by Trevor Booth
“I don’t know how,” said Te’oma.
“Of course you do. Just let go. Smash the wall!” screamed the Shadow. Te’oma closed his eyes and tried his best to calm himself. The Shadow whacked him over the back of the head. “Wake up,” he commanded. “Why are you trying to meditate? Just smash the damn wall in.” The anger swelled in Te’oma. He pushed the wall as hard as he could, but it did not budge. “What are you doing?” asked the Shadow.
Frustrated, Te’oma started to hit the wall. Each time, he grew angrier and fiercer. His eyes turned a flaming red colour. Faster and stronger, he bashed the wall. Blood started to drip from his hands, but he didn’t notice – he just continued to bash. The bashing became so loud that it echoed throughout the cave. All the while, the Shadow watched on with a smile on his face.
Suddenly, Te’oma’s hands burst into flame. The rage completely consumed him and with one final punch he smashed his hand deep into the wall. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The wall got hotter and the diamonds melted from the intense heat. The wall melted before him into a steaming pile of rock and diamond.
Te’oma walked through the rock like it was water. He walked into the cave and opened his eyes. Julius and Ariana stood in the passage; jaws dropped, they stared at him in disbelief.
Te’oma opened his eyes and saw his friends waiting for him. The anger inside him eased. His hands returned to normal and the redness in his eyes faded away.
Ariana ran up to Te’oma and wrapped her arms around him. Te’oma was shocked. He had been so blinded by rage that he couldn’t feel his love for Ariana. All he felt was anger. The Shadow disappeared into a cloud of dust, but not before Julius saw him standing there.
“What happened to you?” asked Ariana.
“I thought you had left me,” said Te’oma.
“Left you? Don’t be stupid,” said Ariana. She turned her head and rested it on his chest. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to hold on to Te’oma.
“I hate to break up our little reunion, but we still have a big problem over here,” said Julius as a giant ball of fire raged down past them.
“What was that?” asked Te’oma.
“That is the way out,” replied Ariana.
Te’oma crept up to the corner in the passageway. He slowly peered around. He couldn’t see anything. All he could see was a dead end. He looked more closely. A small light appeared at the end of the passageway. It grew brighter, until it was bright enough for Te’oma to see the giant teeth of the dragon, surrounding the light. It was a ball of fire, coming directly out of the mouth of the beast. Te’oma reeled back around the corner, just in time, as the fire came raging past.
“What was that?” asked Te’oma in a panic.
“That would be a dragon standing between us and the exit,” said Ariana.
“It can’t be. I was told that there only seven,” said Te’oma.
“Well, he looks pretty real to me,” replied Ariana.
“I’ve got an idea,” said Ariana. She quickly ran back down the cave and took the blanket from the bed. She took the blanket over to the lake where the waterfall was and submerged it in the water. She ran back to Te’oma and Julius. “Follow me,” she said. Ariana waited for the next ball of fire to come past, then she scurried into the passageway. She ran as fast as she could, until she saw the fire growing in the dragon’s mouth. She dropped to her knees. Te’oma and Julius ducked down behind her. She covered them with the dripping wet blanket.
The flame roared down the passageway. They closed their eyes and hoped for the best as the flame passed by. Steam rose from the blanket as the fire raged above. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like minutes as it got excruciatingly hot under the blanket.
The fire stopped. Ariana quickly threw the steaming hot blanket off them and, as quickly as they could, they sneaked around the mouth of the dragon. The dragon was so big that it could not see down the passageway and did not notice them crawling past its mouth.
They ran past the dragon as quietly as they could and headed straight for the door. “Now what? The door’s still locked,” whispered Julius.
“I don’t know,” said Ariana. “I said I had an idea. I didn’t say it was a good one,” continued Ariana.
“Well, let’s find the key,” said Te’oma.
“We know where the key is,” said Ariana reluctantly.
“Great. Where?” asked Te’oma.
“It’s hanging around the dragon’s neck,” said Julius.
“Ok. Leave it to me,” said Te’oma.
