She came out of the spell a few feet above ground. Even though she had been through the routine before, she still didn’t seem to have the landing quite right, and fell face first onto the ground. She gave a yelp and jumped up immediately. The ground was cold. More than that, it was covered in snow.

“What time of year is it here, anyway?”

She was answered by a groan nearby. It sounded like a ghost’s wail. She recognized it immediately as Dax.

“You could have given us some sort of warning before casting that spell of yours,” he mumbled. “As to your question, it’s late summer. Not that you’d know it from the looks of things here. You must have landed us in the mountains. The thin air will give us all the worst of headaches, and I’ll probably catch myself a death of a cold because of the snow. But I guess that’s just the way life goes. If I wasn’t always looking on the bright side, I’d say we’re no better off right now than we were back on the battlefield.”

The old warrior kept up his mumbling. When Sarah decided she had had enough, she said, “You’ve got blood on your sword.”

Dax looked at the blade and almost fainted dead away. He immediately plunged the sword into the snow, trying to wipe the redness off. Sarah smiled and took in the rest of her surroundings.

Dax was right – they were in the mountains. She had seen the gray snow-capped peaks from far away ever since she had appeared in the valley. The tall mountains must have been covered in snow even in the hottest summer. Even from where they were, Sarah could look up and see the jagged peak continuing higher and higher into the sky. Looking the other way, she saw the sunny valley of Greystone. She could see the many forests, roads, and farmlands that stretched through the small land. From the height she was at, it was like looking down into an ant farm. She didn’t have much time to admire the view, though. She had friends to attend to.

Even though Dax was shivering with cold and grumbling to himself about how terrible the trip into the mountains was for his health, he seemed no worse than normal. Keeley’s reaction to the snow was the complete opposite of Dax’s. She didn’t even stop to ask what had brought them here. With a gleeful squeal, she dove into the snowdrifts, digging her way deeper in until her white scales blended completely with the snow around her. Even the danger of the battle and the threats of the few who had captured her seemed to be completely forgotten as she played her games. That only left Kay. Unfortunately, Sarah’s first friend in Greystone Valley was also the one who was the worst for wear at the moment.

Kay was bleeding from the head. Sarah pressed the sleeve of her pajamas against the wound. To her relief, she found that the cut wasn’t very deep. The bruise where Aries had hit him was swelling up like a purple beach ball, though. Sarah scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it to the boy’s forehead in an attempt to stop the swelling. At the touch of the cold snow, Kay shivered and finally opened his eyes.

“What…what happened? Are you okay?”

Sarah smiled. Besides a few scrapes and bruises – and now Kay’s blood on her pajama sleeve – she was fine. She was definitely much better off than Kay with his swollen forehead and glazed eyes.

“Where’s the book?” he asked when he had gained a bit more of his senses back.

“It’s right here,” replied Sarah. She had dropped the book after the travel spell, but it lay within easy reach. She plucked it out of the snow, noting that its magical properties kept the pages from being even a little damp from the slush around it. As she handed it back to her friend, she felt a twinge of sadness. She had used the spells in the book so easily, as though casting magic was a part of who she was. But the book wasn’t hers. It belonged to Kay, no matter how much she wanted to keep it.

Kay accepted the tone with thanks and a smile. He struggled to sit up in the snow, and looked down over the valley from their vantage point in the mountains. A cold breeze drifted through the thin air, reminding everyone of how cold and wet they were right now. Behind them, the sun began rising over the mountains, casting everything in the valley in a red and gold light.

“How did we get here?” asked Kay. “I don’t remember the battle at all.”

Sarah bit her lip, and then smiled. “You cast a spell that got us to safety, of course. Even with Aries charging you, you saved us all.”

Kay’s face brightened a bit. “I did?”

“Excuse me Sarah, but Keeley saw the whole thing,” said the dragon, flying out of the snow and circling Sarah’s head. “The one who cast the spell was—”

“Keeley, look. There’s a snow bank you haven’t been in yet!”

At Sarah’s words, the dragon’s eyes darted toward an unspoiled section of snow. With a cry of glee, she leaped into the snow, forgetting what she was about to say.

“Like I was saying,” continued Sarah, “you saved us all with your spells. Your dad would be very proud.”

Kay folded his arms and beamed with pride. His smile seemed to shine brighter even than the sun’s morning rays. “Well, I guess I’m getting the hang of this wizarding thing after all.”

“Not to put a damper on such a good mood,” interrupted Dax, “but even though the sun’s coming out, we’re likely to freeze to death if we don’t get a fire and some shelter soon. And while I know you were under the fey’s sleep spell for a while, the rest of us could use a few hour’s sleep. I need my beauty rest, you know.” He sighed and added ruefully, “Not that I have much beauty to rest these days.”

“Don’t worry,” said Kay, who had cheered up considerably despite his wounds. “I’ll just cast a spell that will bring us out of here and to a safe place—”

“No!” cried Sarah. “I mean…no need to trouble yourself. Up here is one of the few places where even Aries will have trouble finding us. We should find a place to shelter and rest here – a cave, maybe, if we can find one. Then we’ll rest, and when we’re refreshed, healed, and ready, we can look through the spellbook and see if we can find our way to Castle Greystone.”

