Deelind and The Icefire

by Lance Dempster

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a ghost skull slip from the rotviper, slide up the staff and then burn itself back into the surface of the wood. She could now see a perfectly carved skull in the stick. ‘Ah, it is good to have it back again. Now tell me about this new featherlite my spies have spoken about,’ said Blackthorn. He stood and walked out of the hall with the featherlite following behind him.

  ‘That’s the traitor!’ she shouted in her head.

  ‘Quietly,’ said Rudy grimly, ‘she may hear you.’

  ‘Who is it?’ she said, feeling both sick that a featherlite was a traitor and relieved that it was not her that was betraying Princess Lee after all.

  ‘Not now. We have to get out of here. We will never get another chance like this,’ said Rudy and a light spray of sand blew off the tops of dunes. ‘Quick, unlock your chain and then unlock us.’ It appeared Rudy didn’t miss a thing if he knew she already had the keys but then, she supposed, he was a scout and trained to see the smallest details.

  She could feel her will returning moment by moment. Ignoring Rudy’s instructions, she jumped and caught onto his cage. It was hard with the chain pulling her backwards and the iron collar biting her neck. Perhaps she should have unlocked herself first. She edged carefully around the cage to get to its door. The other cage occupants stood frozen as she pulled the keys out and tried different keys until she found the right one. With a click the lock opened and she squeezed into the cage. It was not easy. Featherlites were not small and Rudy was easily one storey and a bit tall when standing.

  ‘How does a large dragon like you get yourself caught?’ she asked Rudy telepathically.

  ‘I was spying on Blackthorn here in the hall and the Black Sister Hood came in. They sprayed IceFire Dust into the room. Our dragons are immune to drugs so rather than getting hooked I went dragon. However, the Black Sister Hood swarmed me, and their touch paralysed me. It felt like ice, freezing the body. All I could do was watch them build this cage around me and lock my wings open using the bars. They cursed the bars which keep me partly paralysed and unable to break free.’

  Eventually Deelind reached the lock on the bars that held his wings open on the outside of the cage. Fortunately, the second key was the right one and it released the lock, which in turn released the bars. He collapsed, pulling his wings through the cage bars, knocking her out of the cage and onto the floor. This noise, together with Mrs Drake screaming, ‘They’re getting away!’ brought in the two guards from outside the main hall door. She felt the wind from Rudy’s wings on top of her head as he headed for the guards. They were taken by surprise. Rudy grabbed them by their heads and snapped their necks.

  ‘Unlock the others. I will dispose of the guards as they come in,’ said Rudy, the glee in his voice wrapped in the roar of storm winds. ‘Thanks for the rescue!’

  Giving him a brief salute, she quickly unlocked her chain from the floor and wrapped it around her body. With her hands now free, she ran to each cage, unlocking them. When she got to Mrs Drake she asked, ‘Do you want to come with us?’

  Mrs Drake was curled up in a ball on the cage floor and just shook her head. ‘No! I can’t. He will turn Rose into a Black Sister Hood.’ Deelind decided to unlock it anyway and leave it for her to choose. Tucking the keys back into the pocket, she turned around to see a pile of guards lying at the front door and a dead guard at each of the side doors.

  ‘I will hold them. Take the others and get out of here,’ was all Rudy had time to say as the next batch of guards arrived.

  ‘Come,’ Deelind called to the others as she headed for a side door. The party followed her. There was no one outside the side entrance. All the guards appeared to have run inside and met Rudy, who had happily disposed of them. Quickly she led them down a side street. Carrying the looping coils of heavy chain did not make things easy. She saw a shop with Kate’s Hair & Nail Salon. Please let it be Ivan’s Kate! She ran to the store and crashed through the door. Once everyone was inside, she closed and latched it with a bolt. They all ran to the back of the shop and crouched down.

  Kate came running in from a back room, took one look at Deelind and seemed to understand. She slowly walked up to the front window and door. Deelind held her breath. She was not completely sure this was Ivan’s Kate and whether she would turn them in. Kate stood at the door for a few seconds and then turned the Open/Closed sign to Closed and pulled the curtain across the shop window. She walked back to Deelind and the others, waving at them to follow her into the back room. When they were all in Kate closed and locked the inner door.

