Chosen (14 page)
‘We’ll be right behind
you.’
Haven bent his head and kissed
Max gently on the lips. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he said softly, ‘Gilster
will look after you.’ He left her side and started up the
rock-face; reaching the cave mouth easily, he yelled down to
Gilster. ‘Let me know when to start pulling.’ Gilster held Max’s
leg away from the rocks so as not to bump her already swollen
ankle.
‘Let’s get you up there, are
you ready?’ Max nodded. ‘We’re ready, start pulling,’ yelled
Gilster. The slack of the rope was slowly pulled taut and Max began
to gently rise off the ground. Gilster climbed slowly with her,
talking to her, reassuring her that all would be fine. With snow
making the rock-face slippery and Max dangling from a rope in the
wind, Gilster struggled to keep control but eventually they reached
the top, safe and sound. Haven pulled her up over the lip of the
ledge and carried her inside the cave. He took a few minutes to
start a small fire for warmth, while Gilster fussed around trying
to make Max as comfortable as possible given her injury.
‘Do you think you can heal
yourself?’ asked Haven as he sat down beside her. ‘Can you use
reiki?’
‘I’ll try,’ said Max, ‘but I
don’t think it will work, I have to concentrate to let the energy
flow but the pain is so intense I don’t think I’ll be able
to.’
‘Well, give it go,’ said
Gilster patting her hand reassuringly. Max tentatively placed her
hands on her ankle, closed her eyes and tried to let the energy
flow. She sat quietly for about ten minutes before Haven noticed a
tear trickle down her cheek.
‘It’s not working is it?’ he
said sadly.
Max opened her eyes, ‘no, I’m
sorry, I just can’t get past the pain, what are we going to do now?
How can I continue if I can’t walk?’ She began to cry with
frustration and pain.
‘We’ll find a way, please don’t
cry,’ said Haven. He felt helpless, not knowing how to help
Max.
Walking to the cave mouth, he
beckoned for Gilster to follow. They stood in the entrance with the
wind and snow swirling around them. Gilster’s cloak billowed out
behind him making it look like he had giant black wings; Haven who
had given his cloak to Max, stood shivering in his leather
jerkin.
‘It’s not good, is it,’ said
Gilster frowning, ‘she’s right, I don’t know how we can continue if
she can’t walk.’
Haven didn’t hear him, he was
thinking about the time Gilster had sung the Anubian to death.
Reminding Gilster, he asked. ‘Do you think it would be possible to
reverse it and fix Max’s ankle?’
Gilster was taken aback. ‘I
don’t know . . . possibly, but it could be very dangerous, one
wrong note and I could make it much worse, fixing something is much
harder than destroying it.’
‘You couldn’t make things any
worse than they already are,’ said Haven running his hand roughly
through his hair in frustration, ‘we can’t go on until she recovers
and that could take months, unfortunately we don’t have that kind
of time.’
‘Well, I’m willing to give it a
go,’ said Gilster, ‘but I won’t attempt it unless we speak to Max
and she knows the danger; if after that she agrees, then I will
try.’
‘Of course, I wouldn’t think of
doing anything without her consent, but we have to try something.
Let’s go and ask her,’ said Haven, glad to be returning to the
relative warmth of the cave. They walked back into the cave and
found Max where they had left her, huddled in her cloak leaning
against the cave wall. She had her eyes closed but Haven knew she
was awake. ‘Max,’ he said softly, kneeling down beside her, ‘we may
have a solution to the problem, but I need your consent to try
it.’
They explained the story about
the Anubian and what Gilster had done to him with his singing. Max
was shocked, poor Gilster, how difficult would that have been for
him to accept, he was a gentle man and hated violence. Haven told
her about his idea that perhaps the singing could be used for
healing purposes, she listened to what they planned to try on her
ankle and although it sounded dangerous, she believed it could
work.
Gilster finished with, ‘I will
not attempt this if you are at all unsure, as I told you I have
never done this before and there is no guarantee it will
work.’
Gilster. ‘but I still need think about the sort of song to use
before I start.’
‘Ok,’ said Max, ‘let me know
when you’re ready. And please,’ she added, ‘if something goes
wrong, don’t blame yourself, it was my decision.’
