Authors: S.B. Johnson
Derrick had procured a sled and he managed to rig up a harness to fit on Calypso. It would make it much easier trudging through the snow, not having to carry their packs. Besides Calypso wouldn't even notice the added weight. Tristen had insisted on carrying his own bag, though it did not seem to slow him down one bit.
"So, how long till we get to Dragon Cove Tristen?" Derrick was cinching down the final straps to the sled.
"It will take us most of the day to get down the mountain on the trail. We will set up camp there before entering the forest. From there it will be another day'ss travel through the forest to the place you seek."
Tristen led them towards the edge of the city. Summit ridge was actually larger than Seaport.The Inn was located just at the end of the city. At night you couldn't see that the mountains on either side open up in to a massive canyon that held the enormous city. Tristen pointed out the large structure that would have towered over even the Keep. "That's the arena where the trials are held. They're quite exciting. You should all check them out some time." They continued walking through the streets. There were many other bonders roaming about with their dragons as well, so nobody paid them much attention.
They had come to the road leading out of town. Tristen turned to look at the kids. "You're sure about this?"
"Yes. We really have no choice in the matter." Davin looked back over his shoulder, back towards the direction of the Keep. They had come so far on the journey they had been forced into.
Tristen turned and headed down the road. The path was becoming further buried in the snow. About a mile up the road was a small bridge crossing a ravine. Tristen stopped at the bridge and again turned to Davin. "This is where we go up into the Mountain. Once we reach the peak of this Ravine we will be able to see the Forgotten Forest."
There was a small path, just large enough for them and their dragons, leading down and back up under the bridge. The path had not been walked recently and the snow on the ground was fresh from that morning.
"Here put these on." Tristen threw three pairs of snow shoes to Davin that he had untied from his pack. He had already put his on and was easily walking on top of the fresh snow. After the three had the new foot gear on, life became much easier. They hiked up the ravine for a solid three hours before Tristen finally stopped. Luckily the three had already become accustomed to walking long distances. They stood with their hands over their heads trying to catch their breath. All but Tristen seemed to be struggling with the higher altitude hike. They each took a few big drinks of water while trying to catch a quick break.Tristen turned and continued heading up to the peak.
"Is he crazy? I think he's trying to kill us." Derrick huffed as he hurried to catch back up to him.
Chloe and Davin just laughed at his complaining and followed behind. It had been another couple of hours of heavy climbing when they finally reached the top. They all stopped and stared down on the menacing valley below. As peaceful as it looked, beautifully green and lush, they knew what it was home to and what horrible secrets it held. The fog rolled down the mountain, covering the trees below in a gray blanket. The snow cleared up about half way down the mountain, just as Tristen had said. It was getting to be early afternoon and Tristen said they should be able to reach the base of the mountain before nightfall.
The initial climb down was difficult in deed. The path was steep and the edge appeared as though it would give way at any moment. Tesla and Halo were able to fly ahead over the really narrow spots, but Calypso was pulling the sled. It was becoming more clear why Tristen didn't like the idea of the sled in the first place. They came to a very narrow pass that was just barely big enough for Calypso to pull the sled across. When he got to the end, the ground below the sled gave way and crashed down the mountain side. The sled hung over the steep edge, swinging from Calypso's back. He managed to get his grip and pull the sled up to safety. Tristen only shook his head and continued on.
The air was slowly growing warmer as they traveled down to the base of the mountain. The snow had become patchy again and they were able to remove the snow shoes that Tristen had provided. They had gotten below the mist that had settled on the forest up ahead when Tristen stopped. He motioned for all of them to be quiet. That's when he pulled out a long black powder rifle. It had been tied to the side of his pack wrapped in a large piece of cloth. He loaded a round and looked down the path. They all stood in silence and waited for what was to happen next. Tristen squeezed the trigger and the gun went off. The shot echoed against the walls of the mountain and off in to the valley. A group of crows took flight out of a group of trees at the edge of the forest and disappeared into the fog.
Kala ran off down the path barking away and Tristen ran off after her.
"Tristen." Chloe called as he ran off. "What is it?"
They saw Tristen's head pop back up from around the path. "Dinner!" He yelled. He was dragging behind him a small doe that had wandered out into the open. He had made a clean shot, right behind it's ear. "This way. We'll make camp here tonight." He started off the path, waving the kids along.
The sun was just beginning to set and the shadows on the mountain were getting thicker. He led the kids over a small hill and to a large grouping of rocks and boulders against the mountain. There was a small cave behind one of the large boulders, keeping the entrance to the cave hidden at a distant glance. He reached into his pack and pulled out a small oil lantern along with a box of matches. He began striking one of the matches on the box, but they had gotten damp and it was not going to light.
"I got this." Davin had grown a small flame in the palm of his hand.
Tristen smiled and tilted the lantern into the flame that was rising from Davin's hand. "Good for lots of things I bet." He held the now lit lantern up and walked towards the back of the cave. There was a small fire ring and a stack of cut wood next to it. Tristen threw a couple of logs in the center. "Well, let's see how hot that fire of yours is Davin." He gestured towards the logs in the fire ring. Davin smiled and threw a small stream of fire at the logs until they were burning nicely.
"Well done. Well done." Tristen clapped his hands and laughed a bit. He pulled out a large knife and cut four large chunks of meat from the deer he had shot. Tristen took a thick stick and ran it through the pieces of meat. Propping them up over the fire, he let them sit to roast.
The night became very quiet at the edge of the valley. The fog continued to linger over the trees of the forest. It made for a very scary look. They were worried about the forest in the daytime, no way would they enter at night.
