Chapter Three
The Heat Wave
Rowena did not normally have dreams. When she did, she discarded them, for they were silly and meaningless. But that night when she saved Salazar's life, she did have a dream.
She was standing in the clearing that she had been in all day. It was still night out. When she surveyed the ground, she found that everything was as it had been; there was the petrified wormwraith, the stone unicorn, her companions (all sleeping)-even herself!
She bent over her body and found that it lay sleeping, just like her companions. How peculiar.
"Do not try and wake yourself." came a crisp, ancient voice.
Rowena turned around and was taken aback. There was Miss Banks, just as she had last seen her, sitting on the unicorn!
"Unicorns are lovely." commented the Ancient as she hopped off the statue. "Though I do think I prefer the real ones over stone."
"Miss Banks!" gasped Rowena. "I thought--how could you--?"
"Calm, child." Miss Banks held up a wrinkled hand. "This is just a dream. You and I are in a dream world. That is your body lying on the ground there, sleeping. And the you that I am talking to is your spirit. Do not try and wake your body. You shall return to it once this dream is over."
Rowena looked down at the sleeping Her on the ground. The moon had risen, and from the silver light Rowena could see that she was not looking so well.
"What is wrong with me?" asked Rowena.
"You are merely exhausted." explained Miss Banks, sitting herself down on a rock. "When you wake up, you will have a sore throat, blotted vision, excessive sleepiness, and dark circles under your eyes."
"All side effects of the venom?" sighed Rowena.
"You did a good thing today, child. You saved your companion's life. It was not what the fates had predicted."
"Come again?"
Miss Banks looked up at the stars. "Lovely night, isn't it? You can see the stars so wonderfully. You can tell by their unusual arrangement that something happened that was not supposed to happen."
"What do you mean?"
Miss Banks shook her head. "In my dreams which I told you about--the ones which told me to instruct four people to go forth and build a refuge for underprivileged people, and to bring an end to this war by educating those who need it--it said that the four companions were to come upon a stone unicorn. It was quite hazy why that was so important. But that was to be the first among the three signs you would receive that would tell you that you were on the right track. Something was supposed to happen here--you were supposed to get something out of this experience."
"And what is that?" queried Rowena.
"I don't know," admitted the Ancient. "Perhaps everyone will act differently now. We'll see. So far, you are all doing fine. But I am still puzzled by the fates."
"What do you mean?"
"The fates are, well, not right." Miss Banks tried to explain. "The stars are upset. Something went wrong today."
"Could it be," Rowena hated to admit, "that Salazar was supposed to die?"
She shrugged. "It could be. Perhaps he was to do something in the future that would be the downfall of all of us. Perhaps the fates decided it was better for him to die now, before he destroyed the mission. That is but a guess, however. Do not take my word for it."
Rowena glanced over at Salazar's sleeping body. This insecure, red-headed young man surely wouldn't bring them down, would he?
"You do know what this means, don't you?" said Miss Banks, eyeing her carefully.
Rowena swallowed and nodded, diverting her gaze from Salazar. "I think so."
"By sucking out the venom and saving your companion's life, you have significantly shortened yours. Both of you. However, he is eternally in your debt, and you shall be repaid someday.
"But not to worry," Miss Banks continued, "you are doing just fine in this mission. Keep it up. I await the day you finally complete your mission. But for now, I must go. Dawn is cracking. Sleep well."
"Wait!" Rowena shouted as Miss Banks's figure started to disintegrate into the air.
She reappeared. "Yes?"
"Will you visit me in my dreams again?"
She smiled a wrinkly smile. "Of course."
~*~
When Rowena woke, her face was pressed in the dry dirt, and she could feel the sun beating on her neck. She rolled over and slowly opened her eyes, only to snap them shut again. The sun was almost directly overhead. How long had she been sleeping?
"So she did that for me?" Rowena could hear one of her companion's voices.
"You better believe it. Here, I think this one's done."
"I vant it!"
"You just had a piece."
"So?"
"Plus, I need my strength."
"If vee hadn't told you vat happened, you vouldn't be saying dat."
Rowena rolled onto her side and opened her eyes again. Her companions were gathered around a fire, over which Godric was frying something that smelled very good.
"What is that?" asked Rowena sleepily, her voice still slightly hoarse.
The three companions looked up at her.
"Ah, you're awake." commented Godric, who was holding the skillet. "I'm almost done roasting this piece."
Rowena crawled over, and asked with what strength she had (which came out as a whisper), "Piece of what?"
"Bacon and sausages!" Salazar announced gleefully.
"Bacon--and sausages?" Rowena marveled. "How did you--?"
Godric smirked as he flipped over a slice of bacon. "I was woken this morning by something sniffing my face. When I opened my eyes, I found it was a boar. I attacked it, and, using my super-human strength--"
"--or just my wand--" cut in Salazar.
"--I killed it. Now it looks like its pig for the next week."
"Excellent." said Rowena, grabbing a sizzling sausage off the skillet. "I haven't had it in ages."
"Me neither." agreed Helga.
"I think none of us have." Salazar said, even though pork was the last meal he had back on the manor.
"Where you fet de killet?" Rowena asked through a mouthful.
