Chapter Seven

As the moon rose, Arabella was confronted by a huge rockslide. The map had been right. There was a way over the barrier-like cliffs. She sighed; it looked as if the rock here had turned liquid and flowed down into the edge of the desert. A cool wind kicked up whipping her hair into her face.

She drank some water and ate another bread roll. She pinched pieces off and slowly chewed them. The breeze raised goose bumps on her legs and arms. She tossed half the roll away among the rocks. Perhaps some unknown animal would enjoy the bread more than she did at that moment.

She hooked her sack over her shoulder and started up the rock pile. She rested half-way up the slide. Her wounded hand ached and the healing scar pulled painfully as she put her hand on the rocks. She sat on a flat boulder and fished out the healing salve. She put some on her palm. The pain dissipated.

As she restarted her climb upwards the rocks suddenly rolled under her hands. She fell forward and smacked her jaw on the rocks below her. She slid downward. She flailed and finally stopped sliding. Tears filled her eyes and pain shot along the edge of her jaw.

She touched her face then her mouth. Her hand came away wet. Arabella thought that it was probably blood. She touched her tongue to her bottom lip. It touched a cut. She tasted salt and iron.

After her fall, she tested each handhold. She was careful to put her feet on the same rocks that she put her hands on. The rocks nearer the top of the rock slide were loose. It took her longer to find a safe route to the top.

At the top she lay on her back. The moon had traveled half way across the night sky. She lay there watching the stars slowly travel across the sky. Exhausted she curled into a tight ball and slept.

It was dark again. Arabella sobbed and tears streamed down her face. Pain haunted her.

“What is it, little one?” Denrisi’s voice cut through the darkness.

“I hurt,” Arabella moaned. Her whole body throbbed.

“I feel it,” Denrisi said. “Wait there! I will come to you.”

A flame flickered on her arm. She slapped it and it spread to her hand. She felt the heat digging deeply into her flesh.

She screamed and slapped at the flames. They spread further across her body.

“What is happening?” Denrisi yelled in panic.

“Help me,” Arabella shrieked. “I am on fire!” Her world exploded in a mass of flame and heat. It seemed that large wings beat the fire higher.

Arabella woke fighting off the dream flames. She then lay panting. She felt more tired than when she went to sleep. Her body still felt hot. The heat did not go away but seemed to get worse as she lay there on the cool ground. The moon was gone from the sky and the west was getting lighter.

Arabella drank a lot of water. Her stomach finally rebelled at the cold liquid and she threw up over the side of the cliff. She backed away from the edge. She was too dizzy to lean over the cliff and keep her balance.

As she took off the outer dress the long sleeves dragged painfully on her arms. She looked at her arms which seemed to glow with a brilliant reddish color. She was extremely sunburned. This was new to Arabella. She was burned by the sun. She had sat for hours at Cardew in the sun and never burned. If fact her skin never changed color in the sun. She thought that maybe some of her mother’s magic had been at work at Cardew. Perhaps there was a protection spell against the sun.

The pain was excruciating. She removed the top of her lace dress and pushed it down around her waist. The burns were blistering and the skin was peeling. She even felt it across her back and shoulders. She coated her arms with the salve. She reached the back of her neck. The pain started to fade and some of the blistering. The redness stayed though.

Arabella was shocked. She thought that the salve would heal her burns completely. It surprised her that she was still hurt. Carefully she put her outer dress back on. The sleeves felt too tight and it was painful across her back. She wrapped up the empty salve jar and put it in her sack. She might need it later.

Her stomach churned as she thought of food. She just could not do it. The thought of food made her ill. She was still feeling the effects of retching up the water earlier. She was weak and tired. She was tempted to just stay where she was and wait for her mother to find her. Of course her mother may not have missed her yet. It might still be days before she came.

The sun made a dramatic appearance to the west and heat started radiating off the desert. Arabella picked up her sack and started walking southward again. The ground was covered in grass that had yellowed under the heat of the sun. Up ahead she saw small twisted trees. They were just barely her height and were clumped together. Then the edge of a cool green forest beckoned to her.

Arabella kept walking into the trees. Soon the sun was lost from view. Fog thickened between the trees. Looking at the map she noticed that the forest was now at the center. A large mountainous area was to the south and on the edge of the map was a huge mountain. Arabella felt a rekindled desire to see those mountains. She studied the route to the mountains.

Arabella walked through the fog. It was a little chilly. Not enough to be too uncomfortable. She felt energized and excited. She was actually going somewhere to see something new. It was what she had always wanted. She thought that she was going towards Denrisi. She marched determinedly ahead. The picture of the towering snow covered mountains loomed in her mind.

Arabella jumped at a crackling noise in a nearby bush. She stared at it. She thought of all the stories that she had read in her books. Bandits, wolves, and other monsters liked to lurk among tall trees. In all the books there was always someone ready to robber, maim, or even kill someone else on long journeys. The noise came again and she fled among the trees.

