“Hollie move it, they’re coming for us!” Broudie panicked.
“Guys they aren’t. They’re Hippocampus,” Jordan told.
“Hippocampus?” Jay asked, his voice returning to him.
“Oh, yeah. Now we know what they are, we can run away from them.” Broudie gave one last bit of strength to pull up Claire, who landed on the dolphin out of breath.
“No, Hippocampus were never thrown into Tartarus, they aren’t the bad monsters,” Jordan said.
“How do you know?” Claire huffed.
“Because the gods still use them. They are like helpers, and they do jobs for the gods, especially Poseidon,” Jordan replied.
“What if the gods decided we were a failure, and they sent some weird creatures out to kill us?” Broudie thought.
“Look, don’t you think Hollie would have gone by now if she thought they were dangerous. Maybe it’s what hmm hmmm hmm tipped Hollie on,” Jordan said.
“Shut up with the hmm hmm’s,” Broudie cursed, leaning away from the creatures.
Then the two Hippocampus moved towards the dolphin’s face.
“What are they doing?” Claire asked.
“Talking to someone who can speak the lingo,” Jordan answered.
The Hippocampus started moving their mouths, as if they were talking. Their snouts blowing tiny bubbles through their turquoise
The Hippocampus then seemed to bow to Hollie, lifting their elegant hooves and lowering their heads. Their eyes sparkled a shine of silver and they swayed to the right in a synchronized dance, swishing their tails as a wave goodbye.
It all went quick and it was like something out of a pathetic, child’s fairy-tale.
“What did they say Hol?” Broudie questioned.
“Are you sure you have a brain?” Jordan shook his head and looked forward.
“Hollie you can go now,” Jay told, his legs stinging from the harsh ocean.
Then Hollie called a high pitched chirp, and they started to move slowly over the sea.
“Can’t you go any faster Hol?” Broudie moaned. “It’d take us about five hours to get over there at this rate.”
“Hold on tight guys, because I’ve known Hollie a long time, say she can’t do something, she’ll show you she ca-” Jordan was stopped mid-sentence by a sudden jolt.
Hollie skimmed over the sea like a speed boat, causing waves and splashes to ripple out over the bay.
“Now this is more like it,” Broudie said, making the sound of cowboy.
“How can she swim so fast?” Jay asked, his hair sweeping back out of his face and his voice carrying about a mile behind them.
“She isn’t technically swimming, she’s controlling the water,” Jordan replied.
“Then why did she bother turning into a dolphin?” Jay questioned.
“I don’t know!” Jordan replied, his hands wrapped around the dolphin for safety.
“Oh.”
This trip was not the sort that Jay could take a nap on: water was spraying onto his face, his legs kept being dipped into the water, and he was travelling at something that must have been nearly g-force. He had to keep a tight grip on Jordan’s shoulders just to stay aboard.
About fifteen minutes of travelling on Hollie’s back, they were slowing down and the seafloor became visible.
“Land ahoy?” Jay asked, peering down at the sandy seafloor, which was covered in small pebbles and weeds.
“Hol, do you want us to get off?” Jordan questioned.
The dolphin slowed down to a stop and then waited for its passengers to depart.
“Who’s gonna go first and check it isn’t too deep?” Claire thought.
“The smallest…you,” Broudie smiled.
“Why does the smallest have to go in first?”
“Because if the tallest goes in, then even though the tallest doesn’t drown, the smallest might,” Jordan said.
“And what if I do drown?” Claire asked.
“Do you really think Hollie’s gonna let you drown?” Jay told.
“Well-” Claire started.
“Shut up and get in!” Broudie laughed, pushing against Jay’s back and sliding down the dolphins back, knocking Claire, with a squeal, into the sea.
“I think it’s shallow enough,” Jay said, looking down at Claire who hadn’t even managed to get her hair wet.
“It’s alright, comes up to my neck.” Claire gasped from the shock of the dip. “And on the subject of necks…” Claire tried to punch her hand in a determined assassin sort of way, but the spluttering and coughing of water didn’t really add to the effect.
“Let’s take a plunge.” Jordan leaped off the dolphin and into the sea, Jay blinking dreamily at the plunge he took into the channel.
“Sinking like a ship.” Broudie saluted and then slid sideways into the water.
“Can’t Hollie just take me to shore,” Jay complained.
“Why?” Claire asked.
“Oh, gods Claire. Isn’t it obvious?” Jordan laughed.
“Eh, no.”
“Fire and water don’t mix. Does that give you a clue?”
“That’s not exactly a clue.”
