The Golden Anchor

by Cameron Stelzer

  ‘Nuh way, mon,’ Benny gasped in alarm. ‘Dis ain’t no blue water lagoon. Dere could be anything living in dere.’

  Ruby rolled her eye. ‘Well, unless you have an inflatable banana boat tucked into your pocket, Benny, I don’t see we have any other choice.’

  ‘We could always use one of the carts,’ Horace said. ‘They’re pretty big, so we’d all fit.’

  ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ Ruby said, pointing to the vast empty space between the two ends of the bridge.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Horace said. ‘We’d need paddles. A few of those broken planks should suffice.’

  Ruby turned to Whisker. ‘Is he for real?’

  Whisker shrugged. ‘The cart is made from wood and wood floats, so in theory it could work.’

  ‘Of course it will work,’ Horace said, scampering over to the closest cart. ‘My dodgy uncle builds these carts and I know for a fact that he waterproofs them with tar. That way, he can sell a load of fruit at the market and the rotten fruit hidden underneath doesn’t ooze out the bottom and scare away the customers.’

  ‘I can see why he’s known as your dodgy uncle,’ Ruby muttered.

  ‘He’s still a great crafts-rat,’ Horace said, sticking his nose inside the empty cart. ‘There’s no way this cart will sink – even with Benny’s gold chains to weigh it down.’

  ‘Well if it does start to sink, Benny’s chains will be the second thing to go,’ Ruby threatened, striding over to join him.

  ‘The second thing?’ Horace said, as they began pushing the heavy wooden cart towards the water’s edge. ‘So what’s the first?’

  ‘Not what but who,’ Ruby said with sly grin.

  ‘Oh,’ Horace gulped. ‘Right.’

  As the cart bumped its way across the rocks and into the shallows, Whisker collected two suitable paddles from the planks littered around the bridge and hurriedly joined his companions.

  ‘Allow me,’ Horace said, snatching a paddle out of Whisker’s paws. Ruby can’t throw me overboard if I’m busy paddling.’

  Benny seemed to agree with this logic and hurriedly took the second paddle. Smudge was sent on ahead to explore the passages on the eastern side of the cavern as Benny pushed off from the shore.

  It was a strange sight to behold. A four-wheeled cart containing three rats in pantomime costumes and a jewellery-adorned chimpanzee, bobbing around in a black soup.

  Large ripples radiated across the surface of the glassy water as the makeshift boat made its slow crossing.

  ‘Try not to splash me,’ Ruby hissed from the front of the cart as they drew level with the island in the centre of the lake. ‘And watch where you’re going. You two landlubbers are heading straight for those rocks.’

  ‘It would help if Benny’s arms weren’t so long,’ Horace muttered. ‘I have to row two strokes for every one of his.’

  ‘Quit whining and turn left,’ Ruby barked. ‘There’s a rock right in front of us.’

  ‘Well it wasn’t there a second ago,’ Horace protested, trying to swing the cart around. ‘I swear we were surrounded by open water.’

  ‘And how is that so?’ Ruby snapped. ‘Rocks don’t just up and vanish.’

  ‘This one does,’ Whisker said, peering over the side of the cart. ‘It just disappeared beneath the surface.’

  ‘Dat was no rock, mon,’ Benny gulped, suddenly increasing his strokes.

  ‘Then what was it?’ Horace asked, paddling double time to keep up with him. ‘A piece of drift wood?’

  There was an enormous answering splash from directly in front of them as a huge reptilian shape exploded out of the lake.

  It rose into the air, tail thrashing, jaws open. Then it came crashing down, colliding with the front of the cart with a walloping THUD. The cart lurched forward under the creature’s weight and a wave of black water cascaded in. Whisker threw both arms around the side of the cart to stop himself falling as a pair of mighty jaws clamped themselves around the wood in front of him.

  For a moment, Whisker simply stared at the primordial beast, trying to take it all in. It had vertical-slit eyes set high on its scaly head and the longest snout he had ever seen. Dozens of pointy, white teeth dug into the wood as its powerful jaws squeezed tighter and tighter.

  And then, with a sickening, tearing CRUNCH, the upper section of the cart was torn away and the gigantic crocodile dropped back into the lake.

