Chapter Seven
The next day went by slowly. Chadwick continued with Katie’s lessons and taught her some new ones, which included learning how to use a bow and arrow. To Katie, this proved to be a little harder than a sword. With a sword, it was more strength and balance than anything else. With a bow, it was more accuracy and timing.
After the lessons; Katie, Chadwick, Princess Simona, Prince Varek, and Chait were told to get ready for the night’s first journey. They were told to pack as light as possible, because heavy bags could slow them down. Queen Adrianna gave them three crystal vials of water that with one sip, their thirst would be quenched for hours. Katie had to leave the clothes that she came to the realm with, behind, and could only bring the red dress, and clothes that she would wear to battle. The butterfly fairies also gave her a cape and boots, which would protect her against any weather, and would come in handy when she went to get the lava from castle of Dinesh; a task she was not looking forward too.
When dusk finally came, the group was greeted by several butterfly fairies of Amos. A crowd grew to bid them farewell. There was a rainbow of color from their wings. Katie wished she had a camera to take a picture of such a wonderful site. Chait got settled on Princess Simona’s back and watched the goodbye’s from the fairies. He was given small boots to wear, when the time came to get the lava. Small Vials were put in Katie’s backpack to collect the items they needed to make the Cane of Power.
“Good luck, Katie; we’re counting on you to complete this task. I trust these items will help you on your journey,” Queen Adrianna said, holding Katie’s hands.
“Thank you. I won’t let you down, no matter what it takes.” Katie smiled and climbed onto Prince Varek’s back. She waved goodbye to the cheering crowd as Prince Varek and Princess Simona sped up and flew into the air. Chadwick opened his large green wings and began flying behind them. The light roar of the crowd could still be heard in the distance as they flew on, not knowing what to expect on the journey ahead of them.
They flew northwest of Amos, towards Pixie Mountain. It was dark and hard for Katie to make out the scenery or where she even was. She heard rushing water of a nearby river. She smelled the scent of pine, as they flew over part of a forest. Soon a light fog began to appear, and then thicken, as they neared the mountain. They tried to find a safe area to land, but they couldn’t see the mountain’s top.
“We could wait until morning when the fog clears; however, we will waste a lot of time that we could use finding the first item. It’s your call, Katie.” Prince Varek said, hovering back and forth next to the mountain side.
Katie sighed heavily, “Well, I think you should get me as close to the mountain as you can. I’m going to have to climb the rest of the way.”
“Katie, no, it’s not safe. If we can’t even land, how can we expect you to climb? We are risking too much to let you do this. I know Varek said it was your call, but we’re going to have to wait.” Princess Simona said, cautiously.
“No! If we’re going to do this, we have to do it now. I’m climbing the rest of the way up. We are wasting too much time discussing it already.” Katie said, straight forth. They all stopped arguing and began moving in closer to the mountain’s side. Katie secured her backpack and carefully grabbed onto the mountain’s side, making sure she was settled enough for Simona to back off. Chadwick flew close behind her, if she needed help or an encouraging word. He was told to never leave her side. If he flew up by himself, he would be breaking the oath he had made to Queen Adrianna. Katie had to find the items herself. He could only help her so much.
“Be careful!” Chait yelled up to her, from on top of Varek’s back.
“Don’t worry; I’ll be fine, Chadwick is here with me. When I get to the top, I’ll shine a light to guide you to the top. I have a flashlight in my backpack; it should help.” Katie yelled back through the thick fog. She had trouble finding handles in the rocks to grab onto, since her visibility was very limited. She blindly felt around for handles to pull herself up.
She soon began to regret the words she had said earlier, as she tried to pull herself up again. With every inch she climbed, she found it more and more difficult to find a handle to latch onto. An icy gust of wind shot threw her like sharp needles. She desperately wanted to let go of the cliff, for her cold hands began to burn every time the wind blew across them. She was thankful for the cape she wore around her, but dearly wished she had jeans on, instead of a dress. A sharp rock that Katie had not seen in the dark fog, lashed against her knee causing her to shout out in pain. A warm trickle of blood ran down her leg and into her boot. She ignored it, and kept on climbing.
“Are you okay, Katie?” Chadwick asked from below.
“I’m fine. How far do you think we are from the top?” Katie asked finding her breaths coming out in short spurts.
“Not far now, I’m sure. We started half way up.” The fairy said, as if he could go on for hours. Katie didn’t respond, but was glad of the answer, for she was growing very tired.
She struggled up the mountain for what seemed like hours. Her back began to hurt, because the backpack she wore, weighed her down. She lifted up her now very heavy arm, to grab another handle. She was quite surprised to find a flat surface within her grasp.