Haven and Max sat talking
quietly while Gilster wandered around the cave humming softly. ‘I
hope this works,’ said Haven, ‘I really don’t know what we will do
if it doesn’t.’
‘I’d be happy just to get the
pain to stop,’ said Max wincing again.
‘All right,’ said Gilster
making his way over to where they were sitting, ‘I believe I have a
song that will do the job, I’ve had to improvise because of the
short amount of time, but I still believe it will work. Are you
ready Max?’ She nodded. ‘Then let’s begin.’
He stood in front of Max, his
eyes shut tight and began singing softly. The song was unusual but
not in an unpleasant way. Max’s eyes slowly closed and her
breathing became deep and regular. Gilster sang on; the song
becoming more and more intricate until it reached a crescendo and
then fell into silence. Haven thought it was all over until he saw
Gilster’s lips moving, he realised the song was continuing and kept
silent. It was one of the most intricate songs Haven had ever heard
and he’d heard plenty over the years. Gilster sang one final, long,
continuous note until the last gasp of breath left his body.
Sinking slowly to the ground, ‘it is done,’ he said before passing
out. Haven checked Gilster and Max, they seemed fine; both were in
a deep, relaxing sleep. He made sure they were covered by their
cloaks before he lay down and tried to get some sleep.
Sunlight filtered in through
the cave-mouth; it moved slowly up Haven’s body, warming him as it
went. He felt content. With his eyes closed and a smile on his
face, he reached over to feel for Max, he felt nothing but empty
space, she was not there. Bolting upright, his eyes wide, he saw
Gilster was gone too. Tossing aside his cloak he scrambled to his
feet, frantically searching the cave for his missing friends,
calling out their names in panic.
‘Calm down Haven, we’re fine,’
said Gilster, walking back into the cave, a drink in his hand. ‘We
didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful.’ Haven relaxed,
but before he could ask, Gilster continued. ‘Max has gone
exploring, and yes, her ankle is fully healed.’
‘That is the best news I’ve
heard for ages,’ said Haven, ‘I knew you could do it.’
Gilster swept his cloak into a
graceful bow, ‘well I guess I’m officially a healer now.’
Haven, ‘we can only just hear you.’
‘I’m on my way back, hang on,’
came the echoing reply.
A few minutes passed before
they saw a torch light bobbing up and down, making its way back up
the tunnel at the back of the cave. When Max came into view, Haven
automatically looked down at her ankle.
‘Oh that,’ she said lifting her
leg up and wriggling her foot around, ‘it’s all fixed, in fact I
think Gilster has actually improved on the original.’
Gilster smiled, ‘don’t overdo
the praise, I’m maybe good but I’m not that good.’
‘So what was all that noise you
were making,’ said Haven, ‘you found something?’
‘Yes, this,’ said Max holding
up a piece of yellowing parchment. ‘It’s the scroll Janus said I
had to find. At the end of the tunnel I found an old metallic box
sitting on a shelf carved into the rock. I used the key Janus gave
me and when I opened it, there it was.’
Haven smiled, ‘I think maybe
Janus and Freya are helping us after all.’
‘You could be right, my
friend,’ said Gilster nodding, ‘you could be right.’
When everything had been
repacked they used the rope and carefully made the slippery descent
back down to the pathway, they would have to leave the rope behind,
something Haven was not too happy about. It had stopped snowing and
the wind had dropped considerably but the temperature had been
below freezing most of the night and had covered everything with an
icy sheen, making the path a treacherous nightmare to walk on. The
sun was slowly melting the ice but not quickly enough for the three
who had to walk on it.
‘We must keep going,’ said
Haven, as he slid backwards about two feet, ‘we have to make it to
the top today, we can’t waste any more time.’
The three slipped, tripped and
fell constantly, but finally, they made it to top, the plateau
stretched before them glittering like a giant diamond in the
sun.
‘So,’ said Max, ‘what now? This
is a big plateau, where do we start looking for a portal?’
Haven was looking around using
the binoculars he’d pulled from his backpack. ‘Isn’t there supposed
to be some sort of old ruins around somewhere? Let’s see if we can
find them first.’
