Labyrinth Junction

by Hayley Davenport-Smith

  “It can smell us!” whispered Owen in terror.

  The dragon swiftly rose to its feet and started to make a terrifying roaring noise. It opened its mouth and blew out a large, dazzling, bright plume of fire.

  “Run!” shouted Ben as he turned to flee towards the cave opening.

  Ben and Owen ran for their lives, their hearts in their throats. The dragon leapt around the cave, trying to locate them using its strong sense of smell. It turned its head back towards them, twitching its nostrils, sniffing them out. Without warning it sent a huge ball of fire hurtling across the cave. The heat was intense and the boys flung themselves backwards against the rear wall to stop themselves being badly burnt. As Ben looked down he realised he was no longer invisible. He looked over at Owen and saw that he too was staring down at his body in absolute horror.

  “The fire! It’s made us visible again!” cried out Ben. “The witch warned me about heat, but I had forgotten all about it!”

  Owen tried to answer, but panic assailed him as he saw the dragon plodding towards them, roaring wildly. The boys had their backs up against the wall and there was nowhere for them to run. Ben noticed a small stone on the floor, picked it up and threw it past the dragon to the far side of the cave. The stone made a loud, sharp noise as it hit the far wall and the dragon immediately turned towards the sound. Ben grabbed Owen’s arm and quickly pulled him round the side of the chamber, trying to make his way towards the exit. The dragon scanned the cave to locate where the stone had landed and picked it up in its terrible jaws. It swung its head to one side and flung the stone with all its might across the chamber, just missing poor Owen. The dragon roared in anger at being tricked, and stomped towards the terrified boys as it sent more fireballs hurtling across the cave. Again, its huge, spiked tail rose into the air and started to swoop towards them. They closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the impact, fear hitting them like icy water.

  But then, slowly, time seemed to stand still. They heard chanting, and cautiously opened their eyes. The dragon’s tail was still heading towards them, but it was as if they were in a dream and the tail was moving in slow motion. Then, from behind the dragon, they saw Hal, sword in hand, shouting and chanting unknown foreign words that they could not understand. As the dragon’s tail moved slowly towards them, Ben waited for the impact. But then, the beast seemed to crumble and disintegrate before their very eyes! Like a piece of glass, the dragon was shattering in front of them. Thousands of tiny fragments fell to the floor until there was just a heap of particles on the ground. Standing beside it was Hal, breathing deeply and looking exhausted. He looked at Ben and Owen before collapsing to the floor.

  Ballin and Josiah ran into the cave to help him and check he was still conscious.

  “I heard the dragon wake and came to your aid,” Hal whispered weakly. “The King will know we have used magic to destroy the red dragon; he will be able to sense it from many miles away. We have to make haste and leave quickly.”

  “Here, hold on to my arm,” said Ballin. “Josiah and I will help you out of the cave. Ben and Owen, you go ahead and whistle for the dragons.”

  Ben turned to leave, but as he did so, something on the rear wall of the cave caught his attention. This part of the chamber had previously been obscured by the sleeping dragon, but now Ben was looking at what appeared to be an ancient caveman drawing. He held up his lantern and, to his astonishment, realised it was an engraving of a bear.

  “Look!” he shouted to his friends. “It’s an engraving of a bear on the wall. I wonder whether this is the bear in the riddle?”

  With interest, the others quickly looked over to where he was pointing.

  “Be careful, Ben,” said Ballin. “The riddle says, Beware of the bear. Perhaps this is some kind of trick!”

  Ben took no notice, too interested in the strange drawing etched into the wall. He hurried over and touched it eagerly. A very sharp instrument must have been required to make the engraving, as it was etched deep into the rock. As he moved his fingertips across it, he felt a small, round hole. He shone the lantern towards it and to his surprise noticed some writing on the wall.

  “Look, there’s a small crevice on the top of the bear’s back with some writing by it!” he exclaimed in excitement before reading aloud:

  Insert the coin

  And stand well back.

