Ayden and Pax immediately searched for the stone with the inscription Ayden's ancestors had hidden at the laughing hill. "It's probably been covered with vines or moss after all these years," Ayden said half to himself. Pax nodded as Ayden pushed yellow flowering vines away from the rock at the corner of the "mouth".
Pax looked into the darkened hole of the cave. "D-Do ya th-thenk it c-could be in there?"
"I don't know. Let's make sure it's not out here first," Ayden replied after ignoring a small breath of wind exhaling from the cave. He wasn't fond of caves. Too many of his former opponents used caves for various no-good purposes.
After an hour, Ayden had made his way up to the corner of the "weeping" eye. He leaned over and cupped a hand under the falling water and then put it to his lips. The water was sweet and refreshing. As he rubbed some moss off a rocky spot beside him, an arrogant, smooth voice sounded from below.
"You'll never find it that way," Da'ewyn drawled.
Looking down at her, Ayden answered, "Well, if you have any brighter ideas, let me know. Otherwise, be quiet and let me get back to it."
"Your sidekick--he's a wizard isn't he?"
Pax, who was digging around in the area that would be the left nostril, jerked his head toward Da'ewyn.
Ayden looked at Pax for a moment and then turned his attention to the princess. "He's not my sidekick. He's my friend, and he's actually a sorcerer. Why?" he asked cautiously.
"Well, can't he do a spell to reveal what you're looking for? From what I've heard, it should be simple to do." Da'ewyn looked mischievously up at Pax.
Ayden guessed that Pax had never done such a spell before. And even if he had, he'd never be able to say it clearly with the beautiful Veela staring at him. "What we're looking for may have protection against it from revealing spells. I don't want Pax getting hurt. We'll find it just fine." He looked down at his friend who was trying his best to hide inside the giant nostril. Ayden turned back to the moss and continued his work.
A silver arrow struck the stone not two inches from Ayden's hand. Jumping aside, he yelled, "What the--" But before he could finish his sentence, he lost his footing and fell down the giant face all the way to the top of the cave, just below where Pax was standing. Pax attempted to grab Ayden's arm, struggling to keep his own balance. Ayden's hand slipped from Pax's, and he landed with a painful thud on the ground in front of the gaping cave. He grunted as the shock of the impact jolted through his spine.
"S-Sarry!" Pax yelled as he dangled from the side of the nostril, desperately trying to regain his balance.
Ayden's blood boiled as Da'ewyn smirked down at him. He wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of her! Taking a deep breath, he decided against it. Why should he lower himself to her petty games? Besides, he wasn't sure he could beat her. He turned and began the climb back to where he'd been working.
Da'ewyn followed, leaping from one spot to the next like a sure-footed wild cat. In a split second the race was on. Ayden moved as quickly as he could, making sure to stay directly in front of the Veela in attempt at blocking her ascent. She was extremely quick, however, and in the end they reached her arrow at the same time.
The princess grabbed the arrow and yanked it from the stone. She turned to Ayden and yelled, "Ha!" It was like she had just given him permission to pummel her. Ayden dove at her and their bodies slammed into the rock where the Veela's arrow had been moments before. As they pulled away, the rock crumbled from the hillside.
The two of them continued to wrestle, rolling and bumping down the hill as they went. This time, Pax decided to get out of the way while the getting was good and took a couple of leaps and a skid on his rear end to the safety of the ground below.
Ayden and Da'ewyn punched, elbowed, kicked, and clawed at each other all the way down the hill. They finally reach the bottom and dodged away from the avalanche of pebbles that followed them. But they weren't finished with each other and continued their bout on the ground.
Pax's shouting finally reached their ears, and they paused long enough to see what he wanted. "W-Would y-ya two stop! Look!" He pointed to the pile of rock at the base of the hill. Ayden and Da'ewyn pushed at each other as they stood. Covered in dirt and bruises, the pair walked to Pax.
"What is it?" Ayden asked, trying to catch his breath.
Pax huffed impatiently and walked over to the pile of jagged rock. As he leaned down, Ayden notice the perfectly smooth, oval shaped stone.
At the sight of the stone, a horrid sensation pulsed though his veins. Just before Pax's fingers touched the stone, Ayden yelled, "Wait!"
But it was too late. Pax grasped the stone. As he stood, his movement seemed unnatural. The boy's body stiffened and his arms shot out to the sides as if pulled by invisible ropes. The words on the stone shown brighter and brighter until a blinding white light shot out from the center and engulfed Pax's body.