Ash stood taller and puffed his chest out to support Rhyll’s claims.
Lady Belgrave looked unsure. “But you are still young, child, and innocent in the ways of the world. Not all of Krell is like our wonderful, safe Icamore. You must be certain you’re up to this adventure.”
Rhyll’s chin lifted ever so slightly. “Like I said, we’re used to looking after ourselves. Taine and I have done fine without our mother these last few years. And Ash has been the man of his house ever since his pa and older brother left.”
“Yes, of course.” Lady Belgrave looked embarrassed at the mention of Rhyll’s mother. Her husband was, after all, the one responsible for exiling her. She turned towards Ash. “So it seems you must venture out with only your companions and the phoenix, Master Rover. You shall, however, be provided with mules and ample supplies for the journey. Think about it, will you?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Renshaw escorted Ash, Gwaam, Taine and Rhyll down into the kitchen where he left them to eat and discuss Lady Belgrave’s proposal.
Taine, his appetite fully recovered, gobbled down a good portion of the boiled eggs, ham and cheese offered to them by the cook while the others told him what had happened.
“It’s a dangerous mission Lady Belgrave is sending us on,” he said. “What if we don’t make it back alive? I know the food is good, well, it’s delicious really, but we won’t be here to enjoy it if we’re dead. Can’t she get someone else to find Lord Belgrave?”
“There is no one else,” Ash said. “All fit men of fighting age left with Lord Belgrave. The rest are too old, or too young.”
“Like us.”
Rhyll shook her head. “I don’t understand why anyone would ever want to go to war.”
“It would be for the honour of our country,” Taine replied automatically.
“Face it, Taine,” Ash said. “You don’t really want to be a soldier.”
Taine grimaced. “I guess you’re right. But I’d go if you went.”
“You might not be old enough to fight, but you’re smart,” Rhyll said. “You’ve got a good brain, Ash. I say use it. Accept Lady Belgrave’s challenge and prove to everyone what we’re really worth.”
Ash wanted to say yes. He wanted to show Morgan – show everyone – that he was strong and brave like his father and brother. But he knew what they would want him to do. “Who’s going to look after Ma and the cattle if I go?” he said.
“Gwaam will sleep now,” the phoenix said.
Ash sighed. “We’d better go. Ma will be wondering what happened to me.” He scooped Gwaam up in his basket and strode out of the kitchen, closely followed by Rhyll.
Taine took longer, shoving food into his pockets as he went. When he caught up to the others he said, “I probably won’t be much use, Ash, but if you do decide to go, I’ll come with you.”
“Me too,” agreed Rhyll.
“Thanks.” Ash knew he was lucky to have friends to rely on. “But I’m not going. I can’t leave Ma on her own, so forget about it.”
7
BLACK SNOW
The three friends were barely out of the village, treading the path towards home, when Rhyll let out a shout. “Look! What’s that?” She pointed to the sky.
Ash glanced up and frowned. The light from the day had suddenly disappeared. Dark clouds billowed across the sky and a chill wind whirled around them. “I didn’t realise it was so late.”
“That’s not night coming,” Rhyll said. “That’s something else.”
Then they heard it. A heavy drone like the swarming of bees filled the air. Next came the slithering of thousands of leathery wings: a sound so dreadful it seemed to send ice through Ash’s veins. Beside him, Rhyll shuddered.
“We must find shelter. Now,” Gwaam said.
Rhyll covered her ears against the noise. “What is it?”
“Birds,” Taine said. “Loads of birds.”
“They are not birds,” Gwaam said. “They’re stone gargoyles from Wizard Zadoc’s castle brought to life by his evil magic. He has sent the swarm here to trap us. Soon he will send his Seekers, giant griffins, half-eagle, half-lion.”
“Ah, can you repeat that?” Taine asked, confused. “Half-eagle, half-lion, did you say?”
“Yes,” Gwaam replied.
“Who is Wizard Zadoc?” Ash said.
“You’ve never heard of him?” Gwaam looked surprised.
