The Lost Stone of SkyCity

by HM Waugh

  ‘Let me go first,’ I say.

  ‘No chance. You are the future Cloud Dragon.’ His nervous grin fades as he concentrates again on the snow-step.

  He jumps lightly onto the snow-step. It dips, shudders, one corner shears off. Before I have the chance to gasp he’s continued his momentum and leapt to the solid ground on the other side.

  He made it across!

  His face is glowing when he turns to me. He beckons. ‘Quickly now, I do not know how long I can hold this, even with your help.’

  Now, that’s reassuring.

  I breathe in, look at Praseep. He’s there, waiting, eyes intent. He believes I can do this. And so do I. I leap, step on the snow-step only a moment before launching to the side Praseep is on. It’s the weirdest sensation, to feel my power being sapped by the very thing I’m stepping on.

  Relief fights adrenalin as I land on the other side. As soon as I’m across, Praseep lets the snow fall. My mind remains merged with his as he looks at me, white teeth and white eyes flashing in the sunlight. ‘That. Was. Cool,’ he says.

  I grin back at him. We can do anything! We just walked on air! I’m almost disappointed when I feel his hold on my mind relax. His eyes darken slightly, but they remain blue. I can feel him searching the slopes and the path ahead.

  He nods. ‘Let us get going.’

  As if it can sense our intent, a storm bird wheels in at us, a flurry of angry grey feathers, screeching. It hits a film of snow that wasn’t there before, snow that now hovers all around us like the dome in the Queen’s audience chamber. The snow dome feels of Praseep. I grin at him. ‘Nice work.’

  ‘I am a quick learner,’ he says.

  We walk forward, with the protective dome repelling several more bird attacks, before we reach the first of the nests. It’s a tunnel into the rock, very much like the tombs in the valley below. Praseep turns to me and I nod.

  He pulls one of the light boxes out of his pack, and it begins to glow.

  I follow Praseep into the tunnel. It looks like the tunnels I went through this morning. Perhaps all of Dragon Mountain is a labyrinth.

  The tunnel winds deeper into the rock, and the floor is scattered with bird droppings and dust. A fresh breeze flows into our faces, and the air smells faintly like orange blossom. Finally, the tunnel opens out into a chamber, not as grand as the one below where I found Praseep, but large nonetheless. There are no stalactites or stalagmites, no crystal sheen on the walls. One side is pocked with small holes, through which the setting sun, and the breeze, flood. On the other side, another dark tunnel sets out. And the floor is scattered with blue items. I squint. Turquoise and old silks, glittering slates, tattered prayer flags.

  ‘Can you see it?’ I ask.

  Praseep shakes his head. ‘I feel it though.’

  We’re both moving towards a nondescript pile of dusty rocks in the corner. I drop to my knees at the pile, and carefully riffle through with my hands. Beside me, Praseep does the same. I feel his mind questing, and I let mine roam too.

  ‘If it is really here, do you know what this means?’ Praseep whispers. His eyes are wild.

  I nod. ‘It means the Split was for nothing.’

  He grins. ‘Ice and Dirt could be one again.’

  Together we push the rocks aside, revealing a pile of rubble. The side of the cavern must’ve fallen in here once, long ago. Praseep holds the light box as I filter the rubble through my fingers.

  Shards of rock. An aquamarine hairclip. A smooth river pebble.

  A piercing cry echoes through the chamber along with the beat of wings, and Praseep curses in a very un-princely way as storm bird talons rake his hair. I try to make a protective cone, but there is no snow in here to use. I duck to avoid another swooping bird.

  A flash of blue light reflects back to me, and I reach down blindly. If I could throw something blue, something bright and pretty, maybe the birds will stop caring about us and follow it. I raise my arm, ready to throw.

  And gasp instead.

  How close did I just come to ruining everything?

  Because this is the Stone.

  And it is powerful indeed.

  I can feel the potency in it. Power, mastery, all in one. A great sense of calm takes over me. I think of Danam, but I cannot despair with the Stone in my hand. I know we’ll save him. Of course we will. We have the Stone now.

