Sentari: ICE (25 page)

Te’oma climbed closer to the chain hanging around the dragon’s neck. The dragon blasted balls of fire around the room, but he could not bend his neck far enough to aim at Te’oma.

Te’oma reached down and grabbed the necklace. He spun it around and took the key into his hands. The key was old and rusted. It had been hanging around the dragon’s neck for a very long time. He tried to pull the key off, but it would not budge. The chain was simply too strong. “I can’t break the chain. It’s too strong. We need something to break it off,” screamed Te’oma.

“Great idea. How do you plan on doing that?” said Ariana.

“Try tying his feet together,” said Te’oma.

“With what?” asked Ariana.

Julius sifted through the rocks. He found a small rock with a very sharp point on the end. He then ran to the tail of the dragon and jumped on. He climbed up the tail and out onto the wings.

“What are you doing?” cried Ariana.

“Didn’t you learn anything? What’s the strongest, most flexible thing you can think of?” asked Julius.

“Dragon wing,” said Ariana.

Julius stabbed the pointy end of the rock into the dragon’s wing and start hacking away at it. The dragon screamed in pain, bouncing around the room more violently than ever. Julius cut large strands of skin from the dragon’s wing and threw them down to Ariana.

Ariana gathered them up and quickly fashioned them into one long piece of rope. “That’s enough. Get back down here,” said Ariana. The dragon stood tall and stretched its broken wings out wide as it bellowed. Julius was sent flying across the room, smashing into the wall. He collapsed to the ground in pain.

Ariana raced to his side and passed him the dragon wing rope. Julius looked up at her. His eyes were glazed over. “I know you’re hurt, but there’s no time. It’s now or never,” said Ariana, as she passed Julius the makeshift rope. Julius struggled to his feet, cradling a bruised chest. “All you have to do is hold on as tightly as you can,” said Ariana.

Ariana took the other end of the rope and ran towards the dragon. The dragon leaned down and looked her straight in the eye. Silence fell over the room. The dragon looked deeply into her eyes. She looked back at his soulless stare and did not give an inch. While the dragon was distracted Ariana threw the rope end to Te’oma, who tied it around the chain. He quickly jumped off the neck of the beast, catching its attention. The dragon reared its head into the air, breathing fire all over the roof. Ariana, Julius and Te’oma all pulled as hard as they could on the rope. The dragon’s strength was enormous, but the rope made of its skin was equally as strong. Finally, the chain gave way and the key fell from around its neck.

The key got caught in the dragon’s undamaged wing on the way down. Te’oma quickly scurried up the back of the dragon and out towards the key, which hung from the wing’s very edge. He reached out as far as he could and, with the tips of his fingers, he grasped the chain. “I got it!” he yelled with joy.

The dragon suddenly vanished. Te’oma came crashing down to the ground with a thud and winced in pain.

Ariana ran up to his side. “Are you ok?” asked Ariana, running her fingers through his hair.

“I’ll be ok,” said Te’oma as he gingerly got to his feet. Julius hobbled up to Te’oma and put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. “That wasn’t too hard,” said Te’oma, trying to catch his breath.

“I wonder where it went,” said Julius.

“It was a simulation,” said the Shadow from behind them. The three turned around to face him.

“A what?” asked Te’oma.

“A simulation. This whole test has been to decide if you were fit to re-join the Intari and, as you would know Julius, the Intari value teamwork very highly. Only by working together would the simulation end,” continued the Shadow.

“You mean that dragon wasn’t real?” asked Ariana.

“In a way no, but the danger was very real. Many men have died at the hands of that dragon, simulation or not,” said the Shadow. “But don’t fool yourself. Defeating a real dragon is a very different prospect indeed,” he added, before disappearing.

The three walked over to the door. Te’oma handed the key to Ariana. “Here. You do the honours,” said Te’oma. Ariana inserted the key into the lock and twisted it. The centre of the padlock spun around. It made a series of clicking noises before it popped open. The door swung open and, at last, they could see the outside world. They filled their lungs with the sweet feel of fresh air. The cool wind gently caressed their skin and, for that brief moment, they felt free once more.

“We are not meant to walk this world alone.”

Sky

For two days, Sky waited at the entrance of Drake’s cave. All the fierce determination she had in her heart had all but abandoned her as she was faced with the reality of finally fulfilling her destiny. She wanted to go in, but something was holding her back.

Her mind kept coming back to thoughts of the past. For the longest time, she had blocked the memory of her family and that horrible day when she was taken from them.

***

She could still feel the cracked skin of Oonuk’s hand holding her tightly as her parents were pulled away from her. Her heart had sank that moment; she knew she would never see them again.

Oonuk did not give her long to mourn. He quickly yanked her by the hand and pulled her back down into the caves of the Sigamante.

She had found the caves scary before but, now she was alone, the fear seemed much more intense. By his standards, Oonuk had been kind to Sky; that was all about to change.

Noola had been waiting at the entrance of the cave, holding her aching head. Oonuk walked past her, shoving Sky into her hands. He stared at Noola, placing all blame on her, without saying a single word. Noola took Sky by the hand and dragged her down the hallway. She was determined to never again let someone take advantage of her.

