by Maidie Reeve
“Uh,” The Snout grunted, and saliva dripped from his thick lips. He began to raise the bucket.
The children waited nervously. Everything hinged on the charm.
They didn’t have long to wait.
“Eh! Oi!” They heard the jailer cry out, and then a heavy thud. The bearded face of the Viking appeared in the opening, and then the dungeon ladder was lowered into the hole.
“Climb out. Be quick, and not too much noise. We don’t want to alert any other guards,” the Viking said.
Basil and Edward cupped their hands, and helped the other children to reach the ladder and climb out. Basil then helped Edward, and finally, being the last, he raised his arms, grabbed hold of the bottom rung and heaved himself up.
When they reached the cavern they saw that The Snout was lying on the floor.
“Let’s keep moving. I don’t want to wait and see what he does when he comes to,” Basil muttered.
He looked at the Viking who was standing over The Snout.
“Can you help us get out of the fortress?”
“Yes, my powers will last until you get away from the tower.”
Basil took a deep breath, and beckoned the others to follow him and the Viking up The Steps of Fate.
“When we reach the armoury the Viking will hold off any guards while we grab what we can to defend ourselves. Remember, they’re not expecting us,” Basil said softly.
Aisha followed Basil up the narrow steps. She was still astonished that his anger at the goblins, and his refusal to accept their imprisonment in The Snout’s Hole, had revealed another side to his character. In planning their escape, he had forgotten to be sarcastic, and had shown himself to be quite clever.
The other children crept up the steps behind Aisha. They were pale, and a little weak from their captivity, but they were determined to fight their way out if they had to.
It took only a few minutes to reach the armoury. To the escapees’ surprise, there were only two goblins on guard. They were seated at a small wooden table playing dice. The goblin soldiers were facing the stairs leading up to the great hall, believing that if there was an attack, it would come from that direction. They had their backs to The Steps of Fate, and therefore did not see the prisoners approach.
Before they could react, the Viking hit one of the goblins on the head. He fell to the ground dazed. The second goblin tried to get up from his stool and grab his short sword, but the Viking was too quick for him. He also received a heavy thump on the head, and he collapsed next to his comrade.
“Grab what you can,” Basil called out to the other children. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us upstairs or in the courtyard.”
Not being experienced soldiers, the children left the long spears, pikes, and bows and arrows. Each took a short sword from where they were stored against the armoury wall, hoping they would not have to use them.
The Viking led the way to the great hall, and once again the escapees were astounded to see that it was empty. No Malefic, no Weezle, Slithe and Grot, and no goblin soldiers.
“This is strange. Where is everyone? It seems that we’ll be able to get away from this terrible place more easily than we thought,” Basil said as he looked around the empty hall.
“We still need to be careful. It could be a trick,” Aisha replied.
They all crossed the great hall to the entrance. One of the huge doors was slightly ajar. The Viking held up his arm to stop the others whilst he peered round the opening.
“Night is falling. I can see a servant drawing water at the well, and a couple of soldiers on the battlements. But they’re leaning on their spears and talking amongst themselves. They don’t look like they are expecting any trouble,” he reported. “I will escort you to the fortress gate. From there you should be able to find the game path, and The Ninth Gateway.”
Taking advantage of the evening shadows, and the strange situation, the children quickly left the tower and walked swiftly towards the gate. The servant, who was also a captive of Malefic, paid them little attention. The soldiers ignored them. They reached the opening in the gate, and stared out at the dark and forbidding landscape.
“I must leave you now, as I have done all I can to help you,” the Viking said, and in an instant had shrunk back to the size of a charm. Basil picked him up carefully, and placed him back into his jacket pocket.
The group of children moved away from the gate, and stood in the shadow of the fortress wall so that they wouldn’t be seen by the soldiers on the battlements. Feeling much safer, they lay their swords on the ground, glad to leave them behind.
