Hidden Magic (12 page)

The first cave had been empty, with no sign of Takoda and now the bitter coldness of night and the emptiness of the second cave was devastating and disheartening for the Halfses. They had rested a short while inside the second cave, using Fire Fairy pods for light and warmth and then, having found the strength and determination to press on, they attached the Fire Fairy pods to their helmets and began the climb up to the upper falls. Francis had once again flown on ahead, searching the mountains for caves. Hindered by the darkness, he had to stop frequently, hover and exhale fire, thus causing the snowy mountainside to briefly blush in a golden glow and therefore allowing him fleeting moments of clear vision. By the time he had located the next cave, the others were approximately halfway up the section of mountainside that lay adjacent to Sheer Fear.

Francis easily located the climbing group, the Fire Fairy pods attached to their helmets illuminating their position. They were on a ledge preparing for the next section of the climb. Francis landed close by, his huge toes and talons clinging onto the snow covered mountainside, but the rock face were he'd landed was unstable and as he grappled to secure a foothold, some of the rocks loosened and tumbled into the darkness below. His huge body slid a few feet down the mountain, he grappled frantically at the rocks once more and eventually he managed to perch himself on the mountainside securely. Aaron rolled his eyes in disgust. “Thank God we didn't risk hitching a ride up the mountain on that. I've seen rhinos land with more grace,” he said.

Francis didn't bother to dignify Aaron with a response and instead he turned to address Zavier.

“Zavier I'm afraid it's bad news. I have located another cave, but it's on the other side of the falls. You will either have to climb back down, cross the frozen lake and then re-climb the other side, or you could climb to the very top of the falls, cross over and descend down the other side to get to the cave, but either way, you will be crossing very dangerous terrain and it's going to take a long time.”

“Francis, do you think you could fly back to the cave, try and find Takoda and then meet with us at the bottom of the falls?”

“I'm afraid not, Zavier. The cave is small and lies nestled within a steep section of the mountain that is not accessible to me, not at this size, anyway. I wish I could help but, as you've just seen, my new frame isn't really suited to these mountaineering expeditions.”

“He's right,” said Aurora. “I know the area of mountain that he is talking about. It isn't very easy to get to, even for myself and it will take us hours to reach from here. We would be foolish to attempt to get there tonight. I think we should find shelter, rest and continue at sunrise.”

“Out of the question, I'm afraid,” Zavier said, shaking his head in dismay. “We must get there tonight. I'm not sure how we will do it yet, but we must find a way.”

“Francis, where, in comparison to where we are now, is this cave on the opposite side of the falls?” April asked.

“I think that it is more or less parallel to where we are now,” Francis replied.

“Well, there's your answer then,” April beamed. “We don't go around the falls, we go across them.”

“Are you out of your mind?” the usually quiet Hazel gasped. “You've heard the elders' stories regarding Sheer Fear, have you not?”

“Of course I have, Hazel, but let's face it, those old fogies wouldn't have been as skilled at climbing as I am, would they? I mean, no one is as skilled at climbing as I am. I stand a much better chance of making it across to the other side than they did.”

“April, it is far too dangerous. I cannot and will not let you take such a risk,” Zavier said sternly.

“Zavier, I appreciate your concern but I know that I can do this.
You
know that I can do this! What choice do we have? I want to do this for Liberty. I would rather die trying than not try at all! Please let me. I can cross while you all make your way back to the cabin and then I WILL return to you there and I WILL bring Takoda with me,” April pleaded tearfully.

“April, I admire your bravery and yes, you're right, what choice do we have? Either I let you cross and risk losing you, or we wait until the morning and the delay may mean that we risk losing Liberty. I cannot decide when the stakes are so high, so you must decide for yourself,” Zavier said and then he placed his hands on April's cheeks, wiped her tears away with his thumbs and gently kissed her forehead.

April closed her eyes, inhaled deeply through her nose, then exhaled deeply through her mouth, blowing all of her anxiety away. She composed herself and turned to the others. “Okay, so which one of you is going to grab my ice axes out of my back pack for me?” she asked, smiling and nodding cheekily, indicating that she was indeed going for it, she was going to attempt to cross the dreaded Sheer Fear.

Zavier attempted to tie a safety rope around April's waist.

