by Green Dc
‘What’re we waiting for?’ Bruce pounced on the pile, ramming gold coins into his every orifice. ‘I’m the richest spider in the worrrrrld!’
A mad scramble followed. Jaak morphed extra pockets, cramming them until his back bowed. Even I couldn’t resist choosing a few dozen choice diamonds: to help pay off the rest of the royal debts, of course. Greta, robe bulging, rolled her eyes when she noticed my Monster Guide (35th Edition) still at the bottom of my backpack.
‘It is done,’ said Kalthazari. ‘Stand clear.’
Confused, we edged behind the dragon.
‘Destruct.’
Massive grinding echoed, emanating the tang of bronze and fishy oil. The rock slab beneath the golden pile inched up from the earth on ancient machinery. More grinding crunched. The rock slab rolled towards the lava lake. The farthest side lifted, centimetre by centimetre, tilting the slab.
A loose jewel slid into the lava.
Three coins followed.
‘No way!’ cried Bruce.
‘This one bids you farewell the greatest hoard in history: the Golden Fleece, the Atlantean sceptres of succession, crown jewels from 10,000 royal families, every enduring Fabergé egg, priceless artefacts from long-dead Zoroastrians, Mayans, Byzantines, dwarfish smiths, Martian engineers and countless tonnes more.’
‘Adios!’ The word choked in Bruce’s throat.
The first dribble of riches became a jewel-slide as coins and necklaces tumbled over each other in a headlong rush towards the lava. Heavier golden pieces sank in a swirl of glowing bubbles. Lighter gemstones perched atop the lava, glowing and sinking more slowly. When the final crown hit the lake, Kalthazari’s mattress trove was no more.
The empty stone slab whirred again, sliding back into place.
Veins in Greta’s neck danced a cha-cha-cha.
‘Presumably you are wondering where to find this one’s eggs?’
‘That had crossed my mind,’ I admitted. ‘Amongst other things.’
‘Approach this one.’ I glanced at my friends, but their blank faces suggested the instruction was for my mind only.
I gulped and crept towards Kalthazari, remembering Weepnot’s fate. The dragon placed a single claw upon my forehead, surprisingly lightly. Was this some weird ceremonial–
Whoa!
Golden light shimmied along Kalthazari’s arm, twisted round her claw and dived into my mind. Knowledge … rushed! As if gazing from the heavens, I saw: cosmic debris drift together to form a sphere spinning through blackness, volcanoes swell and erupt from the world’s youthful skin, life twitch and pulse in steaming lakes and seas, and surge forth across the spreading continents, and dragons – rising. Magnificent and many-hued, the great monsters ruled for eras. They witnessed dinosaurs rise and fall and humans do likewise. I glimpsed a distant realm that called to the dragons in a voice they alone understood, that could only be opened when a dragon crazily more massive than Kalthazari performed some act beyond my comprehension. In that realm, I sensed all the dragons of this world and other worlds (!) existing in states of peace and harmony, broken only by a waiting. A longing. For their alpha sister. For the final hatchlings. I saw Kalthazari cradling her eggs as if they were more precious than any gems of legend in her trove, each as large as an orc gripping his knees, blue-green, speckled … dormant … taken from her – lost. I felt her centuries-spanning sadness, her anger, her aching loneliness, her retreat into the depths of this mountain.
Honeyed words seeped through my mind, ancient, secret words – the language of dragons! Power coursed through my arteries – golden power! My mind swelled, expanded, fit to burst! Or go mad! I–
Slumped to the earth.
I don’t know how long I kneeled at the leading claw of Kalthazari before words of my lesser language finally passed my lips. ‘What … just … happened?’
‘You endured.’ I felt Kalthazari smile inside my thoughts.
My head throbbed, but I no longer felt pain from my broken toes or other injuries. ‘I …’
‘Know that this one has imbued you with a fraction of her potency. You are now part-human and part-dragon. With practice, you shall be able to communicate with animals and dragons utilising only your mind. Other gifts may materialise in the fullness of time. Use them wisely. Find this one’s younglings. Lead your people, and Monstro City, with equal wisdom. This one would–’
Kalthazari clutched at her stomach and doubled over. When she looked up, her eyes were clouded.
