Laney waded through the fog for several minutes. She hated touching the horrible, clammy stuff. She had no idea where she was, and the fog was getting thicker. She stumbled into a small hollow and her heart froze. Crouching on the ground was a dark figure in a black cloak and hood. In his hands was a small purse embroidered with snowdrops – the same purse Mrs Willowby had used to collect her husband’s dust after he died all those months ago in Skellmore.
As Laney watched in horror, specks of dust whirled out of the purse into the air, where they vanished into the reddish fog, which matched the colour of the moon exactly. Laney’s breath caught in her throat. This was a shadow spell – dark magic created by using a dead faerie’s dust. It was so strong it was turning the moon red.
The Shadow turned his head as if he sensed she was there. Laney ran. Red lightning arced around her. Then a second bolt struck the ground close by, searing a jagged mark across the grass.
Laney raced on, desperate to get away. Stumbling forwards, her foot met nothing as the ground jerked away beneath her. She plunged into the earth, bashing her head against rock and tumbling several feet before smashing into a hard stone floor. Darkness danced in front of her eyes. Trembling, she pulled herself over to the rocky wall and leaned against it. Her forehead throbbed like mad and when she touched it her hand came away wet with blood. It probably wasn’t a very big cut, she told herself, but she couldn’t stop shaking.
Where was she?
The moon was like a red searchlight, shining on the narrow gash in the rock through which she’d fallen. A dark figure swooped overhead and Laney shrank into the gloom. The Shadow was out there looking for her. The red moon was created by his shadow spell, she was sure of it. He was probably using magic to try and find the Myricals – that was what he always wanted.
She leaned her head against the rock. She wanted to go back to the Blaze tribe and explain that the red moon wasn’t her fault. But would they even listen?
She lit a flame and it spluttered in her shaking hand. Now she could see more of the hole she’d fallen into. To her left, it widened into a tunnel that stretched on into darkness. Her head ached so much from hitting it as she fell that she wasn’t sure she could make it back to Little Shackle. She wasn’t even sure she had the strength to change into faerie form.
Letting the flame go out, she began crawling across the rough ground. The ceiling was too low to stand up at first so she was glad to reach a cave with a higher roof and a smooth earth floor. She lay down, feeling the warmth of the earth against her back. Images circled around her pounding head – the Bale Fire, the faces of the Blaze tribe, Tyler pushing to the front of the crowd. The pain dulled a little and she started to doze.
She woke with a start. Or was she still dreaming?
Two small green lights gleamed in the darkness.
Laney sat up fast, heart thumping. A flame sprang up in her hand. The fire lit up a small black shape around the green lights. The green glow blinked out for a second and then reappeared.
“Dizzy!” Laney smiled in relief at the little cat. “Did Claudia send you to find me? Does she know I’m down here?”
The cat ignored the questions and began to wash. There was a faint padding noise and another cat joined her – a sleek tortoiseshell with sharp amber eyes. Laney had the strange feeling she’d seen those eyes before. The tortoiseshell sat on its haunches and watched her intently.
“Is this your friend, Dizzy?” Laney asked.
Dizzy stopped washing and looked at Laney as if she was mad.
The tortoiseshell yawned and stretched, and kept on stretching. Its limbs shimmered and thickened and its fur smoothed into human skin. Within a few moments, the cat had transformed completely and Claudia sat on the cave floor in her jeans and T-shirt. Dizzy gave her a look and went back to washing.
“Flippin’ heck!” Laney stared at her friend. “How did you do that? You never told me you could do that!”
“I only learned this spring.” Claudia sprang to her feet. “And we’re not supposed to tell Greytail secrets.”
“Oh.” Laney tried to stop staring. She supposed it made sense that changing into an animal was a Greytail thing. “Can you change into anything you like?”
“Just a cat. Some Greytails manage wolves.” Claudia blinked. Her eyes still had the same quick-thinking look even though she’d changed. “Using cat form was the only way I could get up here. The whole place is crawling with Blazes and they’re all talking about you. Why do they blame you for the red moon? What did you do?”
