by Maidie Reeve
“Oh. Me too. What is it?”
“I don’t know. It looks a bit like slime. It’s hard to tell in the dark.” Jun peered at the stuff on his shoe.
Suddenly, a gigantic, fat, grey creature that looked like a slug appeared in front of them. It was as big as a large man, and was moving its huge body across the path leaving a trail of thick slime behind it. Two long tentacles waved around its head, searching for food, and it kept opening and closing its sloppy mouth showing its sharp teeth. A small mouse scampered out from the bushes and, frightened, ran towards the slug. The slug opened its mouth, a long red tongue darted out, and the mouse disappeared.
Sensing the possibility of something else to eat, the slug-like creature turned its tentacles towards the children. Horrified, and disgusted by the ugly creature, and not wanting to attract its attention, they stood still, and stayed very quiet.
Another mouse ran out of the garden. The revolting slug moved quite quickly, and its tongue darted out again. The second mouse disappeared.
“Quick. It’s moved off the path. Let’s get past while it’s distracted,” Jun said.
He and Sophie ran past the slug which was swallowing a third mouse, and rushed as fast as they could away from the danger.
“That was awful,” Sophie exclaimed once they were safely out of reach of the slug. “A carnivorous slug with teeth! Let’s hope there aren’t any more of them.”
They rounded a corner. The moon peeped out from behind dark clouds. In the pale moonlight Sophie and Jun saw an enormous dark hound sitting near to what looked like The Sixth Gateway. This time, the gate was shut, and the large animal stood guard nearby.
As they approached, the hound raised its head and howled at the moon. It then stared at the children with its red eyes. The hound showed its fangs, and saliva dripped from its mouth. It growled menacingly.
“Who are you that you dare to come this way? My master does not like strangers, and I am to stop all who come to the gate.”
“Don’t say anything, just edge pass him. Who knows if it’s real or not,” Jun muttered to Sophie. “The gate’s very close, although I can’t see how to open it from here.”
Together, and keeping their eyes on the hound, they began to take small steps towards the gate.
The hound stood up, and began to pad towards the children on its very large paws. It yawned deeply, shook its heavy jowls, and bared its fangs.
“You cannot escape. My master has removed the enchanted latch, and you cannot open the gate. If you try to go back along the path, the Dream-maker is waiting for you, and next time you will not escape. My master will be pleased when I tell him that I have you trapped.”
Jun and Sophie had reached the gate, but they had no way of opening it.
Whilst they stared at it, and wondered what to do, the gate moved towards them. It was slowly opening.
“Quickly! Squeeze through. You’ll be safe,” a voice said from the other side of the gateway.
“Come on, let’s get away from the hound.” Jun grabbed Sophie’s arm, and the two friends rushed through the narrow opening.
Chapter Seven
The Snout’s Hole
At about the same time that Sophie and Jun were squeezing through The Sixth Gateway, Aisha, Basil and Twig were on their way to Malefic’s fortress in the back of the prison cart.
The cart was drawn by two small brown ponies, and was driven by Grot, one of Malefic’s goblin servants. At first glance, Grot had the appearance of a young boy, but on closer inspection his features were rough and ugly. His eyes were small and mean, his nose large, and his lips thick.
Basil and Aisha’s hands were bound behind their backs. It was impossible for them to release Twig who was bundled up in a large sack. They spoke to each other in hushed tones.
“Did Sophie and Jun get away? Are you hurt? And can you see where they’re taking us?” Twig asked.
“Yes, I’m sure they got away,” Aisha replied, her face stiff with shock. “And I’m alright, although I think I’ll have some bruises.”
“I banged my leg when they pushed me into the cart, and the ropes on my wrists are tied pretty tightly,” Basil moaned. “But other than that, if you don’t count being captured by goblins and being taken to who knows where as a problem, I’m okay.”
“I never thought that that this would happen to me twice,” Aisha groaned. “I should never have agreed to play. Why does Malefic want us? We don’t have The Book.”
