I opened my eyes the next morning, the sun’s rays shinning through my bedroom window. I didn’t roll out of bed for a minute; instead I lay staring at the ceiling trying to prepare my brain for the day ahead.
I heard my mom and dad walking downstairs, talking excitedly about where they thought I was going to go today. I rolled off my bed and walked sleepily over to my dresser to pull out a pair of jeans and a shirt. After I had pulled the shirt over my head, I grabbed my half empty traveling bag and headed down stairs.
I dropped my bag near the door and walked over to the kitchen table. My mom had placed a full plate of eggs and toast on the table; I sat down and started to eat.
My mom hurried over and glanced at her watch. “You have about a half an hour until you have to leave. Eat up.”
I responded with a quick shovel of food.
Within 25 minutes, I was standing by the door with my stomach all queasy. My mom rushed forward and gave me a quick hug. “Be careful now and enjoy yourself!”
“Right I will…” I said uneasily. No doubt that I was going to be very careful indeed.
I stepped outside and the door closed behind me. My mom and dad watched from the window, waving happily to me. I returned a slow, uncertain wave and hurried off towards the park.
As I entered the park, I spotted the rising public art statue. The shape twisted and stretched towards the sky, trying to touch it. Now that I really thought of it, it did look like a thorn.
I dropped my bag and leaned my back against the statue, closing my eyes. I wondered what Igneeria would be like. Maybe the place would be pretty decent…
“Jazell?”
Emily’s voice scattered my thoughts and I opened my eyes to see her walking briskly towards me. She too had an empty bag slung over her shoulder. She dropped her bag next to mine and leaned against the statue.
Nobody spoke for awhile. Finally Emily opened her mouth and said, “What are you thinking about?”
“What?” The question had caught me by complete surprise.
“What are you thinking about?” she repeated. “Surely you must be thinking something; we’re going to some ‘other world’!”
I closed my eyes. “I was just wondering what it would be like in Igneeria. What about you?”
“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I was thinking about Kojas-”
“Emily don’t say his name, I don’t feel like being yelled at again.” I interrupted her.
“Fine,” she said, a little annoyed. “I was thinking about him, if I must call him that, and what he’s like.”
I rolled my eyes. “Emily isn’t it obvious; he’s evil for crying out loud. That’s why we have to go and stop him.”
“I know that Jazell, gosh, but I was wondering what he looks like.”
“I don’t want to know,” I said.
Emily twirled her hair, “I know but I’m just curious.”
I bit my lip. “If we do end up fighting this guy, you’ll get your wish.”
Minutes later, Jason emerged from the trees and dropped his travel bag on the ground. He leaned against the statue next to Emily, giving us both feeble smiles.
“So,” he said, trying to sound happy, “travel day today, huh?”
We didn’t answer.
“Okay looks like I’ll do the talking,” Jason said. “You two excited?”
Emily shook her head.
“No, Jason we’re both jumping for joy, but it’s so deep down that instead we both look like we want to slug you,” I said sarcastically.
Jason sighed, “Okay, you would say something like that. I thought in a mood like this you would be less…annoying.”
As soon as he finished his sentence, I wacked him as hard as I could.
Seth showed up after that, placed his bag on the ground, leaned on the statue next to me, and didn’t say a word. We all stood there waiting for the dwarf to show up. Right as I was about to give up and say we had the wrong place, he appeared.
Jason saw his blurry outline first and signaled us to enter the Half-way. The wind whirled around me, and I walked over to the dwarf with the others.
The dwarf was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. All four of us stood there waiting and when he got his breath back, he spoke.
“I am glad that you accepted my message,” he said to Seth and me. Then he turned to Emily and Jason and said, “Ah, it’s great to meet the other two.” He beamed at all four of us.
“Hi,” Emily said, looking a little freaked out. “So now that you’re here, are we going to get a move on or what?”
“Oh of course, follow me please.” He shuffled off and disappeared behind the statue.
Jason raised an eyebrow. “Where is he going?”
Emily sighed. “There’s only one way to find out.” She walked behind the statue.
Seth, Jason, and I followed her. As soon as I was on the other side, I gasped at what I saw.
In front of me was an archway. Two entwined hooks were mounted on the top. Each side was twisted metal that ended in the ground. In the center, two pieces spun together and ended holding a pulsing, black crystal. You should have been able to look right through the archway but there seemed to be a sheet of transparent black glass in the way.
“This is the door to Igneeria,” the dwarf pronounced proudly.
I fought the urge to say, “No duh!”
Jason looked up, mesmerized. “Epic.”
“Epic?” Seth scoffed. “That’s all you can say? This,” he motioned to the dark archway, “can't be described by one word.”
I smiled to myself. The old Seth seemed to be coming back, which was great. I was getting really tired of quiet, watching Seth.
“Then how about ‘the coolest thing on Earth?’” Jason asked.
