‘This should protect us from the flames, but I had better go through alone just to make sure. I wouldn’t want to see you two incinerated,’ he whispered with a mischievous chuckle. ‘Wait here: I will come back for you – hopefully.’
‘Don’t joke about this,’ Ava said. ‘I don’t think you should attempt this. I have a bad feeling things will go wrong. Remember we are not dealing with black magic of the evil witch or the Dark Wizard. This flaming barrier was set up by the gods. I suspect it is much stronger magic, greater than even the Great Wizard’s.’
‘You worry far too much. I have every faith in the Grey Elf, and remember I have tested its protective power: when the witches’ den exploded into flames, I came through unscathed.’ He shook the shroud and it started to unroll before wrapping itself around him and he disappeared. Ava, Louis and the two dragons locked their eyes on the curtain of flames and, as before, the flames slowly died down before flaring back up again.
‘I see what he has done,’ Ava said in a hushed tone. ‘He’s used his ring again. Hopefully he had enough time to slip through before it relit.’ She closed her eyes and crossed her fingers, praying for his safe return: the wait was unbearable for both of them. It seemed an age as the minutes ticked by, and both gasped in relief as once again the flames died down. There was a moment of suspense before Shaun reappeared.
‘What is it like in there?’ one of the dragons said, his eyes blazing with excitement. ‘We dragons all wonder and would love to experience what you three are about to.’
‘What I have seen of the landscape, it is very similar to this side but only time will tell what lies ahead, once we are in there. But I will make sure we visit your canyon and tell you of our experience.’ He turned to Louis and Ava. ‘We need to move on: remember time is ticking by. I’m sure all our friends will be waiting anxiously for our safe return. I’m afraid the shroud isn’t large enough for all three of us, so I will take Louis through first with his rucksack. Ava, you will be safe here with our two friends until I return for you.’
Louis picked up his rucksack and stood close to Shaun as he unfolded the shroud and they disappeared. Ava gave a little sigh of relief as the flames died down again. She didn’t have to wait long before Shaun was back for her: she was standing with his rucksack when Shaun reappeared. He glanced over to the dragons.
‘We can’t thank you enough for your help. Return home and, as I have said, we will bring the ship back to the canyon.’ With that said, he shook the shroud and they disappeared. The two dragons waited until the flames had died down and fired up again before turning and flying away.
Shaun thought things were going too well and he gasped in despair as he and Ava slipped out of the shroud to find there was no sign of Louis.
‘Where is he?’ cried Ava.
Shaun shrugged his shoulders, a puzzled expression on his face. ‘He was right here standing close to this mountainside. I can’t imagine he would wander off. He would know we would be worried. I fear something terrible has happened.’
‘What do we do now?’ Ava, said, her voice filled with emotion. ‘We’ll have to search for him, but which way do we go? Where do we start?’
‘Just sit down for a short while. It will give him a chance to return and us a chance to consider our next move. Open my rucksack: we may as well have some refreshments while we hatch a plan. As you know, I think better on a full stomach.’ They sat in silence looking out over the harsh, spine-tingling landscape with its mountainous terrain shrouded in swirling, hot gases and in places lit up with the glow of streams of golden red, molten lava – truly a terrifying sight. For the first time on this journey, Shaun was experiencing a feeling of overwhelming self-doubt coupled with guilt: he should never have agreed to bring his two friends along. Louis had disappeared and how could Ava possibly survive in this hostile environment? He took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently.
‘I should never have brought you to this dreadful place. Do you feel strong enough to go on?’
‘Of course I do. Once we have found Louis you will feel so much better: we are a team, remember, a strong band that can achieve any goal as long as we stay together.’
‘Yes, I know but we could spend days, even weeks, searching for him. I think what we need to do is go and find the Skioblaonir. Once we have it we will be able to search the whole area from the air.’
Ava jumped to her feet. ‘You are right as usual. I hate leaving him, but we will have more chance with the boat, and the sooner we start, the better.’