“What?” said Ariana.
“I’d say find somewhere to hide, but there is nowhere,” said Te’oma as he walked towards the dragon. Ariana reached out to stop him. The Shadow appeared before her and put his hand in front of her. “He needs to do this,” said the Shadow, she stumbled back in shock.
Te’oma walked up to the tail of the beast. Even the very tip of its tail was nearly as thick as Te’oma’s torso. He sucked in a deep breath, then climbed up onto the tail of the dragon. The dragon quickly reeled around and looked at Te’oma. Te’oma swiftly climbed up the back of the dragon and up to its neck.
The dragon crashed around the room like a bucking bronco. Te’oma clung on for dear life. The dragon’s tail smashed into the pillars, causing rock to come falling down from the roof. Ariana and Julius scurried around the room below, trying desperately to dodge not only the dragon but the falling rocks.
Te’oma climbed closer to the chain hanging around the dragon’s neck. The dragon blasted balls of fire around the room, but he could not bend his neck far enough to aim at Te’oma.
Te’oma reached down and grabbed the necklace. He spun it around and took the key into his hands. The key was old and rusted. It had been hanging around the dragon’s neck for a very long time. He tried to pull the key off, but it would not budge. The chain was simply too strong. “I can’t break the chain. It’s too strong. We need something to break it off,” screamed Te’oma.
“Great idea. How do you plan on doing that?” said Ariana.
“Try tying his feet together,” said Te’oma.
“With what?” asked Ariana.
Julius sifted through the rocks. He found a small rock with a very sharp point on the end. He then ran to the tail of the dragon and jumped on. He climbed up the tail and out onto the wings.
“What are you doing?” cried Ariana.
“Didn’t you learn anything? What’s the strongest, most flexible thing you can think of?” asked Julius.
“Dragon wing,” said Ariana.
Julius stabbed the pointy end of the rock into the dragon’s wing and start hacking away at it. The dragon screamed in pain, bouncing around the room more violently than ever. Julius cut large strands of skin from the dragon’s wing and threw them down to Ariana.
Ariana gathered them up and quickly fashioned them into one long piece of rope. “That’s enough. Get back down here,” said Ariana. The dragon stood tall and stretched its broken wings out wide as it bellowed. Julius was sent flying across the room, smashing into the wall. He collapsed to the ground in pain.
Ariana raced to his side and passed him the dragon wing rope. Julius looked up at her. His eyes were glazed over. “I know you’re hurt, but there’s no time. It’s now or never,” said Ariana, as she passed Julius the makeshift rope. Julius struggled to his feet, cradling a bruised chest. “All you have to do is hold on as tightly as you can,” said Ariana.
Ariana took the other end of the rope and ran towards the dragon. The dragon leaned down and looked her straight in the eye. Silence fell over the room. The dragon looked deeply into her eyes. She looked back at his soulless stare and did not give an inch. While the dragon was distracted Ariana threw the rope end to Te’oma, who tied it around the chain. He quickly jumped off the neck of the beast, catching its attention. The dragon reared its head into the air, breathing fire all over the roof. Ariana, Julius and Te’oma all pulled as hard as they could on the rope. The dragon’s
strength was enormous, but the rope made of its skin was equally as strong. Finally, the chain gave way and the key fell from around its neck.
The key got caught in the dragon’s undamaged wing on the way down. Te’oma quickly scurried up the back of the dragon and out towards the key, which hung from the wing’s very edge. He reached out as far as he could and, with the tips of his fingers, he grasped the chain. “I got it!” he yelled with joy.
The dragon suddenly vanished. Te’oma came crashing down to the ground with a thud and winced in pain.
Ariana ran up to his side. “Are you ok?” asked Ariana, running her fingers through his hair.
“I’ll be ok,” said Te’oma as he gingerly got to his feet. Julius hobbled up to Te’oma and put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. “That wasn’t too hard,” said Te’oma, trying to catch his breath.
“I wonder where it went,” said Julius.
