Chapter 9

 

 

From the armrest of Mogrom’s throne, Dom watched the sorceress pace to and fro across the floor. Even though her face was shadowed by her hood, he could sense how angry she was. Her crimson eyes were a glimmering evil.

 

‘Where are they?’ she muttered angrily. ‘What is Eldor up to?’

 

‘Don’t worry, Mogrom,’ Dom said. ‘I’m sure they’ll be here soon. They are my friends after all.’

 

Mogrom’s eyes flickered as she glanced at him.

 

‘Well some of them are your friends, Dom,’ she replied. ‘But as I have said, Jena’s bracelet is really mine. Eldor only wants it for himself.’

 

‘But Jena will give it to you once we tell her the truth,’ Dom said confidently.

 

‘But what if Eldor has put Jena under a spell?’ Mogrom asked slyly as she came up to the throne and sat down. ‘You’ll help me… won’t you, Dom?’

 

‘Of course,’ Dom frowned. ‘It’s not nice if Jena has been tricked.’

 

‘Good! Good!’ Mogrom cackled in delight.

 

Suddenly there was movement at the hall door and looking up, they saw Craw approaching.

 

‘Well!’ Mogrom snapped as he bowed low before her. ‘What news to you bring?’

 

‘A message has just arrived your majesty,’ he replied nervously. ‘It... it seems the wizard has found a way into the mountains near The Forest of Thorns.’

 

Mogrom’s eyes lit up in fury.

 

‘They must be found!’ she snapped and stabbed a finger at him. ‘Send more goblins into the mountains and find them!’

 

Craw bowed and fled the hall. Mogrom tapped an armrest thoughtfully and then her eyes narrowed.

 

‘Perhaps a change in the weather might be in order,’ she said in a menacing tone.

 

* * *

 

Crackling lightening woke Jena with a start and she sat up to find that night had come. Eldor’s staff was leaning against a wall, its crystal glowing softly to light up the cave. He and Nyssa were standing at its darkened entrance.

 

‘It sounds like a storm is coming,’ Jena said as she got to her feet.

 

‘There is, Jena,’ Eldor agreed gravely. ‘But it’s no ordinary storm. Mogrom is using her magic to conjure it and try and force us back down the mountain.’

 

‘But we can still try, can’t we?’ Jena asked, afraid that they wouldn’t be able to rescue Dom.

 

‘Of course, though it will not be easy,’ Eldor replied. ‘Come, we’ll leave now.’

 

Nyssa put Jena in her pack again and they emerged from the cave. A fierce, howling wind tore across the shelf of rock and rain drenched them in moments. The night was pitch black, till crackling lightning suddenly lit up the air. Above them boiling storm clouds filled the sky.

 

As thunder boomed in the air Eldor led them along the mountain wall. His staff lit the way, a tiny light in the surrounding darkness. Shortly they came to the edge of the shelf where it fell away into utter darkness. To the left some steps wound up the mountainside. The were barely a yard wide and looked in treacherous condition.

 

‘This is our way!’ the wizard shouted above the wind.

 

‘Good elves, Eldor! We’ll be blown off!’ Nyssa exclaimed.

 

‘My magic will protect us, Nyssa,’ the wizard replied. ‘Take my hand and whatever you do, don’t let go!’

 

‘Don’t worry, I won’t!’ she said as she gripped his hand tightly.

 

With that he led her up the narrow steps, his staff glowing even brighter.

 

* * *

 

As they climbed the storm grew in fury and Jena had never experienced one so terrible. Blinding lightning stabbed out of the clouds in forking bolts and thunder bellowed in deafening rumbles. It made the very mountain tremble under their feet. Icy rain lashed them and the wind howled in fury. Many times it threatened to pluck them off the mountain.

 

For what seemed like an eternity they battled up the mountain through the storm. They would have been beaten back had it not been for Eldor’s magic protecting them from the worst. The wizard bent stubbornly into whatever the storm threw at them, his staff casting a protective glow around them.

 

Then just as Jena thought that it would never end, the storm suddenly lifted away. The clouds vanished as if they had never been and revealed a sky glinting with thousands of stars. But the climb had almost exhausted Eldor and Nyssa and all were cold and miserable.