After wandering around for
about four hours with nothing to show for it except wet feet, Haven
was beginning to give up hope of ever finding the portal. They had
found nothing resembling ruins and he had not heard a peep
telepathically from the next Chosen. The sun had finally melted the
ice so the going was now more soggy than slippery. Haven sat down
on a nearby rock and looked around. He saw Gilster off in the
distance wandering around lifting up rocks, kicking tussocks of
alpine grasses and looking under the scrubby bushes that covered
the plateau. At least the scenery is nice thought Haven, as he
watched a huge eagle overhead, circling higher and higher on the
thermals. The sun warmed his back making him feel drowsy, his
eyelids began to feel very heavy and he was having difficulty
keeping awake. He felt himself falling, falling into sleep.
‘OH MY GOD,’ came the scream
into his mind. He fell backwards off the rock with shock, luckily
the ground was so soggy he just made a squelching noise as he
hit.
‘What the --,’ he thought
struggling to sit upright. ‘Max? Is everything alright, you almost
scared me to death.’ The next thought he heard was just as excited
but the decibels had dropped slightly.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout
like that, but I think I’ve found what we’ve been looking for. Look
up, I’m over here,’ he heard in his mind. There was a sucking sound
as he sat upright. Looking around, he saw Gilster still wandering
around aimlessly and then, about another 100 yards behind him he
saw Max waving frantically. ‘Over here,’ he heard, ‘over
here.’
‘Yes, I see you,’ he thought,
‘I’m heading over now, I’ll get Gilster on the way.’ He looked up
to make sure she had heard him, just in time to see her swallowed
up by the ground. ‘Max! . . . MAX,’ he shouted. Hearing not a
single thought in return he began to run towards the last place he
had seen her. With each stride the soggy ground only grudgingly
released his boots and the melted snow splashed up his legs. He
soon reached Gilster who had been daydreaming in the warm sun.
‘Wha . . .,’ he panicked when
he saw Haven barrelling down on him like a huge bear, water and mud
splashing in all directions.
‘It’s Max,’ he heard as Haven
ran straight past, his cloak streaming out behind. ‘She just
disappeared. Follow me.’ The two soon reached the last place Haven
had seen Max. They stood hands on hips, breathing heavily in the
high altitude.
‘Where is she?’ panted Haven,
‘I can’t see or hear her. The ground just seemed to swallow her
up.’
‘Don’t panic,’ said Gilster,
‘she must be here somewhere, we’ll find her. Wait a minute . . . I
think I heard something,’ he raised his hand for silence. Both men
strained to hear the least little sound that might point them in
the right direction.
‘Ahhhhh.’
‘Did you hear that Gil? I think
I heard someone moaning, it sounds like it’s coming from below
us.’
‘Yes, I heard it, but be
careful, somewhere around here is an ope -,’ he took a step towards
Haven and dropped down, straight through the ground.
‘Not again,’ thought Haven
dropping to his knees. He carefully parted the grass and found an
opening with a drop of about ten feet. He saw Gilster sitting on
the ground, slightly dazed and Max rubbing a bump on the back of
her head. She looked up to see Haven’s face peering down at her
through the hole. A huge grin formed on her face.
‘Hurry up and get down here,
I’ve found them . . . the ruins we’ve been looking for, the portal
must be around here somewhere.’ Gilster was already on his feet and
helped Max stand, she dusted herself off and ran into the tunnel
they had just fallen into.
‘Wait,’ yelled Haven as he
watched her disappear, ‘wait for me, we need to be together when
the portal opens.’ He wriggled down through the opening, landing in
a crouch. ‘Quick Gil, we mustn’t lose her.’
Both men raced off after Max.
Small daggers of light stabbed down from tiny holes in the roof
overhead, lighting their way. The tunnel eventually opened up into
a huge cavern. Max had already made her way down onto the cavern
floor.
‘Just look at this place,’ she
said turning in circles her head bent back trying to take
everything in, ‘it’s amazing. Who do you think built it?’ Haven and
Gilster weren’t really interested in the ruins all they wanted to
do was to find the portal.
you.’