Seth shook his head. “No, it’s not even a part of Earth. Try creepy, but cool.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Boys, I still don’t know how they find this interesting.” She pointed to Jason and Seth, who were continuing to guess random names to describe the arch. “I mean, who cares! Am I right about them?”
“Yes, completely,” I said and fought a laugh. “Don’t try to understand or you’ll get lost in the complicated labyrinths that are their brains.”
“I think this is the most thinking the two have ever done,” Emily said with a sigh and shook her head, making her pink curls dance. “It’s just sad.”
I was about to say something else when the dwarf gave a loud cough. Jason and Seth fell silent, outlined by the eerie glow of the arch.
“You must know a few things before you enter,” the dwarf said, pacing back and forth. He reminded me of a teacher instructing a class. “First of all, once you enter, there is a chance that you won’t be able to leave for a while.” My heart fell at this. “Second, Igneeria is wild and offers little protection. Especially at a time like this.” He gave us a hard stare. “You might get seriously injured, or you might almost die. You must be ready for this.”
I felt my stomach do sick flip-flops. I wasn’t ready.
“Anyway,” the dwarf said quickly, obviously seeing our surprised faces, “I think all of you can deal with that. Shall we go?”
Seth shrugged, “I guess. The answer to that question doesn’t really matter.”
The dwarf held his hand out, “Shall we go then?”
I shrugged, “Lead the way, shorty.”
The dwarf gave me an annoyed look and walked towards the arch. I expected him to go right through but he disappeared in a swirl of black mist. Jason shrugged and ran in after him.
“Wait Jason,” Emily called. “Dang, never mind.” She disappeared too.
I went to follow her and hesitated. Seth walked up to me, “You nervous?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” I said, shaking. “Is going to a different world supposed to be vacation-relaxing-in-the-sun easy?”
He smirked, “I never said that.”
“You implied it,” I said, with a roll of my eyes.
He sighed and pushed me into the doorway, the dark, swirling mist swallowing me up. I felt his hands leave my back for a second and then they were back. The chilly feeling welcomed me, like a long lost friend.
As soon as the mist cleared, I was standing in a forest clearing. The sky was hazy and dreary, making me want to run back to Earth. But when I turned around, the door was gone.
Emily looked terrified, her eyes bigger than the eerie moon above. Jason was frozen next to her, eyes darting around at the shadows. The dwarf stood perfectly calm in front of us. No one spoke because there was nothing to say.
I heard rustling in the trees and dozens of creatures came thundering out. I noticed Thrashers, Frost Beasts, swamp trolls and many others I have never seen. They lumbered towards us, teeth flashing in the moon light.
Seth whirled around on the dwarf. “You set us up!” he hissed, sword drawn. “This was all a trap!”
The dwarf's eyes widened in alarm, “I swear, sir, that I knew nothing of this! I warned you that you must be prepared for anything.”
“Seth,” I said slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Don't attack him, we need him to help us get through Igneeria.”
I felt his shoulder muscle tense under my fingers but he lowered his blade. He didn't sheath it though, because he would need it in the fight. He glowered at the dwarf, “Don't think that I trust you, dwarf,” he said angrily. “You're only alive because Jazell makes a good point. But if I find that you are lying to us,” he sliced the air, “You're going to have a lot more problems than you think.”
The dwarf gulped and looked away. I gripped Seth's shoulder and he turned around to face me. I saw distrust flash in his eyes but he gave me a weak smile. We turned to face the monsters heading for us.
Seth charged ahead, slicing Thrashers and Frost Beasts. I notched an arrow and released it. It soared into a swamp toll's head, making it shout out in agony. Seth spun around and plunged his sword into the troll's side. It gave a screech and fell to the floor, dead.
Emily raised her hands and vines shot from the ground and wrapped around a troll that had tried to crush Seth. I aimed an arrow at its chest and the troll fell to the ground next to the others.
The last beast fell, dead from Jason's knife, and we all took in a deep breath. Seth sheathed his sword and I slung my bow back on my back. Emily sat on the ground next to Jason, Seth and me as the dwarf stood in front of us.
“Sadly,” he started, “I cannot be with you all anymore. I must leave and go back to her...”
“Wait a minute!” Seth exclaimed, jumping up. “You're leaving us? You little...”
“Seth!” I protested and stepped in front of him. “Don't you dare think about killing him. He got us here-”
“And he's leaving us here in some random place when we have no clue what to do or where we're going,” Seth interrupted me.
The dwarf shook his head. “I'm very sorry, sir, but her majesty told me to bring you here and then to report back. I must tell her about the ambush, someone knew I was bringing you here.”
“Don't you have to bring us to her?” Seth asked.
The dwarf cocked his head. “No, she will see you when she believes you are ready,” He turned around and disappeared into the woods.
“Wait!” I yelled and ran after him.
“Wait, Jazell,” Seth called after me and I heard him follow.
The trees parted and the dwarf stood in front of me. He gave me a small smile. “I do wish you luck, miss. I hope you survive.”
