Chapter 5: Chapter 5 – Borealis

Bo returned to Fran, who had her arms crossed and eyes trained firmly on Gale. She looked like a mother cat standing protectively over a kitten.

"What did he say?" She asked.

The nearby kids leant in closer to hear the answer, their expressions brimming with anticipation.

"He..." Bo paused, "He said he needs my help getting something,"

"Will it be dangerous?" Fran asked immediately, her eyes narrowed.

"... Yeah," Bo sighed, "I could die,"

"Then I'm coming with you!" Fran declared.

"But-"

"But what?"

"Who will watch our sledges while we're gone?"

Fran paused, biting her lip thoughtfully. She glanced over at Ethron - who was still fuming, and figured that her chances of getting any help from his supporters were slim to none. Most of the older Karak had complete faith in Ethron's abilities to lead and likely wouldn't anger him by helping someone he clearly didn't trust.

She thought about asking Leo and Tor, but they still hadn't received their blessing yet, and likely struggled to carry their own sledges - never mind bringing along her and Bo's.

"Why can't you just bring the sledges with you?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"I don't think we'll make it there and back in time if we bring the sledges," Bo replied apologetically. He would honestly have been more than happy for Fran to join him, but it simply wasn't doable.

As a so-called witch, Fran spent most of her time alone, studying scrolls and ancient maps in search of relics and possible migratory routes of desert animals. While this was an invaluable role within the tribe, it had led to her and Bo becoming somewhat isolated. Since they spent the majority of their time with each other, locked away in a tent.

Now, she was beginning to regret that, as she had no one to ask for help. In the past, she would just have asked Ethron - but that clearly wasn't an option as things stood.

"Fine," She said through clenched teeth, "But makes sure to stay alive,"

Bo nodded grimly, "I will."

 

***

 

Leo had appeared just before they left, insisting he join them. But all it took was a glare from Gale to send him packing - and finally, they were ready to leave.

As Gale and Bo made their way through the procession and were about to head off into the desert, A sudden shout followed them.

"It won't count if he helps you!" Ethron yelled.

"I know!" Bo replied, "I'll be back in four days to complete the challenge! Alone!"

It looked like Ethron wanted to say something more, but he stopped himself and shook his head while muttering under his breath.

The tribe members stopped their march to watch as Bo and Gale strode off into the desert. The pair didn't walk side by side, chatting and laughing as travel companions often did. Instead, Gale kept a minimum distance of ten metres between him and Bo at all times.

This made it appear more like Bo was tailing Gale rather than journeying with him.

Their journey was gruelling but, ultimately, uneventful. Despite his best efforts, Bo had managed to drag little in the way of conversation from Gale. He had quickly learned that the old man's words were as rare as a smile on his leathery face.

He had asked about the massive gap that Gale kept between them at all times, but the old man's response had been a sharp grunt – followed by "It's for your own good,"

Unless Gale smelled like the back end of an Oasis, Bo wasn't sure how keeping such a pronounced distance between them was good for him. But he supposed that this was just another of the old man's many eccentricities.

After walking through the night, which was a blessing compared to the day, Bo caught sight of a vast, rocky hill jutting out from the sand. It was jagged and uneven – appearing as though a stone blade had stabbed out from beneath the ground in an effort to pierce the sky.

"Is that it?" Bo asked while gawping at the strange outcrop. He had never seen anything like it and was itching to go and investigate.

Gale nodded, "It is. On the northern face of Ferrow ridge, we'll find the entrance we're looking for,"

Bo followed behind the old man as they circled the ridge and made their way towards its northern edge. After a day travelling alone with Gale, he had grown somewhat comfortable with the old man's rough exterior.

And come to the conclusion that it was just that – an exterior. Gale himself seemed quite caring – as he had often offered to let Bo stop and rest during their trek. These offers were almost always accepted, as Bo didn't have a god's blessing like Gale did, and despite his best efforts – he couldn't keep up with the old man's relentless pace. Somehow, Gale managed to shuffle faster than Bo could run.

They neared the outcrop, closing in on its northern face, where a black slit ran up the rock wall. Its appearance was as jagged and sharp as the rest of the hill – as though giant hands had reached up from within the earth and torn a dark gap in the rock. The tunnel continued into uncharted depths, vanishing down into the blackness.

As they approached the narrow slit in the outcrop, Bo suddenly felt an intense static charge in the air. He felt like he was walking directly into a thunderstorm – making his hair stand on end.

Gale noticed this and laughed while he rubbed his bald head nostalgically, "I was like that on my first time too,"

"What the hell is it?" Bo asked, staring into the slit with trepidation.

"That – is where we will find our Borealis."

Bo glanced around nervously. Before that moment – it had just been an idea. He had known it would be dangerous, sure. But to stand there in front of the tunnel and stare into the darkness was something else entirely. It was both sobering and exhilarating.

His curiosity grew as he wondered just what rock could possibly give him the same sensation he felt when walking past Dante's peak. Dante's peak was an active volcano that would spew fire without warning – so it made sense that he would be on pins and needles when the tribe journeyed past it. But this cave…

If it made him feel the same way as a volcano, then surely… it was equally dangerous.

"Do we go in?" Bo asked eagerly. Despite the danger, his curiosity had only grown the more he thought about the cave. Wasn't finding more strange discoveries like this part of the reason he wanted to get Qui's blessing in the first place? With the strength of a dragon, he could explore further, delve deeper, fly higher. Anything would be possible.

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"Not. Yet." Gale said firmly. "We will not enter until nightfall,"

"Oh…" Bo sighed, deflating slightly.

