THE PLAIN OF SALARON

The day dawned bright and sunny, and the companions set off for the bridge at an early hour. The plains of Salaron stretched out around and before them, and at every breeze the grass waved like a sea of seaweed. Birds flew over them from the bridge to the woods, and small animals scurried about the ground on their way to the trees that were filled with their food. Such tranquility should have eased Fred's mind, but he found himself troubled.

Ned noticed the boy's agitation shortly before they reached the bridge. He came up to Fred and leaned down to him. "You seem troubled. What is it?"

"The animals," Fred replied.

Pat was ahead of them with Fluffy, and she glanced over her shoulder. "What about them? They look like they're just running around to me."

Fred shook his head. "That's just the problem, they're not running around. They're running straight toward the woods. In all my years on the manor I never saw animals act like that unless they were afraid of something."

Ned's lips pursed together and he looked ahead of them. "Then we should be careful at this bridge, for here we are."

They had reached the Salaron Bridge above the Greater Conchero River. The bridge was built from local white rock, carved and smoothed out into flat stones. Those were then laid one on top of the other in four arches rising up from the water, and those arches held up the pathway over which they needed to travel. The walls on either side of the bridge were tall enough to comfortably rest an arm on, and three wagons could have easily fit abreast of one another. The beginning of the bridge started a few feet on land and performed a slight curve over the water and reached the other side. The total length of the structure was fifty yards.

Fred had never seen such a large bridge, and he stepped around the high railing wall and cautiously crouched along the edge where earth met air. He got down on his hands and knees, and glanced over the precipice. The drop was fifty feet, and the dark water showed the depth was well over his head. He pulled back and glanced around the dirt. His eyes fell on a rock, which he grabbed and held over the abyss. He let it slip from his fingers and fall the tall height. It hit the water and made a small splash that rippled over the surface.

Fred frowned; he thought he'd seen something dark move over the darker background of the water. He leaned over and squinted at the spot, but nothing moved. A bad feeling developed in the pit of his stomach, and he looked up at Pat and Ned. The girl stood on the bridge with Ned behind Fred on solid ground. Fluffy stood near him, and the animal's eyes nervously flitted about the area.

"Did anybody see-"

A horrible cry gurgled up from the water. Fred's head snapped back and his eyes widened when the water stretched upward. It pulled higher and higher like a blob of watery taffy, and the gel was so thick there was darkness inside. The water raised fifty feet above the bridge and soaked Pat with its drippings; Fred scuttled backwards on his hands and butt. A dozen small and large tentacles pushed out from the body of water starting at the bottom and all the way to the top. The top of the thing stretched out to one side and flattened at the end, and two dark spots arose from the surface. Those dark spots swiveled from one companion to the other and settled on Ned. They were eyes, and they were angry.

One of the higher tentacles barreled down toward Ned, and he raised his staff. Fire erupted from the tip and when the water tentacle made contact steam erupted. The creature opened a mouth along the flattened extension and screamed; the noise echoed along the high river walls and Fluffy howled. The tentacle Ned fought swerved away, but three others took its place. They came at him from all directions, and he managed to swing his staff above his head to scorch the ends of two. One dipped low and knocked his legs out from under him. He hit the ground hard and didn't move.

"Ned!" Pat screamed out.

She'd hardly moved a foot toward him when the sprinkles of water on her body glowed. Pat raised her arms to cover her face as Fred watched as the water shot straight out from her and connected to one another with thin lines of water. Thin sheets of ice filled in the geometric spaces between the lines, trapping Pat in a prison of thin ice. She lowered her arms and her eyes widened; she pressed her hands against the sides and slammed her shoulder into the walls, but they didn't even quiver. Pat pulled out her sword and sliced the blade across ice; the blade shattered and fell to her feet, leaving her holding only the handle.

Her prison glowed and lifted off the bridge; Pat gasped and knocked against the wall. The bubble rose quickly, and Fred struggled to his feet and ran to her. He jumped up and the tips of his fingers scraped along the ice walls.