“No.” Ash shook his head. “Should we have?”
“Zadoc is an evil man who uses black magic. He lives in far north Krell,” Gwaam said. “I don’t have time to explain more now. We must find shelter, I beg you.”
Ash glanced up at the sky. “It looks like those things are heading straight for Icamore,” Ash said. “We’ve got to warn everybody.”
“Yes, we must,” Rhyll agreed. “Papa is there delivering pork to Fyodor Carver. We have to save him. And the others.”
The air began to thicken and pulse as snow, dark as night, rained down from the wings of the creatures that swooped across the sky.
“There is no time,” Gwaam said. “The black snow will freeze you. Hide now, children, or we will all be doomed. Quick!”
“Ouch! It hurts!” Ash batted at his arm. A flake of black snow had landed on his sleeve, searing through the material and burning him with its stinging, wintry tentacles. The pain was incredible, but worse than that was the fear and dread that spread through Ash at the thought of being frozen by the black snow. One look at Taine and Rhyll and he knew they were scared too.
Keep it together, Ash told himself. Help the others. Help Gwaam.
“Gwaam’s right,” Ash said, looking around. He spotted an embankment. “Down there,” he said.
The three friends scrambled down the embankment and threw themselves under the stone bridge that stretched across the river. Huddling together, they beat the black snow off each other, shivering and shuddering in the cold.
Ash’s eyes were wide with fear as he listened to the droning and slithering of the creatures in the sky. “Why are those things looking for you?” he asked.
“Wizard Zadoc seeks me.” Gwaam’s voice was low. “He wants to use me for his own evil purposes.”
“Which are?” Rhyll said.
“He captured me and my mate, Suela, to use us to give him ever-lasting life.”
“There are two of you?” Taine asked.
“Ever-lasting life,” Rhyll said at the same time. “That’s impossible.”
Gwaam gave a bird-like chuckle. “Yes, Taine, Suela and I are the last phoenixes left in the known world. And, Rhyll, ever-lasting life is possible. I am living proof of that.”
“How can you help him live forever?” Ash said.
“He has to perform a ritual at precisely the right moment of our development to achieve his evil purpose. It requires blood taken straight from our hearts. It is a ritual we will not survive.”
“That’s terrible,” Rhyll said.
“Zodac wishes the world to live under his rule,” Gwaam continued. “He wishes to keep all others in darkness and despair, working for him to build his power, his wealth. He won’t stop until he succeeds. He’s willing to do anything to get me back. And he’s willing to destroy my mate and I to achieve what he wants.”
“How does he know you’re here?” Ash asked.
“His Seekers followed me to your valley a few days ago, before you found my egg and I was reborn,” Gwaam explained. “These gargoyles are freezing everything in the hope that I will be trapped. Only a phoenix’s heart can be heard beating under the black snow, you see. Soon the Seekers will try to find where I am. They’re immune to the snow and will dig me out and take me back to Wizard Zadoc.”
“What?” Taine gasped. “Are you saying we’re all going to die?”
“Taine, don’t panic,” Ash said calmly. “Gwaam, why didn’t you warn us that this might happen?”
“I didn’t think they would come so soon,” Gwaam said. “We must not talk any more. Soo
n, I will tell you everything. For now, we must sit quietly so we aren’t found.”
After a while, the droning and slithering moved on, slowly growing more distant. The world fell silent. Not a bird twittered, nor a leaf rustled.
Gwaam cocked his head to one side and listened. “Come, children,” he said. “The creatures have gone. Let us see the damage they have caused.”
Ash and the others scrambled up onto the road, which was covered in a thin layer of snow. They crept warily into the village. The sight that greeted them stopped them in their tracks.
The entire village, their village, had been blanketed with black snow. Everything caught outside – people, animals, trees – was frozen solid. Entire houses were iced over. Snow had poured down chimneys and seeped through the cracks in windows and doorframes to fill the buildings up. When they peered through the windows of the houses, shops and barns they saw that everything and everyone inside were frozen too.