"I'm going to set up my equipment – you can rest. It might be your last sleep, so make it a good one,"

"… Thanks, I guess," Bo wandered over to a small rocky shelf in the shade of the hill and lay with his back against the cool stone. He tried to stay awake – to watch as Gale produced innumerable strange gizmos from his huge bag. But the many miles he'd travelled quickly caught up with him, and soon, he was down for the count.

Whisked away by sleep, Bo didn't wake up until the sun had begun to dip below the horizon, and a bone-piercing chill had wormed its way into the evening air.

He got up, glancing over at Gale, who was standing near the tunnel entrance. The old man had left the massive backpack elsewhere and was staring down into the darkness with unbreaking concentration. He seemed never to blink or even breathe – as though he had been turned to stone.

Before going to join the old man, Bo ate one of the five Horus shoots he had brought with him. A single shoot would usually last him for a few days – but after the incredibly intense journey to Ferrow ridge, he had grown far hungrier than usual.

When he finished eating, he got up and walked over to Gale, who was still yet to show any signs that he was actually alive.

"Gale… er, sir," Bo fumbled, trying to find the correct way to address the old man. But quickly realised it didn't matter – Gale hadn't even registered his approach.

Bo walked up beside Gale and gazed into the depths, searching for something, anything. All he could see was a darkness so absolute it was hard to put into words. It simply felt as though he were looking at nothing at all – if that was even possible.

The jagged crack in the rockface appeared like a tear in the very fabric of the universe itself.

"What are we looking for?" Bo finally asked - getting uncomfortable with the long silence.

"Wait," Gale mumbled, "It will be night soon,"

"But I-" Bo paused, noticing that the sun had finally dropped below the horizon. In its place - night descended on the desert, and with the night came many stars.

This would not have been anything out of the ordinary – if not for the fact the stars also shone from inside the tunnel.

The scenic night sky and dark tunnel looked one in the same – as though some petulant god had ripped off a piece of the night and stuffed it underground. With the twinkling lights and sparkling vistas – the jagged crack in the rockface seemed to come alive.

It glowed with hitherto unseen life illuminating its bottomlessness.

"Wow…" Bo stared into the tunnel – lost for words. He had never seen anything quite like it.

"Borealis," Gale muttered. His eyes – that reflected the starry glow from the tunnel – seemed to take on a life of their own. He stared into the tunnel, almost enraptured by the sight of it all.

Bo gazed fiercely into the tunnel as his imagination spun furiously. Even in all scrolls he had read, and stories he'd been told – he had never heard of anything quite like this. But that in itself was quite beautiful.

It meant that there was always more to learn and discover.

It meant that this world was never as it first appeared.

It meant that Bo could wake up in a day's time – knowing that anything was possible.

"Should I go in?" He asked, motioning to step towards the cavern.

Gale's arm shot out like a whip, blocking him from entering the cave. "No," He hissed.

"Before you enter, I need to show you something."

Bo nodded anxiously, watching as the old man produced five rocks from his pocket. They were all of a similar shape – but each rock grew progressively larger. The final stone was about the size of Bo's head, and the first one about the diameter of his thumb.

Gale placed the first rock in his palm and turned it over, fiddling with a nervous energy Bo had yet to see from the old man.

"Stand back," Gale said quietly, taking a step back from the tunnel mouth.

 When they were both clear, Gale tossed the rock into the tunnel. He threw it with moderate force, and it sailed into the starry abyss, bouncing against the glittering tunnel walls.

What immediately caught Bo's attention was the sparks that flew when the stone hit the wall. For some reason, every time the stone collided with the glowing rock - his heart stuttered slightly.

"Good," Gale muttered under his breath, "It's not too reactive today,"

He grabbed the next rock and tossed it with the same amount of force. It, too, flew into the tunnel, careening off the walls in a brilliant shower of sparks. Only – there were more this time.

Gale repeated the process with the third stone, and the reaction changed slightly. Along with sparks, every time the stone bounced off the walls – a lick of flame accompanied it. The flame was so small as to be nearly insignificant, but Bo had good eyes and didn't miss it.

As Gale picked up the fourth rock, a stone about half the size of Bo's head – Bo had a sudden premonition that maybe, he should take another step backwards. He watched nervously as the rather heavy stone dashed against the tunnel walls producing small gouts of flame with each collision.

It was at this point Bo eyed the final, rather large stone, with apprehension. He could already see where this was going and couldn't wait to see what reaction the last rock could produce.

After quickly deciding to take another step back, he glanced at Gale, who had hefted the rock over his shoulder. "Brace yourself," The old man rasped, "This is going to be a big one,"

With a grunt, Gale tossed the head-sized rock into the tunnel, and Bo's heart leapt into his mouth. He watched – in a mix of nervous excitement – as the head-sized stone plunged down towards the tunnel floor.

It crashed into the starry rock, producing an ear-splitting bang. Bo truly felt like he was in a thunderstorm as a brilliant explosion rent the tunnel floor. The initial explosion seemed to be a domino of sorts as it echoed down the tunnel – producing explosions, each more violent than the last.

Finally, the ball of fire reached the bottom of the tunnel and quickly reversed – rushing back up towards the tunnel mouth.

"Move!" Gale shouted, grabbing Bo and hauling him to the side of the entrance as a wall of fire blasted out into the night. The roar of the final explosion echoed off the ridge and travelled for miles and miles – disturbing the rest of the many creatures that slept beneath the sands.

Bo stared slack-jawed at the tunnel, his heart hammering in his chest. He had so many questions, but one raced to the surface far quicker than any other.

"How the hell am I supposed to mine that?"

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