“It is, but she’ll have help,” Flitwicket said, shrugging on her backpack, which looked funny over her shimmering white robes. “We four can do it together.”
Zach gazed into the priestess’s serene face, almost like he had a crush on her, which he probably did. “Flit, why are you helping us? Not only have you put up with Lauren for almost two days, but with me too,” he said. “I wish I wouldn’t have stalked off. I’m really sorry.”
Good grief, he had it bad.
Flitwicket fingered her gold rings, pursing her lips. “Oh, I don’t know, Zach. Curiosity, I guess. I have a feeling about the two of you.”
“Well, whatever your reasons,” he said, suddenly acting bashful, “thank you.”
The priestess patted his shoulder affectionately.
“I’m glad you’re here too,” Zach said to Cardy with a smile.
“You’re coming on the quest, right?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Cardy chuckled and patted his rotund belly.
Zach glanced at me, then back to the halfling. “We’ll need you.”
As soon as we left the city, Flitwicket began jogging down the lane. Zach and I followed close behind, and Cardy brought up the rear. His stout legs pounded heavily in the dirt, leaving puffs of dust in his wake. After reaching the Morgantown junction, we turned left, still jogging.
Suddenly, Zach turned and announced to the group, “Hey guys, I’m gonna run ahead, okay? I want to see how fast I can go now.”
“Be sure to stay on the path!” Flitwicket called as he rounded a bend up ahead at top speed.
What a showoff. Just because he’d already trained. I waited for him to come back, and it was only a moment before he did. Either he hadn’t run very far, or he was ridiculously fast now.
“You’ve received some valuable training,” Flitwicket said when he was back in place. “It’ll come in handy if you’re ever chased by a spiny spinner. They’re fast.”
I was not impressed. In fact, I stared straight ahead, refusing to say anything to him at all. At that point, Zach turned around and jogged backward in front of me, knowing it would irritate me to no end.
“Don’t you think it’s great? My new abilities, I mean?”
“I suggest you get out of my way.” I held my face rigid, like stone, showing zero emotion.
“Oh? Why?” he asked, still jogging backward.
That was my moment, when he least expected it. I lunged, shoving him. He lost his balance and landed on his butt with an explosion of breath. “That was rude!” he yelled as I ran past him. He hopped up and jogged after me. “You should be nicer, Lauren, or we’ll let you do this quest alone!”
I stopped jogging and gazed into his oh-so-familiar eyes. Eyes that looked so much like my own. “You’re having too much fun, Zach. You probably want to try out your new powers, so stop threatening me!”
“You’re right,” he said finally. “I’m sorry. We’ll keep the singing sirens away, but you’ll have to retrieve the rubies yourself. It will be difficult and scary, but we’ll help you.”
Zach’s sudden seriousness surprised me. That and the fact that he seemed genuinely concerned about my doing this quest. “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked. “Is it something about the quest? Is it dangerous? Don’t I just pick the rubies up off the bottom of the stream?”
“Don’t worry,” Cardy said, still panting from our forced death march. “It will be all right with the four of us.”
We reached an area of the woods where the path narrowed, and we entered the dark, foreboding woods. My heart quaked, and a bead of sweat broke out along my hairline. I could feel it drip down my cheek. An ominous feeling of danger came over me, and I just wanted to run away and never come back.
“Are we in the right place?” I asked. “This seems pretty dismal for a singing stream. Hey, why aren’t you guys answering my questions?”
Flitwicket, Zach, and Cardy stopped and faced me. All three wore a look of unease, and then Zach spoke up. “Lauren, to answer your first question, no, you don’t pick the rubies up off the bottom of the stream. The stream is deep. It looks shallow from the banks, but when you step in, you sink a really long way to the bottom. The rubies are inside these weird clamshell things. You have to pry them open to get the rubies out, and you have to hold your breath for a long time—unless you have an underwater breathing spell.”
“You mean I could drown?” I asked, appalled.
“No,” Cardy said. “You won’t have time to drown. The singing sirens will attack you first, and then the preying piranha will eat you.” His smile was wide, a contradiction to his words.
