Welcome to the latest chapter of this epic exclusive YA urban fantasy saga. Feel free to reach out or comment if you like this story. Your feedback is what keeps the magic flowing. If this is your first time finding this story or you’ve missed a couple of episodes then I’d suggest following the link to the index page where you can start reading the entire series for FREE!
Ewan, Anna, Dylan and Mac all sat in silence as the Mac’s brothers car spluttered it’s way out of town along the Great Western Road to where it would join with the A82 at the mouth of the River Clyde by Old Kilpatrick.
They sat staring at the harsh inner city landscape that had once driven Glasgow’s ship building heritage. All along the banks of the Clyde the factories and yards had long since fallen into decay.
In recent years a few had been the target of some urban renewal projects but here and there the signs were still visible, abandoned buildings with broken windows and graffiti covered walls.
As they continued their journey the landscape slowly changed. As they headed north past Dumbarton the industrial estates gave way to greener views across wild open countryside that made the Scottish lowlands one of the most picturesque areas of the British Isles.
The mood lightened and they all started to relax a little as they neared the southern tip of Loch Lomond and Mac was the first to break the silence, “Hey, there’s a MacDonalds just off the road towards the Sea Life centre, who’s up for a bite to eat before we carry on?”
The others nodded and Dylan added, “aye, and I could do with a wee wee as well,” in a mock thick Scottish accent.
Ewan smirked at his friend and Anna smiled as she saw the look of worry disappear from his face if even for a second.
As they pulled in towards the restaurant car park Anna asked, “what about Bai Ewan? Does he need anything? He looked a bit peaky earlier.”
Ewan opened his backpack and stared wide eyed for a second, “He’s not in here.” he said, the panic rising in his voice.
Mac stopped the car and they all got out and gathered round Ewan’s back pack.
Ewan opened the bag and they could all plainly see that Bai was no longer there, all that was there was the inlaid puzzle box that Dylan had found the night before.
There was a look of shock on Ewan’s face, “without Bai how are we supposed to find my Dad?”
Anna put her arm round Ewan’s shoulder as he pulled out the the inlaid puzzle box. The box was closed tight again and Ewan gently turned it over looking again for the keyhole but it had disappeared. He held it close to his face and he could feel a slight heat emanating from within. Ewan then turned his head and pressed his ear close to the lid and he could hear a gentle rhythmic sound like shallow breathing, “I think he’s back inside the box, it sounds like he’s sleeping.”
“Why don’t you give it a shake to make sure,” suggested Dylan.
Anna glared at Dylan who instantly shut up.
“Please don’t shake the box. I am not sleeping, at least not in the sense that you understand but I do need to rest.”
“Are you ok?” Ewan thought the words instead of speaking them out loud but knew Bai would be able to hear them all the same.
“Yes young master Wu, but I am very weak. The spirit can not exist for too long apart from the body and it’s imperative we find your father as soon as possible. I fear he is the only one who can help me. I have released my physical form and continue to exist as energy for now, but I can return if the need is great enough.”
“No it’s fine, you rest and we’ll keep looking for Dad.”
Ewan looked at the group who were looking at him strangely. “I’ve been talking to Bai, he say’s his spirit is in the box because he’s too weak to keep up his physical presence, he’s resting now but we have to hurry.”
“If I don’t get something to eat soon my physical presence will be too weak to carry on as well,” said Dylan.
Anna glared at Dylan and was about to chastise him again when Ewan interrupted her.
“No he’s right. It’s important that we stay as strong as possible and I’m starving too. Let’s just grab some food and we can eat it in the car.”
“Aye, and I need to top up the water bottle and the petrol tank if we wanna get there and back in one run,” Mac said, “Anna you go with the Ewan and Dylan and grab me what ever they’re having and I’ll meet you all back over by the petrol station as soon as I’m done.”
“Ok, but be careful.” Anna smiled at Mac as she led the others away to the fast food restaurant.
Twenty minutes later the group were back in the car heading north along the A82. The roads were silent and from time to time they could make out the cold dark waters of Loch Lomond as they continued their journey. The countryside became more remote as they passed through Arden, Aldochlay, Culag and Inverbeg. The mountains of Argyle and Bute on their left and the serene lake on their right.
After an hour of driving they stopped to stretch their legs by Ardlui where the River Falloch fed in to the loch at it’s northern most tip. Ewan stopped to look at the map on his dad’s phone , “I think we’re about half way there. If we stay on this road and follow it round the mountains and up in to the highlands it should take us straight there,” he said.
A cold wind whistled across the tops of the mountains and they all looked up to see the clouds beginning to gather on the horizon.
“I hope it doesn’t take too long to find your dad when we get there. It’ll be getting dark in a couple of hours and I wouldn’t wanted to be doing this drive back at night,” Mac said.
Anna looked at Mac, “I’m sure we’ll get there in time, and if not then we’ll have to find a local hotel or something.”
“Well we best get a move on then,” he replied.
They piled back in to the car and Mac set off again.
They eventually rounded Glencoe and caught their first site of Loch Leven, the small loch that emptied into Loch Linnie and eventually in to the ice cold North Atlantic, “The first time I ever went on boat was over there.” Mac pointed out as they saw signs for the Glencoe Boat Club.
