Luckily, Amy and the others had heard the shrieks from the top of the well and instantly a rope appeared.
“Quick, grab the rope and we will haul you up!” shouted Shadrack.
“Grasp the rope quickly, Ben. You are the only one without a weapon!” yelled Hal, trying to make himself heard above the loud wails.
Ben grabbed the rope and shouted up that he was ready. The others quickly hauled him to the top of the well and then sent the rope back down for Hal and Ballin. Ballin was the next to take the rope, and Hal stayed on the steps, trying to stop the evil from within the walls from attacking. He was unable to climb any further, and tried to swing the axe at the claws, but they were too overpowering. They had a tight hold of his cloak, and he could feel the pain in his chest where they were gashing at his skin. He dropped the axe whilst trying to grab hold of the rope, and it crashed to the bottom of the well. Fear twisted through his gut as the others tried hard to haul him up, but the claws gripped him tightly and he was unable to break free. As he frantically kicked at the hands, he could feel his clothes tear as they slowly began to lose their grip.
Suddenly, he swung free and felt himself being hauled upwards. Hope fluttered inside him as he was hauled higher and he realised he was free from the eerie well and its evil claws. Splashes of rain hit him as Josiah and Shadrack pulled him over the stone wall and laid him on the ground to bind his wounds. Amy had already wrapped several bandages around Ben’s arms and legs, and Hal could see that Ballin was also injured. Although Ben was hurt, exultation surged through him as he realised how lucky he was to be alive.
“You’ve been a long time down there,” exclaimed Shadrack. “We were getting worried. The storm is fast approaching. We need to find the dragons and get out of here quickly. Are you all well enough to walk to the clearing?”
They all nodded, and Amy was sent ahead to whistle for the dragons. The skies were dark and the wind was howling. Rain lashed down as they tried to escape the horrors of the wood. Hal clung tightly to Josiah for support as they made their way to the clearing. The others followed and they hurried as quickly as they could, eager to be free from the storm.
When they arrived at the clearing, Amy was tending to the dragons and Shami, in particular, looked edgy. Amy tried to calm her as they climbed onto the dragons’ backs.
“If we lose each other, meet back at the Citadel,” shouted Shadrack. “Hopefully, the Unicerons won’t be on the lookout in this storm.”
Sissy, the dragon Shadrack and Hal were riding, rose up into the air, and Kamar quickly followed with Ballin and Josiah clinging on tightly. Shami still seemed uneasy, and Amy gave her a gentle kick as they too rose into the air. The storm was becoming ferocious and rain lashed their faces. Ben thought it felt like needles against his flesh, and half-shut his eyes to ease the pain. The wind was roaring and the heavy grey clouds travelled rapidly through the sky towards them. All of a sudden, there was a huge flash of lightning followed by a tremendous boom of thunder. Shami jerked in fear as she flew downwards, closer to the trees.
“Up, Shami, up! We need to get away from the trees. Fly higher, Shami!” Amy cried in terror, trying to make herself heard through the loud, violent storm.
Shami was afraid and reluctant to fly closer to the thunder and lightning. Without warning, a huge flash of forked lightning struck out across the sky. Shami made a sudden dive, heading for the forest floor, dodging between the trees and catching branches as she fell. That’s when Ben spotted them: Unicerons in the wood, hundreds of them, weaving their way between the trees! Maybe they had been out hunting and got caught up in the storm? Or perhaps the bell in the well and the mysterious faces and hands in the stone had somehow alerted them? Ben pointed to them as Amy tried to steer Shami away before they were spotted. But it was too late – the Unicerons had seen them!
They began shouting and pointing towards the dragon. Amy cried out to Shami and kicked her sides, trying to make her ascend back above the trees, but Shami was frightened of the bright flashes of light and the roar of the thunder. She flew jerkily between the trees as Ben held on for dear life. Amy felt in her pocket for the whistle. Perhaps if she whistled, Shami would understand the order and fly upwards again, but before she could put it to her lips, they passed under the branches of a huge tree and Shami swerved to one side. Ben managed to maintain his hold, but as Amy was reaching for the whistle, she was knocked to the side and completely lost her balance. Her legs swung away from the dragon, but somehow she managed to cling to one of Shami’s spikes with her right hand and reach out for Ben’s help with the other. She was barely able to breathe as she held out Shami’s whistle. Ben managed to take it from her, whilst maintaining his balance, and quickly put it in his pocket. He grabbed hold of Amy’s free hand and tried to pull her up onto Shami’s back, but to his horror he could feel that she was slipping. He fought with all his might to hold on to her, terrified that they would both fall to the forest floor. He feared that he was losing his grip, and then, suddenly, Amy was gone!