  I pull the Stone towards me, followed by the clinking of an intricate golden chain, and use the corner of my cloak to dust it off. The deep blue shines out like it’s just been polished by a gemsmith. I hand it to Praseep.

  He takes it, and I hear his intake of breath as the power waxes through him. ‘I cannot believe that all along, it has been sitting here.’

  ‘No one stole it at all.’

  He looks at me. ‘Why could they not have trusted enough to believe what the other said? No one stole it, no one hid it. A bird collected it to adorn its nest.’

  ‘All those years our peoples have been apart …’ I say.

  ‘All the barley balls we have not eaten.’

  I look at him with an eyebrow raised.

  He shakes his head and smiles. ‘We cannot grow many crops. We manage potatoes and meat, some buckwheat, but that is about it. And last season was especially bad. You have seen my people. They are withered. No peasant in the Skylands looks like you and Danam do.’

  ‘We’re not peasants!’

  He grabs my hand, so the Stone is held by both of us, and it helps my anger dissipate.

  ‘But you are not royalty either, and it seems all of you eat like kings down there.’

  I smile. ‘You’re right, some of your food is miserable. I thought you were giving it to me as punishment.’

  He smiles back. ‘I was well past punishing you by the time we got to SkyCity.’

  ‘Why? You disliked me so much when we first met.’

  He looks away. ‘I was jealous. Of Danam, of your health and spirit. But come. We need to save Danam now.’

  I nod. ‘I’m not looking forward to heading out there again.’ We’ll have to traverse back across the slope, over the terrifying gap, down the icy ridgeline, then through the deep snow drifts, and back along the long tunnel that leads to the incense chamber. And the sun is almost gone.

  Then I smell something.

  I gasp and leap up, moving across to the dark tunnel we haven’t yet explored. Sniffing.

  ‘What is it?’ he asks.

  ‘What can you smell?’

  He shrugs. ‘Bird poo, cold stone, incense …’

  I grin. ‘Yes! Orange blossom incense.’

  ‘So? It is pretty common, we burn it down in the entry chamber … oh.’ His face lights up.

  ‘Come here, smell this tunnel.’

  He rushes over, and his light shows a steep spiralling staircase heading down into the heart of the mountain. ‘It smells more strongly in here. It must link with the tunnel system below!’

  Praseep hands the Stone back to me, and I take it automatically, then stop. ‘Why are you giving this to me?’

  ‘You found it.’

  ‘I don’t want it!’ Its peaceful glow is filling me, but I still remember the prophecy. The less I hold that Stone the better.

  He cocks his head and studies me. ‘You are worried. About what?’

  I finger the edge of my brightly coloured tunic, so different to anything an Ice-Person would wear.

  ‘You have seen the prophecy,’ he says. It’s not really a question, but I nod anyway. ‘You know what, Sunaya? We fear the unknown, much more than we should. Feel this Stone, there is no evil in it. Its power is your power, and there is no reason to fear you will become someone you do not want to be, simply by possessing it.’

  He takes the Stone again, this time lifting its chain over my head until the Stone rests against my chest. My heart flutters. I wish I could trust myself as much as he trusts me.

  What I can trust is this weight around my neck. And it tells me this stairwell leads where we
want to go.

  ‘Down here,’ I say to Praseep. I stride down the stairs. Praseep carries the light and it flickers as he follows me down. Down and down. The steps are cold and slimy, dark and slippery, tight and winding. My legs are aching before long, but my head tells me we still have a long way to go.

  Down and ever down. Who built this? Finally, the air begins to warm and the scent of orange blossom gets stronger, and I know we’re nearing our goal. My legs are screaming.

  Behind me there is a thump and a muffled curse. Praseep’s light goes out and we are plunged into darkness.

  Chapter 17

  ‘Praseep?’ I spin around trying to sense him in the dark. He’s a few steps above me, slumped against the inner wall. I reach for him and carefully squeeze what I think is his shoulder.

  He groans. ‘The light?’

  I relax a little to hear him talk. ‘It’s gone out. Are you okay?’

  ‘Yes. I am fine.’ To the right of where I sense him, a light blossoms as he re-sparks the box.

  His head looks fine, but his body is awkwardly placed on the stairs. He moves to get up, then hisses.

