by Nick McNeil
“Enough fooling around. It’s time to go.” Bertly tied back his hair and climbed onto Clia. He reached out his hand and helped Polly hop on. Bertly jerked his head when he heard a loud thump. He peered over his shoulder and saw Roderick lying on his back with his head between Dev’s ankles.
“Sweet Cordelia, Roderick.” Bertly shook his head. “Devdan, would you please assist my incompetent apprentice?”
“Of course, sir.” Dev grabbed Roderick under his armpits and lifted him onto Clia. As soon as he climbed aboard, Roderick wrapped his arms around Polly’s stomach and fastened his eyes shut. With his long legs, Dev climbed on with ease.
“Hold on tight,” Bertly shouted. Clia extended her wings and began flapping. She kicked her back leg and burst into a sprint. Bertly had butterflies in his stomach from the quick takeoff, and when he looked back toward the dirt road, he saw that they were hovering above the ground. Bertly felt Clia’s feather’s grip around his body. She bolted into the sky; Roderick screamed at the top of his lungs.
“To the Eternal Cave, Clia,” Bertly hollered. The entire group was linked together like a chain.
Clia let out one massive caw and flew to the west.
XIII
Bertly sat straight with his fingers wedged between Clia’s feathers, glad that those feathers provided a natural grip so that his fingers wouldn’t be curled long after he’d let go, as they had been the first few times he’d ridden her. Polly lay asleep with her face resting against Bertly’s back. Roderick was still clinched around Polly’s waist, shivering, and Dev was leaning back with his head and neck propped against Clia’s tail.
Clia screeched, causing Polly to jolt awake and let out a small yelp, which encouraged Roderick to scream. Clia stopped flapping her wings completely and began her descent.
“We’re here,” Bertly announced.
Roderick squinted and looked out, his eyes roving over their new surroundings. “How can you tell, sir? It’s pitch black.”
“What did I say about asking questions?” Bertly snapped.
“Well, Bertly, if we truly are at the Eternal Cave, then technically we are in Noskar,” Polly said. Bertly snapped his head back and glared at her.
Bertly pressed his lips together and tightened his grip. “A gryphon can see in the dark just as well as they can in the daylight.”
“How well can they see in the day?” Roderick asked.
Bertly took in a deeply exaggerated, loud breath. “Well, Roderick.” He let out a long sigh. “They can see well.”
Roderick was silent for a moment, but the silence was weighted, and Bertly anticipated yet more questions. Roderick never disappointed in that regard.
“How does she know where the Eternal cave is?” Roderick probed.
Bertly grunted. “Well, most likely because she is nearly a thousand years old, and she can fly far and fast, so it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume that she has likely been to—or at least, over—every inch of Pangea.” Bertly took a deep breath in and admired the crisp air in an attempt to ease his frustration. Noskar was the only place he had ever experienced with such thin air that was so easy to breathe.
Roderick opened his mouth to ask another question, but Dev quickly slapped his hand over the lower half of Roderick’s face. Bertly looked back at Devdan, who was shaking his head side to side.
Bertly felt a small jerk. The feeling of floating had disappeared. Clia squawked and then shook her feathers vigorously, which sent the entire group flying in various directions.
“Clia, you couldn’t have waited another minute?” Bertly shouted.
Roderick groaned. “Sir, you can’t honestly be complaining. I have spent more time on my hind than my feet since I met this bird.” Clia kicked her back leg, causing a mist of dirt to spray Roderick. Polly and Devdan burst into laughter.
“Serves you right,” Bertly hissed.
Bertly looked out to the horizon, where a small soft orange glow was breaking above the trees. The sun coming through provided enough light to reveal the surrounding areas. The group had been dropped in the middle of a misty yet, sun filled forest. Its canopy was covered by thick sequoia trees that let through just enough light to allow mushrooms and wildflowers to grow. Random vines stretched between most of the trees, giving the forest a sense of disorder. Mixed into the rich landscape were noises of small creatures scurrying across the ground and drizzle birds singing songs. When Bertly listened closely, he could hear water crashing against rocks.
