The Author is a 48-year-old sports journalist, who loves to read and write, taking a first step to being a published

writer. His other interests include fil s, travel, food and playing and watching sports. !oddy lives alone in the pictures"ue #ast $orkshire village of Howden. To find out ore about the author visit%

www.roddybrooks.co

THE JOURNEY

& would like to dedicate this book to y parents, 'eter and !ose (rooks. They will forever be in y heart.

Roddy Brooks

THE JOURNEY

)opyright !oddy (rooks The right of !oddy (rooks to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by hi in accordance with section ** and *8 of the )opyright, +esigns and 'atents Act ,-88. All rights reserved. .o part of this publication ay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval syste , or trans itted in any for or by any eans, electronic, echanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior per ission of the publishers. Any person who co its any unauthori/ed act in relation to this publication ay be liable to cri inal prosecution and civil clai s for da ages. A )&' catalogue record for this title is available fro 0ibrary. Illustrations by Michael Ezaky &1(. -*8 ,84-23 3-4 5 www.austin acauley.co 6irst 'ublished 748,49 Austin :acauley 'ublishers 0td. 45 )anada 1"uare )anary ;harf 0ondon #,4 50( the (ritish

'rinted and bound in <reat (ritain

Acknowledg ents
& would like to acknowledge the following for their help% .atalie (owen= >irstie 0ovewell= <e Terry #lston. ;ith special thanks to ?livia (unn. a !oberts= !ory +ollard=

THE JOURNEY
Part one of the Land of the Hiding Tree trilogy

Chapter 1

0ivi threw open the curtains and cast her ga/e across the deep valley of #th yra. 1he was a princess but she didn@t feel that ade her special. 1he felt special because she was lucky to live in such a wonderful place with such wonderful friends. The little princess also knew she was special for one other reason. 1he could ake people love one another just by willing it. &f she wanted to ake so ething happen A as long as it was a nice thing A she could ake it happen. ;herever she went and whatever she said people just beca e instantly happy. #ven bad things beca e good when she sang her beautiful songs. (ut not everything in the land of #th yra was happy or peaceful, or as 0ivi would like it. 1o e ti e ago her father, the king, had to go away to fight de ons. .ow he spent a lot of ti e in a different land and that ade 0ivi sad because the king and Bueen +eborah, her other, could not be together. Although she had co e to accept this she was sad because of it, even though she did want everyone to be happy. And now even her brother 'rince .athaniel, who so eti es teased her and could be a real pig, had also gone away. He had gone off on a crusade and she issed hi and loved hi . C;hy should .athan be having all the funDE she asked herself. Fust then she heard a noise, an ani al noise off in the distance. 0ivi strained to hear what had ade the noise and when she recognised it a broad s ile spread across her face. &t was a dog, but not just any dog. &t was her dog, +illon, the faithful hound who kept guard at the foot of her bed every night, keeping her safe as she drea t the night away. C+illon, +illon, it@s lovely to see you,E shouted 0ivi fro the balcony.

;ith that she turned tail and ran out of her bedroo and down the staircase to greet her dog. Fust as +illon bounded up to the front steps 0ivi burst through the great oak doors of the palace and they collided in a sea of hugs and kisses and licks. C?h & love you +illon, so uch,E said a delighted 0ivi. C& love you too, y princess,E said +illon. $es, in case you were wondering, +illon could talk. &t was one of the any agical things in the agical kingdo of #th yra. CAlas, & bring bad tidings & a afraid y princess,E added the dog between breaths as he fought to bring his racing heart under control. 6or not only had he been racing at great speed fro far away but he was also very eGcited to see his istress. C;hy, what ails youDE en"uired 0ivi. +illon proceeded to tell the princess of trouble that had entered the land of #th yra. ?n the far reaches of what was ostly a peaceful land there was a real ruled with alice and spite by a witch known as 0ady Half-Trousers. 0ivi often thought that was a strange na e but it had been eGplained to her by $ksboor, the brave knight who dedicated his life to keeping evil at bay in the kingdo . 1he was called 0ady HalfTrousers because she thought she was a lady, although few agreed, and also because her trousers only ca e halfway down her legs, or half- ast as a sailor ight say. As if a witch was not trouble enough, that part of the land also had a dragon called Tre gara who delighted in attacking villages, killing the ani als and stealing all of the treasure that people had worked hard to save. Tre gara also had a daughter, !aygon, who like her other liked to terrorise the villagers. 0ivi was not afraid of the witch or the dragons as she knew she could protect herself, that@s what agic powers were for. And she also knew the people would be safe as long as $ksboor was there to defend the . Bueen +eborah had told her that. 6or although she was old, and she was very old or so it see ed to 0ivi, she was also very, very wise. 1he was al ost always right but 0ivi wasn@t brave enough or clever enough to think she could get away with arguing about the fact. .ot for any years yet, anyway.