Haven bent his head and kissed
Max gently on the lips. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he said softly, ‘Gilster
will look after you.’ He left her side and started up the
rock-face; reaching the cave mouth easily, he yelled down to
Gilster. ‘Let me know when to start pulling.’ Gilster held Max’s
leg away from the rocks so as not to bump her already swollen
ankle.
‘Let’s get you up there, are
you ready?’ Max nodded. ‘We’re ready, start pulling,’ yelled
Gilster. The slack of the rope was slowly pulled taut and Max began
to gently rise off the ground. Gilster climbed slowly with her,
talking to her, reassuring her that all would be fine. With snow
making the rock-face slippery and Max dangling from a rope in the
wind, Gilster struggled to keep control but eventually they reached
the top, safe and sound. Haven pulled her up over the lip of the
ledge and carried her inside the cave. He took a few minutes to
start a small fire for warmth, while Gilster fussed around trying
to make Max as comfortable as possible given her injury.
‘Do you think you can heal
yourself?’ asked Haven as he sat down beside her. ‘Can you use
reiki?’
‘I’ll try,’ said Max, ‘but I
don’t think it will work, I have to concentrate to let the energy
flow but the pain is so intense I don’t think I’ll be able
to.’
‘Well, give it go,’ said
Gilster patting her hand reassuringly. Max tentatively placed her
hands on her ankle, closed her eyes and tried to let the energy
flow. She sat quietly for about ten minutes before Haven noticed a
tear trickle down her cheek.
‘It’s not working is it?’ he
said sadly.
Max opened her eyes, ‘no, I’m
sorry, I just can’t get past the pain, what are we going to do now?
How can I continue if I can’t walk?’ She began to cry with
frustration and pain.
‘We’ll find a way, please don’t
cry,’ said Haven. He felt helpless, not knowing how to help
Max.
Walking to the cave mouth, he
beckoned for Gilster to follow. They stood in the entrance with the
wind and snow swirling around them. Gilster’s cloak billowed out
behind him making it look like he had giant black wings; Haven who
had given his cloak to Max, stood shivering in his leather
jerkin.
‘It’s not good, is it,’ said
Gilster frowning, ‘she’s right, I don’t know how we can continue if
she can’t walk.’
Haven didn’t hear him, he was
thinking about the time Gilster had sung the Anubian to death.
Reminding Gilster, he asked. ‘Do you think it would be possible to
reverse it and fix Max’s ankle?’
Gilster was taken aback. ‘I
don’t know . . . possibly, but it could be very dangerous, one
wrong note and I could make it much worse, fixing something is much
harder than destroying it.’
‘You couldn’t make things any
worse than they already are,’ said Haven running his hand roughly
through his hair in frustration, ‘we can’t go on until she recovers
and that could take months, unfortunately we don’t have that kind
of time.’
‘Well, I’m willing to give it a
go,’ said Gilster, ‘but I won’t attempt it unless we speak to Max
and she knows the danger; if after that she agrees, then I will
try.’
‘Of course, I wouldn’t think of
doing anything without her consent, but we have to try something.
Let’s go and ask her,’ said Haven, glad to be returning to the
relative warmth of the cave. They walked back into the cave and
found Max where they had left her, huddled in her cloak leaning
against the cave wall. She had her eyes closed but Haven knew she
was awake. ‘Max,’ he said softly, kneeling down beside her, ‘we may
have a solution to the problem, but I need your consent to try
it.’
They explained the story about
the Anubian and what Gilster had done to him with his singing. Max
was shocked, poor Gilster, how difficult would that have been for
him to accept, he was a gentle man and hated violence. Haven told
her about his idea that perhaps the singing could be used for
healing purposes, she listened to what they planned to try on her
ankle and although it sounded dangerous, she believed it could
work.
Gilster finished with, ‘I will
not attempt this if you are at all unsure, as I told you I have
never done this before and there is no guarantee it will
work.’
‘There
are
no guarantees in
life,’ said Max philosophically, ‘but I really think this might
work, so give it a go, I trust you.’
Gilster. ‘but I still need think about the sort of song to use
before I start.’
‘Ok,’ said Max, ‘let me know
when you’re ready. And please,’ she added, ‘if something goes
wrong, don’t blame yourself, it was my decision.’