“It was a simulation,” said the Shadow from behind them. The three turned around to face him.
“A what?” asked Te’oma.
“A simulation. This whole test has been to decide if you were fit to re-join the Intari and, as you would know Julius, the Intari value teamwork very highly. Only by working together would the simulation end,” continued the Shadow.
“You mean that dragon wasn’t real?” asked Ariana.
“In a way no, but the danger was very real. Many men have died at the hands of that dragon, simulation or not,” said the Shadow. “But don’t fool yourself. Defeating a real dragon is a very different prospect indeed,” he added, before disappearing.
The three walked over to the door. Te’oma handed the key to Ariana. “Here. You do the honours,” said Te’oma. Ariana inserted the key into the lock and twisted it. The centre of the padlock spun around. It made a series of clicking noises before it popped open. The door swung open and, at last, they could see the outside world. They filled their lungs with the sweet feel of fresh air. The cool wind gently caressed their skin and, for that brief moment, they felt free once more.
“We are not meant to walk this world alone.”
Chapter 20
Sky
For two days, Sky waited at the entrance of Drake’s cave. All the fierce determination she had in her heart had all but abandoned her as she was faced with the reality of finally fulfilling her destiny. She wanted to go in, but something was holding her back.
Her mind kept coming back to thoughts of the past. For the longest time, she had blocked the memory of her family and that horrible day when she was taken from them.
***
She could still feel the cracked skin of Oonuk’s hand holding her tightly as her parents were pulled away from her. Her heart had sank that moment; she knew she would never see them again.
Oonuk did not give her long to mourn. He quickly yanked her by the hand and pulled her back down into the caves of the Sigamante.
She had found the caves scary before but, now she was alone, the fear seemed much more intense. By his standards, Oonuk had been kind to Sky; that was all about to change.
Noola had been waiting at the entrance of the cave, holding her aching head. Oonuk walked past her, shoving Sky into her hands. He stared at Noola, placing all blame on her, without saying a single word. Noola took Sky by the hand and dragged her down the hallway. She was determined to never again let someone take advantage of her.
Sky was locked in a cell with no food and no water. The cell was a long way from the lava and there was a large crack in the roof of the cave, allowing the icy cold wind and snow to fall down her. She huddled up into a ball and wept.
After three days of isolation and cold, Oonuk finally opened the door to the cell. Sky looked up at him and, to his surprise, she smiled at him – not a friendly smile, but a smile of determination. She was determined to prove that she was worth looking after; that she was special.
The Sigamante were a fiercely religious people. They followed the words of their leaders, as if they were handed down by the Phoenix himself. Oonuk was the next in line to lead the Sigamante. For years, he had been studying the texts of his ancestors. He had been so relentless in his studies that he had even translated the earliest known texts, harking back to the first days of the Phoenix.
Oonuk grabbed Sky by the hand and yanked her out of her cell. He pulled her down the caves at a brisk pace. Sky did her best to keep up. He followed a maze of tunnels seemed to go on forever. They reached a staircase at the end of one of the tunnels. The stairs led down into darkness. Oonuk looked around to make sure that no one was watching. He then stepped down three steps and stopped. He lifted Sky up into his arms and held her close. “Don’t move,” said Oonuk ominously.
Oonuk closed his eyes and touched his hand on the cave wall. He hummed to himself. His breathing got heavier and his hand shook. It glowed red. He pushed gently and his hand slid through like the rock was made of butter. He pulled on something behind the rock, then took his hand out of the wall. The floor beneath them jolted, as the step they were standing on rose up.
The roof of the cave opened slightly, just enough for them to squeeze through. The step came to a stop in a large room. This room was unlike any other room that Sky had ever seen. The walls were a shiny polished rock. Small, sparkling lights lined the room, making it feel like a sunny day inside. The floors were made of a stunning hard wood. Standing against all the walls were towering high bookcases full of dusty old books. At the end of the room was a giant screen.
