The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus) (9 page)

BINDING BRONZE

“BARFEL, TURN US AROUND!” CLAIRE commanded, and Barfel did as instructed. “Evan, on my signal, speed us up. Make the ship fly if you can. We must get around those rocks.”

Claire strained her eyes, searching for a clear pathway. The ocean gurgled like boiling oil and bubbles burst on its surface. Rocks followed and sharp edges now blocked their way. Claire squinted and the rocks began to bend, forming a circular tunnel.

“Evan, now!” yelled Claire.

The boat lunged forward, moving through the warped formations, but just as Evan managed to push the boat forward, the current would drag it back. Had the sea actually grown tentacles?

“Evan, try to lift the boat higher!” shouted Claire.

Evan closed his eyes and focused on lifting the ship. The sea’s tentacles stretched higher and higher, until finally, Evan heard a strange
POP
. The boat jarred back, but Evan managed to push it forward and raced over the water.

Ultimately, the ship moved faster than the rocks could form, and before long, the rocks were nowhere in sight. And although air beat at his face, he refused to slow down. He propelled the boat as far forward as he could before finally resting and allowing the boat to drift along the calm water.

“We made it!” Claire cheered, wrapping her arms around her brother. She hugged him tightly, but pulled away quickly. “Uh, good job, Evan. And here, let me remove those clam shells from your ears.”

“Yes, well done, Evan. Unfortunately it seems we have one little problem,” said Dunkle. “We have gotten ourselves off-track.”

“Well, that’s all right. We’ll just go back a little,” said Evan.

“I’m afraid it’s going to be more than just a little. We overshot Hlesey completely. It will take an entire day to return,” said Dunkle.

“No biggie. I’ll just zip us back,” said Evan. “But I’m tired and need to rest for a minute first.”

Dunkle stepped forward, saying, “Not a good idea. You will need to rest for more than a minute to be able to use your powers again.”

“I feel okay, just a little sleepy,” said Evan.

“Evan, your powers have limits,” explained Dunkle. “It is best if you do not exhaust yourself. You will need your strength for when you meet Aegir.”

Barfel leapt into the middle of the group. “Another island! Just that way! Just that way!”

“Good thing,” said Claire. “We need to get off this boat. Maybe, we’ll be able to find some
edible
food.”

“All food is
edible
, Claire,” Evan mocked.

Claire glanced over to where the colorful fish-spy was still imprisoned. His large bulging eyes stared at them through his fish-tank prison.

“Not really,” she said and cringed.

Barfel was right. Halfway through the day, an island appeared in the distance.

“We shouldn’t spend much time on that island,” Dunkle said and shivered, a faint musty odor wafted.

“Dunkle, what is
that
island?” Evan asked, pinching his nose.

“It is called Jotunheim, land of giants,” Dunkle answered.

“Great—so there are actual giants on that island?” Claire asked.

Dunkle and Barfel both nodded. As they drew closer to the island, the foul odor of decay drifted in their direction. Evan and Claire both turned their heads toward the imps.

“Not us! Not us! Giants!” cried out Barfel.

“Not good,” Evan said to Claire. “Wanna use some of Barfel’s shells to make a cover for my nose?”

“Man up, Evan. Stop being such a sissy,” she said.

Evan raised the boat onto shore, and the crew leapt overboard. Evan had no desire to scoop up this sand, with its dark-greenish color and rank odor of mildew. He dragged his feet through sludge with bits of animal remains. Skull fragments were here and rib bones were there. And the dunes were covered with graying sea oats.

“Barfel, hurry up!” Claire yelled toward the straggling imp.

“What’s he doing back there?” Evan asked.

“It looks like he’s saying something to that fish-spy. That imp better hurry up,” said Claire. “I don’t want to wait around here for too long. The sooner we find food, the sooner we can leave this horrible place.”

“This island is pretty disgusting,” Evan agreed.

Beyond the dunes, a patch of lush emerald-green grass sprouted up from the dead ground. Trees burst into life and fruit swelled like balloons on long branches.

“Perfect!” shouted Evan, quickening his pace.

“Wait! Things aren’t always what they seem,” yelled Dunkle. But Evan was too fast. He and Claire were halfway up to the plump luscious fruit when wilted and battered vines came to life. They grew fast, intertwining and creating knots that formed into walls of a labyrinth. A tightly woven barricade formed and separated the imps from Evan and Claire.

“It’s a trap! It’s a trap!” Barfel shouted from somewhere beyond the tall hedges.

“Don’t move; we’ll find you!” yelled Claire.

“Argh!” Dunkle’s wail was followed by pounding and shuffling.

“Dunkle? Barfel?” said Claire in a shaky whisper.

Nothing, no response.

“What do you suppose happened?” Evan asked.

“I don’t know. But we need to find them.”

“Of course, but I’m starving. I’m going to pass out if I don’t eat soon, and that pear looks delicious.”

Evan wrapped his hand around a succulent looking pear. It felt soft and ripe. With a gentle tug, he released it from the tree, and Evan claimed his prize. Just as he brought the golden fruit to his mouth it started to harden. It had turned to brass or maybe copper. He tossed the hunk of metal aside and reached for a pear with yellow and orange skin. But it too transformed into metal.

“I don’t believe it! What kind of sick joke is this?” shouted Evan. “When am I going to eat?”

