The branch tumbled to the ground and blocked all sight of him.
“Broudie?!” Claire called.
“It’s a creature,” he whispered.
Then he emerged from behind the branch and swung across them. He shouted and screamed like Tarzan as he flew through the air, his hands holding onto a long bendy twig of a vine.
“Broudie watch ou-”
He swung over their heads and smashed into a small thin tree. He let go of the vine and fell to the ground, lying motionless.
“Broudie!” The group hurried over to him, he was lying there unconscious.
“We need to bring him round!” Hollie said franticly.
“We could make up a cure for unconsciousness to restore him,” Jordan suggested.
“Well if someone can do it then yes, I’ve never done it before. What the hell was he doing?” Hollie turned Broudie’s head on its side to stop him choking
“Liam showed me something like that, we need lots of leaves. Oh and a fire,” Claire told, “Hurry!”
“C’mon let’s try it, what’s the worst that could happen?” Hollie hurried them on, as they collected leaves and twigs and placed them in a pile beside Claire.
“All you need is leaves and twigs?” Jay asked.
“Something else as well, I think it was something that’s alive.” Claire tried to remember what Liam had used when she was watching him.
“A fly?” Jordan questioned.
“Yes any animal that is alive.” Claire piled up the leaves in a neat circle as Jay went to help Jordan with the fly catching.
“Does it have to be alive?” Jay asked.
“Yes!” Claire shouted.
“Use the capturing spell,” Hollie told.
“Baffoliam,” Jordan wailed shooting a spell at a fly crossing him. The fly was cased inside a bubble, so Jordan reached for it and hurried over.
Everything went fast in the jungle, the surrounding natural sounds continuing to whisper, oblivious.
“Right Jay, I need you to set the middle of the leaves alight,” Claire instructed.
“Degradium.” Jay quickly shot a flame at the centre of the leaves. It immediately set alight.
“The fly!” Claire ordered, grasping the bubble and letting it float slowly towards the flames. It touched a tip of the flames and popped, sending the fly down into a fiery pit.
Then Claire thrust out her hands and began to chant.
“What are you doing?” Jay asked.
“She’s chanting a potion spell. Most potions are made with some sort of chant, and they usually stick in your head once you‘ve learnt them. There’s something about them that you remember I think. Well let’s hope they can be remembered,” Jordan said.
“Quick Claire, hurry. I can only just feel a pulse,” Hollie informed, her two fingers pressed tightly on Broudie’s wrist.
“..outabley!” Claire finished. The flames immediately vanished and the ashes started to rise into her hands. They floated upwards and seemed to change from black ashes to a blue-ish liquid. Then, the now water-like liquid, filled in Claire’s small, pink hands. She carefully stood up and walked over to Hollie.
“Are you sure this is right?” Hollie questioned, as Claire lowered her hands to Broudie’s mouth.
She tilted her hands and a small droplet of liquid fell into his mouth.
Nothing happened, as they all stared hopefully down at Broudie, wishing for him to regain consciousness.
Then Claire tilted her hands once more and a larger drop of liquid fell and landed on his dry lips.
Suddenly Broudie moved his mouth and swallowed. His eyes suddenly opened and he threw himself upright.
He choked and coughed, his hands wrapped around his throat.
“Wha, is, dat, stuff,” he spluttered.
“My potion worked,” Claire congratulated.
“Po-tion?” Broudie questioned.
“You hit the tree Broudie, does your head feel alright?” Hollie comforted, a sigh of relief echoed across their faces.
“I it the tree and I fell,” Broudie repeated, now rubbing his head, his eyes squinting continually.
“Do you feel alright?” Hollie asked again.
“Yeah, just a bit dizzy and light head-ed.”
“C’mon let’s see if you can walk.” Hollie grabbed him by his one arm, and Jay rushed over to his other. Together, Jay and Hollie lifted Broudie up slowly to his feet.
