01 Wing Warrior (2 page)

‘She’s your sister. She wants to spend time with you.’

‘She’s a pain.’

‘Look at her. She’s got scabs on her knees from scrambling over rocks, bruised arms from climbing trees, cut hands, scratched cheeks. All from chasing after you.’

‘So?’

‘She’d follow you wherever you went. There aren’t many people who would do that.’

‘Tidal would.’

‘Tidal is a brat. He’d only go with you if he was going to get the chance to show off.’

‘Maybe. What about you? Would you follow me?’

‘Nope.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because you’re so slow, you’d be following me.’

Sky dashed off after Glass, whooping gleefully. Nimbus watched her until she was obscured from view by the trees, then he shook his head and sighed.

He and Sky had been friends for almost as long as either of them could remember. She had always been there – an important part of his life – and it was impossible to imagine a time when she wouldn’t be.

But recently, mainly in the last few months, things had started to feel different between them, and he didn’t know why. Now, when he thought about her pretty pink smile, the pine–needle smell of her hair, or her almost musical laugh, he got a funny sensation in his stomach. He was old enough to know what that sensation meant; he just wasn’t sure why he should have it when he thought about Sky. After all, Sky wasn’t like other girls. Sky was just Sky.

Just a friend.

He was still contemplating this when he heard the voice.

‘Nimbus.’

At first he thought he must have imagined it, then he thought it must have been the wind rustling through the leaves. But it wasn’t the wind, and his imagination had never been that good. There really was a voice, very faint and very weak, saying his name.

He looked around, listening carefully.

On his right was a tree with a white ribbon tied to it; on his left was a tree with a red ribbon.

With a growing sense of unease, he realised the cave was nearby.

Three years ago, when he had been much smaller and not nearly so brave, he had got lost while exploring the woods. After stumbling around for many hours, and running at one point when a stag tried to butt him with its antlers, he eventually found the cave. It was a horrible place, but he had no choice other than to spend the night there. He had tried to light a fire, but it had been raining and nothing would burn; so he had huddled in a tunic, shivering, too afraid to sleep in case he got eaten by wolves, or bears, or a really angry stag.

At first light he had left the cave, telling himself he would never spend another night there, and since then he had returned only once, in order to mark the route with red ribbons. He had used red for danger, and even during the day – never getting closer than a hundred paces – that terrible place had sent a chill running down his spine.

The voice called out his name again.

He swallowed hard.

‘What do you want?’

The leaves rattled and chattered like witches discussing the best way to cook a small boy. The red ribbon flapped, and in the dimming light it looked like a slobbering monster’s tongue.

Nimbus strained to hear the voice again.

‘Hello?’ he called.

The voice said his name, but seemed farther away this time, farther along the path leading to the cave.

‘Tidal, is that you? I’m going home, so don’t think I’m going to chase after you.’

There was no response, except for the rustling of bushes and plants.

Nimbus peered through the gloom. He couldn’t see anybody, but he could sense there was someone – something – there. Something that wanted him to follow. Something that wanted him to go to the cave.

He could think of only one thing that lived in caves and attempted to lure children away from woodland paths.

Goblins.

Despite being almost fourteen and a half years old, and quite strong and brave for his age, he couldn’t help thinking that perhaps he wasn’t ready to meet a goblin just yet.

‘Right. I’m going home,’ he said.

He turned. Stopped. Looked for a white ribbon. Couldn’t see one.

He listened for sounds of Sky’s laughter. Nothing. All he could hear was that voice calling his name, trying to draw him into the very heart of the woods.

A breeze blew around him, and leaves bustled over his feet. He was totally alone.

‘Sky?’

Alone, and lost.

‘Glass?’

The path seemed to stretch on forever. Mist was creeping against the tree trunks. Night came down on the wood ever more quickly. It would be totally dark soon.

‘I’m not going back to the caves,’ he whispered, clenching his hands to stop them shaking. ‘I’m not going back there, and you can’t make me.’

A flash of yellow lightning briefly lit parts of the path, revealing everything that had been hidden by shadow.

Horrid shapes sprang up in the stutter of brief illumination, and in that last second Nimbus saw a frightful figure looming out at him from the bushes. As he was dragged to the floor in a tumble of flailing arms and legs, his screaming was drowned out by the crashing of thunder.

