Shaun thanked them all for their help. Ava wiped away a tear: she hated goodbyes and the little band stepped through the entrance, disappearing into the gloom beyond. They stumbled forward slowly as their eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, but they came to a halt as they reached a junction with a labyrinth of passageways leading off in different directions.
Shaun looked to his two friends. ‘It’s a shame we don’t have the Grey Elf’s waystones, but they probably wouldn’t work in here anyway, so which way do we go?’ Ava pointed to the right and Louis to the left. ‘That’s a big help,’ sighed Shaun. ‘I was going to suggest straight on.’ There was a moment of silence before they all burst into fits of laughter. ‘It’s a good job we can see the funny side, but seriously we could end up lost forever if we go on.’
Just as their spirits were sinking and thinking they should maybe turn back, Shaun’s ring began to oscillate and a golden beam filtered out and swirled around the junction several times before approaching one of the passageways, hovering a moment before slowly floating inside. Without saying a word they followed the beam, Shaun in front with Ava holding onto him, and Louis staying close behind.
The beam not only led the way, but also lit up the passageway ahead, making it so much easier for the little band to follow and they were in awe of the enchanting decorative formations that furnished the passageway. The golden beam washing over them, casting twisted and eerie shadows on the walls, somehow set a strange, magical illusion. But further on, the roof started seeping water, running down and flooding the path beneath them, and to add to their worries a low, humming sound filled the air around them: the further they progressed, the louder it became.
When they turned a bend in the passageway they could see a bright light flickering through a curtain of fine water spray falling from the roof a hundred metres or more further ahead. They dropped their heads and, using all their physical and mental strength, struggled forward through the rising ground water until they reached the bright light with a loud, rumbling sound of cascading water ringing in their ears.
They held hands as they looked to one another for support before stepping through the curtain of water onto a ledge with a powerful waterfall a metre in front of them. They cautiously shuffled forward and Shaun stuck his head through.
Ava burst into laughter when Shaun pulled his head back with water dropping off his chin.
‘You look like a drowned rat,’ she said, trying to stifle her giggles. ‘What have you seen?’
Shaun shook his head and rubbed the excess water from his hair. ‘The ledge juts out above a raging torrent of water hurtling down through a wide canyon. I can see why they call it the Death Canyon.’
‘What do we do now?’ sighed Louis. ‘I suppose we may as well take a look now we are here.’
Again they held hands and took a deep breath before stepping through the waterfall. Ava screamed out as the icy-cold water engulfed her body. But she was struck dumb, as were the others as they looked on in despair at the hopeless situation that faced them. The canyon had towering, rugged cliffs rising steeply skyward, and the violent speed of the crashing, turbulent waters flowing between looked impossible to overcome. They stood in silence and motionless for several minutes just staring out into the canyon. Louis and Ava were thinking that they may as well turn back. It would be suicide to try and go on, but Shaun never thought of defeat. He was racking his brains trying to hatch a plan in his mind: there was always a way.
Louis turned to Shaun. ‘What now? How can we move on from here? We can’t climb the cliff walls and even with our rucksacks as floats the currents would suck us under.’
Ava nodded in agreement. ‘I’m sure the Great Wizard will understand: he certainly wouldn’t want us to die in vain and that’s what we would be doing.’
Shaun remained silent, racking his brains for a solution. He could not argue with that statement, but surely there must be a way. Suddenly a huge grin spread across his face and he was filled with a surge of excitement tinged with an equal amount of trepidation as a thought floated through his head.
‘Major John Wesley Powell, that’s it.’
Ava frowned as she glanced at Louis. ‘Who?’
‘John Wesley Powell! John Wesley Powell,’ Shaun spluttered. ‘Surely you’ve heard of him, he was a one-armed American Civil War veteran who conquered the wild rapids of the Colorado River that runs through the Grand Canyon.’
‘Was he swimming with one arm?’ Louis said sarcastically.
