The Ancient One (31 page)

“Are you with me or not?” roared the Wicked One.

Stepping back from the rising lava, Kate found herself standing near the entrance to the cave through which she had fallen. Looking down at her feet, she kicked a loose rock into the orange liquid. It hissed as it was swallowed by lava. “All right,” she said at last. “I’m with you. But first show me the Broken Touchstone.”

“Hmmmmm, gladly,” gurgled Gashra triumphantly, as he opened his massive jaws to the widest. He reached inside his mouth and removed from under his tongue a glowing red sphere no bigger than a softball. Holding the sphere high above his head, Gashra savored its deep radiance for a moment. “Here,” he announced proudly, “is the Broken Touchstone.”

“I still can’t see it,” said Kate. “I want to see the place where the Fragment fits.”

Hesitating for a moment, Gashra lowered his hand to the level of Kate’s head, keeping it just beyond her reach. Resting comfortably between two of his enormous fingers sat the ruby red sphere.

She looked at the glittering stone, captivated by its inner luminescence. A jagged crack cut diagonally across its surface, leaving a gap no more than three inches long and half an inch wide. Perhaps, she thought, by joining forces with Gashra, she could possibly tame him, moderating his greed enough that all the beings of the forest could again live together in peace. After all, anything was possible with the restored Touchstone. Yet, even as she nursed this idea, it felt strangely foreign somehow, almost as if it came from outside of herself rather than from within. Again her thoughts turned to Aunt Melanie. Kate could see her face, even hear her voice. But the words sounded blurred; she could not quite make out what her great-aunt was saying.

At that moment the mountain shook violently. The walls of the chamber swayed and buckled as if made from mere paper. Several of the huge stalactites on the ceiling broke loose and came crashing down into the lava in a series of splashes. Large stones tumbled from the island, as the lake surrounding it bubbled with new ferocity. Molten rock surged higher, lapping against the base of the treasure hoard and reaching almost to Kate’s feet. She struggled to keep her balance so that she would not fall into the lava, but she felt its heat singe the hairs of her legs under her jeans.

Gashra, waving his tail with anticipation, turned his head away from Kate to see the frothing lake just behind him. At that instant, a small globule of lava flew off his tail and landed with a loud hiss on Kate’s right sneaker. She jumped back, her foot sizzling with pain.

Shaking the orange substance from her sneaker, she saw the charred remains of her once bright green laces, now black as charcoal.
Like new green leaves on the first day of spring,
Aunt Melanie had said of them.
As green as new leaves,
in Laioni’s words. How would new leaves fare under Gashra’s domination? She tried to imagine the next first day of spring in this land, and saw nothing. She listened for the call of an owl in the forest, and heard nothing.

Just then, her eyes fell upon one especially contorted red stone that lay at the very top of the treasure hoard. It was larger than the others, twisted almost beyond recognition. Yet Kate knew instantaneously that this was the body of a young human being. A boy or a girl—perhaps even Laioni’s lost friend Toru—had joined the Wicked One’s list of victims, a list that would soon grow much longer.

Seizing the moment before Gashra turned around, she lunged for the Broken Touchstone resting lightly on his fingers. Grasping it in one hand, she started to scramble up the pile of rocks leading to the cave. In an instant she was within a few feet of the entrance. Struggling to reach it, she could see the flickering light of the lava torches just ahead.

Then, with a thunderous blow, Gashra’s tail smashed against the wall of the chamber right above the entrance. Rocks and dust and stalactites tumbled down, blocking the cave and sealing it forever. Kate tumbled backward and rolled down the rocky slope, dropping the sphere. She stretched out her arm, reaching to retrieve it, but Gashra moved more quickly. He scooped up the sphere, breathing heavily as if the few seconds out of its contact had weakened him significantly.

“How dare you?” he roared, his full strength returning along with the fiery color of his scales. “Treacherous human! I should never have listened to you.”

Bruised and scraped, Kate rose to her feet and declared, “I will never help you. Never.”

“Then you shall die, like all the other forest creatures,” raged Gashra. “I already have enough power to rule the world from here to the ocean. Hmmmmm! I don’t need you or the Fragment to destroy my enemies once and for all.”

Squeezing the glowing sphere in his enormous hand, Gashra waded into the lava lake. Whipping his massive tail back and forth so rapidly it propelled him across the churning surface, he stepped onto the steeple-shaped island. With three great bounds, he ascended the black rocks and stood atop the pinnacle. There he stood, laughing, looking down upon Kate.