CHAPTER TWO

Nimbus closed his eyes tightly, and hoped being eaten by a goblin wasn’t anywhere near as painful as the old men of the village had made it sound.

For a long time he stayed that way, waiting to feel sharp teeth gnawing away at his skin. He waited, and waited, but nothing happened.

Eventually he risked opening one eye.

His friend Tidal was standing over him, a grin splitting his grubby face from ear to ear. Glass and Sky were standing nearby, looking equally pleased with themselves.

‘Who’s the scaredy cat now?’ Sky said.

‘Can I help you up, Old Chum?’ Tidal asked. A fork of lightning illuminated the four friends. The shadows of the trees wrapped up and around them fleetingly as thunder boomed.

‘I knew it was you,’ Nimbus said, regaining his feet and brushing leaves out of his hair, his relief only slightly outweighing his embarrassment. ‘I could smell you.’

‘Smell me?’

‘You smell of fish.’

‘At least I can catch fish.’

Nimbus flushed red. ‘You shouldn’t go jumping out on people like that, or you’ll end up getting a thump.’

‘Who from?’ Tidal’s grin widened, and he shoved Nimbus in the arm. ‘From you?’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘But that’s what you meant, wasn’t it?’ Tidal shoved Nimbus again, hard enough for him to lose his balance and almost fall. ‘Are you going to give me a thump, Nim?’

‘I meant...’ Nimbus looked over Tidal’s muscular frame, at his wide shoulders and strong hands. He was the tallest, brawniest fifteen–year–old Nimbus had ever met, and in all the time they had been friends Nimbus had never been able to beat him at anything.

‘Come on,’ Tidal jeered. ‘I’ll let you hit me first. One free punch, right in the face. Give it your best shot.’

Nimbus stared at his feet. He had already been embarrassed in front of Sky once today, and he had no intentions of getting into a fight he had no hope of winning. ‘I’m not going to thump you, Tide. I’m just saying you should be careful. And it’s not funny taking down my ribbons. They’re the only way we’ve got of finding our way out of this place.’

‘I haven’t touched your stupid ribbons.’

‘Then where are they?’

Tidal shrugged. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘We didn’t take any down,’ Sky added, helpfully. ‘We came right back here after we met up with Tide. We thought it would be funny to scare you.’

‘Very funny.’ Nimbus looked at the dark arches of the leaves. Fireflies were drawing smiling faces in the gloom. ‘But if you didn’t take the ribbons, where have they all gone?’

‘Are we lost?’ Glass asked.

‘No.’ Nimbus smiled his most convincing smile and ruffled her hair. ‘No, of course we aren’t lost. I just seem to have misplaced some of my ribbons.’

‘There’s a red one over here,’ Tidal said.

‘And there should be a white one on the opposite side of the path,’ Nimbus snapped. ‘But it’s not there, is it?’

Sky and Glass sat together on a tree stump while the boys continued to bicker. ‘Do you think they know what they’re doing?’ Glass asked, picking up a handful of brown and yellow leaves and letting them fall through her fingers.

‘I’m sure they’ll get us home,’ Sky said.

Glass started to sort the leaves into piles, based on colour, shape, and size. ‘Boys are silly,’ she said.

Sky watched Nimbus dashing up and down the path, creating swirls in the thickening mist as he searched for the missing ribbons. ‘They certainly are,’ she said.

‘I just don’t get it,’ Nimbus said, hopelessly. ‘Someone must have taken them down. There’s no other explanation.’

‘But why would anyone do that?’ Tidal asked. ‘You must be looking in the wrong place.’

‘But...’ Nimbus made his hands into fists. It was getting cold. ‘I’m sure the ribbons were here,’ he said.

A bolt of lightning sliced a jagged trail through the sky, briefly cutting out nightmarish shapes from the crowded mass of trees. Every shadow was a witch; every hollow was a black eye watching. There was another crash of thunder.

‘Nim?’ Sky called. ‘Nim? What are we going to do? We’ll get soaked through if we stay out in this mist.’

Glass continued playing with her leaves. She was deep in concentration.

‘Yeah, Nim. What are we going to do?’ Tidal said.