Sky was locked in a cell with no food and no water. The cell was a long way from the lava and there was a large crack in the roof of the cave, allowing the icy cold wind and snow to fall down her. She huddled up into a ball and wept.

After three days of isolation and cold, Oonuk finally opened the door to the cell. Sky looked up at him and, to his surprise, she smiled at him – not a friendly smile, but a smile of determination. She was determined to prove that she was worth looking after; that she was special.

The Sigamante were a fiercely religious people. They followed the words of their leaders, as if they were handed down by the Phoenix himself. Oonuk was the next in line to lead the Sigamante. For years, he had been studying the texts of his ancestors. He had been so relentless in his studies that he had even translated the earliest known texts, harking back to the first days of the Phoenix.

Oonuk grabbed Sky by the hand and yanked her out of her cell. He pulled her down the caves at a brisk pace. Sky did her best to keep up. He followed a maze of tunnels seemed to go on forever. They reached a staircase at the end of one of the tunnels. The stairs led down into darkness. Oonuk looked around to make sure that no one was watching. He then stepped down three steps and stopped. He lifted Sky up into his arms and held her close. “Don’t move,” said Oonuk ominously.

Oonuk closed his eyes and touched his hand on the cave wall. He hummed to himself. His breathing got heavier and his hand shook. It glowed red. He pushed gently and his hand slid through like the rock was made of butter. He pulled on something behind the rock, then took his hand out of the wall. The floor beneath them jolted, as the step they were standing on rose up.

The roof of the cave opened slightly, just enough for them to squeeze through. The step came to a stop in a large room. This room was unlike any other room that Sky had ever seen. The walls were a shiny polished rock. Small, sparkling lights lined the room, making it feel like a sunny day inside. The floors were made of a stunning hard wood. Standing against all the walls were towering high bookcases full of dusty old books. At the end of the room was a giant screen.

Oonuk approached the screen. It turned on instantly. Thousands of lines of hieroglyphic-like characters appeared upon it. Oonuk waved his hand and scrolled through the long stream of text.

Sky stared on in wonder. She dared not move. She was fascinated by her surroundings and wondered if anyone had ever spent the time to read all these books.

“She will lead a new age,” mumbled Oonuk. He turned around and looked at Sky. He had a very different expression on his face, a look of purpose.

Sky was never again allowed to enter that room. For all the things that Oonuk taught her over the years, she never did learn the secret to pushing her hand through the rock. Of course, that never stopped her from trying, much to the chagrin of Oonuk.

Oonuk believed that Sky was special and she was punished for this belief. He pushed her harder than any of the other kids. He spent more time with her than he did with his own wife. She was trained until she bled. She was forced to sleep alone, not allowed to interact with the other children. Her days were divided between training and study; her nights spent alone in a cold, damp cell. She was taught to block out all emotion, all wants and desires, so she could make hard decisions – like taking Oonuk’s life.

***

“I guess you were wrong,” said Sky, standing in front of Drake’s cave. All her training and sacrifices were for nothing. “Now what do I do?” she asked herself aloud. In that very moment of despair, she heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind her. She spun around to see Christian, wounded and exhausted, stumbling his way up the mountainside. Before she could open her mouth, Christian fell to the ground.

Sky quickly rushed to his side. She held his head off the ground. He looked up at her, barely conscious. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” asked Sky.

“I need to see Drake,” said Christian, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“You’re out of luck,” said Sky. “He’s gone.”

Christian closed his eyes and fell asleep. Sky dragged Christian into the caves and laid him down by the fireplace. She looked across at the doorways. She could easily leave this place, take her chance through the doors, but she could not see the point anymore. She was no longer any more special than this boy who lay before her and needed her help.

For nearly a week, she fed Christian water and small bits of food. In the brief moments he would wake up, it was all she could do to keep him going. In all that time, she didn’t even get to ask him his name. He would wake up and, within moments, he would be asleep again.

Christian’s life continued to hang by a thread. The power of the dragons does strange things to people. His body was clearly not able to handle what had been given to him. When he woke he was in agony. When he slept, he had terrifying nightmares of things he did not ever want to imagine.

Nearly two weeks after Sky had rescued him, Christian finally sat up. Sweat poured down his face and his stomach churned with sickness. “What is your name?” asked Christian, struggling to get the words out of his mouth.

“Sky,” she replied.

“I need you to make it stop,” pleaded Christian.

“I don’t know how,” replied Sky, knowing what he wanted her to do.

“There is only one way. It has to stop,” said Christian, as he looked at the fireplace.

Yet again Sky was faced with an impossible decision. The lines between what was right and wrong were being blurred by the awful position Christian had put her in. “I can’t. I can’t do that,” said Sky, as she stood up and marched away.

“Please,” said Christian. “It’s the only way,” he begged. Sky stopped at the doorway, her emotions overwhelming her. Then she remembered her training and a sense of calm came over her. She turned around to face Christian. She could see the pain in his eyes. She walked over to him. “Forgive me,” she said softly.

Sky closed her eyes, then kicked Christian in the head as hard as she could. He was knocked to the ground. She lifted his unconscious body from the ground and held him over the fireplace. So many conflicting emotions raced through her. She gritted her teeth and pushed her feelings deep down, then dropped Christian into the fire.