Haven and Max sat talking
quietly while Gilster wandered around the cave humming softly. ‘I
hope this works,’ said Haven, ‘I really don’t know what we will do
if it doesn’t.’
‘I’d be happy just to get the
pain to stop,’ said Max wincing again.
‘All right,’ said Gilster
making his way over to where they were sitting, ‘I believe I have a
song that will do the job, I’ve had to improvise because of the
short amount of time, but I still believe it will work. Are you
ready Max?’ She nodded. ‘Then let’s begin.’
He stood in front of Max, his
eyes shut tight and began singing softly. The song was unusual but
not in an unpleasant way. Max’s eyes slowly closed and her
breathing became deep and regular. Gilster sang on; the song
becoming more and more intricate until it reached a crescendo and
then fell into silence. Haven thought it was all over until he saw
Gilster’s lips moving, he realised the song was continuing and kept
silent. It was one of the most intricate songs Haven had ever heard
and he’d heard plenty over the years. Gilster sang one final, long,
continuous note until the last gasp of breath left his body.
Sinking slowly to the ground, ‘it is done,’ he said before passing
out. Haven checked Gilster and Max, they seemed fine; both were in
a deep, relaxing sleep. He made sure they were covered by their
cloaks before he lay down and tried to get some sleep.
Sunlight filtered in through
the cave-mouth; it moved slowly up Haven’s body, warming him as it
went. He felt content. With his eyes closed and a smile on his
face, he reached over to feel for Max, he felt nothing but empty
space, she was not there. Bolting upright, his eyes wide, he saw
Gilster was gone too. Tossing aside his cloak he scrambled to his
feet, frantically searching the cave for his missing friends,
calling out their names in panic.
‘Calm down Haven, we’re fine,’
said Gilster, walking back into the cave, a drink in his hand. ‘We
didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful.’ Haven relaxed,
but before he could ask, Gilster continued. ‘Max has gone
exploring, and yes, her ankle is fully healed.’
‘That is the best news I’ve
heard for ages,’ said Haven, ‘I knew you could do it.’
Gilster swept his cloak into a
graceful bow, ‘well I guess I’m officially a healer now.’
They heard a
voice echoing from deep within the cave. ‘Woo hoo, I can’t believe
it, everything really
does
happen for a reason, I’ve found it.’
Haven, ‘we can only just hear you.’
‘I’m on my way back, hang on,’
came the echoing reply.
A few minutes passed before
they saw a torch light bobbing up and down, making its way back up
the tunnel at the back of the cave. When Max came into view, Haven
automatically looked down at her ankle.
‘Oh that,’ she said lifting her
leg up and wriggling her foot around, ‘it’s all fixed, in fact I
think Gilster has actually improved on the original.’
Gilster smiled, ‘don’t overdo
the praise, I’m maybe good but I’m not that good.’
‘So what was all that noise you
were making,’ said Haven, ‘you found something?’
‘Yes, this,’ said Max holding
up a piece of yellowing parchment. ‘It’s the scroll Janus said I
had to find. At the end of the tunnel I found an old metallic box
sitting on a shelf carved into the rock. I used the key Janus gave
me and when I opened it, there it was.’
Haven smiled, ‘I think maybe
Janus and Freya are helping us after all.’
‘You could be right, my
friend,’ said Gilster nodding, ‘you could be right.’
When everything had been
repacked they used the rope and carefully made the slippery descent
back down to the pathway, they would have to leave the rope behind,
something Haven was not too happy about. It had stopped snowing and
the wind had dropped considerably but the temperature had been
below freezing most of the night and had covered everything with an
icy sheen, making the path a treacherous nightmare to walk on. The
sun was slowly melting the ice but not quickly enough for the three
who had to walk on it.
‘We must keep going,’ said
Haven, as he slid backwards about two feet, ‘we have to make it to
the top today, we can’t waste any more time.’
The three slipped, tripped and
fell constantly, but finally, they made it to top, the plateau
stretched before them glittering like a giant diamond in the
sun.
‘So,’ said Max, ‘what now? This
is a big plateau, where do we start looking for a portal?’