  There was no time to dwell on what had just happened or what could occur next. With water pouring through the gaping hole, Benny and Horace paddled for their lives.

  Whisker snatched the empty glue pot from the bottom of the cart, ripped out the cork and started bailing in desperation.

  ‘Faster!’ Ruby shouted, drawing an arrow from her quiver. ‘We’ll sink before we reach the eastern shore.’

  The cart shuddered violently and one of the wheels spun on its axle as the crocodile passed beneath them. Horace jumped back in fright, clutching the handle of his paddle, the lower end bitten clean off.

  ‘It’s up to you now, Benny!’ Ruby shouted, swivelling her loaded bow over the murky water. ‘Head for the nearest patch of land and get ready to jump.’

  Benny paddled like there was a killer crocodile on his tail. Whisker bailed like there was a killer crocodile on his tail. Horace stared at the black surface of the lake, praying aloud that the killer crocodile had choked on his paddle.

  ‘No such luck,’ Ruby hissed as a line of ripples appeared behind them, heading straight for the cart.

  There was a loud TWANG as Ruby released her bowstring and an arrow went hurtling through the air. It disappeared into the water in the centre of the ripples but failed to slow the crocodile’s advance. A second arrow was nocked to her bow almost before the first one had struck, but this time Ruby waited.

  ‘Give me a target,’ she muttered.

  The crocodile kept coming, remaining just below the surface, propelling itself through the water with its powerful tail.

  The sinking cart edged closer to the shore.

  ‘It’s about to ram us,’ Horace cried, splashing to the front of the cart. ‘Shoot it! Shoot it!’

  Ruby released her second arrow and it hissed through the air, slamming into the water at the front of the ripples.

  Again, the creature showed no signs of slowing.

  ‘It’s not gonna stop!’ Benny shouted, paddling furiously at the back of the cart.

  Whisker looked ahead to see they were only metres from the eastern shore.

  ‘Abandon ship,’ he cried grabbing Horace around the waist.

  Before the small rat could ask what Whisker was doing, the Pie Rat apprentice had hurled him through the air and Horace was splashing headfirst into the lake. Ruby took a running leap after him, and Whisker tumbled ungraciously over the side of the cart.

  He didn’t have far to fall into the icy water, but the impact of landing face-first drove the air from his lungs.

  Trying not to choke on the foul-tasting liquid, he spluttered his way to the surface, his eyes stinging, his head spinning.

  His vision cleared to see the head of the crocodile rising out of the water and Benny still paddling furiously in the cart.

  ‘Benny!’ he shouted. ‘Get out of there!’

  Chains rattling, the agile chimp sprang into action and, in one continuous motion, used the paddle to pole-vault himself clear of the doomed vessel.

  He was still in the air when the crocodile’s huge jaws clamped around the back of the cart and dragged the entire thing under.

  Water splashed against the rocky shore, a shower of bubbles broke the surface, and then there was silence.

  ‘Woah,’ Horace gasped, treading water and staring at the lake where the cart had vanished. ‘So much for unsinkable.’

  ‘We can discuss your dodgy uncle’s crafts-ratship later,’ Ruby shouted, arrows spilling from her quiver as she half-swam, half-waded through the shallows. ‘Right now we have to get out of this cave before we end up as a crocodile’s di
nner.’

  Whisker glanced back at the island to see three more massive crocodiles lumbering into view over the crest of the rocks. Dripping with water, their scaly, brown skin glistened in the pale light. Heads lowered, they stared hungrily through yellow eyes.

  ‘Rotten pies to crocodilian families!’ Horace wailed in panic. ‘We’re about to become the entrée, main course and dessert!’

  Light at the End of the …

  The terrifying sight of the three beasts slipping into the water was all the incentive Whisker needed.

  With a burst of adrenaline and a shot of fear, he grabbed Horace under his armpit and, with Benny’s assistance, dragged the hysterical rat onto the slippery rocks of the shoreline.

  Ahead of them, Ruby let out a startled cry. ‘About time, Smudge! Where the Tasmanian devil have you been? We need a passage out of here – fast!’

  Smudge pointed to a large opening in a nearby wall, gesturing for his companions to follow him.

  ‘This way,’ Ruby yelled to the others. ‘Move it!’