Oonuk approached the screen. It turned on instantly. Thousands of lines of hieroglyphic-like characters appeared upon it. Oonuk waved his hand and scrolled through the long stream of text.
Sky stared on in wonder. She dared not move. She was fascinated by her surroundings and wondered if anyone had ever spent the time to read all these books.
“She will lead a new age,” mumbled Oonuk. He turned around and looked at Sky. He had a very different expression on his face, a look of purpose.
Sky was never again allowed to enter that room. For all the things that Oonuk taught her over the years, she never did learn the secret to pushing her hand through the rock. Of course, that never stopped her from trying, much to the chagrin of Oonuk.
Oonuk believed that Sky was special and she was punished for this belief. He pushed her harder than any of the other kids. He spent more time with her than he did with his own wife. She was trained until she bled. She was forced to sleep alone, not allowed to interact with the other children. Her days were divided between training and study; her nights spent alone in a cold, damp cell. She was taught to block out all emotion, all wants and desires, so she could make hard decisions – like taking Oonuk’s life.
***
“I guess you were wrong,” said Sky, standing in front of Drake’s cave. All her training and sacrifices were for nothing. “Now what do I do?” she asked herself aloud. In that very moment of despair, she heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind her. She spun around to see Christian, wounded and exhausted, stumbling his way up the mountainside. Before she could open her mouth, Christian fell to the ground.
Sky quickly rushed to his side. She held his head off the ground. He looked up at her, barely conscious. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” asked Sky.
“I need to see Drake,” said Christian, struggling to keep his eyes open.
“You’re out of luck,” said Sky. “He’s gone.”
Christian closed his eyes and fell asleep. Sky dragged Christian into the caves and laid him down by the fireplace. She looked across at the doorways. She could easily leave this place, take her chance through the doors, but she could not see the point anymore. She was no longer any more special than this boy who lay before her and needed her help.
For nearly a week, she fed Christian water and small bits of food. In the brief moments he would wake up, it was all she could do to keep him going. In all that time, she didn’t even get to ask him his name. He would wake up and, within moments, he would be asleep again.
<
br /> Christian’s life continued to hang by a thread. The power of the dragons does strange things to people. His body was clearly not able to handle what had been given to him. When he woke he was in agony. When he slept, he had terrifying nightmares of things he did not ever want to imagine.
Nearly two weeks after Sky had rescued him, Christian finally sat up. Sweat poured down his face and his stomach churned with sickness. “What is your name?” asked Christian, struggling to get the words out of his mouth.
“Sky,” she replied.
“I need you to make it stop,” pleaded Christian.
“I don’t know how,” replied Sky, knowing what he wanted her to do.
“There is only one way. It has to stop,” said Christian, as he looked at the fireplace.
Yet again Sky was faced with an impossible decision. The lines between what was right and wrong were being blurred by the awful position Christian had put her in. “I can’t. I can’t do that,” said Sky, as she stood up and marched away.
“Please,” said Christian. “It’s the only way,” he begged. Sky stopped at the doorway, her emotions overwhelming her. Then she remembered her training and a sense of calm came over her. She turned around to face Christian. She could see the pain in his eyes. She walked over to him. “Forgive me,” she said softly.
Sky closed her eyes, then kicked Christian in the head as hard as she could. He was knocked to the ground. She lifted his unconscious body from the ground and held him over the fireplace. So many conflicting emotions raced through her. She gritted her teeth and pushed her feelings deep down, then dropped Christian into the fire.
His body burned quickly, but she did not look away. She watched on as he was burnt to ashes.
Sky dropped to the floor beside the fire’s edge. She watched on as the fire slowly burnt out – until it was nothing but a pile of ash. A tear rolled down her face. She never thought this would be the person she would become, or that this would be the life she would have to lead. Suddenly, the ashes burst back into flames. Sky scurried to her feet. The flames leapt from the fire onto Sky. She jumped up and tried to put them out, but the flames grew stronger. She panicked before realising that the flames did not hurt. She stopped fighting and just stood still. The flames completely engulfed her until she couldn’t be seen.