The Elyrian

by D P Rowell

  After a few minutes of bickering, the drake convinced the grandchildren to do as he said. He saddled the mounts again and took them further along the path they entered the city on. Deeper into the rainforest the roads disappeared behind them. It frightened Ace, seeing as the only way they would find the road again is if Rio came back. He pulled some strange food from the saddle and handed it to the grandchildren. It was long and green like a cucumber, but slimy and wet. Ace broke his apart, and yellow ooze dripped from the middle. He made a face like he’d bitten into a rotten berry.

  “You expect me to eat this goop?” Tamara said.

  “Eat it or starve, your choice,” Rio said. “It’s all we’ve got.” The drake stepped further from the circle of children, ready to venture off. But he stopped and turned to face them first. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay hidden and you’ll be alright.” Rio and Ace stared at each other, the drake nodded, Ace nodded back, and then Rio disappeared into the forest. Rays of white light beamed into the rainforest as the sun slowly fell into the horizon.

  “Okay, that’s it. I’m going,” Julie said.

  “What are you talking about?” Ace said.

  “I’m not following that frog man anymore! He gives me the creeps!”

  “Anything unfamiliar gives you the creeps, Julie,” Cameron said.

  Tamara stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Julie’s right, Cameron. We still don’t know if we can trust him or not. I say we go back to New Eathelyn and get someone to take us back to Eveland with Mom and Dad.”

  “You heard Rio, it’s not safe,” Ace said.

  “What is it with you and the weird frog thing?” Tamara said.

  “Yeah, Ace. I’ll bet you’re working together aren’t you! Rio made Grandpa disappear, and now you’re helping him make us disappear!” Julie said, wagging her finger at him.

  “Believe me, if I could make you disappear, you’d be long gone by now,” Ace said. Cameron chuckled under his breath.

  Tamara jumped in between Julie and Ace. “Okay, stop, you two,” she said as she spread her arms between them. This shocked him. Tamara acting neutral? Not taking Julie’s side? A first if there ever was one. “Fighting isn’t going to get us, like, anywhere right now.”

  “She’s right,” Cameron said as he stood. “I say we wait here ‘til Rio gets back. He’s protected us so far.”

  “No, he hasn’t,” Julie said. “He’s only taken us to Myrka with no money to get us on a ship. He hasn’t done anything to prove that he’s protecting us.”

  “Julie’s right, Cameron. We just met Rio a couple days ago, how do we know we can trust him?” Tamara said.

  “But you’ve known me and Cameron your whole lives,” Ace said. At this, there was a break in the argument, and an eerie silence filled the air for a moment. Ace finally broke it, “Trust me, at least. If you don’t trust Rio.”

  Julie scoffed and crossed her arms. “Trusting my life to a Halder? That’s about the dumbest thing we could do.”

  “Grandpa was a Halder, wasn’t he?” Cameron said. “Like it or not, you two are Halders by blood. But we’re not so much as an ounce of Peppercorn. We should stick together.”

  Tamara sighed and patted her little sister on the back. “I’m totally not comfortable trusting my sister’s life to a weird drake we don’t know. We’ve followed him long enough, and now we, like, finally have a chance to run.”

  “Tamara don’t do this. It’s way more dangerous to travel the roads right now, I’m telling you,” Ace said.

  “What’re you hiding?” Julie said.

  Ace’s heart fell to his gut. The little girl stepped closer to him, squinting as if she were trying to penetrate his secrets with her eyes.

  “You and the frog man have been all buddy-buddy since Grandpa’s disappearance. Well, I’m not buying it! You stupid Halders are gonna have to follow that stupid drake by your stupid selves.” Julie grabbed her things, and Tamara hers. They untied their wolf and hopped on, trotting further into the rainforest.

  “Guys!” Cameron yelled. “Why would Rio leave us like this with the perfect chance to escape if he was trying to kidnap us? You’re being dumb!”

  Ace flailed his arm at the Peppercorns. “Ah, let ‘em go. They wanna be stupid and get attacked by a witch, that’s their problem.”

  “Get what?” Cameron said. He grabbed Ace by his shirt and pulled him to his face, “are you saying there’s witches in New Eathelyn waiting for them?”

