Heritage

by Rebecca Walton

  “This is sort of scary” Poppy whispered gripping hold of Logan’s arm. Glancing at me, she gave me a cheeky side smile.

  “Help me” a whimpering voice whispered through the trees. Searching the darkened woods I couldn’t see anything. The sense of evil crept over me and sent my eyes in motion. Hiding my face from the others, I grabbed Logan’s arm and pulled him towards the side of the path.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked scanning the empty trees for any sign of life.

  “Hear what?”

  “Death and destruction help ME!” A face of air flew past us and into the trees.

  “THAT!” I exclaimed. “Follow the girls into town I’ll see you there” I shouted as I ran through the trees.

  “What do I tell them” he yelled. I was too far into the woods to reply. Each tree I passed was bigger or taller than the last. The pitch black air filled my eyes, and everything I passed became a blur.

  The face continued to flit through the trees as I followed it through a mile and a half of shrubbery. The face disappeared in splinters of light, like fireworks in the dark blue sky.

  “I’m in a field, why am I standing in a field? What is it with me and standing in fields.” My voice boomed in the silence. Looking around, there was nothing but trees and a few stumps. The empty field seems familiar in a way, but I’m sure I haven’t been here, unless I came with the Bales on one of their annual family picnics.

  “Everyone is happy

  Everyone is good

  Loving life

  As we should”

  Four singing elves came dancing out of the woods wearing pink and green matching jumpsuits. The field began to fill with more matching elves, and they were all singing with cheery little faces.

  “Flowers are growing

  The sun is shining

  Land is free

  Icarus is the place to be”

  Ok this is just weird, wait no, this is completely insane. The elves began to dance around a statue of another elf that had appeared as they danced. The trees changed into podiums and stalls filled with elves surrounded me. The field had changed from being empty to an elf like football field. Pink and green flags soared into the dark blue sky followed by hordes of balloons. The Icarus chanting filled the once silent field and everything had turned into a bustling circus of little people. An elf in a pink and green suit walked towards me and tugged on my dress.

  “You have to save us!” He whimpered.

  “From what? You all seem so happy” I answered. Grasping my dress tighter his smile turned into a snarl as he bared his teeth.

  “SAVE US!” He snarled. He grew five feet and leered over me. In one flick of his hand, I fell to the ground as he continued to leer over me. The field had gone silent, and all the elves had turned towards us. Some were walking towards us, with evil expressions on their faces.

  “SAVE US!”

  Their screams pierced my ears and my head began to spin out of control. Their faces flashed from happy little elves to evil in mille second motions. Everything was pink and green blurs. Covering my ears I could feel the moisture of blood seeping through my fingers.

  “SAVE US! THE END IS NEAR” the screams increased as all of the elves surrounded me. Leering over me as I cowered in pain on the wet grass.

  “ELLE!” Alex screamed as she materialised beside me. Her hands lifted my head onto her lap as I quivered. The ringing and chanting were still alive in my head. Opening my eyes the pink and green steamers were gone, the stands, the statue and the elves had all disappeared into thin air, just as they had come.

  “What happened, Oh my days your bleeding, Oh Elle!” She cried pulling me into a sitting position. Twisting my hair and placing it behind my ears, she removed my hands and inspected them and then my ears. Her voice was muffled under the chanting elves still alive in my thoughts.

  “Elves” I whispered straightening myself out and examining my bloody hands.

  “Elves?” Alex echoed stroking my hair.

  “Yeah, they were over there, and they were shouting, screaming at me to save them” I muttered. My ears ached, but the ringing had died down to a mutter and I could hear the hooting of an owl in the distance.

  “Alex how did you know I was here” I asked standing up. My head spun, and I fell back down on the ground.

  “Logan actually, err told me you had run off into a dark empty field after an air face, which funnily enough sounds like something you would do” She teased and helped me stand.

  “Funny, I think we need to take a trip back to Icarus. The elves seem to be in trouble. Well I think that’s what they were trying to tell me. When they were SCREAMING AT ME” I yelled at the empty field.

  “O.K. maybe you should sit back down for a while” She fretted and continued to hold my arm.

  Ashlee Simpsons voice echoed in the air as I pulled out my phone.

  “Hello” I answered wearily.

  “So how was the teddy bears picnic?” Logan mocked.

  “Oh it went great, a bunch of elves tried to deafen me”

  “What? Are you ok”

  “Logan…you almost sound like you care” I teased, but it did sound like he cared. My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t help smiling.

  “No, but if you were hurt that means you won’t come rescue me from your boring friends. The flower girl is driving me nuts” he moaned. The chatter of my friends in the background made my smile fade.

  “Ah yes. Let me get cleaned up, and I’ll take them off your hands”

  “You sure you are ok though. I mean for your friends sake you know” He mumbled.

  “Yes I’m fine, make sure to let them know that won’t you, bye” I chuckled shutting the phone and placing it back in my bag.

  Walking towards the middle of the field I could still feel the presence of the army of tiny elves, dancing and singing with their cheery faces that turned to pure evil.

  “That bad huh” Alex sighed placing her chin on my shoulder.