“Polly, I presume you know where we are going?” Bertly asked.
“I think so.” Polly shrugged and laughed nervously. “The tale is, life lives just beyond love’s teeth. The ring bestows, to the one who does not seek.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Dev asked.
Bertly crossed his arms and sighed. “It means there is a ring behind a waterfall. Love is forever, waterfalls are forever,” he explained. “It’s all a dumb cliché.”
Polly rolled her eyes. “Luckily for us, the ring of youth is quite a popular legend. Many have sought to find it. Therefore, the riddle has already been solved. There is a famous waterfall around these parts, and just behind it is the room that is supposed to bear the ring.” Polly began marching toward the sound of the water crashing on rocks.
“Stay here, Clia. We will be right back,” Bertly instructed the gryphon, who simply cooed in response.
“If everyone knows where it is, then why hasn’t anyone found it yet?” Roderick inquired.
“That is a good question, Roderick.” Polly was pulling down vines and plowing through plants as she led the way to the waterfall. “They say the ring only presents itself to the one who seeks it the least. It isn’t something you look for and find.” Polly climbed over a fallen tree covered in moss.
Bertly hiked just behind Roderick, heaving him over any log or large boulder they had to climb over. A handful of paces ahead, Bertly watched as Polly and Dev came to a halt.
“You guys need to come and see this,” Polly shouted. Bertly could barely hear her over the sound of the water crashing—even her outside voice was rather prim and quiet, he noted.
When Bertly and Roderick caught up, they found themselves overlooking an enormous waterfall. The water poured between large rounded boulders and crashed into a vast lake. Jagged rocks poked through to the surface at the base of the waterfall.
“It really does look like a mouth with teeth,” Roderick observed.
“Remarkable.” Bertly rubbed his chin. “How do we get in?” The group took a minute to analyze the mouth of the cave. The water was crashing so hard against the rocks it created a mist large and high enough to be mistaken for a rolling fog.
“I suppose we could try to walk through it,” Polly suggested.
“How does everyone else get in?” Devdan asked.
“I’m not quite sure.” Polly puckered her lips and tapped her finger against her chin. The group stood silently, observing the waterfall.
“That’s it, I’ve lost my patience,” Bertly announced. He shoved past Polly and Devdan and stood on a boulder just in front of them. Bertly rolled up his sleeves and bent his legs. He dug his feet into the rock as far as he could, pushing the moss and dirt to the edges of his boots. He closed his eyes and extended his arms. The air grew colder. The mist coming from the crashing water turned into snowflakes.
Roderick was holding his tongue out, attempting to catch snowflakes. “Look, I caught one,” he mumbled, barely intelligibly, with his tongue sticking out. Devdan glared at Roderick with his index finger over his lips, and Roderick slipped his tongue right back into his mouth as he diverted his attention back to Bertly.
Bertly clenched his jaw as his face slowly turned red. A loud crackling noise filled the air. The waterfall stopped running because the source was frozen solid. The remaining water that was suspended in midair fell into the lake at the bottom of the waterfall. Just behind where the waterfall stream once fell rested a small cav
e.
“There it is,” Polly shouted. She yelped and hopped onto the rock next to Bertly. “Thank you, Bertly.” Polly hugged Bertly tight around the stomach; her head barely came up to his chest. Bertly scowled and held his hands straight in the air, fighting the urge to wipe his hands on his clothing after she’d let go.
Polly ran to the bottom of the lake and then halted. She turned back and looked at Bertly. “Bertly,” she shouted, “I have one more request.”
“No. That was exhausting,” Bertly yelled back. “Didn’t Master Dova teach you molecular conjuring?”
“She mentioned it once. Come on, Bertly, no one’s master teaches them as much as Alestar constantly taught you.”
