Story the Fifth

  A Heart Of Stone

  Past – 14 years ago

  Colby marched into the King’s throne room, closely followed by Jacken, as well as Timothy, Lance, and Jerry, the other members of their adventuring group, the Heroic Hedgehogs. Today was the King’s petitions hearing day, and they needed permission in order to go into the ogres’ territory for their current quest. Colby wasn’t sure why they didn’t ask the ogre leader for permission, but it wasn’t his job to question these things.

  Everyone else had managed to get into the throne room super early, so Colby’s group ended up at the very back of a long line of petitioners. As they waited, Colby took the opportunity to examine his surroundings.

  The throne room was the political epicenter of Samyia, and you could definitely tell. There were lavish tapestries hanging on either side, fancy red carpet as a path up to the throne’s pedestal, and the oak paneling that lined the room was intricately carved.

  The throne itself was tall and imposing, with a dark wood stain. The man that sat in it was no less imposing, with an impressive height and build. The funny thing was, there was a smaller version of the throne next to him, and a little kid was sitting in it. Colby assumed that the kid was the King’s son, Prince Hugh, but he hadn’t known that the Prince sat in on the weekly petition hearings.

  Finally, after a long wait, the Heroic Hedgehogs were at the front of the line, and it was their turn to present their request to the King. Jacken moved to the front of the group as their leader and bowed, and the others followed his example. Jacken opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the young Prince.

  “Do you really need to hear their petition, Father?” Hugh said in an almost bored way. “Could you please reject it already so I can get some dinner? You always reject these kinds of petitions anyway, and I didn’t have a very big lunch.”

  Colby clenched his fists. That little brat! Does he have no idea what we’ve done to get here? He could see Jacken glaring at the arrogant little Prince, but Hugh acted like he couldn’t see the venomous look. He could’ve just jeopardized our whole quest! What does he think he’s doing?!

  Before the King had a chance to answer, the main doors to the throne room burst open, allowing a creepy grey fog to float into the room, coiling around the side pillars like sinister tentacles. “That’s our cue to leave,” stated Timothy, and the Hedgehogs quickly exited the room. They had done enough questing throughout the years to know that the appearance of a weird fog almost always preceded the arrival of a witch, and they wanted to stay uncursed for as long as possible.

  The Heroic Hedgehogs slipped out through one of the servants’ doors, then kept the door open just enough to watch what happened in the throne room. As expected, a witch, garbed with an evil-looking black cloak, strode through the large doors. She talked to the Prince for a few minutes, her raspy voice grating on the ears of all who were listening, then cursed Prince Hugh, turning him into a giant dragon.

  As the Prince’s transformation progressed and he filled the entire room, the King and his guards fled, running out through the door the Hedgehogs were hiding behind. When Hugh’s change was complete, his scaley head broke through the ceiling of the throne room. Stretching his new-found leathery wings, he beat the air and flew out of sight.

  Jacken turned to the King. “So do we have permission to go into the ogres’ territory or not?”

  “Fine, whatever! Just leave already!” The King was visibly distressed, likely due to the fact that his son had just turned into a dragon.

  The Hedgehogs took the (heavily veiled) hint and vacated the castle. Thankfully, the witch seemed to be long gone by the time they got outside, as they were unable to spot her anywhere.

  They went back to the clearing where they had camped that morning and packed up their supplies. Timothy had done the shopping in advance and had used his natural genius to select the proper gear for surviving in the mountains and even fighting off ogres, if necessary. Though they had their own recognized territory, ogres were considered to be the brute species of Samyia and were unpredictable.

  Colby picked up a sack of food and slung it over the back of their donkey, Maud. She carried their equipment and supplies, and whatever didn’t fit on her back went into the Heroic Hedgehogs’ backpacks. Jerry always took the heaviest things, as he was the powerhouse of their little group.

  It didn’t take long for the Hedgehogs to pack up, as they had done it many times over the course of their adventures, and they had developed a well-versed rhythm.

  They left as soon as possible, but it took a week or two just to reach the ring of mountains that protected Samyia from outside threats. The Hedgehogs were heading for one mountain in particular, called Mount Dager. The only way to get there was through Ambush Valley, then up the Perilous Path, and the mountain itself was riddled with ogre caves and the homes of numerous other wild animals, earning it the nickname of Mount Danger.

  But still, adventurers continued to brave the hazardous journey due to the theoretical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There was a legend of a magical wand in a cave at the top of the mountain, and the wand was said to have the power to turn ordinary rocks into valuable gems and jewels. However, the Heroic Hedgehogs did not seek the wand for this purpose. They wished to use the wand, called the Shaper, to provide hundreds, if not thousands, of people with much-needed food. Their ultimate goal was to banish hunger from all of Samyia.