  “Something like that, I guess. Rio just said that Myrka is crawling with witches, and if we don’t want to get captured by one, to stay off the roads. We need to leave Oola as soon as possible,” Ace said. He then yanked Cameron’s hands off his shirt.

  “Ace, we have to go after them if there’s really danger like that. We can’t just let them run away. What could the witches do to them?” Cameron said.

  “They did it themselves. It’s not my fault they’re so stubborn. And Honestly, I have no idea Cameron, probably cast some spell on them and turn them into chickens or pigs,” Ace began to laugh. “Now I really want to let them go.”

  Cameron grabbed his bag and threw it over his back. “Grandpa probably just told us that in his stories to make them more kid-friendly. They could be in serious danger, Ace. We have to go.”

  Ace sighed and grabbed his bag. “Fine, fine.” He turned and untied their mount. “Rio’s gonna wonder where we are, and we’re probably gonna get lost in this jungle.”

  Cameron shrugged, and they climbed on their wolf. Anger welled in Ace. Going to risk themselves to help the Peppercorns? Probably the worst day he could have imagined. On the other hand, Cameron’s point was valid. Who knows what witches were truly capable of doing. After all, like Rio said before, Grandpa’s stories were not just stories.

  Ace’s mind paused, and his eyes grew wide.

  Grandpa’s stories aren’t just stories, he thought. A lightbulb went off and struck him with a powerful epiphany. How had he not thought of this before? He should have kept it in his head, but his excitement overtook him, so he said aloud, “The map!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The White Light

  Cameron didn’t hear Ace’s epiphany, thank goodness. He was focused on following the Peppercorns. The brats weren’t too far ahead yet, and the Halder brothers were getting close. Unfortunately, the large tree leaves covered what was left of the sun, and darkness had enveloped the forest. The only good thing about it was Julie using her phone as a flashlight. A bright white light made it easy to follow them in the pitch darkness.

  Ace found himself aggravated when he thought the night might relieve them of the heat, but the humidity still crawled over his body, and countless sweat beads fell from his hairline as he and Cameron chased after their cousins.

  “Julie, Tamara! Just stop for a minute!” Cameron shouted from behind. They didn’t respond, but it seemed they were picking up speed. How far had they gone from the campsite? It was only a matter of time before they were completely lost. The Peppercorns stopped for a split second, then cut a corner behind a tree. The flashlight from Julie’s phone flickered as they ran by the leaves and bushes.

  “I think they found the road,” Ace said.

  “Jeez, how did they do that? I nearly thought we were lost for good,” Cameron said.

  “I dunno, Cameron. They’ve never been lost in the woods before. I guess they’re just good at everything without even trying.” Evident frustration hid behind his every word. He and his brother chased the light further into the rainforest, and just as he predicted, they were led to the Peppercorns running along the road. All they had to do was follow it to New Eathelyn now. The brothers needed to stop them quickly.

  The dark rainforest sent eerie chills down his spine. A strange sense of fear rose in him, and his gut twisted in a knot. Even if they made it to New Eathelyn, whatever waited for them there would not be pleasant.

  “We really need to catch up to them, Cameron. I have a bad feeling about this
place,” Ace said.

  “Yeah,” Cameron paused and inspected the rainforest around the road, “I feel it too.”

  Ace looked ahead, and the light flickered wildly, beginning to fade.

  Julie’s battery must be dying, Ace thought.

  Cameron sniffled. “Do you smell smoke?” he asked.

  Wait. Julie’s and Tamara’s phones hadn’t been charged for days. The Peppercorns hadn’t even touched their phones the entire trip. Their phones had to have been dead already! They weren’t following a flashlight. . . The Peppercorns weren’t using the light to see. . . the light was using them. . . the light was. . .

  “Hurry, Cameron!” Ace yelled.

  “I’m trying. They have the faster wolf. Don’t worry, they will stop when her phone dies.”

  “I don’t think that’s her phone,” Ace said. It’s magic.

  Cameron kicked the wolf’s ribs with all his might. The wolf howled and dug its paws deeper into the sand, but the Peppercorns sped away. Cameron kicked it again, and again. Ace wiped the sweat from his forehead and slushed it away.