They quickly packed their rucksack and with a newfound surge of confidence strode forward hand in hand. They stumbled over jagged and crumbling rocks as they stayed close to the mountainside, using it to give them cover, but suddenly the silence was broken with the sound of blood-curdling howling which stopped them in their tracks. Shaun ushered Ava into a cleft in the mountainside before standing in front of her with hammer raised, ready to protect them. The howling slowly increased, seemingly coming from every direction around them, as though whatever was making the sounds were calling to each other.
Ava opened her rucksack and took out the red sack of fairy dust. ‘I think it best we make ourselves invisible: these creatures must know intruders have entered their territory and they sound as though they are getting closer.’ She took a handful of dust and sprinkled it over them. There was an agonising wait before they disappeared just as a monstrous wolf emerged from one of the many caves. Ava shuddered as it turned towards them. It had a huge body covered in long, beastly hair and three enormous heads with evil, green, glowing eyes and terrible jaws with large, fanged teeth dripping with venom. As it moved forward, its long tail, with arrow-shaped barb end like that of a dragon, swished from side to side, and to Shaun and Ava’s horror it was joined by three more of the monsters emerging from other caves.
They stood side by side, sniffing the air while giving out an ear-splitting chorus of howling, their heads turning from side to side and scanning the whole area. Ava’s heart was pounding and she was convinced somehow they could see her. ‘Shall we make a run for it?’ she whispered.
‘No, I’m pretty sure with all those ears they would be able to hear a pin drop. Just stay still and try and control your breathing: hopefully they will move on.’ But sadly the wolves seemed to be able to sense there was something nearby and they stayed in the same position as time slipped by, continuing to howl.
Shaun was beginning to worry the fairy dust might wear off: they would be in full view and trapped. He must think of something and quickly: his mind was going nineteen to the dozen as he glanced around. He squeezed Ava’s hand.
‘Be ready to move when I tell you. I have an idea –’ but before he could finish, the wolves slowly moved towards them. He quickly pointed his ring finger up towards the mountainside above the wolves and closed his eyes. Suddenly there was a rumbling sound which grew louder and louder and which seemed to unnerve the wolves. They came to a halt and glanced up to see the mountainside beginning to move, with huge rocks and boulders tumbling down in an almighty landslide. The wolves quickly turned tail and disappeared back inside their caves.
Shaun yanked Ava’s hand. ‘Let’s go, we need to move quickly.’
They sprinted forward over the rocky pathway. Shaun’s eyes were locked onto the tumbling rocks above and realised time was running out. The landslide would hit them before they reached safety so he again raised his ring finger and closed his eyes. Ava, who was panicking inside, gave out a cry of relief as suddenly the rocks and boulders came to a stop and were hanging in mid-air above them as they raced by. They stopped to get their breath back when they reached the other side of the rockfall, and just at that moment the fairy dust wore off. Ava checked the red sack.
‘There’s not a lot left, I think we should keep it for an emergency.’ Shaun agreed and they set off once again.
After stumbling over the rough terrain for several miles they came upon a beaten track. It was difficult to guess who or what had made s
uch a trail: it was obviously well used. Ava could see Shaun looking down deep in thought.
‘What do you think?’ she said as she glanced around. ‘Animals or beings?’
Shaun looked up, a perplexed expression on his face. ‘I honestly have no idea but it would seem that whatever lives here uses it, and it will be a lot kinder on the feet. I think we should follow it and see where it leads us, but we must keep our wits about us: there are so many clefts and caves where danger could be lurking.’ Shaun led the way with Ava sticking close behind. It was indeed easier underfoot but the air was unnervingly still very humid in the searing heat; to make things worse, the eerie half-light was throwing up strange, sinister, shadowy illusions from the mountainside.
