“Ned, you are very important. You shouldn’t ever think you aren’t. Everyone has a piece in the great plan of the universe. And not one part is too trivial or too small. I think soon there’ll be a time and place you and your gift will be needed. Morrigana knew that when she gave the key to you.”
“It sure would’ve made it easier if I could’ve found out somethin’ about it.”
Keltrain smiled. “Why don’t you get Thomas and go off down the beach again to see if any of our supplies washed ashore? That would be the best help at this moment.”
Ned nodded and soon, he and Thomas were walking the wet black sand searching for any remnants of their cargo or ship. It didn’t take long for the two to discover several wooden boxes floating in the surf. After rescuing them from the water, the boys examined their find.
“Thomas? This isn’t the symbol for Partholon,” Ned said. He pointed to the side of one of the boxes.
Thomas bent down and looked at the emblem. “Gee. You’re right. This is very strange. Let’s get them back to camp. I bet the wizard will know where it’s from.”
Dragging the boxes through the sand, the boys finally made their way to the small circle of friends. “We found something. But I don’t think it’s from our ship,” Ned exclaimed.
Hauling the boxes to the campfire, the boys stood back while the others peered at the crates. Keltrain dusted the sand from the top of one of the containers and sat back.
“This isn’t Partholon’s city crest,” Lug stated when he saw the symbol. “I’m not sure I even recognize the emblem.”
“That’s what we thought,” Ned replied. “It’s a strange mark.”
“I know that crest,” DaGon said quickly. “It’s from the Royal House of Nuada Findi.”
“They’re here.” The wizard stood up quickly. “Captain Urcias kept his word.” Keltrain smiled briefly. Then he frowned. “But if these boxes are washing up on shore, I can only surmise they also met with Uthal’s black Wurm.”
“We can’t be hasty in assigning their fate,” the dragon said. “Wreckage on the sand can also suggest they are stranded like us.”
“Perhaps they’ve already made it to Lismort. If that’s the case, then the captain and his troops are waiting for us. We must get there quickly, my friends.”
“Then we aren’t as alone as we thought,” Miranda said with a small smile. “That gives me hope for us.”
“What be in them boxes?” Lamfada asked. “Before we go anywhere, I be wantin’ food. Let’s be hopeful that’s what they be containin’.”
Keltrain nodded and begin to pry open the water saturated top. It easily gave way to his touch. Ned was overjoyed when apples poured from the opening and rolled onto the sand.
“Ah. Thank you, Morrigana. She must be watching over us. Open the other one,” the wizard demanded.
Ned stepped back as Thomas worked quickly on the other box. Once the boards were gone, the group became excited to see other fruits and vegetables.
“Oh my. This is our lucky day,” Lily exclaimed. She swooped down around Ned’s head, her wings fluttering with excitement. “I was sure, my dears, that we would be left without anything for our journey.”
“I’ll take the boys out again. To see if we come across any other wreckage. Will an hour give you enough time to get things packed up to carry?” the dragon inquired.
“Yes. That’s plenty of time. Be careful and watchful though,” Keltrain replied.
“I’m always that.”
Ned, who was already chewing on an apple, his hunger overtaking all thought, nodded at the wizard when he motioned for him. “Stay together. Don’t separate. We don’t know what’s out there beyond the tree line.”
“Okay. DaGon’s with us, though. He’ll protect us.”
The wizard quickly pushed another apple into Ned’s pocket. “Our dragon is no match on his own against the evil that Bera and Uthal safeguard this island with. Don’t forget that. We’re only strong together.” Keltrain added a couple of carrots to Ned’s other pocket.
Ned nodded again. He knew the wizard was worried. Glancing back once more at those behind him, he frowned. Keltrain was right. They did have strength together, but separated, that was entirely different. It made him more afraid for Matt. If he was even still alive, like Miranda said.
A light snow had begun to fall. He continued to chew the fruit as he hurridly caught up to his brother and DaGon.
“Gee whiz. Did you inhale it?” his brother asked. He wrapped his cloak around his body to keep warm.
“I was hungry.” Ned threw the stem and core into some bushes.