“Hey, we’ve just entered some sort of a tunnel. It appeared from nowhere,” Basil interrupted Aisha so that Twig would know what was happening.
“It’s quite strange. The walls are that grey misty sort of stuff, and we don’t seem to be touching the ground. It’s almost like we’re flying. Really weird.”
“Where are you taking us?” Twig yelled out to Grot. “What is this place?”
“You’re not so brave now, are you,” Grot grunted over his shoulder. “This is the master’s secret portal between the worlds. Even Eda has not been able to find it. But I’ve said enough. We’ll soon be at the fortress and you, my friends, will be in the dungeons.”
“It’s as Eda feared,” Twig whispered to the others. “But she still has Malefic blocked at The Ninth Gateway, and he doesn’t have the magic book.”
“That old book doesn’t even work properly,” Basil scoffed. “And what’s this about a fortress and dungeons. Aisha, you know about this game, how do we get out of this mess?”
“The Book reveals the clues on how to keep moving through the game. But it only does this for its owner, and that’s Sophie,” Aisha told Basil quietly.
“What! So we need this book to get out of here, and we don’t have it!” Basil was horrified. “And even if we did, it isn’t working properly. I don’t know why I let you all talk me into coming to this place. You knew it wasn’t safe.”
“You wanted to come,” Aisha snapped back, although she was also very worried about their situation. “Once we’re at Malefic’s fortress we’ll wait until Sophie and Jun come to our rescue. And I’m sure Eda wouldn’t have asked us to come if she didn’t have a plan to keep us all safe and get us back home.”
“Basil, you wanted to know about the fortress,” Twig’s voice was muffled by the sack. “It’s Malefic’s main stronghold, and it’s also where he keeps a lot of his prisoners. I think he is using us as bait. By capturing us, he wants to lure Sophie to the fortress and make her hand over The Book.”
“I’m not going to wait around and see if they can rescue us. We could be waiting forever. As soon as we get to this fortress place we should try and find a way out of it ourselves. I’ve still got something up my sleeve.”
Basil had managed to wriggle closer to Twig as he spoke, not wanting Grot to hear what they were talking about.
“I think we’ve reached the end of the tunnel,” Aisha said, as the prison cart suddenly left the gloom of the grey mist, and emerged into the twilight world of The Eighth Gateway.
A dark tower loomed above the barren landscape. The fortress was built from large dark grey stones. It consisted of a central square tower block surrounded by a high defensive wall. The square tower was six storeys high and its few windows were only narrow slits. At the top, placed every few meters along the battlements, the goblin soldiers stood watch.
The three friends remained silent as the cart drew up outside a large iron gate. Outside the fortress walls was a small encampment of goblin soldiers. Two well-armed sentries stood at the gate, checking anyone who came in, or went out of the forbidding castle.
“State your business,” one of the sentries demanded in a gruff voice.
“I’m on the master’s business, and these are his prisoners,” Grot said impatiently, and pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the captives. “Let me through, or the master won’t be pleased.”
The sentries quickly stood aside, and the cart clattered across the cobblestones into the fortress courtyard. Six goblin soldiers clumped noisily up to the c
art.
Grot jumped down and went around to open the locked cage.
“Get out you two!” he ordered Aisha and Basil. Hands still bound, they climbed awkwardly out of their prison.
“You’ll have to drag him out, and untie his legs.” Grot pointed at Twig, who couldn’t move. “Don’t let him out of the sack, or he’ll get away.”
Two soldiers climbed into the cart, and untied the rope around Twig’s ankles. They dragged him out of the cart.
“You know where to take them. The master has given his orders,” Grot barked at the soldiers.
With Grot in the lead, Aisha and Basil were marched off towards an arched wooden door in the wall of the tower.
Aisha and Basil saw Twig being pushed towards a small round tower in the fortress courtyard.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking him? He should be with us!” Aisha yelled at Grot.
