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Stand Your Ground: Legend of the Monster – and the Firebird that Never Returned
Chapter 5
Trapped
Rosetta and Silvermist flew around the corner, ready to rescue their friends. Suddenly they were tumbling around a barrel with their other friends.
Then the motion stopped, as the barrel was set down on the ground.
"Tink! Are you all okay? Scruffy?" Rosetta asked, brushing herself off.
"We're fine!" Fawn answered.
"Where's Vidia?" Iridessa asked, anxiously.
"She's in the cavern, alone." Silvermist admitted. "She told us that if we didn't find out what happened to you that she'd come looking on her own. You know how hard it is to stop Vidia when she's made up her mind."
"She's not safe!" Scruffy exclaimed. "We have to find a way out!"
"He's right. Dessa, Fawn, give me a hand with this rock. We need to find a way to push it out!"
"Okay!"
The three fairies tried to push it out. Rosetta and Silvermist joined them.
"I'd help, but I think I'd be in the way." Scruffy called up from the bottom of the barrel.
"Stay there, Scruffy!" Tinkerbell called. "We need your weight to keep the barrel from – rising – that's it!" she exclaimed, abandoning her attempts to push out the rock.
"What's it?" Rosetta asked, curiously.
"There isn't a single crack in this barrel, right?"
"Uh-huh." Fawn nodded. "What about it?"
"It's pretty dark in the cave except for our glow, and if the salamander can't see our glow, and if we stay really quiet, then we could move the barrel into a different part of the tunnel and he wouldn't be able to find it! Then we can figure out a way to get out without him eating us first!"
"That doesn't help Vidia!" Scruffy pointed out.
"We can't help Vidia if we're dinner." Silvermist pointed out.
"We will get out, Scruffy." Fawn said, encouragingly.
"Ready? No talking after this, remember – just whisper really softly." Tinkerbell warned. "One, two, three, go!"
They all flew to the top of the barrel and lifted it into the air. Tinkerbell pointed in a direction and they flew it that way until they ran into a wall, and continued along that wall until they found another one. Satisfied that they had found a corner, Tinkerbell gestured for them to set it down. It took a few tries to find a suitable landing spot, but they made it.
"Dessa," Tinkerbell whispered. "Can you use your light to whittle away the wood and get the stone out?"
"I can try." Iridessa offered. "I'm not sure – I've never tried before."
"Get to it." Tinkerbell smiled encouragingly.
She sat down on the bottom of the barrel with the others. "There isn't much we can do except wait." she said, unhappily.
"Poor Vidia. I wonder what's happening to her." Scruffy worried.
"She'll be fine, Scruffy." Rosetta comforted him. "She brilliant on the ground."
Stand Your Ground
Vidia felt guilty for pushing them to leave her. "Sil? Ro?" she called, hesitantly, climbing to her feet. "Are you okay?" her voice got louder.
She remembered which way she had been when she fell, but after that she wasn't certain. Then she recalled which direction the shouts of her friends came from. That gave her direction and determination.
She turned and started walking, holding her hands tentatively out in front of her.
She heard a slight noise, as if something had fallen, or been set down, further along the tunnel.
"Hello? Rosetta? Sil?" she called. "Tinkerbell?" She spun in a circle slowly, listening. "Anyone?"
After a moment, she set off, going toward the sound she had heard.
"Can't we answer her?" Scruffy asked. "She can't see anything – she'll probably think we're dead, and eaten."
"If we respond we will be dead and eaten very soon." Iridessa pointed out. "We need to stay quiet."
"But the salamander isn't around here, he-"
"Did you hear that?" Silvermist asked.
"Vidia? Of course I hear her!" Scruffy whispered.
"No, it sounded like a snake – like the salamander. I think he's hiding. I think he's discovered that we're gone and hoping that we'll give ourselves away to Vidia." Silvermist said. "He's smart. He won't hurt her as long as she's our only reason to call out."
"Sil? Scruffy?" they could hear her calling desperately. "Please answer!"
"He could have captured her!" Scruffy argued. "He might be making her call for us!"
"It wouldn't change the situation a bit!" Silvermist said. "I'm sorry, but Tink and Dessa are right. We have to stay quiet to help her."
"Kemalth? Anyone, please!" Vidia just continued walking forward. "Scruffy!"
She heard a slight sound – like scales over rock, and knew the salamander was close by. Blindly she turned and ran.
"Ah!" she yelled as she tripped over a rock and went flying.
She climbed blindly to her feet and started toward where she remembered the cavern opening was.
After she managed to get into the cavern, she crossed the length and went back out into the tunnel they had entered in.
Listening carefully, she could hear outside noises – it sounded as if it was late. Perhaps even night. Not that she could tell, blinded.
"I could go out." she said aloud. "I could go out – and get killed by an eagle or heron or snake. Or I could stay here and see if I can find my friends – if they're alive – until the poison kills me." She paused, considering.
She heard a noise behind her. The salamander – coming to find me.
She hurried, her hands in front of her, until she found the wall. She walked along it until she found a few rocks close together. She ducked down under them, hoping that they would contain her glow enough that Kemalth wouldn't see her.
Vidia suddenly realized that she was still wearing her backpack. She pulled it off and grabbed a leaf blanket. After waiting in breathless silence to make sure the salamander wouldn't hear her moving, she curled up and went to sleep, exhausted.
