“Do you want to go up on the stage, Trix?” Tracey asked, with some astonishment.
Trix bit her lip in agitation. “I'd love to,” she admitted, “but all those people would stare. Suppose they threw things at me!”
“They’re not going to throw things at you, honey,” Tracey declared, giving Trix a comforting hug. “They’d better not, anyway! I'll tell you what. I'll go up there with you, okay?”
Trix awarded Tracey a grateful smile for her participation. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’d feel so much better if you were there, too.”
And so, hand in hand, Tracey and Trix made their way up on the stage under the tolerant smile of the choirmaster. Thorn and I waved to them and they self-consciously waved back. The next song started with the added embellishment of the two new voices. Not surprisingly, no one else in the audience had volunteered to sing along. After a minute or two however, I discerned that the harmonies sounded subtly different. A new element had been added – a fragile, sweet, piercing soprano voice spiralling above all the other voices. I listened harder in order to differentiate and isolate this beautiful voice. Whoever it was, they had the voice of an angel. The tones were so pure, so radically brilliant and diamond sharp that I was astounded they could issue from a living throat. I was spellbound and, looking around, I could see that I wasn't the only one so affected. One by one, the choir voices fell away, enthralled and captivated into silence. I glanced across at Thorn who shrugged in bafflement. We returned our gaze back to the stage. Only a few of the choir were now singing, the rest of them staring, mesmerised, at the end of the front row where Trix and Tracey stood. Amazed, Tracey watched Trix, who was still singing, eyes closed and oblivious to everything around her. Finally, the last of the choir’s voices petered out, leaving an unaware Trix singing solo. Her voice was extraordinary. I'd never heard the like. Incredibly, and I don't know how, she sang harmonies by herself. I hadn't believed it was vocally possible to do so. Her voice soared and weaved, sparkled and glittered, entrancing everyone.
At long last, the lack of other voices must have penetrated Trix’s trance because her eyes opened and she stopped singing. She looked around in confusion at everyone's stares and began to blush in mortification. She desperately clutched Tracey's hand for protection as her eyes swivelled backwards and forwards in alarm. The choirmaster approached and Trix fearfully took refuge behind Tracey.
“He won't harm you, little one,” Tracey whispered, encouragingly. “You were amazing, by the way. I've never heard such beautiful singing in all of my life.”
The choirmaster stopped in front of Tracey and addressed Trix, who peered at him from behind Tracey’s reassuring form.
“Young lady,” he began, “you have the most incredible voice. Where on earth did you learn to sing like that? Who taught you?”
Tracey gave Trix an encouraging nudge, and Trix replied in a low, hesitant voice, “No one taught me, Sir. I learned to sing by myself to pass the time. There was no one to teach me, you see.”
“Well,” the choirmaster continued, “You have a remarkable gift, my child. Any time you want to sing with the choir you are more than welcome. In fact, we'd be honored if you did. And if you ever want to join the choir on a permanent basis, just let me know.”
Tracey beamed at him and triumphantly led a relieved, but still timid, Trix back to where we were sitting, accompanied by the rapt stares of the other audience members. We gathered around Trix, snowing her under with our congratulations until she squirmed in embarrassment.
Chapter 9
Trix appeared keen to retreat from the spotlight, so we departed the music hall, but word must have spread at supersonic speed because, before we'd even walked a few blocks, Ones who hadn't even been at the concert stopped and stared openly at our companion. She shyly huddled against Tracey, trying to shrink herself into invisibility. We increased our walking speed in an endeavour to gain the security of our house. Once we had reached it, and thankfully shut the door on the wondering gapes of perfect strangers, we all breathed a sigh of relief. However, waiting for us, we found Phil, carrying a verbal message from the Council of Elders.
“What do they want now?” Thorn demanded.
Phil shrugged. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “They didn't say.”
“They'd better not be trying to take Trix away again,” Tracey announced, fiercely.
“Maybe they heard about her singing,” I suggested.