“I’m alright,” Broudie said shaking Hollie and Jay off him. He swayed a bit then shook his head.
“I think Jay and Jordan should help you out for now, they can steady you.” Hollie waved Jordan over and the three boys stood beside each other, Broudie’s arms wrapped around their necks like a scarecrow.
“Well let’s set off again then.” Hollie stretched her back and continued their walk through the evergreen forest.
A few minutes later and someone else seemed to sense a sort of tugging sensation,
“I don’t know whether my stomachs asking for food again, but I can feel a tugging sensation,” Jordan told.
“Yeah I thought I sensed something earlier,” Claire agreed.
“Well we must still have a way to go because me and Jay haven’t sensed anything yet,” Broudie said.
“Or maybe you have no sense to sense anything. No offence Jay,” she added, laughing as she trailed behind Hollie.
“None taken,” Jay smiled.
“Wait.” Hollie stopped dead still and held out her hand, indicating to not move.
“What is it?” Claire asked, “I’m not making another potion so you can skip your Tarzan ideas!”
“Wait here.” Hollie moved slowly up towards a clearing. She uncapped her two daggers and jumped out from behind the trees.
“Ructomalius,” she screeched.
There was silence.
“Hollie, are you ok?” Jordan called.
“Oh, yeah. Come on out guys, nothing here.” Hollie peeled back the leaves and led them out into a small clearing.
“What was all that about?” Jay questioned.
“Oh, I thought I heard someone talking,” Hollie told.
“Oh, so we haven’t reached the entrance yet,” Broudie concluded.
“Were getting closer, I can feel something now,” Jay informed, rubbing his stomach. The feeling was weird, it was like someone dragging you somewhere but tickling you at the same time.
“Why am I always the last for everything?” Broudie complained.
“Because, otherwise you wouldn’t be Broudie,” Claire replied.
“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”
“Off again then,” Hollie announced.
“Hollie wait, come over here,” Jordan instructed.
“What’s the matter Jord?” Hollie asked, everyone crowding round him.
“A footprint?” Broudie looked puzzled.
“That disappears,” Jordan finished, pointing in front.
“Someone might have got lost and called for a helicopter,” Hollie suggested.
“I don’t think so, this is a Greek footprint,” Jordan told.
“How do you know?” Broudie questioned, amazed.
“Because of that.” Jordan pointed to a small ball next to one of the footprints.
“What is it?” Jay pondered.
“It’s got markings on,” Hollie walked steadily towards it, “Greek markings.”
“Hollie don’t pick it up, it might be a trap.” Jordan checked around the trees for anything unusual.
“It’s of Perseus, and, and Medusa.” Hollie leant down and picked up the small sphere. It was gold and shiny.
“Does it open?” Claire rushed over to take a closer look.
“No I think it’s just an ornament,” Hollie informed.
“Who would bring a Greek ornament out here?” Broudie and Jay strolled over to the golden ball, Broudie shaking off Jay’s aid.
“Someone Greek,” Jordan thought.
“We can’t be sure this person
was part of Greek mythology,” Jay pondered.
“Well, I think we should take this and move on. We’ve got competition here, and we need to win.” Hollie pocketed the small object and turned towards the trees. “C’mon.”
The five teenagers strolled off through the forest, hurdling over branches and logs to reach the temple.
The tugging sensation in Jay’s stomach was getting more and more powerful, urging him to hurry forward.
The trek continued for another half hour until they finally came to a stop, right in front of a large rock face.
“This is it guys, we’ve found it,” Hollie declared, raising her arms as if she was a conductor and had just finished a big finale.
They were about ten metres away from a gigantic rock face, lines and cracks along the front and greenery patched along the edges. The trees were open around it and there was little noise at all.
“Let’s go and get this jewel then,” Broudie chirped pacing forward eagerly from behind Jay.
“No!” Hollie held him back. “There’s a shielding around the entrance remember. Frederick told us.”