  At first, it was pretty easy going through the mountain range. There were main paths carved into the valleys, and it was simple to follow them deeper into the spires of stone. But when they reached the head of Ambush Valley, named for the multitude of placed for ambushers to hide, the path suddenly ended, and the Hedgehogs were forced to pick their way through treacherously uneven rocks.

  After a day of balancing precariously as they walked across shifting stones, the Hedgehogs could hear loud and vicious growls coming from ahead of them. Timothy silently pointed to an ideal vantage point among the rocks, and the questers hid while they scoped out the situation.

  From what Colby could see, it looked like a pack of wolves were surrounding a large humanoid creature with rocky skin and simple clothes made of goat fur. Colby felt his mouth drop open as he realized that he was looking at a live ogre, only the third one he had ever seen in his life. They normally stayed in their clans’ caves, so it was unusual to find them wandering around alone. He took a closer look at the creature and noticed that the ogre had red blood all over one of its legs, and it seemed to be limping.

  “We should help that ogre,” Colby stated.

  “Yeah, we don’t like any kind of bullies, even wolves,” added Lance, hefting his sword over one shoulder. Jerry nodded silently in agreement.

  “Whoa, hold on!” Jacken held up his hands. “We have a quest to fulfill here, guys!”

  Timothy pushed his round glasses further up his nose. “Typically, whenever a band of gallant questers rescue a creature in need, the creature pledges its life in service to said questers. An ogre could be a vital tool for traversing Mount Dager.”

  “Oh, alright, fine.” Jacken rolled his eyes. “Go ahead. But don’t expect me to help you!”

  As Colby crept toward the wolf pack and the ogre with Lance and Jerry following behind, Lance whispered, “Could you remind me why he’s in charge again? He’s so mean, and you would be a way better leader.”

  Colby shrugged and whispered back, “Because he’s my older brother, I guess? You and Jerry take the wolves, and I’ll handle the ogre.”

  Lance nodded, and he and Jerry immediately rushed out to take on the wolves, Lance swinging his sword wildly, and Jerry just punching the canines around. Colby ducked through the fight and cautiously approached the ogre, who was trembling with fear in the middle of the skirmish. “You don’t have to be scared,” Colby said with a soft voice. “I’m here to help.”

  The ogre jutted out its chin and stated in a distinctly feminine voice, “I’m not scared. I had everything under control before you showed up.” Though the voice had a rough growl to it, it was very high-pitched, and despite her bravado, Colby could hear a faint tremble in the ogress’ voice.

  “My group has supplies nearby if you want to dress that wound. Oh, and my name’s Colby.” He made sure to offer his help with tact, as he had an unusual feeling that the ogress wouldn’t accept help easily.

  “I am called Shelia.” The ogress slowly and painfully stood up. “I do not need any help. I can get back to my clan on my own.”

  Colby dipped his head respectfully. “Of course. I wish you well.”

  Shelia gave him a small bow and lumbered into a nearby cave, using her abnormally long arms to propel herself forward before landing on stubby legs. Colby stared after her in confusion. The only other ogres he had met were two carnival show horses, so to speak. The carnival ringmaster had made them lift large barrels to the amusement of the crowd, and the ogres had spoken in simple sentences. And yet Shelia was almost a different species. She defied all of Colby’s expectations.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Now that he thought about it, it was kind of rude to judge a whole species based on two examples from a carnival. What if everyone judged humans based on the two meanest? Or the two ugliest?

  “Wait, where’d the ogre go?” Lance asked, coming over. He and Jerry had taken care of the wolves quickly and cleanly, scaring them away without injuring them too badly.

  “It was an ogress,” Colby corrected. “And she didn’t want our help. She went back to her clan.”

  Jacken stalked over to Colby, his hands clenched into fists. “You mean you had a potentially valuable ally in your debt, and you just let her walk away?! How do I deal with you dimwits?! You’re all ridiculous!” He threw his hands in the air and walked away, further into the sinister valley.

  Colby sighed. You’re going to have to stand up to him some day, he told himself. “Jerry, could you get Maud, please?” he said aloud.

  “Yup, definitely a better leader,” Lance commented as Jerry took Maud’s reins and gently led her over the rough terrain.

  Colby, Lance, Timothy, and Jerry hiked along the valley floor as a group, Maud pulling the wagon along just behind them. Jacken stubbornly stayed ahead of them, walking too fast for them to catch up.

  It took a few more days to get through Ambush Valley, and during that time, Jacken distanced himself from the other Hedgehogs, even going so far as to set up a separate camp at night. But someone as power-hungry as Jacken can only isolate himself for so long, and by the time the Heroic Hedgehogs reached the base of Mount Dager, he had already resumed leadership.