“Just ignore her. She’s a bit dumb sometimes,” Broudie whispered to Jay, who laughed. Jay lowered himself into the salty sea and tip-toed away from Hollie, the sea crashing against his shoulders and sending splashes of water sizzling down his face.
Hollie dived under water and a flash of green saw her rocket to the surface as the good old Hollie they all knew.
“Sorry about that guys, I should get a dolphin translator for ya,” Hollie said jokingly, smiling and pulling her hair back behind her head.
“Yeah, so what did those Hippocampus say?” Jordan questioned.
“I’ll tell you when we get to shore because I think Jay just wants to get out.” Hollie turned her gaze to Jay.
“Oh, if you don’t mind, yeah.” He began shuffling along the sea floor, soaked from his shoulders down, a tingling all over his skin like a rash.
They waded through the sea until eventually they emerged onto dry land, something Jay was definitely pleased about. All the tourists around them were all frozen in motion.
“Exolius, exalium, oh what is it again?” Jay asked dropping onto the white sand beneath him, the sun instantly starting to dry him off.
“Exothius,” Claire chanted.
The dampness in his clothes dried up and his skin felt nice and crisp again.
“Thank you,” Jay huffed, relaxing in the blinding sun and collapsing in a star fish shape.
“Ok, we best get going.” Hollie started to walk towards a dirt path hidden within some trees.
Jay grunted, wishing for a short time to catch his breath, mentally and physically.
“Don’t you think we should unfreeze time first?” Broudie suggested.
“When we get somewhere where no one can see us, yes, that is why I am walking towards that path,” Hollie said.
“Why?” Jay asked.
“Because don’t you think it would be weird if you were enjoying a day at the beach, then suddenly five people appeared beside you, out of nowhere?” Claire answered.
“C’mon.” Hollie herded everyone onto the path and pulled out the famous gooble watch. She grasped the golden button and spoke,
“Karomas.” She pressed the button and suddenly noise emerged into the air. Laughs and conversations polluted the subtle chirps and groans of the trees and their inhabitants. You never know the joys of background noise until you’ve experienced ultimate silence.
“Right, time to search for a temple that could be the size of a pea, on this giant island.” Hollie strode out from the trees and walked towards a much larger track that cars could easily drive down. It inclined slightly and was dead straight giving a sense of an endless journey.
“So where do we start?” Broudie questioned.
“We start with finding a map,” Hollie replied.
“Well, while we search for a map of thi
s island, you can tell us about your conversation with the hippo things,” Claire said.
“Right, I’ll go over the basics of what they said,” Hollie started.
“Basics? You were talking to them for less than a minute,” Jordan pondered.
“Fish language, it tells you lots in just a few seconds,” Hollie said, “So do you want me to tell you or not?”
“Go on,” Broudie answered as they continued to walk up the wide track.
The sun was beaming, you could tell this place was near the equator. Jay had to take his jacket off and he really wished he’d bought some shorts. He was supposed to do well under hot conditions and even he felt the warmth. Broudie had rolled up his Jeans and Jordan had luckily worn some weird three-quarter length patchy trousers, so they were fine.
Jay had only just noticed as well that Claire and Hollie had changed clothing. They must’ve bought a change of clothes in their rucksacks, ‘Maybe they shrunk them?’ Jay thought.
“Ok, first they said are we alright and how were we doing. I told them to tell Poseidon that we were okay and that we were on our way to the temple. Then I said who we met on the way here and who persuaded Frederick. Then they said that Poseidon had some information that might make it easier in the temple. He had told them to tell me that there might be a certain monster in the temple. He was on about the sirens. I then asked how does he know, and they told me that he had not seen them in Tartarus. Then we said goodbye, and they swam back down into the sea to tell Poseidon.”
“Sirens?” Jay questioned.
“Winged creatures that sing luring songs, ring a bell?” Broudie suggested.
“Yeah, I read something like that in the creature book Hollie gave me,” Jay replied.
“Yeah, well basically if you hear them sing then you’re dead.”
“How?”
“Because you go into a sort of trance, and then they can hypnotise you and make you drown yourself,” Jordan said.
“So we just need to wear some ear defenders,” Jay said.
“That’s the idea,” Claire agreed.
“So anyway let’s go find a map.” Hollie marched on bobbling her head and smiling with that optimistic look she always had.
“Where are we going to find a map?” Jay pondered.
“Tourist information, any gift shop or stuff,” Hollie answered.
“Well,” Jordan looked around, all he could see was trees, a dirt path, beach and some small peaks to his right, “I don’t know where you’re gonna find a gift shop round here.”
