The Diaries Of Liz Davids: Secrets Uncovered (Book One : Complete)

Chapter 4

December 11, 2010

Dear Diary,

Jess and Mekisha said I’d passed out last night – this morning – whatever. The whole trip is really not much more than a blur. It was all so strange, the story about the Ancients and the two brothers who fled, but it turned out to really be true.

Mekisha said we’re in the Forest of Whispering Winds now. And let me tell you, there’s a reason for that name. The whole place is so beautiful, it’s actually scary. And there’s this really faint breeze that sounds like a whispered song all the time. It’s really beautiful. And the weather! Wow!

It’s warm here, too, with a faint, cool wind. We had to change our clothes completely. I’ve actually got my summer clothes on, if you can believe it. I’m so glad we’re out of that cold.

Mekisha actually continued her story, sort of, just when we woke up. She said that most of the places in Britain have secret, magic tunnels like the through which we came. She said we were the last ones to receive the Marks for the year.

Mekisha’s out looking for something to eat, and Jess is reading. I think I’ll read a bit, too. And enjoy the weather.

I put my journal back into my trunk, and looked up at the sky. A phoenix flew overhead, followed by three or four little flame balls. It’s been little more than an hour since I woke up, but I haven’t quite gotten used to the fact that I have finally found a way to step right into my greatest dream – a world filled with magic and monsters and danger – something that never could have happened back in England.

We were not at the entrance of the tunnel anymore – Mekisha had said it was too dangerous – but we followed a path for about half an hour and strayed from it into a very small clearing, just big enough for the three of us. Occasionally we heard the soft snarling of nearby wolves that were following the path, but Mekisha had insisted that the animals here meant humans no harm – it was really other human we were watching out for. ‘They never are what they seem,’ she’d said.

I watched the sky for a few minutes more, waiting for more phoenixes to pass until Mekisha showed up, carrying a small bag.

"Sorry I’m so late, you two. Had a bit of a difficulty finding this place again," she said.

I watched as Mekisha whipped up a nice breakfast for us on a fire she’d made – chicken eggs and a bit of meat. She wouldn’t tell us what kind of meat it was, so I was a bit reluctant at first bite, but it turned out very tasty. Only then did I realize how very hungry I was.

"By the way, happy birthday, you two," Mekisha said.

"Thanks," I said. Jess just grinned. "I actually wanted to go shopping today to buy a new belly-ring. Too bad …"

When we finished eating, Mekisha handed me and Jess each a palm-sized snow globe. I laughed as I saw mine had a wolf trying to get hold of a cat inside, with glitter swinging around when I shook it. Jess’s had a small black cat with glowing yellow eyes. We thanked her with a hug.

After we sat and talked for a few minutes, Mekisha led us back to the path and we set off again, talking merrily. She told us various stories of famous sorcerers her father had told her about, what they got famous for and how they had died. She also told us a lot about the school. Even though she had never been inside it herself, her father had given her plenty of pictures and told her all about it.

She had said that there were hundreds of paintings around all the walls, of famous sorcerers and a small description of each of them. She said the school was really a gigantic castle with three common rooms. No one but those who lived in them could enter the common rooms. If someone did not live in a certain common room, they would search for ever and never find the door, even though they might be looking right at it.