  ‘Who are you?’ Kate asked Deelind.

  ‘I’m Deelind. I’m from Brakenhill. I think you know Ivan? We’ve been held prisoner in the town hall.’

  ‘I knew it. I’m Marvin,’ said the moler who had asked her about being rescued in the town hall.

  ‘Sorry, Marvin,’ said Deelind. ‘I couldn’t tell you sooner in case things didn’t work out. We have to get out of town as quickly as possible.’

  ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, Deelind,’ said Kate, ‘and yes, I do know Ivan although I haven’t seen him in weeks. I’m sorry to say that I don’t know how to get us out of town.’

  ‘I do. We need Blackthorn hedge dust and I know where to find some,’ she said with a smile. ‘We need to get to Rose’s house.’

  ‘That is going to be difficult. The streets are crawling with guards,’ Kate pointed out. ‘Let’s first get everyone cleaned up and try and disguise you all. They will soon start searching the shops. My flat is above the shop. We can all go up there and get ready, but we need to be quick.’ Kate led the way to the stairs at the back of the shop. Once inside the flat, Kate closed the curtains and quickly set about finding clothing for everyone from her wardrobe, while Deelind tried to ignore her first twinges of IceFire withdrawal. Even if she managed to escape to the other side of the hedge these twinges were enough to let her know that her journey was far from over. The withdrawal was going to be vicious, if even possible.

  Interrupting her thoughts, Kate said, ‘There is not much we can do about the collar and chain,’ as she handed Deelind a large coat and a bag, ‘but let’s put the chain and keys inside the bag and tie it around your stomach. It will make you look like a pregnant woman. Then we will tie a scarf around your neck to hide the collar. There. Just a hat to hide your face and you should be good to go. Your eyes keep changing between red and ice blue, you will always need to keep your face averted. Don’t look anyone in the eye.’ Deelind nodded her agreement.

  ‘Ladies, please choose anything from my wardrobe that will fit you. Remember you’ll need to be able to hide and crawl if necessary, so dresses and skirts are out.’ Pulling out a drawer at the bottom of the dresser next to the wardrobe, she turned to Marvin and the other two men. ‘I have clothing in this drawer that my brothers have left here on occasion. Looking at your sizes, there should be something that will fit.’

  With murmurs of gratitude from everyone, the party dressed in silence. After they finished dressing, they quickly helped Kate to assemble some meat-laden sandwiches and fill some glasses of milk for them to drink.

  Kate plonked down two full cartons in front of Deelind and Marvin, saying, ‘Drink up. I’ve seen from Ivan how hungry you all get.’ They watched Kate pack more biscuits, bread and some water into her travel bag. ‘If we go out in a big group it will bring too much attention to us. Let’s go two at a time, with me in the front and Deelind at the back, as we both know the way to Rose’s house.’

  Deelind nodded, relieved that Kate was a quick thinker.

  CHAPTER 17

  THE ESCAPE

  Kate opened the back door to the shop, and they departed two at a time. They walked as quickly as they could. News of their escape had travelled fast, and people were darting around closing doors to shops and houses. It wasn’t long before they were all outside Rose’s house. They swiftly made their way through the front door, alert to anyone who might still be inside.

  ‘
No one’s home,’ said Marvin, using his sharp hearing. There was a loud sound of air being exhaled as everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘It helps, too, that this is the last place any of Blackthorn’s men would think to look for us, but we still can’t linger,’ said Kate. ‘We’ll stay down here to keep watch. Deelind, you go and see what you can find since you know what to look for. Hurry.’

  First glance at Spike’s room made her want to laugh. It was full of Action-Men and toys, but on a closer look she saw that the Action-Men all had their heads removed. Her eyebrows shot up and she shook her head. Searching his room, she found a small bag of dust hidden under his mattress that looked like the same as what he had used on the hedge. With the thought of maybe finding some IceFire, she ran to Rose’s room and started to pull the room apart. Part of her resisted and put up a fierce battle. She did not want any more IceFire!