Holding the Broken Touchstone in his outstretched hand, Gashra leaned back his head and cried, “The time has come, O mountain of wrath. Break your bonds, free your power. Explode in triumph!”

Again the mountain rumbled and shook, though this time it vibrated down to its deepest roots. The lava lake seethed with new energy, spitting fire high into the air, as hot winds swept around the chamber. Powerful explosions under the earth rocked the walls arching overhead, drowning out every sound but the gurgling laughter of Gashra.

In that instant, Kate did the only thing left to do. She picked up a fist-size stone. There was no time to take proper aim. Her legs wobbled from the vibrations and her eyes stung from perspiration, but she knew she would never make a more important throw. Rearing back like a practiced shortstop, she hurled the stone at the small sphere resting on Gashra’s hand. She watched expectantly as it sailed through the air, straight at its target.

But it missed. The stone passed just above the Broken Touchstone, striking a giant stalactite hanging down from the ceiling. With a plop, the stone fell harmlessly into the bubbling lake of lava.

Seeing this, Gashra laughed still louder. Kate was crestfallen. She knew that she had lost her last chance to separate the sphere from its greedy master. Then, as she backed nearer to the rock wall to escape the surging lava, she saw the stalactite swaying precariously.

Dislodged by her stone, the huge formation broke loose from the ceiling with an ear-piercing crack. Gashra looked up just as the stalactite crashed down onto his outstretched arm, knocking the sphere from his hand. It fell, bounced off the rocks at the base of the island, and landed in the frothing lake. With a shriek of terror, he leaped down from the pinnacle and swung his long arm toward the precious object.

Suddenly, from the shadows behind the treasure hoard a white-winged creature appeared. Soaring like an arrow, it flew toward the floating sphere, clasping it in its talons only an instant before Gashra’s hand reached the spot.

“Kandeldandel!” cried Kate, her voice mingling with the violent rumbling of the mountain.

“Take it,” called the Tinnani as he flew over her head and dropped the Broken Touchstone into her hands. He then landed on the narrow ledge beside her and pulled on her arm. “Follow me,” he cried, ducking into one of the dark tunnels.

Kate darted after him, even as the volcano erupted with a deafening roar.

XXIX:
T
ORRENT OF
F
IRE

Guided by Kandeldandel’s wide owl eyes, which could sense contour and shadow where Kate saw only blackness, the pair hurried through the lightless tunnel. Knowing that Kate could not run in such darkness, the Tinnani walked as briskly as he could without leaving her behind. Staying no more than a few steps behind him, she clasped the sphere in both hands, aware of nothing but her desire to escape and the insistent throbbing of her left hand. Kandeldandel hooted frequently, perhaps to keep her aware of his exact location, perhaps to frighten any Slimnis lurking ahead in the dark passage.

The tunnel, narrower than the cave by which she had entered Gashra’s lair, sloped gradually downward. Soon Kate discovered a smooth trail running along the middle of the tunnel floor, scraped away by countless Slimnis slithering over the rocks. Feeling more confident, Kate accelerated her pace, keeping her feet within the bounds of the smooth trail, so that she was striding almost on Kandeldandel’s heels.

A powerful tremor rocked the mountain, knocking loose some rocks from the roof of the tunnel. One of them grazed Kandeldandel’s wing, causing him to step suddenly to the side. Kate, following closely, moved likewise. Her foot caught on something protruding from the floor and she fell forward, plowing into the rock wall.

“Uhhh,” she exclaimed, sprawling on the tunnel floor. “The Touchstone! I dropped it.”

“I don’t see it anywhere,” panted Kandeldandel, scanning the darkness for any sign of the sphere. “It can’t be lost.”

“All I feel are rocks,” said Kate as she groped with both hands in the debris. “Where is it?”

At that moment, a dim illumination began to fill the tunnel. From somewhere behind them, a gentle glow expanded, casting a few flickering rays of light on the pair and their surroundings. Kandeldandel stood bolt upright, facing the source of the strange light, but before he could speak Kate spied a familiar round object hidden behind a rectangular rock.

“There,” she cried, seizing the Broken Touchstone once again. She lifted it into the air to show Kandeldandel, but his attention was focused on the tunnel behind them.