“You’re kidding, right?” I felt my expression fall and my face drain of blood. Dizzy lights danced in front of my eyes, and I knew I’d pass out if I didn’t get some air.
Flitwicket stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Never fear, little Lauren. I brought the breathing spells. That will be the least of your worries. We’ll keep the sirens and any other enemies away. There aren’t rubies in all the clams, so you’ll have to work fast. The breathing spell only lasts thirty minutes.”
Killer sirens? Piranha? I didn’t think I was up for this. Couldn’t we just forget this quest and go get the Eye of Tanúb? My new friends stood watching me, waiting for my reaction. Indecision weighed heavily, and I wanted to tell them I’d changed my mind, that I would wait for them at the inn, safe and sound in the nice, lumpy feather bed. But I didn’t want to give Zach the satisfaction of seeing me quit, and I’m sure he thought I would.
“No problem,” I said, lifting my chin. “Let’s go.”
The woods grew darker the farther we penetrated. Treetops hung low, their naked branches jagged and reaching out to scratch us as we passed. Grass no longer grew on the hard ground, and the small, skittering animals had disappeared. This area of the woods felt dead, throbbing with evil. The hair on my neck prickled, and the urge to turn back and run for the path overwhelmed me. Did the others feel the same way?
“Steel your mind against the forest’s influence,” Flitwicket whispered, stepping slowly, her wand held tightly in front of her. “It wants us to leave.”
“And stay close together,” Cardy added, keeping me in front of him. “We’re almost there.”
I couldn’t even tell you how glad I was that Cardy was with us, so I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone sneaking up from behind.
And that was when I saw it… brown and small, streaking through the trees, coming closer and closer. Before I could stop it, a scream tore through my throat, echoing through the dead woods for all to hear… and then it landed with a plop right in front of me, small and wiry, with dusky brown fur that hung in clumpy dreadlocks.
I felt silly for being afraid of such a cute little creature, and I reached out to pet the monkey, but its mouth opened and a hundred jagged black teeth protruded from its thin, black lips. Another piercing wail screeched through the woods, and I stumbled back, covering my ears, immobilized by the petrifying sound.
Three seconds later, a second monkey fell to the forest floor. Cardy, with his giant broadsword, swung, chopping the head off the first screaming beast. It rolled to my feet and stared up at me with glazed eyes. The second monkey howled in dismay and sprang forward, landing on Cardy’s chest, its razor-sharp teeth sinking into the halfling’s fleshy neck.
Flitwicket whirled, light as a feather, and threw a white-hot spell from her ivory wand. The spell hit the monkey in the back, leaving a gaping, smoking hole all the way through. The animal froze in surprise, falling backward to the forest floor, dead.
Cardy covered his bleeding wound, but bright drops of crimson escaped through his meaty fingers. Flitwicket was at his side in seconds, pressing a glowing, white bandage to the jagged wound.
I found myself gripping Zach’s shirt, my knuckles white with effort, my heart beating so powerfully it felt like it would pound right out of my chest. Never in million years would I have hugged my broth
er like this back home. But here? I couldn’t seem to let go of him. What if another raging monkey landed at our feet, or on me?
Cardy grimaced at the pressure of Flitwicket’s fingers, but the wound stopped bleeding within seconds. I stared in amazement, remembering the bandages on the table, back at the inn when Flitwicket made them. I moved closer to get a better look, still weak in the knees.
Flitwicket placed another bandage on top of the first. “This should do the trick.”
“That was so… so awful! Are you okay, Cardy?” I reached out and gently touched the glowing bandage. It was soft as silk.
“He’ll be fine,” Flitwicket said, wrapping up the unused bandages. “These are infused with powerful magic.” She replaced the enchanted cloth in her pack and sealed it shut.
“Thank you, Flit,” Cardy said, breathing heavily. “That was close.”
We continued our quest in silence, slowing to a walk. The woods squeezed in on us, wheezing its icy breath around our exposed skin. After a few minutes, we stepped from the trees into a small, sandy clearing. There, in the middle of a meadow, lay a crystal-clear pool in the shape of a ring.