  ‘What on earth are you doing?’ asked Kate as she put her head in to see what the noise was all about. ‘We need to get going as soon as possible. Have you found it?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Deelind reluctantly. This was her opportunity before IceFire took away all sense. ‘Before we go downstairs, I need to talk with you before things get out of hand for us. You already know I’m addicted to IceFire. My last dose is wearing off. The clarity I had before the cravings started is thinning. My thoughts are always returning to IceFire. I found the hedge dust in Spike’s room. I was in here to find more of the drug. IceFire was forced on me first by Spike and then by Rose and Blackthorn. I don’t want to take it, but my craving addiction is kicking in hard now.’

  Kate looked at her in sympathy and concern. Blowing out a breath, she said, ‘It certainly changes things and I’m glad you told me. If withdrawal grips you quickly, I’ll be managing you alongside everything else. Why don’t you give me the bag I just saw you slip into your back pocket, then?’

  Deelind blanched. With trembling fingers, she handed the bag of crystals over to Kate.

  Looking closely at it, Kate wrinkled her nose and said, ‘Yes, that’s the stuff alright,’ and stuffed it into her inside jacket pocket. ‘We’ll be fine. We’ll get you out of here to get you the help you need. Now let’s go down.’

  Smiling weakly at her, she followed Kate back to the lounge. Deelind snorted to herself in admiration. Kate was tough, quick and kind. Ivan had made a good choice. Kate fitted perfectly into their world.

  Jan, one of the human escapees, was peeking out of the window. Worry creased her face. ‘It looks like Blackthorn has locked down the town. There is no one on the streets. I am not sure how we are going to get out of here.’

  ‘There are too many of us to walk to the hedge and it is too far. We will be seen,’ said Deelind, thinking out loud. ‘Can you dig a burrow for us?’ she asked Marvin.

  ‘I could dig a short burrow, but I don’t have much strength. I was in that cage for a long time and I have had little food.’

  ‘Then we need a way to get at least out of town and closer to the fields. What about a car?’

  ‘No one is allowed to drive cars in the town anymore. Blackthorn made everyone dump their cars at the sports field on the edge of town,’ said Kate.

  ‘As Blackthorn’s top henchman, I bet Mr Drake still has one in his garage,’ said Deelind. ‘If he has, we can drive it to the sports field tonight and dump it with the rest of the cars. The sports field happens to be on the side closest to the manor house and Brakenhill.’ Kate, Deelind and Marvin quickly checked to see if there was a car in the garage. To their relief there was. A nice big, hybrid four-by-four. They grinned at each other.

  They had no sooner got back to Jan and the others when they saw Rose walking up the driveway talking to herself.

  ‘Quick, everyone! Hide and then apprehend her,’ Marvin called out. They all hid. As soon as Rose walked into the lounge, they dived on her and pinned her to the floor. Kate jammed a sock in her mouth and the others tied her arms behind her. They sat her on the lounge chair. She looked shocked and scared.

  ‘We are going to remove your gag. If you scream, we will put it back on,’ said Deelind. Rose nodded.

  ‘Let me go,’ she said as soon as the gag was out of her mouth. Deelind felt her body respond immediately to Rose’s orders. Apparently, she still had enough IceFire in her to obey Rose. She stood and walked over to start untying Rose’s hands, but the others quickly pulled her away. Her mind was screaming, No! Don’t do this! But her body no longer listened to her mind. Seeing the problem, Kate quickly set about finding a more secure gag for Rose. She discovered a rope under the kitchen sink and tied a large knot in the middle of it. She put the knot into Rose’s mouth and secured the rest of the rope behind Rose’s head. Deelind’s body seemed determined to untie Rose at any cost. Her legs and arms struck out at anyone who tried to get between her and Rose.

  ‘Stop, Deelind!’ said Kate. ‘Rose will turn us all in and we’ll be as good as dead.’ But try as she might, she could not stop her body. She spotted Kate reaching into her jacket pocket and she went dead still, her eyes tracking every movement Kate made.

  ‘Sorry, Deelind,’ she said sadly. Tears glimmered in her eyes as she pushed an IceFire crystal into Deelind’s mouth. Rage flooded her, but it was soon overcome with relief and bliss. She had been desperate for another hit. The hot-cold flush ripped through her and she sat down on the floor.

