Sentari: ICE (6 page)

“Stay down!” screamed Mastus, as he fought the tigers.

Ariana dropped to the ground and hid in the fog.

The screaming and fighting carried on for what seemed an eternity for Ariana. She huddled on the ground terrified. “Jaden. Jaden,” she whispered, but she got no reply. Suddenly there was silence. “Mum, Dad?” she whispered. But again, there was no reply. Ariana slowly got to her feet. She looked out and all she could see were trees. Mastus, Kari and Jaden were all gone. She heard a hissing sound, then a cold breath down the back of her neck. She spun around to see all four tigers looking directly at her. Startled, she stepped backwards. The tigers snarled and hissed as they advanced on her slowly. It was almost like the creatures were taking pleasure in tormenting her.

Ariana stepped back again, but she knew she had nowhere to go. She closed her eyes and thought back to happier times, with the whole family playing in her pool. The four tigers all let out an ear-piercing howl, when suddenly their screams were drowned out by the roar of a much larger creature.

Ariana opened her eyes and looked up. High above, a mighty dragon flapped its wings and roared.

The tigers stepped back towards the tree line. The dragon swooped down quickly and slammed into the ground, right in front of Ariana, getting between her and the tigers.

That was the first time she had ever seen a dragon. It was enormous in size, covered in scales, with thick spikes running up its tail and back. Its scales were worn and damaged, a sign that the dragon had seen a lot of battles.

The dragon raised its head. Smoke poured out of its nose. The tigers knew better than to take on a dragon. They quickly scurried away into the trees. The dragon took a deep breath, then let out a gigantic burst of fire. Ariana shielded her face from the heat. The trees surrounding the clearing caught on fire and began to burn.

The giant dragon turned to face Ariana. She was so afraid that she could not even look. It leant down and, as it did, Ariana’s head grew light. She became dizzy and stumbled around before falling to the ground unconscious.

Sweet dreams swept through Ariana’s head – rolling mountains, flying through clouds and swimming in giant lakes of glimmering blue water. She slept and slept, her mind lost in beautiful places. Part of her knew she was asleep, but she did not want to wake from such a place.

After nearly a week of sleeping, Ariana woke. She found herself wrapped up tightly in a snugly warm, animal-skin blanket. Her head rested against the softest pillow she had ever felt.

She looked up and realised that she was sleeping under a tree. She took the blanket off and gingerly got to her feet. She gazed across at a sight that she had only ever seen from above – acres and acres of snow-covered fields.

She turned around and, behind her, high up above the cliff faces, was the Yen-Gyle forest. The memories of the tiger attack came flooding back. For the briefest of moments, she had forgotten about it.

Ariana stood in silence for quite some time. Not a sound could be heard. She stared intently at her home above, taking one last look at the place she had called home her whole life. She turned her back on the forest and walked off into the unknown.

“There is only ever one way forward.”

The Long Road Ahead

With one last sniff of the cool evening air, Xerxes pulled shut the door to his ice-bound home.

Te’oma stood by the fireplace, pondering the path that lay before him. He always dreamt of having friends and going on great adventures, but now that the moment was here he was not sure it was what he wanted.

He stared at Ariana and marvelled at her determination. It was the night before they were to leave and she was already packed and ready to go. ‘She is just so amazing,’ he thought to himself, before his stare caught her attention.

“What are you looking at?” snapped Ariana, her usual charm breaking Te’oma’s trance.

“Nothing,” he said, as he did his best to look away.

“It does my heart good to see you moving so freely young man,” said Xerxes to Julius. His injuries had fully healed and he had continued to improve all day. It was amazing how much good a couple of days in a nice warm bed could do.

“I feel fantastic,” said Julius, as he dug into another helping of Xerxes’ soup. “In fact, I’ve never felt this good. What is in this?”

“Nothing special, except for the ten-thousand-year-old water melted from the glacier,” replied Xerxes.

“Well, whatever it is, it works,” said Julius.

“I have something for you,” said Xerxes. He grabbed a box out from under his bed and opened the lid. Inside lay three pairs of silver-coloured gloves. The palm of each glove was covered in dozens of tiny diamonds. Xerxes handed a pair to each of them. “The journey ahead is long and difficult,” he said.

Ariana looked at the gloves curiously. “I already have a pair of gloves, and these don’t seem so warm,” she said putting them on.

“There will be a time when these will come in very handy,” said Xerxes. “Just put them in your pack. You’ll know when to use them.”

Alto hurried over to his little bed in the corner of the room. “Come now. It’s getting late. I’m an old man and I need my sleep,” said Xerxes.

Julius lay down on a small bed, next to the ones Ariana and Te’oma had been sleeping in. A single animal skin lay on top of the rock-hard, wooden floor. He looked longingly at the lovely bed he had had, the one that Xerxes now occupied.