When I had been told to go to the Singing Stream, I had imagined a normal mountain creek, running clear, pure. This stream flowed in a circle and connected back to itself—going around and around, twenty feet wide and rushing swiftly. And it wasn’t singing.
I stepped to the edge to peek in. The bottom seemed only inches away, like I could reach down and pick up a rock from its shallow depths. There were no sirens or any other signs of life, but I suspected they were there, hiding in the uninviting depths of this pool.
Evil, deadly things lay waiting. They could probably see me, and were laughing at my fear. My mind came up with all sorts of monsters with hideous faces, sharp claws, and terrifying expressions.
My pulse began to pound, and I knew I couldn’t do this. I’d never even been able to open my eyes underwater—even in a pool. How would I see the evil creatures as they swam for me, their teeth bared and dripping with blood, their scaly hands outstretched?
That was all it took. I turned to run, a silent scream lodged in my throat.
Zach grabbed me as I fled past. “Lauren, stop!” He tried to hold me back, but my nails scratched desperately at the back of his hands until I broke free.
“Let go! I’m not doing it!”
Quickly, Flitwicket grabbed me by the shirt, and smacked me hard across the face.
I stopped trying to escape and stared at her in surprise, my cheek still stinging.
“What… what did you do that for? What happened?” I asked, genuinely shocked.
“You stepped on a twittering toadstool,” Flitwicket said matter-of-factly. “It casts a spell of fear, making you want to run. The stream doesn’t want to give up its treasures. There are a number of spells here to keep would-be thieves away. I should’ve warned you. I’m sorry.” She stroked my hair as she explained. It was the most soothing experience I think I’d ever had. A feeling of calm descended over me, and my tension eased.
“I’m okay now. That was weird.”
“Be very careful where you step. Here,” Flitwicket said, handing us each a round cherry bauble. “Eat this. As soon as you swallow, the thirty minutes begins.”
“Let’s hurry,” Zach said. “It looks like evening already. We don’t want to be here once it gets dark.”
We stood on the banks of the stream, holding our breathing spells. “On the count of three, swallow,” Flitwicket said. “One, two, three!”
I plopped the bauble in my mouth and chewed. Pleasantly surprised by the fruity flavor, I smiled, closing my eyes. I liked the way it stuck to my teeth like strawberry taffy. It made me imagine being home, snuggled in my bed, eating a harmless piece of candy.
Flitwicket touched a spot in the middle of her forehead, and a glowing, static shield appeared around her, shining brightly like a sunbeam around her whole body. She radiated golden light as she stepped forward and dove into the water.
Cardy dove next, making a huge splash. Waves lapped at the muddy bank, wetting my shoes. I hesitated, suddenly afraid. All those terrifying thoughts of demons and killer fish were foremost in my mind. I didn’t want to be a priestess anymore, and I couldn’t care less about rubies. But before I could react, Zach grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him into the stream.
I screamed as the cool water covered my head, and my clothes dragged behind me, heavy. I hadn’t thought about how they would weigh me down, but the rush of water felt good. After feeling something slither past my legs, my eyes snapped open.
The water was surprisingly clear, and my eyes didn’t burn or hurt in any way. I smiled. This wouldn’t be so bad after all. Like a summer dip in the community pool.
At Zach’s urging, I paddled for the bottom, using wide, strong strokes, my confidence building. Zach swam beside me the whole way, giving me a thumbs-up. I was so glad he was there. I’d have to be extra nice to him when this was over.
From out of nowhere, a beautiful woman appeared, her pale blue skin shimmering in the waning light. Silver hair floated around her pixie face, and her bright eyes focused on me. I floated in the water, mesmerized by the entrancing woman, wanting to reach out, eager to touch her cerulean skin. The siren reached for me also, and as soon as our hands intertwined, she began a sad, hypnotic song, pulling me away from Zach with amazing strength.
I didn’t even care. I wanted nothing more than to go wherever the singer took me. There was no thought of the future, of rubies, or of my brother. Just her.
A flash of white zipped past my face and exploded on the siren’s forehead. Sparks flew, but the siren wasn’t hurt, and man, did she get mad, her eyes flashing with fury. Flitwicket approached, her wand in hand. Another spell flew, hitting the sea-woman again. The siren screamed, finally letting go of me, and swimming for Flitwicket, her long, blue fingernails trying to scratch out the dryad’s eyes, but Flitwicket’s magical, glowing shield held strong.