(ut what +illon had to tell 0ivi chilled her to the bone and she shuddered at the thought of what he had to say. $ksboor had lost a long and bloody battle with the two dragons and the rest of the forces of evil. He was locked away in a fouls elling dungeon in a castle in the land ruled by 0ady HalfTrousers. C?h what could be doneDE 0ivi thought to herself. 1he would ask her other for she would know what to do. And then she re e bered her u y had gone to a far-off real of the kingdo to converse atters of state with her own other. 1o there was no other answer. The princess would have to rescue $ksboor herself. And +illon would have to help her do it. C)o e +illon, we ust rescue the knight so he can keep the kingdo safe until y u y returns,E she said. C(ut is that wiseDE en"uired the dog who was well known a ong the ani als for being a very wise dog who often thought long before doing anything. 1o e people thought he so eti es thought too long before taking action but he didn@t really care about that. As long as he spent long enough thinking things through he knew the right answer would co e to hi eventually. +illon@s best thinking was always done when he was asleep so he curled up on the floor and closed his eyes. C+on@t go to sleep on e A that@s so like you +illon. & don@t believe it,E said the princess. C;hat@s wrongDE asked the dog. C;e need to go and we need to go now,E replied 0ivi. C?>, &@ co ing,E said +illon, shaking his head and uttering to hi self under his breath. C& heard that and, what@s ore, & know what it eant,E said 0ivi as she fiGed the dog with a steely glare.

Chapter

6inding The Hiding Tree was never a proble . &t was off Hiding Tree 0ane, which was off The Hiding Tree Highway. #veryone knew where it was. <aining entry to The Hiding Tree was another "uestion entirely. Anyone with darkness in their hearts could not go inside and be accepted into the sanctuary which protected against all things evil. ?n any occasions frightened travellers had faced the gutwrenching choice of being parted fro one of their party because The Hiding Tree just refused to open its welco ing entrance and grant the shelter. And ore often than not those refused entry didn@t even realise, or refused to accept, that they carried the darkness in their heart which barred the fro entering into its cavernous safety. .obody knew how The Hiding Tree got there or how it ca e about. 1urely so ething so good could not be a si ple tree, its power ust be drawn fro so ething agical. $et nobody ever ca e up with a convincing reason for its eGistence. :ost people, like 0ivi, just knew of it. &t wasn@t like she had been told about it, it was just like a e ory so powerful that the first ti e she needed it the desire for sanctuary placed a picture of it in her ind. That picture also beca e a ap of how to get there. 0ivi re e bered the day clearly when her other had tried to tell her about it, stopping her id-sentence with the terse line% C& already know of it, :u yHE ;hen asked how she knew she just shrugged her shoulders and said she didn@t know why but just that she knew about it anyway. Anyway there was no ti e for that now. ?nce 0ivi and +illon had been granted access to The Hiding Tree it was as if they had been transported to a different land. A wide hallway led to winding stairs which see ed to go ever downward.

;alking down the steps it felt as if they were being swallowed by the earth. There was no need to wonder which way to go as the knowledge was agically transferred into the ind of anyone who sought, and was granted, shelter in The Hiding Tree. Although the steps see ed never-ending there was no burden on the ind. &t was as if all cares were re oved just by being in this safest of places. And there was no need to check your steps as the ever-burning light illu inated the way. 0ivi called it s elly fire because the ethane gas used to fuel the lights did have a bit of a pong. That, however, was of little conse"uence because s elly and safe was preferable to fragrant but in fear. The co panions had sought out The Hiding Tree, not because they were in i inent danger but because they knew it was a safe place to rest and gather their thoughts for the long and perilous journey that lay ahead. 0ivi and +illon talked long into the evening until the princess eventually fell asleep against the dog, a protective paw placed across her shoulder. ;hen she awoke 0ivi knew eGactly what she ust do. &t was as if she had been told. As she had slept she drea ed deeply and heard her other@s voice as if she was talking clearly to hear. C1eek out the 1isters of 1olace,E her other had said in the drea . CAh, good, you are awake. +id you sleep well y princessDE asked +illon. C$es, thank you,E replied 0ivi as she wiped the tiredness fro her blinking eyes. CAnd what did the Bueen tell you to doDE asked +illon. The "uestion ca e to hi auto atically. He had awoken during the night and heard 0ivi talking to her u y as she slept. C1he said we ust find the 1isters of 1olace, for they would tell us what we ust do neGt,E replied 0ivi, who did not ask how +illon knew what was on her ind. :any ti es in the past +illon listened to 0ivi in her sleep and regularly had a "uestion ready for her when she awoke. He was pleased to hear the advice 0ivi had received in her drea for he knew the