In the distance, they could see the dark shape of a low building, light shining from its windows. A soft white mist began to rise from the moor. It crept around the rocks and scrub, and curled itself around their ankles.
“We better get out of here before they discover we’ve escaped, and we need to get back onto the path and find Sophie and Jun. If that’s The Black Feather Inn over there, the path’s probably close by,” Basil said to the others.
“Yes, from what Sophie’s told us about this world, I think it must be the inn,” Aisha replied.
She watched the mist wrap itself around their legs. “I don’t like the look of this mist. It’s strange, and feels almost alive. Let’s hurry up and get to the inn. Who knows what’s out there on the moor.”
“Or what’s at the inn,” Basil muttered to himself, as he set off down a rough track which led away from the fortress and towards the inn. He was anxious, but he spoke calmly to the others.
“There’s still enough moonlight to follow the track, but be ready to hide if we hear or see anyone coming. And be as quiet as possible. We don’t want to announce our arrival in case there’s something dangerous up ahead.”
“We’re right behind you,” Edward answered on behalf of the five freed children.
The small band picked their way carefully, and silently, along the track. They were eager to get away from the mist whose creeping tentacles clutched at their legs.
As they neared the inn, the sound of gruff voices floated across the cool night air. Taking cover in some low bushes, the children crouched down out of sight until they could see who was at the inn.
Basil, with Aisha peering over his shoulder, parted some branches to get a better look.
Light spilled out of the inn windows and onto the courtyard. Basil and Aisha saw that there were several goblin soldiers sitting on two long stools on either side of the front entry porch, and there were about fifty more sitting around small camp fires in the courtyard.
“Look!” Aisha whispered. “I don’t believe it. There’s Sophie and Jun. They’re approaching the inn. I wonder if they know the goblins are there.”
As they watched, when Sophie and Jun were about one hundred meters from the inn, they stopped. They seemed undecided what to do.
Aisha was about to stand up and attract their attention, but Basil held her back.
“Wait. We need to see it’s safe.”
Sophie and Jun continued to walk towards the inn. The goblins remained where they were, unaware of their arrival.
“They’ve left the path,” Aisha said with surprise. “I can’t see them anymore. It’s too dark. They must have gone around to the back of the building.”
“I may be wrong. It’s so hard to see anything, but I thought I saw someone wearing a cloak follow them around the side.” Basil sounded tense.
Keeping his head down, he went over to the other children.
“You all need to stay here. Aisha and I are going to see what Sophie and Jun are up to. If we don’t come back soon, stay out of sight, and make your way to the path on the other side of the inn. Then go as fast as you can to The Ninth Gateway, and wait for us there.”
Basil and Aisha took a deep breath to calm their nerves and, hoping that they would not be seen under the cover of night, crept down the track towards The Black Feather Inn.
Chapter Twelve
A Twist in the Game<
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As Sophie and Jun approached the inn they saw the goblins sitting in the lamplight near the front porch, and the dark shapes of the other soldiers camped in the courtyard. They stopped walking to give themselves some time to consider what to do next.
“There’s no light around the side and back of the inn, and I can’t see any guards. It’s a risk, but if we could find the back door and get inside without being seen, we might be able to overhear what Malefic’s planning,” Jun said.
“Yeah, I think that’s our best shot. The Book said to come here, and it wouldn’t have suggested leaving the path unless it knew everything would be alright,” Sophie replied.
They left the path and moved swiftly across the rough ground, and reached the back of the inn without being seen. They flattened themselves against the wall and waited until they were sure they hadn’t disturbed anyone. The back of the inn was in darkness, but there was enough moonlight to make out a trap door leading to a cellar.
“That could be a good way in,” Jun whispered. “It’s unlikely the goblins will be in the cellar.”
They crept over to the trapdoor. Luckily it was unlocked, and Jun raised the door quite easily and lent it against the wall. He and Sophie climbed in, and made their way down the few steps leading to the cellar floor.