"Sorry, did you say something?" queried Godric. "English, please."
"Killet." she pointed at the skillet. "Pan."
"Oh, this? Salazar whipped it up with his wand."
"Which reminds me," Rowena swallowed her food. "I have a confession to make. I've had a wand for the past week. I don't know why I didn't tell you guys. Sorry."
"Really?" awed Helga. "How?"
Rowena was about to explain how Salazar had shown her how to make one (placing a piece of a magical animal--in this case a unicorn hair--in between two pieces of bark, and then performing a spell that would morph it into a wand), but Salazar said that he would explain, since she was losing her voice again.
"I think it's about time we all had one." said Rowena. "In case something happens again like what happened yesterday. We all need wands. It's just better like that."
"I'm all for it." said Godric. "I haven't had a wand in years, ever since the OFER took it."
"Me too." agreed Helga. "Vell, I did leave mine at home, but I can still have one, right?"
"Absolutely." said Salazar.
"Not." added Godric.
There was a pause in which everyone stared at Godric. The corners of his mouth curved upwards, and the group started to laugh. It was not really that funny, but the laugh was much needed.
~*~
In order to make a wand, you need a piece of a magical animal. There were not many unicorns to be found in the woods. Now that spring was progressing into summer, the unicorns generally flocked northward and into the mountains, to stay in the cooler climates.
Rowena insisted that they spend the day making Godric's and Helga's wands, in order for them to get the best quality of magic. However, the companions were wary of how much Rowena dreaded to stop, even for a day. So they make their wands more primitively.
Godric plucked the smallest snake off of the petrified wormwraith's head that he could find. He sandwiched it between two bark pieces, and they performed the incantation that morphed it into a wand. Helga was too horrified to touch the wormwraith, so she tore a bit of niffler hide out of her ragged vest, and used that for the inside of her wand.
The troop pressed onward. The sun now baked their skin, and their feet began to drag.
"Guys," panted Godric after a good hour or so of trudging, "why don't we stop for today?"
"I agree." Helga hastily agreed.
"But--" Rowena started.
"Rowena," Godric interrupted, holding up a hand. "Take a rest. You know you need it. There's no way we're going to make it through today alive if we don't stop."
Grudgingly, Rowena sank to the ground. The soft forest floor DID feel good. And the sun WAS much more enjoyable when she wasn't marching in it.
The other three also collapsed onto the soil. They laid on the ground, panting and staring up at the green canopy. There was a peaceful silence for a good ten minutes, only interrupted by a suggestion from Salazar.
"Should we try and find a stream or something?"
"They're probably all dried up, aren't they?" Godric reasoned, sitting up.
"But it vas just pouring de other day!" cried Helga.
Rowena sat up and shook her head. "All streams around here will be dried up. But we're almost in the mountains," she turned her head northward, "it'll be in about two days. There's bound to be rivers there."
"Two days!" moaned Helga. "Surely vee vill be dead by den!"
"There's got to be some way to get water." persisted Godric.
"Maybe we can make a fountain come out of our wands?" suggested Salazar.
"Well, does anyone know how to do that?" asked Rowena.
Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.
"We can make it to the mountains," Rowena calculated, "in twenty hours. However, we'd have to pick up the pace and take no breaks--not even at night."
Helga groaned, and Salazar and Godric's hearts sunk.
"Hey, I'm not anymore happy about this than you guys." said Rowena grimly. "But if you would rather wait two days ..."
"Let's go." said Salazar after a slight pause.
The quartet slowly got to their feet. They then continued traipsing through the woods.
Unlike humans, forest creatures revel in the warm weather. The forest that day was alive with the hums of bees, the singing of sparrows, and the drill of woodpeckers.
"WILL they shut UP?" Rowena finally snapped.
This took everyone by surprise. Rowena was supposed to be the one who kept her cool, who bailed them out of bad situations.
"Maybe we should stop after all.," said Salazar cautiously.
"No!" Rowena yelled, making the birds and insects turn silent for a split second.
No one spoke again that day, for fear of disturbing Rowena. Perhaps it was the poison, perhaps it was the mere heat, but whatever it was that made Rowena snap out at them, they didn't ask.
Sundown came, and everyone was deadbeat. But as usual, Rowena would not hear of stopping.
"Just think of the water!" Rowena told Helga as she struggled to stay up. "Only a few more hours--"
"I cannot live for a few more hours!" cried Helga, kneeling to the ground.
Rowena threw her hands up in the air and Godric stepped in.
"Come now, I'll give you a piggy-back ride."
Overjoyed, Helga scrambled onto his back. It was not long, however, before she fell asleep.
"Good thing she's light-weight." panted Godric.
"I don't know why you put up with her." Rowena said.
"She's a sweet girl." said Godric.
"You know, you don't need to pretend anymore." Rowena said irritably.
"What are you talking about?"
"We know that you and her are head-over-heals for each other." Rowena let the words sink in before continuing. "But you don't really love her. You think you do, but I know you don't."
"How can you say that?" shouted Godric, the heat letting his temper get the better of him.
She was taken aback by his sudden anger, but that didn't stop her from explaining herself. "What do you love about her?"
"She's very nice," he pointed out.
"And?"
"And ambitious."