"Fred!" Pat screamed through the glass. She flew out of his reach and up to hover beside the creature's head.

Fred hurried over to Ned, who still lay where he'd dropped with his staff at his side. The boy shook his shoulders, hoping he would wake up and show this was a trick. "Ned! Come on, Ned!" Fred pleaded. Ned didn't respond.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Fred's attention and he turned to see the creature shuffle away from the bridge. It headed down the river with Pat floating beside it. Fred narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips together and ripped the broken stick from his belt. He rushed over to the edge of the steep river bank and held out the stick; nothing happened. There was no transformation, no bright light. There was only the broken stick. Fred looked down at the stick and couldn't understand why it wouldn't work; it worked every other time he needed it.

The creature paused and half turned to the boy; the thing's eyes widened. Pat looked on as the creature raised a tentacle toward Fred, and she pounded on the walls. Fred's head snapped up at the noise in time to have his face drenched in the small sprinkles of water. He furiously wiped them off, but they sprang out from his body and created the netting as before. The walls encased him and he fell on his butt when he was pulled off the ground. Fluffy yipped and howled a dozen yards down the road, but he couldn't help; the poor thing couldn't swim, but it did follow them along the river bank.

Fred's prison floated up close to Pat and, once it made sure the pair were beside it, the creature lumbered on down the river.

Pat got Fred's attention and nodded at his stick. "Use that to burn away the ice!" she told him.

Fred looked down at the stick and shook his head. "It won't work. Something's wrong."

The girl's eyes widened when she realized the problem, and she pressed up against her wall closest to him. "Listen to me, Fred, you have to be afraid! The staff isn't responding to you because it doesn't think you need it!"

Fred looked around him for inspiration, but he couldn't manage to be afraid. He felt only angry and frustrated that he hadn't done anything to save Pat or himself. His hands tightly clenched the stick and his teeth ground together. He wanted to do something, anything, to get them out of there; whatever would work. Nothing happened; they were still prisoner to this water thing that was leading them to some unknown fate. In anger he lifted one part of the broken stick and jabbed it into the wall.

The pointed end broke through the ice panel and created a small hole its diameter where it stuck out the other side a few inches. Cracks spread through the other ice panels that lay all around the broken one. Fred's mouth dropped open and he glanced over to Pat; she had the same expression on her face. A look of determination spread across his face; now he could do something for her. He stood up and yanked the stick out of the hole. Fresh air sucked into the bubble, but only for a moment; with the stick out of the hole the ice patched itself. Fred would need to hit it at the right spot to shatter the whole thing, though he'd have a new problem; he was forty feet up in the air.

The creature sensed something amiss with its captives and stopped to turn to them. Its mouth twisted back in a scowl when it noticed the patch on Fred's prison, and one of the tentacles reached up toward him. Fred glanced over to Pat, who saw in his eyes a look she didn't like.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, don't do it!"

Fred folded the broken stick in half so both points were side by side. Just as the tentacle wrapped itself around his prison Fred raised the stick above his head and brought it crashing down against the floor. The ice shattered beneath his feet and he fell through the floor. The tentacle barely missed grabbing him, and Fred fell the full height into the water.

Any concussion from the impact was knocked aside by the cold mountain-fed river. The water was clear enough Fred could see thirty feet ahead of him, and he was able to glimpse the base of the creature on the river bed. Something shimmered down there, a large stone, but Fred couldn't worry about that just then; he needed air, and he needed it now. All those years of living near a river came to use when he swam to the surface with the stick still tightly grasped in his hand. His head broke through the surface and he took a gasp of sweet, precious air. Fred couldn't rest for long, as the tentacle that missed him barreled down atop him. His eyes widened and he dove back down into the water with the tentacle close behind. It stabbed through the water and wrapped around one of his legs. Fred kicked and thrashed, but the arm wouldn't loosen. Other tentacles slithered out of the creature and rushed for him

Short on air and running out of options, Fred grabbed the stick in both hands and leaned up toward his capture leg. He stabbed the tentacle and the whole creature shook with the impact. Through the water he heard the vibrations of the creature's cries from above him, and the tentacle released its hold. Fred pushed off away from the tentacle, but the damage was done. His lungs burned and his body ached for air. The other tentacles crowded around him. They whipped and thrashed in anger, and blocked his way to the surface.

