by Sharon Gibbs
As Jack scouted ahead he looked back across the landscape. His vision met a blanket of white as he scoured the distance in search of the soldiers. A bird chirped in the silence as he scanned the plain. No one followed and Jack felt that they’d eluded the soldiers.
As Jack returned from the rise, Peter rode over to him.
‘Could you see anyone?’
‘No, the land is still.’
‘Good, we need to tend Elle’s wound,’ Christopher said.
‘Just ahead, beyond these hills is a small village where I’ve friends. We can stop there. I know they’ll help us,’ Jack said.
Jack again took the lead and they made their way to the small village of Agon. As they entered the village they saw no one on the roads that led through the houses.
‘When was the last time you were here?’ Christopher asked as he looked around.
‘It was ten years ago. I hadn’t heard that the people had left,’ Jack said with disbelief.
The small village looked as if it’d been deserted for many years. Plants and weeds grew rampant, where once the small gardens had been tended. They made their way through the empty roads to the house where Jack’s friends had lived. The little house was hollow and cold and Clarence entered the house to find that dust and grit covered what was left of the furniture. No one had been in this home for years.
‘Let’s take Elle inside,’ he said. ‘We can light a fire and see to her wound.’ Clarence was worried. Elle needed to be warm, her body temperature had dropped and the cold had set in. The arrow had been in her shoulder for most of the day, and the sun had begun to set which meant the temperature would soon plummet.
Elle was still wrapped in her cloak and Clarence held the wadding around the wound as Christopher carried her inside. Atlas gathered the furs, which he’d stowed away in the wagon, and he laid them in front of the cold hearth. Then he left the house to gather wood. What his daughter needed from him was warmth to keep her alive. Christopher lay Elle down on the furs as Henry and Clarence prepared to check her wound. Henry opened Elle’s cloak and the prize she’d hoarded lay bare for all to see. Tucked into the waistband of her bloodied skirt and hidden under her cloak, were the two hands Christopher had cut from the guard. Clarence stared with disbelief. So that’s the reason why she lagged behind the others and put herself in danger. Elle knew, to release the collar Clarence wore, he’d need the hand that fastened the head of the snake.
‘Elle, you are a clever girl. But at what cost to yourself?’ Clarence muttered.
Henry took the hands out of Elle’s waistband and passed them to Clarence. ‘Why would she have these? Strange thing for a girl to collect,’ Henry said.
Then he watched as Clarence used the hand to undo the leash. The head snapped open at the touch of the cold fingers and Clarence threw the leash and the hand behind him. At last he was free from Athena’s power and a spark ignited within him. An old friend he hadn’t felt for years glowed within the depths of his soul. Clarence felt the small spark flood through his body, and he felt more like his old self again. He helped Henry cut the material away from the arrow’s shaft. Elle’s skin was cold, but around the arrow’s entry site her skin glowed bright red. The wound pulsed around the shaft and rippled to flare out at the edges.
‘This isn’t good.’ Henry said as he looked at the taint caused by the shaft.
Atlas had returned to the little house just as Henry had spoken and he dumped the wood he carried down by the hearth.
‘What is it?’ Atlas looked at the strange wound for the first time. ‘That’s not how a wound should look.’ He touched the skin around the shaft. ‘Heaven on earth what is it?’ He looked at Henry and Clarence and fear of the unknown leapt into his heart.
‘Jack, build a fire. We need to warm her quickly. We must remove the arrow as soon as possible,’ Clarence said.
While Jack built a fire to warm the small house, Henry and Clarence collected the things they’d need to remove the arrow’s shaft and clean the wound. James and Peter left to collect enough wood to see them through the night. Christopher and Atlas watched as Henry and Clarence set to work.
‘Jack, lad, we need water to cleanse her wound. See what you can find.’ Jack looked around the room. He needed a pot or bowl to hold water in but he couldn’t see anything he could use and so he went outside.