  Those with courage

  Will find the map.

  “Do you think it means the turquoise coin from the well?” asked Josiah inquisitively.

  Ben quickly took the coin from his pocket and held it up to the circular crevice in the wall. “It would fit perfectly!” he replied excitedly. “It must mean this coin. The picture of the bear on the coin exactly matches the engraving on the wall.” He stepped forward, ready to insert the coin into the hole.

  “Wait!” cried out Hal. “This could be a trick. The riddle says, Beware of the bear, and the writing on the wall warns us to stand well back. I’m not sure that this is a very clever idea!”

  “We need to take that risk,” advised Josiah. “If the rhyme on the wall states the truth, then we could find a map which might guide us to the Enchanter’s Orb. The King’s men will be on their way here as we speak; the magic you used will have exposed us to them. If there is a map here we need to locate it before they arrive, otherwise they will surely destroy it.”

  “Very well,” replied Hal hesitantly. “But we need to do this carefully. The riddle advises us to stand well back. There must be a reason for this!”

  “I am happy to take the risk whilst the rest of you stand well clear. Ben, Amy and Owen have taken the greater risks on this quest so far. Now I can play my part, and you are too weak, Hal.”

  Hal was quiet for a few moments, and the rest of the group waited for his response.

  “All right Josiah, but only if you are sure you want to do this.”

  Josiah nodded as the rest of the party moved back towards the cave entrance. “Here goes!” he stated nervously.

  “Remember to jump clear as soon as you have slotted the coin into the hole,” replied Hal.

  Josiah held the coin up to the crevice and slowly inserted it into the slot. He jumped back and waited, but nothing happened.

  “Perhaps you haven’t put it in far enough?” cried out Ben.

  Josiah stepped forward and pushed the coin with his finger. As he did so, he felt it click into something inside the wall. Immediately a loud rumbling could be heard and the whole cave started to shake violently. Tons of huge, sharp pieces of rock from the ceiling crashed to the floor, shattering into thousands of tiny shards. Sharp debris flew in several directions, cutting into their skin as it was sent spinning across the chamber. A huge dust cloud filled the cave, making it difficult for them to breathe, and the group began to cough. As the dust slowly began to clear, they looked in disbelief at the rocky mounds which had fallen to the floor of the cave.

  “The bear! It’s gone!” shouted Josiah in amazement. A huge, gaping hole had appeared in the rock where the engraving had been. Josiah hurried over to the hole and shone his lantern deep inside. He saw something within and immediately pulled out a rolled-up piece of card tied with red ribbon. As he rolled out the scroll, he stared in excitement. “It’s a map showing where the wise old man’s cottage is!”

  A wave of delight momentarily passed through the group.

  “Fantastic, Josiah! Now let’s get out of here before anything untoward happens,” replied Hal.

  “What about Jacob? We don’t know where he is!” exclaimed Owen.

  “I have a feeling we will find him outside the cave,” replied Hal. “He was probably too scared to enter and, as he was invisible, he probably thought that he could get away with it!”

  “You mean you think he deliberately let me and Ben come in here alone?”

  “It was a very brave thing for you both to do, Owen. Don
’t hold it against him too much. Not everyone is as courageous as you and Ben have been. It takes someone very brave to come here and risk their life.”

  The group walked across the cave towards the entrance and out onto the high ledge into the moonlight. Sure enough, there was Jacob crouching down at the corner of the ridge. He was no longer invisible, and sat shaking and weeping.

  “I’m sorry!” he cried. “I just couldn’t bring myself to enter the dragon’s cave.”

  “You’re a coward!” shouted Owen. “I always looked up to you and thought you were the coolest in the class. But you let me and Ben go in there alone. You’re a wimp, that’s what you are!”

