Chasing Darkness Part I

Chapter Nine

The end of the icy path was reached and Alisia, David and Crispin were on the soft dirt lined by green trees.

"Finally, away from that horrible cold mountain," breathed Crispin as he lied down in the dirt with his arms and legs wide open. 

"We have to remember that the Winter Fairies were very kind to us, so we can't completely say that the mountain was an awful place," reminded Alisia feeling the sack of fairy dust in her pocket. David and Crispin looked at Alisia with their eyebrows raised. "I guess it was pretty bleak though," laughed Alisia. David and Crispin laughed too.

"How long will it be until nightfall?" asked David helping Crispin up.

"No less than a couple of hours, but we are definitely making good progress," smiled Alisia. And she went ahead leading the way in the path which what looked like another forest. 

"Wait Alisia," said David stopping and holding Crispin back, feeling a little worried about entering the forest. "What sort of creatures are going to attack us in this forest?" asked David jokily. Alisia chuckled and walked back to talk to her friends directly.

"Nothing is going to attack us this time, but, we do need to talk to somebody who I have heard of around these parts," said Alisia assuring her friends. 

They carried on walking through the forest, David and Crispin looking over their shoulders every second for anything out of the ordinary. After walking for about half an hour the group came across something in the distance. Alisia walked towards the thing in the distance.

"What is that?" asked Crispin trying to keep up.

"It's a hut, and we need to go to it," said Alisia continuing to walk. Crispin moaned and tried to keep up.

The three travellers finally arrived outside the hut. It was old and tattered and was covered in leaves and birds had even made a home at the roof of the hut. Alisia knocked on the door. The tatty door swung open after one knock. They quietly crept into the hut.  It was fairly dark and had sunlight shining through the cracks of the hut. They looked around the hut and it was piled with dust and small animals were running out of the hut once they saw the travellers. They walked up the desk at the far end of the hut. Alisia rung the bell and an old man with a long white beard popped out from behind the desk. He had a limited set of teeth and was wearing a dirty old apron that looked as if it hadn't been washed in years.

"Who are you and how did you get here?" said the old man instantly.

"We came through the Ice Cap Mountains," said Alisia. The old man stared at her with wide eyes.

"How did you get past the..." stuttered the old man. Alisia, David and Crispin looked at one another.

"Get past what?" asked David. The old man looked at David.

"The caves, the labyrinths within the mountains," said the old man. The group could see the fear in his eyes.

"We went into a cave but we didn't see any labyrinths," said David. The old man said nothing yet the fear was still present in his eyes.

"Please sir; we came because I have heard that you possess knowledge of the Gate to the Spirit World," said Alisia. The old man looked immediately at Alisia.

"What do you wish to know?" asked the old man as the fear gradually faded from his eyes.

"We need to know how to get past the... obstacles," said Alisia. The old man nodded. David and Crispin exchanged looks as they were a little worried about what Alisia was saying to this man.

"You've come to the right place, do have any weaponry already?" asked the old man.

"I don't but David and Crispin have daggers,"