“How about somewhere along that road.” Jay pointed ahead. There was a dark, black road lurking just over the horizon of the road. Cars were rolling pass every now and again – every now and again meaning once every minute.
“Take us in to town probably, let’s go.” Hollie continued at a much faster pace, clouds of dirt and sand were exploding at their feet.
They were a couple of hundred yards away from the road when Jay felt the wind change.
His eyes bolted open and his mind tuned in to the silent surroundings. He could sense something.
The trees! They rustled.
The sky! It darkened…as the shadow of a menacing green boulder hurled into view.
Jay skidded in his tracks and the others leaned away as the boulder began to move and the dust around its features descended - a devilish curtain unmasking the night.
“Hola’ssss,” the two heads chorused in a friendly tone.
The green boulder was a snake.
A green, scaly snake.
Except it wasn’t. It had two scaly legs with sharp claws on the end that was holding up the main body, which held the more evil looking reptillian. The more evil snake had two curly horns protruding from his head. The two snake heads also had small ears that were laid back behind them. Then sunk in each head were two blazing yellow eyes. Each end of the double headed snake wore a fearsome pair of glairing monstrosities.
“Amphisbaena,” Hollie called.
“You’s knows my namesss,” the one head spoke in a deep romantic tone with a sort of Italian or Spanish accent.
“Baffoliam.” Claire shot a capturing spell at the monster.
“No!” The creature dodged the spell with its long tangling body. “Why aress you being ssso, mean to a nice sssnake.”
“Nice? You’re after the jewel aren’t you?” Broudie panicked.
“A matter of fact, yesss.”
“Well we’re not going to tell you, so unless you want to travel back down to Tartarus, then I suggest you move out of the way,” Hollie told.
“I’m afraidsss you, are going to Tartarusss.” The two snake heads rose upwards and showed their fangs, hissing with their red fork tongues.
“Split up!” Hollie instructed leaping from a strike of the razor fangs. Jay flung himself to the side behind some trees.
“Hortalia.” He heard someone shout the stunning spell. Constant hissing was the only thing that told Jay the snake was still alive. He should do something, use a spell.
“Citarlium.” He shot from behind his tree and shot a punch spell at the snake monster. The snake ducked his spell, which hit someone else’s and created a cloud of orange that fogged up the view of the snake.
He grasped at the rigid tree trunk that he hid behind, and peered around the side.
His neck tightened. His muscles ceased…
“Aaah!”
His head snapped to his left as he saw the snake scratching Jordan’s face. Clawing aggressively from up in one of the branches.
Jay jumped to attention and sprinted across a nettle field, reaching Jordan to find nothing. All that was left was three piercing scratches on Jordan’s pale, innocent face.
He looked above him, the trees were calm and still.
“Jay help!” He looked in front and saw Hollie with the snake wrapped round her neck, its feet kicking and scratching at her face and its scaly body entwined around her.
“Degradium,” he yelled.
Fire erupted from his hands and plummeted towards Hollie. A ball of fury darting straight for them.
“Hollie, look!”
Hollie turned to see the fireball with wide, petrified eyes and she swung around, forcing one of the snake heads at the fireball. The head caught glance and leaped into the trees above.
Out of sight again.
Hollie ran towards Jay, turned, and dragged Jay out of the trees.
“We need to stay in the open!” Hollie demanded.
Broudie, Claire and Jordan scurried out from the trees to join Hollie and Jay. Each stepping backwards slowly and steadily.
They all huddled together searching the surrounding trees for the creature. Light on their feet, eyes fixed on every inch of the surrounding forest.
“C’mon then, take a strike,” Hollie called, braking the thick, gloopy silence that hung within the humid heat.
There was silence.
Then suddenly the amphisbaena flew out from a nearby tree, slicing the air with its eagle claws. Blazing eyes met Jay’s as the monster descended with a ferocious insanity.
“Delargio.”
A slice of white light span across Jay’s hair, slicing the air as an invisible knife and wind-milling towards the snake’s tail.
A splash of green gunk and a pig-like squeal shocked the scene as the blade of magic disappeared in the raining spotlight of the sun.
The duel-headed, now single-headed, snake hissed angrily as it tumbled to the ground with a suffocating last, venomous breath.
“Watch out!” Jordan pulled everyone back as the snake hit the ground with a thud.
It fell into a pile, blood pouring from its tail. Then it lifted its head, its eyes closing slowly, and bared its fangs one more time.
Yellow, intoxicating poison spat from the sharp fangs.
“MOVE!” Broudie budged Jay out of the way, shoved his hand into his jacket and took out a dark shield. The poison splattered over the shield and sizzled like oil in a pan. Oozing the final
last words of the dying reptilian.