“So you can find your way home?” asked Kay.

“Partly. Also because it’s our chance to find out what Baelan wants with the castle. Even for a warlord, he’s gone through a lot of trouble over a few people like us. Maybe we can find something there that can help us. If we can take care of Baelan and Aries once and for all, we’ll be heroes, won’t we?”

***

Finding a cave was easy enough. The hard part was finding one that was deep enough to keep them safe from the cold mountain winds, not to mentions the sleet and snow. There were worse things than the weather to worry about, too. Twice the companions nearly walked into a bear’s lair or a mountain lion’s home by accident. Eventually, they decided to send Keeley in first as a scout, figuring that even if any animals did see her, they’d decide the tiny dragon wasn’t big enough to make a decent meal. Of course, sending the dragon in on her own meant putting up with her long disappearances as she explored the wonders of the high mountains. She seemed to view the cold, rocky environment as a playground, and often forgot about her friends who were still waiting out in the cold.

Eventually, Keeley found a cave for them that was warm, somewhat dry, and definitely safe. No animals were inside at all – not even tiny creatures like rats or moles. Exhausted, the companions followed the cave deep into the mountains until the light of the opening was nothing more than a pinprick on the horizon. When they had finally reached the back of it, they threw themselves down in exhaustion. To Sarah, the cold rocks that formed the cave’s floors might as well have been a bed with feather pillows. She took a deep breath and flopped down on the stone ground.

“Don’t go to sleep yet,” warned Dax. The old warrior had already gathered a bundle of kindling, and was setting up a campfire. “If we don’t get any warmth, you’ll freeze to death by morning. Of course, on this hard ground, we’ll be wishing we had frozen to death when we wake up with aching muscles and wrenched backs. Naturally, I’ll have the worst of it, since I’m the oldest one here. Old age is nothing but a nuisance, if you ask me.”

While Dax continued on with his grumbling, Keeley took a snort in and spat out a small fire. The kindling caught immediately, and the companions quickly gathered around the welcome warmth.

“We’ll need to keep a watch,” said Kay. “We don’t know the terrain, and we don’t know what kind of creature might make this place their home.”

“Oo! Oo!” cried the dragon in a high-pitched squeak. “Keeley will keep watch! She has keen eyes that can see in the dark, and she can fly to warn everyone else of any dangers she sees!”

Sarah shot Keeley a skeptical look. “I’m sure your eyes are sharp and all, but how do we know you won’t run off and play in the snow somewhere? You’ve been a handful ever since we landed up here.”

Keeley’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head so fast that Sarah thought it might fall off. “Oh no no no no! Keeley will be good and pay attention! She will…well, maybe it would be better to have someone watch Keeley while she’s on watch.”

Sarah smiled and gave a curt nod. “That’s what I thought. We’ll divide the watch between Kay, Dax, and I.”

“I suppose I’ll take first watch then,” moaned Dax.

“You don’t have to,” replied Sarah. “Why don’t you get some sleep first?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t get any sleep on here anyway. At least back in my jail cell I had a flea-ridden blanket. No, you all get some sleep and I’ll toil through the night. No sense in letting yourselves get all worn out. Enjoy your youth while you have it. Pretty soon you’ll be old and withered like me.”

Before anyone could protest, Dax picked up his sword and wandered away from the fire, preparing for his watch.

“Let him go, I say,” said Kay, watching the old warrior as he left. “When he’s miserable like this, he seems almost happy.”

***

Once she was asleep, Sarah drifted into and out of dreams. Whatever events went on behind her closed eyes seemed to roll together into one confusing mass. She saw herself at home, comfortable in her own bed. She recounted the adventures she had experienced so far in Greystone Valley, and wondered what the future might hold for her. She never got a clear picture of her friends or family. Whenever she tried to look at their faces, they were always blurred out. And when she looked at herself, she couldn’t see any features besides a bright green robe that she wore. The robe was tailored perfectly to her size, but she had never seen it before.

She woke up to someone shaking her violently. When she opened her eyes, she saw Dax grabbing her by the shoulders. The old man’s face didn’t have its usual melancholy look on it. Instead, his lips were drawn tight in a line, and his eyes were wide with a look of fright.

“Wake up!” he whispered. “We have to get out of here!”

“What? What’s happened?”

“Scatter dirt on the fire. We can’t afford to let anybody see us.” Without waiting for a response, the old man turned toward Kay and shook him awake. Keeley was already up, staring wide eyed at the entrance of the cave. From the corners of her tiny mouth, she gave a low growl.

“What’s the matter?” asked Sarah, springing into action. “Has Baelan found us already?”

“No, not Baelan,” replied Dax after Sarah had spread dirt over the fire. The cavern became choked with smoke that burned their noses and made their eyes water. “Something worse is coming. Can’t you hear it?”