A small amount of moonlight entered the cellar through a barred window near the steps to the trapdoor. The patchy light revealed that the cellar contained a large number of sacks of flour and several wine barrels. In the shadows on the opposite side of the room was another short flight of stairs leading up into the inn.
“Got you,” came a gleeful cry from the open trapdoor.
Sophie and Jun whirled around just in time to see the outline of a cloak and small hands lowering the trapdoor. It was slammed shut, and they heard a loud clunk, and then a rattling noise.
“Quick! The other stairs!” Jun yelled out Sophie.
They rushed across the room, trying to avoid the sacks and barrels, and clambered up the cellar stairs. But they were too late. The door at the top of the stairs was also being pulled shut and they heard a key being turned in the lock.
“Hey! Let us out!” Jun shouted as he banged on the door.
“I knew that if I watched and waited for the right moment I’d finally catch you,” a low rasping voice whispered through the closed door. “It is no use yelling and trying to get out. You will be released when the master is ready to deal with you. He’ll be very pleased to learn that you have arrived, and are now his guests.”
Sophie and Jun heard the soft footsteps of their captor fade away.
Sophie sat down on the stairs looking very troubled.
“This is terrible. We walked into a trap. What are we going to do now?”
Jun sat down next to her, his eyebrows drawn together in a worried frown.
“There’ll be a way out of this, I’m sure. We’ve been in tough spots before.”
“Psst! Psst!”
“What was that?” Sophie grabbed hold of Jun’s arm.
“Psst! Over here! Sophie, it’s me, Basil. I’m at the window. Aisha’s here too.”
“What! Basil and Aisha!” Sophie was amazed. She stood up, clattered down the stairs, and went over to the barred window. Jun was right behind her.
Basil and Aisha were kneeling down and peering into the gloom of the cellar.
“We saw what happened. The spy was following you, and locked the trapdoor,” Basil said.
“How did you escape?” Sophie asked.
“I used my charm,” Basil replied. “But I’ll tell you about it later, once we’re all out of this dreadful place.”
“Can you open the trapdoor?” Jun asked.
“I don’t think so. There’s a huge bolt, and it’s locked into place by an unbroken chain. The links are sealed tight somehow or the other. We’ll have to find another way into the inn so that we can get you out.”
“No. That’s not a good idea,” Sophie said. “Malefic’s here with lots of his soldiers, and the spy is on the alert. We can’t risk all of us being caught and imprisoned.”
“But Sophie, we can’t leave you here with Malefic. You wouldn’t leave us behind,” Aisha said to her friend.
“The Book has told me what to do. It said I have to give up the power, and I think I now know what that means.”
“It’s The Book, isn’t it,” Jun said.
“Yes. I’m going to give it to Basil. He’s my cousin, so I’m sure Grandma would approve. Malefic’s magic has grown stronger, and I’m worried that he could now have a spell that makes me give him The Book. I can’t take that chance.”
“Basil, Sophie’s right. Take The Book. We’ll be much safer without it, and I’m sure we’ll find a way out of here,” Jun said.
Sophie pushed the satchel through the window bars.
“Basil, we’re all now relying on you. Keep it safe, and never ever give it up to Malefic or his goblins. Take it to Eda’s camp as fast as you can.”
“I don’t know about this,” Basil said, as he reluctantly took the satchel. He put the strap over his head so that the satchel was held firmly in place. “This game’s crazy, and we should never have got mixed up in it. I’ll do it, but I’m not sure I’m the right person to protect The Book if we come across Malefic again.”
“I’m sure you can do it,” Aisha said to Basil. “You knew how to get us out of the tower and across the moor.”
“I don’t know what you’ll find at The Ninth Gateway,” Sophie said, her face pressed up against the bars. “But if it’s locked, The Book will help you to open it.”