Nothing had escaped the black snow.
“We have to help them,” Ash said, rushing forwards.
Taine put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Is it safe?”
“No, it’s not,” Gwaam said. “If you try to free those buried within it, you will also be caught. We must leave now.”
“Papa is here in the village somewhere,” Rhyll said breathlessly.
“And Ma is at home with only Trip to protect her,” Ash said. “I hope they’re all right.”
“Do you think Pa is dead?” Taine said. “Are they all dead?”
“Not yet,” Gwaam replied. “But if we do not break the wizard’s spell in time, they will be.”
“Tell us about this wizard right now. I want to know what’s going on,” Taine said.
“I have much explaining to do,” Gwaam said gravely, “only not now. We must leave before the Seekers come.”
“What should we do?” Rhyll said. “Where should we go?”
Despite the fear and shock that gripped him, Ash’s mind was working clearly. He would have a chance to prove his strength and courage after all. “We need to collect supplies to take with us.”
“Take with us where?” Taine asked.
“To find this Wizard Zadoc so we can make him free our friends and family.”
Taine hesitated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Ash.”
“If Zadoc’s Seekers are looking for Gwaam, why don’t we wait until they find us?” Rhyll said. “Then we can all go together and demand he breaks his spell.”
“The Seekers will not take you,” Gwaam said. “They do not care for you or your village. They will kill you where you stand.”
“So, like I said,” Ash persisted, “our only hope is to escape now before the Seekers track down Gwaam and then try to find Wizard Zadoc.” He waved towards the village. “It’s their only hope too. So, first your house, then mine, to get what we need.”
When they arrived at Taine and Rhyll’s cottage they found it almost untouched by the blizzard that had devastated the village. Only tiny patches of black snow sat here and there, some of it already seeping into the ground.
“You have been lucky,” Gwaam said.
“Is that what you call it?” Taine growled.
Gwaam hunkered down lower in his basket.
“Don’t blame him.” Ash rushed to the phoenix’s defence. “It’s not his fault.”
“Yes, it is, it’s all his fault,” Taine said before stomping into the barn.
Ash followed close behind. “What are you doing?”
“If we’re going away, I have to let the pigs out into the field,” Taine said.
“Is that wise?” Ash asked. “What about the snow?”
“The field looks fine. Besides, I can’t leave them in the barn. They’ll die of starvation in here. At least they stand a chance out there.”
The boys herded the pigs out of the barn and into the nearby field. Rhyll strode out of the house carrying a fine oak bow and a quiver of crimson-feathered arrows.
“Where did you get those?” Ash asked.
“Papa made them for me. After what we saw today, I think we’re going to need weapons.”
“Is there any food?” Taine asked.
Rhyll showed him her knapsack. “I took what I could find. A few oranges, some bread, a square of cheese.”
“Is that all?”
Rhyll shrugged. “Papa was going to trade this week’s pork for some more supplies. That’s why he was in town, remember?”
Taine groaned. “Never mind the pigs going hungry, we’re going to starve for sure.”
“Maybe I can collect some food from my house,” Ash said. “I sure hope Ma and Trip are all right. Let’s go.”
As they walked to Ash’s house, they passed through a landscape that looked as if a fire had ravaged it. Houses were blackened and iced and the leaves of the few trees that dotted the countryside had been frozen off. Flowers and grass were greyed like ash. Lifeless. The further they travelled from the village, the less blackened everything was, but it was still grey and eerily silent.
When they arrived at Ash’s house they saw the snow was patchier. Hope flared in Ash’s chest.
Perhaps Ma is safe, he thought.
But when he looked over at the garden, he saw Amelia, frozen like a black statue where she had been standing. She was leaning back with one hand held up to the sky, a mask of terror gripping her face. Sick with fear, Ash ran over, intent on freeing his mother.
“Please don’t,” warned Gwaam. “Remember, the snow is poisonous. If you try to cut her out, it will catch you in its grasp.”