"Tomorrow once we enter the forest." Tristen turned the meat as he spoke. "You are to do exactly as I say and when I say it. If I tell you to stay put, you stay put. If I tell you to run, you had better run as though your life depended on it, because it just might." He turned the wood in the fire and it sparked and crackled.
They ate well that night. The meat was quite a treat actually. They had initially cringed at the site of Tristen butchering the deer, but once cooked, it looked like a prime choice steak.
Tristen was up early the next morning. He had beaten even the first light of the day. He shook the three kids. "Let's go. We need to leave now if we are to make it through the woods before night. The lycons sleep during the day and come out at night to hunt. So we must make it through, before the sun goes down."
They packed up their things as quickly as they could and headed out of the cave towards the Forgotten Forest. The forest crept closer as they crossed the small meadow between it and the cave. As they approached they could see the trees for what they truly were. They were extraordinarily tall trees with thick foliage keeping the light from breaking through the canopy they made. They reached the edge of the tree line making up the edge of the forest. Tristen stopped and held his hand in the air for silence. After a moment, he stepped into the massive grouping of trees entering the forest.
There was a small path that Tristen had taken. It wound around through the trees. He moved quickly, not stopping for anything. The kids and the three dragons followed right behind. They had been running for approximately twenty minutes straight when Tristen finally stopped. He looked around cautiously and pulled out a small leather water bag. He held it under a small spring dripping between two large rocks. Derrick leaned down to the cool water to take a drink.
"Don't you drink from this spring!" He half snarled at Derrick, who jumped back. "You have water. Drink that." Tristen turned quickly and drank from the spring.
"Is this the spring from the story Tristen? Is this the spring the young woman was killed at?" Chloe glanced around the small spring and back at Tristen.
"That is not something we have time to discuss at present. We need to get to the other edge of the forest before nightfall." He stuck his leather water bag into his pack and took off down the path again at a quick pace. The three kids scrambled to their feet and took off after him.
It had seemed like they had run for hours when Tristen stopped again. "We are past the most dangerous part of the forest. The lycons live back in that part of the forest." He pointed back into a cove in the mountainside past the way they had come. "We can slow down a bit now."
"Well that's nice, because I don't think I can do it anymore." Chloe was holding her hands above her head panting. "I feel like my lungs are going to burst." She pulled out a small canteen from her pack and took a couple of small drinks.
"So, are we gonna walk the rest of the way." Davin tossed a small bit of feed to Halo and took a drink a water.
Tristen walked over next to him. "We will need to walk quickly, but we don't have to run anymore."
Derrick and Chloe both let out a deep sigh as they sat on the ground.
"No, no, no. We won't have any of that. We need to keep moving." Tristen pulled at both of their collars lifting them back to their feet. "Come on let's move. We need to keep moving."
They walked through the forest for the next couple of hours. Once past the creepy nature of the forest, it was actually quite beautiful. There were thousands of ferns growing amongst the tall elm trees, creating a thick carpet of lush greens on either side of the path. There was a small amount of light that poked through the canopy, just enough to shoot tiny rays of light down on to the floor and across the sea of ferns. The fog overhead must have been clearing as they moved further from the mountains. The air became fresher and the slight smell of salt crossed their noses. The path that had been heavily packed dirt was becoming softer. The ground beneath them was transitioning to sand. They were getting close to the ocean. They could hear the crashes of the waves against the shore. They began running, knowing the edge was near.
It was still daylight when they reached the beach. There was an immediate feeling of success as they ran down to the waters edge. The tide was in and the water was not far off from the edge of the forest.
"So where's the cave?" Chloe looked up and down the beach. The beach ran to two points lined with rocks either direction. There was no cave that could be seen.
Davin stepped next to her and began to scan the beach himself, looking for the signs of a cave. "What did the book say again?"
""In the cave beneath the sea but not." Derrick blurted out.
"Hey Tristen. Does that mean anything to you?" Davin tapped him on the shoulder as he asked.
"I don't know about any cave. There is a small island of rocks in the center when the tide goes out." He replied.
Chloe began to jump up and down. "That's it. It's got to be."
Davin walked towards the water and said with a slight hesitation in his voice. "How long until the tied goes out?"
"About an hour." Tristen said softly as he stepped up along side of him again
"How far out is it? Can we swim?"
Tristen cocked his head to the side as he eyed Davin. "Why on earth would you swim, when you can fly?" Davin looked back at him with a funny look on his face. Clearly confused. Half of Tristen's mouth curled up into a smile. " Don't tell me you haven't flown with them yet. You haven't flown with your dragons?" His mouth dropped as his hand slapped against his knees. "Well, it sounds like you're going to in about an hour."
They knew their dragons could fly but the thought of flying with them hadn't even crossed their minds. They hadn't seen anyone flying with their dragon in the keep and hadn't even known it possible.
Just as Tristen said, the tide began to go out about an hour later. A small group of rocks emerged from the water. They had decided that Chloe and Davin would fly over first. Derrick offered to stay behind with Calypso to watch the shoreline. Tristen was well involved now and insisted on going into the cave.
Halo picked up Davin and took flight. She held Davin tight against her chest as she flew. Tesla grabbed Chloe and also took off to the skies. The dragons flew effortlessly even though they were bearing the extra weight. They flew out over the water and gently landed on the rocks in the middle of the cove. There was a cave in the far side of the rocks that headed back towards land. Halo flew back and returned quickly holding on to Tristen, who was in turn holding on to Kala. After landing they all stepped down into the cave and began their descent.