“Well I can’t see any shielding Hol,” Claire informed.
“Do you really think the shielding is going to be visible? This is a really important jewel were talking about,” Hollie replied.
“Well then we turn invisible and see the shielding. We can move round the lasers like on the films, enter the temple, grab the jewel, and then get loads of people queuing up for our autograph,” Broudie summed up simplistically.
“This type of invisible shield won’t have a simple invisibility spell on it. This one will be invisible to every eye,” Hollie insisted.
“Well we don’t even know if there is an invisible shield,” Jordan thought.
“So that’s why one of us should test it out,” Broudie concluded.
“Look, we said that today was about finding the entrance and that we would have a good rest before entering it.” Hollie let go of her hand holding Broudie back, and turned to face everyone else.
“We, you mean, you,” Broudie put in.
“But what if this isn’t even the entrance?” Jay asked, “It hasn’t got a doorway or anything.”
“It has a Greek symbol spread over the face of it,” Hollie sighed and went off into the forest to find a good place to set up camp.
Jay hadn’t noticed, he just thought the lines and cracks in the rock were natural. But now Hollie had mentioned it, the cracks did seem to be in some sort of shape.
“Can’t I just see what happens if I take just, one, step.”
Broudie was thrust back when Jordan reached out and pulled him back into the forest with a blast of wind.
The five teenagers walked slowly into a flat area in the forest, close to the temple entrance.
“So we light a fire, have a sleep and try and get into the temple in the morning?” Jordan questioned.
“Yeah, but I think we should inform the rest of us back at camp how we’re doing as well,” Hollie suggested.
“How?” Jay pondered.
“Bubble. Make a bubble message,” Hollie answered.
“Sounds great,” Jay smiled.
“I’m gonna send the message guys, so if there is anything you want to say, have a think,” Hollie announced.
“Can’t we say: it’s been terrible and there’s only Hollie left, the rest of us have been kidnapped by dracaenaes?” Claire thought.
“This is supposed to be a confident: we’re all okay and we’ll be back soon, sought of message,” Hollie told.
“Oh alright then, if it has to be boring.”
They all crowded round Hollie, who was holding a beaker of water.
“Ready?” Hollie made an ok sign with her one hand and spoke, “Pamollia.” Hollie poured some water from the beaker, over the ok-sign hand and it made a bubble over her fingers.
She closed her eyes, mouthed some words, and then opened them again. She blew into the circle made by her fingers and a bubble emerged into existence.
“Quick, we need to say our message before it detaches from my hand. Hi guys, we’ve found the entrance and are stood next to it now, we are entering in the morning and we are all fine.”
“We met dracaenas, Panotii, amphisbaena, Hippocampi and we are supposed to meet some sirens in the temple according to Poseidon,” Claire called.
“Poseidon sent us some tips via Hippocampi,” Hollie said.
“Broudie threw himself at a tree and we had to make a potion for him,” Jay told.
“Jay fell into the English channel because he got mesmerised,” Broudie shouted from the back.
“See you soon,” Hollie finished.
“Oh and Broudie got slapped by a giant ear,” Jay added quickly as the bubble detached from Hollie’s hand.
“Thanks Jay. Now they’ll think I’m really stupid,” Broudie decided.
“More than they already do?” Jordan laughed.
“Thank you once again.”
“Let’s get some sleep now, it’s getting dark,” Hollie instructed.
Jay set a small floating fire in the centre of some trees and sat beside it for a good half hour, sharpening his blade with a rock before sleep.
He stared into the flames smiling and watching them dance magically in the night air. It made him extremely relaxed and his eyes were dropping, soon enough he was ready for bed.
Jay yawned and stretched as he woke from an unsettled sleep. He reached up with his arms and hit the back of his head on the tree he was leaning on.
He yelped and then stumbled onto his feet. No one was up, so he decided to cook something up for his breakfast.