As they waited for the water Henry and Clarence turned Elle onto her side and peeled back her clothing to assess the damage. Examining her back they could see the metal tip of the arrow protruded a fraction through the skin.
‘You, my girl, are lucky indeed,’ Henry said as he felt the open wound on her back. Although it too had the same red glow, they wouldn’t have to cut into her flesh to remove the jagged tip. It wasn’t possible to pull the arrow back out, as it would rip the flesh and cause more damage to Elle’s shoulder.
Jack returned with water, in an old clay pot he’d found and set it upon the floor next to his sister. Henry removed a strange stick from his small bag and handed it to Clarence, who then placed it in the water and began to stir. He mumbled an incantation, which caused steam to drift up from the bowl and he continued to stir until the water boiled. Clarence removed the stick and reached into the bag to find a small leather pouch and he sprinkled some of its contents into the bowl. He then blew upon the water to help it cool, before he took a small piece of cloth and dipped it into the bowl. He squeezed the cloth and let the water trickle down the arrow’s shaft to run upon Elle’s skin and sterilize the area. As the water touched the site it sizzled and vaporised.
‘Christopher, Jack, hold Elle on her side so we may work the shaft through the skin.’
Jack held Elle by the arm and supported her waist while Christopher supported her from behind. Henry grasped the shaft of the arrow in both hands and gently pushed it further into her body, until the tip protruded enough and they could get a grip upon the head to pull it through. Then Henry held the shaft and cast a spell. ‘Secabit.’ It was a clean break as if it had been cut. No jagged splinters graced the end to be caught within Elle’s body as the shaft passed through.
Clarence removed the rest of the arrow and then they bathed Elle’s wound. As they did so no blood rushed from the site, but it then turned from a bright glowing mass into a deep crimson and before their eyes it began to spread. Henry looked at the arrow’s tip and saw, etched upon its surface, three symbols. He snapped the head off the shaft and placed it in his pocket.
Henry wrapped Elle in the furs to keep her warm and then he took the water left in the pot and threw it on the fire.
‘What are you doing?’ Atlas was alarmed. The fire hadn’t long been lit and the little room was only just warm.
‘We must leave now! Pack up and ready the horses, we must travel to the caves tonight!’
‘Christopher, find the others. We leave as soon as we’re ready.’
There was no argument. The tone in Henry’s voice demanded action and so it was done. Clarence dosed Elle with an elixir for the pain. He didn’t know if she suffered, as she remained unconscious, but he thought it would do no harm.
Jack lifted his sister into the back of the wagon. He and his father would travel with her in the wooden structure until they arrived at the caves. They dare not leave her side. Life was a delicate thing which one couldn’t predict, and so her family tended to her upon the journey.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Kovak fumed as he made his way back into the town. He had not only lost the Wizard, but because an arrow one of the guards had released had struck Elle he might have lost her, too.
The manor was still ablaze and as he entered the grounds Kovak walked past Silas and on to where the stable boy held his carriage. Kovak’s horse was tied to the back, as he had planned to travel in the carriage with Elle.
‘Saddle my horse!’
Kovak wanted to pursue them before they had the chance to disappear into the countryside. He was about to round up his men and follow when Silas spoke the wo
rds Kovak dreaded to hear.
Silas was angered by the Wizard’s escape and knew he would have to face the Lord’s wrath, but he had other plans. He would use the situation to his advantage. Silas would make Kovak take the fall.
‘Guard, gather your horse. Leave now and head for the Keep. Tell our Lord of what has befallen this day.’ Silas said.
Kovak couldn’t believe what he heard. Surely Silas would give him time to go after the traitors and bring the Wizard back before he sent word to their Lord of the escape. If Silas sent for Arnak, he’d have to wait until the Lord arrived before he could go after them.
‘Silas, can’t you wait and give us time to find them before you involve our Lord in this?’
Silas sneered at Kovak. ‘You would have me hide the truth from our Lord?’
