Read Online Back To The Divide by Elizabeth Kay - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Kay
Tags: Fiction, Humorous stories, Children's Books, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Children: Grades 4-6, Pixies
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Bracing, that was the word. There was nothing wrong with him. He made his way to the end of the beach and started to clamber over the rocks. Before long he came to the caves, but he decided to look for the brittlehorn first. Only if he couldn't find him would he venture in alone.
When he reached the ninth cave mouth, he saw hoofprints in the sand. He went over and had a closer look. They were too delicate for cuddyak prints; they had to belong to a brittlehorn. Felix followed them into the cave, tied the end of the twine to a projection in the rock, and switched on his flashlight.
The cave branched into three tunnels, and the prints took the left-hand route. He followed them. After a little while the tunnel opened out again and the most amazing landscape lay before him, full of stalagmites and stalactites. Felix heard himself catch his breath. Twisted columns of stone rose before him, the color of Jersey cream. Hourglass pillars, veined with turquoise; filigree arches, in pink and orange and rust. Mounds of pearl-gray rock formations, layered like puddles of candle wax, and forests of tiny spikes as white as milk teeth.
80
At one end of the cave there was a pool of water, as motionless as ice. The stonescape was reflected in it, a perfect mirror image. Felix had been to the Cheddar caves once on a school trip and been seriously impressed, but this was phenomenal.
After a minute or two he realized that the hoofprints led into the little lake and disappeared. He took off his shoes, put them in his backpack, rolled up his trousers, and waded in. It was quite shallow, and he thought perhaps he could see hoofprints on the miniature beach on the other side. The next moment he must have stepped in a pothole, because he was underwater. He thrashed wildly, fighting his way to the surface, and then he realized that his flashlight had gone out. Not only that, he'd let go of the ball of twine. He trod water, although it was difficult since the weight of the backpack was dragging him down. Eventually his hands found the edge of the drop, and he hauled himself back into shallow water. He just sat there for a moment, getting his breath back. He was in a mess. It was pitch black in there. He didn't even know which way he was facing, and he was very cold. Eventually he stood up and inched his way toward what he hoped was the bit he'd just come from. He just needed to be on dry land. The water got shallower and shallower, and then he was standing on a smooth stone surface and he felt ever so slightly better. He took off his clothes and wrung them out. The water had only just started to penetrate the backpack -- his other clothes were almost dry, and the matchbox containing the marble snail was still zipped up safely in a side pocket.
81
He dressed as well as he could in the dark and then he just sat there, wondering what to do next.
After an age, from out of the darkest darkness, Felix noticed a faint glow. Gradually, it intensified. It was coming toward him -- and yes, he could hear the faint click of hooves. After a little while he could make out a four-legged outline walking toward him with its head bowed, suggesting that its owner was either elderly or infirm or severely depressed. It's the brittlehorn, thought Felix. He could see that its twisted ivory horn was glowing with an eerie green light, as though illuminated from within. Then it must have caught his scent for it stopped, raised its head, and looked straight at him.
"Am I glad to see you," said Felix.
"I can't really answer that," said the brittlehorn. "Not being you, you see."
"I got lost," said Felix, his words tumbling over themselves in his hurry to explain himself, "and my flashlight went out and the twine slipped through my fingers and I thought I was going to die down here and then you --"
"First things first," said the brittlehorn. "My name is Pewtermane. Last year, a sinistrom by the name of Architrex killed my daughter, Snowdrift. Since then I have only wanted
When he reached the ninth cave mouth, he saw hoofprints in the sand. He went over and had a closer look. They were too delicate for cuddyak prints; they had to belong to a brittlehorn. Felix followed them into the cave, tied the end of the twine to a projection in the rock, and switched on his flashlight.
The cave branched into three tunnels, and the prints took the left-hand route. He followed them. After a little while the tunnel opened out again and the most amazing landscape lay before him, full of stalagmites and stalactites. Felix heard himself catch his breath. Twisted columns of stone rose before him, the color of Jersey cream. Hourglass pillars, veined with turquoise; filigree arches, in pink and orange and rust. Mounds of pearl-gray rock formations, layered like puddles of candle wax, and forests of tiny spikes as white as milk teeth.
80
At one end of the cave there was a pool of water, as motionless as ice. The stonescape was reflected in it, a perfect mirror image. Felix had been to the Cheddar caves once on a school trip and been seriously impressed, but this was phenomenal.
After a minute or two he realized that the hoofprints led into the little lake and disappeared. He took off his shoes, put them in his backpack, rolled up his trousers, and waded in. It was quite shallow, and he thought perhaps he could see hoofprints on the miniature beach on the other side. The next moment he must have stepped in a pothole, because he was underwater. He thrashed wildly, fighting his way to the surface, and then he realized that his flashlight had gone out. Not only that, he'd let go of the ball of twine. He trod water, although it was difficult since the weight of the backpack was dragging him down. Eventually his hands found the edge of the drop, and he hauled himself back into shallow water. He just sat there for a moment, getting his breath back. He was in a mess. It was pitch black in there. He didn't even know which way he was facing, and he was very cold. Eventually he stood up and inched his way toward what he hoped was the bit he'd just come from. He just needed to be on dry land. The water got shallower and shallower, and then he was standing on a smooth stone surface and he felt ever so slightly better. He took off his clothes and wrung them out. The water had only just started to penetrate the backpack -- his other clothes were almost dry, and the matchbox containing the marble snail was still zipped up safely in a side pocket.
81
He dressed as well as he could in the dark and then he just sat there, wondering what to do next.
After an age, from out of the darkest darkness, Felix noticed a faint glow. Gradually, it intensified. It was coming toward him -- and yes, he could hear the faint click of hooves. After a little while he could make out a four-legged outline walking toward him with its head bowed, suggesting that its owner was either elderly or infirm or severely depressed. It's the brittlehorn, thought Felix. He could see that its twisted ivory horn was glowing with an eerie green light, as though illuminated from within. Then it must have caught his scent for it stopped, raised its head, and looked straight at him.
"Am I glad to see you," said Felix.
"I can't really answer that," said the brittlehorn. "Not being you, you see."
"I got lost," said Felix, his words tumbling over themselves in his hurry to explain himself, "and my flashlight went out and the twine slipped through my fingers and I thought I was going to die down here and then you --"
"First things first," said the brittlehorn. "My name is Pewtermane. Last year, a sinistrom by the name of Architrex killed my daughter, Snowdrift. Since then I have only wanted
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