  ‘My ankle …’

  I help him up to a sitting position, then gently grasp his boot. ‘May I?’

  He nods. The bones feel fine, but he breathes in sharply when I press around the ankle. The joint is already ballooning where it isn’t compressed by the boot. He did a good job of messing himself up, but his timing is atrocious. ‘I think it’s sprained. Can you Heal it?’

  He shakes his head. ‘You cannot Heal yourself.’

  ‘Then teach me!’

  He shakes his head again. ‘We do not have the time. Plus without proper training, you might make things worse. No matter. Just bind it, that will be enough. It is not so bad.’

  I get the feeling it is. I get the feeling he’s lying. It’s in the way his spirit curls back as he speaks. But I busy myself anyway. Because the other feeling I get is that time is running out for Danam.

  I grab my knife and cut the bottom of my tunic. The ripping echoes up and down the stairwell.

  ‘You didn’t need to do that,’ says Praseep.

  ‘Yes, I did. Now be quiet.’

  He is, immediately. I suppose not many people tell him to shut up. I bandage the ankle but it’s already very swollen. I don’t like the look of it. I like it less when he tries to stand on it, and his eyes bug out.

  The bottom of the stairs is two turns away, and we take them slowly, me supporting him, and him telling me at various intervals that he’s fine.

  We both know he’s not.

  We enter the chamber, where the incense is still burning, and the Cloud Dragon pendant still marks the Tests that are underway beyond the toothed opening. And I feel the hours that have passed since we were here last. I reach out to feel where Danam might be, where he has been, but I can’t feel anything. Danam could be dying. Danam could be dead. I can’t let myself think he is though. Not yet.

  Praseep’s face is tight, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cold.

  I stare at him. I don’t know how to say it.

  ‘I should stay behind,’ he says as soon as he’s settled painfully on the last step.

  Seems I don’t need to say it after all.

  He laughs, a brief bark only. ‘You are not disagreeing.’

  ‘No. I kind of thought the same.’ I stare at the doorway I must go through. Alone. Hours ago in this very chamber I was angry he wanted to come with me. Now, I already feel his absence like a pain.

  Praseep sighs. ‘There is no point keeping this from you any longer. You are an Applicant, and deserve to know as much as you can about the Tests.’

  ‘I’m not an Applicant,’ I say quickly.

  ‘If you go through that doorway, you will have to pass each of the Tests. You are an Applicant. You need to know how to survive. Now listen, please, because you are just wasting time.’

  His voice is serious and I swallow my protests. Of course. I’m not just saving Danam here, I’m also going to have to save myself.

  He nods at me. ‘Good. Now, the Cloud Dragon Tests are really very simple,’ he says. ‘They Test the five ways a Royal Protector needs to act. It is not only about Strength. There is also Courage, Resilience, Compassion and Fortitude. Each Test covers a different skill, and if you are found wanting, you will not pass.’

  ‘I’ll die?’

  ‘Not necessarily, it is not intended to kill Applicants, just to see if they are worthy. However, if you had no power, then, yes, failure would be inevitable once you reach the Strength Test, and it would mean death.’

  I think of Danam, and I jump up. ‘Thank you, Praseep.’

  ‘Good luck, Sunaya. You can do this, I know it.’ He hands me the light box.

  I nod. What else is there to do? I turn and walk towards the doorway, and I don’t intend to look back, but before I can stop myself, I do. Praseep is watching me, and he gives a thumbs up. I do the same, and we share a brief grin. I can feel the throb of power from the Stone, but nothing in the tunnel pushing me back, not like last time.

  Finally I’m through. The Stone worked! I look back at Praseep, alone and injured, and I gently remove it from around my neck. Who knows, Praseep may need it more than me.

  ‘Catch,’ I say, and I throw it.

  He catches it awkwardly, staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  ‘Just in case,’ I tell him. Then I turn and run, the smile slipping from my face. The light bounces off the sides of the tunnel, glistening on the ice that adorns each side. The tunnel goes on and on, solid rock on all sides. I run and run. Rock flashes past me, shadows racing me along the walls. I run until my breath is gasping, and only then do I feel a widening ahead.

  A chamber.