His body burned quickly, but she did not look away. She watched on as he was burnt to ashes.

Sky dropped to the floor beside the fire’s edge. She watched on as the fire slowly burnt out – until it was nothing but a pile of ash. A tear rolled down her face. She never thought this would be the person she would become, or that this would be the life she would have to lead. Suddenly, the ashes burst back into flames. Sky scurried to her feet. The flames leapt from the fire onto Sky. She jumped up and tried to put them out, but the flames grew stronger. She panicked before realising that the flames did not hurt. She stopped fighting and just stood still. The flames completely engulfed her until she couldn’t be seen.

The flames grew brighter, so bright that they turned blue, then they stopped. The fire went completely out and Sky was left standing there, naked yet unhurt. She wondered what had just happened. She felt different, but she couldn’t describe how. She turned and walked towards the doors and, with confidence, she swung one open, closed her eyes, and walked through. The door slammed shut behind her.

Sky kept her eyes closed. She could feel a warm breeze on her face and the sound of a crackling fire in the background. She slowly opened her eyes. She was fully dressed, standing in the middle of a forest, but all the trees were burnt and dead. The ground was hard and cracked but still warm from the fire. The sky up above was a hazy orange colour. The sun was high and obscured by the haze, but its heat belted down like the hottest of summer days.

She walked through the forest slowly. There was no sound, no sign of life anywhere. Up ahead, the forest ended at the edge of an old lake bed. The lake had obviously been massive once but now it was just a large expanse of dry, cracked ground.

Sky looked out at the desolate landscape ahead. There was nothing but dead, dry land. It was like another world. Something glistening in the middle of the lake got her attention. She couldn’t quite make out what it was. She walked out onto the lake bed towards it with every step she took, it felt like the object was getting further away. She pushed on, determined to find out what it was.

When she finally reached the object, she leaned down and picked it up. It was a small, silver pendant. The silver was all dirty and scratched. She rubbed the dirt off and revealed a faint outline of a butterfly. It was the exact same pendant she had found in the ruins of Ardeya, only it was a lot older.

She sat down on the ground and stared at the pendant. Many hours passed by and she did not move. She could not work out why she had been brought to this desolate place. She looked out in every direction, but all she could see was heat haze.

“You’re mother loved that pendant,” a voice said, startling Sky. She turned around to see her father sitting next to her.

“Dad, is that really you?” gasped Sky, with a lump in her throat. Damon looked at his daughter and just smiled. “I don’t understand. Where are we?” she asked.

“You walked through that doorway, remember? It was a doorway that was never meant for you,” said Damon.

“Am I dead?” asked Sky.

“Yes and no. In this place you are dead, yet here you sit before me,” said Damon.

“You’re not really my father, are you?” said Sky.

“I knew your father very well. He never stopped thinking about you. Every day, he would pray for you,” said Damon.

“You’re the Phoenix aren’t you?” asked Sky.

Damon looked back at her, rather taken aback by how perceptive she was.

“Yes, I am,” replied Damon. “Does that frighten you?”

“Yes,” replied Sky. She recalled all the stories Oonuk had told her about the Phoenix, about his great compassion, but also his great evil.

“What happened here?” asked Sky.

“This is what happens when anger goes unchecked – when the influence of the strong far outweighs the influence of the weak,” replied Damon.

“Why did you leave?” asked Sky.

“My children refused to grow up,” replied Damon.

Suddenly, water bubbled up from the surface of the lake bed, slowly creating a pool around Sky. She stood up as more and more water poured in. Damon did not move; he simply smiled at Sky.

“What’s going on?” asked Sky.

“So many questions. There isn’t much time,” said Damon.

“How do I stop the world from becoming like this?” asked Sky.

“I think you already know the answer to that question. I am sorry for the path you must take but, for there to be balance, it is necessary,” replied Damon.

The water flowed more rapidly, so deep that it was nearly up to Sky’s knees, yet Damon did not move. It rose up and up until Damon was almost engulfed. Sky cried as he smiled back at her. “Why did you not come back for me?” pleaded Sky.

“I love you” said Damon, with a gentle kindness in his voice, as the water completely consumed him.

The water continued to rise up Sky’s body. She closed her eyes as the water covered her. The world went silent. She could hear nothing, not even the sound of the water. She opened her eyes. Everything around her was gone. She was floating in beautiful blue water that seemed to stretch on forever in every direction.

Sky swam up and up until she reached the surface of the water. She burst out and gasped for air. She composed herself as she treaded water. All around her was ocean. Up above, wispy clouds covered the sun. A gentle summer breeze blew past, separating the clouds. Sky squinted her eyes as the sun beamed out its warm rays of light into her eyes. She covered her eyes with her hands and, as she did, seven dragons flew past above, in a v formation, blocking out the sun. Directly behind them were thousands of small dragons, stretched out into the distance. The lead dragon let out a mighty roar, breathing fire at the same time. The rest of the dragons screamed out in a unified, deafening echo. Sky instinctively covered her ears. As she did, she dropped under the water.