“Well, whatever it is,” Phil advised, “you won't learn their intentions by staying here.”
“Good point,” Thorn agreed. “Let's go and see what they want.”
“Yes, let's just do that,” Tracey proclaimed, determinedly.
We were granted an audience with the Elders and stood before them in anticipation. Tracey glared at them belligerently, one arm possessively around Trix’s shoulders. A few of the Elders smiled indulgently at Tracey’s expression.
“There's no need to be alarmed,” one of the Elders proclaimed in a gentle voice. “We've called you here to warn you.”
“Of what?” I asked, my stomach muscles shivering a little.
“This isn't something we want the general populace to know,” the Elder continued. “It would cause a panic and that's the last thing we would want to occur. But, because of your unique ……. background, Stephen, and because you've already achieved wonders for the One already, we desire you, if you're willing, to investigate this situation for us.” The Elder fell silent and glanced across to his companions. He appeared loath to speak further, but the others, with unspoken urgings, exhorted him to finish.
“We believe we have a bohammey loose in the community,” he reluctantly told us. Immediately, Thorn and Tracey gasped.
“That's impossible!” Thorn shouted in denial. “I don't believe you!”
“Impossible, no,” the Elder disagreed. “Improbable, yes.”
“What are they talking about?” I whispered to Tracey. “Is it an animal? Is it dangerous? And why is Thorn so upset about it?”
“It's a child’s myth,” Tracey explained in a low voice. “A nightmare figure, used to frighten children into behaving. ‘Clean your room or the bohammey will get you’, sort of thing. No one believes it exists. Except children, of course.” She raised her voice and addressed the Elders. “Do you have any proof of this?” she asked. “I presume it's more than idle speculation.”
“We do have some circumstantial evidence,” one of the Elders said, “and an eyewitness account.”
“And what’s this circumstantial evidence?” Thorn sneered.
“The remains of an eaten child,” the Elder said with revulsion.
“A what?” Thorn whispered, her face suddenly ashen. “You mean ……. You can't be serious!....... A child …….. No!”
“I'm afraid it's true,” we were told.
“But a child …….?” Tracey began, clutching at Trix. “I think I'm going to be sick!”
“What did this eyewitness have to say?” I asked.
“It was only a fleeting glimpse,” one of the Elders informed me. “He said it was huge, hairy, ran on all fours but occasionally stood erect on two, had enormous fangs and sprang from rock to rock with amazing agility. And, oh yes, it had a tail.”
Trix shuddered and pressed herself closer against Tracey. “It sounds like a demon from the underworld,” she whispered in a horrified voice.
“Actually,” I stated, thoughtfully, “it sounds very similar to something I’ve seen.”
“You’ve seen demons?” Trix asked, disbelievingly.
“I don't think it's a demon,” I reassured her. “They're only figments of people's imagination. No, this has a more mundane explanation. I believe what we have here may be a lost baboon.”
“A baboon?” Tracey questioned. “What's that? And how did it get here?”
“Baboons are large primates of the monkey family,” I explained. “They live in groups and are very aggressive and territorial. They eat anything they can fi
nd. At a guess, I'd say that one of them has wandered into your caverns and become lost. In the meantime, it's doing what it can to …….. survive.”
“By eating children?” Thorn exclaimed, appalled.
“It doesn't know any better,” I soothed. “The fact that it's featured in your folklore to scare children shows that there’ve been other cases over the years.”
“That's all very well,” Tracey demanded, “but what are we supposed to do about it?”
I scratched my head. “I'm not too sure,” I reflected. “It's just a guess on my part, after all. But if I'm correct, what I’d do would be to track it down and drive it back outside. If there’s a way in, then there must be a way out.”
“Why don't we just kill it?” Thorn challenged. “A child is dead!”
“It's just an animal, Thorn,” I disagreed. “It simply followed its instincts. Besides, baboons are incredibly fierce and very difficult to kill. I think there'd be a lot more deaths before we could accomplish your plan.” Thorn fumed and fretted, but the Elders agreed with my decision not to form a vigilante committee.