“Nothing, I swear! I was just beginning to show them what I’ve been practising and the moon changed colour out of nowhere. Then when I ran away, I saw the Shadow using dust to make a spell. It was horrible!”
Claudia looked alarmed. “The Shadow’s here! Then we should keep moving.”
Laney looked down the tunnel. “You came from that direction – does that mean there’s another way out?”
“Loads of them! These tunnels run for miles under these hills. The local Greytails have told me about them. They don’t come down here though. It’s strictly Blaze territory.”
A low rumble echoed through the tunnel, as though the earth was groaning. Laney put her hand to the cave wall and found it was warm. “They have a legend that there’s a fire giant down here. This is a special place for Blazes. They’ll hate me being down here after what happened.”
“Well, I’m getting out of here,” said Claudia. “I hate caves and there’s a good chance both the Shadow and the Blazes are looking for you.”
Dizzy arched her back and gave a faint hiss. Laney heard low voices coming from the tunnel where she’d fallen in. Claudia put a finger to her lips and crept to the opposite end of the cave, vanishing into a fold in the rock. Laney followed her and found there was a small vertical crack. She squeezed through sideways and Dizzy slipped in behind. They were in a long tunnel and Laney had to bend her neck to avoid the low cave roof.
There was a crash from behind. “They sound like elephants!” muttered Claudia. “They’re in the tunnels – two adults, I think.”
A coil of flame snaked into the cavern they’d just left. It circled the floor like it was searching for prey and then curled back to where it had come from.
The girls fled along the tunnel. Laney tried to tread lightly like Claudia but felt she was crunching on every loose stone. Stopping behind a stalagmite pillar, she caught her breath. No ribbons of flame followed them but there was a faint glow in the direction they’d come from. Laney decided to risk it and light a small flame of her own. The sudden view of the cave made her shudder. The tunnel had widened out. She’d guessed that already as every noise echoed a little more. What she hadn’t expected was the sheer drop a few steps to the right where the cave floor fell away. The bottom was hidden in darkness.
“Did you know that was there?” she asked Claudia.
“Course.” Claudia raised an eyebrow. “It’s not as deep as it looks. Don’t worry; I wouldn’t have let you fall.”
Laney had to look away as it was making her stomach twist. Her flame sputtered. The light flickered on the cluster of stalactites plunging from the cave ceiling.
“Weird place.” Claudia ran her fingers over one of the rock pillars. “It’s funny that they’re warm. I thought everything would be cold down here.”
Dizzy ran towards a large rock, mewing, and Tyler came out from behind it. “You shouldn’t be down here, either of you. The tribe’s looking for you, Laney.”
“I don’t want to be down here,” said Claudia, rolling her eyes. “Now you’ve found us you can show us the quickest way out.”
“I’ll try but there are things—” Tyler broke off as a rumbling sound echoed round the cave.
Laney grabbed a column of rock to steady herself. “I saw the Shadow,” she told Tyler. “I’m sure he was the one that made the red moon.”
“He was up here on the hillside?” Tyler looked shocked.
“He wasn’t far away from
where the Kindling was happening,” Laney said. “We have to warn everyone.”
Tyler ran off and Laney and Claudia raced after him, with Dizzy at their feet. Laney tried to keep the flame in her hand alight. She wasn’t going to risk falling down any chasms in these caves.
Tyler stopped short where the passageway split into three, his hand resting on the cave wall. The air coming from the right-hand tunnel was hot and dry like a desert wind. Maybe the Blazes had lit a fire that way. Laney felt something tugging inside her. She longed to go down that tunnel more than anything. Her pulse raced. Why did she want to go down there so much?
Suddenly everything fell into place.
“It’s down here, isn’t it?” Laney said to Tyler.
“What’s down here?” Claudia frowned.
“I should have realised!” Laney said. “All those patrols – all the people searching the hills and tunnels. Except they were only pretending to search because all of you already knew where the Blaze Myrical was.”
“Laney!” Tyler flicked a warning look at Claudia.