  Whisker heard the splashes of the crocodiles behind him, but resisted the urge to turn around. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on his footsteps as he scrambled after Ruby, knowing that the slightest of stumbles would seal his fate.

  It was fortunate he was watching where he was going, as he would have surely tripped over a rusty metal pole lying haphazardly across his path. It was attached to a large sign that had been wrenched from the ground.

  Its weathered, dented surface displayed a grim warning – a warning that sent Horace into a frenzy.

  ‘No boating! No swimming!’ he wailed. ‘Couldn’t they have told us that earlier?’

  ‘Chill, mon,’ Benny said, tightening his grip on Horace’s arm, which only made the small rat even more hysterical.

  ‘Put me down,’ Horace spluttered, his stumpy legs frantically kicking the air. ‘I can run! I can run!’

  Benny and Whisker dropped Horace to the ground and the three escapees dashed the final few meters into the black mouth of a lava tube.

  ‘Keep going!’ Ruby shouted from a bend up ahead. ‘And watch your step. It’s about to get really dark.’

  Side by side, the dripping animals sloshed after her, the angry snaps of the crocodiles in their ears. The dim light at their backs was soon swallowed up by the blackness of the tunnel and they were forced to move in single file, feeling their way along the stone wall.

  ‘I hope you know where we’re heading, Ruby,’ Horace whimpered. ‘I can still hear those Chomping Crocs, and they don’t sound happy.’

  Ruby let out a disgruntled hiss. ‘There wasn’t time to ask Smudge. And unless you can interpret fly-signs in the dark …’

  ‘Oh, forget it,’ Horace muttered.

  ‘Wait, what’s that up ahead?’ Whisker said. ‘I think I see something.’

  ‘Ooogh, I see it, too,’ Horace said, perking up instantly and surging past Ruby. ‘It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re sa–’

  THUMP-P-P!

  Without warning Horace collided with something hard and wooden-sounding and bounced backwards onto the ground. His companions skidded to a halt behind him.

  ‘Uuuuuhh,’ he moaned. ‘That’s no light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a blasted keyhole.’

  ‘And this is one dirty, great big door,’ Ruby said, shuffling closer and rapping her knuckles on the wood. ‘Somebody find the handle.’

  Whisker moved towards the keyhole-shaped patch of light and felt around in the darkness until he located a round doorknob. His fingers closed around the cold metal and he gave it a firm twist. He felt the latch bolt releasing and he gave the door a hard push.

  It didn’t budge.

  He tried pulling the door instead, but to no avail.

  ‘It must be deadbolted,’ he said. ‘Benny, we’re going to need your lock-picking skills again.’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do, mon,’ Benny said, rattling his chains. ‘But it might take some time to find da right picks in dis darkness.’

  ‘Do we have any matches left?’ Ruby hissed impatiently.

  ‘Wet matches,’ Horace muttered, fumbling around with his belt.

  ‘Try lighting them anyway,’ she said hurriedly.

  ‘Here, Whisker,’ Horace said, thrusting the soggy box into the apprentice’s back. ‘Two paws are better than one.’

  Whisker took the matches and moved closer to the key hole, where Benny was jiggling around with his picks.

  ‘I found da torsion wrench,’ Benny said in a fluster, ‘but I still need mi half-diamond pick to release da lock, and I can’t find it anywhere.’

  Whisker pulled open the water-logged matchbox and grabbed the closest match. Bending down, he struck it against the rough surface of the floor. The match sparked once and then went out. He tried a second match, but this one failed to even ignite.

  Running out of time, Whisker reached in and grabbed an entire pawful of matches. He didn’t want to think about it, but the sound of the crocodiles had grown increasingly louder. Their deep growls were now intermingled with the sounds of claws scraping against stone and the distinctive swish of their tails as they lumbered across the passage floor.

  Holding the matches in a tight bundle, Whisker struck them across the rocks. There was a series of sparks as several matchheads ignited and the flames began to spread.

  Pfizz, pfizz, pfizz. One after another the matchheads ignited, burning bright for a second before fizzing out.

  In the brief flashes of light, Benny managed to spot his half-diamond pick and hurriedly inserted it into the keyhole.