“I can’t leave her like that. She looks so afraid.” Ash held his head in his hands. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his mother. She was all he had left.
“This is not the way to help her,” Gwaam said. “We must get to the wizard and defeat him so his spell over your village will be broken. You only have seven days to save them. When the sun sets on the seventh full day after the snow, their hearts will be frozen forever and they will die.”
“Seven days!” Rhyll gasped.
Taine threw his hands in the air. “Oh, this just gets better and better. Not only do we have to find an evil wizard and defeat him, now we only have seven days to do it. We don’t even know where he is.”
“I know where he is,” Gwaam said. “His castle is in the north of Krell. I can take you there.”
“How can we defeat a wizard powerful enough to destroy an entire village?” Ash asked Gwaam.
“I will help you,” Gwaam said. “Each day I grow bigger and stronger. You have to trust me when I tell you we can do this.”
“I sure hope seven days makes you really, really strong,” Taine said. “Because at the moment, looking at the size of you and of us, we’ve got no hope.”
“Right now hope is the only thing we do have,” Ash said. “We’re going to have a battle on our hands to free our friends and families, all right. But standing around talking about it isn’t going to fix the problem. Are you with me?”
“I’m in,” Rhyll said. “No question.”
Taine shuffled his feet in the dirt. “I’m not sure about leaving the valley, Ash. I’ve never been away from home before. What if it’s dangerous out there?”
“I’m scared too,” Ash said.
“I never said I was scared,” Taine protested.
Rhyll rolled her eyes. “You as good as did.”
“We can’t stay, Taine,” Ash said. “The danger is here already, in Icamore. And if what Gwaam says is true, there will be more danger coming. But you know what? I’m ready for it. People need us and we’re the only ones who can help. What do you say?”
“I’m in,” Rhyll said again.
Taine glanced at his sister. “I guess I can’t stay here by myself. That would be pretty pathetic.”
“I knew you’d see it my way.” Ash grinned as he hugged his friend.
With great difficulty, Ash walked away from his mother. Then, remembering Trip, he whistled loudly, hopi
ng he hadn’t been frozen too. At the sound of his master’s whistle, Trip stuck his head out from under the blackened house, whimpering.
“Look, they must have missed the spot where Trip was hiding.” Rhyll pointed to a section of cottage that hadn’t been affected by the black snow. “That was lucky.”
“It sure was,” Ash agreed. “Come on, boy, don’t be afraid. You can come out now.”
Looking uncertain, Trip climbed gingerly out into the open, his tail between his legs.
“Come on, it’s safe,” Ash said, encouraging him. “I suppose we should get going,” he added, trying to ignore the frozen figure of his mother. “Gwaam, which way?”
“To the north.” Gwaam gestured in the direction they needed to go.
“But it’s almost night,” Taine said, looking worried. “I don’t like the dark.”
“Night-time is the perfect time to travel,” Gwaam replied. “Zadoc’s Seekers are unrelenting. Trust me, we’ll need as much cover as we can get to hide from those creatures.”
The phoenix’s remark, and his tone, made goosebumps rise on Ash’s arms. “Double-time then,” he said as he rubbed the chills away. “The sooner we get a move on, the sooner we help our families and friends.”
8
THE DRAGON’S LAIR
“When can we stop?” Taine grumbled. “My feet hurt.”
“When we reach the top of this hill,” Ash said.
“Yes, yes,” Gwaam murmured from the basket Ash carried. “Keep heading this way. That’s it.”
The friends had been walking all night, finding their way by the light of the moon. As they travelled further from their home and the sun began to rise, they could see the landscape around them was normal. No black snow covered the ground. Trees grew tall and green and birds fluttered merrily.
It took hours for the trio to trudge across the desert sands that ringed their valley. It was hard going and eerily quiet, for no one lived in the desert.
At least, Ash thought as he walked along, the landscape isn’t frozen here.
They commenced their journey through the bleak Olono Ranges around mid-morning, climbing up and over many hills until they reached the summit of the last and tallest mountain.
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