Xerxes blew out all the candles, bar one. “We need a little light for when nature calls,” he said.

Xerxes, Julius and Ariana fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Ariana snored like a steam train and mumbled in her sleep. Te’oma stared up at the roof. The light from the candle reflected over the exposed area of the glacier, causing the light to dance in all directions. His mind was troubled. He knew he was not doing this trip by himself, yet he still felt alone.

Ariana tossed and turned. Te’oma turned to look at her. She was very beautiful. It was just a pity that this was as peaceful as she got. She mumbled some incoherent words, then flung her arm across herself. Her hand landed on Te’oma’s. Her skin was warm and soft. Te’oma held her hand in his. Ariana squeezed it, mumbled again, then continued to snore. The night was long and bitterly cold.

***

It was dark in the cave. The morning sun had no effect this far below the glacier. Luckily, Xerxes had his own personal alarm clock. Alto woke at the crack of dawn every day and leapt onto Xerxes’ bed to lick his face, something that Xerxes did not enjoy.

Surprisingly, this day Julius was already awake, preparing a breakfast for them all, if you could call some steamed vegetables and a bowl of soup breakfast.

“You’re up early,” said Xerxes.

“I had a hard time sleeping,” replied Julius.

“Yes, it does take some getting used to down here,” said Xerxes.

“Apparently, not for everyone,” said Julius as he pointed to where Te’oma and Ariana lay, still hand in hand.

“Oh, I see,” said Xerxes, rather awkwardly.

Alto leapt off Xerxes’ bed, running straight over the top of Ariana and Te’oma, and scratched at the door to be let out. “Alright, alright,” said Xerxes.

Ariana and Te’oma opened their weary eyes. “Good morning,” said Julius, standing directly over them with a big smile on his face.

“What are you so happy about?” said Ariana.

Julius looked down at their hands and grinned. Ariana quickly pulled her hand away from Te’oma’s. “Yuck, get off me!” she said.

It was a clear day. The sun beamed down over the glacier, causing an incredible amount of glare. It was still bitterly cold and the clouds hung over the land below, but up there it just felt nicer.

Te’oma, Ariana and Julius waited at the edge of the glacier, looking out at the seemingly endless mountains that lay before them. They had their packs full of supplies and Xerxes had given them each containers to hold as much fresh water as they could.

“Are you sure you understand the way?” asked Xerxes, who seemed unusually nervous.

“Of course. Across the glacier, across the dunes, through the mountains and up the cliffs. Got it. It’s all on the map,” said Ariana.

“You make it sound so easy,” replied Xerxes.

Xerxes lead them back down the mountain to an old trail he knew of. If you weren’t looking for it, you would hardly know it was there, but he insisted that it was the quickest way across the glacier. “This is as far as I can take you,” he said.

“We are eternally grateful for your assistance,” said Julius.

They turned and looked at the forbidding path that lay in front of them. All they could see was a tiny dirt track that weaved its way through towering walls of ice.

“Well, we’ve waited long enough. Let’s get moving,” said Ariana as she marched off down the path. Julius and Te’oma set off after her.

“Te’oma.” said Xerxes. “Wait one minute.”

Te’oma went back to Xerxes’ side. Julius and Ariana did not notice and continued on.

Xerxes’ demeanour changed. He stared at Te’oma with a powerful gaze. “There are many dangers that lie on the path before you, some more obvious than others,” he said.

“Why are you telling me this?” asked a rather confused Te’oma.

“You have very strong friends there, but they do not have what you have. You have a strength that has been passed down from your ancestors,” said Xerxes.

“What strength?” replied Te’oma.

“You will find out soon enough, but I will say this – stay true to yourself and you will find the way. Remember, sometimes things are not what they seem,” said Xerxes.

Te’oma was terrified. He didn’t know what Xerxes was talking about. He’d never been good at anything and had definitely never felt special.

“Don’t worry. I have great confidence in you,” said Xerxes. “Now, go after your friends and remember to enjoy your time. That’s also very important.”

“Thank you. Will we ever see you again?” asked Te’oma.

Xerxes smiled and walked away. Te’oma suddenly realised he was alone. He quickly ran down the path as fast as he could.

***

Ariana had reached a block in the path. Two giant pieces of the glacier had come together leaving only the tiniest gap. Te’oma came bounding down the path, puffing and panting.

“Finally,” said Ariana. “Where have you been?”

“I just wanted to say goodbye,” said Te’oma.

“Well your friend has sent us to a dead end. There’s no way we’re fitting through there,” said Ariana.

“There must be a way through,” said Te’oma.