“Nice thought, Zavier, but I'm gonna have to free-climb this one, the rope isn't long enough to reach to the other side,” she said, looking out across the vast mass of frozen, descending water.

Zavier frowned and unwillingly removed the rope from April's waist, then he moved away from her. Hazel moved toward April, stood in front of her and frowned.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, in a concerned, mumsy kind of way as she tucked April's long white and black streaked hair into her helmet and behind her ears.

“I'm sure! Now, stop worrying and make sure you tell Jaz to have some nice hot food prepared for me when I return.”

As April jabbed her ice axes and crampons into the frozen falls and began her crossing, Zavier could not help but think of the 1,500 foot sheer drop below her and he gulped involuntarily, unable to contain his nerves.

“Francis, stay close to her for me and, God forbid, if she falls, I'm counting on you to catch her,” Zavier said.

Francis took flight and monitored April's crossing from a safe distance. The others were in no rush to leave April and head to the cabin. Instead, they watched for a while, unable to move, rooted to the spot with fear and concern for their loved one. Then once again they heard the stabbing of ice axes and the jabbing of crampons into the thick wall of ice.

“What on earth are you doing?” Hazel shrieked.

“Well, you didn't seriously think that I was going to let her cross alone, did you?” Aaron replied as he, too, began to make his way across the deadly falls.

Hazel held her head in her hands and dropped to the ground sobbing, as the fear of either losing Aaron, April or both of them was too much for her to take. Zavier knelt down beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but he did not have any words of reassurance that he could offer, for he, too, was worried that neither of them would make it across in one piece.

Aaron swung his ice axe above his head, stabbing it into the wall of ice. As he did so, there was a snapping sound and a large crack appeared. He barely had a chance to realise what was happening, before his heavy weight pulled out the loosened chunks of ice in which his axes were still embedded and he was immediately sent plummeting down the face of the falls. Francis reacted swiftly. Soaring towards Aaron, he managed to grab hold of one of his ankles, saving him just seconds before he would have impacted with the frozen lake below. The little door on the side of the Fire Fairy pod that was attached to Aaron's helmet creaked open and the tiny little Fire Fairies freed themselves, flying off into the dark night sky and back to safety. Aaron was in shock, speechless for a change, dangling from Francis's talons, his huge body swinging around uncontrollably like a floppy rag doll. Having saved Aaron, Francis was now concerned for April's safety and soared at high speed back up the face of the frozen waterfall to check on her, while Aaron, now on the worst roller-coaster ride of his life, had begun to turn a sickly shade of green. The rest of the group looked on in horror, not quite able to take in what was going on as it had all happened so fast. Francis hovered close by April, watching her like a hawk until she had safely reached the other side of Sheer Fear and then he flew back to the others, to inform them that she had indeed made it across safely. And all the while, a very green Aaron was still swinging furiously from his talons, like a rag doll that was being held by its leg and swung around by a petulant child.

Relieved, knowing that both Aaron and April were safe, Zavier, Hazel and Aurora began their descent back down to the cabin. Francis also headed down the mountainside, looking for a suitable place to drop Aaron. But as he neared the lower falls, he began to feel most peculiar. His heart pounded, juddering vigorously within his chest, his mouth filled with saliva, he felt nauseous, he became disorientated and his vision began to blur. Then, one by one, his scales began to fall away from his body. Like slivers of glass, they sprinkled onto the mountainside. Feathers appeared in their place and Francis suddenly remembered what Ice had said:
The enchantment will only last for twenty-four hours and then you will return to your original form!

Francis, now wide-eyed with panicked realisation, had indeed returned back to his owl form. He was still trying desperately to hold onto Aaron's ankle in a bid to lift him, a desperate bid to prevent Aaron from crashing to the ground below, but, as a small tawny owl, Francis was nowhere near strong enough and he, too, was dragged down to earth by Aaron's weight. The pair plummeted through the air, spiralling chaotically before hitting the icy cold water of the lower falls pool and disappearing below its dark surface.

A very unhappy-looking Aaron emerged shivering at the edge of the pool first. He placed one hand on a rock at the side of the pool and hauled himself out of the water. In his other hand he held a very cold, wet and bedraggled-looking owl and he took great pleasure in dangling Francis upside down by his foot and shaking him around as if he were a soft toy and saying, “You're not quite so gobby now, are you, Boogly Eyes?”