The snake head collapsed into the scaly pile and finally erupted into dust. The sandy cloud dissolved into the ground and silence fell once again.
“Another monster back in Tartarus,” Jordan said.
“So we were on our way into town?” Jay questioned.
“Yeah, we best get going before we meet any more snake like creatures.” Hollie raised her head and lead the way to the main road ahead. “What is up with the serpentines, two in the space of two days?”
“Did anyone see us?” Claire asked.
“We saw you, that slice spell was great,” Broudie congratulated.
“Yeah, so my lessons paid off,” Hollie concluded.
“Thanks guys,” Claire smiled.
They strolled up to the main road and turned left following the signs into town.
Jay smiled to himself happily, thinking about the way he had gone from being petrified out of his life when meeting the Chimera, to returning back to a casual walk after killing the Amphisbaena.
It was mad to think that stuff like this, stuff you only read about in fantasy stories, could actually be true and that Jay could be living in it. Living the life. The magical, fantastical life.
“San Cristobal, where can we find a map?” Jordan pondered.
They had reached the town, people chattering as they made their way down the open streets. Sunlight flooded through the many gaps between the small detached buildings.
The five teenagers strolled along the road until they finally came across what they were looking for,
“Gift shop, full of souvenirs and stuff about the island. Will they sell maps is the question,” Jordan announced.
“I wish you’d stop doing that it’s getting annoying,” Claire moaned.
“Doing what?”
“You know what I’m on about. Where can we find a map? Hmm, will they sell maps? Are maps sold in map shops?” Claire mimicked with a freakishly masculine tone, which even she was shocked by.
“Well let’s hurry up, we haven’t got long before nightfall,” Hollie urged.
“Ok, let’s see if they sell maps then,” Broudie laughed, as he entered the shop.
There were no doors or windows, so basically you just walked from the road into the shop. There was a counter on the right with a smiley man behind it. Then there were shelves of souvenirs and objects, lined messily along the walls. Cards, beach equipment and ice lollies were also sold.
“Eh, excuse me, do you speak English?” Hollie questioned.
“Me speak bit,” the man replied.
“Maps, do you have any maps of San Cristobal?”
“Yes, I’s have,” The man came from behind the counter and signalled them to follow him. He lead them down to the very back of the shop where there was a carousel packed with postcards.
“No, we want maps, map of island,” Hollie spoke slowly and patronisingly.
“No’s they here.” The man squatted down and turned the carousel. He stopped it and then picked up a leaflet and rose up.
“These what you wan?” The man asked showing Hollie the leaflet and opening it up.
The inside was an in-detail map of San Cristobal, with streets and forests labelled. Attractions were also labelled in different colours with red stars next to them.
“Yes, how much?” Hollie took the leaflet and the man hurried down to the counter calling Hollie along.
“You can have eet for fifty pence.” The man held out his hand for the money.
“I’ll give you twenty pounds and you can buy stuff for your family, yes?” Hollie foraged through the bag and pulled out a twenty pound note. She handed it to the man who stood and held it up towards his face for a while.
“We are going now,” Jordan hinted after a minute of silence.
“Yes, thankou, thankou.” The man pocketed his note and waved them out the door.
“Weird people round here,” Jay said.
“They’re poor,” Claire told.
“How much did it cost to get here, they must have had a load of money just to get here,” Broudie argued.
“They could have come by boat for a better life,” Claire suggested.
“Boats cost money too,” Jay thought.
“Guys, you can argue another time, but now we need to take a look at this map.” Hollie strolled over towards a wooden bench and took a seat.
“We’re here,” Hollie pointed to a small bay at the bottom left corner of the page, “and we’re looking for a place out of the way, somewhere where no one will go,” Hollie instructed.
“How about there?” Jay pointed to a circular rocky area where there were no roads or houses.
“Maybe, but it’s near a beach, it could easily be found by someone who is hiking round the place. We need somewhere like…”
“There!” Broudie shouted, pointing at a large forest in the middle of the island.
“Could well be, let’s head there then,” Hollie concluded.
“How are we getting there?” Jordan asked.
“Not another way of flying please,” Broudie wined.
“Well it would be easier, but we could take a taxi if you want?” Hollie suggested.
“As long as you’re the one getting it and not Broudie then that’s fine by me,” Claire laughed, nudging Broudie.
“Right, now we find a taxi.” Hollie looked up and down the quiet streets.
“If we had better luck. Look over there.” Jay pointed at a yellow cab with a black roof sign on with a number.