  He wiggled and twisted his implements as the last igniting matchhead sent a burst of white light into the tunnel, revealing the glistening yellow eyes of three enormous crocodiles.

  The terror Whisker felt when darkness returned was immeasurable. The beat of his heart was so loud that he barely heard the click of the deadbolt or the creeeeeak of hinges as Ruby flung the door open.

  Dazzling firelight flooded though the widening gap, temporarily halting the crocodiles’ advance. Eyes squeezed half-shut, Whisker flung himself through the doorway, almost colliding with Horace in his haste to escape. Benny was right behind him, driving the three rats forward like a shepherd into what appeared to be a cave.

  Instinct told Whisker to run, but his wits told him the door was his greatest protection.

  He twisted around to see Benny’s long arms trying to usher him to safety. Through the open doorway, he glimpsed the lead crocodile charging towards them, legs thrashing, jaws open.

  He had to stop it.

  Making a split-second decision, Whisker spun on his heel, ducked under Benny’s arm and rammed his shoulder against the back of the door. The impact sent the heavy door hurtling backwards and it slammed shut with a resounding THUD-D-D.

  A moment later, there was a second THUD as the crocodile crashed into the door.

  Whisker was thrown off his feet and skidded across the rocky floor.

  Sprawled on his back, he looked up to see the thick wooden planks shuddering as the crocodiles tried to ram their way through. All he could do was stare helplessly at the vibrating door, hoping the latch would hold fast.

  There was a sudden flash of movement above him followed by a sharp THWACK! Splinters exploded from the centre of the door as a flying shaft buried itself in the timber.

  ‘Down!’ Ruby shouted. ‘Everyone down! We’re under attack!’

  Whisker was already down when he heard the warning, but lying exposed in the centre of the floor was no safe place to be. Keeping one eye fixed on the shuddering door, he rolled his body against a small rock as a second projectile came whizzing through the air. It clipped the top of the rock with a sharp CLANG, its sharp metal head sparking on impact, before ricocheting off and slamming into the wooden door.

  ‘Shiver me timbers!’ Horace exclaimed. ‘This goes from bad to worse to terrible!’

  Whisker glanced across to see Horace and the rest of his companions
crouching behind a low mound of rocks, looking as rattled as he felt.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he whispered.

  ‘From the look of it, I’d say that someone is trying to kill us,’ Ruby quipped.

  Smudge waved his tiny arms in the air as if to say everyone is trying to kill us.

  Ruby rolled her eye. ‘Make yourself useful, Smudge, and see what you can discover out there.’ She glanced back at the shuddering door and added, ‘And this time don’t take all day about it.’

  Smudge nodded and disappeared around the side of the mound. Ruby reached into her quiver and let out a hiss of frustration. ‘Ratbeard’s curse! I’ve lost half my arrows in that stinking lake.’

  ‘That’s putting it mildly,’ Horace said, peering over her shoulder. ‘From where I’m crouching, you’re down to your last three.’

  Ruby nocked an arrow to her bow and swivelled it in the direction of Horace’s backside.

  ‘Three arrows can quickly become two,’ she hissed.

  While Ruby and Horace continued their usual ‘friendly’ banter and the crocodiles persisted in ramming the door, Whisker chanced a sneak peek over the rock to see where he was.

  He was at the edge of a round cave, similar in size to the lake cavern but much higher. Flaming torches hung suspended from its walls to create a warm, even glow. The equipment that lay strewn across the floor told Whisker they had stumbled upon the coin mint.

  There were hammers for metal beating, crucibles for casting and a roll mill for flattening. Work benches lay scattered with blank iron coins and sheets of gold leaf. Sets of coining dies waited on anvils nearby, ready to strike the counterfeit coins with the Freeforian crest. Freshly cut chunks of banana wood, leaves and all, were piled high in one corner, while barrels of water stood in another.

  In the centre of the cave, beyond a large pile of spades, was a truly imposing sight. It was a massive lava pillar, a hollow tube of rock, extending from the floor of the cave to the ceiling.

  Set into the pillar’s wide base was an enormous, wood-fuelled furnace, strewn with ashes. The upper two-thirds of the pillar acted as a chimney, drawing smoke from the furnace and sending it billowing out of the crater.