He rooted around in Hollie’s bag and finally bought out what he was looking for, the miniscule meals. He took out one small bag and one tiny saucepan. Then he placed them on the ground next to the fire, the bag inside the pot, and then whispered the enlarging spell,
“Ginormius.”
Suddenly, the saucepan erupted into full size and so did the mixture of foods in the bag. Carrots and potato were not the things he was thinking of, but they were better than nothing.
“Cooking some breakfast?” Hollie questioned dropping to the ground beside him.
“Yeah, didn’t here you get up.”
“Up before you, but couldn’t be bothered to come down to cook, eh, breakfast…” she glanced inside the pot. “Carrots and potato?”
“I think I got the wrong bag,” Jay laughed.
“Actually it’s probably better if we have something like that. Fill us up more, we don’t know how long we’ll be in there.” Hollie picked up the pot, placed it onto the floating fire, and water seemed to fill it.
“Oh, thanks.”
“It’s alright, I’ll go get some plates then.” Hollie wondered over to her bag to fetch some paper plates.
Half an hour later, all five of them were awake, and all fed and watered. Hollie had transfigured some leaves into wax, just in case there were, as Poseidon had warned, sirens in the temple. Each of them had been given some, and then they were all set to go.
“So now we can take a look at this shielding.” Hollie sprang up from her log that she was sat on, and pulled over her bag.
“Technically, as you said yesterday, there’s no way anyone can see the shielding, so we can’t have a look at it.”
Everyone laughed.
“Sorry I couldn’t resist,” Broudie added.
“C’mon then.” Hollie lead the group out of the forest and into the clearing next to the rock face.
“What does that symbol mean then, in English please?” Jordan asked.
“It means, I think, locked or closed up forever,” Hollie replied.
“What a surprise,” Broudie said,
“We need someone to test out the shielding, so any volunteers, Broudie?” Hollie turned to Broudie who smiled.
“Yep, I’ll do it.” Broudie took off his rucksack and uncapped his sword and shield.
“We’ll do all we can to hel
p. And go slowly, there are probably lots of different shielding so if you run through, all will go off at the same time,” Hollie instructed.
“Ok, is everyone ready?” Broudie asked.
“Yep, and remember guys, were looking for some sort of source of the shielding, so as we can turn it off,” Hollie added.
“Here I go.” Broudie took one step forward, nothing happened. Then another, nothing happened. Then a third, nothing happened. Then a-.
“I can’t get through, it’s an invisible wall.” Broudie banged on the air in front of him. It made Jay laugh because it looked like on of those stupid mime acts.
“Try cracking it with your sword,” Jay suggested.
“Alright.” Broudie pulled back his sword and then thrust it forward. The sound of glass smashing and suddenly a cage emerged from the rock face. It fell to the ground where Broudie was standing, but Broudie dodged the cage and laughed.
“Shielding, really?”
“Carry on Broudie, take another step,” Hollie urged.
Jay and the others stood in anticipation beside the trees in front of the rock face, waiting for something to happen.
So Broudie took another, quite confident, step forward. Nothing happened. Then another,
“Broudie stop!” Hollie shouted, “I heard something.”
There was a longing groan from behind them.
The trees surrounding them moved, a sort of robotic sway.
“It’s the wind Hol, nothing dangerous,” Broudie chuckled.
“I think trees with eyes are bad, yes?” Jay squealed, turning round to face one of the trees bearing two deep, yellow eyes and a dark brown line as a mouth.
“Zap me Zeus, there alive,” Hollie cursed.
“Run?” Jordan suggested timidly.
They ran towards Broudie who was stood still a few metres from the rock face.
“What are they?” Claire screeched.
“I don’t know?” Hollie replied.
Four old, dark trees began to rise from the ground, each with two gleaming yellow eyes.
Then their large scraggily roots emerged from the soil and their straight dark mouths opened to reveal something more gruesome.