Te’oma tried pushing the ice, before deciding that that was a rather stupid idea. He then dug at it but, once again, he realised he was not going to get anywhere doing that. Finally, he noticed that the dirt on the ground was quite loose. He lay down and dug away at it, revealing a gap under the ice.

Te’oma started squeezing his way into the gap.

“You can’t be serious,” said Ariana, looking rather concerned.

“No one said this was going to be easy,” replied Te’oma.

“But you barely fit,” said Ariana.

“Ariana, you wouldn’t be scared, would you?” asked Te’oma.

Ariana pulled Te’oma out of the hole by his legs. “Get out of my way,” she said, burrowing her way through the ice.

Te’oma smiled at Julius. He had started to enjoy getting under her skin.

After a short time the ice opened up and they were able to stand and walk again.

The path continued on for miles. The glacier was seemingly infinite. The sun quickly crossed the sky above and the night set in.

***

Xerxes stood at the entrance to his home, alone again. He had forgotten how nice human company could be. He only hoped that he had done the right thing. Suddenly, without warning, Antastus, king of the dragons, slammed down on the ground in front of Xerxes. Enormous in size, Antastus lead the dragons with an iron fist. His head alone was the size of two men. Not only was he the biggest, but he was the most vicious of all the dragons. His rule dated back eons.

Antastus moved close to Xerxes. His eyes were pale and cold; his scales encrusted with layers of ice. A deep and terrifying rumble came from Antastus’s belly before he spoke. “I sense something has changed in your heart, old man. Tell me.” Said Antastus, his voice deep with a slight echo.

Xerxes stepped back from the dragon. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied nervously.

“You can’t hide your feelings from me. Never forget you’re only here because we tolerate your existence,” said Antastus.

“I honestly don’t know,” replied Xerxes.

“Who do you think you’re talking to!” demanded an angry Antastus.

Xerxes scurried back. Antastus leaned down and puts his giant nostrils right up against Xerxes and sniffed. “I sense … I sense hope,” said Antastus, as he continued to sniff, “but it is not all coming from you,” he said. He leaped into the air. The ground shuddered as he flapped his giant wings. Within the blink of an eye Antastus had disappeared off into the distance.

***

The jagged peaks and valleys of the glacier went on like an endless ripple. Ariana struggled to climb up the ice. Te’oma reached down to give her a helping hand, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to take it.

“We need to take a break,” said Julius, as he sat exhausted on the ice.

“I agree,” said an equally tired Te’oma.

Ariana looked out at the ice ahead. She looked back and saw how little distance they had covered. “Are we even getting anywhere?” she asked, as she plonked herself down in a huff.

The sun was slowly setting on the day yet again. “The ice feels like it’s getting colder,” said Te’oma, “if that’s even possible.”

“We need to get out of the wind for the night,” said Ariana.

They made camp between two large blocks of ice that were close enough together to block the wind a bit. The animal skins they brought to sleep on did their best to keep the cold out but they knew eventually the water was going to seep through.

‘This is going to be one long, cold night,’ Te’oma thought to himself; he only hoped that they reached the end of the glacier before another day ended.

As the sun settled into the distance, it gave off one final blast of light. Looking down the glacier, the light refracted off the ice, and with a clear sky and a faint mist above the ground, the scene was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the beauty was lost on Te’oma. His mind was caught between exhaustion and what Xerxes had said to him before they left.

As if night time on the glacier wasn’t cold enough, the wind decided to play its part. Te’oma, Ariana and Julius slept, wrapped up in their animal skin rugs but still shivering. The wind whipped through the small gap in the ice behind them like a hurricane.

“Ariana?” said Te’oma. “Ariana, are you awake?”

“I am now,” she said.

“Do you believe him?”

“Who?” asked Ariana with evident frustration.

“Xerxes,” said Te’oma. “Do you believe that there is still a good dragon out there?”

Ariana rolled over in her bed to face Te’oma. “I know he exists,” she said confidently.

“How?” enquired Te’oma.

“Because I met him,” said Ariana.

“You met him? When?” demanded Te’oma, nearly waking Julius from his sleep.

“It was a long time ago,” said Ariana.

“How?” said Te’oma.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Now go to sleep,” snapped Ariana, rolling over.

“I only hope he’s still alive,” she added quietly, a moment later.

Te’oma stared at the ice, confused. Every time he seemed to make a breakthrough with Ariana she clammed up on him.

The morning came and, with it, another long and painful day of climbing. Their arms and legs were starting to ache in muscles they didn’t know they had. The glacier seemed to go on forever. To make things worse, heavy rain and snow had been pelting down on them all day long.

Ironically, the rain and snow eased as they climbed down from one last pillar of ice. They could see the end of the glacier. Unfortunately it gave way to a cliff face that ran for miles in each direction. Sitting in a small valley between them and the base of the cliff was a crystal clear lake. The water was calm and inviting.