Mirror Lake 2 The Journey to Save the Magic
Chapter 10 The Maroon Bells

My body was stiff as we finally sat for a short break. We needed to eat and regain our strength. I know for a fact, if Ethan and I hadn’t been physically fit, we would both be dying about now. But part of our prep for our mission was strenuous workouts and hikes. However, none of those prepared us for a 3 hour hike right after a car accident.

Thankfully, we had crashed about three quarters of the way to the top and it wasn't as long as it could have been.

I laughed as Ethan fell onto his back on a soft patch of grass. He groaned and rolled over onto his belly.

“I’m never hiking again!” he complained.

“Well, I wouldn’t be making any promises! I’ve no clue where the rest are, but hopefully this is the last mountain we will climb. Maybe the rest are all downhill from here?” I joked.

“Ha ha!” sarcasm dripped from his lips.

I just chuckled as I pulled out a sandwich and an apple and tossed them over to Ethan. He caught them with the agility of a starving man going after the last piece of meat on the planet.

I grabbed my own and looked out over the area.

I could see beautiful streams and waterfalls and clean earth. It was peaceful. I could hear the animals skittering here and there.

If I were a normal human, I’m not sure I’d be able to breathe at his altitude, but luckily for me I can adapt really fast.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Like I want to sleep for a month!” Ethan grumbled.

I didn’t blame him. Neither of us have been sleeping well, and with the added stress of finding all the domes, and Mel pregnant, I could definitely go for a very long nap with my mate gathered in my arms.

“I promise, once this is done, you can sleep as long as you need,” I reassured him.

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“I was planning on starting medical school next month, but I think I’ll put it off for a little bit. I just want to spend time at home with Becky, and possibly put up with Lissa’s bickering… But then again, I’m gonna be an uncle, so it may just be worth it to indulge her for once,” he smiled.

“Becky is supposed to start at your old highschool soon, isn’t she?” I asked.

‘Yeah, she is. I’m worried about her. She is so shy, but she is easy to get along with, and she is brilliant! She will go far, and when she graduates, she will be all mine!” he beamed with pride.

“I am really happy for you, Ethan. You two are very good for each other,” I agreed.

I stuffed the last piece of my sandwich into my mouth when I noticed a glimmer in the shadows of the peaks of the mountains.

I looked around, it will take us a while to make it, but I have a strong feeling that is where we need to go.

“Are you up for another hike? This one should only be about a half hour if we hurry,” I promised.

“You found where we are going?” he asked, surprised.

I laughed.

“You doubt my mad skills?” I teased.

“Me? Noooo, never…” he joked back.

Then he sighed and with exaggerated effort pulled himself up and followed after me.

I grabbed our bottled water and tossed it to him as we once again took up the arduous task of climbing this mammoth mountain. The Maroon Bells are beautiful, if you don’t mind heights. It’s very airy up here.

I took a pull from my water bottle and l looked back over my shoulder, and watched as Ethan did the same, only almost stumbling over from exhaustion.

I pull him along with me.

Step after step we gained our footing and shortened the distance between us and our goal. With tight muscles and cramping legs, we pushed on. The sun was doing nothing to heat up our cooled skin, and with the wind it made my hands chill, even with the sweat dripping down my body. It was an interesting sensation.

Suddenly we came upon what the shimmer was.

It was a type of force field that hid a small cabin like building, and I”m sure we will find the next warden inside.

An instant after we crossed the barrier, Tom popped his head out of his door.

He just sighted and shook his head.

I sighed in relief. For one thing, Tom wasn’t actually a bad guy and had no strong loyalties to Jack. For another thing, he wasn’t the strongest of the councilors, which was why he was in charge of the games department.

“I was wondering when you would show up,” he admitted.

“Did you also make a blood oath Tom?” I asked.

“Hell, NO! I didn’t want anything to do with that psycho. I just got away with a week promise to take care of the Maroon Bells dome,” he answered.

“So, you wouldn’t mind if we took the key from you?” asked Ethan.

Tom shook his head and removed the chain from around his neck and tossed it over to us.

To be honest, he looked like a weight had been removed from his shoulders.

“Now if you promise not to kill me, can I just hang out here and live the rest of my life?” he asked.

“I don’t have a problem with that! What about you, Nate?” Ethan asked.

“I think we are done here, and we will forget all about you up here on the mountains!” I assured him.

He looked relieved.

He pointed to the shadows. “The key hole is in a crevice, surrounded by blue toadstools,” was all he said and then went back inside.

“Well, that was way easier than I expected!” Ethan almost giggled like a school girl.

I could see how relieved he was that we didn't have to endure another fight so soon. I was also happy that we could have a break. That doesn’t mean our break will be long, but anything at this point will be greatly appreciated.

We walked over to where Tom had pointed and lo and behold, there were actually blue toadstools. I laughed and actually took a picture so I could send it to Mel and see what she has to say about this.

Ethan took the key and slid it into the keyhole and clicked it.

The mountain shook, rocks fell away from the side and slid down. A great rumbling noise came from the mountain itself, and I realized that the dome was actually inside the North Bell.

We stepped back in amazement as the shadow opened up and out came giants, trolls, dwarves, and may other creatures that dwelled in mountains and rocks. I saw serpents slither pass us and bow their heads in respect.

The dwarves and trolls bent on one knee offering their gratitude to us.

Ethan and I just smiled at each other and appreciated the thanks.

Sometimes it's hard to remember what it is we are doing this for. Sometimes the thoughts creep into our hearts that make us forget that each of these individuals had a life once. They had their own homes and families and jobs.

All of that was taken away from them by greed.

It would be easy to forget what it is we are fighting for, but watching these gentle creatures show us how much they appreciated the effort we put into freeing them does lift the burden a bit.

It still hurts to be away from the one I love, but I know she is proud of me and this is what we need to do to save everyone. Not just me and my selfish heart.

I will set them all free, my love. Then I will return home to you.

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