“Just get to Eda, and don’t worry about us. Keep going round the back of the inn and re-join the path after you’re safely past the soldiers,” Jun advised his friends. “Before you know it, we’ll be back into the game, and will see you on the other side of the gate.”
Jun crossed his fingers, hoping this was true.
“Go now, quickly. Before the spy gets back,” Sophie urged her cousin.
Basil and Aisha said their farewells, and walked cautiously around to the other side of the building. Light spilled out from a side window, and they could hear voices coming from inside the inn. They crouched down, and crept past the window. They saw that a few scrubby bushes grew between them and the game path.
“Are you ready?” Basil whispered to Aisha. “I’m going to hide behind the bushes, and aim for the path about fifty meters from the inn. The goblins shouldn’t be able to see us in the dark.”
Moving as swiftly and as quietly as they could, they soon reached the path. Basil risked pausing to look back at the inn. No one had raised the alarm. Breathing sighs of relief, Basil and Aisha set off along the path at a slow jog, and soon the lights from the inn had disappeared. Only the dark landscape surrounded them.
“I hope Edward and the others got to the gate safely,” Aisha panted.
Basil was also breathing heavily. “We’re out of sight. Let’s slow down a bit.”
They slowed to a fast walk, and after a few minutes they saw the enormous dark shape of a cliff rising high above them. A few shadowy figures moved out from the base of the rock to meet them.
“Hello,” Edward greeted Basil and Aisha. “We’ve only just arrived, and were wondering how we are going to get through the rock. Any suggestions?”
“Did you find your friends?” Betsy asked before Basil could respond to Edward.
“Yes, but they’re trapped at The Black Feather Inn, and we couldn’t get them out,” Aisha replied, looking very unhappy. “I didn’t like leaving them, but they were sure they’d find an escape route, and catch up with us.”
“None of us are safe yet,” Basil warned the others. “Aisha, help me with this book, so that we can work out how to open the gate.”
He dragged The Book out of the satchel, and the five rescued children stared at it wide-eyed. They were quite excited, as they recognized it from the games they had played in the past.
Basil and Aisha placed The Book
on the ground, and Basil flipped through the pages until he reached the page for the world of The Eighth Gateway.
“Let’s hope this thing works. I don’t want to be stuck here,” Basil muttered. “Ah, good. Something’s happening.”
The words that would help them pass through the magic portal appeared.
All has passed as I foretold
You are the one, daring and bold
You now have the power within your hands
To escape from here to safer lands
Watch the rock and a beam of light
Will reveal the gate in the dark of night
Push it open and through you go
You will meet some friends and not your foe
Eda is waiting for the battle to start
The end is quite close, but you must play your part
“Well,” said Aisha, looking sideways at Basil. “When we started this game no one would have thought that you’d be described as daring and bold. Were you only pretending to be awful?”
“Come on,” Basil said, ignoring Aisha’s comment. “Let’s find this gateway and the mysterious Eda.”
A shimmering outline of large door frame appeared in the cliff. Inside the frame, the rock face had vanished, and the children stared into the mouth of a cave.
“We better hurry up before it closes,” Basil said, as he led the way through the gateway.
When everyone was in the cave they looked back. The portal was still open, and they could see the red brick path melting away into the darkness of Malefic’s world.
“That’s strange. The gateways usually shut pretty quickly,” Aisha said to the others. “I wonder why it’s staying open.”
“Well, I’m not staying to find out. I’m outta here,” Basil said firmly, and strode towards the light coming through an opening in the cave wall. It was the exit into the next world.
Outside the cave, the world of The Ninth Gateway was bathed in a pale, early morning light. Weak shafts of sunlight struck small puffs of white cloud, and a soft breeze brushed against the children’s faces. They stared out over a small valley surrounded by low rolling green hills and divided by a narrow river. From where they stood, the game path wound down a gentle slope. It followed the river bank for a short distance, and then snaked its way through a grassy field. On the far side of the field, pitched near a high brick wall, was a campsite containing dozens of round tents.