“I see that.”
“Why didn’t you eat?”
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I’m too worried or whatnot. ‘Bout this whole thing. Makes me not what to eat, you know? I’m afraid I’ll throw up.”
“If we find food, will that make you better?”
“It’s not that. I’m sure we’ll find something. Hopefully. Before the sea starts to freeze.” Thomas shivered.
“Yeah.” He wanted to tell Thomas about his thoughts concerning the key, but he figured he would wait until later. He pulled his cloak around him. “But it’s gonna be all right. Huh? Don’t ya think we’ll find Matt?”
Thomas didn’t answer right away. Ned could see his eyes and the scowl that crossed his face. “Yeah. I know we’ll find Matt. Don’cha worry, little brother.”
Ned stared at the ground in front of him. He really wasn’t convinced by the tone in Thomas’ voice, but didn’t push the matter. He followed his brother as they walked in DaGon’s footsteps along the edge of the shoreline. They picked at pieces of wood and other wreckage amidst the ice now forming in the shallows. Most of it was from their own ship. Thomas heaved a frozen bit of canvas from several pieces of the hull. DaGon pulled out a small barrel from underneath it. It was Lamfada’s cider. Placing it on his back between his wings, he continued to search.
“Can we sit for a minute?” Ned asked his brother. “My feet are frozen.”
“Yeah. My body aches.”
They both sat down on a small dune of sand, watching the dragon scour the area. Thomas sneezed and wiped his nose across his sleeve. “Gawd, it’s cold. I really hate it here.”
Ned wrapped his arms around his knees, covering his whole body with the white wool cloak. He played with the tattered ends thoughtfully. “It’s not home. That’s for sure. I told ya we shouldn’t have come.” Ned felt guilty the moment he said the words. There he went again. Being whiny and afraid. He hadn’t talked to Thomas much since Matt’s demise. It seemed that the loss of their friend caused a large gap in their comfort with each other. It bothered him to feel so distant from his brother. “Thomas?”
“Yeah?”
“What are we gonna tell Matt’s parents when we get back home? If we don’t find him.”
The older boy dropped his head and twirled his fingers in the wet sand. “Gee. I haven’t given it any thought. The future doesn’t seem real to me anymore.”
“It doesn’t to me, either. I feel kinda empty. Like I’ve lost somethin’ of myself. I feel like…like…we aren’t goin’ home.”
“I don’t know if I feel exactly like that. But I understand. I couldn’t really figure out how to express it, but I kinda feel lost without Matt.”
Thomas stood up. Ned could see that the conversation made his brother uneasy. “Come on, we need to help DaGon. Don’cha go thinkin’ too much on it, okay? Gee. I don’t want ya bein’ scared. Matt may be gone, but I’m still here. And it’s gonna be my job to make sure everyone gets home. Especially you. Mom would absolutely have a kitten ifn I didn’t bring you home.”
Ned nodded and rose to stand beside his brother. Thomas put his arm around his neck and gave him a small, quick hug. “Besides, it would be just too much not to have ya around,” he said. He playfully shoved Ned away.
“Yeah. Okay. But I want to help more if I can. All right?”
“Gee whiz. Just don�
��t go gettin’ in the way. But sure. You can help more.”
Following Thomas, Ned walked behind him, his shoes fitting into the prints his brother left in the sand. He felt better now that they had talked about what was filling his heart with heaviness. Knowing that he would be able to help made a difference.
Within a short time, Ned became uncomfortable. “Hey Thomas? Wait here. I gotta go find a tree.”
“What? Already? Gee. Just hurry up, will ya?”
“Yes. Be swift,” DaGon said. “We are farther from the camp than I realized and I’ve been having a slight uneasy feeling for a while that we’re not alone.”
Nodding his understanding, Ned quickly sought a secluded area behind some bushes. He had no problem being swift as the urgency overtook his body. Breathing a sigh of relief, he re-tied his leather breeches together. Turning to rejoin his brother and the dragon, he hesitated when he heard a small rustle in the dry leaves a short distance in front of him. He watched for signs of more movement, but none came. Maybe it was just a small rodent. When he turned to go, it happened again.