Laney lowered her voice. “You’ve got the Sparkstone hidden in here! You’ve probably kept it safe for years. I’m right, aren’t I? All that stuff about a fire giant under the hill was just a cover … and that’s why the caves are so warm.” Tyler’s face told her she was right. “None of you trusted me enough to tell me because I’m a Tainted.”
“We had to keep it a secret, especially with the Shadow around.” Tyler put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be angry. At least you’re going to see it now!”
As they ran, Laney felt like something was drawing her down the tunnel – making her feet move faster. The essence of Blaze magic was gathered in the Sparkstone and she was finally going to see it. She was sure it would be beautiful. She, Claudia and Tyler followed the zigzag of the passageway. Tyler lit a flame too and the lights bobbed as they ran. They were running so fast that they were almost on top of the still figure before they saw it.
“Wait!” Laney’s shout pulled her friends to a halt. “It’s Briana!”
Briana seemed to be stuck to the tunnel wall. She was motionless, her eyes shut. Dark smoke weaved around her legs and arms, rising to her neck and curling round her red hair. Her face was as pale as death. Horrified, Laney watched the ceaseless whirling of the smoke. This was a Shadow spell. She’d seen this kind of thing before.
“Briana!” Tyler reached out for her.
“Don’t touch the smoke, Tyler!” Laney said. “It’s Shadow magic and it will hurt you.”
A tendril of smoke curled lazily towards them and Dizzy hissed at it, her fur standing on end.
“I don’t care about getting hurt!” Tyler exploded. “Briana, can you hear me?”
Briana didn’t stir. Her body rested stiffly against the wall, her arms hanging by her sides.
Claudia shivered. “The Shadow’s down here then. We should keep moving.”
Tyler clenched his fists. “We have to find a way to break the spell. We need the right herbs like we did for my mum when she was hurt.”
“I don’t know if that’ll work this time. This spell looks strong. We should find your dad and tell him what’s happened,” Laney said. “If the Shadow’s down here, no one is safe.”
Tyler stared at Briana frozen against the tunnel wall. “We can’t just leave her.”
“I don’t want to either but we’ve got no choice!” Laney said. “Tyler, come on. We’ve got to tell your dad. Maybe Hillburn will be able to free her from the spell.”
Tyler shook himself out of indecision. “There should be people guarding the Myrical. It’s not far now!”
As they ran on the air grew hotter, scorching Laney’s throat as she breathed. The heat baked her skin, and her clothes – damp from the earlier rain – dried fast. They passed another figure immobilised on the tunnel floor. Little wisps of black smoke circled him too.
“It’s Zac.” Tyler’s fists clenched and fire burned between his fingers.
Claudia looked back. “Don’t stop. There’s something behind us.”
They raced on in silence and the heat in the tunnel lessened a little, making it easier to run.
“It’s here.” Tyler got down on hands and knees to get through a gap in the wall.
Laney crawled through next, emerging into a cavern lit with soft white light which poured from a pillar of rock in the centre. A million flecks of quartz glittered on the walls and ceiling like tiny distant stars. Laney held out her hands to the light. It felt like warm water washing over her skin. The Sparkstone must be there, inside the huge stalagmite. No wonder the Blazes had chosen to keep it safe here under the ground.
Claudia emerged through the gap with Dizzy. “Where are all the Blazes?”
Laney’s heart quickened. “I don’t know.” There was a strange patch of darkness at the side of the cave. She could see it with the corner of her eye.
“The light’s weaker than I remember.” Tyler moved closer to the pillar.
Laney wanted to follow but instead she forced herself to look at the cave’s edge. For a moment, she was sure that the patch of darkness was nothing strange after all. Then with one smooth movement, the darkness collected into a cloaked figure with huge black wings. The Shadow glided into the light with red lightning crackling at his fingertips. His black hood hung low, hiding his face, and the stench of rotten things drifted across the cavern.
“We’re too late.” Laney’s legs trembled.
