The Diamond Compass

By Lewis Jeffrie

The blistering wind screamed outside on the icy, snowy mountains. Tom awoke immediately. He could here heavy footsteps in the room next door. The noise of his family eating breakfast had silenced. Tom sat up petrified. He saw shadows underneath his door. The old run down, decaying house became deadly silent. Tom approached the door of his dark bedroom cautiously. He wiped his weary eyes and slowly opened the door. Smack!!!!!! A glistening diamond blade passed half a centimetre in front of his face and plunged itself deep into a wooden chest! Tom fell back stunned.

A cold shiver woke Tom. He was lying on he wooden floorboards of his bedroom. Tom new exactly what had happened that morning, and he had been dreading it for years. A sudden excruciating pain had begun in the back of his head. Heaving himself to his feet Tom hobbled over o a glass cabinet kept at the back of the house. His head still throbbing from his fall tom opened the cabinet. It was gone. The case was empty. Tom ran to the front door, it had been left open by the intruder. The wind had decreased a little but it was still awfully cold. Tom new hat he must tell Gale that the precious diamond compass had been stolen. The legend says that if used correctly the diamond compass will lead you to ancient treasure worth millions. Gale was an old man that lives in dark woods near a mountain called Hellvelyn.

Tom ran straight there, the cool breeze in his face, he could hear some of the villagers talking and birds tweeting on the mountainside. He could smell delicious food being sold as he passed the village bakery. Hot pastries were very appealing but he reluctantly ignored his appetite and kept on going. As Tom came in sight of the woods he new that something was wrong. He could just feel it in his bones. Carefully approaching Gales cave he heard an eagle cry as it stormed down onto its prey. Gale had always told him that hearing an eagle cry was bad luck. Peering inside the craggy cave Tom spotted a burning fire inside, lighting up he whole cave.

Gale had trained Tom. Trained him to protect himself by wielding a sword, spear, mace and dagger. Tom had practised hard for ten years. The reason for this is because when Tom was born his parents were not married and in those days it was frowned upon to be born and your parents not be married so Tom was outlawed. His parents pleaded all nigh and eventually, the mayor of the village agreed to let Tom stay be under only one condition. That he would protect the diamond compass with his life. It was hen that Gale provided the training that Tom desperately needed.

Gale was not inside the cave. It was empty! The only item left was a small envelope near he entrance. Tom read it out loud…..

“ Tom,I already know that the diamond compass has been stolen. I am already intending on retrieving it. I have a sneaky feeling that a large bandit clan have stolen it and are going to sacrifice your family to get find the treasure. Meet me on top of Hellvelyn at sundown and we’ll discuss our ideas of how o get it back.See you there, Gale”

Tom had five whole hours until he needed to meet Gale at the top of Hellvelyn- the tallest mountain in the area. Moving out of the cave Tom decided to collect his weapons. His weapons were kept on a small ledge high on a bare smooth, rocky cliff face. During training Gale had forced Tom to climb the ledge just so that he could have his weapons. Tom picked two daggers and a sword.

Tom walked back to the town in a sort of trance. He could not believe that this was all happening. That he had let the diamond compass be stolen. Determined as always, Tom ran his hands through his silky black hair. After that he bought four hot pastries, two for now and the others for the journey. Tom decided to start the enormous hike.

Hellvelyn was a tall grassy mountain with hardly any rock faces. It was mainly lushes green meadows and golden plains. These sites were only ever seen in summer. It was winter. Tom would have to face dark, dismal weather and ferocious winds. It was forecasted that there would be lots of rain.

Half-way up the mountain Tom stopped for a break. The weather hadn’t been that bad but the wind was nippy. A short time later Tom set off again. Suddenly it started to rain very heavily. The drops were like bullets being fired down from a coal black sky. There was a sting in every one. Tom kept on pushing forward, he new that he could not stop otherwise he would die. He pushed on through the bad weather, but there came a point where he just could not go on any further through fatigue and he collapsed.