Ben gasped as she fell through the branches and hit the ground; surely badly injured or worse. His chest tightened with fear as he looked down at the forest below, searching for her in the trees. Then he saw something move, and his hopes kindled as he saw her stand. However, his glee was short-lived when he glimpsed the Unicerons running through the trees towards her. He managed to kick Shami hard and she turned and started flying towards where Amy had fallen, but to Ben’s dismay the Unicerons reached her first. They immediately pushed Amy to the ground and tied her hands behind her back. Other Unicerons started throwing spears at Ben and Shami, and one hit the dragon’s tail and bounced off. Ben shouted for Amy, and could see that she was now standing and yelling helplessly back at them. He desperately wanted to help her, but knew it was a hopeless quest. He looked sadly down at Amy, and understood from her frantic movements that she was telling him to flee. He felt sick in the pit of his stomach as he realised that he had no other option. If he stayed to help her, both Shami and he would surely be killed. Despair and guilt swept over him as he reached inside his pocket and found the whistle that Amy had passed to him. Shami immediately reacted to its sound and rose high into the sky, away from the flying spears and poor Amy. For one last time, Ben glanced down at her in complete despair, before flying off through the storm and into the distance.
Chapter 6
The Moonstone
Ben arrived back at the Citadel late that evening and found the Moonbeamers anxiously waiting for him at the main gate. When he saw them, he jumped down from Shami and ran towards them, trembling and shaking with grief.
“They have Amy… they have taken her!” he cried in despair.
He struggled to stay upright, and Tia helped him walk to a nearby bench.
“Who has Amy, Ben?” Hal asked, looking very concerned.
“The Unicerons! The thunder and lightning scared Shami and she tried to land in the wood, but there were Unicerons on the ground. Shami jerkily dodged some trees and Amy lost her balance. I tried to grab her and stop her from falling, honestly I did, but I couldn’t hold on and she fell down into the trees. The branches broke her fall and then she started to run, but it was too late; the Unicerons had seen her. They caught her easily and then tied her hands behind her back. They saw me too and started throwing spears. Amy was shouting to me… shouting that I should go quickly. Please believe me, I didn’t want to leave her but there was nothing I could do. If I had landed in the wood with Shami, they would have taken me as a hostage and killed Shami. Please, you have to help her… we cannot leave her with the Unicerons.” Ben sobbed uncontrollably.
“Calm down, Ben. You did the right thing coming back here alone. Don’t worry, we will think of a way to rescue your friend. Tia will take you to your room; there is nothing you can do for Amy in this shaken state. Go and rest and we will bring you some supper. Try and get some sleep and we will meet in the Great Hall at one o’clo
ck in the morning.”
“Why one o’clock in the morning?” asked Ben. “That’s the middle of the night!”
“I have a plan, and all will be revealed later! Now go with Tia and try to get some rest.”
Ben was woken just before one o’clock by a soft tapping on the chamber door. He jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. Tia waited for him outside, and they made their way down to the Great Hall. The council of senior Moonbeamers were already seated, so Ben took his place at the table.
“I’m sorry to disturb your sleep and meet at this early hour, but it is essential if my plan is to succeed,” announced Hal. “I presume that Amy will have been taken to Cottisham Castle and handed over to the King. The Unicerons saw you, Ben, so they will now associate Amy with a Giddle. The King will want answers, so Amy is sure to be interrogated. However, they are unlikely to do this in the middle of the night, and this is where my plan comes into force. We will try and contact her using one of the moonstones.”
“The moonstones!” gasped Ben. Why hadn’t he thought of that?! Fresh hope swept over him instantly.
“We need to try this at night when hopefully she is alone,” announced Hal. “If anyone were to see the moonstone glowing, our plan would be thwarted and the stone taken from her. I will try and contact her using my moonstone; all being well, she still has hers in her possession and will answer us.”