  “C’mon, wolf! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

  The wind slapped Ace’s skin. His pulse quickened. His sweaty palms slipped as he reached for his slick chrome gun. Rio was right. Once a witch came after them, he would know it was a witch. Hopefully his one day of training paid off. He tried slowing his breathing, but it was no use. His wrist shook violently at the grip on his AMHB. He wasn’t cut out for this. They were finished now. The boy swallowed and prepared himself as he saw the Peppercorns slowing down. He heard their faint cry ahead.

  “Help! Help!” Julie screamed. Cameron kicked again, and the wolf snarled and howled. Its paws dug deep into the moist dirt, kicking it up into Ace’s jeans. The Peppercorns’ wolf had now come to a halt, but the light wandered into the forest. Cameron stopped beside the Peppercorns’ wolf, but only Tamara sat on the mount, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. With no time to talk, Ace hopped off the mount and bolted into the forest, the gun now held in the palm of his hand.

  The sound of Tamara’s panicked crying echoed behind him. “Julie! Julie!” Ace heard Cameron’s feet crushing the twigs and leaves behind him as he followed him into the woods.

  “Ah! Let go! Let me go!” Julie screamed. The ball of white light blinded him from seeing his younger cousin. But he heard her being thrown against the trees and bushes in the forest as the light zipped around, dragging Julie behind. Ace dodged, hopped, and ducked every obstacle the forest had to offer. The light brightened. He was catching up.

  “We’re coming Julie! Just hang on!” He yelled. The light took a sharp turn into a large set of boulders in the middle of the rainforest. Much like the stone buildings of the drakes. It was shaped in several domes, and the light drug Julie inside the biggest one in the middle, with an arched entry of darkness. Ace ran into the cave without hesitation. The light had completely faded, and there was only pitch black all around.

  “Julie! Where are you?” Ace said. His voice echoed through the nothingness. His desperate voice bounced back to his ears and attacked his confidence.

  “Help, Hmf, hmf!” Julie’s voice became muffled and hidden. Then came a laugh. A shrill laugh. A laugh Ace compared to a sharp knife scraping a metal surface. No mistaking it for anything other than what it was. A witch had Julie.

  Waves of fear coursed through his veins. What to do? He gripped the handle of his gun, tight as he could, ready to meet his end with a fight.

  “Release her, now!” Ace said. His voice shook with fear, even though he tried to hide it. The witch laughed, and it echoed through the hollow cave. No way of telling where she was hidden in the darkness.

  “Iss thiss the Halder? Look at your armss and legss. They’re hardly the ssize of a twig,” the witch said. She hissed horridly with her words. “You sshould quit now, little one. Jusst quit and walk away, before anyone elsse gets hurt.”

  Ace spun in circles, trying to find where the witch was. Darkness surrounded every corner. What did she mean quit? He couldn’t give up! If he was going to die, he was going with a fight. He clenched his fist and thought hard. There had to be a way out. He took the blaster, aimed it high, and squeezed the trigger.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Death and Destruction

  The witch screamed. The sound of the blaster thundered through the hollow cave. From the weapon, a large ball like a tiny sun shot into the cave ceiling, and waves of a bright orange light fell down the walls of the cave. It grazed over a shadowy figure in the corner, revealing her position. The witch screeched and bolted in away. Ace caught a small glimpse of her. It was the snake lady with red skin from the ticket counter, and she held Julie close with her slimy hands over her mouth. The light from the orange ball in the ceiling faded, and darkness took the cave again.

  “You almost got her,” Cameron whispered.

  “Do that again . . . and I’ll cursse thiss little girl for the resst of her misserable life,” the witch said.

  “What do you want?” Ace said.

  “I thought I made that clear. Quit. Agree to walk away now, and I will releasse your friend,” the witch said.

  Friend. She doesn’t know Julie is my cousin.

  “Walk away, and bring an end to the Indiess,” the witch continued, “It’s uselesss to defy the will of the council; it will only bring death and desstruction.”

  Council?