"And?" Rowena was becoming frustrated.
"And what else is there?!"
Salazar, who knew to keep to himself, was aware that Rowena was trying to point out that he only loved Helga for her looks.
"It's lust!" accused Rowena. "Pure attraction! Ever since she stepped out of the fireplace back in the burrow, you have been practically drooling over her!"
Salazar said meekly, "Guys, maybe we shouldn't fight."
"SHUT UP!" chorused Godric and Rowena.
"I love her and I don't care what you accuse me of!" Godric retorted.
"Well you're a stubborn fool!"
"Well you're just a woman!"
Rowena raised her arm, but Salazar grabbed it.
"Stop this! Look at you two! You're letting the heat get to you, and you're bringing down the mission!"
Rowena wrenched herself out of his grasp.
In a silent, controlled voice, Rowena spat back to Godric, "Well if you're so manly and tough, then why don't you do this mission on your own?"
And with that, she sprinted ahead into the darkness.
"Rowena!" Salazar called, running after her.
"Let her go." commanded Godric. "She'll come back."
"But what if she doesn't? What if she gets captured?"
"She can take care of herself better than any of us." pointed out Godric.
Helga yawned.
"Agh, vat is all dis yelling about? Did I miss someting?"
~*~
When the sun rose, the three companions could not have been more tired. Godric was the most weary of them, but out of the guilt he felt for Rowena, he would not let them stop.
"We're almost to the mountains." he told them, though he had no idea if it would be hours or days before they reached them. "Rowena said that we would reach them today."
"Vell how do vee know vere vee are going if Rowena isn't even here?!" yelled Helga.
"I carried you all night, so I wouldn't be complaining." said Godric tartly.
Helga did not speak after that. In fact, no one spoke for three-and-a-half hours. That was how it had been the whole trip--fight, silence, fight, silence. This time, the silence was not broken by a fight, but rather, the greatest news in the world.
"I think I hear a waterfall," said Salazar. He had been hearing the distant crashing for a while, but he had not dared to say anything in case he was wrong.
"Which direction?" asked Godric at once.
"I can't tell ..." Salazar strained his ears. "But the ground does seem to be going up a bit, doesn't it?"
"By George, you're right!" yelled Godric. "We must be entering the mountains! A stream can't be far off."
"I think it's this way." Salazar pointed eastward.
"Let's go." said Godric.
"Maybe Rowena vill be there." thought Helga. She did not entirely like being the only girl.
It was not in the direction that Salazar had pointed, but the distant rumbling was becoming louder.
"It's this way!" shouted Helga.
"No, no, it's more southward!" insisted Godric.
They wove their way through the labyrinth of the trees in something like a treasure hunt. It was Salazar, unsurprisingly, who struck gold.
"I see mist! Rising just over those treetops!" he pointed northeastern.
The trio ran, stumbled, and crashed through the woods. It was indeed a mountain that they were on. And it was indeed mist from a waterfall.
"Oh thank the Lord!" cried Godric, when he saw it.
It was a small pond, lying atop slimy green slabs of rock. The waterfall was a good ten meters high--high enough for then to leap from it and still live.
"O tak bro Dieu!" shouted Helga in Swedish.
The water cold not have felt more heavenly. They waded in its goodness, whooping in celebration. They even forget about Rowena in all their happiness.
"Look at me!" Godric had climbed to the top of the waterfall. Roaring like a lion, he leaped off of the ledge, and plummeted to the pond.
"Bet you can't do this!" Salazar called from where Godric had just stood. He pushed off the ledge, did a full flip, and came head-first into the water. Helga applauded him and Godric looked miffed.
They spent the entire day at the pond. Salazar found a lizard and (using his wand to make a fire) roasted it. The amount of celebration between the three of them could easily be compared to that of an entire country's on its Independence Day. When night fell, they laid on the rocks, staring up at the Milky Way, naming constellations.
It was the best damn day of their lives.
~*~
Godric was the first to wake the next morning. He sat up painfully, stretching and yawning. He cracked his back a couple times. Sleeping on a rock was definitely not something he wanted to do again.
"Helga, Salazar, wake up." he said, shaking them. They stirred but would not be disturbed.
'Oh well, may as well enjoy the peace while I can.' he thought.
But that wish was short-lived. A sudden snap of a twig a few meters off caught his attention.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
There was silence. Godric shrugged. Maybe he should wake his companions up, just in case.
Then he heard a noise again.
"Who's out there?" he yelled in his most intimidating voice. "Is that you, Rowena?"
There was no response, and Godric turned to shake Helga and Salazar.
"Wake up, you guys!" he whispered urgently.
They stirred. Helga yawned and opened her eyes.
"Godric, vat--" she broke off in midsentence, her eyes vivid with fear, staring over his left shoulder.
Godric whipped his head around, and found his face millimeters away from the tip of a spear.
"Don't move." commanded the man holding the spear. He looked like any normal man--he wore a white shirt and trousers typical of a peasant in that age. He was of husky stature and had a full dark beard.
A few other people emerged from behind the trees, each dressed as muggles, each armed with spears.
