Sentari: ICE (14 page)

Reunions

The path of Yen-Dori was in utter darkness. Te’oma, Julius and Ariana could not see far enough to see their own hands. The air in the tunnel had a sickening stench to it. Each time the air moved, it wafted up Te’oma’s nose, making his stomach churn.

“Is everyone ok?” asked Julius.

“I’m fine,” said Te’oma.

“Ariana?” cried Te’oma, but she did not reply. Both Te’oma and Julius called out for Ariana but there was not a sound. Te’oma stumbled around in the darkness trying to find her.

Te’oma suddenly tripped on a rock and fell to the ground, landing directly on top of Ariana, who was fast asleep.

“What is going on?” she asked, shocked out of her slumber.

“You’re ok,” said Te’oma enthusiastically.

“I’d be even better if you weren’t lying on top of me,” said Ariana, quickly pushing Te’oma to the side and getting to her feet. “Either I’ve gone blind or it’s really dark in here,” she said.

Even in the dark, Te’oma managed to find Ariana’s hand and grabbed it tightly. Ariana squeezed back. “There you are,” said Te’oma quietly. Ariana did not reply.

“Well, what do we do now?” asked Julius.

“I have no idea,” replied Ariana.

The three fumbled around in the dark, looking for any source of light, but all they managed to do was bump into one another. Te’oma knocked Julius backwards and he stumbled over a large rock. His shoulder brushed into one of the large stalactites protruding from the roof. The stalactite pierced his skin. Julius spun around quickly thinking that something had bitten him. He swung his arm around and accidently hit one of the stalactites. The stalactite made a loud humming noise and then, as the noise faded away, a blue light began to glow from its centre. It was only a very dull light but it was enough for them to be able to see each other.

“What did you do?” said Te’oma.

“I’m not sure. I simply bumped into it and it started glowing,” said Julius.

Ariana turned around and hit one of the stalactites hanging on her side of the tunnel. The stalactite hummed, then glowed a florescent green colour.

“It’s beautiful,” said Ariana, laughing. Te’oma hit another stalactite quite hard and the vibration of the extra-loud humming caused three more nearby stalactites to light up, all different colours. They all started hitting the stalactites and before long, the tunnel was swimming in all the colours of the rainbow. The neon colours lit the floor like a rainbow.

“Well I can only see one way forward,” said Te’oma as he set off down the tunnel, slapping the stalactites as he went to light the way.

They walked for quite a while. Following the tunnel as it zigzagged through the mountain, with the stalactites behind slowly fading out and the ones ahead still dark, they could only see the area that immediately surrounded them.

Although it seemed impossible for them to fathom, the further they got into the mountain, the fouler the air became, to the point where the three found themselves covering their noses to block the smell. The smell was awfully familiar to Te’oma, but he couldn’t quite work out where he’d smelt it before.

Suddenly they found themselves at a dead end; the path literally stopped in front of them.

Te’oma slapped a stalactite at the end of the tunnel, and hundreds of stalactites lit up directly above them, leading far up into the mountain.

The stalactites were made of a strong, crystal-like substance, so they could easily hold the weight of a person. Julius climbed up first, with Ariana and Te’oma following closely behind him. The tunnel was almost vertically the entire way. Luckily for Te’oma, the stalactites below had faded out. He had an acute fear of heights and, if they were lit up, he would be able to see just how far above the ground he was.

Ariana noticed that something was wrong with Te’oma and climbed over to his side. Julius continued on up the tunnel, leaving the two alone. “Are you ok?” asked Ariana.

“I’m fine,” replied Te’oma bluntly, avoiding her gaze as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. .

Ariana put her hand on Te’oma’s and he finally looked at her. The colours glowing from the cave light covered their faces, like a rainbow reflecting on a calm lake. “It’s ok to be afraid,” said Ariana, as she wiped the sweat from his brow. Te’oma took a deep breath, then continued on up the tunnel.

They climbed and climbed for what seemed to be hours. Their sense of distance was obstructed by the pitch-black darkness that surrounded their small circle of light. The higher they got, the narrower the tunnel became until it got to the point where only one of them could fit vertically.

“I can see a light ahead,” said Julius enthusiastically. As he climbed faster, a small hole in the tunnel appeared just above him.

As he approached it, the hole became bigger until finally Julius reached the hole and stepped out into the light.

“What do you see?” asked Te’oma.

“You really are not going to believe this. Come out here,” said Julius. Te’oma climbed out into the light. After being in the tunnel for so long, the glare was so bright that he had to cover his eyes and wait for his vision to adjust. Julius held Te’oma’s hand. “You may want to sit down first,” said Julius.

Te’oma sat down as Ariana took her place next to him. He took his hands away from his eyes as they slowly adapted to the light. He looked down, then recoiled in fear. They were sitting on a branch of one of the most giant trees in all of the Yen-Gyle Forest. The ground below was like a tiny blur. After climbing all the way up the tunnel, now they had to climb back down to the ground.

As they climbed down, Ariana’s looked visibly shaken. Her breathing had become erratic. Te’oma watched her demeanour change, the closer they got to the ground.

Julius and Te’oma reached the bottom and waited for Ariana. She leapt down from the last branch and landed on the soft ground below. Her eyes welled up with emotion.

Julius walked off into the distance like a man on a mission. Ariana looked around at her old forest. The plants had grown much larger than when she lived here and the air was noticeably warmer.

“Is everything alright?” asked Te’oma.

“There’s something I haven’t told you, but this is not the time. Ask me again,” said Ariana. Julius walked back.

“Alright. Where to now?” asked Te’oma.

“We need to keep moving until we can find somewhere to spend the night,” said Julius.

