by Maidie Reeve
Eda’s folk were slightly outnumbered, but the goblins had not planned on how difficult it would be to fight the folk they could see, and invisible forest folk at the same time.
Meanwhile, Malefic, now in a cold rage at the trick that had been played on him, had arrived at Eda’s tent. He pulled back the flap across the entrance, but the tent was empty.
“As you can see, Malefic, I am not there. Did you think you could catch me so easily?” Eda’s soft voice buzzed in Malefic’s ear.
He whirled around in fury, his cloak brushing roughly across the faces of his alarmed servants.
Eda stood behind him on the green grass. Morgan and Twig stood close by, ready to protect Eda’s back. Out of the corner of his eye, Malefic saw the human children approaching along the game path. Basil had persuaded the others to leave their safe area, and come with him to see what was happening.
“This is my time Eda. My magical powers have grown, and my goblins are stronger than your weak creatures. Even now, I can hear their cries of victory. You, and your kind, will be defeated, and I will win the game,” Malefic hissed.
“I can hear no cries of victory. Your troops are losing,” Eda stared at Malefic. “But, I agree, your time has come.”
Eda raised her wand, and a massive charge of energy hit Malefic in the chest. He was jolted backwards, but he had been prepared for this.
He then counter-attacked. His wand threw out a brilliant flash of light, and Morgan and the children saw Eda fall to the ground. They began to move forward to help her, and Malefic pointed his wand in their direction.
“Stay back,” Eda cried, as she tried to get to her feet. “I am alright. Protect yourselves.”
Malefic turned back to face Eda. She was still on her knees when he hurled a second intense attack. This time it hit her on the shoulder, and she fell backwards.
“Go!” she gasped at the children. “Go to the garden. What you seek is there.”
“Do as she says,” Morgan shouted above the noise of the battle going on around them. “Malefic must not get The Book and find The Tenth Gateway.”
The outcome of the battle was still uncertain, and Basil and Aisha knew that they couldn’t risk Malefic gaining control over their minds and make them give up The Book. They turned to go back to the walled garden, but three snarling goblins barred their way.
“You go Basil. We’ll hold them off,” Edward cried. “You and Aisha have to protect your world. It’s no longer ours. We belong here now, with Eda and the others.”
He and the other four children lunged at the goblin soldiers and, together, easily knocked them over
Taking this opportunity, Basil and Aisha sped off along the game path, and ran through the iron gate into the enchanted garden. Basil slammed the gate shut, and pulled the bolt across.
“Now what?” Aisha panted. “Who knows who’s going to win? Do we risk finding and opening The Tenth Gateway? And what about Sophie and Jun?”
“I don’t know what to do about the gateway. It could be anywhere, and take ages to find,” Basil replied, looking very frustrated. “All I know is, is that we can’t go home without Sophie and Jun. And anyway, if Malefic wins, none of us probably stands a chance of getting out of here.”
Chapter Fourteen
An Uncertain Fate
“Hey, open up! Hurry!”
Basil and Aisha spun around expecting to see Edward or one of the other children. But to their astonishment, Sophie and Jun stood on the other side of the gate.
“Come on! Before they see us!” Jun yelled.
Basil rushed back to the gate, and pulled back the bolt.
“How did you get here? I’m so glad to see you. We didn’t know what to do.”
“We were in the tunnel between the worlds. But we were lucky the guards left us by ourselves while they went to look at the battle. Our hands were tied behind our backs, but the knots had loosened, and we managed to untie each other,” Jun explained. “We escaped from the tunnel, and raced down the hill. The guards tried to catch us, but you know how clumsy they are. They tripped and fell over, and we got away.”
Sophie finished the story. “Everyone was fighting, and we managed to get through the campsite without anyone stopping us. We saw you leave those other children fighting the goblins, and we ran along the path to the garden. But we’re not safe yet, especially if Perscrutor and Malefic realize we’re here, and have The Book.”
