Chapter 12

“Jane! Jane! Come on!” The voices seemed to come from far away, Jane mused. Darkness claimed her. Darkness was speeding her far, far away... Where was she? The fog suddenly seemed to lift around her, and Jane made out the dim outlines of two figures kneeling beside her.
She lay there motionless for a while, slowly regaining her senses. “Where are we?” she murmured, trying to sit up. Then she cried out. A shooting stab of pain exploded up her arm.
“Jane. Don’t worry, dear. Your arm is just sprained.” It was Andrija.
Jane managed to sit up using her other arm. “Where are we?” She gritted her teeth as her arm throbbed.
Will spoke out of the darkness. “We landed in some kind of outcropping from the cliff. Andrija and I landed alright, but you fell wrong and have been unconscious for a half hour.”
Jane’s eyes adjusted to the dimness and she looked around her at the stony walls surrounding them.
“Are we in a cave?”
“Yes.” It was Andrija again. “We moved some stones at the edge of the outcropping and found this cave out of the wind. It’s a bit dark in here.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “Then maybe this is the cave where we will find the Diadem!”
Andrija smiled and shrugged. “Perhaps…but there are many caves on this mountain and it could be in any of them. We’ll look, but just don’t get your hopes up. Will, could you please read the next instruction in the Book?”
Will pulled the book out of the satchel. The afternoon sun flooded into the cave, and Will moved into the light to read the entry. “On the northern side of Gilgar Mountain lies a cave beneath a precipice.”
“This this it!” Jane sat up, using her good arm. “The cave under the precipice—this is the right cave for sure!”
“Let me finish,” Will said excitedly. “It says: ‘In this cave, thou shalt find the Diadem where Gratlea placed it in the year of the Great War. Gratlea inscribed a mark upon the wall in order that the two questers foretold in his prophesies might find the Diadem of Power. All this Gratlea told me in the year of the Great War when he lay dying in the dungeons of the Enchanter. Thus ends my chronicle.”’
“It should be easy to find it.” Jane pulled herself to her feet with her good arm despite Andrija’s precautions. The three searched every corner: peering down crevices, searching the walls, and inspecting the ceiling until their necks ached. At last Andrija cried, “I found the mark!”
Jane and Will scrambled over and looked over Andrija’s shoulder. Sure enough, there was a crown inscribed on the wall in faint grey letters caused by candle-smoke.
“Are you sure this is the mark? But there’s…just a stone wall,” said Jane.
“Not if you look closely,” announced Will after a moment. “See that outline of a square on the wall? That’s just dirt.” After a few minutes of digging with a bit of rock, his eager hands grasped a small wooden box with a bronze clasp. Carefully, he dusted it off and handed it to Andrija, who in turn passed it to Jane.
Jane took a deep breath and with shaking hands unfastened the clasp.

* * *

Marshivoc surveyed the smoking ruins of Ford and Ruther’s house with a satisfied air. “Bring the living offender to me immediately!”
A muscular man clad in black dragged the weighty Mr. Ford towards Marshivoc.
The Red Rider stepped toward the gasping man with a sardonic grin. “My dear Mr. Ford… Well, well. How come you by your tattered clothes, your blackened face, your demolished house? Eh?” Marshivoc leered at the wounded man mockingly for a moment. “You fool! You have failed the Enchanter! Your punishment has been decided. Shelontac has been summoned hither to escort you to the Dungeons of our glorious lord, the Enchanter.” The skeletal rider, Shelontac, stepped forward and grasped Mr. Ford by his arm.
Marshivoc leaned over Mr. Ford, his eyes burning with a terrifying red light. His voice came in a hoarse whisper. “Tell me now! How did the children escape?”
Mr. Ford licked his blood-crusted lips. “They escaped while I sent the message to the Enchanter’s Palace. The children and that girl crawled out of the bedroom window. I saw them when I went to their room to signal to the Army. They were continuing up the mountain slopes.” He gave a deep groan, and covered his face in his pudgy hands. “It is my brother’s fault that they escaped, I tell you! Punish him- not me!”
Marshivoc smiled brutally. “Ah…you needn’t trouble yourself about your brother Ruther’s punishment, my friend. He is long dead.”
Mr. Ford gave a despairing moan and Marshivoc kicked him cruelly in the ribs. He gasped and lay motionless.
Marshivoc turned to Blancshoyc, who had come up from behind. “The children are continuing up the mountain. Let us pursue them. Shelontac must stay behind to take this miserable dog to the Dungeon.”
Blancshoyc nodded and his blue eyes danced in malicious glee. “Let us go, Marshivoc, for I feel it in my bones that we shall have the accursed children in our hands very soon.”