Tom was shaken. He yawned. Where was he? Still half asleep he leaned forwards and scanned the room. It was like a small cave but had large steel bars blocking the exit. He then spotted a small wiry figured man with a short trimmed beard and long moustache. It was Gale.

“Gale! Where are we”?“We are in the Hellvel bandits fort, at the very top of Hellvelyn. The fort is made of black oak, we are being imprisoned inside the mountain. It seems that this clan have created a whole community inside Hellvelyn. There’s a whole village!” “ Hold on, lets get this straight” exclaimed Tom. “ This Hellvel bandit clan have completely carved out the inside of the mountain and have settled inside”?“Precisely, and they are training an army to take over all of the mountains.”.“ How do you know all this”?“ I listen, that’s one thing you still need training on”.“ Oy you two stop chatting in there” shouted a tall butch, armoured man standing outside the cave.

A while later when the cave started to darken and the guard outside wearied, Gale leapt forward onto the guard performing a perfect spider pinch. Guard paralysed Tom picked the lock on the rusty iron door and pushed it open. Over the past ten minutes Gale and Tom had whispered to each other and finally created a plan.

As silent as the night sky, together they began to climb the creaky oak stairs. The staircase was spiral and flooded in guards- that proved no challenge. With walls only a metre apart Tom found himself unusually claustrophobic. Reaching the last step, they walked up to an incredible view of an enormous underground world.

Earlier Gale had said that when he was taken prisoner he saw the diamond compass being taken down a large hole in the village. The village was very much similar to Tom’s home town with a bakery, shops, houses and a groceries. This is all inside an enormous underground canyon. Billions of oil lamps gleamed brightly lighting up the canyon. They spotted a huge solid- iron made building with a sign saying- War Camp.

The building was black with dark red stripes around the sides. They then saw the hole. It was basically a gigantic hole with metal steps leading downwards. Creeping along the edge of the town they eventually came to the steps. Sprinting down and destroying any guards on the way. Back sweating, arms cut and hair soaked in blood they found the foot of the hole.

Opening the first door that they could see, they stepped through. Suddenly ten men jumped out and surrounded them with spears. They wore black leather armour with a red crest of a dagger dripping with blood. They wore horned helmets and golden lacquered gaulets. Trapped, Tom and Gale dropped their weapons and put their hands in the air. “ So you thought that you could break into MY FORT to retrieve the diamond compass”, spat a sharp voice indulged in darkness.

Bang!!! The ground suddenly started to shudder like an erupting volcano. Large rocks started to crack in the roof of the canyon and the ground split like lightning splits the sea on a stormy day. “ Earthquake” screamed somebody in the village. The armoured men that were surrounding Tom and Gale fled for their lives. “ Get back here the screamed the man in the darkness”. Tom and Gale sprinted up the stairs. When they reached the top they examined the chaotic village. Hundreds of houses had been flattened or split in half and now there was a monstrous crack, separating the canyon in two sections. They also realised that the War Camp had been destroyed.

Running to the exit they soon realised that they were being followed by an army of men armed with swords and spears. Another squad blocked Tom and Gale’s escape. With only one option left they optimistically leaped over the crack in the canyon and onto a crane that had been used earlier. Tom only just made it but smashed his head on the framework, however Gale lightly jumped across like a grasshopper.

Head bleed like mad, Tom new he must go on. Some of the had followed. The race was on. Tom and Gale ran along the metal framework, regardless of how high they were. Leaping to another crane they finally found the exit. ”What about my family and the diamond compass “ said Tom. “I have the compass in my pocket. I managed to exchange the compass with a fake before they captured me. Your family are imprisoned at the bottom of Hellvelyn”. I flicked a switch in the cave so that we can take them out.

Gobsmacked, Tom carried on at the bottom of the mountain they spied a small cave with iron bars, just like the ones he and Gale were trapped inside. There were no guards so Tom just picked the lock and released his family. Tom little sister ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Tom spent the rest of the day explaining his adventure and rejoicing. The diamond compass was put back in its case and Tom resumed his training with Gale.

Some years later ……………..Tom awoke. The sound of the diamond compass’s cabinet being opened could be heard.