“Oh, you wouldn’t want to be with him,” Grot sniggered. “He’s going where no one will find him, not even Eda.”
Aisha and Basil looked at each other with dismay, wondering where they were going to end up.
Grot lifted a large metal bolt, and pushed open the heavy wooden door. The soldiers thrust their two captives through the opening, and into the main tower. Aisha and Basil were then marched up several stone steps and into the great hall of the fortress. At the end of the vast room, a still figure sat waiting for them.
“Is that him? Is that Malefic?” Basil whispered to Aisha.
“Yes, that’s him,” Aisha replied, stony faced, as they neared the evil magician.
“He doesn’t look that bad,” Basil replied. He stared at Malefic.
“You can’t trust him. And don’t go by his looks. He is a master of disguise. Best to keep quiet until we know what he plans to do with us,” Aisha said.
Malefic was not wearing his usual black cloak. He was dressed in a white ruffled, shirt and brown velvet waistcoat, brown leather pants and long boots. His fair hair was swept back off his face. Although he looked calm, his black eyes glowed with cunning.
Slithe and Weezle were even uglier than Grot. They stood on either side of the throne-like chair, and, together with their master, watched the prisoners approach.
Grot stopped in front of Malefic and bowed.
“Master, I have brought you two of the human children. The brownie is also now in the dungeon in the round tower.”
Malefic leaned forward and spoke softly.
“And where are the other two?”
“I’m sorry Master. I’m very sorry.” Grot bowed his head. His voice quivered as he felt the force of his master’s anger. “They got away from us at the castle, and Albreda was not able to stop them at the gate to the next world.”
“So, you bungled it. Fortunately I have Perscrutor, my very best spy, watching what they’re up to. He reports that they are using my sign of the black feather to pass through my control points. Weezle, have you heard anything else?”
“Yes master. Perscrutor reports that Morgan, the minstrel, is helping the children. He says that two of them have now safely entered the world of gateway six and are rapidly progressing through the game.”
“No matter then that this fool Grot has let them escape. I have another plan.”
Malefic’s eyes narrowed as he thought about how he would stop Sophie and Jun from finishing the game, and at the same time get hold of The Book.
“Let them continue to think that they are safe. They will soon arrive in this world, and I will be ready for them.”
Malefic now turned his piercing gaze onto Aisha and Basil.
“Well, the game is over for you two. Your friends will probably try to rescue you, and then I will have all of you in my power. It’s only a matter of time now until I get what I want.”
“You won’t win,” Aisha said defiantly, although she was trembling inside. “Sophie and Jun will find a way to rescue us, and stop you from getting The Book.”
“You are pathetic. I don’t know why I even bother talking to you. Grot, take them away.”
“Hey, leave me alone! You can’t do this!” Basil shouted, struggling with the soldier goblins as they grabbed hold of his and Aisha’s arms, and dragged them from the great hall.
“You have to stay calm Basil. It’s the only way. I know that from the last time. They want us to be frightened as it gives Malefic more power over us. I just hope that they’re not taking us to the Pit of Fear.” Aisha’s voice shook.
Basil gulped. “I’m not liking this at all. We’ve got to get out of here.”
Grot had overheard Aisha and Basil and said gleefully.
“No, not the Pit of Fear. We have somewhere even better for the likes of you. Be prepared for a long stay. No one has ever escaped from The Snout’s Hole.”
The goblins and their captives had reached the top of a long flight of steep spiral stone steps leading downwards into the basement of the fortress. The steps were very narrow, so Grot and two soldiers led the way, followed by Aisha and Basil and the remaining soldiers.
They reached the fortress armoury. The room was below ground level with the only light source coming from two window slits high up in the outer wall. Several more goblin soldiers sat around a long table, and watched silently as the prisoners were marched through the room to a second set of stone steps leading even further underground.
“Ah. Here we are,” Grot chortled. “The Steps of Fate. They will take you to your doom.”