“But what about Eda? Aisha cried out.”Malefic had her on the ground, and she looked hurt."
“It was hard to see what was going on as there was so much flashing light. But we did see two shapes hovering above the ground, so Eda must have recovered,” Jun replied. “Malefic’s horrible goblin servants were in a huddle nearby, keeping themselves well away from the fight. I couldn’t see the spy.”
“We can’t go back and see who wins,” Sophie added. “We’ve no time to lose. We have to find The Tenth Gateway and get out of here. I think we should start from the fountain, like we did in the first game.”
The four children, relieved that they were all together again, but nervous that Perscrutor or Malefic would appear to stop them, raced to the fountain. It stood in the middle of the enchanted garden, encircled by the red brick path. Six identical looking red brick paths, about fifty meters long, led in straight lines away from this central core.
“Quick, Basil, open The Book. It’s our only way of knowing where the gateway might be,” Sophie said.
Now it was Basil’s turn to take The Book out of the satchel, and lay it on the ground where they could all see it. He turned to the last page. It was still blank, except for a picture of a green garden door at the bottom of the page.
“Come on, come on, come on! Hurry up, hurry up!” Basil said impatiently, staring at the blank page.
Nothing happened.
“What if it’s not working again,” said Aisha, looking very tense. “We’ll never get home.”
Suddenly, The Book jumped a few centimetres off the path, and then settled itself back down.
“Thank goodness. It’s still adjusting itself to the changes in the game. The words are coming now,” Sophie said, and they all read the faint writing.
Eda has changed The Tenth Gateway it’s true
But look very hard, it’s not hidden from view
The magic you used to get into this land
Is the magic you need, it fits right in your hand
You have almost reached the end of the game, and the way out is near
Eda’s power still works, have nothing to fear
What looks real is false, and what looks false is real
Find the rainbow’s end, it has much to reveal
First follow the path and trust in yourself
But the danger’s not over, watch out for the elf.
“Why’s it so hard. I wish it would just tell us where to go, and how to open the gate. And what path? Not the one we came along. That’s obvious,” Basil groaned, as he returned The Book to the satchel.
“Basil, you know we have to meet the challenge at each gate, so that we can move forward. Now, help us work out this last puzzle,” Sophie said, trying very hard not to be annoyed with her cousin.
“Which path I wonder? They all look the same, but they all end up somewhere different. Look at this one,” Jun said pointing at the path next to him. “There’s a statue of a large urn at the end of it.”
He moved to the next path. “This one ends in a hedge.”
“This path runs into a brick wall,” Aisha said, looking down a third pathway.
“This one looks more promising. It leads to the gate of a small cottage.” Sophie was looking down the fourth path.
“And this last one runs smack up against a wall painting of a garden arch, but it’s covered with creepers,” said Basil, who was peering down the fifth pathway.
“The verse says ’what looks real is false, and what looks false is real. I reckon we need to take a better look at the wall painting,”
Jun said to the others.
Everyone agreed, and they all ran up to the painting and studied it with some difficulty, as it was almost hidden from view by ivy. The eye was led through the arch to the picture of a green valley and distant mountains bathed in sunlight.
“I can’t see any rainbow. This must be the wrong path,” Sophie exclaimed. “We’d better try the cottage.”
“No, wait a minute. Look, above the arch. It’s covered by the ivy, but underneath, I’m sure there’s the outline of a rainbow’s arc,” Jun said.
He pushed the creeper aside, and then they could all see it. The faint colours of a rainbow began near the top left side of the arch and then disappeared down the other side.
“I can see something else painted at the bottom of the wall,” Jun said, and he pulled away more of the ivy to reveal the picture of a small green wooden door at the end of the rainbow. It was about his height, with a large door-knob and key-hole painted on the right-hand side.
“This must be it. It must be The Tenth Gateway. But how do we get through it?” Basil cried.