“Please help us,” I begged. “We need your help.”
He shook his head. “I'm very sorry, miss, but I can't.” He gave me another smile and was gone.
“Jazell,” I heard Emily say. I turned around to see her smiling at me. “We'll be fine.”
“Emily's right,” Seth said. “We don't need him. If he doesn't want to help us then it's his fault if we don't get where we need to go.”
“We should find somewhere to stay for the night,” Jason suggested.
Seth nodded and we followed him deeper into the dark woods. I walked beside Emily as the trees passed us. Things seemed to watch us from the shadows and I felt like some poor little kid who was afraid to be a victim of a Halloween “jump-out-of-the-bush” scare trick. I shivered in silent fear.
Emily studied me, “Are you cold? Do you need to get warmed up?” A little flame of fire flickered to life in her palm.
I gave a shaky laugh. “No, I'm not that kind of cold.”
She put the little flame out. “Ah, I know what you mean,” she said and hugged me. “I'm feeling the same way. But don't worry, they,” she motioned to the boys, “don't have to know.”
“They'll find out eventually,” I mumbled. “But that doesn't have to been now. I bet they must have some kind of fear themselves.” I shivered. “It's like going throw the bogey-man's home.”
“He must not get a lot of visitors,” Emily commented.
“I'm defiantly not coming over anytime soon.”
Emily laughed and the boys stopped walking. The trees parted to reveal a rock ledge. I spotted a small cave, the entrance covered in thick, twisted bramble. The sky was getting even darker and more ominous when Seth turned around to face us.
“We'll head for the cave and stay there for the night,” Seth said. “Then we'll set off.”
Emily crossed her arms. “Who made you in charge?”
“You have a better idea, Emily?” Seth snorted. “Or maybe you'd prefer to sleep in the open.”
“Uh I think I'll stay with that plan,” she said quickly. “But you're a grump Seth.” she pushed past him and headed the path to the cave.
“You are, Seth,” I said.
I followed Emily, with Jason and Seth on my heels. When we reached the blocked cave entrance, Seth drew his sword and sliced the vines apart. They fell to the ground and the cave was revealed. We walked inside the dimly lit space and I sighed in relief at some safety. The air smelled musty and I had a feeling no one had ever been here. I sat on the floor next to Emily and the boys sat on the opposite side of the floor.
“We should all get some rest,” Seth said with a yawn. “We can figure out what to do next when we wake up.”
I nodded sleepily and laid down on the hard ground. I closed my eyes, feeling a strange tiredness come over me. I barely heard Seth mumbled, “I don't like our situation at all.”
That night, I had the weirdest dream.
I was standing on a dark cliff, the eerie moon high in the sky. The wind whipped at my hair, causing me to see the green strands in front of my eyes. The cold nipped at my cheeks and nose, which I tried to rub back to warmth. I stood at the edge of the cliff and gasped when I looked down.
Underneath me, hundreds of monsters gathered around a fight. I couldn’t see who was fighting inside because a swamp troll blocked my view, but I knew it was brutal the way they whooped at a screech of pain. I wanted to close my eyes and look away, but I was so curious to see what was going on, that I couldn’t.
The crowd parted to reveal the scariest and most hideous thing I’ve ever seen. It must have been some type of faery because I could see long, pointed ears sticking up from the sides of its head. Long, black hair was stuck out in all directions on top of its head looking slimy and dirty. Sharp, twisted horns sat on top of its head, gleaming in the dark. A long, billowing black cloak spiraled out behind it, completely covering the rest of its body. Its eyes shined red and full of hate, although there was a terrible smile that danced on its face.
“VICTORY!” It boomed in a chilling voice.
The crowds of monsters roared in applause and excitement. The trolls banged their clubs on the ground, on their chests, and even on each other. The howl of a Frost Beast rose into the night, making me feel even more chilled.
I wanted to wake up.
But I couldn’t. I needed to find out what that thing was and what it had killed. I also had a horrible feeling, deep down that made me know that this wasn’t a dream but s
ome type of vision. This was happening in real life, right now in Igneeria. That proved that Igneeria had worse things to hide than what we thought was bad.
The thing walked forward and the crowd parted to make it a path, falling silent. I find myself creeping back until I could barely see the scene below. I was afraid that it would see me. Then I got a glimpse of what it had killed and I had to hold back my tears.
The poor body of the dwarf who had brought us here was lying in a contorted heap, limbs twisted in all directions. The scene was awful and I had to prevent myself from throwing up. Then I knew why they beat and killed him. All the other dwarves were on Kojas. This dwarf must have betrayed Kojas to bring information to whoever “her majesty” was and to help us into Igneeria. I suddenly knew that this dwarf was much braver than we had given him credit for. I suddenly felt awful because I knew who the thing was.
Kojas.
Chapter 7
Fall of Igneeria: The Half-ling Page 9