She stopped and hid behind a large tree. The tree went up and up. It was so tall she could not see where the top began. She knelt down and pulled the bird knife from her sack. She put into her pocket. Her hand bumped the miniaturized crystal ball. She took it out and squeezed it tight.

“Help me Denrisi,” she said in a small prayer. She put the crystal ball back in her pocket.

She checked her position on the map. She could not believe it. Somehow she had curved around and was now farther from the mountains than before. She looked around. The fog was still thick. The trees and the fog made her nervous and confused. Sighing she put the map back.

Another noise issued beside her. She jumped to her feet ready to flee again. A small chirp stopped her. A bird? She unsheathed her knife and quietly approached the noise. She pushed aside some brush and peered at the creature.

It was a bird. Arabella breathed relief. It was wriggling along the ground. She looked closely. A net so fine that she almost could not see it entangled the bird.

“Easy my friend, I will not hurt you,” she said to it.

The bird froze. It looked surprised to see Arabella.

“Please,” it chirped. “Please don’t hurt me.”

It stared at the knife in Arabella’s hand.

“Oh no! I thought you were a large animal I might have to fight off,” she said embarrassed.

She put the knife back into its sheath and then out of sight in her pocket. Arabella leaned out to touch the small bird.

It chirped in distress. Arabella sat back on her heels her hands resting on her knees. She had never hurt a bird in her life, but she sensed that it was frightened of her.

Arabella opened her hands and held her empty palms towards the frightened bird.

“I am Arabella,” she said. “Please let me help you.”

The tiny black eye looked worriedly at her.

“Don’t hurt me,” it said.

“I will not,” she said.

Gently Arabella picked up the bird. She felt its heart racing against the skin of her palm. She held the bird in one hand and pulled at the net with her other hand. Finally she had found the edge of the net and unfolded it from around the bird.

She set the bird down. It promptly stood up and flapped its wings. It studied Arabella.

Arabella studied the bird as well. It was a tawny brown color with black edges along its wings. Each wing had a large stripe of yellow across the black marking. It’s head was black and white. The bird’s face was a deep reddish-brown color. It’s beak was a creamy pink. It almost seemed to be smiling.

“Thank you,” it chirped. “I am called Mavie.”

“That is a pretty name,” Arabella said.

The little bird bobbed its head. Arabella thought that it looked pleased. Mavie preened a few wing feathers and then flew up into a bush. Arabella thought that the bird was a she. It was just a feeling that she was getting.

“I can talk,” Mavie said.

“Yes, I noticed. I do not think most birds can talk,” Arabella asked. “I do not know very many birds though, so I do not know for sure. The ones that I met in Cardew did not talk.”

“No, most birds do not talk. Just me,” Mavie puffed out her chest. “I am magic.”

“I thought so.”

“My turn to help you,” Mavie hopped along the branch to get closer to Arabella.

“Okay,” Arabella nodded. “Can you help me find my way to the mountains?”

“Sure,” tweeted Mavie and she started to fly away.

Arabella quickly grabbed her sack. As she ran she shoved the net into it. After a few short bursts of speed, Mavie adjusted her flight pattern to accommodate Arabella. She would fly ahead and roost on a branch about head height. Once Arabella caught up, she would fly off to another roost.

Around mid-morning the fog cleared out of the forest and the trees were starting to get shorter. They took a break on a moss covered log. Arabella crumble a piece of her bread roll up on the log beside her. Mavie hopped up and started eating. Once she was done she flew to Arabella’s shoulder and started to sing.

Her song was light and happy. It made Arabella feel happy. She had not felt happy for a long time. She was content to sit on the log and let Mavie finish her song.

After another half-hour of walking, Arabella noticed patches of snow. They were clumped together here and there. Mavie led her up a steep slope. The ground was spongy. Deep moss covered everything here. A large boulder sat among the trees. Small trees grew on the top on the moss covered surface.

A white flower caught Arabella’s attention. It was growing at the base of the boulder. It had small green leaves at the base of the stems and delicate heart-shaped bells. She was sure she had never seen anything so beautiful. The tip of each white bell was tinged with pink.

“They turn bright red right before summer,” Mavie landed nearby. “Their berries are yummy.”

“Really?” Arabella said. “You can eat them?”

“Oh yes,” Mavie chirped. “If you eat too many you get sick and die.”

Arabella stared hard at the bird. Just what was she telling her? Were the berries poisonous? Arabella continued up the slope.

Her breath showed in puffs of steam the farther up she climbed. She grabbed a branch and pulled herself up the hill. Arabella gasped, before her lay a large field of snow. Large, jagged peaks surrounded her on both side. A snow filled valley wound up through the peaks.

“The mountains,” Arabella said reverently.

“No,” chirped Mavie. “The mountains are still up ahead.”