In an instant, the joy that had filled them from the day before was drained, and the cold hand of fear clenched the hearts of the three companions. The husky man ordered them to stand. They did. They were then marched at spearpoint through the woods, hearts pounding like stomps of elephants. Who were these people? They were obviously muggles, and with a wand could easily be overpowered. However, the thought of being turned into an instant shish-kabob did not appeal to the companions, and so they did not attempt to whip out their wands.
For nearly an hour the three prisoners endured the torture of the Nazi sun and the three spear-armed muggles. The heat drove the companions mentally insane, yet they did not speak out of shear fear. They were all just about ready to capitulate and collapse to the ground at the mercy of the garretted muggles when they finally stumbled into a village.
It was a sorry village, even for muggles. It consisted of a clutter of wood cabins and thatch huts. Naked children played in the dirt with grungy dogs. Women, thin from malnutrition, stood in the shade of the trees, washing the family's clothes and chatting about anything that would take their mind off the unbearable heat.
When they entered the cluster of cruck houses, the life of the village slowly diminished. The women slung the sopping clothes on the sides of their washbarrels and rested their hands on their hips. The dogs abandoned the children and turned their attention to the newcomers. It was the site of their overbearing male masters armed with spears that restrained them from inspecting the three visitors.
"Resume work!" barked the bearded man.
The village did, yet could not stop themselves from 'absentmindedly' diverting their gaze to the prisoners, who were then pushed across the village and shoved into the smallest, loneliest, sorriest hut.
There the three companions sat, panting, sweating, unable to formulate words. It was a sob from Helga that at last broke the awful silence.
"Godric," she cried, crawling over toward him, "vat vill happen to us?"
"They're only muggles," he reassured her, stroking her golden (not to mention sweaty) hair.
"But--they've--got---those--tings." she sobbed.
"Spears?"
She did not answer, only cried louder.
"Shhhh," he tried to comfort her. It was no use.
Salazar's last strand of patience snapped. "They're only muggles, for Christ's sake! We've got wands, they've got spears. What are you blubbering about?"
"Lay off a little, will yeh?" commanded Godric.
"No, I won't!" Salazar stood up. "You guys are pathetic! You're so rapped up in trying to be safe all the time to stop and realize the way out of these things!"
At this, Godric dropped Helga and jumped to his feet. "Listen, I've had it up to here--"
"Stop it, both of you!" cried Helga, now joining the Standing Crowd. "It's the heat. It's made us all cranky. Vee must sound so stupid to dose muggles out dere."
"Who cares what they think." said Salazar gruffly, sitting back down and leaning against the wall. It started to fall, so he sat back up. "They're only muggles."
"What did you say?" said Godric.
"Oh, must you fight about everything?" yelled Helga.
"No, no, it's not that." said Godric. He had a new tone in his voice, as if he had suddenly discovered something. "What was it that was in the book Rowena carried around?"
"Spells?" offered Salazar.
"And the tasks." said Helga.
"Yes..." the gears in Godric's head were slowly speeding up, "The second task ... was something to do with a village ... right?"
There was a silence in which every mind in the hundred-degree shack was suddenly working overtime.
"Something to do with ..."
"Hope... being lost..."
"No, no, it had to do with a pond that made noises ..."
"No, that's the third one..."
"It was a village that..."
"No hope ... A village in which all hope was lost!"
"That's it!" exclaimed Godric.
"Could it be dis village?" queried Helga.
At that moment, the door to the hut was flung open. The bearded muggle, this time unarmed yet flanked by two other muggles, stood in the doorframe.
"Do you three speak English?"
The companions nodded.
"Show me."
The wizards exchanged glances and shrugged. Salazar spoke, "Hi, I have green eyes and red hair."
"Good. Now me n' my council have just talked this over, and we all agree that you're not the people we've been looking for. However," he held up a hand to stop Godric from questioning, "now that you're in our captivity, we give you two choices; remain imprisoned and be our slaves or help us."
"Help you do what?" asked Godric.
"I will tell you after you have made your decision."
The three gaped at him, and he seized the moment and said, "I'll leave you three to discuss this now."
He closed the door, then immediately swung it open again. "And remember, there are guards outside here."
The door slammed shut, shaking the weak shack and causing splinters of wood to drift from the ceiling.
"Well, what should we do?" asked Salazar.
"What they want us to help them with can't be too bad ..." thought Godric. "Not as bad as being a slave, at least."
Salazar started up again. "Hey, we're the ones with the wands, here! All we need to do--"
"Fine, fine." Godric capitulated. "We'll do them they're favor. Anything but be their slaves. I just don't want to have to resort to pulling a wand on a tribe of muggles. That's low, even for us."
Helga spoke for the first time in a while. "So vat vill vee tell him?"
As if he had his ear pressed to the door (though it would not have made a difference, as the walls were thin enough), the bearded man re-entered.
"Have you come to a decision yet?"
"Yes," spoke Godric. "We want to help you."
A look of relief mixed quickly followed up by anticipation washed over the man's red face. "Very well, then. Follow me."
~*~
Author's Note:
All right that took a while to write, but I think it's shorter than the other chapters. I hope this all makes sense to you, and that you are enjoying it. Of course, I can't tell what you think of it unless you WRITE A REVIEW. (please?) Gracious! Peace out!