‘Indigestion?’ asked Bruce.
‘The poison?’ asked Greta.
‘Aye. Know that this one must depart to the Isle of Giants while yet she may. You must also vacate, for even now the leading goblin raiders penetrate Fire Mountain.’
‘Vacate?’ Bruce’s voice rose to the edge of freaking out. ‘Vacate in what? We ain’t winged!’
Kalthazari pointed to the lake’s opposite shore. ‘Know that there is a tunnel, hidden from mere eyesight. It leads to a labyrinth, full of traps, emerging on the far side of the mountain.’
Bruce gulped. ‘You don’t mean …?’
‘Aye. The tunnel shall lead you into the Dead Quadrant.’
While this revelation sank in, Kalthazari’s claws touched her chest. ‘This one bids you farewell!’
We reversed.
The dragon crouched and leaped above the lava lake. Thrashing her wings, she circled weakly, slowly rising with the shimmering updraft.
‘Wait!’ I cried. ‘What about …?’
Jaak, looking like a miniature, wrinkled version of Kalthazari (with pockets), flapped one arm for attention. ‘Hate to party-poop. But Klusk’s raiders? Will be here. Pronto. You know, expecting to find a pile of gold? And a dragon corpse? You know, one they can strip of dragonium? Although when they turn up? All that? Rolled! Who do you ken they’ll blame?’
‘Aheh … pixies?’ Bruce tried to joke.
‘Us! And the gob bounty hunters? You know, with the sniffer were-dogs? Already chasing me. Although now? The dragon delivery team? They’ll have described you chums. You know, to the whole monster world! There’ll be massive bounties. On all your heads! Our heads! You bet. And wait till they discover? We have the human king! You know, with us!’
Bruce cocked his head and held up a pincer for quiet. ‘Uh, oh.’
The faintest sound of clanking reverberated down Weepnot’s tunnel.
Jaak’s forehead blossomed sweat. ‘The gob army!’
‘In other words: run!’ Greta broke into a sprint.
We sprinted after her, into the glare and heat radiating from the lava lake.
‘Can this day suck harder?’ wheezed Bruce.
My thoughts also raced. The Dead Zone. Long-lost dragon eggs. A goblin army out for revenge. Were-dogs who could track us anywhere. A labyrinth, full of traps. My brother, a vampire? My mother, emerging from her drugged coma – me, not there. The world, on a deadline. Me, the key, a strange new power lurking inside me, blood filling my footsteps –
My mind boiled like the lava lake.
EPILOGUE
Bonus Chapter from City of Monsters:
Book Two
Mafia Goblins Rule!
PART 1: THE DEAD ZONE
‘You are SO making me a rancid hippocow stew when we bust outta here!’
1: MAZING
We ran!
Shouting echoed behind us. One fang-gnashing goblin army!
I spun, but the heat haze glare drowned my distance vision and made my eyes water.
High above the lake, specks sparkled as if the lava was creating fireworks. Nah, not fireworks. The specks enlarged – heading towards us! Most burned up. A few angled towards our lake trail.
‘Arrows!’ I yelled.
Bruce swung his giant spider body down the half-pipe track that ran around the lake’s edge. Jaak used his shape-shifting skills to merge against the volcano wall. Greta crawled into the hollow where Kalthazari’s treasure once sprawled. I dived after the forest goblin. Blazing arrows clatter
ed around us.
I squinted. With his bendy javelin legs, the spider loped hundreds of metres ahead.
‘Bruce!’ I shouted. ‘You’ve gone too far! BRUCE!’ I pointed and ran towards the curve of wall between us.
Everyone followed, Greta eying me quizzically. The section we aimed for seemed like nothing more than a continuation of the rock face. Yet up close, we could see a piece of wall that jutted out slightly, camouflaging a cave entrance.