Haven was looking around using
the binoculars he’d pulled from his backpack. ‘Isn’t there supposed
to be some sort of old ruins around somewhere? Let’s see if we can
find them first.’
After wandering around for
about four hours with nothing to show for it except wet feet, Haven
was beginning to give up hope of ever finding the portal. They had
found nothing resembling ruins and he had not heard a peep
telepathically from the next Chosen. The sun had finally melted the
ice so the going was now more soggy than slippery. Haven sat down
on a nearby rock and looked around. He saw Gilster off in the
distance wandering around lifting up rocks, kicking tussocks of
alpine grasses and looking under the scrubby bushes that covered
the plateau. At least the scenery is nice thought Haven, as he
watched a huge eagle overhead, circling higher and higher on the
thermals. The sun warmed his back making him feel drowsy, his
eyelids began to feel very heavy and he was having difficulty
keeping awake. He felt himself falling, falling into sleep.
‘OH MY GOD,’ came the scream
into his mind. He fell backwards off the rock with shock, luckily
the ground was so soggy he just made a squelching noise as he
hit.
‘What the --,’ he thought
struggling to sit upright. ‘Max? Is everything alright, you almost
scared me to death.’ The next thought he heard was just as excited
but the decibels had dropped slightly.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout
like that, but I think I’ve found what we’ve been looking for. Look
up, I’m over here,’ he heard in his mind. There was a sucking sound
as he sat upright. Looking around, he saw Gilster still wandering
around aimlessly and then, about another 100 yards behind him he
saw Max waving frantically. ‘Over here,’ he heard, ‘over
here.’
‘Yes, I see you,’ he thought,
‘I’m heading over now, I’ll get Gilster on the way.’ He looked up
to make sure she had heard him, just in time to see her swallowed
up by the ground. ‘Max! . . . MAX,’ he shouted. Hearing not a
single thought in return he began to run towards the last place he
had seen her. With each stride the soggy ground only grudgingly
released his boots and the melted snow splashed up his legs. He
soon reached Gilster who had been daydreaming in the warm sun.
‘Wha . . .,’ he panicked when
he saw Haven barrelling down on him like a huge bear, water and mud
splashing in all directions.
‘It’s Max,’ he heard as Haven
ran straight past, his cloak streaming out behind. ‘She just
disappeared. Follow me.’ The two soon reached the last place Haven
had seen Max. They stood hands on hips, breathing heavily in the
high altitude.
‘Where is she?’ panted Haven,
‘I can’t see or hear her. The ground just seemed to swallow her
up.’
‘Don’t panic,’ said Gilster,
‘she must be here somewhere, we’ll find her. Wait a minute . . . I
think I heard something,’ he raised his hand for silence. Both men
strained to hear the least little sound that might point them in
the right direction.
‘Ahhhhh.’
‘Did you hear that Gil? I think
I heard someone moaning, it sounds like it’s coming from below
us.’
‘Yes, I heard it, but be
careful, somewhere around here is an ope -,’ he took a step towards
Haven and dropped down, straight through the ground.
‘Not again,’ thought Haven
dropping to his knees. He carefully parted the grass and found an
opening with a drop of about ten feet. He saw Gilster sitting on
the ground, slightly dazed and Max rubbing a bump on the back of
her head. She looked up to see Haven’s face peering down at her
through the hole. A huge grin formed on her face.
‘Hurry up and get down here,
I’ve found them . . . the ruins we’ve been looking for, the portal
must be around here somewhere.’ Gilster was already on his feet and
helped Max stand, she dusted herself off and ran into the tunnel
they had just fallen into.
‘Wait,’ yelled Haven as he
watched her disappear, ‘wait for me, we need to be together when
the portal opens.’ He wriggled down through the opening, landing in
a crouch. ‘Quick Gil, we mustn’t lose her.’
Both men raced off after Max.
Small daggers of light stabbed down from tiny holes in the roof
overhead, lighting their way. The tunnel eventually opened up into
a huge cavern. Max had already made her way down onto the cavern
floor.
‘Just look at this place,’ she
said turning in circles her head bent back trying to take
everything in, ‘it’s amazing. Who do you think built it?’ Haven and
Gilster weren’t really interested in the ruins all they wanted to
do was to find the portal.
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