“That's fine. Really, Aaron, there is absolutely no need to thank me at all for saving your life,” Francis said sarcastically, still dangling upside down.

Aaron tutted loudly, rolled his eyes and flung Francis to one side, sending him head first into the thick snow. Francis was buried from his head up to his ankles in snow. He wiggled his feet frantically and attempted to flap his wings to free himself but he was unable to move them against the wall of snow that had formed around his body, cocooning him tightly in an icy chamber.

Aaron stood for a significantly longer period of time than he really should have done, watching Francis's little feet and talons wriggling frantically in a bid to free himself from the snow, but although Aaron found this scenario very amusing, the bolshie and somewhat arrogant Halfse actually had a good heart. In fact, he had one of the kindest hearts in all of Liberty but he chose to keep it hidden, keep it safe from harm. No one really got to see this side of Aaron, no one except for Jazmine, that is; she could see his kind heart, feel his kind heart, he didn't even have to show her, she just knew from the moment that she first laid eyes on him. She saw right through his tough exterior and found a place inside his soft warm heart and that is where she has stayed ever since.

Aaron grasped Francis's leg and pulled him free from his snow cocoon. “Come on, Boogly Eyes, I suppose I'd better get you back to the cabin and warmed up before you freeze to death,” he grumbled and then, still holding Francis by his leg, he ran off towards the cabin.

April, now completely alone on the east side of Sheer Fear, had located the cave that Francis had seen earlier. It was approximately fifty feet below her, nestled in a crevice between two sheer rock faces. April found a suitable spot to attach a rope ready for her descent down to the cave. She removed the rope from her back pack and attached it firmly, tugging at it again and again to ensure that it was secure enough to hold her weight. She tipped herself backwards and began her descent; quickly zipping down the rope, only using her feet to bounce off of the rocks twice, before landing on a rocky ledge in front of the cave. She unclipped herself from the rope and walked slowly but surely into the darkness, her Fire Fairy pod providing a warm orange glow in the musty-smelling, dark and dank cave.

“Hello,” she called warily into the darkness beyond.

“Hello,” her voice echoed back.

“Hello, is there anyone there? My name is April, I am a Halfse from Maytime Meadow and I come in search of the mountain's Berthold, Takoda. It is of great importance that I speak with him. Hello.”

April continued deeper into the cave until she reached a large chamber.
Oh great, so now what should I do?
she puzzled, looking at the three pathways that all exited the chamber in different directions.

“Hello!” she yelled louder this time.

April spun round slowly, looking all around the chamber, searching in the darkness for any signs of life, and wondering which of the three pathways she should take… if any. She stopped abruptly, as if playing musical statues, afraid to move, afraid to breathe in case the sound of her respirations prevented her from hearing the slightest noise. She desperately called upon all her senses for any clue as to why she had just suddenly and most involuntarily frozen stiff. She was petrified and she didn't know why. The pounding of her nervy heartbeat within her head was loud and immensely annoying. She desperately wanted to escape, but the hammering of her heart and her inability to move were hindering her normal responses and this scared her more than ever. Two yellow eyes appeared, shining from within one of the dark pathways ahead of her, then two blue eyes appeared. April's heartbeat strengthened, the nervous pounding was now becoming unbearable.
NOMEDS!
she thought.

April was completely paralysed. She was normally a very feisty character and she couldn't understand why she was so scared, frozen with fear, unable to fight, unable to flee and more worryingly, unable to protect herself. The yellow eyes seemed to fix their gaze directly with hers. The eyes grew larger as they advanced out of the darkness and moved towards her, but despite moving into the orange glow of the Fire Fairy pod that was gently lighting the cave, the eyes were still surrounded by darkness, for they did not belong to a Nomed at all, but to a large wolf, a very large and very black wolf that was now curiously circling her. The wolf was quickly joined by two others, a white wolf with dark eyes and a brown wolf with beautiful rich and warm brown eyes, the warmth of which helped to reassure April that maybe, just maybe, their presence was friendly after all. The white wolf raised his nose in the air and as he and the other wolves circled her, he sniffed the cold air curiously, inhaling deeply, drawing in her scent.

“Well, what do you think, Rian?” asked the brown wolf.