I took in the scene with detached interest. Why did Flitwicket attack the beautiful woman? It was so rude. She hadn’t been doing anything wrong at all. I was jerked abruptly from my reverie when Zach smacked his hand against my face. It really hurt, and I was getting sick and tired of being slapped.
Turning in the water, I saw the lifeless body of the siren floating to the bottom of the stream. I realized then that Flitwicket had saved me from the beautiful, blue-skinned opera star, and I was glad it wasn’t me floating to the bottom.
Feeling a sense of urgency, I gathered courage and dove for the clams. The fact that I was breathing normally under the water didn’t even enter my mind. The shells sparkled in the sand, just waiting to be plucked. I pulled the dagger that Zach had given me from my belt, and began to pry. The first shell delivered a ruby the size of my thumbnail. In awe, I gazed at its perfectly faceted angles. It glowed blood red and reminded me of Zach’s pendant. Had that ruby come from this stream too?
I hurried to the next one… no ruby. Cardy stayed close, his sword out and ready to protect me. He squatted on the bottom of the river and watched the surrounding seaweed.
While I searched, I frequently glanced over at Cardy to make sure he was still there. He made me feel safe. At one point, I watched a vine slither slowly around his leg. He hacked at it to free himself, and for a moment, I almost stopped to help him, but I needed to hurry and find more rubies. I wasn’t sure how much longer we had before our breathing spells ran out. Figuring he could take care of himself, I went back to work.
After the fifteenth clam, I looked up, wondering where Flitwicket and Zach were. I saw Zach a short way off, surrounded by small, black piranha, but he seemed to hold his own as he slashed and stabbed the attacking fish, right in his element. Flitwicket battled with not one, but two beautiful sirens.
It was difficult to pull my eyes away as I watched one siren slash with sharp fingernails, and the other go for Flitwicket’s eyes. The dryad’s wand flashed so quick
ly and so often that I couldn’t even focus. A moment of envy filled me. I wanted to be like that. Beautiful, powerful, and magical.
Turning back to the clams, I hurried to the next shell—not knowing how long I had left to breathe under water, but praying that nothing disturbed me since I didn’t know how to fight. I grabbed at clams left and right, but suddenly I felt a sharp sting on my ankle.
A plump, gray fish with slender, needle-like teeth clung to me, its teeth sunk deep into my skin. At first I just stared, shocked this had happened to me. Then, I kicked, but the fish held on, ripping at my skin. In a panic, I reached for the terrifying piranha, which was causing me more pain than I’d ever felt before, like my foot was on fire, or being ripped apart at the bone. It slipped through my fingers with slimy swiftness, only to reattach itself on my other leg. I screamed out into the water, the pain too intense to describe. My mouth filled with floating debris, and I gagged. Cardy instantly appeared at my side, slicing the fish in half.
I grimaced a smile to my rescuer, spitting out the foul water, glad that they couldn’t see my tears of terror, and then hurried to search for more clamshells. I’d have to feel sorry for myself later. Trying to ignore the sting in my legs and feet and the pink-stained water, I concentrated instead on the cloud of blood that would attract all sorts of things. Maybe even sharks. I had no idea what swam in these waters, but my imagination ran wild.
I’d found three rubies, but that was it. The next three clams had nothing. Farther to my right, a large shell shimmered brightly, surrounded by dancing sea-grass. Kicking frantically, and leaving a pink cloud in my wake, I made it to a clam just as I felt a tightening in my chest. Oh no! My water breathing was coming to an end.
I held my breath as the giant shell broke open under my knife. Grabbing the blood-red stone within, I searched for Cardy, who now battled against too many demonic piranha to count. I kicked forward, hoping to help him, but I was suddenly filled with panic. My chest burned. I had to breathe! My lungs constricted, and automatically my mouth opened before I could even begin to kick for the surface, and I sucked in water just as the large ruby I held in my fist fell into my bag. Icy-cold fluid filled my nose and sinuses, and choked down my throat.