The Rise of Isaac, Books 1-3, page 54
Oliver shuffled forward and did as he was told, the hook disappearing out of sight beneath the surface.
"Now what?" Oliver asked.
"Now we wait," Hector said, sitting back on his heels and taking out a cigarette.
The wind whipped across the open lake, picking up snow and swirling it around as it caught in the air.
"Smoking's bad for you, you know?" Oliver jibed.
Hector laughed. "Yeah, well so are a lot of things."
The wire wriggled in Oliver's hand and he gripped it tighter.
"That's it, now reel it in nice and slow," Hector said as the cigarette sat on one side of his mouth.
Oliver pulled the wire in and the hook emerged from the water with a lump of weed stuck on the end of it.
"Damn cale weed," Hector said, letting out a breath that was mainly smoke.
Oliver teased the tangled weed off and dropped the bait back into the water.
"Don't drop it so low this time, the lake must be pretty shallow in this part if you're pullin' up weeds."
Oliver complied and sat back on his heels. "How far are we from the groll caves?"
"I reckon a day and a bit's walk with you lot. Once we're there we'll have to find the prince. If there's anythin' left of him to find."
"Do you think they've eaten him?" Oliver asked in horror.
"Na. Not really." Hector grinned.
Oliver laughed in surprise. "I didn't realise you had a sense of humour."
"Yeah well, it comes and goes," Hector said with a crooked grin.
"So why haven't they harmed the prince?" Oliver asked, gazing at the circular pool of water.
"The groll who took him won't harm that boy. It's practically lost a son itself. It'll want the trade."
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, looking up at him.
A mischievous look crossed Hector's features and he reached into his bag. He pulled out a large object, tightly wrapped in cloth. He removed the material and Oliver's breath caught in his throat.
It was a clawed, grey hand gripping onto an enormous gemstone the shape of an axehead. The sun broke over the hill, casting crimson light across the lake and it caught in the gemstone, bringing it to life. It glistened and glittered like stardust, catching the rays and reflecting them in every direction.
Oliver was filled with the urge to reach out and touch it, his hand lifting up almost involuntarily.
Hector smacked it away. "You don't wanna do that. This stone will slice your fingers off at the slightest touch, the only thing that can touch it is the grolls. Hence this." He gestured to the clawed hand gripping it. He returned the arm to the cloth, the stone held in such a way that the material mustn't have been touching it. Hector stowed it back in his bag with a hint of pride playing across his features.
"It's a scrivenstone," Hector said.
Oliver nodded. "The Queen mentioned it."
Suddenly, there was a keen tug on the wire and he was sure he had caught a fish.
"That's it. You've got one." Hector stubbed his cigarette out in the snow and leant forward, eyeing the wire excitedly as Oliver reeled it in.
"Why didn't you mention this lake? We could have had dinner last night," Quinn's voice floated across to them from somewhere nearby.
Oliver didn't look away, determined to pull in the fish.
A strange sound filled his ears: cracking ice and splashing water.
"HEY!" Hector shouted angrily, getting to his feet.
Oliver swung around, forgetting the wire in his hand.
"Breakfast is served!" Quinn called, standing triumphantly beside a pile of cooked fish next to a hole in the ice.
"Quinn," Oliver scolded.
"What?" she said blankly, clearly not understanding.
Oliver eyed Hector's face which had turned an angry shade of red.
"Don't worry about it," Oliver muttered, handing Hector the wire.
Hector reeled it in then bent down and reached into the water as the fish surfaced. It was white and looked blind, adapted for the dark water beneath the ice. He gently removed the hook from the creature's gasping mouth.
"No need harming anything more than we have to," Hector growled, dropping the little fish back into the water.
They returned to the glade, helping Quinn carry the fish back. Oliver eyed Hector warily, expecting him to lose his temper at any moment. Somehow, his silence was worse. Hector refused to look at Quinn as they climbed the hill out of the clearing then stormed off ahead as they neared the top.
