Chapter 48 The third ingredient
The third ingredient: Earth from the volcano of life.
In the middle of the Caspian Sea,
Lies a volcano standing free,
Sitting high above its bay,
Watching as the eagles play.
Mighty volcano, give us earth,
Boiling magma which you birth.
It sees the sky high up above,
And boils the earth, a mighty stove.
But then one day, the lava dried,
What happened? This fine volcano died.
Former magma turned to stone,
Only earth now fills this cone.
Why then call it the volcano of life?
When it stands there held by the hand of death’s knife?
We call it that name because we hope it will wake,
To calm the cold sea and for old nature’s sake
But watch out as the small sea troll,
Lurks around this big volcano.
It looks around for who it’ll bite,
Filled with nothing but greed, hatred and spite.
Oh, little troll, why do you bite?
You do not want the volcano to light.
So you stop others from taking its clay,
So you’d still have a place to stay.
How wicked and greedy can you be?
This dried-up lava ought to be free.
It shouldn’t be only yours to keep,
All because you need a place to sleep.
We hope this volcano will light up one day,
And drive the greedy troll away.
***
“So, I’ll be heading to the Caspian Sea tomorrow to get some earth from the volcano of life. It hasn’t been active in centuries, and all I have to do is to get some dried-up magma which serves as the earth. I’m almost halfway there.”
Joana was speaking to them during one of their regular coven meetings, of which her quest always seemed to be the popular topic for the day.
“Let me see your findings on this volcano of life,” Dana said to her. Joana handed her jottings and Dana looked at them before speaking again.
“It looks like you have an enemy this time, the sea troll.”
“Yes, I heard he lives in the volcano and is very greedy. He bites anyone who tries to take its earth.”
“But why does he do that?” Dana asked.
“Maybe he thinks it’ll make the volcano active again. I don’t know, but whoever he is, I’m not going to let him stop me. If Marylin could deal with him during her time, then so can I.”
“So, will Derick be coming along with you?” Dana asked, turning the attention to him. He had been seated beside Edmund and Hillary, and hadn’t said a word since. He and Joana hadn’t spoken to each other since their argument last night. Although he wasn’t mad at her or anything like that, he just needed some time to cool off.
“Of course, I will,” he said.
Joana was relieved, for a minute there she thought the pride she displayed last night would result in her going alone to battle an angry troll tomorrow, but now that she had Derick coming along, she felt safer.
“Ok, thank you for agreeing to accompany me,” Joana said. And she meant it, even when she and Derick had misunderstandings, he still agreed to help her. It was one thing she would miss him for when she returned home.
“No problem,” he said without any expression in his face.
Edmund then stood up and began to speak.
“Ok then, since that’s settled, why don’t we all go hunting? I could use a good meal right now.”
“Yes, it’s way overdue, let’s go,” Dana said.
Dana used to hunt alone before, but ever since the coven started hanging out together more often, she joined them in their hunting sprees. The five of them were now becoming an unstoppable force, but will this bond scatter once Joana became human again and left the coven? We don’t know and we may not find out but until the author tells you herself, then continue to be in doubt.