The track was on a steep gradient as it climbed up the mountainside, and the further they travelled, the more the ground beneath them began to shake and the sound of deep thuds filled the air: the higher they climbed, the louder the sound, and the area either side of the track was covered in dark slag and ash with steaming fissures constantly gushing skyward. As they approached the summit they came upon a small crater. When they peered over the edge their blood ran cold, for below they could see a huge, forge-like set-up similar to the Dwarf’s forge, but there were several giants with large hammers: it was their hammering that was shaking the ground. Ava suddenly screamed out loud as one of the giants standing watch over the others turned his head and looked up. He was much bigger than the others, with thick, wavy hair and beard, but he only had one eye in the centre of his brow above his nose. He gave out a blood-curdling growl as he spotted the two tiny heads gazing down on them.
Shaun leapt to his feet. ‘It’s a cyclops. I read about them in mythology: they are supposed to eat the flesh of humans, so we had better move fast if we don’t want to end up on his dinner plate.’
Ava wasn’t amused and her heart was racing. ‘How will we escape? Which way do we go?’
Shaun climbed up to the summit, glancing in all directions and searching for the best route to follow. Ava clambered up to join him. He pointed to an area in the distance.
‘Look, the sky over there in bright red with flares and dazzling plumes of colour like a firework display. At a guess I’d say that was the valley of fire, so we must take this track down the mountain. At least we will be going in the right direction: fingers crossed, but we still have a long way to go.’
They set off, Shaun leading the way. Slowly and silently keeping to the shadows, they crept on down a rugged track which wound its way around the mountainside. And as they caught sight of the bottom, the air was filled with a strange grunting noise. Ava froze and grabbed Shaun’s hand: they both held their breath and scurried into a shadowed cleft, staying totally motionless, their eyes peeled and staring at the area below. They waited anxiously as the grunting increased, and to their horror only a hundred metres or so further down emerged the cyclops followed by a dozen or more hulking great giants, their bright red eyes penetrating the half-light. Although the cyclops was so much larger in every way, these giants were more imposing with their straggly, matted hair, twisted ears and huge, slavering jaws with long, crooked, fang-like teeth. A terrifying sight: such ugly and ferocious, brutish monsters. Ava was stiff with fear and Shaun, although he, too, was in a state of shock, knew it was up to him to confront them. He took a few deep breaths before turning to Ava.
‘Stay here, no matter what happens don’t move. You should be safe here. I’ll attract their attention away from you.’
‘No, you –’ she tried to interrupt but he put his hand over her mouth.
‘I know you’re scared but remember I have the hammer and the ring. No harm will come to me, but whatever you do, don’t leave this place.’ He kissed her gently on the cheek before stepping out of the shadows and walking slowly forward.
As he moved closer, the giants became agitated. The cyclops bent down and picked up a huge boulder as though it were a small stone. He gave out a loud scream as he hurled it towards Shaun. As quick as a flash Shaun raised his hammer and a bolt of lightning shot out, smashing the boulder into a million fragments. The giants seemed unsettled and confused, grunting loudly amongst themselves and turning to the cyclops for instructions. The cyclops responded and plucked an even larger boulder from the mountainside: using both hands, he raised it above his head ready to hurl it towards Shaun, but again he was ready and prepared. He pointed the hammer towards the boulder and as the thunderbolt struck, the boulder exploded, showering the screaming giants with shrapnel, and they disappeared back into their cave.
Shaun gave out a huge sigh of relief, but his joy was short-lived as the cyclops gave out a bellowing roar and the giants appeared. They covered their heads, so the cyclops thumped several of them around the face as he ranted and screamed. All of a sudden he turned towards Shaun and moved forward, with the giants following close behind. Slowly they ambled menacingly up the track, grunting in unison, but again Shaun responded, this time sending thunderbolts down to the ground beneath the cyclops’ feet, sending him sprawling backwards and knocking the giants over like skittles. He waited till they scrambled to their feet, then sent another barrage of bolts to the top of the mountain above them, and the cyclops glanced up to see an avalanche of rocks and boulders raining down towards them. He screamed at the giants, waving his huge arms, and they quickly backtracked and once again disappeared inside their cave just as the rockfall landed, totally blocking the entrance.
