Cumberland (Not A Dream Book 1) (15 page)

I waited for the Blue Crow to reappear, “Where is she?”

              Jack stood at the ledge and pulled his lips back. He blew out letting a sharp whistle brisk through the open. I looked back down and pointed in excitement, “There she is.”

              I watched as she lifted her head. Below her, were her babies feeding on some berries. She nudged her babies, and they quickly filled their tummies to hop on her back. I waved at them.

              Mason ushered us back away from the ledge, and awaited there for her. The baby Phoenix poked its head up, and watched with us.

              She flew back up and hovered near the ledge. This made it easier to climb on her back. I sat next to her babies, who nestled on her head. I told her, “We need to get to the Onyx Waterfall.”

              She made a quiet purr noise, and nodded her head.

              Olivia tugged at my shirt, and I looked back to see she had traded spots with Mason, “Can you see that? It is so
beautiful
.”

              I followed her gaze and watched as we neared the Onyx Waterfall. I stared in amazement. The way my grandpa described it, didn’t sound as pretty as it was.

              I smiled at Olivia, but grimaced when I noticed the tree top my grandpa told us about, was cut down.

              “What do we do now?” I asked sadly.

              I felt the bird stop and we exchanged looks. I felt something hit my leg, and I looked down to watch a small rock fall down to the ground. I looked around but didn’t see anything else.

              I turned to Olivia as she yelped, “Ouch!”

              “What happened?” I asked.

              “A rock hit me!” she complained.

              “Me too,” I admitted.

              The Blue Crow jumped up and squawked. I looked around and Jack yelled, “The rocks are coming from the Onyx Waterfall!”

              I watched it carefully, to see more rocks sling out of it. I looked at Mason and he shared a curious look with me.

              We flew towards the waterfall, and I asked, “How are rocks being thrown?”

              “I am not sure,” Jack answered.

              My baby Phoenix flew up off of my shoulder and disappeared behind the Onyx Waterfall. I yelled, “Hey! Come Back!”

              We giggled a bit, and the Blue Crow flew over to where the baby Phoenix disappeared. I peered behind the blanket of white Onyx, and noticed a ledge.

              We landed on the ledge, and concluded, “Let’s follow this to see where it goes.”

              Olivia sarcastically added, “Yeah, and to see who assaulted us.”

              We slowly followed the ledge, which shortly lead us inside a small damp cave. The Blue Crow hesitantly trailed behind us. I heard a small chirp and looked down to see the baby Phoenix. I picked him up and placed him back on my shoulder.

              The Blue Crow began to growl, which made us stop in our tracks. I followed the Blue Crow’s gaze towards the darkest part of the cave. She continued to growl, as Olivia gasped.

              At first, I did not see anything, but as I looked harder, I could see a pair of yellow eyes. I couldn’t feel myself breathe, and I felt paralyzed. I just continued to stare blindly into the eyes.

              Mason hopped in front of me and snarled, “Who are you? What do you want?”

              Silence echoed through the cave. I heard some rustling, but didn’t see the eyes move. I placed my hand on Mason’s shoulder and said, “Maybe they are not anything. We have been traveling all day, without any sleep.”

              “I am very real,” a deep raspy voice, interrupted us.

              I looked back at the yellow eyes and watched as they moved closer. By the sound of their footsteps, I could tell it was a man. He seemed to be very tall, as the outline of his body became apparent.

              Mason relaxed himself, “Who are you?”

              The man paused, as he began to walk towards a sliver of light, “You know who I am, my son.”

              I could hear a small gasp release from his lips. The man stepped closer and warned, “You need to leave Cumberland. I keep close tabs on Carolyn. She is very angry and has evil plans for all of you,” he paused and turned to me, “
Especially you
.”

              I started breathe heavily, “Why me?”

              Mason shook his head and asked, “Are you a Gargoyle?”

              “Half. You know the other half,” Holden answered.

              Jack changed the subject, “What are her plans?”

              Holden answered, “I am not sure, but she is particularly interested in Milly, just like how she was with her parents.”

              “Why?” I asked, starting to get impatient.

              “You are more special than you realize. More so, than your parents,” he said holding my chin.

              “Can we trust you?” Olivia countered.

              He nodded.

Holden approached each one of us, shaking our hands. He clasped onto my hand and pulled it to his lips. He then did the same with Olivia.

              He announced, “My name is Holden Crane Bridges, and I was a pawn in Carolyn’s experiments.”

              He paused, and then continued, “She made me fall in love with her, and then cloned me. She then ran extra experiments on me, which made me like
this
.”

              “What went wrong?” Mason asked.

              “She wanted to know what would happen to a vampire, if the liquid Onyx was put straight into their bodies, versus mixing it on the outside and putting it into a spare body they crafted.”

              I narrowed my eyebrows, “What was supposed to happen?”

              “She assumed it would have made me replicate, like how a starfish can if a piece of their body is cut off. Just like the creatures of Cumberland, when they drink the Onyx,” he sighed, looking upset.