Fred glanced upward at the bright surface, and he could just make out the blurry form of Pat in her prison. His only regret was not being able to save her. He clutched tightly onto the stick as he felt his mind slip away, but he stubbornly shook his head. He didn't want things to end this way, not when they'd come so far through so much, and were so close to safety. A glow lit up the dark water, and before he could stop it the glowing stick broke free from his hands. It floated to two feet in front of him, and the two pieces transformed into the single staff. The tentacles hesitated, and some shrank from the light.

Fred reached out and grasped the staff in his hand. The glow spread out around him and encased his body in a diamond of light. Fred gasped; there was air all around him. The creature above him saw his recovery and let out a roar. The tentacles rushed him and collided with the barrier. The smaller ones were deflected, but the larger ones, those at least a foot thick, clung to the bubble. They wrapped themselves around the diamond and blocked off Fred's view of the world. One last glimpse allowed him to see the glowing rock at the base of the creature, and when he turned in that direction so did the diamond. He paused and turned every so slightly; his protection followed his movement.

Fred pressed his hands against the wall toward the glowing rock, and the diamond broke free from the tentacles. His safe haven pushed through the arms of the creature on its path to the rock. The creature shifted, and more tentacles sprang from its body and raced toward him. Fred didn't know why, but he held out the staff in front of him and light erupted from the stone at the top. It shot through a small, temporary hole in the barrier and left a trail of tentacle parts in its wake. Fred passed through the carnage and turned to see them reattach themselves to the body of the monster.

He reached the bottom of the river bed some twenty feet beneath the surface, but now he had a new problem; he couldn't reach the stone without pushing through the creature's body. His barrier pushed against the monster and sprang back. He held the end of the staff toward the transparent creature and a small, focused blast went through a small opening as it had before. Now, however, the creature was desperate to stop the light beam and pulled most of its tentacles back into its body. They delved down through the thing's body and put themselves in Fred's line of fire. The creature screamed out in pain but hurriedly reconstituted its broken water tentacles to block further attempts by Fred.

Tentacles came up behind Fred's barrier and pounded away at the back. Cracks appeared on the surface and water leaked inside. Others wrapped themselves around him and pulled the protection diamond away from Fred's target. With time running short Fred tried again, but with a larger beam. He created a larger hole in the barrier and water rushed inside. The beam shot out and was again blocked by the tentacles.

A shadow fell over Fred, and he looked up to see the creature's head dive into the water. Those dark eyes bore into his and it gave a roar great enough to vibrate the entire river. Fred swung his staff toward the face, but another object blocked his path; the creature had dragged Pat down into the water with it. Pat looked wildly around her and her eyes fell on the glowing stone at the bottom of the river close by Fred. She pressed her hands against the walls and nodded at the stone. "Do it!" her voice traveled through her prison and the water. The creature heard her and punished her by opening small holes in her prison, and her bubble of air slowly filled with water. She stepped back from the walls and pressed her arms to her chest.

Fred wasn't doing any better. The tentacles never ceased their pounding against his walls and they still pulled him farther from his target. He looked over at the glowing stone. His chances of hitting it with a small strike of light was dwindling, but each hole was causing more water to rush inside the bubble. With the way things were he didn't have any other choice, so he held the staff out in front of him and blocked out all the terrifying distractions. The tentacles pounded against his barrier and the water climbed higher in Pat's prison.

