Sentari: ICE (4 page)

“Friendship is forged through adversity and lost in complacency.”

We All Need Help

Xerxes had long lived in the highlands, in silence and in solitude. Now in his eighty-third year, the old man had defied the odds to live and thrive in a bitter, cold world.

He lived in a small igloo he had carved out of the side of an ancient glacier, which sat between two of the most towering mountains in all the lands.

He lead a relatively sedate life – the death hounds didn’t come this high and although the dragons were aware of his presence, they seemed to leave him be. The only thing he had to stay vigilant about was the ever-present danger of avalanche. For that he relied on the services of his trusty partner, Alto. Alto was one of the few remaining dogs; his breed was an ancient ancestor of the death hound, from long before their hearts were corrupted and twisted.

It was quiet in the mountains. The wind was all that could be heard as it howled across the peaks. Most days were clear, as even the clouds didn’t often visit those heights. Some days the sun would be especially bright and almost had a warmth to it.

One day, Xerxes stepped out of his icy home and into the sunlight, with his trusty old wooden cane. He couldn’t remember the last time that the sun had so much power to it. “Something has changed,” he thought to himself.

Xerxes put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. “Come on, Alto,” he said, as the dog came bounding out of the igloo. Spending so many years on the ice, the two had become quite adept at traversing the slippery terrain.

Xerxes took a long, deep breath of the thin mountain air and looked at one of the most magnificent sights in all of Sentari. The thick, white clouds that floated below stretched out far into the distance, covering the world like a soft, fluffy blanket. Towering mountain tops poked out of the clouds and vast oceans could be seen through cracks in the cloud, with the sun on the horizon trying to assert its influence on the world.

“Come on, Alto. Time for breakfast,” said Xerxes. Xerxes stepped off the glacier and onto the dirt. A well-worn path lay in front of him. He tapped his cane on the ground three times for good luck, then headed off after Alto, who was bounding up the mountain toward the promise of food.

Xerxes picked up a rope that was tied to a small, wooden box full of snow and pulled it behind him.

The two went higher up the mountain to the dizzying heights of the summit. Xerxes leaned more and more on his cane as the air became thinner, until he reached the summit, which had been worn flat by the years of erosion.

Sitting on the summit was a round, silver platform with a smooth golden pole coming out of the centre. Xerxes had no idea what this platform was or how it worked. All he knew was that it provided warmth.

Sitting on top of the platform were two large wooden boxes, one a metre high and three to four metres long. Xerxes took the lid off one of the boxes to reveal a well-tended garden bed. Lots of different vegetables grew in the garden bed, including carrots, potatoes and cauliflower.

Xerxes pulled a carrot out of the ground and tossed it to Alto; although he wouldn’t normally eat vegetables, the combination of hunger and desperation had caused Alto to develop a taste for them.

Xerxes took the wooden lid completely off the garden bed. By day, the sunlight nurtured the vegetables but, by night, if he didn’t have the lid firmly in place, the frost would kill all the food.

At the end of the garden bed grew a beautiful, red rose bush. The flowers were radiant in colour like a neon light. Xerxes very carefully plucked one of the flowers. There were not many rose bushes left in the world; he treated this one like it was a living person.

Alto suddenly began to whimper. Xerxes knew exactly what that meant. He grabbed Alto and pulled him close, then grabbed the wooden lid and laid it over the top of them. Just as he did, three enormous dragons flew overhead, their flapping wings making a roaring noise above. The lead dragon opened its mouth wide, then screeched out with an ear-bleeding noise, causing the ground to shake.

Alto buried his head into Xerxes. He peered out from under the wooden lid. The dragons were oblivious to their presence. Although they would most likely leave them be, experience had taught him that they were without mercy and would strike you down if they were in the wrong mood.

Xerxes lowered the wooden lid as the dragons disappeared into the clouds below. He dusted off the flower he had picked, then walked over to a small, wooden cross that sat next to the platform. He leaned down and placed the rose at the base of the cross, “Happy anniversary, my love,” he said.