1isters of 1olace were powers for good and there were too few of those in these troubled ti es. CThat should not be too difficult, provided they are where we eGpect to find the ,E added the dog. After a breakfast of biscuits, which 0ivi co plained about because it was too dry, they prepared the selves for the neGt leg of their journey. +illon had considered seeking out ore welco ing provision but had dis issed the notion. 6oraging for food would have eant dropping their guard and there was no telling what creature ight have penetrated this part of the kingdo now that $ksboor no longer protected its borders. CHow horrible ust that be for a free spirit to be i prisoned against his will, tor ented by the knowledge that the souls he had sworn to protect now lay bare to the wanton savagery of evil,E +illon thought to hi self. 1oon they would have to find the 1isters of 1olace.

Chapter !

+eep in the darkest cavern, where no light pierced, a soul stirred. (ut though there was breath in the body the breathing was shallow, like the faintest wind blowing fro far off. There was no real light in the eyes, just the faint clunk of chain- ail ar our the only sound to be heard besides the laboured drawing of air in and out of tired lungs. $ksboor lay there, his spirit broken and his ind wandering. He felt helpless and hopeless and had long given up struggling against his bonds. His wrists were red raw and bloody where he had tried, and failed, for hours to break free. His ind was wandering and he was punishing hi self for what he saw as his iserable and abject failure to carry out his avowed task. .o thought gave he to the fact that the foe he had challenged had slain every brave soul that had co e up against her. At the behest of her istress, the witch known as 0ady Half-Trousers, the dragon Tre gara had ravaged any parts of the kingdo until $ksboor had been drawn into a bloody fight. He had suspected at the ti e it was a trap and despite his foreboding had risen to the challenge. &t gave hi no co fort now that he had been proven right. He knew he had no choice other than to fight the dragon because his sworn task was to protect the people= his honour would not allow hi to shirk the responsibility even though he knew in his heart he was probably riding to his death. His beloved horse )eleste had been slain early in the battle when Tre gara had sprung the trap. &t had see ed so easy as he had followed her istress@s plan to the letter. Tre gara@s daughter, !aygon, had lain in wait until $ksboor had been drawn into thinking he could strike a fatal blow to Tre gara. Her uneGpected attack caught the knight off guard and he was knocked unconscious by the

ferocity of her assault. ;hen he awoke he was being dragged fro the field of battle, the last thing he saw was the prone body of his loyal friend )eleste lying in a bloody pool before eGhaustion again clai ed hi to a deep sleep. The neGt thing he knew he was being awoken by a piercing screech which reached the very depths of his soul and which would have left any weaker soul cowering like a frightened child. He had long given up hope of any thoughts of rescue but, in truth, his own salvation now concerned hi little. ;hat darkened his ood was the thought of the witch and her beasts wreaking havoc upon the people he had sworn on forfeit of his own life to protect. C& see you are awake, brave knight,E the words spoken in a ocking tone and delivered in a cloud of stea ing breath. $ksboor looked up to where the sound ca e fro , now facing the entrance to the cave which had beco e his prison. 0ying across the entrance, eyeing hi hungrily, was !aygon. C+on@t worry, & won@t eat you, not yet anyway,E snarled the dragon. C:y other won@t let e kill you until she has spoken to the witch.E The word was delivered with a note of conte pt which $ksboor could not fail to recognise. C& don@t do anything to anger y other, and nor will &. .ot least until & can take her place,E added the dragon, only in a uch "uieter tone, as if she feared the older dragon or one of her any allies ight be within earshot. C1o what do you intend for eDE asked $ksboor, his body still sore fro the bruises he had suffered when the dragons had fought hi and dragged his li p body back to their lair. C;e will see. :aybe we will just kill you, and eat you as well. :aybe we will just keep you as a pet and play with you when the fancy takes us. :y other loves tor enting you ere ortals.E ;ith that !aygon closed her eyes and gave the i pression she was sleeping. (ut, as $ksboor knew only too well, the only dragon you could trust was one that was no longer breathing. He decided to ake the ost of his situation by

sleeping hi self, seeking respite fro aching body and his throbbing head.

