Sacred Mountain

Chapter 26: Under The Mountain

'We have to go after her!' Annifer yelled.

'There's no time! We have a dragon to heal!' Jemima grabbed Annifer by the arm and pulled her up over the hillock they'd been hiding behind. 'I'll get the crystal. Remember not to look at the gorgon,'

They ran side by side, kicking up the virgin snow, towards the cave's entrance. Jemima crouched down and scooped up the murky coloured crystal from where it lay in a pile of its own flakes. 'Ouch! It's burning my hands!' She winced and dropped it quickly into Annifer's knapsack which she slung over her shoulders.

Bending to pick up a handful of snow to soothe her burning hands, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, the tiniest signs of movement from the mesmerized wolf pack. They lay still on the ground, their eyes frozen open, but as she watched she saw a pair of eyes blink, a paw twitch, a pair of nostrils flutter.

'Look! The wolves are waking up from their trance! Morwain can't control them from afar.'

'What about the gorgon?' Annifer stared wild-eyed at the motionless, snake-haired figure lying face down in the mouth of the cave, green scaled hands ending in yellow talonned fingers roped together behind its back. Annifer's voice trembled with nerves. 'Will she wake too?'

'No, he's given her the long sleep draught. She'll stay asleep till he gives her the antidote.'

'Come on! We need to go inside!' Annifer grasped Jemima's wrist and dragged her into the cave. They took care to avert their eyes as they dashed past the gorgon's prone form into the darkness of the tunnel.

The two girls slowed to a walk as their eyes adjusted to the low light, holding their hands out in front of them, the sunlight decreasing until only the eerie phosphorescent glow from the cave walls lit their way. The sounds of the forest vanished too and before long all they could hear was the echoing clump of their footsteps on the rock.

Hearts thudding in their chests, the subterranean air cool and damp against their skin, they hurried on. Soon openings appeared in the rock walls revealing more tunnels that stretched off in different directions.

'Which way do we go?' Annifer turned in a circle, her shrill voice reverberating all around them.

'We'll keep to this tunnel. It slopes downwards. The dragon will have buried himself as deep underground as possible. Follow me.'

Jemima made to continue but Annifer had stopped and at the entrance of one of the tunnels and was gazing into it transfixed, eyes wide, mouth open in amazement.

'What is it?' Jemima asked, coming to stand next to her and peer inside. It was the same cave she and Daisy had seen in the fire, its floor littered with scorched bones that might have been human if not for their size – charred skulls the size of boulders, soot-blackened ribcages as big as rowing boats, thigh bones as long as Jemima was tall.

'These are giants' bones!' Annifer whispered awestruck. Jemima blinked. She knew she had no choice but to tell the truth.

'It's a secret known only to the Wise Women. The giants were never wiped out. They're still alive in the wilderness north of Crosstain. It's the dragon that keeps them from getting too close to human settlements. This is why we have to save him.' Annifer gulped and stared at Jemima. Even in the underground gloom, Jemima could tell, her face was ashen, her eyes glassy with horror. 'We've no time to waste, Annie.' She seized her arm again and hauled her down the tunnel.

Suddenly, Jemima stopped dead in her tracks and cupped her ears. 'Sh!' Just audible in the silence was the low, deep rumble of a large creature breathing. The rhythm was irregular – one long deep breath followed by a few short pants. Their Wise Women senses told them these were the gasping breaths of very ill animal. 'This way!' Jemima darted off, following the sound along a side tunnel that led sharply downwards.