  “Something just doesn’t seem right”

  “What do you mean? Magical creatures needing your help, that’s normal” She questioned.

  “Why here? Only reason we went this way was because….” The only reason we went that way was because Logan asked for a short cut to town, which meant walking through the brook. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence. I knew him hanging around was unusual, he had a hidden agenda.

  “LOGAN! He asked for a short cut this was the short cut!,” I exclaimed, heading in the direction of the brook through the trees.

  “Come on Elle, if he wanted you to be hurt, why did he call me to come help you?” Alex protested trying to keep one step in front of me.

  “I don’t know!” I sighed. I think the elves screaming had made my head scrambled, and thoughts were just a jumble of words.

  “Listen to me Elle” Alex exclaimed “Maybe he hangs around you because I don’t know, he likes you”

  “Alex….”

  “Elle, let’s just go get you cleaned up and then let’s go find your friends ok?”

  “Fine” I sighed.

  ***

  As we entered fireflies, the multi coloured light streams flickered from one metallic wall to another. Crowds of teenagers were cluttered in the corners of the room on brown leather chairs. The dance floor was full of teenagers dressed to the nines and most girls were barely wearing clothing. I saw Logan before the rest of them. His piercing blue eyes looked out of place amongst my normal friends. Walking over to the bar where they were standing, I felt weird. Alex and Logan were part of my other life and them being here with my human friends, it felt too weird. I wanted to keep them apart, but that hasn’t worked out so well.

  “Hey Elle and….” Oscar greeted and gave Alex a smile.

  “Hey guys this Is Alex my friend from… anyway drink” I smiled. Yeah explaining where I knew her from would be bringing up to many questions.

  After saying hello to all my friends, I felt seriously tired. The elves and the music were gi
ving me a headache.

  “So no broken bones then?,” Logan breathed in my ear as I took a sip of coke, causing me to gulp loudly.

  “Disappointed” I accused.

  “No, of course not, why would you think that?”

  “I don’t know” I sighed taking another sip. Glancing around the club I could see that Alex and Oscar were getting along famously. Poppy was chatting with a random boy but couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of Logan. I could see that it was making him feel uncomfortable.

  “I think she likes you” I chuckled.

  “Did you know she’s very flexible” He shuddered and took a shot of green liquid. Well the girl works quick I give her that. There she goes trying to make him jealous by making out with a tall ginger guy. She’s like an article out of how to get a guy magazine.

  “You could do a lot worse than her”

  “I could do a lot better” He smiled.

  “What are you doing here Logan” I asked.

  “I have no idea, I best go. I’ll find out what I can about you know who and report back”

  “Logan” I spluttered walking after him. He picked up speed and shimmered out of the club. I’m hoping nobody saw that. Great I’ve upset him. I wish I could go one day without I don’t know, upsetting someone. My stomach clenched as the room began to spin, my legs gave way as I fell towards the floor. The walls begun to cave in as I collapsed, everything doubled up. The lights danced around my vision, disfiguring everything. The twisted shapes began to form different images from dancing elves to roaring fires. The music from the club grew louder and louder until my ears couldn’t take it anymore. It’s like the screaming is back and it's getting louder and louder. The ringing and the spinning was piling on top of me.

  “Is she ok?” The mumbles of the crowd were muffled by the flames that were dancing around the bar.

  “She’s fine, I think she just needs some air” Alex’s voice brought my vision back to reality. The crowd of people began to disburse as Alex pulled me up off the floor. Holding onto the banister of the staircase, we made our way up the stairs and outside into the cool air. Collapsing on a bench across from the club, my lungs filled with the coolness of the fresh air. My head was starting to regain its normal thinking pattern.

  “Hey Kiddo how many fingers” Harriet asked holding up two fingers.

  “I’m fine, ok guys, just go back inside and have fun. I’m going to go home and rest my head” I replied. My head was reeling from the nights events, and a good rest was just what I needed, or a brain scan.

  “Ok, see you on Monday.”

  Saying goodbye Poppy and Harriet made their way back into the club. Standing up and brushing off the splinters of wood off my dress. I tried to keep my head from spinning.

  “Come on let's go home” Taking Alex’s hand we orbed back home, inside Emeralds kitchen.

  “Whoa!” Holding onto the side of the table, I felt my legs begin to buckle again. Orbing was not my strong point when I wasn’t at my full strength. Banging into the unwashed pots on the draining board, I slumped onto a stool around the table.

  “What happened?” Alex asked keeping hold of my arm.

  “I think I had a sort of premonition”

  “But you don’t get them? What did you see?”

  “Elves and fire” I breathed laying my head on the table. The coolness of the surface soothed my aching head. Rubbing my temples I lifted it and the black spots dispersed.

  “Elves, I told you they were odd creatures” Josh chuckled running in from the hall.

  “Alex told me what happened in the woods”

  Closing my eyes, the vision played on in my head, the intensity of the fire and the heat. The elves flitting through the trees in their green and pink outfits, growing in size as they moved their screams echoed in my ears.

  “I don’t understand” I sighed pushing the palms of my hands against my eyes.