his sufferings, his

Chapter "

Harriet 'aige and # elia :ay, or Hattie and :illie as everyone knew the , were so ething of an enig a. They had lived together in peace for any years since their parents had been forced to flee. (ut rather than leave with the rest of the fleeing people when an invading ar y had swept through the land, the sisters had chosen to hide and would not leave their place of safety, not even when their parents ca e searching for the one last ti e. &nstead they had known, and known without having to be told, that they had a purpose in life and that purpose was to re ain and look after all the creatures of the forest where they lived, be the creatures hu an or otherwise. They were known by ost as the sisters, but very few knew the as the 1isters of 1olace. They had been given that na e by a very wise and very old an. 1o old, in fact, that nobody re e bered his na e. They were the 1isters of 1olace because that was what they provided. They either sought out the lost and injured or those without clear direction were drawn ineGorably towards the . And once in their care the sisters never failed to protect. #ven when the ost evil and foul creatures were chasing the the pursued were always safe once they were under the protection of these two little girls. And apart fro a little bit of ischief which dwelled within :illie@s heart, they were good, and :illie always had Hattie to watch over her and ake sure she did what was right. &t was with glad hearts that +illon and 0ivi entered the forest where the 1isters of 1olace lived. 0ivi had told +illon that was what they should be called and also their given na es, again the infor ation having been given to her by her other, not spoken but passed on as if without word. +illon did not "uestion how 0ivi knew, he just knew she knew and that was good enough reason for hi .

&t was then +illon realised so ething wasn@t "uite right, so ething didn@t "uite feel how he knew it should feel. &t was then he realised what it was A he could sense they were being watched as they walked between the leafy branches of the trees. 0ivi hadn@t noticed, or so he thought, too busy bending down to pick wild flowers. C+illon,E said 0ivi. C$es y princess,E he replied. C+on@t worry about the , & know they are there and & will ake the go away,E she said, an air of understated confidence in her voice. The peace was broken by a blood-curdling screa as several en, their bodies painted in dark colours and wrapped in ani al skins, appeared all around the and started waving an assort ent of weapons A swords, clubs and spears were but a few of the which could easily be recognised or described. As the en shouted and wailed there was no sound fro 0ivi and +illon stood his ground and started to growl, looking around to select his victi . (efore +illon could pounce the en dropped their weapons. They turned tail and ran as if frightened al ost to death by a ferocious ani al. Their faces were contorted in pain and fro their ouths ca e cries of fear. C1ee, & told you,E said 0ivi cockily. C& just have to will it and bad things can do e no har .E +illon didn@t really know how 0ivi was able to shape things to her will, she just was. And very lucky for the it was that she was able to do that too. The danger averted, 0ivi and +illon turned back to their journey for they still had a long way to go yet and neither had travelled this way before. #ven though they felt safe in the knowledge they could protect the selves and were headed to eet the 1isters of 1olace they were still burdened by the doubt which faces all travellers who are taking a journey for the first ti e. .ot knowing how long the trip will take always nags away at a traveller, and 0ivi and +illon were no different. .ot until they reached their destination, which for now would

take the to the 1isters of 1olace, would they be able to relaG and drop their guard. 0ivi thought longingly of hot chocolate and sleep= +illon thought of bones, sleep and chasing rabbits, which he would probably do later as he wagged his paws and lay stretched out in front of a roaring fire. Fust when they thought the journey would never end a young girl appeared on the road in front of the , a pretty little girl with an elfish grin. C;ho are you, and why are you hereDE asked the girl of the two co panions. As the first girl finished speaking another, older, girl appeared at her side. CTake no notice of :illie. 1he knows who you are, both of you, and she knows why you are here. $ou@ve co e looking for $ksboor,E she said. C&@ Hattie, by the way, and you@re very welco e. &f you@ve co e to the aid of the brave knight then we are duty bound to help you. These lands have been a desperate place since he was taken fro us by those dragons, & hate the foul beasts.E 0ivi and +illon followed the sisters through the trees until they ca e to what looked like a vertical wall of green, with no apparent way through. 0ivi and +illon looked on as the sisters walked towards the solid wall, but just as it appeared that they would walk into the wall and bounce off, they were able to walk straight through it. As they disappeared through the wall, :illie turned and said, C+on@t be silly, just follow us through. &t@s easy, you won@t be hurt.E ?nce through the wall 0ivi and +illon were inside a wide hallway. C+on@t worry, it@s perfectly safe here, no har can ever co e to you when you are under our protection,E said Hattie. +illon was the first to notice the s ell and he was soon licking his lips. 0ivi s elled it al ost at the sa e ti e, but not "uite, as she very well knew, and as he regularly re inded her, +illon@s sense of s ell was uch better than hers. He had told