“I wouldn’t have put you down as a sailor.” Anna said.
“I’m not, but ma da thought he was, he hired a dinghy and took me and Jamie oot for a sail on the Loch. Half an hour later he fell overboard and nearly capsized the boat. The club had to send out a rescue boat to tow us in. I’d never been so scared and I’ve never been in a boat since.”
Twenty minutes later they pulled up in the village of Ballachulish and found a place to park in front of the local tourist information centre.
As usual Dylan was the first to speak, “Ok, now what? Where do we go from here?”
Mac and Anna both looked at Ewan who was busy looking at his dad’s phone.
“I don’t know, this is as close as it get’s. We’ll have to ask someone I suppose?”
“I could go and ask them in the tourist info place.” Anna pointed to the small clump of single story lime washed buildings behind them.
The others waited whilst Anna headed off and came back about five minutes later.
“I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” she said.
Ewan’s face dropped.
“Don’t worry, it’s not that bad. This Dragons Tooth place, it’s some some kind of ancient stone. We’re in the wrong place, but it’s close by. It’s about a ten minute drive round the coast road to a place called South Ballachulish, but…”
“Why is it always about your butt?” Dylan asked smirking to Ewan. who just rolled his eyes at his friend.
Anna glared at Dylan again and he sensibly shut up, both Ewan and Mac smirked like little school boys at Dylan’s double entendre.
“As I was saying, once we get to South Ballachulish, we have to park the car and it’s about a hours walk along a hikers path up the mountain to find the Tooth. Apparently it’s a big rock that sticks up out of the side of the mountain and looks like…”
“A big tooth, aye I remember it from when I was a wee bairn. Something about local legends, my dad told me and Jamie when we were little.”
“The lass gave me a leaflet about it.” Anna passed the piece of paper to Mac, “It’s got some directions on it, but…” She stopped and glared at Dylan who was actively looking the other way, “we’d better get a move on, it’s gone five now and if we don’t hurry we’ll never find it in the dark and I don’t have the money for a night in a hotel.”
They piled back in to the car and Mac headed off toward the coast road following the directions on the leaflet.
There was a small empty Forestry Commission car park at the far edge of the village and Mac parked up, “I know it’s the highlands an all, but doesn’t this place seem a little empty to you?”
Ewan looked up at the remote path leading away from the car park, “You’re right, it is a bit creepy not having any people about. Although the peace and quiet is nice.”
“Aye, that was the best bit about coming here as a kid,” Mac paused as if reminiscing, “it was such a contrast to the city, all that noise and traffic and smoke.”
Anna handed Ewan and Dylan their jackets out of the car, “You’d best have these. I think it’ll cool off quite quickly, how’s Bai doing?”
Ewan stopped for a moment and he had a kind of far-away look in his eyes, “He’s not talking at the moment but I think he’s still asleep or whatever it is his spirit does. I’m sure he’ll wake up if he’s needed.”
Mac lead the way out of the car park and the others followed close behind.
The pathway soon started to climb and in places stairs had been cut into the ground to aid in the ascent. It wasn’t long before the undergrowth started to encroach on the path and the trees on either side branched over to form a kind of natural tunnel. The late afternoon sun struggled to get through the greenery and left the path cold and dark. Patches of damp mist cling to their clothes.
“Was it like this the last time you were here Mac?”
“Well it was a lot brighter and warmer,” he replied.
The group pushed on, the silence becoming more oppressive with each step. Eventually the path began to open up and ahead of them they could see clouds rolling across the open sky. Encouraged by the prospect of reaching their target they hurried forward finding a renewed energy with each step.
They rounded one last corner and the landscape changed dramatically, the path opened up and they found themselves alone on the side of the mountain, the breath taking vista made them stop and stare.
“Ok, now what? Do you think your dad’s just going to be sitting here waiting for us?” Dylan was puffing and panting as he spoke, the walk up the mountain having taken it’s toll.
“I… I’m not sure, I don’t really know. I’d just assumed…” Ewan said.
“So where’s this tooth then?” Anna was keen to change the subject as she could see that Ewan was starting to get flustered again.
“I think it’s over there.” Mac pointed out across the side of the mountain and the others followed his his gaze. They could just see a large pointed rock jutting out of the ground about a quarter of a mile away.
Anna looked to the sky and the clouds continued to roll in. The sun was much lower in the sky and she could tell it would be almost dark by the time they reached the rock, “I hope to god your right Ewan, otherwise we could be stuck out here all night.” They all marched forward focused on their final destination each lost in their own thoughts.
The sun was on the verge of setting as they reached the Dragons Tooth. They stood and looked at the large rock which was roughly pyramid shaped and culminated in a sharp point approximately twenty feet off fell the ground.
“Well this is it, now what?” Mac walked forward and placed his hand on the rock, his memories whisking him back to where he had stood on this very spot with Jamie all those years ago.
Apart from the four of them the place was deserted.
The scenery you’re written here is beautiful. But… I guess they are in the wrong place again.
I hope Bai is ok.