  It’s as wide as the Queen’s audience chamber, but with six equal sides. The walls and ceiling are smooth, looking more like a room than a cave. Light boxes glow at each corner, though one is missing, a dark pool of shadow beneath. All around the walls a thick line, carved with vines, links each light box. Each wall except the one directly in front of me has a doorway carved into it. That makes four possible routes to take.

  My heart sinks. Already I’m having to make a choice.

  I’m halfway across the chamber when a weak voice sounds from behind.

  ‘Who are you?’

  I spin, boots scratching on the gritty stone floor. A small girl shivers in the corner by my entry point. She wears a thin robe of tattered white. How long has she been down here? And where is Danam?

  ‘I’m …’ I don’t know how to describe what I am. ‘I’m here to help a friend.’ I look her over. This little girl can’t stay here like this. ‘Are you okay?’

  She looks at me blankly, one tear trailing down her pale cheek. ‘Can you help me? I’m so cold and I don’t know the way out.’

  I nod, remembering my time in the castle, cloakless and freezing and afraid. ‘It’s back the way I came, down this tunnel. There’s a boy there, he can help you.’

  She looks blankly at me. I try again. ‘You just go this way, okay?’ She still doesn’t react and I grimace, thinking of Danam. ‘Did you see another boy come through here this morning?’

  ‘Oh, yes, he went straight on.’

  I frown, looking at the four corridors ahead. None of them appear straight on to me. ‘Which one of the tunnels?’

  She shakes her head and starts to cry. I’m losing so much time here, and Danam could be dying. I don’t know this girl, but if she follows my instructions she’ll be with Praseep in … For the first time I wonder how long I’ve been running. I notice how sweaty I am. How my limbs and muscles ache. It’ll take her a pretty long time.

  I look at her and grimace. She is so tiny, wearing next to nothing in this freezing tunnel. I empty my cloak pockets, searching for something that might help, but there is not much in there. My turquoise, a bit of ragged cloth from my tunic. I move them into the pocket of my tunic, and undo my beautiful cloak, heavy and warm. Ins
tantly the chill hits me. I hold my cloak out for her.

  ‘Here, you look like you need this more than me. Shall we swap?’ I help her to her feet, help her to remove her piteous cloak. She smells of nothing, just the stone and the darkness. I’m going to be cold in her cloak, but at least I’ll be moving. I drape my cloak over her – it’s still warm from my body – and then pull one of the light boxes off the wall. ‘Use this to light your way back.’ I kneel down and look into her eyes. ‘You can do this. You’ll be warm now, and you’ll have light. Just follow this tunnel, straight and true, and my friend will be there to help you at the other end. You’re going to be okay. You have everything you need.’

  She smiles at me, a strange smile. It flickers. Then I gasp.

  She has vanished.

  A ghost? Or a vision?

  I’m left in the hexagonal chamber, completely alone. With a ghost’s cloak.

  She’s gone, and taken mine, but in her place she has left a tunnel opening I swear wasn’t there before. A fifth option. And it is directly in front of me.

  Straight ahead.

  With a thrill I realise. I think I just passed the first Test. It must have been Compassion, surely?

  Good work, Sunaya, I tell myself. One down, right?

  I pull on the ghost’s almost useless cloak and sigh, then start jogging down the new tunnel. If that was the first Test, I’ve only four left to go. And with the missing light boxes, I get the feeling Danam passed the first Test too.

  I’m expecting another long run, but instead the tunnel slopes steadily upwards and then abruptly opens onto a massive chasm. A spindly bridge crosses the chasm to the other side, where another black tunnel gapes.

  I look up, but can’t see a roof. I look down, and my light box cannot reach the base. Far away I hear the tinkling of water and I sense ice deep below. A chill breeze whips my hair into my face and moans against the chasm walls. The bridge isn’t the best. As in, I wouldn’t be encouraging any laden yakans over it anytime soon. Or even unladen yakans. But I’m light and I can be clever in where I step.

  I’ve an idea I’m in Test number two. I take a deep breath and step out carefully. The worn wooden board beneath my boot creaks but feels solid. A second step, carefully testing the next board I plan to step on. It’s fine.