  “Maybe this will help” handing me a map Josh took a seat in front of me.

  “Were going on a treasure hunt?” I asked.

  “No…it’s a map of the castle, Bert gave it to me. We can use it to find your fathers private library. I’ve been thinking…”

  “Don’t hurt yourself” Alex interrupted.

  “Anyway, I’ve been thinking maybe your father took the book Ruins of our souls after you left that night. He was the last one in the room, and as he doesn’t want you in the normal library, maybe he took it.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me”

  Spreading the map out onto the table, the image of how big the castle is was clear. I’ve lived here how long, and I have never noticed that we have dungeons, maybe I could use that. Using my finger, I traced the corridors and staircases in search of the private library.

  “If it was private would it even be on a map?” Alex asked. That was true, if my father didn’t want anyone to know about it, he certainly wouldn’t put it on a map that others can get hold of, especially me.

  “Wait, something my father did when I was younger” I mumbled grasping the map and leaving the kitchen with Alex and Josh behind me. Running down the corridor and up two flights of stairs and down another corridor, we reached my old playroom.

  Opening the brightly painted doors, the memories from my childhood lingered in the air. The room was just how I had remembered it. The walls covered in blue bunnies and pink flowers, toys all stacked tidily away, Emerald always kept the room clean even whilst I was playing in it. In the corner stood the tall oak book case I was looking for.

  “What are we doing in your playroom?” Josh asked.

  These books are seriously battered, sighing I flicked through the children’s books. What was it called something like Ta… no Teray, got it. Taking the sea blue book from the shelf, I took a seat in my grandmother’s rocking chair.

  “You know the story of Teray right?” I asked holding up the page with the map of the Carmed sea, where the mermaids live.

  “I don’t” Josh piped up. “I’m a boy remember”

  “This is the Carmed sea, where the queen mermaid Teray lives” Pointing at the rock in the middle of the map.

  “Ok but why are we looking at this?”

  “When I was younger my father used this map to find where Teray was. I don’t know why but he said a chant”

  If only I could remember what it was, It went something like, I seek something to be found, up in the air or below the ground, show me what I wish to see, show me the way, show it to me. I think that’s the right words, if it doesn’t work I’ll just have to check all these rooms of the castle. That’s fine there are only over three hundred of them, it’s in this book somewhere. Flipping through the pages I found my father’s italic writing scribbled on the back page.

  “I seek something to be found, up in the air or below the ground, show me what I wish to see, show me the way, show it to me” I mumbled.

  Taking the map from my pocket I flattened it out on the floor and kneeled beside it.

  “I seek something to be found, up in the air or below the ground, show me what I wish to see, show me the way, show it to me” I chanted.

  “Nothing happened” Josh whispered standing over me.

  “Maybe I’m doing it wrong” I sighed reading the words again.

  “Or maybe you need to do something else. Usually when my mother does chants, she has to burn a piece of paper with the name on it” Alex’s words reminded me of the night my father used the chant. He had lit a candle in the middle of the floor when I was having a nap. Taking the candle that was sitting on the fireplace, I sat it on the corner of the map.

  “Here” Alex passed me a small piece of paper with the words private library written on it.

  “Ok here goes” Shooting a glance at the candle it came alive with fire and burnt the paper that I held over the flame.

  “I seek something to be found, up in the air or below the ground, show me what I wish to see, show me the way, show it to me”

  A gust of wind flickere
d the flame and lifted the sides of the map as it began to glow. A new room began to emerge through the brown paper and walls began to move around.

  “This is the entrance near Katelyn’s room” Josh pointed out the route to the library, which was the room next to Katelyn’s room. I’ll have to try and avoid her, great because that’s not going to be hard.

  “Wait…there are two rooms, look, there’s one behind this one” Alex traced the outline of the rooms with her index finger. She was right there were two rooms, I had cast a spell for only one though. Tricky things spells, you never know what you are going to get.

  “What you guys waiting for, lets go” I smiled jumping up and running for the door. So let’s see we are on the fourth floor of the north tower and the new room is on the third floor of the east tower.

  “If we take the east route and down the second flight of stairs, we will end up right outside the library…”

  “Elle just one problem” Alex interrupted.

  “What?”

  “How do you know your father isn’t in there, or Katelyn for that matter. You might be walking into them”

  “You know what, I don’t even care” I mumbled. Why should I care if I get caught, maybe if I did then my father could tell me everything I need to know. Putting him on the spot may open up his mind to telling me the truth.

  Placing the book back on the bookshelf we left the room and all my old childhood memories, to find the secret library. The corridors seemed to empty for this time of night. Approaching the staircase the wind created whispers through the cracks in the wall. If I wasn’t insane, I’d say that the wind was following me.

  Every step I was taking down the spiral staircase, felt one step closer to unravelling secrets that had been kept from me. Hopefully this library could shed some light on the situation.

  “Wait,” Alex whispered putting her arm in front of me, making me nearly fall down the remaining stairs.

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Listen?”

  Listening carefully to the empty corridor I heard nothing, apart from our beating hearts and gasping breaths.