“Lava,” declared the Tinnani, his yellow eyes swelling. He grabbed Kate’s shoulder with the talons of one hand and jerked hard to make her stand. “Let’s get out of here.”

They dashed through the tunnel with all the speed they could muster. Darkness posed no problem now, since the orange glow behind them grew stronger and stronger. Hurtling down the jagged-walled corridor, they started to hear the sizzling of lava pressing closer, destroying anything it touched. Even as she ran, Kate noticed that the back of her neck felt increasingly warm.

“The way out,” hooted Kandeldandel, pointing to a pinpoint of gray light far ahead.

Running still faster, the pair practically flew down the tunnel, leaping over dislodged rocks every few steps. Kate held tightly to the sphere, while the gurgling and hissing behind her grew steadily louder. She huffed for breath, her throat burning from the caustic taste of sulfur.

Just as he reached the narrow crack in the rocks that was the exit, Kandeldandel stopped suddenly and whirled around. Kate bumped squarely into his feathery chest. Then, seeing the bright illumination on his face, she turned around herself. What she saw made her gasp and nearly drop the sphere. Not ten feet away flowed a thick tongue of incandescent lava, filling the entire tunnel with sizzling igneous fluid, bearing down on them fast.

“Let’s go,” cried Kate, pushing the Tinnani toward the opening.

Kandeldandel slid through the narrow exit, his fluffy plumage pressing close to his body. “Come on,” he shouted from the other side.

“I’m coming,” answered Kate, glancing back at the moving wall of fire.

She ducked her head, since the opening had not been made with humans in mind, and turned sideways to pass through more easily. Sliding into the crack, she felt the scorching heat of approaching lava on the hand that held the Broken Touchstone. Even the rocks around her were growing warmer, reflecting the volcanic heat.

The passage was narrower than she thought. Squirming, she edged still deeper, but the rocks pressed ever more tightly upon her chest and back. She dug in her feet and pushed as hard as she could, succeeding only in wedging herself more firmly. She pushed again. No motion. She tried to back up, but could not move. Her heart pounded and perspiration rolled down her brow and stung her eyes. But she could not lift her arm to wipe her sweaty face.

She was stuck.

“Come on,” called Kandeldandel. “What’s taking you so long?”

“I’m stuck,” moaned Kate. “Can’t move! And the lava—it’s like fire. Help me!”

The wall of molten rock moved steadily closer. All she could see was the orange light dancing on the rocks next to her face. She drew in her legs as far as possible, but the simmering lava advanced irresistibly. Hotter than a blazing furnace, the fluid flowed nearer. In another few seconds it would incinerate her, drowning her quest forever in a river of fire.

Then, above the lava’s spitting and crackling, Kate heard a new sound. Low, mellifluous notes flowed into the opening, like the call of an owl but somehow mellower. She recognized it at once.

“Hey,” she cried to Kandeldandel, “are you crazy? I need your help, not your music!” The leading edge of the lava advanced toward her sneakers, and the treads on her soles started to melt. “Please,” she pleaded, feeling the heat on the bottoms of her feet. “Help me.”

The Tinnani merely continued to play on his flute, filling the air with cheerful song.

“Kandeldandel,” gasped Kate. “This is no time for games. I’m going to die!”

All at once the orange light around Kate faded. The heat of the rocks swiftly diminished, while the treads of her sneakers stopped burning. The lava in the tunnel grew quickly colder and harder, congealing within seconds into solid rock.

“What—what happened?” she asked, her heart still racing.

Kandeldandel, having lowered his flute, replied, “I never thought my little flute could come in so handy.”

“You did that?”

“Guess so,” the Tinnani answered in his laughing voice. “You gave me the idea when you said the lava was like fire.”

“I’m still stuck, though. Even your magic flute isn’t going to pry me out of this crack.”

“Try this,” suggested Kandeldandel. “Take as deep a breath as you can, then when I say, blow out all the air. And hurry, before the lava heats up again.”

Inhaling as instructed, Kate waited for the command, then exhaled completely. At that instant, powerful talons clutched her forward arm and pulled. She felt herself move, but only slightly. Again Kandeldandel tugged, budging her only a fraction of an inch. The rocks around her face and hands grew steadily warmer, reflecting the first flickers of orange light. Just as she was about to gasp for air, the Tinnani pulled a third time. She slid forward and tumbled out of the opening, landing right on top of him.