  There was only one way up Mount Dager: The Perilous Path. The Path was fraught with ogre caves, wolf dens, gaping holes, and rushing rivers, but unless you felt like climbing cliffs so high you wouldn’t reach the top until past midnight, you would always take the Path.

  And so the Heroic Hedgehogs took the Path.

  The little adventurers’ group often had to make brave leaps across gaps, or edge along narrow ledges, or fight off hungry wolf packs, and yet they never saw a single ogre on their way to the top of Mount Dager. Colby suspected that Shelia was somehow protecting them from her ogre brethren, and he was silently grateful for her help. He doubted that five brave adventurers would’ve been able to ward off the attack of an ogre clan, let alone escape from the clan’s grasp. Ogres had lived on Mount Dager for as long as everyone could remember, and their presence was the main reason no one had managed to steal the Shaper from the mountain’s heart. The ogres had long ago grown bitter toward humans and elves, and imprisoned any who dared to trespass in their territory.

  Now that Colby was open to the idea of intelligent ogres, he was beginning to realize that all of the evidence supported this reality. Simple animals didn’t talk, nor did they arrange themselves into highly structured clans, elect a ruler of their species, or demand their own territory. It’s actually quite obvious once you realize it. I’m not sure how I’ve been so blind all these years.

  Colby shook his head to clear the thoughts and focused on the Path in front of him instead. About an hour ago, Timothy had noted that the Path was getting smoother, and Jacken stated that it meant they were close to their destination. Now, Colby strained his eyes, eager to finally set his gaze upon the legendary Cave of the Shaper. No adventurer had ever made it that far up Mount Dager, due to the dangers of both Ambush Valley and the Perilous Path, and Colby was ready to make history as one of the first people to climb Mount Dager.

  The Hedgehogs rounded one final rocky bluff, and the Path ended. A sharp cliff rose in front of them, piercing the sky with its pointy spires. Ledges and hollows riddled its face, serving as handholds for any rock climber ambitious enough to brave the cliff.

  Lance gazed at the cliff in dismay. “We have to climb that? I thought the cave was right around the corner?!”

  “Yes, we have to climb it, so let’s get going.” Jacken reached up and took hold of a small rock outcrop, then hoisted himself up and grasped another ledge. “Come on, guys! We don’t have all day! Untold riches and power await!”

  “Uh, you mean ‘unlimited food for the less fortunate awaits,” right?” Colby corrected, stretching up for his own handhold to grab, but Jacken’s only response was a non-committal grunt. Colby felt a twinge of doubt toward his older brother’s intentions for embarking on their adventure, but he instantly pushed those thoughts away. Jacken’s my brother. I would’ve known if he had any greedy intents. Sure, he’s kind of grumpy at times, but that doesn’t make him a bad person!

  But while Colby was distracted with his thoughts, his left foot slipped off the side of the cliff. For a moment, he hung there, suspended in mid-air and relying on two hands and one foot to keep him from plummeting to his death – or at the very least, several broken bones. Then he scrambled desperately and managed to secure his foot once more.

  “You doing okay, Colby?” Lance called up from his lower position on the cliff.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Colby replied, already reaching for another ledge to grip. “The Shaper isn’t much farther away, guys. Keep climbing!”

  It took the Hedgehogs over an hour to get to the top of the cliff, and Colby’s arms felt like wet noodles by the time he was able to lift himself onto the flat ledge at the top of the cliff. He lay on his back for a minute or two, letting out loud, gasping breaths.

  “Remind me why I joined this group,” Timothy asked with a sigh. He, too, lay on the rocky ground, exhausted. As the brains of the team, he wasn’t as accustomed to the physical work as some of the others, and he was paying the price for that. Colby had thought he was athletic, but there was nothing like climbing up a cliff for an hour to teach you some humility.

  “You wanted to actually see the things you were studying, remember?” Colby braved a quick peek over the edge of the cliff, but immediately drew his head back. The ground had looked to be a mile away, and even a glance had nearly been enough for him to lose his breakfast. “I hope Maud’s okay down there,” he said, trying to forget his glance over the steep drop.

  “She’ll be fine,” Jacken snapped. “If you’re done being tired, then you can get up now.”

  Colby slowly rose, his face aflame with the sting of his brother’s comment. When his gaze finally fell upon the rock wall in front of the Heroic Hedgehogs, he let out an involuntary gasp.

  The wall of stone towered above them, stretching toward the sky until it tapered off as the point of Mount Dager. But the part that truly stood out was the entrance to a tunnel. The entrance was a large, pitch-black hole cut out of the rock. Intricate carvings wound around it, forming a collar of sorts.