“We don't want any further deaths,” they informed Thorn. In the end, it was decided that I should be in charge of the expedition and could requisition anything and anybody I needed to achieve our goal.
As we left the Elders residence, Tracey desperately grasped my arm. “For heaven’s sake, Stephen,” she urged, “be careful! I can't bear the thought of you being hurt. This ……. baboon of yours sounds dangerous.”
I looked at her anxious face and smiled encouragingly. “I'll be careful,” I assured her. “I'm not the type to take unnecessary risks.”
“Well, you're here with me, aren't you?” she countered, coyly. “That's a pretty big risk on your part already, you know.”
“You cheeky thing!” I murmured.
Our banter hadn't gone unnoticed by Thorn who scowled at us. “Stop flirting, Traculimna!” Thorn snapped.
“Oh, hush up!” Tracey retaliated. “Honestly, Arugohumna, anybody would think you owned Stephen or something. We were just talking. Lighten up, girl. You take everything so seriously!”
“And you don't take it seriously enough!” Thorn angrily responded. “You think life is all parties and fun! Well, it isn't! A child is dead, Traculimna! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Do you have to make a joke about every single thing?”
“How dare you accuse me of not having feelings!” Tracey shouted back. “You've gone too far this time, Arugohumna! You and your doom and gloom! I'm tired of you and your bossy ways! You can't tell me how to live my life! Just because you don't know how to laugh, doesn't mean you can force your depressing views onto everybody else. Stay away from me, Arugohumna! I mean it!”
The tension was building into cyclonic dimensions until Trix diffused it by the simple act of bursting into tears. “Please stop fighting,” she pleaded. “I can't stand it when you fight.”
Instantly, the atmosphere geared back down to normal. “Look what you did!” Tracey accused, cuddling Trix. “You made her cry!”
“It wasn't me,” Thorn insisted. “You're the one who upset her.”
“Don't listen to her,” Tracey crooned, tenderly holding Trix’s head to her chest. “Don't cry, little one. The big, mean Arugohumna didn't mean it.”
“Hey!” Thorn exclaimed.
“Do we have to go through this every time?” I questioned, querulously. “Can't we have one day of peace? We have to plan what to do. I suggest that we recruit Nix. He's a professional hunter, after all. Thorn? You'll be coming along?”
“Try and stop me,” she pledged.
“I want to go as well,” Trix piped up.
“No!” Tracey cried, tightening her grip on Trix’s slight body. “I won't let you! You’re too young! You're just a baby!”
Trix pulled out of Tracey arms. “I'm sorry, Traculimna,” Trix told her, softly, “but this is preordained.” She looked into Tracey's grieving eyes and murmured, “You treat me like your own daughter, and I love you for it, but I'm not a child, you know. I may look like one, but I'm really an adult. I’ve survived it the wilderness nearly all my life and you have to be tough to do that. I don't want to hurt you, my adoptive mother, but this is something I have to do. A child has been killed and I can't just stand by and do nothing. Please tell me that you understand?”
Tracey gazed lovingly at Trix. “Of course I understand, precious,” she said, her voice brimming with emotion. “Sometimes I forget that you're not a child, but please be careful! As far as I'm concerned, you are my daughter and I'll always think of you that way.”
Trix rushed to Tracey and hugged her fiercely. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I don't remember my real mother, but if she was anything like you, then I regard myself as being fortunate indeed. I love you.”
“And I love you, too, my darling,” Tracey told her, kissing the top of her head. Then she looked over at Thorn. “Make sure you look after her!” she threatened.
“I will,” Thorn promised, softly. “You're not the only one who loves her.”
“We'll need her wilderness skills,” I told Tracey. “And Trix is a survivor, remember that.”
“Make sure you all come back to me,” Tracey ordered, her eyes filling with tears.
“We'll try our hardest,” I pledged.
Chapter 10
We set off to collect Nix.
“How do you propose to force this animal to go where we want it to?” Thorn asked.