  ‘Deelind, you must not untie Rose,’ Kate said directly into Deelind’s face. Deelind’s body immediately dropped the pull to help Rose. ‘I am so sorry I had to do that. I did not know any other way of stopping you listening to Rose.’ Deelind could already feel her mind clearing. ‘Until you are no longer under the influence of IceFire you will only listen to me,’ continued Kate, ‘do you understand?’

  Deelind nodded.

  ‘We need to get moving. The last thing we need is anyone else returning to this house. We’ll have to take Rose with us because she’s heard all our plans, and besides, she might make a good bargaining chip if we need it. As soon as it is dark, we go.’

  * * *

  It was late summer and the light was drawing in quicker now. The black cloud that covered Buttercup made the day even darker than usual. The firestorm was focused over the town, with a few stray deathburners flying outwards into the fields.

  They went out two at a time to the garage and climbed into the car. Kate brought Rose along last and sat her in the middle of the back seat. Kate drove and Deelind sat in the front passenger seat. The IceFire was peaking and Deelind gritted her teeth through the sensations. Kate slipped down the backroads with no lights on and headed for the outskirts of town. The town was deserted and deadly quiet. No one was on the streets and no lights were on in the houses. Not even a dog barked. They made it to the old sports field that was now filled with cars. Kate drove to the furthest point and switched off the engine. The field immediately in front of the old sports field had begun to turn into a weird, black marsh.

  ‘It is over to you,’ Kate said to Marvin. ‘Dig for as long as you can and then go up to the surface. Please make sure you aim for the hedge and not the town. We will follow you as quickly as we can.’

  ‘I know how to navigate,’ he said in disgust. ‘However, I cannot dig in this marsh. We will have to walk through the marsh until the soil gets drier and firmer.’

  They all followed Marvin into the marsh. There were cars being slowly sucked into it, with oil and petrol leaking out. As Deelind walked she sank up to her knees. Her legs felt like lead weights as the mud clutched at them and dragged her downwards. If she stood still her body would sink. She could hear Kate struggling with Rose, who was sinking deeper and deeper into the marsh.

  ‘Deelind. Help me!’ Kate called to her.

  Her body obeyed immediately, even if her mind preferred to let the mud have Rose. With Kate’s help, she pulled Rose out of the marsh and dragged her along. One female member of the party tried a different path to Marvin. Marvin lunged out to catch her hand. He was exceptionally st
rong, but it was too late, the mud had already claimed her. Her hand slipped out of his and she disappeared under the marsh.

  Marvin climbed onto a car close to the edge of the marsh for a rest. As soon as they had all climbed on, the car started to sink, and everyone had to jump off and head for the fields in front of the hedge. As they progressed, they noticed the mud below them gradually becoming firmer.

  Marvin looked behind him in alarm. His sharp ears seemed to have caught something.

  ‘Lie down and cover yourselves in mud. Don’t look up. A rotviper is coming this way!’ said Marvin. He quickly lay flat in the mud and rolled around in it, covering himself. The others did the same. Deelind knocked Rose, who had been resisting Kate, to the floor and they smeared her in mud.

  ‘Make a move and I will hold your head face-down in the mud,’ said Kate. Better still, I will get Deelind to do it. That’ll be poetic justice.’ She smiled grimly into Rose’s wide eyes.

  The stench of the rotviper was eye-watering. An overpowering smell of rotting flesh filled the air, sending waves of nausea through Deelind. She couldn’t imagine that the others fared any better. Her heart pounded as the pressure of wind from its beating wings let her know it was right above them. It circled them several times. After what felt like eons, eventually it flew away.

  With big sighs of relief and looking a little sick to the stomach, they got up, the heavy, muddied clothes making it hard to walk swiftly. An exhausting hour later they made it onto dry ground. Marvin walked a little further to make sure they were far enough away from the marsh. The mud had dried on their skin and it was itchy. Rose could not stand still, and the others kept scratching, except for Deelind. Her skin did not seem itchy, nor was it getting the red blotches that the others had. Not for the first time she felt relief for the strange benefits of IceFire, the drug of contradictions.

  ‘The burrow will collapse within ten minutes so don’t take too long,’ said Marvin as he disappeared into the ground. One after the other they followed him in.