‘No. But the ones who helped the Wizard escape come from The Dale. I know of them and they travel with another not from there. Another Wizard,’ Kovak said.
Silas was intrigued. Another Wizard. That would make the Lord happy, or maybe not. If Arnak found out about the Wizard from anyone except himself, things could prove to be a problem.
‘No, you’ll wait for our Lord to arrive.’
Silas called the solider he’d chosen for the ride and handed him his ring. ‘Leave now and don’t stop until you arrive at the Keep.’
Then as the soldier left, Silas looked at Kovak in disgust and walked away.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Early the next morning Christopher and his friends arrived at the Caves of Choice. Clarence opened the portal and the wagon passed through, before he closed it again to keep the entrance hidden. Within the sealed chamber they travelled along the narrow path. As they approached the torches clamped on the walls, they burst to life and the cobwebs that had formed sizzled as the flames lit their way.
Once inside the cave they made Elle a soft pallet and laid her down upon it. Time had passed within the cave and now dust covered every surface. There was a dampness that hung in the cave, and Clarence could smell the change in time. No person had ventured into this haven over the past twenty years. Everything was still as he’d left it, frozen in time since he’d sealed the portal many years ago.
‘Christopher, there’s wood stacked against the wall over there,’ Clarence said as he pointed to the wall near the circle of stones. ‘See if any is still good to burn and build a fire. I feel the night ahead will be a long one.’
Christopher went to do as he was asked and within the pit in the middle of the cave he built a fire to drive out the damp and the cold.
Henry had left the group and now searched through several books upon a shelf. Each book he looked at in turn reading the title in his search before he ultimately placed it back where he had taken it from. Finally he went over to a chest, on the far side of the cave where shelves with strange bottles and jars lined the wall. Dust had settled over the years, and now they were covered in the powdery substance. Undisturbed cobwebs still lingered where they’d been spun. No longer holding their silken sheen they, too, had collected the passage of time while sealed in the tomb.
Henry undid the clasp that held the chest closed and rummaged around inside its depths. Then he removed a small book and brought it into the light to read. He scanned several pages and took the arrowhead out of his pocket to hold it near the page. He checked the book again and looked closely at the metal nib to see what it was made from before he closed the book and returned the tip to his pocket.
‘What is it, Henry? What’ve you found?’ Atlas was desperate for any news Henry could give him. As he sat next to his daughter, he bathed her face with cool water. A fever now raged within her. Elle’s skin was dry and no sweat formed on her brow or dampened her hair and it was as if the heat was trapped within her body and seared from the inside.
‘This arrowhead has been enchanted. See these marks,’ Henry said as he handed the piece of metal to Atlas. ‘They’re a spell to inflict death upon the victim.’
Henry hid the fact that it was a slow and painful death.
‘What is it we have to do?’ Atlas said as he bathed his daughter’s face and hoped the cool water would soothe some of the heat her body contained.
‘There’s nothing we can do. One born of strength is what we require. Clarence has little magic at the moment, and until it regenerates he’s limited in what he can do.’
‘And your powers,’ Atlas looked to Henry for the answer.
‘They’re not strong enough on their own, that’s why I haven’t used them unless we absolutely needed them. The use of magic will attract attention from the Sorceress, and my power alone isn’t enough. The Sorceress Athena has power from the Underlands. She boosts her power from the Dark Lord there.’
‘Is there nothing else we can do?’ Atlas loved his daughter and searched for any solution to heal his child.
All within the cave listened to the conversation between Henry and Atlas. Clarence nodded as he listened to Henry speak.
‘I believe there is one, but he has to come to this decision on his own terms. He needs to have the conviction and desire to follow his path in life and fulfil his destiny.’
‘I’ve already made my choice,’ Christopher said as he interrupted their conversation. ‘I made my choice long before we left home to travel here. Long before we’d heard of Clarence’s imprisonment and before I’d met Elle.’
Christopher looked down at Elle. He’d moved to stand next to her father and he saw not only the pain in Atlas’ face but the enchantment that had spread through Elle’s body.