 

‘Mogrom’s magic has weakened,’ Eldor said wearily.  ‘She couldn’t keep up the storm forever.’

 

‘We must be close to her castle by now,’ Nyssa said.

 

Eldor nodded.

 

‘Not far now,’ he replied. ‘And look, the full moon rises!’

 

He waved a hand toward the east where the last clouds were drawing away. Against the distant horizon the full moon was starting to rise above it.

 

They stumbled on up the steps for a short way and then rounded a sharp bend. Here they found a narrow cleft in  the mountain stone. They walked down it short way till they came to a dead end.

 

‘We’re here!’ Eldor said in relief.

 

‘But it’s a dead end, Eldor!’ Jena said, once again sitting on Nyssa’s shoulder.

 

‘Not quite, Jena,’ he replied with a chuckle.

 

He touched his staff to the wall and orange sparks flew from its crystal. Instantly faint orange lines appeared against the stone and they grew to form the outline of a doorway. Then a low grinding sound was heard and to Jena and Nyssa’s wonder a door slowly opened inwards.

 

A tunnel lay beyond it, its walls covered entirely with large, clear crystals. But as the moonlight struck them they began to glow like silver. Eldor led them down the tunnel passed the crystals till they arrived at another dead end.

 

‘Now we wait till the moon light shines fully down the tunnel,’ Eldor said. ‘It will open another door deep beneath Mogrom’s castle.’

 

Jena of course was quite curious about the place Eldor had brought them to. She looked up at the wizard.

 

‘Who put the tunnel and the crystals here, Eldor?’ she asked.

 

A distant expression came over the wizard’s face and he took a moment to reply.

 

‘My own folk did Jena… a very long time ago.’

 

The moon soon rose into view in the night sky beyond the tunnel entrance. The crystals brightened sharply and then low grinding sound filled the air. Slowly the wall barring the way swung inwards.

 

As it opened a foul stench escaped from the passage beyond. Jena put a hand to face in disgust.

 

‘What... what a horrible smell!’ she exclaimed.

 

‘A huge cavern lies here beneath the castle and goblins aren’t the cleanest of creatures,’ Eldor said. ‘Their foulness probably fills it.’

 

They stepped through the doorway and into the cavern. Jena gaped at what the light revealed. Mighty stone pillars stood within it, rising high above to disappear into shadow. Eldor led them forward amidst the pillars, the air fouler than ever. Water lay on the cavern floor and the sound of their footsteps slapped loudly in it.

 

They had gone a short way when suddenly a deep growling filled the air. It was coming from somewhere ahead and Jena felt a terrible danger approaching. She looked at her bracelet and found it glowing brightly.

 

‘Eldor!’ she gasped in warning.

 

‘I know, Jena,’ he nodded and lifted his staff, its crystal glowing.

 

A huge, shadowy figure suddenly moved within the shadows of some pillars. A mighty bellow of rage shook the air. Then a fearsome beast stepped into the light and Nyssa gasped in terror.

 

‘A mountain troll!’ she exclaimed fearfully.

 

It was a huge creature, standing twice as tall as Eldor and heavily muscled. Its skin was grey and rough like stone. It had a wide mouth full of stained, broken teeth and green eyes that glowed menacingly. In one hand it held a great wooden club. It uttered another furious roar and raised it.

 

Nyssa fitted an arrow to her bow shakily, but Eldor put a hand on her arm.

 

‘Arrows will not harm it, Nyssa. Its skin is like stone,’ he said. ‘Get behind me and I will try and deal with it.’

 

He took a few steps toward the troll, his staff raised before him. He then called out in a commanding tone.

 

‘Be gone, beast of the mountains! We have no quarrel with you!’

 

But the troll roared again and suddenly swung its club at Eldor. The wizard braced his staff in both hands and met the blow. A great flare of orange light erupted around him. Then he suddenly staggered backwards and bumped into Nyssa. They both slipped and fell to the floor.

 

Jena was thrown off Nyssa’s shoulder and landed in the slimy water. She got to her feet with a coughing splutter, the horrid water coming up to her knees. She looked up to see the troll loom over them all, a bellow of rage escaping it. It raised its club again.

 

‘It’s too strong for me!’ Eldor exclaimed in dread. ‘My magic is weakened from battling the storm!’