Down they all went, until they reached a dark room carved out of the rock that formed the foundations of the fortress. Two candle lanterns which hung on opposite sides of the cavern threw out a weak light.
“Ah, your new home. Nice and comfortable. Ha, ha, ha!” Grot laughed at his own joke.
Aisha and Basil’s eyes soon grew used to the gloom, but they couldn’t see any prison cells or other prisoners. A jailer, who had been seated at a small table, stood up as they entered the cavern. He took a large key off a hook nearby.
The jailer was very ugly. He was small, like all the goblins, but with a very large torso and round belly, and big hairy hands with dirty claw like nails. He wore a long sleeved stained leather jerkin and baggy pants tucked into heavy boots. Long stringy black hair escaped from under a filthy red cap which was pulled down over his ears. He had a large flat nose, loose lips, yellow teeth and squinty eyes.
“Let me introduce you to The Snout himself. You will get to know him very well. Don’t be fooled by his flat nose. He can sniff out any thoughts you might have of escape, and you’ll be very sorry for it,” Grot sniggered.
“Uh. Here,” the jailer sniffed loudly, and grunted as he knelt down on one knee at an iron grate set into the cavern floor. It was about half a meter square and looked very heavy. He unlocked the grate with the huge key and pulled it open. He then picked up a wooden ladder lying nearby. It was about two meters long with two large hooks at one end. The Snout placed the ladder into the hole and used the hooks to secure it to the bottom rung of the grate.
“In you go,” Grot said, and the soldiers pushed Aisha and Basil towards the opening.
Basil went first. He went slowly backwards down the ladder into the darkness.
Aisha heard a loud thud and a groan.
“Be careful Aisha. The ladder doesn’t reach the ground. It’s about a meter short,” Basil called out. “I missed my footing and fell, but I’m alright. I’ll grab your legs and help you down.”
Aisha carefully climbed down the ladder. Basil helped her to drop onto the ground safely.
The Snout then quickly pulled the ladder back up through the narrow hole, and slammed the grate shut.
“You have your orders,” the children heard Grot say to the jailer. “Let me know if they cause any trouble.”
“Uh,” The Snout grunted in reply.
Grot watched him re-lock the grate, and then he and the soldiers left the dungeon as fast as they could.
Aisha and Basil’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark
. Luckily, there was a small amount of light filtering through the grate from The Snout’s cavern. Their prison seemed quite large, and it smelled very damp. Suddenly, dark shapes rose out of the gloom and moved towards them.
“What the…” Basil didn’t finish, as he saw the shapes were not something frightening, but five children, just like themselves.
“Who are you?” Basil and Aisha asked at the same time.
One of the children, a thin, fair-haired boy about Aisha’s age, came closer. His face was very pale.
“We’re Malefic’s prisoners. His goblins caught us when we were playing the game with our friends and brought us to this fortress. We don’t know how long each of us has been here, because time in this world doesn’t mean anything. And even if we could get away, we don’t have The Book to help us get through The Tenth Gateway.”
“We’ve been captured by the goblins too,” Aisha started to explain. “We were caught in the world of The Fourth Gateway, but two of our friends escaped, and they have The Book. By the way, my name is Aisha, and this is Basil.”
“My name is Edward, and these are my friends Betsy, Ellie, Karl and Louis. We come from different times and different games. Betsy and I are from the nineteenth century. Ellie is from the eighteenth, Karl from the seventeenth and Louis is from the sixteenth century.”
Aisha and Basil could now see that the other prisoners were dressed in the different clothes from their own time in history.
“Tell us more about what happens here,” Basil asked Edward. “I don’t want to stay here and do nothing. There must be a way out.”
“There’s a small alcove in here with a deep shaft which drops to the stream which runs under the fortress. That’s why it’s so damp in here. But it’s far too narrow to squeeze through. The walls here are smooth and you can’t climb up to the grate. But it’s locked anyway. So, the ladder’s the only way to get out of the hole, even if you could get hold of it. And it’s only used when there is a new arrival, like now.”