“Hello?” he called out tentatively. “Is somebody there?” Cautiously he walked toward the area the sound had come from, his mind now speculating possible survivors from the captain’s ship. They could be injured and in need of help. The rustle came again and this time, it was louder. Something made him hesitate. Maybe he should go get his brother and DaGon. As he turned, his next step crushed a dry stick that crackled with a very disturbing loudness. The noise seemed to bring a reaction from the brush. Ned jumped back in astonishment when a figure jumped through the thicket.
“What the heck?” Startled, Ned took a small step backward, his mind reeling. “Matt? Matt! Is that you? Oh, my gosh. I’m so happy to see you.” Ned rushed forward, excited to see his friend.
Matt didn’t answer, but instead turned away and ran back into the bushes. Ned felt conflicted. What was going on with his friend? Why didn’t he answer? “Hey, come back,” Ned yelled. “Matt, stop! It’s me. Your friend. It’s Ned.”
Ned plunged through the branches and gave chase. The small game of cat and mouse lasted several minutes through the darkened forest. Before Ned knew it, he was lost and alone in the dismal woodlands of Black Isle, with no sight of Matt or his brother. Standing in a tiny clearing, the snow gently falling around him, he realized he strayed too far from the shore and now had no clue where he was.
“Hey, Ned.” The voice was soft, its owner near him. “I’m over here. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run from you. Can you come over here? I need a little help.”
A warning went off inside his head. Matt’s voice was different somehow. He couldn’t explain it, but it wasn’t the Matt he remembered. “Show yourself,” Ned commanded. Fear crept through his body, but he refused to allow it to surface. “I wanna see you, Matt. So come out.”
“I can’t, Ned. I’ve hurt my ankle.” The sound of Matt’s voice now became pitiful. “I need help. Please come help me.”
Ned’s mistrust washed away when he remembered his friend falling over the side of the ship. He couldn’t help him then, but he would help him now. Running toward the shadows where he heard Matt’s voice, he felt determined to be his friend’s hero. “It’s all right, Matt, I’ll help ya. Just a minute. Okay? Tell me where yer at. I’m having trouble seein’ ya.”
“Just a bit more. Through those trees. I’m on the other side.”
Ned saw his friend’s back. Matt was hunched over his knee. “I see ya. I see ya,” Ned said excitedly as he rushed through the underbrush. He pushed his way around some vines and just when he felt he would be free of them, Matt turned his head and smiled weirdly. It was the eyes that made Ned catch his breath.
“Have a nice journey.” Matt sneered.
Ned frowned. What an odd thing to say. Before he could fully understand the meaning of his friend’s words, he felt himself falling. Tree limbs, vines, dirt and rock gave way to his weight. The sound of rushing and crashing flooded his ears as his body tumbled downward. His scream was muffled by the thunderous avalanche of rock beneath him. His arms waved wildly as he attempted to grasp anything to stop himself. Blackness swallowed him as his body continued to tumble down, away from the dim light above, until he could see nothing, his journey hurling him further into the mysterious womb of Black Isle.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Without warning, Ned shot out of a hole in the subterranean walls of the island and dropped into a large cavern lit by an unearthly glow of red. His body hit the hard rock floor with the debris from above. He lay still for several seconds, mentally going over his extremities. Was he hurt? No. It didn’t feel like it. Carefully he wiggled his fingers and toes, and then sat up. His eyes watered from the dust. Where was he? What happened?
He found himself confronted with the realization that the figure of Matt was a trap and he fell for it. “Well, what’s new?” he questioned himself out loud.
“Other than you dropping in? Nothing,” a raspy voice answered.
“Who…who’s there?” Ned backed up to the cavern wall as his eyes darted around nervously. Hearing someone else’s voice in this place was frightening. “Hey? I said who’s there?” he demanded again.
“You don’t have to shout. I can hear you.”
Ned grew silent. Looking around, he tried to see who had spoken, but in the dimness, everything took on such a sinister appearance. Even the shadows seemed to be moving.