‘Very funny,’ replied Shaun, his expression changing to a stern glare. ‘All we need is a boat, a strong, buoyant, unsinkable boat.’ He paused a moment. ‘Maybe that’s asking a bit too much.’ He paused a moment, staring down at the wild, angry water as it bubbled and surged on its journey. The one thing upmost in his mind was the safety of his two friends: could he risk their lives, even though so much depended on their success? He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and pointed his ring finger towards the water in front of him. There was a slight pause.
Louis and Ava cried out loud in wonderment. Even Shaun was impressed when he opened his eyes to find a strong, steel boat all fitted out with seats, safety belts and oars bobbing up and down in front of him and a tie rope strapped to his hand, preventing the boat being swept away. He quickly ushered his two friends on-board before clambering on behind them. They strapped themselves and took hold of the oars and were off, hurtling forward with the violent roar of the water filling the air around them like a thunderstorm engulfing the canyon.
At least the air was warm as the sunlight broke through the thinning clouds, but the spray from the water crashing against the boat soon cooled them down. They experienced the fight of their lives as they lunged onward, struggling all the way to keep afloat in the fast-flowing rapids, constantly dodging giant boulders and rugged rocks while being thrown around like a rubber dingy in a sea storm. On turning a bend in the canyon, they entered an even scarier section with wild, tumbling waters cascading down a steep incline with such fury that all they could do was grab hold of the sides of the boat, close their eyes and pray. After what seemed an eternity of the boat rocking from side to side and zigzagging all over the place, they emerged into calmer waters and they cried out, hollering and cheering with a mixture of delight and relief, realising they had survived. They were even more delighted when they spotted the end of the canyon a mile or so further on, and just beyond, an array of flames shooting skyward: at last the flaming valley was in their sights.
Their spirits now at an all-time high and their hearts bubbling with joy. They were able to enjoy a leisurely paddle down the canyon, chattering away excitedly and knowing they were nearing the end of their journey, even though the flaming canyon would possibly be the most dangerous part. But their joy quickly turned to stomach-churning fear as the canyon was filled with nerve-shattering roaring which seemed to rock the boat, and to their horror from out of a cave at the side of the canyon emerged a huge monster, part dragon, part lizard. It had the huge, scaly head, body and arms of a dragon with razor-like claws and long, protruding teeth. The lower body and tail were those of a huge water lizard. It remained in the cave entrance, its blood red eyes bearing down on the panic-stricken band as they tried in vain to turn the boat around. It gave out another ear-shattering roar before slipping into the water. Suddenly the air above them was filled with flames as the monster belched out a blast of smoke and fire.
Ava quickly opened her rucksack and pulled out her magic flute, remembering how it calmed the rainbow serpent on their previous quest. Shaun slipped out his hammer ready to protect them, but realising what Ava was thinking, he crawled back beside Louis to allow her to sit at the front of the boat. She stood up while Shaun and Louis struggled to hold the boat steady and paddling backwards trying to prevent them moving closer to the monster. Just as the monster was about to unleash another blast of flames, Ava put the flute to her lips and a low-toned, haunting melody flowed out and was carried towards the monster on a
light breeze blowing down the canyon.
It seemed to be working, calming it down. It closed its mouth, its fiery, red eyes slowly dimming and beginning to close, but they could see it was fighting to stay awake, shaking its head and forcing its eyes to widen. This tussle continued for several minutes while Ava continued playing, but Louis and Shaun were really struggling physically to hold the boat.
‘It’s no use,’ cried Louis. ‘My arms feel as though they are about to drop off.’
‘Me, too,’ replied Shaun, ‘but if we let go, the monster will surely burn us alive and all our endeavour will have been in vain. Just try and blank the pain out of your mind.’ But it was no use: as their paddling slowed, the boat started to drift forward. Ava continued to play but the monster refused to give in and just when it looked like all hope had gone there was the sound of piped music playing the same tune as Ava’s and blending together, engulfing the monster, swirling around and around its head, and the three of them looked on in amazement as the monster’s eyes slowly closed and its head nodded several times before drooping forward.