  “Now, now, boys,” exclaimed Hal. “The important thing is that we are all safe and we have the map. We should put this behind us; I’m sure Jacob is sorry for what he did and will make it up to both of you… don’t you agree, Jacob? Now let’s whistle for the dragons and get out of here!”

  Owen glared at Jacob in absolute fury.

  Chapter 11

  Wimble

  The party spent the next few days riding through the forests, mountains and open valleys of Numblebrook, making their way to the village near to where the wise old man resided. As before, they decided not to risk flying in case they were spotted by the King’s guards. The Moonbeamers who had accompanied the dragons to the turquoise mines would fly them back to the Citadel and await further instructions.

  The map guided them to a small village called Shnuggleton. Amy had stopped at this village many times in the past with her parents, when selling crops at the local market. Since her parents’ deaths she had visited the village with Shami and said that the people were warm and welcoming and could be trusted. They hated the King and his men.

  They reached Shnuggleton early one evening after a long day’s ride. As they approached the village, children ran out to welcome them and Amy jumped down from her horse and ran over to greet her friends. Like Amy, all the children had bright blonde hair and big blue eyes.

  She took the party to a local inn where the landlady, a chubby, jolly woman called Ruby, welcomed them. Ruby asked her stable hand to take care of the horses and cleared a table for Amy and her friends. The inn was quite busy, but nobody seemed to pay much attention to them. Ruby brought them all stew served with hot, crusty bread, and the Moonbeamers welcomed the large jug of ale which was brought to the table.

  “What brings you to these parts? It’s been a good few months since we have had any Moonbeamers passing through. And your friends certainly don’t look like they are from the area!” said Ruby, looking suspiciously at Ben, Jacob and Owen.

  “My friends are not from these parts!” replied Amy. “Anyhow, we are trying to help the Moonbeamers find a wise old man who lives nearby. He may have some information which could help win back the realm for the true heirs of this land – the Moonbeamers.”

  “Well, I wish you luck!” replied Ruby. “This land was a much happier place before that cruel King Ados and his father came to power. We used to get lots of passing trade back in those days, but now people are too afraid to travel and sell their goods.”

  “We are told that a wise old man lives in a cottage in the woods just north of this village. Do you know of such a man?” asked Hal.

  “I know everyone who lives within fifty miles of this village, but I do not know of any wise old man,” replied Ruby. “Are you sure you have come to the right place?”

  Hal laid the map on the table and Ruby studied it carefully, looking closely at where the wise old man’s house was drawn on the scroll.

  “The cottage the map is referring to is only a mile or so north of here,” she advised. “But the man who lives there is a hermit called Wimble and he’s definitely not a wise old man… indeed, quite the opposite. He very occasionally comes into the village for groceries, but only when he has to. The rest of the time he never leaves his house. The children hide when he wanders into the village. He’s a strange old thing, and certainly of unsound mind. He talks complete nonsense.”

  “Maybe there is some logic to his madness?” suggested Hal.

  “I very much doubt it!” answered Ruby, laughing. “He’s as mad as mad can be! Go and visit him and I’m sure you will agree. That’s if you can get through his front door; he doesn’t like visitors! Once I offered to arrange for his groceries to be delivered to him, but he will not allow anyone near his cottage. Even the children do not dare to go within a hundred yards of his home!”

  “Are you sure that the map couldn’t be referring to someone else who lives nearby?” asked Hal hopefully.

  “Wimble’s cottage is the only house in that part of the wood,” replied Ruby, shaking her head.

  “Then we shall go and visit him tomorrow,” replied Hal. “He is our only hope!”

  That night, Ruby accommodated her guests at the inn. Ben was grateful to sleep in a comfortable bed for once rather than on the rough forest floor. The next morning Ruby fed them a hearty breakfast and arranged for their horses to be fed and saddled. Josiah, Owen and Jacob would wait at the inn, whilst the others visited Wimble alone, fearing that too many of them would unsettle him.