“Are you still there?” the voice asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. He hoped he didn’t sound too scared. “Who are you? And where are you?”
“I’m not going to hurt you. If you happen to be thinking that. I just thought I would tell you that I appreciate you dropping in. In case you had doubts. I’m not in the habit of devouring guests.”
“Oh…okay…umm, thanks.” The word devouring didn’t strike him as something you would say to a person you just met. “Just so you know. I didn’t intentionally drop in. I was kinda forced to.”
“In any regard, welcome to my humble but secluded home. Please make yourself comfortable.”
It didn’t put his mind at ease to hear the disembodied voice welcoming him to the underground cavern. Keltrain had warned him that there were many strange creatures the Black Warlock employed. Could this entity be one of them?
Hoping to find an escape, Ned surveyed the chamber. The cavern seemed immense and unmeasurable. Where he stood appeared to be the shore on one side of a hidden underground lake. Unusual and tall mushrooms grew beside large brown fernlike vegetation. Scattered about were eerie glowing rocks that littered the rocky shoreline. It made him think of Fairy Dell and the lighted Oak trees.
“Since you asked, if you must know, my name is Bijan. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen anyone down here. Well, except for the Brollachan. They visit every now and again. Just to torture me. They’re awful creatures.”
“I didn’t really ask. But thanks for telling me. Yeah, I’ve met those things. I agree. Not very nice.” Ned remembered his introduction to the Brollachan at the Nuada Findi fortress in the Great Pine Forest. His fingers touched the scars on his neck. It hadn’t been a very pleasant situation. “Where are you?” he asked again.
“Not where you’re looking. Up here. Behind you.”
Ned turned and saw a large pile of boulders and rocks that almost touched the roof of the cavern. He walked to the base of the mound and climbed up on one of them. He could see that the pile of rocks was vast. “I don’t see anything but rocks,” he exclaimed.
“You’re not looking in the right place. I’m up here. I can see you just below.”
Ned followed the sound of the voice and as his eyes traveled upward, he became aware of a giant golden eye staring down at him. “Is that you? Way up there?”
“Ahh, so you finally see me.”
“What are you? A one-eyed monster?”
The laugh that came from the creature shook the whole pile of rocks, causing Ned to lose his foot
ing. Slipping off the boulder, he once again hit the hard surface of the cavern floor.
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” the one-eyed being apologized. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Not too much.” He winced. “Just a scrape on my elbow.” Ned climbed back on the boulder. He rubbed a small spot of red on his skin. “What are ya?”
“I’m the protector of the Fomorians. But was tricked by Uthal some time ago. He imprisoned me here. Are you from Green Isle? How are the Fomorians? Are they safe?”
Ned’s eyes grew wide. He didn’t know how to tell Bijan that he had been a prisoner for over three thousand years. His silence seemed to be an answer for the eye.
“Your quietness suggests that my Fomorians haven’t come out well in the Second War. My absence caused a great harm to befall them. I’m sure of it. Please tell me what you know. I must hear it.”
“Keltrain says they were all killed by the Black Warlock over three thousand years ago.”
“Three thousand years?” Bijan roared.
Ned could hear his anguish. The wail echoed in the cavern. He covered his ears. “You don’t know how long you’ve been down here?” he asked.
“I’m a part of this rock prison. Just as rocks don’t care about time, neither does my body. Uthal only allowed this one eye to view the world down here. To let me wish for a life I could no longer have.”
“There’s gotta be a way to get you out. All spells can be broken, ya know.”
“How do you know this?” the golden eye asked.
“Because that’s what all our fairy tales say back on Earth.”
“Ahh, Earth. I remember Earth and the crystal palaces of the Fomorians on the land of Mu.”
Ned sat down on the boulder. He liked Bijan, but didn’t understand why. All he could feel was compassion for whatever Uthal had locked away in the rock. There was something about the golden eye that made him feel safe. Perhaps it was because they were both alone due to trickery. But whatever the reason, Ned felt compelled to find a way to free him.
The Mirror Sliver (Legends of Green Isle Book 2) Page 9