Stand Your Ground – 14thday
Vidia stumbled back into the cavern. As far as she could tell from temperature it was morning, but even if she had sight she would have been unable to be sure. She faltered across the cavern floor and from the change in air, knew she had gotten through the arch at the other side. She turned, startled, as she heard the salamander move into the tunnel.
"Good morning, Vidia."
"Where are my friends? What have you done with them?" Vidia stared him as close to the eyes as she could guess.
"You heard my story, earlier, darling." Kemalth said, calmly. "I ate them, of course."
The fairies and Scruffy stuck inside of the barrel perked up, listening to the conversation.
"I don't believe you." Vidia announced, grimly.
"That's not my problem."
Vidia adjusted her backpack straps on her shoulders, and tried to find better footing. "You said that you don't have any Firebird tears left."
"I was lying. I do have some tears." Kemalth admitted. "What is it to you? I'm not giving you any."
"I don't need any – you see, I have some."
"Why haven't you used them?"
"They only work on fairy injuries – not poison." Vidia lied to his face, hoping he didn't know that.
"I see, well then . . ."
"You'll run out one day." Vidia reminded him. "My Firebird tears would make a good addition to your collection. Think about when you run out and a rock falls on your head. You'll have nothing, and you'll just have to wait until your injury heals."
"I see your point." Kemalth said, thoughtfully. "Yes, I want your Firebird tears. What do you want for them?"
"The cure for the poison."
"What if I just kill you and take the tears?"
"You won't." Vidia pulled out a vial and took the cork out. "I'll pour them out right here."
"No – be careful!" the salamander pleaded, as a few drops almost spilled over the edge.
"You wouldn't have to worry me spilling them if you hadn't poisoned me. But all right, I'll smash the vial instead." Vidia recorked the vial and held it ready to smash. "You try to crush me, and you'll crush them."
"I understand." the salamander turned and left.
Vidia stayed, blindly holding the vial ready to smash. She listened carefully.
Stand Your Ground – In the Barrel
"What does she have?" Tinkerbell asked, curiously.
"She's got the vial that the last tears were in." Scruffy replied. "She filled it, but it isn't Firebird tears."
"Is it just me or is it very stuffy in here?" Rosetta asked. "I'm havin' trouble just breathin'."
Tinkerbell looked up, worried, and examined the barrel. "It's so well sealed that we're going to run out of air. There isn't much air coming through the cracks. She flew to Rosetta and showed her one crack that wasn't completely sealed. "You'll get a tiny bit of air here, but if we don't figure out how to get out we'll die in here without the salamander's help."
Stand Your Ground
Vidia waitied patiently for several minutes. Finally she heard Kemalth's footsteps coming toward her.
"I'm setting the cure down over here. Just drink it. Drink it all." Kemalth said, sweetly.
"Get back!" Vidia warned.
She heard Kemalth reluctantly stumbling back.
"I will smash this if I hear a sound from you while I'm getting the cure." Vidia warned.
"I understand." he assured her.
Vidia stumbled in the direction that he had spoken from, trying to walk and hold the vial ready to smash simultaneously.
"If you go a step further you will trip on it." the Salamander warned.
Vidia stopped and knelt, feeling around for it. There was a small container, and without trying to recognize it, Vidia just gulped down the liquid.
"Now give me the tears!" Kemalth suddenly growled.
"NO!" Vidia stepped back.
"That was our agreement!"
"No, my agreement was to give it to you when you give me the cure. I don't know that this is the cure. I'll give it to you as soon as I am cured." Vidia promised. "Give me a couple of minutes – or - how long does it take to work?"
"Just a few minutes."
"Fine. Then wait until I get my sight back."
"All right." Vidia could hear the serpent lying down to wait. She sat down with her back against a rock.
Suddenly she blinked, and tried not to focus on the salamander. He opened an eye. "Can you see?"
"No, not a thing." She lied blatantly. "There's only black."
He shut his eye again, and she glanced around.
Not sure about salamanders, but us fast-flyer fairies have very good sight, and that looks like a good trap for fairies in the corner.
Suddenly, she realized that they might have escaped and hidden. It all made sense. She could see a rock stoppering the hole in the barrel. That's it!
She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes gently. "I can see!" she exclaimed.
"Give me the vial now – that was our deal."
"Right, I'm setting it down over here." Vidia put it down. "Now let me walk away a bit before you pick it up."
"All right."
Vidia walked along the tunnel toward the barrel, but toward the wall, so the salamander wouldn't think she was going toward him.
As soon as he was close enough to the vial that he couldn't see her in his peripheral vision, she started sprinting for the barrel.
Inside the barrel, the fairies and Scruffy had each found a crack allowing the tiniest bit of air to enter, but it wasn't enough. Scruffy started gasping for air.
Vidia reached back into her backpack and pulled out something.
Kemalth opened the vial gently and poured a tiny drop out onto his claw, then tasted it. His expression became enraged as he realized that it wasn't a Firebird tear.
He turned with lightning speed and batted Vidia with a paw, making her yell and fly across the ground, unintentionally putting her closer to her goal, but not close enough.
He delicately placed a claw at her neck, keeping her from struggling.
"AH!" she shrieked.
"Any last words before I dice you into chunks?" he asked, smoothly, as if he was enjoying himself.
"Vidia, no!" Scruffy screamed.