‘Quick,’ Shaun said as he swapped places with Ava. ‘This is probably our one and only chance,’ and he and Louis paddled furiously forward while Ava continued to play, and they all gave out a huge gasp of relief as they sailed past the dozing monster and reached the end of the canyon before stepping onto dry land.
But as Ava slipped the flute back into her rucksack they realised the piped music was still being played.
‘Where is that coming from?’ Ava said, scanning the area around them. ‘Whatever it is, I wish we could thank them.’ Suddenly she gave out a stifled scream. ‘Over there! Look, over there!’ They turned and shook their heads in sheer amazement as from out of a nearby forest emerged a strange creature, part man, part goat, the legs and hooves of a goat with a human upper body with two small horns and a small goatee beard. It pondered a moment, looking over towards them before trotting forward, playing a tubular musical instrument and coming to a stop in front of the startled intruders.
‘My name is Pan.’ He glanced over to Ava. ‘The sound from your flute is truly magical. I couldn’t resist joining in, I hope you didn’t mind.’
‘Mind!?’ Ava exclaimed. ‘It was your music that mesmerised the dragon and saved us.’
A huge grin crossed Pan’s face. ‘I hope I can save you again by warning you not to venture any further: it is impossible to survive in this part of the land and I can lead you through a safe route back.’
‘Thank you so much for your help and advice, but we have travelled a great distance to be here and I’m afraid we cannot turn back till we complete our task.’
Pan smiled once more. ‘Yes, I know why you are here, but I’m sorry to say it is sure to fail. If you change your mind and need my help, just call my name out loud and I will return, but once you have crossed into this sacred place, you will be on your own: even I cannot enter.’
‘You could help by telling us what kind of creatures we will have to face so at least we know what to expect,’ said Shaun.
‘That’s something you don’t have to worry about: there are no creatures or monsters in there. Even dragons cannot survive there, but the ferocious conditions you will encounter will, I’m afraid, be unbearable and that’s before you reach the flaming valley. Words cannot describe the conditions in there: may the gods protect you.’ With that, he turned to Ava and bowed his head before galloping back towards the forest, playing his pipes.
The three of them just stood staring at the parched, desert-like landscape ahead of them and beyond, volcanoes, some with dark clouds of smoke swirling overhead, others with plumes of red-hot lava and hot gases erupting skyward, and on the distant horizon a long ridge of fire lighting up the sky like a fiery curtain heralding the entrance to the flaming valley. Ava turned to Louis and shook her head, her face etched with fear.
‘I can see what Pan meant: how can we possibly survive in there?’
Louis shrugged his shoulders. ‘I agree it does look daunting.’
Shaun put his arms around them. ‘Yes, we knew it would be difficult but we haven’t travelled all this way to turn back now. We have the flaming valley in our sights.’ He pondered a moment. ‘Tell you what, this first stretch of desolate land seems passable. I suggest we venture forward till we reach the volcanoes, then take stock.’
Louis and Ava looked so forlorn but deep down they knew Shaun would not give in easily.
‘Very well,’ sighed Louis, ‘but you must promise to turn back if the way ahead looks too dangerous or impossible.’
‘Of course,’ Shaun replied. ‘I know I push you on but I will not risk your lives,’ so with that and before they could change their minds, Shaun set off with Louis and Ava holding hands and trying to keep up as Shaun marched forward, oozing with determination.
Where possible, they stayed close to the sides of the rugged hills all the time, searching for shelter from the heat; without the supplies in their rucksacks they would surely have perished. They stopped at regular intervals for rest and refreshments. Shaun had quickly realised this was not a race and the only way to reach their destination was to pace themselves sensibly. They even took to travelling at night or early dawn, which were the coolest times, and for the remainder of the day seeking shade and shelter.