Fred felt his staff quiver and shake, and the stone at the top glowed as bright as the sun. He didn't dare look away or shield his eyes; he needed to focus. The staff burned his hands, and he felt his strength drain from him and into the wood. The barrier around him dulled and weakened; water leaked in from countless cracks and the tentacles sensed his weakening. They pounded harder on the walls and the face of the beast sank closer to him. That great mouth opened wide to swallow him and extinguish his light.

The boy clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Almost there; he was almost there. Pat watched him and saw the color drain from his face; the effort was killing him. She pounded her fists against the walls to get his attention, but he ignored her. Just as the creature clamped its mouth down on his barrier, Fred eyes widened and he released a devastating energy blast. The diameter of the beam opened a hole in his barrier large enough to collapse the whole thing, and he drifted free in the water.

The creature turned its head away from him, and all three, monster and humans, watched the beam shoot through the countless tentacles and body; nothing slowed it down. The light collided with the stone and the monster let out a gurgling cry of pain and fury. It thrashed and howled as the stone cracked and broke apart. Then the thing hung limp in the water and its body dissipated into the river. Pat was free of her prison and swam over to Fred, who floated very still close by with his staff clutched in one hand. She grabbed him around the waist and they were close enough she kicked off the river bottom.

Pat pulled him along, and her air and strength were nearly depleted when they broke the surface. She gasped and dragged him onto a sandbar; he was very still and his skin was as pale as death. Pat put her hand on his chest and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't feel anything; he wasn't breathing.

She slowly shook her head and tears sprang to her eyes. "No. You can't die. Fred, I order you not to die!" She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a good shake. "Come on! Wake up! Boy! Come on, you don't like me calling you that, remember? Fred!" She slapped him across the face. Fred's eyes shot open and he stared blankly at the sky. Pat cried out in relief and flung her arms over him. "You're okay! Thank the gods you're okay!" He didn't reply nor return the hug. She sat up and looked at him; he still stared lifelessly at the sky, and his chest still didn't move. A horrible feeling washed over her. "Fred?" she whispered.

Fred's eyes rolled over to her and her heart stopped. Those dark things weren't Fred's eye color. He sat up and Pat fell back away from him. The boy turned his head and stared straight at her without blinking. She trembled beneath that unearthly gaze, and her quiet voice mirrored her fear with its tremble. "Fred?"

Fred blinked. Pat's heart dared to beat a few times. Then he stared straight ahead, his face took on a hideous shade of green and he leaned forward to wretch on himself. Pat cringed back, but now to escape the smell rather than his gaze. After a few moments of ridding his stomach of food and river water, Fred wearily looked up at her and smiled; chunks fell off his chin. "Did we win?" he hoarsely asked her.

Pat's lips trembled, then she smiled, and finally she broke out in a laugh so loud it rang off the walls of the river. Fred looked over both his shoulders to see if she was laughing at something behind him; there was nothing but river and more river. After today he swore he'd never swim in a river again. The mystery of her amusement remained, so he turned back to her with a frown on his face. "What? What's so funny?"

Pat shook her head and tried to get a hold of herself. "I-I'm just so relieved you're okay."

"Why? Was I out that long?" He looked up at the sky and saw the sun was still in the morning position.

"No, I was just that worried." She stood up, put her hands on her hips and looked around. "Now how do we get out of here?"

Fred followed her gaze and could see what she meant; they were on a narrow sandbar below the steep cliffs with no way out but to swim upstream or downstream. They jumped in fright when a roar echoed off the walls, and Fred scrambled to his feet. His weak legs collapsed beneath him, and Pat went for her sword that lay broken at the bottom of the river bed. The roar came again, and a few pebbles tumbled down the wall. The pair looked up and saw Fluffy's face peeking over the edge of the cliff thirty feet above them.

Pat relaxed and rolled her eyes. "Great, he's here, but how can he help get us out?" Fluffy barked and pulled back out of sight. In a moment something long tumbled over the edge; it was a rope. Pat looked disbelievingly at it. "Where did he get that?"

Fred shook his head. "I don't know and I don't care. Let's just get out of here."