her so on nu erous occasions, so any ti es in fact that she could not even begin to recall how any. C&t@s stew, vegetable stew,E said Hattie. C;e don@t eat ani als here as we are sworn to protect the . &f your dog wants eat he will have to go outside to hunt and eat. (ut & warn you, once he is outside he is beyond our protection.E C&t@s okay, vegetable stew will suffice,E said +illon, the e ory of a breakfast of biscuits still clear in his ind and on his tastebuds. After a hearty dinner of vegetable stew, followed by strawberries with crea , and washed down with ho e ade le onade, 0ivi plucked up the courage to ask several "uestions which had been occupying her ind. C;here are your parentsDE asked 0ivi. C;e don@t know. They fled with everyone else when the evil en ca e to his land,E said Hattie. C;e don@t know if we will ever see the again. ;e hope we will, we live in hope, but we don@t know for certain. ;hy do you askDE C&t just see ed strange two girls like you living in the forest, looking after yourselves,E replied 0ivi. CAnd not only that, you care for anyone that co es this way and keep the safe fro evil.E Hattie shrugged her shoulders, a tear appearing in the corner of one eye. As she wiped it away with the back of her hand, she said% C&t@s just what we do. ;e hope our parents will find us but we are happy to do what we do, it fills our hearts with joy that we can help people. ?ur pay ent is their s iles.E The newly found friends talked for a long ti e until the fire beca e very low and they retired to their beds. 0ivi and +illon shared a very large bed in one of the bedroo s off the ain cha ber, the young girl drea ing of her u y and the dog off to chase so e rabbits. 0ivi woke the neGt orning to find she was alone. A o ent of panic filled her heart and she felt a lu p in her throat. 1he ran out into the cha ber but was greeted by the sound of a dog barking and the shrieks of an eGcited child.

C)hase e +illon, chase e,E :illie was shouting as she stood in one of the doorways. (ut just as +illon appeared around the corner and ran to where :illie had been the young girl was gone, leaving a trail of bright light behind her as she appeared to be spirited away. The fun went on for several seconds and soon 0ivi lost interest in +illon@s fruitless pursuit of :illie. He was obviously having great fun and 0ivi felt it was very harsh of her to think about trying to stop hi . 1he decided to leave hi and his new friend to it and she went to see where Hattie was. 1he found her in the kitchen, busy iGing so ething in a bowl. CThere@s porridge if you want it, and honey too,E said Hattie. C& couldn@t,E said 0ivi. C&@ still full fro last night, & ate enough to feed an ar y.E C&t@s always wise to take food when it@s offered in these parts, you never know when you will eat again, particularly a hot eal,E said Hattie. C& will pack you up so e food for the onward journey,E she added. 0ivi said nothing, lost in thoughts of what the journey ahead held in store for the . 1he turned away and went in search of her dog who was still filling the place with loud barks to atch the laughter of :illie. Turning a corner 0ivi was nearly knocked off her feet as +illon ca e bowling down the corridor in front of her. Fust in the nick of ti e, +illon skidded to a halt and leaned his paws on 0ivi@s shoulders, licking her face eGcitedly. CThat@s enough +illon, &@ not a baby bird any ore,E eGclai ed 0ivi as she held the dog far enough away that his licking tongue was just out of reach of her face. A short while later 0ivi and +illon were ready to continue their journey. Hattie had given the directions on how to reach their neGt destination, The Hanging 'ole, and also given the a bag of provisions. 0ivi had long wondered why it was called The Hanging 'ole, and now she had learned. &t was where an evil lord hanged the people he didn@t care for, and so e he had stopped caring for.

The only thing that war ed 0ivi@s heart was the knowledge she had gained fro the sisters which had confir ed the purpose of the journey. The fondness with which the sisters had spoken of $ksboor had told 0ivi all she needed to know. 1he and +illon had to rescue $ksboor.