"He really needs to get his attitude in check," Quinn said with a swish of her long hair.
"I think he just really hates magic," Oliver said, feeling his own anger rising. "Maybe you should be more considerate."
Quinn's hazel eyes rounded on him and Oliver glared back, not backing down.
She tutted loudly. "Fine."
Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? I was readying for world war three."
"For what?" Her forehead creased up in confusion.
"Never mind," Oliver said with a laugh.
Quinn clutched onto his arm as they started descending the steep hill on the other side. "Earthies are weird," she said, shaking her head.
"That's world-ist," Oliver said with a grin. He almost lost his footing on a patch of ice where the snow had been compacted by their boots earlier.
She steadied him and started giggling. "That's not even a word."
"It is now," he said as they finished their descent and walked toward the giant igloo.
The others were packing up, readying to leave as they approached. Hector dumped the fish at their feet, keeping one for himself which he ate alone at the side of the clearing.
"Is he alright?" Anna asked, frowning at him.
"Yeah he's just angry with Quinn," Oliver said.
"No change there then," Rogan said, looking amused. "What did you do this time?"
Oliver explained about the fish.
"Aww poor Hector," May said, pulling her hat further down over her ears.
"He'll get over it," Quinn said.
"Maybe you should go and apologise?" Rogan suggested.
"Maybe he should be grateful for his meal," Quinn said stubbornly.
Marley looked between Quinn and Hector and sighed. "Just back off on the magic around him. It ain't the norm in Glacio. We're raised to be wary."
Quinn threw him a sharp look.
"Not that I'm complainin'," he said, raising his fish at her in thanks.
They finished eating and readied to leave. Marley went to fetch Hector.
"He's supposed to be our leader," Larkin said snidely.
"He's got us this far," Oliver defended him.
"We'd probably be a lot further if he'd let Quinn and Rogan use magic more often. We'd barely have to rest if they replenished us enough," he replied.
"Yeah, but to be fair that would exhaust us anyway. Then we'd be in a worse position than we are now," Rogan said.
Larkin shrugged and strolled off into the igloo.
"Is it me or is it extra cold today?" Anna asked and Oliver placed an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her sleeve to warm her.
"A wind's comin' down from the north," Marley said, scratching his beard and dislodging a flurry of snowflakes.
"I can warm you up with magic?" Rogan offered.
"Na, I'm okay," Anna said, briefly glancing at Oliver.
He felt as if he'd been pumped full of air for a moment as he looked down at her.
"Right. Let's go," Hector said, walking up to them.
Quinn raised her palms in the air and a warmth spread from them that Oliver could feel on his cheeks. The red glow extended from her hands and encompassed the entire igloo.
Oliver did a mental sum of everyone to make sure no one was still inside. "Wait, Quinn-"
The igloo collapsed in a pile of snow, mounting up on top of the solitary figure left inside.
"ARF!" came the muffled shout of Larkin who was covered head to toe in white, looking like a misshapen snowman.
Oliver couldn't help himself as laughter burst from his throat.
"I'llf kif youf!" Larkin shouted through a mouthful of snow, shaking his head so it fell in a shower around him.
From the red colour of his ears Oliver could tell the snow had returned to its original icy temperature. He laughed harder and his ribs hurt as he was spurred on by the sound of Rogan joining in behind him.
Quinn blasted the rest of the snow off of Larkin and he stood there looking furious.
"Oh whoops!" Quinn feigned innocence.
Everyone started laughing and Larkin's fury died on his features as he broke a slight smile.
He raised an eyebrow at Quinn in challenge as he approached. "You just started a war, babe. I'll get you back for that."
Up close, it was clear to see that Quinn had given him the courtesy of drying out his clothes from the snow.
"You're gonna take on a mage at pranks?" Anna asked disbelievingly, stepping away from Oliver.
"Yep," Larkin said with a cocky grin.