“Yes, you’re much too late,” sneered the Shadow. “And yet for me your timing is perfect because now I can show you the killing of the Sparkstone and the destruction of all Blaze power, including your own. All you have to do is watch.”
“Go!” Claudia hissed at Dizzy and the cat sprang for the tunnel.
The Shadow shot red lightning at Dizzy but missed and a black scorch line marked the cave floor. “Doesn’t matter!” He gave a harsh laugh. “Your animals won’t be able to help you.” He opened one gloved hand and released a wave of black smoke that enveloped the pillar full of light.
Tyler lit a ball of flame and hurled it at the Shadow, who deflected it with a wave of his hand.
“Laney, help me!” Tyler lit another ball and another.
Laney made a frost flame in her hand, tall and ice sharp.
The Shadow beat off Tyler’s fireballs, before launching black smoke at the boy. It spiralled round Tyler’s legs, pinning him to the spot. Laney struck at the Shadow with her frost flame but he snatched it from her and sent it spinning to the edge of the cavern.
Then he knocked her to the ground. “Your Tainted magic is weak – infected by your mixed-tribe parents.” He released another cloud of smoke, this time towards Claudia.
“Claudia, run!” cried Laney.
Claudia shut her eyes, her face tensing as the smoke twisted round her. Then her body shimmered and grew shorter until she was a quick-eyed tortoiseshell cat crouching on the cave floor. The cat bared its teeth at the Shadow and fled.
“That’s the Greytails, loyal to the end.” The Shadow sounded amused. “But I only need you, Tainted girl. After the way you burned me last autumn it’s only right that you should be the one to help destroy this Stone.” He waved a hand and the smoke twisting around Tyler thickened.
“I’ll never do that!” Laney kept her voice steady. “Not after the way you hurt my dad.”
“He shouldn’t have married a Blaze,” hissed the Shadow. “It’s an offence against nature! Crimes like that must be punished and now he’s got what he deserves.”
Laney’s panic hardened into fury. This Shadow had taken her dad away. She didn’t care how dangerous it was – she’d fought him before and this time she had fire magic. She opened her hand, expecting her anger to send flames leaping up high but the fire in her palm fluttered weakly, like a butterfly’s wings.
“Laney!” Tyler whispered. The smoke spiralled round his chest and rose to his neck. He could barely move his mouth now and his head was tilted at a strang
e angle. He flicked his eyes sideways and Laney followed his gaze. The black smoke around the central pillar had thickened too. It swirled faster, drawing up dust from the ground like a tornado. The beautiful white light inside grew dimmer. Slowly, its glow faded until finally it blinked and died.
The only light left came from the tiny phosphorescent rocks overhead. Laney’s legs shook. How could dark magic smother the Sparkstone so easily? The Shadow must have grown even stronger.
“This is your part, girl,” the Shadow told her. “Reach in and touch the pillar. The Myrical will come to you because you’re a Blaze – well, half a Blaze.”
“No!” Laney backed away.
The Shadow gripped her shoulder with a hand like ice and pushed her closer to the pillar. The rotting smell from his cloak filled her nostrils and her shoulder grew numb as cold spread through her skin and into her bones. “Take the stone! Or I shall strike the boy with lightning.”
Laney’s eyes flew to Tyler, frozen like a statue. She had to protect him. But the Sparkstone was sacred to the Blazes and in the Shadow’s hands its power could be deadly. “If you want it, take it yourself!”
The Shadow gripped Laney’s shoulder even tighter and her head started to spin. “TAKE the stone!” He sent a bolt of lightning zigzagging across the cave floor. It hit Tyler’s foot and the toe of his trainer melted a little. Tyler’s face didn’t twitch. Laney could see that he was now completely paralysed by the Shadow’s spell.
“OK, stop! I’ll do it!” She reached into the smoke surrounding the pillar and it pricked her skin like hundreds of needles. When her fingers met the pillar they slid into the rock, as if the hard surface had turned to jelly at her touch. Her hand closed around a smooth glass-like object.
“Take it quickly or my spell will freeze you,” the Shadow ordered.
Pale Peak Burning Page 10