Off to Montreal now,
Luna
The Heat Wave
Rowena did not normally have dreams. When she did, she discarded them, for they were silly and meaningless. But that night when she saved Salazar's life, she did have a dream.
She was standing in the clearing that she had been in all day. It was still night out. When she surveyed the ground, she found that everything was as it had been; there was the petrified wormwraith, the stone unicorn, her companions (all sleeping)-even herself!
She bent over her body and found that it lay sleeping, just like her companions. How peculiar.
"Do not try and wake yourself." came a crisp, ancient voice.
Rowena turned around and was taken aback. There was Miss Banks, just as she had last seen her, sitting on the unicorn!
"Unicorns are lovely." commented the Ancient as she hopped off the statue. "Though I do think I prefer the real ones over stone."
"Miss Banks!" gasped Rowena. "I thought--how could you--?"
"Calm, child." Miss Banks held up a wrinkled hand. "This is just a dream. You and I are in a dream world. That is your body lying on the ground there, sleeping. And the you that I am talking to is your spirit. Do not try and wake your body. You shall return to it once this dream is over."
Rowena looked down at the sleeping Her on the ground. The moon had risen, and from the silver light Rowena could see that she was not looking so well.
"What is wrong with me?" asked Rowena.
"You are merely exhausted." explained Miss Banks, sitting herself down on a rock. "When you wake up, you will have a sore throat, blotted vision, excessive sleepiness, and dark circles under your eyes."
"All side effects of the venom?" sighed Rowena.
"You did a good thing today, child. You saved your companion's life. It was not what the fates had predicted."
"Come again?"
Miss Banks looked up at the stars. "Lovely night, isn't it? You can see the stars so wonderfully. You can tell by their unusual arrangement that something happened that was not supposed to happen."
"What do you mean?"
Miss Banks shook her head. "In my dreams which I told you about--the ones which told me to instruct four people to go forth and build a refuge for underprivileged people, and to bring an end to this war by educating those who need it--it said that the four companions were to come upon a stone unicorn. It was quite hazy why that was so important. But that was to be the first among the three signs you would receive that would tell you that you were on the right track. Something was supposed to happen here--you were supposed to get something out of this experience."
"And what is that?" queried Rowena.
"I don't know," admitted the Ancient. "Perhaps everyone will act differently now. We'll see. So far, you are all doing fine. But I am still puzzled by the fates."
"What do you mean?"
"The fates are, well, not right." Miss Banks tried to explain. "The stars are upset. Something went wrong today."
"Could it be," Rowena hated to admit, "that Salazar was supposed to die?"
She shrugged. "It could be. Perhaps he was to do something in the future that would be the downfall of all of us. Perhaps the fates decided it was better for him to die now, before he destroyed the mission. That is but a guess, however. Do not take my word for it."
Rowena glanced over at Salazar's sleeping body. This insecure, red-headed young man surely wouldn't bring them down, would he?
"You do know what this means, don't you?" said Miss Banks, eyeing her carefully.
Rowena swallowed and nodded, diverting her gaze from Salazar. "I think so."
"By sucking out the venom and saving your companion's life, you have significantly shortened yours. Both of you. However, he is eternally in your debt, and you shall be repaid someday.
"But not to worry," Miss Banks continued, "you are doing just fine in this mission. Keep it up. I await the day you finally complete your mission. But for now, I must go. Dawn is cracking. Sleep well."
"Wait!" Rowena shouted as Miss Banks's figure started to disintegrate into the air.
She reappeared. "Yes?"
"Will you visit me in my dreams again?"
She smiled a wrinkly smile. "Of course."
~*~
When Rowena woke, her face was pressed in the dry dirt, and she could feel the sun beating on her neck. She rolled over and slowly opened her eyes, only to snap them shut again. The sun was almost directly overhead. How long had she been sleeping?
"So she did that for me?" Rowena could hear one of her companion's voices.
"You better believe it. Here, I think this one's done."
"I vant it!"
"You just had a piece."
"So?"
"Plus, I need my strength."
"If vee hadn't told you vat happened, you vouldn't be saying dat."
Rowena rolled onto her side and opened her eyes again. Her companions were gathered around a fire, over which Godric was frying something that smelled very good.
"What is that?" asked Rowena sleepily, her voice still slightly hoarse.
The three companions looked up at her.
"Ah, you're awake." commented Godric, who was holding the skillet. "I'm almost done roasting this piece."
Rowena crawled over, and asked with what strength she had (which came out as a whisper), "Piece of what?"
"Bacon and sausages!" Salazar announced gleefully.
"Bacon--and sausages?" Rowena marveled. "How did you--?"
Godric smirked as he flipped over a slice of bacon. "I was woken this morning by something sniffing my face. When I opened my eyes, I found it was a boar. I attacked it, and, using my super-human strength--"
"--or just my wand--" cut in Salazar.
"--I killed it. Now it looks like its pig for the next week."
"Excellent." said Rowena, grabbing a sizzling sausage off the skillet. "I haven't had it in ages."
"Me neither." agreed Helga.
"I think none of us have." Salazar said, even though pork was the last meal he had back on the manor.
"Where you fet de killet?" Rowena asked through a mouthful.
"Sorry, did you say something?" queried Godric. "English, please."
