Beyond Fear (Book 1 in The Element Wars) (Published on Amazon - Sample)

Chapter Nine - The Journey to Nowhere

“So why do you think we can see her?”

Lizzie jumped; startled from her place in the book she was reading, and looked up to see Lucas sitting down opposite her.

“I have no idea,” she said truthfully. “I mean none of this is exactly normal is it.” She gestured around her where they were sitting in Sydney’s library and smiled. “I feel like I’ve fallen into an Enid Blyton book.”

Lucas laughed, and they fell quite again.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday,” Lizzie said after while. “I was just having a really bad day”

“Lizzie, don’t,” Lucas interrupted. “You don’t ever have to apologies to me.”

“We all have to apologies sometime”

“Yes, but not you, and not today”

Lizzie felt herself blush and lowered her head away from him, the awkwardness creeping over them until Lucas bent forwards and picked up one of the books she was reading.

“Doing some research?”

“Yeah,” she answered, welcoming the distraction “It seems like it was this King William that set up the Keepers across the Borders. He wanted a way to warn the kingdom if anyone new came from the water. It says there is magic in the water; if you believe that rubbish.”

“Rubbish” Sydney exclaimed, entering with a tray laden with plates. “I’ll have you know magic lives within all things whether you choose to believe it or not. The elements are the strongest of this magic. It is what keeps our world alive.”

“So what you’re telling us is that it was magic that brought us here?” Lizzie said.

“Yes that is precisely what I am saying.”

“So magic could take us home again?”

“I have never heard however of anyone returning through the water, though in this dark time I can almost understand it.”

“Are there any records?” Lucas asked, motioning to all the books around him.

“There is an old legend of a magic waterfall. People tell tales of their travels to unknown lands and back again through its water, but it is just a legend, no one would actually know where it was.”

“But if someone did know, would it be possible?”

“I cannot say,” the little man answered gravely. “Or maybe there is.”

He jumped up retrieving one of his large books from the shelf and laid it out flat in front of them. Lizzie bent closer and saw the picture was of a regal black horse, a pair of giant feathery wings protruding from its back.

“So would they be able to help us?” she asked.

“The Winged Horses of Air; are the keepers of knowledge. They live far to the North on the Island of Tyrus. It would be a perilous journey, and there is no guarantee they would be able to help you but it may be your only way home.”

“It’s a place to start,” Lizzie said, a little afraid now that the talk had turned to leaving and as she looked across at Lucas she could see her thoughts mirrored on his face.

******

They spent many days in the quaint little tree house with Sydney and Rose, listening to stories and learning more about the strange land that they had found themselves in, but as Lucas started to recover from his injuries, their thoughts turned to their journey ahead. Sydney packed and repacked, fussing around them like an old mother hen, making sure they would have everything they needed and while Lizzie watched she realised she was really going to miss this funny little old man and the beautiful dragon that was his companion and that only made it harder to leave.