“By using a key,” Sophie replied. “Think what the verse said. We needed our magic charms to start the game, and we need a charm to end it. I still have my charm. Remember, it’s a key, and I’m sure it will open the…”
“Oh no!” Aisha cried out. The others spun around to see what the problem was.
Aisha was pointing back along the path. It was Perscrutor. He was upon them in a flash.
“Thank you,” he panted. “You have found The Tenth Gateway. I knew you’d lead me to it. When my master finishes with Eda, he will be here to thank you in person. Now, give me The Book, and he might overlook all the trouble you have caused.”
“No way,” said Basil, grasping the satchel close to his chest.
But his bravado quickly turned to dismay. Four goblin soldiers had appeared at the top of the path, and were now clomping towards them in their heavy boots. One of them was Captain Erluc, determined to get even with Sophie and Jun.
“Grab them,” Perscrutor ordered. “I’ve found what I was looking for. Take them back to the camp, and we’ll deal with them there.”
The soldiers pounced on the children. Captain Erluc and one of his soldiers grabbed Sophie and Jun and held their arms behind their backs. Basil and Aisha tried to defend themselves against the other two goblins but they knew that they couldn’t win the fight. The goblins were too tough, and Basil was at a disadvantage because he was carrying the satchel and book. But he couldn’t take it off. If he placed The Book on the path, he was giving it up willingly, and Perscrutor could grab it. Then it really would be the end of the road.
Perscrutor, his face a mask of cunning, watched the children lose their struggle against the soldiers.
“It’s not over yet,” Jun yelled out at Perscrutor. “You think you’re so clever. Look behind you. Our friends have come to help us.”
“What!” Perscrutor looked around, startled. It was now his turn to look alarmed.
Rushing towards him was Morgan, Twig, and several brownies. All were well armed.
Morgan had seen Perscrutor and the soldiers follow the children into the garden, and had left the main battle to make sure they were safe. Twig, and the other brownies had joined him in the chase. They wanted to defend the children, but they also wanted to catch Perscrutor. The traitor elf had betrayed his own people.
Twig threw himself at the spy, and flattened him. Perscrutor was badly winded, but he knew the brownie couldn’t hold onto him for long.
Morgan and the other forest folk attacked the goblin soldiers, who were forced to back away from the children in order to counter attack.
It was a ferocious sword fight, but the goblins, except for Captain Erluc, were quickly overpowered. The captain, grunting and snarling, swung his sword wildly at Morgan and two brownies. But soon, even the captain had to surrender. The brownies disarmed the goblins, tied them all together, and then marched them back towards the garden gate and the camp site.
Morgan went over to the children to see that they were unharmed. They had recovered from their fright, and now wanted to know what was happening at the camp.
Unfortunately, as the children gathered around Morgan, they had forgotten about Twig and the spy who were wrestling on the ground several meters away.
“Help! I can’t hold him,” Twig called out.
Jun was the first to look around to see what was happening, and saw Twig struggling with the spy. He leapt into action to help his friend. But he was too late. Perscrutor had wriggled his way out of Twig’s grasp, and was now back on his feet. Before Jun could stop him, the spy was racing back along the path towards the campsite.
“Stay here, everyone!” Morgan exclaimed. “You won’t catch him. He can transport himself to safety any time he wants, and it’s now vital that you get through the gateway in case we are attacked again.”
“So Morgan, you don’t think we’re out of danger. Does that mean Eda’s in trouble?” Jun wanted to know.
“I’m afraid the battle between Eda and Malefic is not over. I need to get back and make sure the goblins are in retreat, but it’s up to Eda to defeat Malefic. She wants you to open The Tenth Gateway, and leave here as fast as possible. I will make sure the gateway is securely closed, and don’t worry, only Eda’s magic will open it again.”
“But what about Perscrutor? He’s seen where the gate is,” Sophie said, looking horrified.
“Yes, but he doesn’t know how to open it. And neither does Malefic. He needs The Book. That’s why you must leave, now,” Morgan said firmly.