"Killet." she pointed at the skillet. "Pan."
"Oh, this? Salazar whipped it up with his wand."
"Which reminds me," Rowena swallowed her food. "I have a confession to make. I've had a wand for the past week. I don't know why I didn't tell you guys. Sorry."
"Really?" awed Helga. "How?"
Rowena was about to explain how Salazar had shown her how to make one (placing a piece of a magical animal--in this case a unicorn hair--in between two pieces of bark, and then performing a spell that would morph it into a wand), but Salazar said that he would explain, since she was losing her voice again.
"I think it's about time we all had one." said Rowena. "In case something happens again like what happened yesterday. We all need wands. It's just better like that."
"I'm all for it." said Godric. "I haven't had a wand in years, ever since the OFER took it."
"Me too." agreed Helga. "Vell, I did leave mine at home, but I can still have one, right?"
"Absolutely." said Salazar.
"Not." added Godric.
There was a pause in which everyone stared at Godric. The corners of his mouth curved upwards, and the group started to laugh. It was not really that funny, but the laugh was much needed.
~*~
In order to make a wand, you need a piece of a magical animal. There were not many unicorns to be found in the woods. Now that spring was progressing into summer, the unicorns generally flocked northward and into the mountains, to stay in the cooler climates.
Rowena insisted that they spend the day making Godric's and Helga's wands, in order for them to get the best quality of magic. However, the companions were wary of how much Rowena dreaded to stop, even for a day. So they make their wands more primitively.
Godric plucked the smallest snake off of the petrified wormwraith's head that he could find. He sandwiched it between two bark pieces, and they performed the incantation that morphed it into a wand. Helga was too horrified to touch the wormwraith, so she tore a bit of niffler hide out of her ragged vest, and used that for the inside of her wand.
The troop pressed onward. The sun now baked their skin, and their feet began to drag.
"Guys," panted Godric after a good hour or so of trudging, "why don't we stop for today?"
"I agree." Helga hastily agreed.
"But--" Rowena started.
"Rowena," Godric interrupted, holding up a hand. "Take a rest. You know you need it. There's no way we're going to make it through today alive if we don't stop."
Grudgingly, Rowena sank to the ground. The soft forest floor DID feel good. And the sun WAS much more enjoyable when she wasn't marching in it.
The other three also collapsed onto the soil. They laid on the ground, panting and staring up at the green canopy. There was a peaceful silence for a good ten minutes, only interrupted by a suggestion from Salazar.
"Should we try and find a stream or something?"
"They're probably all dried up, aren't they?" Godric reasoned, sitting up.
"But it vas just pouring de other day!" cried Helga.
Rowena sat up and shook her head. "All streams around here will be dried up. But we're almost in the mountains," she turned her head northward, "it'll be in about two days. There's bound to be rivers there."
"Two days!" moaned Helga. "Surely vee vill be dead by den!"
"There's got to be some way to get water." persisted Godric.
"Maybe we can make a fountain come out of our wands?" suggested Salazar.
"Well, does anyone know how to do that?" asked Rowena.
Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.
"We can make it to the mountains," Rowena calculated, "in twenty hours. However, we'd have to pick up the pace and take no breaks--not even at night."
Helga groaned, and Salazar and Godric's hearts sunk.
"Hey, I'm not anymore happy about this than you guys." said Rowena grimly. "But if you would rather wait two days ..."
"Let's go." said Salazar after a slight pause.
The quartet slowly got to their feet. They then continued traipsing through the woods.
Unlike humans, forest creatures revel in the warm weather. The forest that day was alive with the hums of bees, the singing of sparrows, and the drill of woodpeckers.
"WILL they shut UP?" Rowena finally snapped.
This took everyone by surprise. Rowena was supposed to be the one who kept her cool, who bailed them out of bad situations.
"Maybe we should stop after all.," said Salazar cautiously.
"No!" Rowena yelled, making the birds and insects turn silent for a split second.
No one spoke again that day, for fear of disturbing Rowena. Perhaps it was the poison, perhaps it was the mere heat, but whatever it was that made Rowena snap out at them, they didn't ask.
Sundown came, and everyone was deadbeat. But as usual, Rowena would not hear of stopping.
"Just think of the water!" Rowena told Helga as she struggled to stay up. "Only a few more hours--"
"I cannot live for a few more hours!" cried Helga, kneeling to the ground.
Rowena threw her hands up in the air and Godric stepped in.
"Come now, I'll give you a piggy-back ride."
Overjoyed, Helga scrambled onto his back. It was not long, however, before she fell asleep.
"Good thing she's light-weight." panted Godric.
"I don't know why you put up with her." Rowena said.
"She's a sweet girl." said Godric.
"You know, you don't need to pretend anymore." Rowena said irritably.
"What are you talking about?"
"We know that you and her are head-over-heals for each other." Rowena let the words sink in before continuing. "But you don't really love her. You think you do, but I know you don't."
"How can you say that?" shouted Godric, the heat letting his temper get the better of him.
She was taken aback by his sudden anger, but that didn't stop her from explaining herself. "What do you love about her?"
"She's very nice," he pointed out.
"And?"
"And ambitious."