“We’re going to use burning torches,” I replied. “Animals are afraid of fire, so we'll wave the torches in front of its face and, with a bit of luck, that’ll be enough.”
“You hope,” Thorn said, dubiously.
“I know so,” I announced confidently, although a part of me agreed with Thorn. If the baboon, if that's what it really was, became overly aggressive, then it might even brave the fire to attack us. I mentally shrugged. It was no use making plans at this stage. We’d have to wait and see what eventuated.
We met up with Nix and explained what was happening, inviting him to join us. He immediately agreed and we gathered a bunch of torches and set off to where the mystery intruder had been spotted. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long as I had to return to my human body in the not too distant future. Life in Fairyland was nothing if not adventurous, but it was very uneven. My human existence seemed as flat and dull as bathwater by comparison. Chasing a probable baboon? It didn’t get much stranger than that.
Arriving at the spot where the eyewitness had said he saw the intruder, we allowed Trix and Nix to take over and to apply their tracking skills. They spread out, looking for signs. I wasn't all that hopeful, because the scenery was mainly rock and that left very little marks of passage. However, I'd underestimated the abilities my companions because, in a short time, they'd found a trail. They pointed out various scuff marks and clues that I could barely even see, and we followed those to a small cave.
“In there!” Nix hissed.
“We have to flush it out,” Trix observed, taking a step forward. “I'm going in.”
“Oh no, you're not,” I disagreed, halting her progress. “Tracey would tear strips off me if I let you go in there.”
“Someone has to,” she argued, trying to pull out of my grip, “and I’m the best qualified.”
“Perhaps,” I solemnly reflected, “but you're the one we can least afford to lose.”
“Well, who’s going in, then?” Trix asked, rebelliously.
“I am, of course,” I replied. “I know the most about baboons, if you remember. But first things first. We have to discover where he came in if we’re going to chase him back out again. Let's scout around and see if we can find the outside entrance to this tunnel. It can't be all that far.”
And so, dragging a reluctant Trix, we looked for a way out of the underground labyrinth of tunnels. It turned out to be not that difficult after all because, following a ten minute search, we emerged into the outside world. Gratefully, I breathed i
n the fresh air and gloried in the sunshine. I suddenly realised how much I missed the surface world. Something in me rebelled against crawling around in tunnels like a mole. It simply wasn't natural for a human. And that gave birth to a disturbing notion. My idea of a permanent residence with either Tracey or Thorn became less feasible. Would I be able to tolerate a lifetime of staying underground? I doubted it, although I might gradually build up a tolerance. Still, that remained a question for another time. We had a probable wild baboon to deal with first.
“Why doesn't your baboon go back to where it belongs?” Thorn questioned. “We didn’t have much trouble finding the entrance, so it should be able to as well.”
I shrugged. “It's a bit of a mystery,” I reflected. “Baboons are social animals, so I’m rather surprised he doesn't try to find his own troop. Unless, of course, they drove him out for some reason or other. Anyway, we know where to make him go now, so let's get on with it.”
We retraced our steps back to the cave and I issued some last-minute instructions.
“I'll lure him out. The rest of you be ready with the lighted torches. Wave them in front of his face and advance slowly. Hopefully, the threat will trigger a memory of how he got in here in the first place and he'll use it as a safe means of escape from the flames. Wish me luck.”
Thorn stepped up to me and said earnestly, “Stephen, please be careful in there! This thing, whatever it is, has already killed someone and is likely to do so again, and I don't want you to be hurt. So please, for my sake, come back to me. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you.” She looked into my eyes intently for a few seconds, then bent her head and kissed me passionately. Her action startled me momentarily, but I recovered and responded as best I could under the circumstances. I could almost feel Nix rolling his eyes as we clinched, but I was too involved with the exquisite sensation of Thorn's lips on mine and her bodily nearness to care. After a delightful interval, Thorn pulled out of my arms, grasped my shoulders and shook me gently.
Trix (3) (The Underground Kingdom) Page 4