The three walked through the forest at a brisk pace. The combination of the warm air and open space spurred them on. Ariana led the way. The forest had not changed so much that she could not find her way.

Ariana kept to herself as they walked through the forest. Their mood was quiet but optimistic. They were all extremely tired and they could desperately have used a break. Their stomachs screamed for food and all the muscles in their bodies ached. Luckily for them, Ariana’s old cottage was not too far away.

Te’oma approached the cottage. The closer they got, the slower Ariana moved. It wasn’t hard for Te’oma and Julius to notice that something was wrong with her. She stopped at the entrance to the cottage. The walls were all overgrown with grass. Tree branches had fallen from above and damaged the roof. It didn’t look like anyone had been there since Ariana’s family had left.

Te’oma and Julius walked up to the front door and called out hello, but there was no answer. “I don’t think anyone lives here,” said Julius, as he moved the branches that hung over the front window and peered inside. Te’oma looked at Ariana. She was literally shaking with fear.

“What is it?” asked Te’oma. Ariana did not reply. She stormed up to the front door and pushed it open. Dust fell down from the roof. Large cobwebs covered the doorway. Ariana pushed the cobwebs aside and walked in.

Inside the house, it was almost exactly as they had left it. Dust had covered everything and the plant life had started to make its way inside, but aside from that, it hadn’t changed. Ariana looked across at her old bed, next to her brother’s and her parents’ beds. It looked quite shabby. She walked over to the bed, brushed off the dust and dirt, then lay down and closed her eyes. For the briefest of moments she was home again.

Te’oma and Julius walked in behind her and sat down at the small table. “What are the odds of finding a place like this?” asked Julius.

“I think we just need to get some sleep,” said Ariana abruptly.

Te’oma walked over to Ariana and held her hand. “There are enough beds for all of us,” said Ariana as she pulled her hand away from Te’oma and rolled over.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to fall asleep. For nearly six hours they slept. The warmth of the forest, combined with the comfort of the cabin, made for a perfect place to recover.

Julius woke as the night set in. He disappeared from the cabin for a few minutes before coming back with arms full of fruit and vegetables. He woke Te’oma and Ariana to show them his lucky find. “Anybody hungry?” asked Julius.

“Definitely,” said Te’oma.

Julius cleared off the old wooden table and the three sat down and dug into the food. They ate and ate until there was nothing left. Little conversation was had. They were all too busy stuffing their faces. Eventually, their stomachs felt bloated and they leant back in their chairs, feeling very content and happy with themselves.

Julius and Te’oma talked long into the night; to them, this place was like paradise. Ariana kept very much to herself.

The nights were short in the Yen-Gyle and, as the first light of the new day pierced its way through the windows of the cabin, Ariana was already up and sneaking her way out of the cabin. She did her best to close the front door without waking anybody up, but Te’oma was already awake and watching her intently. He quietly followed her out of the cabin and walked behind her as she headed off into the forest.

“Where are you going?” asked Te’oma.

Ariana didn’t react. “Just follow me and stay quiet,” she said as she hurried off.

They walked quietly through the forest at a brisk pace. Ariana deliberately went the long way around to avoid the clearing where her family was taken. The forest had become so thick since she left that she had to start bashing the branches out of the way to keep moving. They reached her old rock pool. It still looked as pristine as she remembered it. The steam rose off the surface of the water, with the sun poking its way over the horizon, causing the endless snowfields below the cliff to glisten beautifully.

Te’oma was amazed by the pool. He’d never seen hot water outside of a kettle. Ariana stripped off down to her underwear and put her feet gracefully into the water. She recoiled momentarily, unaccustomed to the heat, then stepped into the water and submerged herself.

Te’oma watched on dumbfounded. He kept expecting to wake up. Ariana waved her hand at Te’oma, indicating that he should come in. He ripped his clothes off and ran into the water with all the grace of a blind giraffe. The water was incredibly warm. It was a strange feeling to Te’oma. He was so used to being frozen from the outside in that when his muscles and bones began to warm it almost felt uncomfortable.

Ariana swam to the edge of the cliffs and rested her arms on the rocks. She looked out at the snowfields below. Te’oma swam up next to her.

“Can you see that small tree poking its head out of the snow, way down below?” said Ariana. Te’oma squinted his eyes and could just make out the small tree through the glare of the morning sun. “That was once an apple tree. There used to be hundreds of apple trees all over those fields,” continued Ariana.

“What happened to them?” asked Te’oma.

“The same thing that happens to everything in this place. If the cold doesn’t get you the creatures will,” replied Ariana. “Just like they took my parents,” she added sadly, as she turned around to face the forest.

“What do you mean?” asked Te’oma.

Ariana had never once spoken of her parents to Te’oma. “I spent the larger part of my childhood in this forest,” said Ariana.

“You never told me that,” replied Te’oma.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t told you yet,” said Ariana, as she swam across the pool.

The water in the pool seemed to have some magical qualities to it. They found themselves so relaxed and at peace with themselves that they had no problem discussing their deepest feelings. “My older brother and both my parents were killed not far from here,” said Ariana.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” said Te’oma, putting his arm on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“The dragon Xerxes was talking about, he saved me, and to this day I have no idea why,” she said. Te’oma leaned in and kissed
Ariana softly on the lips.

“I’m glad he did,” he said, looking deep into her stunning brown eyes.

Ariana and Te’oma talked for what felt like hours. Te’oma told her his story of losing his mother and father. They sat in the water for so long that their skin wrinkled. It was at that point that Te’oma had a feeling that he had never experienced in his life. He was overheating. The two quickly got out of the water, knowing that Julius would probably be getting worried.

At first, the freezing morning air felt invigorating against their skin, but that joy was short lived, as the lovely warmth from the pool quickly faded away. They got dressed and began walking back to the cabin.