Bertly’s heart started pounding at the mention of his master, and his breath caught in his throat. The odor of burning corpses and the decaying flesh of the Rotters overwhelmed the misted scent of the waterfall. He became light-headed as images of Alestar shuffled through his head at a rapid pace. He couldn’t pinpoint any of the images long enough to remember them, but he did see the Rotters, and, just like in his nightmare—they all had Alestar’s face. Bertly had done his best to repress his feelings from the traumatic experience, but he couldn’t help but feel angry all over again. He needed to avenge Alestar. Part of the young wizard wanted the Rotters to breach the forest just so he could kill them. If the Elders weren’t going to act, then he knew he had to—his only wish was that he could at least tell his friends.
Bertly’s knees gave out, sending him sliding off the rock. Just before he crashed to the ground, something grabbed his arm and pulled. Bertly looked up and saw Devdan.
“That was a close one.” Devdan pulled Bertly to his feet. “I had a feeling you might have overdone it.” Devdan started to brush the dirt off Bertly’s back.
Bertly grunted and squirmed away. “I am just fine,” he snapped. “I simply lost my footing. I could cast that spell ten times over.” Bertly brushed off his pant legs and stomped to the bottom of the hill near Polly. He dropped to one knee and submerged his arm under the water. Bertly glanced up at Polly. “I’ve always found it easier when I can touch the object.”
“I’m not judging you.” Polly gave a dismissive head nod. “I want to get to the cave.”
Bertly looked back down at his arm and closed his eyes. Soon after, the top surface of the water started to freeze over. The fish that were swimming in the lake moved slower and slower. Before long, the entire lake was one giant ice block filled with whole fish.
“Splendid,” Polly gushed. Without hesitation, she sprinted across the frozen ice and toward the cave.
Bertly opened his eyes and saw that Polly was already halfway to the cave. He sprang to his feet and dashed across the ice. “Wait for me,” he hollered. Bertly looked back at Devdan and Roderick, who were slipping around on the ice—both of their arms were flailing as they struggled against the ice to stand on their feet.
“What sorcery are you using to walk on this, sir?” Roderick shouted as his feet slipped again, causing him to fall onto his back.
Bertly hollered, “No sorcery, my apprentice.” He sprinted across the frozen water, leaped into the air, and then slid across the ice. “It is called ‘being from the west.’”
“It rains and snows almost every day during the winter in Noskar, just not in Stonebank. Walking on ice is second nature to us,” Polly said as she reached the entrance of the cave. The ledge was about as high as her chest and—without struggle—Polly pulled herself up and over. Bertly was just behind her.
The cave was small and damp. No more than ten occupants could fit inside. Pointed rocks hung from the ceiling and occasionally released small water droplets. A smooth, rounded boulder lay in the center of the cave. The melon-sized rock was pearly white and propped on top of a gray stone pedestal. Rooted on the pedestal was a small placard with golden writing.
“What does the placard say?” Bertly asked.
Polly approached the stone pedestal. “Place your hand on the stone and yours will appear,” she recited.
“Well, that is oddly straightforward.” Bertly looked at Polly and gestured toward the smooth stone. “Ladies first.”
“Since when are you a gentleman, Bertly?” Polly rolled her eyes and placed her hand on the stone. The stone illuminated a radiant white the moment she touched it. Bertly squinted and looked at Polly—her eyes were wide, and an enormous smile covered her face. The rock went dim. Polly examined her hands. “Shucks, I thought it was working.”
Bertly heard rocks cracking and crumbling behind them. He looked back toward the cave entrance and watched as Devdan climbed into the cavern. Devdan waved toward Polly and Bertly then turned back around. Bertly heard a loud grunt and then saw Devdan haul a huffing and puffing Roderick up and over the ledge. Roderick flopped onto the ground like a fish out of water.
“Roderick, you do realize you have to walk back, correct?” Bertly said.
Roderick lay across the floor with his limbs spread out like a starfish. “Sir, what is so special about the ring of youth that I am torturing myself so?” He grunted.
“It extends your life,” Polly explained. “The legend goes, there was once a very powerful wizard. At the time, no one’s gift in sorcery compared to his. Through his incredible talents, he became rich and famous. He eventually became so overcome with greed that he desired to keep his life of success forever. He spent the rest of his life trying to discover the secret to immortality. He was never successful, but they say he was on the right track just before he died. As his last contribution, he hid a ring in this cave to one day be given to a lucky traveler. No one knows exactly who the ring is waiting for, but it is supposed to add years of life to whomever it chooses.”