“You need to be patient. We’ll find food after we find the imps,” said Claire, reaching for the wall of ivy. When she tugged and pushed at the vines, they too transformed into metal. “Whoa, what’s happening?” she asked and tried to tear through the wall. “Ouch!” She pulled away and stuck her finger in her mouth.

“Are you bleeding?” Evan asked, not daring to look. Instead, he focused on a patch of ivy still green with life. “So, you touched the wall, and the vines changed into metal?”

“Yeah. It’s unbelievably sharp; it sliced me pretty good,” mumbled Claire, her finger still inserted in her mouth.

“So I guess that means we won’t be able to climb over these walls,” said Evan, looking up at all of the surrounding plant life.

The pounding returned, and the ground shook. Could it possibly be an elephant? Unfortunately, it was not an elephant, but a group of enormous hairy men! Their bodies were covered with clothes made from animal skins. Massive battle armor—clubs with spikes, axes, swords, and knives—rattled at their sides.

“Run!” Claire screamed, grabbing hold of Evan’s arm. They fled down one of the labyrinth’s long pathways, but after only a few feet were stopped short. Two giants were blocking their way!

Claire did not touch the wall; instead, she focused her mental powers on the ivy. The vines melted together like wax from a candle. Eventually, an opening stretched wide enough for Evan and Claire to squeeze through safely. In a flash, Claire resealed the hole behind them.

More and more giants came at them from just a few yards away. Claire continued to create passageways through the ivy, but it was no use. They were outnumbered. Evan’s heart sank, and he stared down at the dirt beneath his sneakers. He kicked at a tiny pebble. It scuttled over the ground and then floated up into the air. Just then, a radical idea came to him. An idea he wasn’t so certain would work.

“Claire, hold on to me tight,” he said and looked up toward the open sky. “I’m not exactly sure how this will go.”

“How what will go? Evan, what are you going to doooo—” Claire began, but her feet were pulled off the ground! Within seconds, she and Evan were soaring above the clan of giants who were swinging their clubs around. Claire kicked her legs, whacking one giant on his nose. As the siblings rose up higher and higher, the giants continued to yell, holler, and raise their fists.

Evan followed the lines of the maze. There, in its center, sat a dilapidated fort with high crumbling walls. Off to the right was a crumbling tower, propped up with large wooden beams.

“Look, there’s Dunkle,” said Claire, pointing toward a broken drawbridge that hung over a parched moat.

Three large giants clutched the tiny imps, who were kicking and thrashing their little bodies. But the imps were no match for giants and were eventually taken inside the fort’s stone walls.

A giant’s booming voice echoed. “Why bring imps? Where humans?”

Evan swooped down and hovered outside.

“They were, uh, got away,” answered another giant.

“Find humans!” thundered a commanding voice. “Aegir be angry if we don’t hand over humans. And giants drown wit rest of ’em.”

“Yeah, me no wanna drown, cuz measly kids got away,” said a third giant. “Hounds find ’em. I go open crate.”

“They’re releasing hounds. Evan, get us out of here,” Claire demanded, and Evan lifted them up and away.

A sinister mountain loomed up ahead. Its entire surface consisted of chiseled rock—sharp and uninviting. A severe point at its top and a moss-covered cave gaped open in the middle.

“We can hide out over there. Just until we figure out a plan,” said Claire.

Evan looked over at the cave. Smoke streamed out from its mouth, as if it were alive and hungry. He shuddered and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Good point.”

They flew ahead and hovered over a plateau of barren wasteland. An unrecognizable odor came from inside the cave. They touched ground, and a tremendous sound erupted.

“What was that?” Evan questioned.

“I don’t know,” said Claire. “I think it came from behind those boulders.”

Suddenly, a man emerged, staggering toward them. “Run! The beast is coming!” he shouted and stumbled to the ground.

“Claire, give me your hand. We need to fly out of here,” yelled Evan, but Claire was already too far away. She rushed to help the dark-haired man.

“You have no time to help me! Quick, you must go inside the cave!” cried out the man.

Claire paid no attention to the man’s words and stubbornly helped him to his feet. He limped and was obviously in pain. She allowed him to use her shoulder as a crutch and the two hobbled toward the cave.

“Here you go,” said Claire, resting the man gently on the ground.

“Thank you. You have saved me from that wretched creature,” said the man, gripping his hand around his knee.

Evan continued to listen for the beast, but couldn’t hear anything. Nothing. Not even a gust of wind.

“Whatever was following you seemed to have gone,” said Evan, approaching Claire and the injured man.

“I would not be so foolish to believe Bergkonge has vanished. He will hunt until he finds what he is after,” said the man.

“What is a Bergog or whatever?” Evan asked.

“Bergkonge is the Mountain King. He enjoys enticing young women away from their path. He brings them to his mountain and they are never heard from again,” said the man.

“How is he able to seduce women? I mean, I wouldn’t exactly follow a horrible monster up a mountain,” said Claire.

The man grinned and said, “He does not look like a beast when he meets these women. It is said that he is extremely handsome. Besides, women are easily fooled.”

“Not this woman. You have to be pretty slick to pull one over on me,” said Claire.

Just then, a scuffling sound came from outside the cave. Claire jumped to her feet, and said, “Evan, I think the dragon is out there.”

“But, Claire, it doesn’t sound like a dragon.”

“Oh, and you know what a dragon sounds like?” scoffed Claire.

Chapter Eleven