* * *

Inside the wooden box, on a bed of black velvet, lay a silver diadem, encrusted with shimmering diamonds. The silver was worked into curving flowers, each petal a brilliant ruby, each coiling leaf a twinkling emerald. The front of the diadem curved downwards and led to a point created by the smallest diamonds. The Diadem of Power was simple, yet strikingly magnificent.
The children gazed at it in silence for a long while. In awe, they realized that they had fulfilled the beginning of their quest.
However, so much was yet to be done. But Jane tossed her hair happily. “We’ve found it, Will! Oh Andrija, we’ve found it,” she cried repeatedly. Jane set the box on a ledge and danced towards the mouth of the cave into the warm sunlight, the Diadem’s jewels casting the glistening colors of rainbows about the cave’s stone walls.
Andrija clapped her hands and smiled so brightly that her lovely face was lit up in a glow of delight. Will grinned.
Jane looked out of the cave at the beautiful view of blue sky and dazzling white snow sparkling upon the tree tops far below. She turned back towards Andrija and Will who were staring in rapt amazement at the treasure.
“Oh! Isn’t this the most splendid adventure that ever happened to anyone?” she sang joyfully.
Andrija and Will looked towards her, and their faces paled. Jane’s smile slowly disappeared. “Why are you looking at me that way, Will?” she asked tremblingly. “Don’t stare at me like that, Andrija.”
Will stepped forward, his fists balled at his sides. “Don’t you dare touch her or I’ll…!”
Jane took a step backward. “What’s going on, Will? Who are you talking to? Y-you’re scaring me.”
Too late. She had stepped into the strong grip of a stranger. Jane shrieked in terror and Will leapt towards her. Andrija was at his side, her eyes flashing.
Suddenly, laughter rippled through the cave. Jane tore herself free from the strong grip and swung around to face the stranger.
“W-why, you are just a boy!” she panted, and then looked again. “W-well…not exactly a boy.”
A tall young man stood in the mouth of the cave, his black eyes sparkling with mischief, his midnight-black hair shining in the setting sun. His white teeth were bared in a bold grin, and he wore a queer uniform of black and scarlet red.
He glanced at Jane with a confident smile. “Sorry about that, young lady. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
He surveyed the cave with a careless eye. Andrija stepped to the left to block his view of the diadem. He looked at her and gave a short chuckle. “What are you doing here, Miss?”
Andrija lifted her chin haughtily. “I could ask the same of you, sir.”
The young man chuckled again. “I was just coming down the mountain and saw this cliff too late. I tumbled down but landed on an outcropping and found my way inside this cave, just in time to collide with this young lady here. I do apologize.” He gave a sweeping bow, and then turned his gaze to Andrija who gave him a questioning glance.
“You might call me a wanderer, Miss. I roam about and stay awhile in a place if it suits me. A while ago I became a...” He abruptly stopped and gave an uncertain laugh. “Ahem…yes..” He winked at Jane, who blushed as rosily as a cherry.
Will sniggered. There was an embarrassed silence for a moment.
The young man grinned at Will. “What’s your name, boy?”
“Will, sir.”
“And are these fair maidens your sisters?”
Will choked on a laugh as Jane shot him an indignant look. “Oh no, sir. They’re just…just friends of mine.”
“I see. Now what can three friends possibly be doing in a cave near the summit of a mountain near the end winter in the late afternoon?”
“We fell down here just as you did,” Andrija said coldly.
The young man grinned impudently. “That much, Miss, is obvious.” He chuckled to himself for a moment before adding. “By the way, my name is Matrim Elnar.”
“My name is Jane Auburn, Mr. Elnar,” Jane said politely.
Matrim laughed. “Please call me Matrim.”
“My name is Andrija Latke.” Andrija’s blue eyes had softened and she gave a timid smile.
Matrim gazed into her eyes. “I am very pleased to meet you,” he murmured. Then he cleared his throat and looked out the mouth of the cave. “Miss, I must speak to you privately for a moment. Outside.”

-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-

OK! YAY! I started writing again. Welcome to ACT 2! How do you guys like it so far? :)