“I think that she is telling the truth, Remus. I cannot smell anything sinister here,” Rian replied.

“I don't trust her,” the black wolf snarled, baring his huge fangs.

April was now becoming concerned that the warmth she had previously felt from the brown wolf would count for nothing if the fierce-looking black wolf decided that he was going to attack.

Then the blue eyes emerged out of the darkness, bringing an air of calmness to the whole frightening experience.

“Stand down,” said a handsome grey wolf with the most beautiful ice-blue eyes.

Remus the brown wolf, and Rian the white wolf, backed away from April and placed themselves behind the grey wolf.

“Romulus, you must do as Takoda says and back down,” Remus reiterated.

The black wolf snarled and gave April a threatening sideward glance, and then he joined the rest of the wolf pack, standing behind their Berthold, Takoda.

April, still unable to move, was now allowing herself to breathe more freely and had calmed down quite significantly. Her heart was beating at a close to normal rate since discovering that the coloured glowing eyes did not belong to Nomeds as she had first thought, and realising that she had succeeded in finding the Berthold of West Fishtail Mountains, Takoda. However, she could not help but feel a little unsettled, anxious as to why she was still completely unable to move.

“Okay April, I trust Rian's judgement implicitly, his ability to smell danger has not let us down yet and he smells no danger here. I am therefore going to release you. Please accept my apologies for paralysing you, but you must understand our need to be cautious in these worrying times,” Takoda said, as he approached April. He placed one huge paw on each of her shoulders, then gave her a slobbery wet lick right up one side of her face. April, now able to move, screwed her face up in disgust and wiped the slimy slobber from her cheek.

“I'm sorry that I had to lick you like that but my saliva is needed to cure the paralysis, you see,” Takoda explained.

“Er, that's okay,” April said, still rubbing at her cheek with her sleeve.

“What is it that you so urgently need to speak to me about? We rarely see any of the Halfses in these parts, especially at this altitude. What is so urgent that you would risk coming so far into the mountains to find me for?” Takoda asked.

“The Nomeds. They are growing stronger, they are attacking more ferociously and more frequently. We think that they may be breeding an army. Liberty is in great danger and we need your help.”

“We have hidden ourselves within these caves, only leaving to assist the creatures of the West Mountains when they have needed us most. I knew there was an increase in Nomed activity but I had no idea that it had become so bad,” Takoda frowned.

“We are losing some of the good creatures of Liberty every day and we also fear that some of the Nomeds may have escaped into the Human world. Zavier, my Berthold, Berthold of Maytime Meadow, has spoken with the Great Prophet and the Great Prophet asked him to gather all of Liberty's Berthold and return to the meadow with them. The Great Prophet has foreseen an answer to our problems, an answer that it needs to share with you all. We have been travelling for days now and we have left our creatures vulnerable, so we must return quickly to protect them. We must return now. Takoda, please come with me.”

“Understood,” Takoda nodded.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” April said gratefully and she turned to leave the cave back through the tunnel by which she had entered.

“No, April, not that way, it will take far too long. Follow me,” Takoda said and he entered the middle pathway, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

After a relatively easy descent through the network of tunnels and caves, they emerged through a hidden entrance, not sealed, but concealed from sight by a clever maze of rocks. They weaved their way out of the rocky maze.

“You've gotta be kidding me,” April gasped as she looked around at her surroundings and heard the loud roar of the lower falls. “You mean to say this entrance was here all along, and we need not have climbed the mountainside to find you?”

“I'm afraid so, April, but this entrance must be kept a secret, you mustn't tell anyone that it exists, not even your Berthold. Promise me that you will not tell a soul,” Takoda asked.

“Do you know how much time this could have saved us if we had known about it?”

“April. Promise,” Takoda growled.

“Okay, okay, I promise. Now let's get back to the others at the cabin as soon as possible. We might just make it back there in time for breakfast,” April said, stripping off her clothes and stuffing them into her backpack, then attaching her helmet and Fire Fairy pod to one of its straps.

“Thank you,” said Takoda, turning away from April's pale yet flawlessly beautiful naked body.

April transformed into her horse form, picked the backpack up with her teeth and led the way, galloping through the snowy pine forest. The wolf pack followed close behind her, leaping effortlessly across the deep snow of Winter Forest.