spluttered and went out, smoke spiralling ominously in the dense air. The darkness deepened even more intensely than before.
‘Quick,’ cried Ethan. ‘We’ve got to go back.’
‘Aisha,’ screamed Lily. ‘Come here!’ She ran towards Aisha, whistling and clapping her hands.
Aisha paused in her attack and ran back, shaking off dozens of rodents as she leapt gracefully through the piles of garbage.
‘We’ve got to stop the rats or they’ll follow us,’ yelled Saxon.
‘Think!’ shouted Lily. ‘Think. Don’t panic. Fear is our worst enemy.’
‘Fire,’ Ethan called. ‘We need to make a barrier of fire.’
‘Grab some wood,’ Saxon yelled. ‘Anything flammable. Make a pile in the entrance to the cave.’
All four obediently grabbed wood, paper, barrels and crates and clumsily threw them in a pile, between them and the oncoming horde of rats. Saxon knelt and tried to light the pile with his candle. The damp timber smoked and smouldered, but wouldn’t light. He blew gently, sweat dripping down his face. But still it wouldn’t light.
The first rats reached the puny circle of light cast by the candles.
‘Hurry, hurry,’ squealed Roana. ‘Please light, oh, please light.’
Ethan grabbed a plank of wood and swung wildly at the rodents, smashing them away like cricket balls. Roana grabbed another plank and started swinging too, but there were too many rats and they swarmed past them. Some climbed their legs, nipping and biting as they climbed towards their faces. Aisha barked and leapt twisting in the air, snapping at rats.
Ethan and Roana leapt back over the pile of timber, swiping rats off their bodies with both hands. Still Saxon tried in vain to light the fire.
Lily fumbled in her pack and pulled out a dark brown bottle. She threw it on the pile of kindling and it smashed to smithereens, filling the air with a reek of bitter herbs and pungent alcohol. She threw her candle after it.
Quest for the Sun Gem Page 15