Millions of grotty, razor-sharp teeth lined the top and bottom of their mouths, mossy green saliva dribbling down their trunks.
“Let’s get these guys.” Broudie charged forward, his sword pointing out like in a jousting competition. Then one of the trees bent forward and Broudie swiped with his sword, cutting off one of its branches.
The tree swung with one of its others and swept Broudie off his feet, into the air and onto the floor metres away in the brambles.
“Broudie!” Claire screamed.
“He can deal with himself, we need to get these other three out of the way.” Hollie pointed out the other monster trees that were slowly crawling towards them.
“Tornadius!” Hollie shouted, making one of the trees start tangling itself together with its own branches. She leaped onto a nearby rock and signalled them to start fighting.
“Votaldea.” Jay threw the one tree only a metre or so back, he must have been so heavy that even a spell couldn’t lift him.
Jay looked to his left and saw Claire slice off one of the more bulky branches and kick the tree in the face at the same time.
She landed on the floor next to it and looked up at her work. But the branch she had just cut off was growing back.
“THEIR BRANCHES GROW BACK WHEN YOU SLICE THEM OFF, WE CANT KILL THEM!” Broudie screamed from their right.
“Tell me now.” Jay heard Claire mutter as Jay was thrown into the air by a large whack from his tree.
“Lekisia,” Jay mumbled, breaking his fall.
He lifted himself off the ground, his stomach winded, and quickly dived to the left as he was nearly chopped to pieces by the same tree.
“Hollie, how are we supposed to kill them?” Jay called over, using a control spell to knock back the tree with the branch Claire had amputated.
“There isn’t a way, we can’t even knock them out, I think we’re gonna have to,” she sliced off a branch that was about to grab her, “get through the other shields and into the temple… DUCK!” she finished, helping Jay with his monster tree.
“I’ll try to get further in then.” Jay sprinted towards the rock face.
He was a metre away when a large spike shot out from the wall, just missing his head.
“Watch out for the spikes!” Jay informed, taking another step forward.
This time a gust of wind emerged from the ground, forcing him up into the sky. He looked down and there were now hundreds of small holes in the ground, where air was spurting out in random jets. He slowed down and then began his descent back to the ground.
“JAY!” Broudie shouted, as he was tossed into the air by a shot of wind. Jay was about to look down when he sank into a tree. Branch by branch, he hit every brown twig in sight.
Then he was grabbed and pulled out from the cluster of branches. He choked as he was forced into the open.
He opened his eyes and looked straight into the evil eyes of the monster tree. The tree opened his mouth and slowly pulled in his meal.
He wriggled around and shouted as he was hit with the terrible stench of tree breath. Then he kicked with his legs at the monsters eyes and was dropped onto the floor.
The tree groaned as Jay sprang to his feet.
In front he saw Jordan and Hollie veering closer to the rock face. Then Hollie was ejected into the air and Jordan continued to run.
Then he touched the wall. One last spike shot from it and everyone stopped!
The trees stood still, Hollie lay with her head raised off the ground, and Claire and Broudie stood in fighting positions.
The markings on the wall began to light up, just like their veins did when they used the invisibility spell.
The symbol imprinted on the rock face glowed light purple, and the ground shook. Then cracks started to appear from the rock face along the ground and parts of the parched soil started falling into the abyss.
“Guys,” Jordan cried, a pair of worried and defenseless eyes looked back at them before they disappeared underground.
No one said anything as the ground continued to disappear. Jay looked up at the rock face, with its glowing lines which had now started moving to form a new symbol.
He looked down again and realised what he’d just witnessed.
“Jordan?” Hollie eventually broke the silence as the crumbling rocks began to stop.
She hurried over towards the hole in the ground. Jay rushed over as well with Broudie and Claire, and they all stood at the edge staring down at, nothing.
It was complete darkness down there.
They had lost Jordan…gone forever.
The Sirens go off.
(Chapter 14)