‘I’m ready to follow my path, to go places unknown to me, to fight for those who’ve no voice and unite those who wish to be free. I’m ready to lead us all to our destiny.’
Henry gazed in awe at this young man. One who only weeks ago had no knowledge of his history but now stood ready to face the world and save all he could. He was proud to call this man his kin.
‘With Clarence’s power so weak we must wait until the moon is full tonight,’ Henry said. ‘If we wait until then, the moon will magnify our powers and give us the strength we need to call the souls of those from the past to again rejoin us in this sacred place. We need them to restore your essence. Until then rest, Christopher, for the time ahead of you will be one of pain and you’ll suffer as you are reunited with your true self.’
‘I am and always have been my true self,’ Christopher said.
‘Come with me, Atlas. I need your help to collect the items we need for the ritual,’ Clarence said as he ushered Atlas away to leave Christopher and Henry to talk.
Henry touched Christopher’s arm. ‘You’ve been asleep in this life. The life you were born for is a much deeper reality than you could ever know.’
Christopher didn’t understand his grandfather’s words and he continued to soothe Elle’s face and arms with the cool water.
Henry collected his bag from the wagon and from it he removed the wooden box. He took it over to Christopher and removed the orb. ‘This is your essence,’ Henry said as he held the sphere over Elle’s still form. ‘Within the orb lies the powers that were taken from you as a child. They’ve remained dormant within the sphere for the last twenty years, but they’ve absorbed information from the realm and the power inside has magnified as our need has grown.’
Christopher looked at the orb and then he reached out to touch its scared surface. The orb seemed as if it was made of midnight, its gnarled and knotted surface flickered with the emerald green power within. The light that pulsed within the orb drew Christopher to it and this time when he touched the sphere, sparks enveloped his hand and Christopher knew, this was the part of himself that was missing.
‘But what about Albert, Rose and Joseph? They’re at risk now. The longer we’re away from them, the greater the chance that something will happen to them. I owe them my life,’ Christopher said.
‘Hopefully they’ve heard news from Canameer and will make their way to Corn Fallow. We’ll meet up with them there.’
/> Henry had told Albert that if they found themselves in trouble or heard any word that things may have gone wrong, they were to leave at once and travel to Thomas’.
Peter and James sat by the fire and listened to the conversation between Henry and their friend. They’d been drawn to Christopher like many others and their friendship had developed the instant they’d met. Peter and James considered Christopher as their brother and they would lay down their lives to protect him. Christopher emitted an aura that drew people to him and a kindness they’d never seen in another, and now they sat and waited with him.
Clarence and Atlas gathered the items for the ritual. The candles and bowl were placed into a basket, and Clarence collected the amulet they’d need. Atlas watched Christopher tend to his daughter, and he’d listened to their conversation.
‘Do you think what the Wizard says is true? Will he be able to save Elle from this evil that lurks within her body?’
‘Atlas, I look at Christopher and he is more than I ever thought he’d be. When I knew him as a child he always had something about him. Many years ago I’d been given a book to bring here to the caves. One day when I’d retreated to this sacred place, I came across a prophecy in that book. It meant nothing to me at the time, until the day Henry arrived here at the caves with Christopher in tow and told of the fall of Canistar at the hands of the Lord and his Sorceress. I knew then as I know now he was born to this realm for a reason. Just as your daughter has been.’
‘What do you mean?’ Atlas didn’t understand how his daughter figured in all that had happened.
‘Look at her. We’d not be here now if not for her. When she first came to the manor, I was near death. Elle tended to me, healed me and then over the years she’s risked all to make sure I lived. Look at all she’s done over the years for others. She, too, holds a spell over all that she touches. Have you ever known her to put herself before anyone, Atlas? She is younger than Christopher, and I believe she was born to protect the realm’s interests. If she hadn’t stood in front of Christopher when the arrow struck it would be him lying there under the spell of evil and there’d be no other to save him.’