Xerxes took the lid off the second box, which was half-full of water. He pulled out an old metal cup and, ever thoughtful, gave Alto a drink before slaking his own thirst.

Xerxes grabbed the small, wooden box that he had dragged up the mountain and emptied the snow into the water. By the next morning that snow would melt and refill his reserve.

Suddenly, a bright light began to glow from the gold spire in the middle of the platform. Xerxes was startled. In all his years on the mountain he had never seen this before. The light pulsated and spun around like a fast-paced lighthouse beacon. The light became so strong that he could barely look at it. He put his hands in front of his eyes. Alto ducked for cover behind Xerxes.

Something in the light caught Xerxes’ attention. He did his best to peer through the cracks in his fingers and look directly at the spire. Inside the light, he briefly saw the face of a man he once knew, a man he had not seen in a very long time, his son. Then, just as suddenly as it flared up, the light went out.

Xerxes stood dumbfounded, unsure of what had happened. He shrugged his shoulders and walked back down the mountain. He had seen many strange things in this world, but he had learnt long ago that he was not meant to know everything.

He tried to shake the image of the man he saw. He told himself that it was nothing, just his mind playing tricks on him – old age finally setting in.

Alto walked unusually close to Xerxes as they made their way back down the mountain. This reminded Xerxes how grateful he was to have Alto. If it wasn’t for that dog he surely would not have lasted so long.

The two walked down the slippery road back to their cave. Xerxes took a deep breath of the fresh air. “It’s such a lovely day Alto, I think we can have a sleep out here.”

He disappeared into the cave for a moment, then returned with a large animal-skin rug. He put the rug out on a portion of exposed ground then lay down on it. Alto quickly took his place at Xerxes’ side and snuggled in close. At peace, Xerxes closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Xerxes’ mind drifted around aimlessly. The sweet, incoherent thoughts and feelings of the dream state swum in his head. His dreams always led him to the same place. He walked on gorgeous meadows, hand in hand with his darling wife, with Alto always at his side. He ran his hand through the soft, green grass. Tall trees swayed in the gentle, summer breeze and the sun sparkled in the cloudless sky; here he was truly happy.

But something was different with this dream. His wife stopped walking. Xerxes looked back at her. Her skin became cold to the touch. She stood frozen in time. He looked into her eyes and pleaded with her to say something. Cold air began to come out of her mouth. Her hands had become so cold that he could no longer stand to hold them. He let go and rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up.

The sky above darkened, with menacing-looking clouds rolling in, and he heard an ear-piercing shriek. He covered his ears in pain and thought to himself, only one creature can make a noise that loud – a dragon.

Xerxes turned around and looked straight at the belly of the mightiest dragon he had ever seen. He tilted his head back and gazed up at the beast. It was at least twenty metres tall, its teeth razor-sharp. Steam poured out of its nose, as its mighty wings stretched out wide, blocking the sun.

Xerxes stepped back and bumped into someone. He spun around to see Damon, his son, standing before him.

“What are you doing here?” asked Xerxes in a panic.

“There is no time, Father. He’s coming,” said Damon.

“Whose coming?” replied Xerxes.

“You must help him,” said Damon.

The mighty dragon let out a high-pitched screech. Xerxes turned around as the creature leaned down and looked directly at him with its dark, dead eyes.

The dragon began to suck in a large amount of air through its enormous nostrils. It opened its mouth wide and blasted out a gale of icy wind.

Xerxes’ arms and legs were instantly frozen in place, covered in a thick layer of ice. The ice coming from the dragon’s mouth grew stronger and stronger. Xerxes froze all over. The ice grew up his chest, through his shoulders then up his neck. Then, finally, with his eyes darting around in fear, Xerxes was completely engulfed in ice.

