Chapter Six
Marguerite walks ahead of Malone, Veronica and Challanger deep in thought and not wanting them to see how troubled she is. The others are wondering what they could possibly do to say or help the situation.
VERONICA: What do you think she'll do? She can only make one choice, how will she know which is the right one?
Marguerite is wondering the same thing, should she be ruled by her heart or her head?
MALONE: Well we're kind of biased.
CHALLANGER: We don't know Bokrah and neither does she, not properly. This could all be another trick.
MALONE: Well she's come an awfully long way for someone she doesn't know.
VERONICA: At least we're here to help her…
CHALLANGER: And we'll honour whatever decision she makes.
Marguerite suddenly stops without warning and they nearly run into her.
VERONICA: What is it?
MARGUERITE: We're here.
They look in front of them bewildered.
MALONE: It's a dead end!
VERONICA: Unless you want to climb the mountain.
MARGUERITE: There is a quicker route.
MALONE: You might be able to walk through the wall but I'm afraid we don't have that privilege.
Veronica puts her hand a Malone's arm and shakes her head to silence him. Marguerite moves some snow off the rock to uncover an unusual shaped hole. She inserts the crystal end of the staff into it and a large rock moves to reveal a doorway.
They peer in and see stone steps leading up the inside of the mountain.
MALONE: Lead the way.
She steps inside and the others cautiously follow, Challanger draws his gun and she turns to him.
MARGUERITE: Guns won't work you'll just start an avalanche with the noise…Wait here.
CHALLANGER: You're not going alone.
MARGUERITE: You can't help the situation.
VERONICA: Then we'll be here for moral support.
She smiles thankfully at them.
MARGUERITE: This way.
* * * * * *
Roxton leans against the rock it's cold against his back but not a cold as the icy prison that enslaves him. He watches Samun warily, Roxton stands and walks over to the icy bars, he grabs hold of them and withdraws his hand quickly as it freezes over.
Icicles are starting to appear on his hair accompanying the ones that had already appeared on his eyelashes. His lips are cold and starting to crack, he wipes away the dried blood that had appeared in the corner of his bottom lip. He rubs his hands together in an effort to them up, he breathes warm air into his cupped hands only to have his breath turn cold as soon as it's escaped his mouth.
He kicks the bars with as much strength as he can muster only to have the bars stay strong. He walks over to a thin looking bar and kicks that, it smashes to pieces only to have water drip down and form another icy cold bar in it's place.
Roxton looks around at the prison. In the middle of the large cave is a stone platform he guesses it's around ten meters in diameter, it reaches down so far he can't see the bottom. He can see no possible way out of that Samun could have used to get to the platform as there's no bridge to cross to reach it, just a long drop and then the large prison, pentagonal in shape and five impenetrable icy doors splitting the prison into it's five sections.
Bokrah sits in the first section, his robe providing him with little warmth, he sits motionless staring in front of him as though in a trance.
ROXTON: (Shouts) Bokrah! Bokrah! (To Samun) What have you done to him?
Samun looks at him for the first time since bringing him to this place.
SAMUN: That is not you're concern, his time will come…Soon.
Roxton shouts again his voice breaking, as his throat becomes drier.
ROXTON: What are you going to do to him?
SAMUN: You should be more worried about yourself, his death will be swift, yours will be slow and painful…You'll watch as you're dear Marguerite dies In front of yours eyes and you are powerless to help her and you'll have to deal with that for the rest of you're life.
ROXTON: You're not going to kill me?
Samun grins evilly at him.
SAMUN: On the contrary because of the trouble you've caused me you're going to live…Forever!
He laughs at Roxton's expression and through the cold Roxton kicks the bars again and again doing nothing but release some of his pent up anger.
ROXTON: Bastard! Don't you hurt her!
SAMUN: Oh I won't, you will!
* * * * * *
The explorers lean against the cold wall to get their breath back.
VERONICA: How much further?
MARGUERITE: I don't know, we'll be there when we reach the top.
She starts walking again.
MALONE: How many steps have we climbed?
CHALLANGER: I lost count after a thousand.
MALONE: I thought this was supposed to be the quick route.
Marguerite stops and turns around.
MARGUERITE: It is.
VERONICA: In comparison to what?
MARGUERITE: In comparison to crawling up the outside of the mountain…Let's go.
* * * * * *
In the cave Samun turns to the entrance of the cave.
SAMUN: She's coming!
ROXTON: (Shouts) Marguerite! Go back!
Bokrah for the first time speaks his voice hoarse.
BOKRAH: She must come.
ROXTON: Shut up you old fool, he'll kill her.
BOKRAH: It's her destiny.
ROXTON: Her destiny…is to die?
He chokes these last words out.
BOKRAH: No, her destiny is to save her people. It is the next step.
SAMUN: Enough! Lord John Roxton I need for you to collect the staff from Marguerite.
ROXTON: Get it yourself.