“Unbelievable,” Roderick said. “Let me try.” He leaped from the floor and rushed toward the white stone. “What do I do?”
Bertly smacked his forehead. “You touch it,” he rebuked.
Roderick reached out his hand and placed it on the smooth boulder. For a short-lived moment, the boulder illuminated, filling the entire cave with a bright white light. But the light left as quickly as it came, fading back to ordinary.
Roderick surveyed the stone, checking under and around it. Roderick scratched his head. “How do I know if it worked?”
“Well…do you have the ring of youth?” Bertly questioned.
Roderick peered at the hand he had placed on the stone, holding it two inches from his face as he studied it. “No.”
“Then it didn’t work!” Bertly shouted.
“Let me give it a go,” Devdan said. He strolled over to the stone. Polly stared at Devdan with intensity, and Bertly could not tell if she was excited or nervous. Devdan placed his hand on top of the smooth boulder. The stone started to glow; however it faded almost instantly, never giving off a strong light. “Well, that is disappointing,” Devdan mumbled.
“It’s a trick,” Bertly declared. “Even if a ring did present itself, how would any of us know if we lived a few years longer or not?” Bertly looked over the group and awaited a response. “Exactly. No one knows the day they are going to die. Therefore, there is no way of proving whether or not it adds anything at all.”
“Fine,” Polly said, exasperated, with her hands on her hips. “If you are so sure, then why don’t you touch the rock and prove us all wrong?” Polly pointed toward the stone. “Once nothing happens, then we can head straight to Noskar.”
Bertly glared at Polly. He puckered his lips, contemplating whether or not to humor her.
“Come on, sir. Give it a try,” Roderick urged.
“What have you got to lose, sir?” Devdan said.
Bertly grunted and dragged his feet toward the stone. He reached his hand out and placed it on the boulder. The rest of the pack leaned in and locked their eyes on the rock.
The rock showed zero reaction to Bertly’s touch.
Bertly smirked and nodded to himself. “I told all of you this was a hoax.�
� Bertly attempted to remove his hand from the stone, but it was stuck as though it had been glued there. He shook his arm a few times to try to strip his hand from the stone, but the stone and pedestal stood motionless. “I can’t get my hand off!” Bertly shouted.
A blinding light burst from the stone. A yellow light that surged with energy and swirled around the stone and Bertly’s hand.
“What’s happening?” Roderick screamed.
“I think it’s working!” Polly exclaimed.
The stone started to wrap around Bertly’s hand. Bertly shook his arm viciously, desperately attempting to remove his hand. His efforts were so strenuous that droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead onto the stone.
Polly ran over to Bertly and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Try to relax. I don’t think you are in danger of being harmed,” she insisted.
Bertly eased the muscles in his arm and took a deep breath. The stone continued to shrink until it formed into the shape of a circle around Bertly’s pointer finger. The stone stopped glowing. Left around Bertly’s finger was a smooth white ring.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Bertly groaned.
Polly screamed and jumped into the air. “I knew it was real.”
Roderick sprinted toward Bertly and examined the ring. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “You actually get to live longer, sir.” Roderick looked up at Bertly with an enthusiastic smile.
“Congratulations, sir,” Devdan added.
“In all honesty, I don’t want it.”
Polly and Roderick jerked their heads back.
“I have been dealt a good deck of cards,” Bertly continued. “I don’t want to cause disorder to my fate.”
“Well, Bertly, if you do not want it, then I would be glad to relieve you of your burden.” Polly’s eyes narrowed, and she expectantly reached out her hand.
“It’s all yours,” he replied. Bertly grabbed the ring and tried to slide it off his finger, but it wouldn’t budge. “It doesn’t seem to be coming off.” Bertly continued to tug on the ring.
“Don’t rip your finger off, sir,” Roderick shrieked.