  Colby stepped forward to get a better look at the carvings and noticed a pattern of creatures repeated throughout them. There were seven different figures, and though Colby was able to puzzle out the human, elf, and ogre carvings, the four others were too abstract to be identified. The Seven Species, he thought distractedly, not even sure how he knew the phrase.

  “Timothy, get out the torches,” Jacken barked, breaking the still silence.

  Timothy hurriedly reached into his pack and grabbed two stout sticks, each topped with an oil-soaked rag. He also snagged his flint and steel, but his hands were still trembling from the arduous climb, and it took a few tries before sparks blinked into existence and lit up the torches.

  Snatching one of the torches, Jacken stomped into the tunnel, his light seeming insignificant in the heavy darkness. Lance took the other torch, and the rest of the Heroic Hedgehogs followed behind.

  As they cautiously advanced further into the tunnel, Colby could clearly see that it wasn’t a tunnel at all, but an elegant hall, a remnant of a bygone era. The torchlight flickered off of smooth marble pillars that lined either side, each of them engraved with the same Seven Species pattern.

  By the time Colby, Lance, Jerry, and Timothy reached the end of the hall, Jacken was already stepping onto a hexagonal pedestal in the center of the cavernous room in front of them. A white wand floated in mid-air above the pedestal, slowly turning in place. Colby instinctively knew that the wand was the legendary Shaper, sought after for hundreds of years. It was gratifying to know that their long journey was not in vain.

  Jacken reached out a hand and grasped the Shaper, plucking it from whatever invisible force had been suspending it. “At last,” he crowed, “Ultimate power is mine! With the magic of this wand, I will be free to do whatever I wish!”

  “I feel like we should’ve seen this coming from a mile away,” Lance commented, then unsheathed his sword, handed his torch to Colby, and got into a battle-ready position. “Not on our watch, you evil fiend! We will not rest until you are vanquished, and peace is restored!” Letting out a yell, he rushed toward his ex-leader, his mind bent on justice alone.

  Jacken frantically fumbled with the Shaper, trying to find an “on” button or something similar. Colby wasn’t sure what his brother’s plan was, as any change made to the surrounding cave would likely affect the entire mountain, and who knew what would happen then?

  Jacken pointed the Shaper at Lance and shouted, “Just turn him to stone already!!” Lance, only a few feet from victory, gave a final lunge. And final it was indeed. For the Shaper decided to do something for once and shot a bolt of blinding white light at the valiant warrior. Lance barely had enough time to register a look of surprise before his skin and clothes paled to a dusty grey and he froze in place. The four remaining people gazed at Lance in shock, because he had truly turned to stone and now stood in the center of the room as a petrified statue, doomed to remain there forever.

  Colby was speechless. He had believed in the innate goodness of his older brother, and now Lance had paid the price. The only thought he could summon was This is all my fault.

  Bellowing with rage, Jerry charged, his hands outstretched and ready to crush anyone who stood in my way. And yet Jacken only had to flick the shaper in his direction to render Jerry into a wrathful statue, frozen mid-lunge.

  Timothy tried to back away, but he, too, was targeted by the Shaper and transformed, leaving Colby and Jacken as the only people left alive in the dark and oppressive room.

  “Why are you doing this?” Colby asked pleadingly as his older brother advanced menacingly. “This isn’t you! I know you’re better than this. Just turn over the Shaper, and then we can save the others. Everything will go back to normal.” Or at least as normal as life can be, once you know how cruel your brother truly is.

  The light in Jacken’s eyes faded, and he seemed to consider the prospect. Colby held his breath, hoping for the best. Suddenly, Jacken let out an outrageously loud laugh. “You seriously think I would concede so much power? No, I intend to keep the Shaper and live a life full of luxury! And you, my dear brother, I will allow to live, so that you can forever bask in the knowledge that this is all your fault. And for good measure…”

  Jacken whispered something to the Shaper and cast a ball of bright light toward his brother. Colby put up his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the magic. The whiteness splashed around him, and he felt his skin hardening and his clothes turning stiff. Looking down, he could see a grey color seeping over him from bottom to top. He panicked and frantically tried to scrape off the greyness, but to no avail. He was a statue. But not a normal one. No, he was a moving statue.

  “Living stone,” Jacken declared gleefully. “You’re still able to do things for me, but if you ever run away, you’ll remain stone forever.” He grabbed one of Colby’s hands and dragged him out of the room, leaving behind three lonely statues. “Come along, now! I’ve got a lot more in store for you.”

  Colby gave one last glance back, capturing one last memory of his friends, and knew that the Shaper was too powerful for one man to possess. If I ever hold the Shaper in my grasp, I will snap it in two. Then the world will be safe, and my debt will be repaid.