              Mason apologized, “I am sorry, I took too long to get here.”

              I smiled and put my arm around his waist, “It was my fault. Just seeing those poor creatures...”

              Holden cut me off, “It is truly okay. You are braver than I.”

              “Thank you,” I said.

              Mason had a hesitant tone in his voice, “I know this is a lot to ask, but will you help us take down Carolyn?”

              Holden growled in anger, and yelled, “No!”

              His voice echoed loudly in the cave, and he quickly apologized for almost busting our ear drums out. I looked at him and tried to seem sincere.

              I begged, “Please help us!”

              He growled, “Why?”

              I sighed, “If you do, you will find my grandpa at the alternative exit.”

              He stopped pacing, “Brad?”

              “Yes,” I slowly said.

              “That exit is closed off, and guarded by Carolyn’s men. Brad knows a way to hide and not get caught,” Holden explained.

              “Rolf Rolon is with them as well,” I told him.

              “Rolf? Is he still a wolf?” Holden questioned.

              Olivia nodded her head, “Yeah.”

              Holden quickly looked at her and asked softly, “You are in love?”

              “Is that even possible?” she asked.

              He smiled.

              Mason slightly touched his blue wing and asked, “Is this reversible, so you can look normal again?”

              Holden nodded, “I am not sure, but I like to see the good in things, and think of the bright side.”

              “So, in other words, there is not a cure?” Mason questioned.

              I looked back to check on the Blue Crow, and just saw her sitting there giving her babies a bath. Then I noticed a blue hand near my face. I quickly jumped back, and realized it was Holden trying to my Phoenix.

              “How are you not poisoned yet?” he quizzed.

              “I, I am not sure, do you?” I countered.

              He shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders. I just let it go.
I will deal with it later
, I told myself. Then I looked at Mason, and he just held my hand tightly.

              The baby Phoenix began to squawk slowly. I could tell he was hungry. Before I could ask, Holden already handed out a palm full of berries. The baby Phoenix hopped on his hand and quickly pecked away the berries.

              I asked him, “You do know where the exit is, don’t you?”

              “Yes,” he answered. Then he continued, “But, before I go see Brad, I decided that taking down Carolyn is what needs to be done.”

              The Phoenix hopped out of his hand and flew to my shoulder. He smiled, “I know how to get to her, also.”

              He looked passed me, and asked, “Will the Blue Crow fly us?”

              “Only if you ask her nicely,” I grinned.

              I looked back at the waterfall and imagined what it felt like. It looked soft, and free flowing. My thoughts were quickly interrupted by Holden’s voice, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

              I agreed, “Yes, very.”

              “Yeah, it was even prettier when I lived in that tree top. The view was breath taking, and I didn’t have to pay a real estate agency a million dollars either,” he chuckled.

              “What happened to the tree top? Why did it break?” I asked him politely.

              “Carolyn took it down,” he solemnly answered.

              “Oh, right, I am sorry,” I said.

              “No one was hurt, luckily,” he smiled.

              My baby Phoenix began to make purr noise, and Holden said, “You have a lovely Phoenix. Egg of Bravery, I presumed, hatched?”

              “Yeah, it was an accident,” I answered.

              “There are no accidents, just coincidences. It all depends on how you handle something,” he assured me.

              I nodded in agreement.

              He continued, “Just to be safe, we need to find Brad and Rolf. We need all the help we can get to take her down.”

              “I thought you just wanted to go to her head on?” Mason questioned.

              “Yes, but she may have more deviant plans that I might think. It is just a safety precaution,” he answered.

              We agreed, and I asked, “Why? Do you feel something wrong?”

              He nodded, “Yes, I always follow my gut. If it says to do one thing, then that means something could be wrong.”

              “My family are in danger?” I began to get frantic.

              “I am not sure about that, all I know is this pain in my stomach is not from being hungry,” he said holding his abdomen.

              I looked at him, “I get those type of gut feelings too.”

              “I know,” he announced.

I placed my hands on my hips, and asked, “Where is the exit?”

              I wasn’t for sure about believing him, but at this point, I didn’t have much option. I could tell his intuition was true. If it hurts him that bad, something is not right about it.

              He grumbled, “Behind this waterfall mountain. It is not hard to get to.”

              Mason approached him, “Do you think something bad is happening to her family?”

              He shook his head, “No, I do not think so.”

              Jack sighed heavily, and turned to the waterfall, “We need to hurry, then.”

              “Wait,” I demanded.

              He turned to eye me impatiently, “What is it?”

              “Holden isn’t feeling well, let the pain pass. It won’t take long, I know,” I concerned.

              We waited patiently as Holden crouched down.

              Mason grabbed my hand, and made me face him. He smiled, “No matter what.”

              “I know, I know, you will
always keep me safe
,” I quoted him.

              He laughed, “Well, that too, but I was thinking that if you gave your Phoenix a name, in case anything does go wrong, he won’t feel alone,” his face quickly turned straight.