Ben eagerly moved over to where Hal was sitting, and Hal started to rub the moonstone between his hands. As he rubbed, he closed his eyes and chanted Amy’s name several times. Nothing happened for what seemed like several minutes, but then suddenly, Hal’s stone began to glow. He opened his eyes as Ben stared at the stone, his hopes rising. It glowed around the edges, and the centre of the stone became hazy. As the haze cleared, a face began to appear… Amy’s face!
“Hello, Amy.” Hal grinned. “I hope I didn’t wake you?”
“I was just dozing and felt the stone burning in my pocket. I was beginning to worry that you had forgotten all about me. I contemplated trying to use the stone myself, but decided it would be safer to wait.”
“We had to wait until night-time, to ensure that you were not being interrogated when we made contact. This is our only means of communication, so we do not want the stone discovered. Make sure you keep it well hidden. I hope you have not been treated too badly. Where are you?”
“They have brought me to Numblebrook Island Prison!” declared Amy sadly.
Ben saw concerned looks from the Moonbeamers and realised that this was not the answer they were hoping for.
“First of all, they dragged me before the King. They know that I was with Ben, and they know that he is a Giddle. They threatened to torture me if I did not tell them where he’s hiding, so I told them a lie! I told them that Ben has been hiding out in the caves at Spinnington Point. That’s a good distance from here and I thought it would take them a good few days to check out my story. Whilst the King’s guards investigate, I have been brought here to the prison. You need to help me before they discover that I’ve lied!”
“I’m not sure how we will be able to reach the island without being seen. The only dragon which is permitted entry is the King’s red dragon which pulls his chariot. If we send Shami or another dragon, they will certainly be spotted.”
“The King’s chariot leaves Cottisham Castle to go to the island at seven o’clock each evening. It brings all new prisoners here, and also delivers supplies. The chariot then returns to the castle at eight o’clock in the morning, bringing back any prisoners with whom the King wishes to speak. At least two Unicerons from the King’s guard accompany the chariot at all times,” Amy whispered.
“Can you recall seeing anywhere on the chariot that somebody could possibly hide?” asked Hal optimistically.
“There is a storage area at the back, but the Unicerons regularly use this space. When travelling here, I placed my cloak on the floor by my feet and when I picked it up, I noticed that below the seat was a short curtain. I lifted the curtain and peeped underneath, but it was nothing but an empty space. If someone could board the chariot unnoticed, they could lie there unseen. However, the chariot is closely guarded and trying to board it without being noticed would be virtually impossible!”
“I could take one of my invisibility sweets and board without anyone seeing me! I think they usually work for around an hour, which would give me plenty of time to find my hiding spot” added Ben eagerly.
“But what about when you become visible again, Ben? It would be extremely dangerous!” advised Hal. “And you can’t eat one sweet every hour, otherwise there would be none left for your return journey!”
“I could stay hidden beneath the seats so that nobody sees me. Once we reach the island, I can wait until nightfall, eat another sweet and then go searching for Amy. I’m sure there will be plenty of hiding places on the island should I need them. Don’t worry, I can do this. Please trust me. Just help me get to Cottisham Castle and then leave the rest to me!”
“What about escaping from the island?” Hal asked with a concerned look in his eyes.
“I will find a way. I will keep in contact with you by using the moonstone if need be. When we arrive back at the castle we can stay hidden under the seats and whistle for Shami. All you need to do is make sure that Shami is nearby. The King will never know that the Moonbeamers are involved and hopefully, nobody will notice that Amy is missing until it is too late.”
Hal looked at Ben doubtfully. “If you insist that this is what you want, then so be it. We will help you, Ben, but you must understand how dangerous this is going to be!”
“Does anyone have any better ideas?” asked Ben.
Only silence followed.
“Amy helped me when I first arrived in Numblebrook and now I need to return the gesture. It’s my fault that she’s in this mess in the first place, so my mind is made up! I will travel to Numblebrook Island Prison on the seven o’clock chariot tonight!”
Chapter 7
Numblebrook Island Prison
At two o’clock that afternoon, Ben, Hal and Ballin were ready to leave. They took Shami and Sissy and flew to some woodland located at a safe distance from Cottisham Castle. From here they walked for the remainder of the journey, keeping well hidden amongst the trees in the forest. As the castle came into view they stopped to rest.