  They set off on their short journey and found the cottage easily. It was an old, ramshackle stone cottage with rotten windows and chipped paint. Smoke rose from the chimney. The curtains were drawn, and Ben thought the house had a spooky feeling about it. He could quite understand why no children dared venture close; it reminded him of an old house in a Halloween film that he had seen when he was younger.

  Ballin waited with the horses whilst the others approached the strange cottage. Hal lifted the large metal knocker and tapped softly on the door. They waited patiently, but there was no reply. Hal knocked again, but still there was no answer.

  “Hello. Is anyone home?” he shouted through the letter box.

  Silence followed. Then, unexpectedly, an upstairs window opened and a scruffy-looking man peered down. He had very long, matted grey hair; a wrinkled face and a large, hooked nose. He peered down at them and dropped a folded piece of paper, before slamming the window shut without saying a word.

  Hal picked up the paper and read aloud. “It says, NOBODY WELCOME HERE. GO AWAY,” he sighed.

  Tia, Amy and Ben looked at each other in shock, and Hal knocked again. Once more the window opened and a scrunched-up piece of paper was dropped down.

  Hal straightened it out before reading its contents to the others. “It says, I’VE ALREADY TOLD YOU ONCE, NOW GO AWAY!”

  Hal again opened the letter box and shouted through. “Wimble, we haven’t come here to cause you any trouble. We really need your advice. Please could you spare us just a few minutes of your time?”

  Wimble didn’t reply.

  “We need your help, Wimble. We think you may be able to guide us to the Ancient Scrolls,” Hal shouted.

  All of a sudden the sound of bolts being drawn back came from the other side of the door, and it was flung open.

  “Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place, place, place?!” blurted Wimble as he stood before them. “You had better come in, in, in. Skipperty-skip. Hopperty-hop. In you come!”

  Hal, Tia, Amy and Ben looked at each other in bewilderment as they followed the skinny, shabby-looking Wimble into the house.

  “Sit yourselves down, down, down,” said Wimble, pulling out the chairs from underneath the table. “Now, who wants a cup of tea, tea, tea?”

  Wimble’s guests looked around the untidy room. The furniture was all battered and torn. The room looked as though it hadn’t been dusted in years. Dirty plates and cups were scattered everywhere, and Wimble had obviously not washed his pots in months.

  “Erm, no thanks. I’m not very thirsty,” Tia replied.

  “Nor me!” added Amy quickly.

  “I won’t hear of it, it, it. Guests need a cup of tea, tea, tea. How do you like it? With
mushy peas or pepper?” Wimble stared at them, waiting for a reply.

  “Thank you very much for the offer, Wimble, but I really don’t want a cup of tea!” Tia shuddered.

  “Mushy peas it is, then,” chirped Wimble, and he skipped off into the kitchen in a peculiar fashion.

  “Ruby was right,” whispered Tia. “He’s completely insane!”

  “Perhaps there is a method to his madness!” suggested Hal. “Let’s just be polite and find out if he really does know anything about the Ancient Scrolls.”

  Wimble skipped back into the room carrying a tray containing five teacups, a teapot and a dish with a lid. “Here we are, are, are,” he stammered, whilst pouring a strange purple liquid from the teapot into the cups. He then removed the lid from the dish and a mouse quickly jumped out and scurried across the table. Amy jumped backwards in alarm. The mouse leaped from the table and ran into a hole in the bottom of the living-room wall. Wimble seemed unconcerned, and scooped a spoonful of mushy peas from the dish and dropped it into one of the cups. He added peas to the other four whilst whistling a strange tune to himself. “Cheers!” he said, holding his strange concoction in the air before putting it to his lips and having a long drink. “Mmmmmm, delicious! Drink up!”

  Hal held a cup to his mouth and pretended to sip the strange concoction. He glared at the others, urging them to do the same. They reluctantly put the cups to their mouths and pretended to drink. Amy heaved in disgust and quickly turned her face away from the table so Wimble wouldn’t notice.