‘We’ll have to keep moving. We’re bound to find a white ribbon sooner or later. These woods are full of them.’

‘That’s your plan? You want us to walk around aimlessly in this mist? We’ll never find a ribbon like that. We’ll just get more lost.’

‘Well, I don’t know what else to suggest. What do you think we should do?’

Tidal flicked his hair out of his eyes. He was smiling, but it looked false, like he was more afraid than he was letting on. ‘We could go to the cave,’ he said.

‘Be serious. No–one goes to the cave.’

‘It would be dry.’

‘It’s horrible. It’s dark, and full of strange things, and...’ Nimbus’s lips seemed very dry, his palms particularly sweaty. ‘There’s something up there.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like something you wouldn’t want to meet.’

Sky stood. She had come without a cloak, and she was uncomfortably damp. ‘Nim,’ she said. ‘We can’t find our way out tonight, and we can’t sit here. The cave is our best bet.’

‘But...’

Glass squashed a handful of leaves into a brown–red pulp. ‘We should go to the cave,’ she said.

The fireflies were gone now. The dark of night had lowered thickly over the woods. Owls hooted and flapped from branch to branch. Other things snuffled and snorted in the mud beneath the bushes. The world was alive with things that couldn’t be seen.

‘There may be goblins,’ Nimbus said, reluctantly.

‘There’s no such thing,’ Tidal laughed, slapping Nimbus on the shoulder. ‘Now come on, I don’t want to stay in the cave any more than you do, but maybe there we can start a fire and we can keep dry for the night. What do you say?’

Nimbus sighed heavily. What could he say?

‘Okay.’

‘Good man.’

Glass dropped the last of her leaves. She looked so small, surrounded by the massive woodland trunks; so fragile and delicate. ‘I’m ready,’ she said.

Sky took Glass’s hand and set off along the path of red ribbons. Tidal chased after them.

Nimbus watched his friends leaving, took one last look behind him at the tree he was sure he had marked with a white ribbon, and then reluctantly followed.

***

As they got nearer to the cave, the mist dropped away completely, and the night didn’t seem so dark. Even the growling of the thunder was left behind them. Rain began to fall, and the air was filled with its soft patter.

‘I don’t like it,’ Nimbus said, his hands wedged firmly inside his tunic to keep warm. ‘Someone has obviously taken down all of my white ribbons. They want us to go up to the cave for some reason. I don’t like it.’

‘So you keep saying,’ Tidal grinned, leading the way confidently. ‘And we’ve all heard your story about the time you were lost here. But nothing ate you then, and nothing is going to eat you now.’

‘But I was lucky last time,’ Nimbus muttered.

Eventually the trees thinned out, and the children reached a small area of scrubland where the weeds clawed their way hungrily over oddly arranged standing stones. There were eight stones in total, each as tall as Glass, and crows were perched on four of them, fluttering their wings and cawing mournfully.

On the other side of the clearing there was an imposing rock face, and beyond that the craggy outline of Sentinel Mountain sliced up through the clouds like a broadsword.

As he emerged from the trees, Nimbus pointed to a large opening in the rock face. ‘There it is,’ he said.

‘This place is creepy,’ Glass said.

They stopped outside the cave, exchanging nervous glances in a way that made it obvious they were all thinking the same thing. The cave didn’t look any more welcoming than the woods did.

‘So this is where the goblins are,’ Tidal said, ducking inside. ‘It’s not very homely, is it? Wait here.’

Glass and Sky looked at each other, shrugged, and went straight in after him.

Nimbus was overcome by the feeling he was watching his friends being eaten one by one as they disappeared inside, and he shuddered uncontrollably. ‘You shouldn’t make fun. Something might take offence,’ he said, as he followed them inside.

Tidal had already vanished into the back of the cave, and occasionally he could be heard muttering to himself as he explored the darkness. Sky and Glass sat close to the entrance. They were shivering, and rainwater was dripping out of their hair.

‘Is this where you stayed last time?’ Glass asked, quietly.

‘That’s right,’ Nimbus said.

‘It’s not very nice here,’ Glass said. ‘I like it at home, in my bed with my dolls.’

Nimbus looked at Sky. She was bravely trying to disguise her concern. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

She nodded, but her eyes told a different story. She was scared to her bones.