“From here you will have to continue alone, Ben,” said Hal. “You need to eat one of your invisibility sweets to ensure you are not seen. Then you should be able to walk straight into the castle grounds without anyone realising that you are there. The chariot leaves from just inside the castle gates at seven o’clock. Once you have climbed aboard, you need to hide yourself beneath the seat and make certain that the curtain is drawn around you. It is paramount that when your visibility returns, you stay well hidden. If anyone should discover your whereabouts, quickly swallow another sweet. But remember to use the sweets wisely; you only have a limited amount and will be in need of them again. We will retreat into the woodland, where we will camp for the night and await your return. If everything goes according to plan, we will expect you and Amy to be on the chariot when it returns here in the morning. Once the chariot has landed, stay hidden until everyone else has disembarked. You then need to whistle for Shami; we will make sure that she is ready to fly to you. Shami’s flight into the castle grounds will surprise the guards. You and Amy will need to act very quickly and climb on her back before anyone notices what is happening. As soon as the Unicerons realise that this is a rescue mission, you will be in grave danger. Hopefully, if all goes to plan it will be too late for them to act!”
Ben took the jar of red sweets out of his pocket and unscrewed the lid. “Shower me with luck!” He grinned.
The Moonbeamers patted him on the shoulder and wished him all the best. Ben then popped one of the sweets into his mouth and within a few seconds his fingers started to tingle. T
he tingling sensation spread up his arms and into the rest of his body. He looked down at his legs as they began to turn hazy, and within a few seconds he was totally invisible.
“Can you still hear me?” he whispered, not sure whether being invisible also meant he could not be heard.
“Yes, we can still hear you, Ben. We just can’t see you,” answered Hal.
“Can you feel me?” asked Ben, worried that others might be aware he was present if he accidentally bumped into anything.
Hal held out his hand to where Ben was standing and waved it around. Ben looked down to where he knew his body was and watched Hal’s hand moving straight through him.
“No, I cannot feel you!”
“Can you feel this?” asked Ben curiously, pinching Hal on the arm.
“Ouch!” Hal squealed softly in surprise.
A mischievous grin appeared on Ben’s face. “I think I quite like being invisible. I could have lots of fun!”
“I’m sure you could,” Hal smiled, “but I suggest you leave your fun for another time and begin your journey before the effects of the sweet wear off. You wouldn’t like to become visible before you reach your hiding place, would you, Ben?”
“Very well, I’m going!” laughed Ben, before walking out of the trees and heading directly towards the castle.
As he approached, he was able to observe the castle in more detail and view it in all its splendour. He immediately understood why people referred to it as a palace. It was a huge building made of stone, with several turrets around its perimeter wall. Flags flew from every turret and archers were positioned on each. The drawbridge over the moat was the most majestic bridge he had ever seen; it reminded him of when he had visited Tower Bridge in London, though this bridge was decorated in gold. The large, beautiful castle gates were open, and sentries were posted on the bridge. Ben walked towards them feeling apprehensive, but he need not have worried: he was able to walk straight past them as they were totally unaware of his presence. He walked through the large golden gates and into the castle grounds. A wide cobbled path stretched the length of the courtyard up to the main doors of the castle. Stone pathways forked in various directions and ended at smaller doors in the castle walls. The grounds were full of flowers and trees in great abundance. Benches and other seating areas were scattered around, and many of the King’s men were sitting, enjoying the early-evening sunshine. One of the paths led to a large stone circle, where the chariot waited. Ben began to walk towards it and studied every detail. The only area of the chariot which was covered by a roof was the rear compartment, which could be entered via a small door. The rest of the chariot was open-topped and contained several bench seats. Beneath the chariot were long metal runners, similar to those of a sledge that would be pulled along in the snow. It reminded Ben of Santa’s sleigh in the movies, but this sleigh was not pulled by reindeer, for in front of the chariot stood the most enormous dragon that Ben had ever seen. It was red and had huge spiked wings which could span a whole football pitch. It was vicious-looking, and Ben wondered how on earth the King had managed to train such a beast. Amy had warned him that red dragons were dangerous, and Ben presumed that the King must have cast a spell on this dragon to make it his own. The dragon had what appeared to be a harness around its neck and body, with reins that stretched as far as the chariot. Ben crept past the dragon and climbed in. There were four rows of seats with a narrow aisle down the middle. At the front was a large chair, and Ben assumed that one of the King’s guards would sit there to drive. Ben began to walk towards the rear of the chariot and immediately noticed a curtain which hung below the back row of seats. He bent down and peered behind it; Amy was right, it was just an empty space.
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