Quest For The Key

Chapter 16: Hot To Touch

As the three  passed out of the forest , and away from the portal they stumbled upon a brick road.

“What is this doing in the middle of a forgotten forest” thought Pepper, but the group followed it anyway as suspicious as it was. It felt as though they had been walking for hours.

“This path is never going to end” complained jack

“ Oh shut up” shot Maple.

“ You can’t tell me to shut up” Jack yelled back.

“ I can and I will you brat” an annoyed Maple threatened.

“ ENOUGH!!!” silenced Pepper. “ look up there” she shouted. 

They all looked tilting their heads higher and higher until their gaze rested on the bursting and puffing volcano in front of them.“ Were all gonna die!!!” shouted Jack dramatically. Then they saw it, so small you might of missed it. There at the bottom of the volcano was a small opening. Like a little cave. That was where the path ended and although they all knew how risky the situation was,  they felt like there was something that had to be seen inside. 

Pepper and Shadow, Maple and Jack walked  cautiously approached the cave. From far back it looked lower then it actually was. Now up close it was several metres high. They would have to climb. Shadow scrambled onto Peppers right shoulder as she pushed the two children unto a small ledge where they would begin climbing.

Every thing started ok until they had made it to the top with much struggle. Inside was a dark and very long tunnel. They had no lights or candles so,  single file they followed pepper down the tunnel. She  ran her hand over the wall so that she knew they were going straight and as they were turning a bend Pepper stopped suddenly getting a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. In the distance a faint light shown dully.

Maple asked what was wrong and Pepper not wanting to alarm the children just said “ I thought I remembered this place from somewhere, oh well lets’ keep going we still have to find all the elements. The quicker we are in and out of here the happier I’ll be . Lets go.”

It was Jack that saw it first. The outline of another figure in the dim light near the exit. Quickly sensing danger he pushed everyone along the wall and signalled to be quiet. “ Follow me and be quiet” whispered Jack. Together tip toeing closer to the exit. It all happened so quick, one second she was there the next she wasn’t . Maple screamed from behind them but when the others turned to look she was gone. Hearing the blood curdling scream the figures Jack had seen near the exit who were guards of some sort ran toward them. One guard picked Jack up like a sack of potatoes while another pinned Peppers hands behind her back. The prisoners were led toward the light. Maybe everything would have been ok maybe it wouldn’t have. Jack wouldn’t have known.

He had started to scream and fling himself at the guard like a child having a tantrum. He even managed to catch the guard right in the mouth. The man cursed  in a language Jack   did not understand. Before he knew what was happening there was a sound of something whizzing towards him. He saw it before it hit him. Sharp and pointy, like the nose of a humming bird, that now shot into the side of his neck. His body shook, vibrating like a volt of electricity  coursed through him. There were moments of pain and he tried to fight but he was going numb, slowly in his arms first, then his lower body. A choking noise rumbled around in his mouth and bursting out. Then he slipped away and it all went blank.

Jack and Pepper lay on the stone floor in a cellar. Pepper had sat there for 3 hours waiting for Jack to wake up but he hadn’t even moved a muscle. Pepper was starting to get worried. Just then there was a movement by her feet, The guards had untied her hands from behind her back so she knelt down beside Jack and touch him gently. As if afraid he would shatter from her light gesture. Starling her he jerked up slapping her hand away. Then Jack started to make terrible groaning sounds. Pepper broke into hysterics as Jack then, slumped his body flinging his head back, he screamed and an agonised scream then gurgled and threw up dark blood all over the grey stones. Then back to unconsciousness  . At this point Pepper was balling her eyes out. She moved Jack’s frail limp body out of the pool of blood and to the corner of the cell. She had been trying to talk to him ever since but now come to the conclusion that he was in a coma.

Now Pepper lay all alone, crying and listening to her echo when a old man’s voice caught her attention.

“I had a child once, a family too, till they brought me here. I had everything till they brought me here”

“ Was he talking to me or himself” thought Pepper.  Not wanting to be rude Pepper simply whispered, “ Excuse me, where exactly is HERE”.

The man let out a crazed laugh “ My Dear no one really know where here is, and if they did they most certainly have not lived to tell anyone.”

“Oh well I don’t suppose you know where they have taken the little girl that was travelling with me” croaked Pepper. 

“ Well she’s not with you?” asked the old man oddly.

 “ No” 

“ then she’s with the queen. Actually that makes perfectly good sense now.”

“What does?” pepper was confused.

“Oh I am not allowed to say. It’s a secret miss, they would cut out my tongue if I were to tell you.”

“Do you know how to get out of here”

“ I have a plan actually but first we need to get some things straight. Who are you. Tell me how you got here.”

Pepper told the man the whole story from the beginning. Nosy he had even asked about her childhood, which seemed strange. Anyway, in all fairness he told her everything in return as well. The old man said his name was Lenerd and that so long ago he had been married to a young woman by the name of Juliana. Pepper thought the names sounded familiar but didn’t make a point of saying so. Lenerd also said that he had once had a little daughter, but they some how got separated. He hasn’t seen he since. Doesn’t even remember her name. Said sometimes he sees her in his dreams and he thinks he remembers but never does when dawn wakes him.

He and his wife ad been walking in the forest when they were ambushed. The guards brought them to the queen who thought his wife had been stunningly beautiful and wanted to keep her. He had been lucky though. They through him in the dungeon and had forgotten him but his poor wife Juliana had been poisoned and killed by one of the other maids who had been the queen’s  favourite before her. She had told the queen it was an accident. That Juliana had been poring herself some tea and she put in the rat poisoning instead of the sugar accidentally.

“ Actually I do have a plan and you know what, I think it might worked together. It’s early yet though, you should probably check on your friend there.  We will go in about an hour or so. I think my lock is lose."

Pepper answered every question Lenerd asked her and she told every detail. When she was done her complete life story which she had freely told to Lenerd she was pleased. Pepper found it easy to talk to him. He was a great listener and very empathetic to her struggles as a child. For once someone understood her, but as she looked up she took in Lenerd face. He was pale and scared, he looked as though he had seen a ghost. His teeth chattered and his eyes were two times their actual size.

“ The plans off” he muttered.

“ What? Why for? We had a deal” Pepper realized she was shouting and tried to stop but she was just so angry. She had trusted this man. Opened up and told him stuff she couldn’t even tell herself.

“ Deals off” Lenerd remarked trying to keep calm.

“ You said” started Pepper but he interupted her.

“ I know what I said” he screamed losing the little bit of sanity he had left. “ Your staying. I don’t want to get you killed”

“ You should have thought about that before you told me the plan. I’m going” confirmed Pepper as she met his firm stare. With that

Pepper was blown away and scared out of her wits, but even if she was she didn’t let Lenerd see that. What if the same thing would become of Maple.  Oh what would she do.

“ you must help me escape” she begged Lenerd. “Please!” Instead she went to check on Jack. When she felt his head he was burning up. Whatever was in that dart had a dangerous effect on his body. Pepper was scared he wouldn’t make it .