"And?" Rowena was becoming frustrated.
"And what else is there?!"
Salazar, who knew to keep to himself, was aware that Rowena was trying to point out that he only loved Helga for her looks.
"It's lust!" accused Rowena. "Pure attraction! Ever since she stepped out of the fireplace back in the burrow, you have been practically drooling over her!"
Salazar said meekly, "Guys, maybe we shouldn't fight."
"SHUT UP!" chorused Godric and Rowena.
"I love her and I don't care what you accuse me of!" Godric retorted.
"Well you're a stubborn fool!"
"Well you're just a woman!"
Rowena raised her arm, but Salazar grabbed it.
"Stop this! Look at you two! You're letting the heat get to you, and you're bringing down the mission!"
Rowena wrenched herself out of his grasp.
In a silent, controlled voice, Rowena spat back to Godric, "Well if you're so manly and tough, then why don't you do this mission on your own?"
And with that, she sprinted ahead into the darkness.
"Rowena!" Salazar called, running after her.
"Let her go." commanded Godric. "She'll come back."
"But what if she doesn't? What if she gets captured?"
"She can take care of herself better than any of us." pointed out Godric.
Helga yawned.
"Agh, vat is all dis yelling about? Did I miss someting?"
~*~
When the sun rose, the three companions could not have been more tired. Godric was the most weary of them, but out of the guilt he felt for Rowena, he would not let them stop.
"We're almost to the mountains." he told them, though he had no idea if it would be hours or days before they reached them. "Rowena said that we would reach them today."
"Vell how do vee know vere vee are going if Rowena isn't even here?!" yelled Helga.
"I carried you all night, so I wouldn't be complaining." said Godric tartly.
Helga did not speak after that. In fact, no one spoke for three-and-a-half hours. That was how it had been the whole trip--fight, silence, fight, silence. This time, the silence was not broken by a fight, but rather, the greatest news in the world.
"I think I hear a waterfall," said Salazar. He had been hearing the distant crashing for a while, but he had not dared to say anything in case he was wrong.
"Which direction?" asked Godric at once.
"I can't tell ..." Salazar strained his ears. "But the ground does seem to be going up a bit, doesn't it?"
"By George, you're right!" yelled Godric. "We must be entering the mountains! A stream can't be far off."
"I think it's this way." Salazar pointed eastward.
"Let's go." said Godric.
"Maybe Rowena vill be there." thought Helga. She did not entirely like being the only girl.
It was not in the direction that Salazar had pointed, but the distant rumbling was becoming louder.
"It's this way!" shouted Helga.
"No, no, it's more southward!" insisted Godric.
They wove their way through the labyrinth of the trees in something like a treasure hunt. It was Salazar, unsurprisingly, who struck gold.
"I see mist! Rising just over those treetops!" he pointed northeastern.
The trio ran, stumbled, and crashed through the woods. It was indeed a mountain that they were on. And it was indeed mist from a waterfall.
"Oh thank the Lord!" cried Godric, when he saw it.
It was a small pond, lying atop slimy green slabs of rock. The waterfall was a good ten meters high--high enough for then to leap from it and still live.
"O tak bro Dieu!" shouted Helga in Swedish.
The water cold not have felt more heavenly. They waded in its goodness, whooping in celebration. They even forget about Rowena in all their happiness.
"Look at me!" Godric had climbed to the top of the waterfall. Roaring like a lion, he leaped off of the ledge, and plummeted to the pond.
"Bet you can't do this!" Salazar called from where Godric had just stood. He pushed off the ledge, did a full flip, and came head-first into the water. Helga applauded him and Godric looked miffed.
They spent the entire day at the pond. Salazar found a lizard and (using his wand to make a fire) roasted it. The amount of celebration between the three of them could easily be compared to that of an entire country's on its Independence Day. When night fell, they laid on the rocks, staring up at the Milky Way, naming constellations.
It was the best damn day of their lives.
~*~
Godric was the first to wake the next morning. He sat up painfully, stretching and yawning. He cracked his back a couple times. Sleeping on a rock was definitely not something he wanted to do again.
"Helga, Salazar, wake up." he said, shaking them. They stirred but would not be disturbed.
'Oh well, may as well enjoy the peace while I can.' he thought.
But that wish was short-lived. A sudden snap of a twig a few meters off caught his attention.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
There was silence. Godric shrugged. Maybe he should wake his companions up, just in case.
Then he heard a noise again.
"Who's out there?" he yelled in his most intimidating voice. "Is that you, Rowena?"
There was no response, and Godric turned to shake Helga and Salazar.
"Wake up, you guys!" he whispered urgently.
They stirred. Helga yawned and opened her eyes.
"Godric, vat--" she broke off in midsentence, her eyes vivid with fear, staring over his left shoulder.
Godric whipped his head around, and found his face millimeters away from the tip of a spear.
"Don't move." commanded the man holding the spear. He looked like any normal man--he wore a white shirt and trousers typical of a peasant in that age. He was of husky stature and had a full dark beard.
A few other people emerged from behind the trees, each dressed as muggles, each armed with spears.