"Well you're gonna lose that game," Rogan said as Quinn placed her hands on her hips beside him.
"We'll see," Larkin said airily.
"Come on," Hector insisted. "We don't have time for this. We need to track back a little then we'll take the pass down the mountain."
They all followed and, though Hector seemed his usual serious self, Oliver had spotted him laughing at Quinn's prank.
"No more uphill?" May asked, her eyes widening hopefully.
"No more uphill," Hector confirmed and started leading the way.
Oliver dropped into step with Rogan and they took up the back of the line as they marched onwards.
32
The Den
They descended, winding their way down the side of the mountain. The sun was in its mid-morning position by the time they reached the bottom and stopped for a rest. Quinn had dried and deboned the rest of the fish to take with them and Marley had a few bags of nuts in his pack which he passed out.
"Don't take too many. We need to save the food for as long as possible," Hector said.
"I'm sure we'd manage," Quinn said loftily.
He grimaced at her, eating a few nuts and pointedly tying up the bag. "We've made good time down the mountain we might even make it to the groll caves by sunset."
"What about the soldiers?" Larkin asked, eyeing the trail they had descended from as if he might catch sight of them.
"There's not much we can do about them. Let's hope we reach the caves before they catch us up."
"What difference does it make?" Larkin pressed.
"They might think twice before entering," Hector replied with a knowing look.
"Why?" May asked quietly.
"The grolls," Marley said simply in a deep growl.
Anna sidled up next to Oliver, her arm brushing his as she shared the rock he was perched on.
"How are you holding up?" Oliver whispered to her.
"Okay. I feel like we've barely had a moment together," she said, gripping his arm through the thick layers he wore.
His heart hammered in his chest as his eyes bored into her brown irises. As he looked closer, he spotted tiny flecks of gold in them.
Rogan cleared his throat and Oliver looked away from her. The others were already walking off down the path.
Anna smiled shyly and got to her feet. Oliver got up too, throwing his head back with a groan.
"Onwards, men," Rogan commanded jokingly, pointing towards their path.
They marched on through the thick snow and, as the light began to fade, more snow began to fall. Oliver watched as flakes caught in Anna's hair ahead of him. She stumbled to a halt and Oliver crashed into her.
"Hold up!" Rogan called to the others, spotting the collision.
"Oh, May, are you alright?" Anna asked, dropping down to the ground.
Oliver sidestepped Anna and spied May in front of her on the floor, clutching her chest.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked in a panic, lifting his sister to her feet and planting her in front of him.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Just a little light-headed," she said, her face looking pale in the half-light.
Oliver pushed the blonde locks back away from her face and bent over to get a good look at her.
"Stop it. I said I'm fine," May said, pushing him away.
"We need to make camp!" Oliver called up to Hector.
"We're only an hour from the caves!" he called back, looking confused.
"May's not feeling well!" he shouted.
May's cheeks flushed scarlet with embarrassment. "Shut up, Olly."
Hector marched back towards them with Marley and Larkin following. "What's the problem?" He looked at May with concern.
"Nothing. My brother's overreacting," May insisted, shooting him a venomous look.
"I'm not," Oliver said, ignoring her anger. "You practically passed out."
"No I didn't. Can everyone just stop looking at me please?" She flushed and pushed through the group, storming off ahead.
"The girl says she's fine," Hector said with a shrug.
"If you keel over don't go blaming me!" Oliver called to May. She responded with a rude gesture, waving it above her head.
Quinn laughed. "I'll keep an eye on her. I can heal her if she feels faint again." She trotted to catch up with May.
The others continued after her but Anna and Rogan stayed with Oliver as they walked on.
"She's alright," Anna said reassuringly.
"I don't think so. I just think she should get some rest," he said, feeling frustrated.
"She'll be alright. We're almost there,' Rogan said.
"Can you both just stop telling me she's alright? I know her. And she's not." Oliver hurried forwards, putting some distance between him and his friends. Guilt twisted in his stomach but he didn't go back.