The dragon stopped blowing and leaped into the sky, flapping its wings and letting out a final screech so loud that Xerxes’ icy body shattered into a thousand pieces.

***

Xerxes woke abruptly with cold sweat pouring down his face. He breathed heavily as he tried to convince himself that it was only a dream. Alto slept at his side, blissfully unaware.

Xerxes looked up at the sky. The sun was getting very low. They had slept for far too long. Xerxes got to his feet. “Come on Alto, we’ve rested long enough.” Alto leapt to his feet with the energy of a much younger dog, and began to growl and snarl incessantly.

“What is wrong with you?” said Xerxes.

Alto started to bark louder and louder.

“What is it?”

From out of the trees below, Te’oma and Ariana hurried out carrying Julius. Ariana looked up and saw Xerxes standing next to Alto.

“Please, you must help us,” she cried.

“Who are you?” asked Xerxes.

“We haven’t much time. We intend you no harm, I promise,” continued Ariana.

Xerxes ran down to help them.

Te’oma looked at Xerxes. Xerxes was startled and stared intently at Te’oma.

“Are you alright?” asked Te’oma.

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” replied Xerxes, snapping out of his trance. He helped take Julius up the mountain.

“Quickly,” he said. “My home is just over here.”

Into the glacier they went, and down a painstakingly sculpted stone staircase, etched with inscriptions. The writing was not recognisable, but incredible to look at.

A perfect tunnel led through the ice. It must have taken decades to carve it out; the walls were smooth to the touch.

The further into the tunnel they went, the higher the ceilings became. The ice of the floor was so ancient and had been compressed so tight that it had an almost glass-like appearance, with a trace of blue running through it.

The tunnel opened up to a giant chamber. Wooden walls and ceilings protected the room from the ice around it. Large, animal-skin rugs lay across the floor. A metal fireplace sat in the corner of the room with a chimney. Two wooden beds lay near the fireplace, one large enough for Xerxes, the other specially designed for Alto.

“Quickly, lay him on the bed,” Xerxes instructed.

Te’oma and Ariana laid Julius down. He winced in pain as they lifted his legs onto the bed, revealing a large gash in the side of his left shin.

“What happened to him?” asked Xerxes.

“We were climbing the rocks and he slipped and sliced his leg open,” replied Ariana.

Xerxes got some nearby clothing and tore it in half. He lifted Julius’s leg and wrapped the cloth around it tight. Julius screamed in pain.

“I know it hurts, but trust me. This is what you need right now,” said Xerxes, as he pulled the cloth even tighter.

Julius screamed again before falling back onto the bed, unconscious.

Ariana ran to his side. “Julius!” she cried.

“He’s fine,” said Xerxes. “He’s just in shock. The wound is not that bad. He’ll be fine in a couple of days. You’re welcome to stay here until then.”

Xerxes walked over to the fireplace and picked up a kettle. “Now I’ll make you a cup of tea and you can tell me why, of all the places in Sentari, you came here.”

***

Ariana walked out of the cave. The sun had almost set in the distance and the bitter cold was setting in. She rubbed the goose bumps on her arm and shuddered in the wind.

Xerxes came out, holding two cups of tea. “Here” he said as he handed her the cup. “This will warm you up.” Xerxes stood next to Ariana, and looked out into the distance. “It’s a stunning sight, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yes,” replied Ariana. “We don’t often get to see the sky through the clouds anymore.”

“Up here the sun is always shining,” said Xerxes.

Te’oma came out of the cave, with Alto following him closely.

“He likes you, and he’s a very good judge of character,” Xerxes said.

Te’oma put his hand on Ariana shoulder to comfort her. She brushed him off and stormed away up the mountain. Xerxes motioned to Alto and Alto ran after her.

Xerxes sat down on a patch of dry ground.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “If I’ve learned anything about women in all my years it’s that if she cares enough to storm off, she must like you. She just needs a little time. Now sit down and tell me your story.”