They hurried along the streets to the yellow cab; the driver was half asleep.
“Do you speak English?” Hollie questioned.
“Ugh, oh you wan taxi, I take you where you wan go.” The taxi man yawned unlocking the doors.
“You take us somewhere, we pay you,” Jordan said.
“Yes, climb in, where do you wan go?” The man asked.
Hollie climbed into the front seat whilst everyone else squished into the back seat.
“Could you take us to that forest over there?” Hollie bought out her map and pointed to the forest.
“Yes, it will not be long, you pay in pounds?” The taxi driver questioned.
“Yes, how much?” Hollie asked.
“Forty pounds.” The man started up the engine and pulled out into the middle of the road.
The journey was bumpy and unbearable. Jay was wriggling in his seat constantly, uncomfortably in close proximity to Claire and constantly being thrown around by sudden dips in the road.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the car smelt terrible to. It was hard to place your finger on it, sort of like undecomposed waste, but masked by lavender or something, which just made it smell worse.
They arrived in a forest, which was exactly like what you’d expect the stereotypical rainforest to look like, about an hour later. The trees were thin and tall. There were vines climbing around them, damp soil under their feet, and rays of sunlight that shone through the canopy of green above.
“Where you like go exactly?” The man said.
“Here will do. C’mon guys were getting out here.” Hollie opened her door and stretched. The others piled out of the car quickly, rubbing their sides from being so closely packed.
“My sides burn,” Jay cringed.
“You don’t have side burns?” Broudie furrowed his eyebrows, then realizing what Jay actually said and bowing his head, laughing.
“Thank you.” Hollie waved the taxi driver as it reversed into a tree and drove back down the dusty forest path.
“How are we supposed to find this entrance?” Claire pondered.
“Can’t you sense something?” Hollie looked around at the puzzled faces after she said that. “No one can sense something like as if it’s tugging you?”
“The only tugging sensation I have is the one in my stomach telling me to turn into a herbivore and eat some leaves,” Broudie replied.
“You think this tugging sensation is pulling us towards the entranc
e?” Jordan thought.
“Yeah, didn’t Frederick mention something like that?
“He said we would be able to sense it.”
“Ok, so which way do I go?” Hollie closed her eyes and everything went silent. All that was to be heard was the beautiful birds singing away in the evergreen trees.
“That way.” Hollie pointed between Broudie and Claire.
“You seem certain.”
“I am certain.” Hollie kept still as if waiting for something.
“Are we gonna go?” Jay asked.
“There’s something we need to do, but I can’t think what.” Hollie looked around at everyone and when her eyes met Jay’s waist she had it.
“Invisibility spells on our equipment, we need to reverse them. Then we won’t feel as drained,” Hollie remembered.
“I don’t feel drained?” Jay thought.
“You don’t think you do,” Hollie corrected.
Jay’s sword and shield had been visible then invisible so many times now, his practise had made him never forget the procedure.
There was silence, and then a sudden outburst of ‘Polacify’s’. Jay spoke the spell and gasped as he gained the energy to run a marathon. It was amazing how the spell worked and it felt great!
“Gods, why do you feel so good when your energy comes back, but when you never lose it, you never feel good?” Jay questioned.
“It’s like anything. Have your favourite toy, like having it with you, then it’s not with you for a week and you miss it. When it returns you feel really really happy,” Claire said.
They laughed at her pathetic example.
“So we were heading this way.” Hollie changed the subject and strode off the dusty path and into the forest.
“Hey wait up.” Broudie joined the back of the line behind Jay on their jungle trek.
“Have you still got the directions that Frederick gave us for when we enter the temple?” Broudie questioned.
“Yep safe in my pocket. Dunno how it didn’t soak when we were in the sea,” Hollie replied from the front, still staying focussed on where she was going.
“Didn’t the Galapagos islands only recently rise above water?” Claire pondered.
“If you call four million years recent then yeah,” Hollie answered.
“Oh, I was just wondering how Frederick managed to put the temple on this island whilst it was under sea, but now I know it’s been here for a long time, I understand,” Claire told.
“Well even if it had been under sea when he was hiding it, he still could have put it there, he could have put it under sea, couldn’t he Hol?” Jordan wondered.
“Yep.”
“What was that?” Broudie came to a halt and looked around for movement. “Sh, listen!”
Everyone stopped and looked back at Broudie.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jordan asked.
Suddenly, the branch above him snapped from its trunk and fell towards the ground. There was a longing creak, a gradual crescendo as it shadowed everything below.
“Broudie move!” Jay shouted.
A deadly fall.
(Chapter 13)