Shaun grabbed Ava’s hand. ‘Quick, we must get out of this place before they clear the entrance.’ He led her down to the rock pile, took out his hammer, and smashed his way through, and they were soon on their way, striding away from the mountain in the direction of the bright red sky and flares.
The terrain was even more hostile than what they had encountered, with deep troughs and mounds of jagged, clinker-like material which made walking difficult and painful. Further on their pathway they entered an area of towering, overhanging cliffs, all shapes and sizes, casting sinister shadows across their path. Although they knew they had to push on, what with the searing heat and the dreadful terrain it was starting to ebb away at their resolve, and their strength was being slowly sucked out of them. Luckily, their rucksacks provided the water they needed to prevent dehydration, but they were having to stop for regular rest and refreshments and there was little in the way of conversation: morale was at an all-time low.
Finally after several hours they reached the end of the jagged pathway and they took shelter under an overhanging ledge to cool down and gather their thoughts.
‘Of all our journeys that was the most testing,’ sighed Ava as she took off her shoes and rubbed her aching feet.
Shaun leant over and gave her a gentle foot massage. ‘Yep, I know. I think things can only improve: it does look a little less intimidating up ahead,’ Shaun said, looking out at the panorama in front of them.
‘I’m trying not to look,’ Ava replied. ‘I don’t think I could face another journey like that.’
They remained in the shade, enjoying the rest and recharging their batteries while they waited for the coolest part of the afternoon, before setting off once more, trying where they could to stay in the shadow of the towering mountainside which skirted the maze of mounds and gulleys. It was such a contrast to travelling through their area of Colgilor: there wasn’t even the sound of a bird or any other creature: total silence, which was a little unnerving. Ava was hanging onto Shaun’s jacket, her head spinning from side to side. She had an overwhelming feeling they were about to be attacked: maybe the cyclops was waiting in one of the many caves they were passing in the mountainside.
All of a sudden Shaun came to a halt, his face strained and anxious. ‘Can you hear something?’ he whispered.
‘No, what is it?’ she replied, her voice quaking with fear.
‘There it is again: sounds like footsteps coming from one of the caves further up.’ Ava glanced over her shoulder.
‘Shall we turn back? It might be the cy
clops and the other giants: we could maybe hide in one of those caves further back just until we see what is making the noise.’ But just as they turned to leave, several Dwarfs emerged a few metres in front of them. They were very similar to their Dwarf friends back home: short, bearded with long, flowing white hair and terribly old faces, and their bodies rippled with muscle. Even their body armour was the same with metal knee protectors and wristbands, studded boots and leather skirt wraps with studded metal belts. Each one carried a sword in one hand and an axe in the other: truly a fearsome sight as they spread out into a line, their weapons glinting in the half-light.
Shaun stepped in front of Ava ready to protect her. He raised his hand. ‘We mean you no harm, we have travelled –’ But before he could finish the Dwarfs opened up and Louis appeared. He ran towards them, arms open wide. Shaun’s face lit up and Ava cried tears of joy as they engaged in a group hug.
‘We thought you were dead,’ Ava cried, her voice filled with emotion. ‘Are they friendly?’ she sniffed, gazing over to the Dwarfs who were standing watching the reunion.
Louis glanced over his shoulder. ‘Oh yes, they are friendly, just like our friends back home. Actually they are related: these Dwarfs are the descendants of the Dwarfs who brought the legendary weapons to this place, but the dragons didn’t kill them as King Dumall assumed in fact they had no way of returning: once the Skioblaonir with the weapons were submerged into the valley of fire, they made a life for themselves here. And these Dwarfs have followed in their footsteps, forging wonderful weapons in their mountain forge, the skill passed down through each generation.’
One of the Dwarfs ambled over to join them.
‘My name is Draygar, I am their leader. Louis has told me your story. You can stay with us tonight: have a rest and enjoy a feast. This place is so dangerous and you still have a long way to go to reach the valley of fire. We will escort you there but we will not be able to enter the valley. Once you see it, you may decide to turn back, but from what Louis has told us I doubt that.’
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