In an instant, the joy that had filled them from the day before was drained, and the cold hand of fear clenched the hearts of the three companions. The husky man ordered them to stand. They did. They were then marched at spearpoint through the woods, hearts pounding like stomps of elephants. Who were these people? They were obviously muggles, and with a wand could easily be overpowered. However, the thought of being turned into an instant shish-kabob did not appeal to the companions, and so they did not attempt to whip out their wands.
For nearly an hour the three prisoners endured the torture of the Nazi sun and the three spear-armed muggles. The heat drove the companions mentally insane, yet they did not speak out of shear fear. They were all just about ready to capitulate and collapse to the ground at the mercy of the garretted muggles when they finally stumbled into a village.
It was a sorry village, even for muggles. It consisted of a clutter of wood cabins and thatch huts. Naked children played in the dirt with grungy dogs. Women, thin from malnutrition, stood in the shade of the trees, washing the family's clothes and chatting about anything that would take their mind off the unbearable heat.
When they entered the cluster of cruck houses, the life of the village slowly diminished. The women slung the sopping clothes on the sides of their washbarrels and rested their hands on their hips. The dogs abandoned the children and turned their attention to the newcomers. It was the site of their overbearing male masters armed with spears that restrained them from inspecting the three visitors.
"Resume work!" barked the bearded man.
The village did, yet could not stop themselves from 'absentmindedly' diverting their gaze to the prisoners, who were then pushed across the village and shoved into the smallest, loneliest, sorriest hut.
There the three companions sat, panting, sweating, unable to formulate words. It was a sob from Helga that at last broke the awful silence.
"Godric," she cried, crawling over toward him, "vat vill happen to us?"
"They're only muggles," he reassured her, stroking her golden (not to mention sweaty) hair.
"But--they've--got---those--tings." she sobbed.
"Spears?"
She did not answer, only cried louder.
"Shhhh," he tried to comfort her. It was no use.
Salazar's last strand of patience snapped. "They're only muggles, for Christ's sake! We've got wands, they've got spears. What are you blubbering about?"
"Lay off a little, will yeh?" commanded Godric.
"No, I won't!" Salazar stood up. "You guys are pathetic! You're so rapped up in trying to be safe all the time to stop and realize the way out of these things!"
At this, Godric dropped Helga and jumped to his feet. "Listen, I've had it up to here--"
"Stop it, both of you!" cried Helga, now joining the Standing Crowd. "It's the heat. It's made us all cranky. Vee must sound so stupid to dose muggles out dere."
"Who cares what they think." said Salazar gruffly, sitting back down and leaning against the wall. It started to fall, so he sat back up. "They're only muggles."
"What did you say?" said Godric.
"Oh, must you fight about everything?" yelled Helga.
"No, no, it's not that." said Godric. He had a new tone in his voice, as if he had suddenly discovered something. "What was it that was in the book Rowena carried around?"
"Spells?" offered Salazar.
"And the tasks." said Helga.
"Yes..." the gears in Godric's head were slowly speeding up, "The second task ... was something to do with a village ... right?"
There was a silence in which every mind in the hundred-degree shack was suddenly working overtime.
"Something to do with ..."
"Hope... being lost..."
"No, no, it had to do with a pond that made noises ..."
"No, that's the third one..."
"It was a village that..."
"No hope ... A village in which all hope was lost!"
"That's it!" exclaimed Godric.
"Could it be dis village?" queried Helga.
At that moment, the door to the hut was flung open. The bearded muggle, this time unarmed yet flanked by two other muggles, stood in the doorframe.
"Do you three speak English?"
The companions nodded.
"Show me."
The wizards exchanged glances and shrugged. Salazar spoke, "Hi, I have green eyes and red hair."
"Good. Now me n' my council have just talked this over, and we all agree that you're not the people we've been looking for. However," he held up a hand to stop Godric from questioning, "now that you're in our captivity, we give you two choices; remain imprisoned and be our slaves or help us."
"Help you do what?" asked Godric.
"I will tell you after you have made your decision."
The three gaped at him, and he seized the moment and said, "I'll leave you three to discuss this now."
He closed the door, then immediately swung it open again. "And remember, there are guards outside here."
The door slammed shut, shaking the weak shack and causing splinters of wood to drift from the ceiling.
"Well, what should we do?" asked Salazar.
"What they want us to help them with can't be too bad ..." thought Godric. "Not as bad as being a slave, at least."
Salazar started up again. "Hey, we're the ones with the wands, here! All we need to do--"
"Fine, fine." Godric capitulated. "We'll do them they're favor. Anything but be their slaves. I just don't want to have to resort to pulling a wand on a tribe of muggles. That's low, even for us."
Helga spoke for the first time in a while. "So vat vill vee tell him?"
As if he had his ear pressed to the door (though it would not have made a difference, as the walls were thin enough), the bearded man re-entered.
"Have you come to a decision yet?"
"Yes," spoke Godric. "We want to help you."
A look of relief mixed quickly followed up by anticipation washed over the man's red face. "Very well, then. Follow me."
~*~
Author's Note:
All right that took a while to write, but I think it's shorter than the other chapters. I hope this all makes sense to you, and that you are enjoying it. Of course, I can't tell what you think of it unless you WRITE A REVIEW. (please?) Gracious! Peace out!
Off to Montreal now,
Luna