“And don’t worry about leaving us,” Twig added. “Eda’s magic is very strong, and I am confident she will win, and send Malefic back to the fortress where he belongs. The goblins will be useless without him, and Eda will be able to bring order back to the game.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Let’s get going everybody. I don’t want to stay here and wait for more goblins to get us. Sophie, hurry up and open the gate,” Basil piped up, impatient to be gone.
“I agree. We can’t do anything to help Eda at this stage. We’ve done our bit, and now we need to make sure the gateway’s secure,” Jun replied.
“I just want to go home,” Aisha wailed. “But Mum’s going to be furious that I’ve ripped my jacket.”
Her friends were now aware that they all looked a bit bedraggled. Basil’s jacket was also ripped, and his jeans were muddy. Sophie and Jun’s jeans were torn at the knees from when they had both been knocked to the ground, and their jackets looked like they needed a good wash. Everybody’s hair was untidy, and their faces smudged with dirt.
“It looks like we’ve all been in a fight,” Jun said. “I know that’s true, but we’ll have to think of something good to tell our parents when we get back. We can’t tell them about the game.”
“We can worry about that later,” Sophie said. “I’m going to try the key now.”
Sophie went up to the wall. She took her charm out of her pocket, and it instantly grew to the size of a large key. She placed the charm against the painted key-hole, and it immediately glowed with a strong yellow light. The light faded, and a real door appeared in the wall. Sophie, still holding the key, felt it slip neatly into the lock. She turned it, and the door opened.
The children could see nothing except for a grey-white mist, just like the one that had covered the world of gateway one.
“I’m not sure how this is going to work,” Sophie said.
“Just walk through it,” she heard Morgan say. "Your home is on the other side.
“You go first Aisha,” Jun said. "We’ll all follow.
Aisha walked into the mist, then Basil, followed by Sophie, and then finally Jun.
After only a few steps, they felt a soft rug underfoot instead of hard brick, and the mist vanished. They were back home in the study.
“Whew, what a relief!” Basil exclaimed. “And I can’t believe it. All our clothes are back to normal as
well.”
Aisha grabbed her watch from the side table where she had left it.
“Look everyone, it’s the same as last time. We seemed to be away for days, but we’ve only been away for about five minutes.”
“I know we can’t go back, but I wish we knew what happened to Eda, and all our friends. I’d hate to think that Malefic is now in control of all of The Game World, and enslaved everybody,” Sophie sighed.
“Well, I’m never going there again. And as for that Eda! She’s the one that got us into that terrible game. It’s no thanks to her that we got back here in one piece. But it’s not good that Edward and the others are stuck there,” Basil replied, unhappy that the other children, at the cost of their own freedom, had fought off the goblins to enable Aisha and him to escape.
“Eda’s probably alright, and not under any sort of controlling spell, because Malefic hasn’t followed us through the gate. If she’s safe, I’m sure she’ll do everything she can to help the others,” Jun said. “And Basil, Eda was helping. She sent Morgan, and you don’t know what other magic she was using to help us play the game.”
“I suppose we’ll never know. Let’s pack up, and go and relax for a bit. It was a really hard game, and I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted,” Sophie said.
She opened the sea-chest, took out the painted box, and returned her charm into its own small box. Aisha had lost her charm, but Jun added his, as well as the piece of parchment with the drawing of the black feather.
“Here’s my Viking, and am I glad to get rid of this book. Here Sophie, you can have it back. Good riddance.”
Basil put his charm in the box. He then took off the satchel, and held it out to Sophie. “It’s all yours.”
“Thanks Basil. You’re probably right that it belongs back in Grandma’s chest,” she said, as she took The Book out of the satchel, and placed it carefully back into its box. She put the satchel away, and closed the lid of the sea- chest.
“I’m going to ask Dad to store this in the garage, and I’m going to hide the key,” Sophie said. “I don’t want to see the chest or the box again for a very long time.”