“Chadwick, I think I found the top! Hurry and fly ahead of me and help me up!” She yelled excitedly. Chadwick did as he was told, and landed on top of the mountain. He grasped Katie’s outstretched hand, and carefully pulled her to the top. Katie laid collapsed, on the flat surface, breathing heavily. She suddenly remembered that Princess Simona, Prince Varek and Chait waited for her signal below. She pulled off her backpack, relieved of the weight being released from her back. She searched through it for a few seconds and pulled out her flashlight. She turned it on and crawled over to the mountain’s edge, shining the light down into the thick fog.
“Do you think this will work, Chadwick? Will they see the light?”
“I sure hope so,” Chadwick said, making himself comfortable on a grassy bank. Suddenly, a gust of wind came up from the cliff, making Katie fall back. Princess Simona and Prince Varek flew up like rockets, landing next to Chadwick.
“Your highnesses,” Chadwick said, bowing to Prince Varek and Princess Simona. He was glad to be a butterfly fairy, so he could understand the Unicus’ words. This journey would be a lot harder if they couldn’t communicate.
“Thank you, Katie, we couldn’t find the top in this thick fog.” Princess Simona said, giving a slight bow to her. Chait jumped off Prince Varek’s back and ran up to Katie.
“Are you okay, Katie?” He asked eyeing Katie’s wound on her knee. Katie looked down at her knee and touched the dried blood.
Chait ran on ahead, grabbing a piece of cloth from Katie’s bag and wet the cloth on the damp grass that was filled with dew from the fog. He walked back to Katie and placed it on her wound.
“Thanks, Chait, but I’m fine, really. Now, we need to find that flower; where would it be?” Katie asked, looking around and then carefully cleaned off the dried blood from her leg. She tied the cloth around her knee. The fog cleared a little, and she turned her flashlight back on, to get a better look at her surroundings. It was still very dark out. It must be the middle of the night, she thought with a yawn. The top of the mountain was covered in grass that yellowed in some parts. A few trees were scattered here and there and large boulders could be seen in the distance.
“I was told, as a child, they reside in caves. They grow where it is damp and dark. Here, get on my back; we must keep moving.” Princess Simona said, moving next to Katie.
“Do you know where the caves would be?” Katie asked the Princess, climbing on her back.
“This is my first time up here. I haven’t really ventured much out of the castle. As children, we weren’t allowed to go far from the castle gates.” Princess Simona said, scanning the area for caves. Prince Varek stood for a second with a blank expression on his face.
“I know the way.” He said suddenly.
“You do? Why haven’t you said this before?” Princess Simona yelled.
“It wasn’t for you to know, until a time such as this. I have only been here once, and I had climbed, just as Katie has done. It’s not far from here. We haven’t time for more questions.” Varek said, continuing on forward. They said no more, and followed Varek through the now thinning fog. They all walked in silence for a while. Katie was glad of that, so she could rest her body and mind, while they continued to the cave.
When they got to the mouth of the cave, the moon came up, just over the horizon. A bright yellow color, painted a beautiful portrait over the distant mountain tops. Katie sighed at its beauty.
“Katie, are you listening to me?” Princess Simona said, breaking Katie out of her trance.
“I’m sorry, were you saying something, Simona?” Katie said apologetically.
Simona sighed. “We are at the mouth of the cave; what shall we do next? You are the leader on this mission, are you not?” Princess Simona sounded tired and almost bitter with her task at hand.
“I think that Varek shall lead the way. He has been here before, so he will know what will lie ahead.” Katie said, motioning toward Prince Varek. Prince Varek agreed and moved to the front of the group and entered a damp cave. He looked back at Katie. “Katie, we will need your flashlight to continue. It is very dark, and I don’t think it would be wise to go on without it.”
“Alright,” Katie pulled the flashlight out once more and shined it in the direction that Prince Varek was walking, so he had a bright view in front of him. She had wished he was human so he could hold it himself; it was hard to angle it from behind him.
“Varek, wait. If you don’t mind my asking; I think it would be easier for the both of us, if I stand next to you; its better, instead of riding on Simona’s back; since I’m holding the flashlight.” Varek and Simona agreed, as Katie left Princess Simona’s back and stood next to Prince Varek. Holding the light in front of Prince Varek was much easier now that she stood next to him. As they walked, the echo of Princess Simona’s and Prince Varek’s hooves clanked on the stone floor, making rocks fall from the ceiling of the cave.
“If you must talk, only whisper, this cave isn’t very stable. We must find the flower and continue on our way.” Prince Varek whispered, looking forward. As they walked on, the flutter of bat’s wings could be heard from above them. Prince Varek’s ears suddenly perked up as he sniffed the air around him. “I smell water,” he whispered, “we must be close. Keep your eyes open.”