Still half-asleep, Sarah hadn’t noticed the noise until just now. The beating of drums echoed through the mountains, growing closer and closer. Along with the drums came a dragging, scraping noise, like someone was dragging a body across a stone floor. The noise came from all directions, even from inside the cavern walls itself. As the noise drew nearer, the mountains themselves seemed to shake. Kay jumped up with a start and grabbed the spellbook immediately. Keeley’s growl became a worried whine, and she flew to perch on Sarah’s shoulder.

Dax led them to the mouth of the cave, clutching his sword tightly all the while. A light snow had started falling in the mountains. It would have been quite the beautiful mid-morning scene, had it not been for the other creatures about.

The monsters in the hills were huge – at least twice as tall as Dax and ten times as heavy. They had long arms that almost scraped the ground when they walked and gray skin that blended in well with the night. Their eyes were beady and red, and tusks grew from the corners of their jaws. The creatures were covered in long, ratty fur that hung about their bodies in rags. Sarah guessed the fur was once white for most of the creatures, but the hair was stained with sweat, grime, and what might have been blood.

“What are they?” she whispered. “Do they work for Baelan?”

Dax shook his head. “No…they’re mountain trolls. They don’t work for anybody or anything, except maybe for their stomachs. Those creatures are one of the reasons nobody comes up here to the mountains. They aren’t exactly the most hospitable of folk.”

“What do we do? Do we fight them?”

“We wouldn’t last ten seconds against one of them,” replied the old warrior, shaking his head. “Their arms are thick as tree trunks, and they’ve got such a long reach that I’d never be able to get close with my sword. I expect the old blade will break soon, anyway, considering how much use its gotten between me and its beast-man owner.”

“Are you being serious, or are you just exaggerating how bad off we are like usual?”

Sarah didn’t get an answer to her question. One of the creatures had been climbing the rocks just above the cave entrance, and he dropped down in front of the very startled companions. Sarah felt a small tremor in the earth as the creature landed. She wrinkled her nose at the troll’s foul smell. It was like a wet dog had decided to go rolling in a batch of rotten eggs. The troll looked at the companions with yellow eyes. Slowly, a cruel smile formed on its tusked mouth. It raised its arms above its head and gave a howl. Abruptly, the drums in the distance stopped beating. The other trolls returned the howl, and the ground began to shake as a horde of filthy monster scrambled toward the fresh meat in the cave.

“Oh bother,” said Dax. He began backpedaling, and drew his sword. “Run!”

“But there’s no way out except past the troll!”

Even as she protested, Sarah followed Kay deeper into the cave. The troll’s large body almost filled the opening to the cavern entirely, meaning that even trying to squeeze by him meant almost certainly being crushed against the rocks. Dax lashed out with his sword, but came nowhere near actually hitting the monster. As he had said, the creature had the advantage of reach. Its arms were at least as long as a grown man’s entire body.

“Where do we go from here?” asked Sarah.

“I don’t know,” said Dax, retreating toward the rest of the group as he vainly tried to fight off the creature. “But there are at least ten more of these things on their way looking for a meal. If you’ve got anything in that spellbook, now’s the time to use it. I’m sure something dreadful will happen, but I think I’d much prefer turning into a tree or being tossed into a river than ending up as a troll’s evening snack.”

Kay opened the book and started searching for a spell. Sarah gasped when the troll looked at the young wizard. The creature, which had seemed so dumb and bloodthirsty before, seemed to recognize the book from somewhere. It turned its attention away from Dax, allowing the old warrior to cut into its side with his blade. If the troll noticed the wound, it didn’t show it. Instead, it stomped its foot hard against the ground. The ground shook. In the distance, the beating of the drums started up again.

The troll stomped again. The drums grew louder. Sarah lost her footing and nearly fell headlong into the remains of the campfire. It was Keeley who kept her from getting a face full of hot ash. The tiny dragon gripped Sarah’s shoulder with her talons and beat her wings furiously, giving just enough pull to give Sarah a chance to regain her balance.

Kay wasn’t so lucky. The spellbook tumbled out of his hands, landing on an open page. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sarah read the spell. It was useless right now – only a bit of magic to mend clothing.

The troll stomped again, and the cave began to crumble. Small pieces of rubble broke off from the ceiling, falling into Sarah’s face and nearly blinding her with grit and dust. She looked at Kay one more time, and gave a shout of panic.

While the walls were still intact and the ceiling had crumbled a little bit, the troll’s stomping had opened up a fissure in the ground. Kay and Sarah both watched in horror as the book slipped into the widening crack, plunging into the darkness deep within the mountain. Kay scrambled after it, and started squeezing into the fissure himself. Sarah shouted his name, trying to keep him from doing anything stupid. She should have known by now that Kay wasn’t about to listen.

“Don’t worry,” called the wizard. “I’ll get the book and save the day…just like I did against Aries.”

Then Kay dropped out of sight, plunging into the dark chasm that went all the way to the bottom of the mountain for all anyone knew. Sarah didn’t even get to tell him the truth about what had happened against Aries before he vanished entirely.