SAMUN: I would but I can't.
ROXTON: Then you'll just have to give up.
SAMUN: Never!
* * * * * *
Marguerite, Veronica, Malone and Challanger sprint up the last few steps after hearing Roxton's voice. At the cave entrance they stop suddenly just in time before they plummet to the bottom of the cave. Samun turns to Marguerite.
SAMUN: Welcome High Priestess, come in its time for you to die.
CHALLANGER: How do we get across?
Marguerite steps off the edge and the gap between the platform and the prison becomes an icy bridge.
CHALLANGER: Amazing!
BOKRAH: It has begun.
SAMUN: Give me the staff and you're death will be painless.
She walks across the bridge..
MARGUERITE: Come and get it.
He smiles and steps forward.
SAMUN: My pleasure.
He picks up one of the swords that lie on the alter and looks up at a small hole in the top of the mountain, the sun is almost at it's peak.
SAMUN: It's almost time.
Marguerite puts the staff beside her and takes the second sword.
MARGUERITE: Almost but not quite.
The others run forward.
BOKRAH: No! This is her fight…She knows what to.
SAMUN: Don't worry, it'll be you're turns soon enough.
He lunges at Marguerite, she side steps and the blade rips through her shirtsleeve.
MARGUERITE: That was hand made in Paris!
SAMUN: I'll send my apologies to the designer.
He comes at her again and she blocks his sword with her own, she ducks as he goes to hit her and he punches thin air. He trips her up and she lands on her back, she reaches out and grabs the staff and hits him across the head with it then kicks him back.
He falls to the floor and would've rolled over the edge if the bride hadn't have been there. Marguerite looks up at the at the hole as the sun reaches it's peak. She grabs the staff and places it in a hole in the direct sunlight. Samun comes at her with the sword again, Malone shoots him, the bullet doesn't kill him but it surprises him and he drops the sword.
The crystals glow a fiery red and the flames inside grow larger and flicker uncontrollably. The suns ray shines down through the hole in the mountain and hits each of the crystals. Samun screams and begins to chant over and over again as Roxton falls to the floor clutching his stomach in agony.
The five crystals smash and the flames shoot out hitting the bars on each side of the prison smashing the bars into a thousand pieces.
The icicles and the fire blends into one, Samun steps away as the 'firecicles ' speed towards him, they split in two and as the icicles hit him, the fire flows around him. It lifts Samun into the air and he disappears in a flash of black light.
BOKRAH: You did it.
The explorers join her on the platform.
CHALLANGER: Most excellent.
MALONE: Well done…High Priestess.
VERONICA: When did you learn how to use a sword?
Roxton slowly and painfully walks to the bridge, Marguerite runs over to him.
ROXTON: It's freezing in here.
She smiles cheekily at him and opens her coat.
MARGUERITE: Body heat.
He looks at her remembering the conversation.
ROXTON: I'm familiar with the concept.
The others including Bokrah join them both.
MALONE: We interrupting something?
Marguerite stands in front of Bokrah, he takes her hands.
BOKRAH: You saved us again, I owe you my life.
MARGUERITE: I did what any high priestess would've done.
BOKRAH: I must g o, there is much to do.
MARGUERITE: Will you be coming back?
BOKRAH: In time my dear in time.
A fog surrounds him and he disappears.
* * * * * *
Back at the treehouse hours later the fire is burning and Roxton's finally asleep in the chair after insisting he is fine and he is getting his circulation back. Challanger is in the lab and Veronica is outside when Malone walks over to her.
MALONE: What are you doing?
VERONICA: Thinking.
She faces him.
MALONE: About what?
VERONICA: Marguerite and Roxton almost lost each other and…
MALONE: And that's why you should make every second count.
He cups her head in his hands and kisses her lightly.
VERONICA: That was five seconds…
MALONE: But whose counting.
Inside the treehouse Marguerite walks out of her room and kneels beside Roxton.
MARGUERITE: How are you feeling?
He opens one eye and looks at her.
ROXTON: I'm fine.
MARGUERITE: Really? With how blue you're lips are you wouldn't think so.
He stands up and she stands in front of him.
ROXTON: Well maybe I need to get some circulation into them.
MARGUERITE: Really? And how may I be of service?
He leans in towards her.
ROXTON: Oh I don't know…
He kisses her softly.
MARGUERITE: Feel better yet?
ROXTON: Not quite.
He kisses her again more passionately this time.
MARGUERITE: And now?
ROXTON: Almost.
As he goes to kiss her she puts a grape in his mouth.
MARGUERITE: A few more of these and you'll get you're circulation back in no time.
With that she smiles and walks back into her room.
ROXTON: She's back!
The end.
Teaser for the next Fanfic: While exploring another part of the Plateau Marguerite and Veronica are taken back in time to the Plateau 100 years earlier where giants rule and are waging a war with the humans.
IN
!!!When giants ruled!!!