Finally after several days they reached the border and looked on in horror at the sight of the volcanoes now in full view, rising sheer through the blur of haze hovering and swirling above the ground. From a distance they didn’t seem so formidable but now the full extent of their size and intimidating presence sent cold shivers down their spines. A tear welled up in Ava’s eye: her legs were aching and her lungs felt as though they were on fire. How could she possibly go on? was the thought flashing through her mind and fear was overriding her desire to support her friends. Shaun and Ava were so close they seemed able to sense each other’s thoughts and feelings. He glanced over to her. He felt her pain and he wrapped his arms around her.
‘Don’t worry, we will take shelter under that overhanging ledge. Have some refreshments and take a long, well-earned rest while we decide what to do next.’
They made themselves as comfortable as possible before opening their rucksacks and sitting in silence, each mulling over the situation while enjoying their meal.
Louis was the first to speak. ‘I hate to admit when I am defeated, but I just cannot see a way forward through that terrifying furnace of a terrain. Even the ground looks to be on fire.’
Ava wiped her eyes. ‘I’m pleased it’s not just me. I feel as though I cannot go on physically and mentally: it would surely be suicide.’
Shaun shook his head, disappointment on his face. ‘I hear what you are saying and I’m finding it hard to disagree, but I just feel there must be a way.’ He stood up. ‘You two stay there. I would never forgive myself and I would always be wondering if I didn’t at least check it out.’ Before they could protest, he strode over to the curtain of swirling haze, glanced back and waved before disappearing inside.
Ava put her head in her hands. ‘I have this awful feeling we will never see him again,’ she sobbed.
‘He’ll be back,’ Louis replied, trying to allay her fears, but if he was honest he, too, had serious doubts. But they didn’t have to wait long.
All of a sudden Shaun reappeared from the haze. ‘You were right, it is impossible to walk across. As you suspected, Louis, the ground can’t actually be on fire, but it is like walking on hot coals, and that’s with my boots on.’
‘Then we should turn back,’ Ava piped up, a huge smile spreading from ear to ear.
Louis strolled over to join her before turning to face Shaun. ‘I’m so sorry, this is a huge disappointment for all of us, but I imagine yours is the greatest as the Great Wizard and the Grey Elf have pinned all their hopes on you succeeding, but I’m sure they will understand.’
Shaun’s shoulders drooped. Fighting back tears, he sighed out loud. ‘But we are their only hop
e and all our friends’, too. Without these weapons there is nothing preventing the Dark Wizard taking over their kingdoms.’ They remained standing in silence for several minutes, totally deflated before Louis and Ava started packing their rucksacks. Shaun reluctantly sorted his out, mumbling to himself. But as Louis and Ava slung their bags over their shoulders ready to leave, Shaun pulled out the Grey Elf shroud.
‘I’m so sorry but I must go in there alone. If I don’t return in a day or two, make your own way back: call out for Pan, he will help you.’ Before they could protest he flicked out the shroud, stepped inside and disappeared. ‘Don’t worry, I will be back with the boat and weapons,’ and then there was total silence.
‘I thought he gave up too easily,’ Ava said, her voice filled with emotion, ‘but he is right, he is the only one who can do this and he has the ring and hammer to help him. We must stay positive.’
Louis scanned the area. ‘We need some sort of shelter if we are to stay here. Shaun said a day or two, but it might be a lot longer. Maybe just some branches or bushes, anything that will give us some cover from the heat, but everything looks so barren and dead.’
‘Good job I came back, then,’ Shaun said. ‘With all the commotion and thinking of what to do, I forgot you would be struggling without shelter: just move away from the overhanging ledge.’ Louis took Ava’s hand and they stepped away.
Ava’s face lit up. ‘Are you having second thoughts?’
‘Afraid not, but at least I’ll know you are both safe and comfortable.’ There was a brief silence before a large, wooden cabin appeared under the ledge. ‘Good. What do you think? Have a look inside, it has all mod cons. See you soon.’
Louis opened the door and gasped in astonishment. ‘Look, there’s two beds.’
Ava popped her head inside. ‘Good heavens, there’s even air conditioning, a table and two chairs: we should be okay in here.’ She turned to where the voice was coming from. ‘Are you still there?’ But there was no reply: he had gone back inside.
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