Katie saw a small trickle of water escaping through a crack in the wall, collecting in a small pool on the cool stone floor. She had Prince Varek stop, and she walked forward to get a better look at the pool. The pool of water didn’t feel wet, but was cool to the touch and was black as pitch. She leaned in closer to the pool to see if any plant life grew around the pool. A strong force pulled at Katie, she tried her hardest to pull back and found herself holding with all her might, onto a large rock that sat next to the pool. The rock loosened from the stone floor, pulling Katie into the black pool and out of site.
“Katie!” The group called in unison. Chadwick looked around at the stunned faces of his companions, and then dove into the pool after Katie.
Katie screamed at the shock of falling, until she realized she wasn’t really falling, but was floating to the ground. She couldn’t see a thing, except for a light below her which was growing closer. She landed on the ground with a soft thud. The room was filled with an orange- colored light. She couldn’t tell where the light was coming from. She looked up from the way she had come and saw that Chadwick was also floating down. She watched as he landed, a lot more gracefully then she had. She stood up to greet Chadwick with a hug. “Oh, Chadwick, you came after me. Thank you so much. Didn’t we fall into water? What happened?” Katie asked, as she dusted off her dress.
“It’s a magic pool. I didn’t think there were any left in Atheness. The Butterfly Fairies destroyed those, hundreds of years ago. This must be a new one. They aren’t just formed by nature, someone had to make it.” Chadwick told her, as he circled the area.
“There is a way out, right?”
“Yes, with every magic pool, there is also an escape hatch. It’s a rule of magic. The pool won’t form unless an escape hatch is formed first.” He surveyed the area again. “By the looks of this one, I would say, it has only been here for a few years. Enough time for plants to grow.”
“Did you say plants? Do you think we’ll find the flower we need down here?” Katie asked hopefully.
“It’s a possibility; we’ll keep an eye out as we look for the escape hatch. Varek and Simona said they will continue looking, and meet us outside of the cave.”
“What would the hatch look like?”
“It can be anything; a boulder, the side of the wall, or maybe, under some flowers. Just start moving and touching stuff that might trigger the door. It’s bright enough down here, where we don’t need your light anymore. Stay close enough where I can see you. I’m not losing you again.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t be too far.”
Katie walked over to a large boulder that sat nicely between the grass and some very beautiful flowers. “What do the flowers look like, anyway?” Katie asked, eyeing the flowers by the boulder.
“Well, I have only seen them once before. They are white, almost transparent, and they seem to emit light from them. Those are not the ones.” Chadwick said, as he turned back to a stone wall he was feeling.
Katie bent over the boulder, and tried to push it out of the way, but it wouldn’t budge. She sat with her back to the boulder and tried pushing it with her back; nothing. She sighed and stood up, kicking the rock with her foot. “Stubborn boulder,” Katie said under her breath. Chadwick looked over at Katie and laughed.
“You know, for someone who has come here to save the whole kingdom of Atheness, you’re not very strong, are you?” He said, feeling around on the walls again.
“Well, you’re here to help me, right? So help me move this boulder. Maybe the hatch is underneath.” Katie said, as she tried to push it again.
Chadwick sighed and walked over to her. He stood over the boulder and raised his hand above it while he chanted something in a language Katie didn’t understand. “Del namova.” The boulder moved slowly to the other side of the room.
“Wow, that’s amazing! How did you do that and what did you say?” Katie asked, amazed.
“Well, as a guardian fairy, I was given some very special abilities to help in missions such as this. The words I spoke were just simple fairy words for “move.”
“Wow. Is it possible that I can learn to do that? I mean, when the mission is over.”
“When we have time, I will give you some power. You can’t fight Zendra on strength alone, since we know you don’t have any.” He smiled and looked down at where the boulder used to be. In place of the boulder, wasn’t a hatch, but five beautiful flowers, glowing as if a light was lit from the inside.
Katie’s eyes widened. “This is it! These are the flowers we’re looking for.” Katie took off her backpack and took out a vial she was given, by one of the fairies. There was one vial for each item that she would need on her mission.
“Good; now we can find a way out of here.” Chadwick said, now walking to the other wall and feeling it. “I have a good feeling that this magic pool’s hatch is on one of these walls. Come, help me look.” Katie nodded and stood up. After putting her backpack on and carefully placing the vial containing the flower in her pack, she walked toward the wall in front of her and started to feel around for something out of place. The room wasn’t very large and had four stone walls.
“How would I know if something is out of place in here?” Katie suddenly announced.
“Oh, you’ll know.” Chadwick said, as he slipped his hands over the wall very carefully. Then he stopped at a fist size hole in the wall. “Katie, come over here, I think I found it.”
Katie ran over to his side. “A hole in the wall is the secret hatch?”
“Not everything is as it appears, Katie. Your hands are smaller than mine; I want you to stick your hand in the hole. If I’m right, this will open the door.”