  The urge to comply with the witch tempted him. It seemed a fair trade, given his desire to return home and pretend none of this had happened. But even worse than his fear was a pressing sensation on his heart. Telling him negotiating with a witch was even more dangerous than resisting one; and one thought occurred to him. Just like Oliver in Grandpa’s story, the Emerson Stone was his. He was immune to the witch’s magic. He smirked.

  “Quit what? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He said. Attempting to stall while he looked for the witch again.

  “Don’t play dumb. That weapon in your hand wasss made by the Indiess. I know who you are, Halder,” the witch said. “And the council would like to offer you the chance to retreat now. Thiss path you will take in Marty’s footsstepss will only bring ruin to you and your loved oness. Ssstarting with thiss little girl.”

  Ace went to respond when something came over him. It spread in waves of tranquility through his body. It seemed as if a light turned on in the cave. It seemed as if he was looking through a pale film, revealing the witch and Julie in the corner. Did they see this light too? The witch and Julie weren’t reacting to it. Something snapped inside him, and he knew just what to do. He drew his blaster like the blink of an eye and pulled the trigger. The tiny sun left the gun in a thunderous explosion and caught the witch in the chest. She screamed and dropped Julie. Beams of powerful light burst from the ball in the drake’s chest as she fell to her knees. The cave lit up as the witch’s magic lost its power. Julie rolled on the cave floor, and Cameron bolted to her and picked her up.

  “C’mon, let’s get outta here!” Cameron said, grabbing Ace’s arm with Julie thrown over his other shoulder.

  “Wait,” Ace said.

  “For what?”

  The rays of orange light swarmed the drake witch and wrapped her up. Her face grew pale, and she stopped fighting it as her power weakened. She rolled on the floor, wrapped in an anti-magic straight jacket, glowing with a radiant orange light.

  “You’ve been warned, Halder!” The witch shrieked, rolling and struggling in a horrid display. “We will not stop coming for you! We will end you, the Indiess will fall, and the counccil will have Yutara!” The witch laughed hideously until it turned to a cough.

  “Just leave her!” Cameron said. Ace nodded. They turned and ran back into the forest.

  Tamara yelled from the road to guide he and Cameron back. They rushed past the trees in the forest until they found themselves at the road. Tamara grabbed Julie hysterically from Cameron and sobbed. She held her little sister in a tight embrace.

/>   “Oh, Julie! Are you okay? What happened?”

  Julie nodded as her eyes welled with tears. She trembled in Tamara’s arms and gripped her tightly, too frightened to say much else.

  “We told you—" Cameron stopped to catch his breath, “We told you not to go running off.”

  “Is now, like, really the time for saying I told you so?” Tamara said.

  “You knew about that lady?” Julie said, turning to Ace. “And you said nothing?”

  “I said nothing to try and protect you. Which I can’t do if you go running off into the forest by yourselves,” Ace said.

  “Protect us? A Halder? And you’re the scrawniest little Halder there is! We can protect ourselves if you would just warn us next time!” Tamara said.

  Cameron leaned in close to Tamara’s face. “That scrawny little Halder just saved your sister’s life! Which he wouldn’t have had to do if you had listened to him in the first place!”

  For a moment the sound of Julie’s cries alone bothered the silence. She wiped her nose, sniffled, and said, “Thank you, Ace.” Ace nodded. He might have said you’re welcome if he were not so shocked. Did a Peppercorn just thank a Halder? “I hope I never see that lady again,” Julie said as she buried her head in Tamara’s shirt.

  “What was that thing anyway?” Tamara said.

  Ace and Cameron looked at each other. “I guess we have to tell her,” Cameron said.

  Ace shook his head in disagreement.

  “Tell me what?” Tamara said.

  “The less you know the better. If I told you, it would only make what just happened more likely to happen again,” Ace said.

  Tamara wasn’t happy with this. Which didn’t surprise Ace. Even after saving Julie’s life, the Peppercorns were too proud to trust him.

  “I don’t think we have to worry about that, Ace,” Cameron said, placing his hand on Ace’s shoulder.

  “Why no—” Ace was interrupted as Cameron pointed into the forest. The very same ball of white light which had taken Julie before was returning, but with friends. Hundreds of them hovered in the distant forest shadows, and the grandchildren shot to their feet in a panic.