              I stiffened my posture, “Nothing
will
happen to us. All we have to do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

              Olivia stated, “Maybe, naming the Phoenix, is his way of preparing for the worst.”

              Holden stood up, seeming more relaxed, “Mason is on to something, Milly.”

              “What is it?” I questioned.

              “When you give a Phoenix a name, you give it an identity. It will strengthen your bond, you already have the beautiful creature,” Holden answered.

              “Hmmm,” I paused to think, as everyone began to climb up on the Blue Crow.

              “Come on! We got to go,” Olivia demanded.

              “Alright, I am just contemplating a name I have in mind,” I smiled.

              “What is it?” she asked.

              “How about,
Mayven
?” I sucked in my lips, and bit on my lower one awaiting the approval of my friends.

              “It is,
different,
” Olivia giggled. She continued, “But we will support your decision.”

              I frowned at her answer, and turned to Mason. He looked at me and answered, “It is exactly what I would have picked.”

              Before I knew it, our conversation had quickly led us to the back of the mountain, the waterfall was located. Olivia leaned towards me, “Why did you pick Mayven? It sounds feminine.”

              “It means for someone smart that enjoys passing down knowledge to others,” I smiled.

              “So, a smart-,” she was cut off by Jack, “There they are!”

              Holden laughed with masculine excitement, “Ha, ha. Brad!”

              I looked down and waved anxiously, “Are you guys okay?”

              The Blue Crow landed smoothly. I quickly hopped off and ran to my parents. I wrapped my arms tight around them and looked up to Holden hug Brad just as tight, if not tighter.

              I heard my grandpa complain happily, “I. Can’t… Breathe.”

              Holden released him, “Sorry.”

              I looked around and asked, “Where is the exit?”

              My dad solemnly answered, “It is barricaded, and I think it collapsed.”

              “What are standing around for? Let’s get it open,” Olivia demanded.

              “With what?” he questioned.

              Mayven began to squawk furiously, so I looked at him, and saw him staring heavily behind us. I looked back and yelled, “Guys! We have company.”

              “A Silver Cobra,” Jack announced.

              I looked closer at it, and noticed the scales of its skin, were made purely of silver. I asked, “Is that a robot snake?”

              Jack nodded his head, “It is Carolyn’s mobile camera. It sees more than the patrol would ever notice.”

              It opened its mouth revealing a speaker. A crackle noise came out of it, following a voice, “You guys are now caught. It won’t be long until I get there.”

              “Carolyn?” I asked.

              “Yes, my dear
Milly
,” she smirked.

              “You won’t get away with this! You do not have any right running experiments on creatures or humans!” I yelled.

              I looked back at the barricade, and whispered to everyone, “
Stand in front of the barricade. We can anger her to smash it down
.”

              I picked up several rocks, and quickly began flinging them at the Silver Cobra.

              Carolyn yelled, “Don’t hurt my latest invention!”

              “I am going to make it perish, and you are next!” I threatened.

              “No need to threaten me, you are a special girl, but your knowledge disappoints me,” she cackled.

              “What is everyone talking about?” I asked.

              My mom piped up, “Carolyn, leave Milly out of that!”

              “You didn’t tell her?” she sarcastically asked.

              “Tell me what?” I demanded.

              “We will tell you later,” my dad answered.

              Another Silver Cobra appeared on the other side of us. I asked, “There are two of them?”

              Jack shook his head, “No, that is a
real
Silver Cobra.”

              “The one we saved?” Olivia asked.

              I nodded my head, “It is.”

              It made a
hiss
noise. Carolyn’s Silver Cobra cam turned to see the real Silver Cobra. I looked down for more rocks, and demanded, “Now!”

              We each began tossing rocks at the Silver Cobra cam. Mason and Holden tossed the body sized rocks, and caused more damage.

              Holden leaned towards my grandpa, “Brad, why are you and your son and daughter-in-law not lifting the bigger rocks?”

              My grandpa started to stutter, and I looked at Holden for a few seconds, and back at tossing the rocks. I told him, “They are only human. You and Mason are the only
good
ones here.”

              “Awe!” Holden exhaled.

              The Silver Cobra cam was still distracted.

              I watched as he flew up to the Silver Cobra cam and easily tore its head off. Sparking wires and cords flew around. I looked into the camera eyes, and watched them fade from red to black.

              “That was, fairly, easy. Except the part about my plan for the barricade,” I said, trying to hold back me yelling.

              Everyone nodded and he claimed, “I did not hear the plan. I am so sorry.”

              The Silver Cobra, slithered towards us while hissing. He sat up in front of us and said, “I want to help you. At first, I thought, you guys were just doing it for fame. Now I see, it is because you guys truly care about us Cumberland creatures.”

              “After we free this barricade, we plan to take down Carolyn,” I told the snake.

              “I cannot help you with the barricade, but I will fight with you,” he offered.

              Holden placed his hand on my shoulder, “Milly, I think Carolyn might come here for us. We could use him to help.”

              “Please,” the snake begged.

              I nodded in agreement.