“Okay, but if my hand is chopped off, it’s all on you.” Katie said, as she moved her hand slowly toward the wall. She then placed her fist in the hole. It was a perfect fit.
Katie then gasped. “How is my hand such a perfect fit for this? I have never been here before… have I?”
“Some things are better left unexplained until you are really ready to know the answer.” Chadwick calmly explained.
“What are you, a fortune cookie?” Katie asked, annoyed. “Besides, this didn’t solve anything; the door didn’t open.” Just as Katie had said that, the ground started to shake. Katie removed her hand from the wall, fast. The wall moved to reveal a small opening, just big enough to crawl through. They could see a light at the end of the cave. “Chadwick, we did it!” Katie yelled, running over to give him a hug.
“Come, we still have a long journey ahead of us.” Chadwick said, starting down the tunnel.
“Right,” Katie said, following Chadwick in the tunnel.
“So what did you mean when you told me about my hand fitting into the wall like that?” Katie asked.
“If you were to know your whole life ahead of you, things may change. This would change history. You see, Katie; everything that has happened to you thus far, was planned for you. It was supposed to happen. Do you understand?” He said, looking over his shoulder to her.
“I guess so. But why was it planned for me to fall down the magic pool and for my fist to fit in the hatch?”
“You’ll find out someday, just not right now.”
“Do you know why?”
“Yes. I do. Fairies can see the future ahead and the past behind us. Not our own, just of others.” Chadwick said, stopping in the tunnel to look back at Katie.
“Stop with all of this! This is not ok. I need to know some answers. Have I been here before, or not?” Katie yelled back at Chadwick. Chadwick sighed, and looked back to the tunnel in front of him.
“Yes, you have. No one knew but Queen Adrianna and me. It was a few years ago, before you met your husband, James. We pulled you here for only a few days. You were almost in a dreamlike state, that’s why you don’t remember. We knew of the attack from the Pixies and Queen Zendra. So, Queen Adrianna and I went to look for a hero. We found you. In that time, I did teach you a little magic and you must have made this pool. I don’t know why you made it, because they are very dangerous things. That’s why we destroyed them.”
“Wait! If I knew magic, then why don’t I know any, now? I would have to remember a place like this.” Katie said, very surprised.
“When you return to your world, the magic you once had, slowly fades if it’s not being used properly. I only taught you a little. Someone must have taught you a lot more. I just can’t figure out who did it, in the short time you were here.” Chadwick said, very concerned. He shook his head and continued through the tunnel.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Chadwick. I am upset that this was kept from me. I’m also frustrated that I didn’t remember and that I made something the butterfly fairies tried to destroy. Do you think someone else knew of my being in Atheness back then, and tried to teach me dark magic?” Katie asked following Chadwick down the small tunnel.
“It is a very good possibility. We will discuss this later. Look, we made it; there is Princess Simona and Prince Varek.” They crawled out of the tunnel and stood up to greet their companions. Chait jumped off Prince Varek’s back, and jumped into Katie’s arms.
“Don’t ever scare me like that, again. I thought I lost my best friend.” Chait said, now purring in her arms.
“We did it; we found the flowers.” Katie said, grinning, holding the vial that contained the glowing flowers.
“That’s great. Well, I think since the fog has cleared, we should go visit the mermaids again. They have the stone of Evandor in their village.” Princess Simona said. Katie looked over at Prince Varek. He stood very quiet and almost angry.
“What is Prince Varek’s problem? Shouldn’t he be even a little bit happy? We found the first item.” Katie asked Princess Simona.
“I’ll have Chadwick talk with him. You better fly with me, so they can talk on the way to Derya.”
“Alright,” Katie said, climbing onto Princess Simona’s back. She held tightly onto Chait, as Princess Simona spread her wings and jumped into the air.
“I can’t wait to be human again, but I am sure going to miss flying.” Princess Simona said with a laugh. Katie laughed, too.
Chadwick flew next to Prince Varek. “What’s going on with you? We found the flowers and Katie is safe, thanks to me.”
“That’s just it, Chadwick, because of you. Since we have been on this journey, it has always been because of you! I can’t protect Katie like I want to. Ever since I was a boy, my father trained me to protect the weak and helpless. So far, I have failed.” Prince Varek said in disgust.
“Don’t blame yourself, Varek, blame Queen Zendra. You’re doing the best you can in this situation. Besides, Katie might not be as weak and helpless as you may think. I know you can’t go with Katie when we get to Derya since it is underwater, but while we are there, you and Simona can start gathering an army for the upcoming battle. That should help you feel like a man. You can bring Chait with you to translate.”
“Thanks, I guess. It seems like that’s all I can do for now.” Prince Varek said bitterly. In truth, he knew Chadwick was right. They needed more warriors and waiting for Katie to find all the items, will take a long time. Time he needs to train an army.