They continued without further incident and Hector stopped them before they entered an ominous, circular entrance in the mountainside. It led away into the darkness, looking as cold and unappealing as a cave possibly could.
"The grolls live around here but they're not close enough to bother us," Hector said, looking fed up with them all.
"Where are we going to sleep?" Larkin asked.
"Well, when I came here before I stayed in this cave. It's an old warwolf den. The grolls live further inside the mountain but we don't wanna give them any reason to come out, do we?" Hector said.
Marley shook his head in an exaggerated movement. Hector threw him a look and he grinned back at him.
"The warwolves don't still use it, do they?" Anna asked warily.
"Nope. I think the grolls must have chased them out of this area years ago," Hector replied, stepping forwards.
No one moved.
Hector rolled his eyes. "I'll go check then." He disappeared inside and they waited for him to return.
A moment later a blood-curdling cry came from inside the cave.
"Hector!?" Marley called and rushed forwards, unsheathing his hunting knife.
As one, they all rushed after him then Hector appeared laughing loudly to himself. "You're too easy."
"You don't spend much time with people do you?" Larkin snapped.
Hector folded his arms without answer and returned to the cave with a satisfied look on his face. Quinn was the only one who seemed to have found the joke amusing this time.
Rogan gave her a look.
"What?" she asked. "That was funny."
"Please don't ever collaborate with him on a prank," Anna said with a short laugh.
"I wouldn't, I have to actually like my accomplices," Quinn said.
"Do your accomplices have to like you? 'Cause you're hard pushed as it is," Larkin said.
"Ha. Ha," Quinn said dryly.
They entered the cave and were relieved from the chill of the wind. Darkness pressed on Oliver's eyes as he gazed into its hidden depths.
Rogan rubbed his fingers together and sparks gathered in his palm then formed a little flutter of flames. They grew in size and he released them from his palms so they hovered just above the ground at the heart of the cave.
The firelight penetrated the darkness, revealing several chambers splitting off from the area they were stood in. Hector headed into one.
Oliver stepped toward May but she pointedly moved away, leant back against a wall and folded her arms.
"Can you make rock soft for sleeping on?" Larkin asked Rogan and Quinn, kicking at the ground.
"Hmm," Rogan said.
"Have you got any of those furs you gave to Hector, Marley?" Quinn asked.
He nodded and retrieved them from his pack, dropping them to the ground at her feet. Three more joined the pile, flying through the air from the chamber Hector was in.
Quinn raised her eyebrows at the others and they laughed. "Thanks!" she called.
He grunted in response.
"There's enough for one each if I tear this big one," Quinn said, slicing it apart with a flash of white light.
"Make them thicker," Rogan said, taking one.
"And softer," Anna said with a grin.
One by one, the furs puffed out into thick mattresses. Rogan and Quinn handed them out. Quinn held the last one awkwardly, eyeing the cave Hector was in.
"I'll give it to him," Marley said, taking the fur and walking into Hector's chosen chamber.
Rogan gestured for Oliver to follow him and they entered a small cave, laying their mattresses down on either side of it. Rogan sent a ball of light into the air which illuminated the small, oval-shaped room. The walls were a grey-blue and curved high up over them in a dome.
"Thanks, man," Oliver said.
"No problem. You can make me dinner in return."
Oliver laughed. "Oh, can I?"
"Yep. What are we having?"
"Hmm, I've got dried fish or a bag of nuts."
"Oh, nutty dried fish. My favourite," Rogan said with a crooked grin.
Oliver shook his head with a snort of laughter. "I'll go get it."
He returned to the main cave where the magical fire crackled quietly, suspended above the cave floor. Quinn and May were sitting together on a fur mattress.
"Where's Anna?" he asked, hoping he could catch a moment with her.
"I dunno. I think she went in there," Quinn said, pointing towards one of the passages that led to a chamber.