‘How’d you figure that was there?’ wheezed Bruce. ‘Oh, yo – secret new dragon superpowers.’ He pulled a wise and ancient face. ‘Oooh!’
The air lit up with arrows. In the distance, shapes materialised from the haze: the big, head-stomping goblin army!
‘Hurry!’ I led the way into the cave-tunnel.
Whoa! It was utterly dark. The image of the lava lake outside flickered in my mind’s eye. Greta stumbled into my backside. Jaak entered, clutching a blazing brazier.
‘Cool,’ said Bruce. ‘Where’d you score the light?’
‘I’m burning,’ said Jaak. ‘You know, my excess fat. Now? Let’s exit this tunnel! Pronto. You know, before this fiery diet cooks my organs!’ The shape-shifter set off down the tunnel – and vanished!
‘A trap!’ I yelled.
Bruce fired out webs, snaring Jaak. Thwip! The spider skidded towards the dead-fall trap, grunted, and hauled Jaak back up over the edge. ‘You are SO making me a rancid hippocow stew when we bust outta here!’
‘I’ll lead the way.’ I edged around the exposed trap. A dozen metres below, skeletons of all shapes and sizes sagged on glistening spikes. ‘Be careful.’
‘Duh,’ said Greta.
The tunnel branched.
‘Left,’ said Jaak. ‘Always turn left! You know, in a labyrinth. Or is that right?’
I jogged left. Ahead, dark shapes skittered out of sight.
‘Duck!’ I shouted.
Everyone ducked.
A battering ram swung out of the shadows at head height. From the spiked end, four multi-limbed skeletons dragged, clattering over us. The ram slammed into the far wall, jarring loose a rain of dust upon our heads.
‘Nasty.’
The maze wove on through the mountain. Many times we were forced to climb across yawning chasms using Bruce’s webbing. Thankfully, Kalthazari had somehow transferred knowledge into my mind of how to avoid the various dead-falls, wall-crushes, roof-collapses, hurtling spears and other assorted death-traps.
The pursuing goblin army wasn’t so fortunate. Every few minutes, the tunnels reverberated with hideously choked-off death screams, the grinding of rock or the fwipping and thwacking of several hundred arrows releasing and striking their targets.
After a few hours, I realised I hadn’t heard any sounds of pursuit for a while. I wondered how Kalthazari could know the details of this route, for she couldn’t fit an ankle through these tunnels, let alone the rest of her massive dragon body. I guessed Weepnot the now-dead wyvern had been in charge of trap maintenance.
Joing! Another trap triggered. An armoured skeleton fired out of the wall, driving a rusty sword at my midriff. I side-stepped. Shiiik! As the sword sheared off a seaweed curl from my swamp monster costume, I reminded myself I had more pressing worries.
‘Did anyone bring water?’ asked Greta. ‘My mouth is dry.’
‘I ditched my drink-bottles to pack more golden booty into my secret storage booty areas,’ said Bruce. ‘Be funny if we all cark rich and dehydrated!’
‘Hilariously ironic,’ said Greta.
I passed the forest goblin my almost empty canteen. It was completely empty when she passed it back.
The further we advanced, the dimmer Jaak’s torch burned. ‘Are you okay?’ I asked as the shape-shifter leaned against the wall.
‘I’m consuming a kidney,’ Jaak answered. ‘Let’s just roll. You know, out of here.’
Finally, we rounded a corner and the curve of tunnel ahead lightened from black to barely perceptible. With each new corner, the light increased, until we came to …
A metal grate! Completely blocking the tunnel!
‘Nnnno!’ Bruce groaned, and spun to face me. ‘There’s gotta be some sort of clicky button to make this sucker disappear. Ain’t there?’
‘Um …’
Jaak rattled the grate. ‘It’s solid! I can make myself especially skinny. You know, and slither through. Although you chums? Will remain trapped.’
I punched the grate with my bionic fist. Chacrrrung! ‘Ow.’
‘Leg back!’ Bruce plastered the gate with webbing. ‘I’m the superhero called Man-spider! A spider with the strength of a hume! Nrrrgh!’ He strained and pulled until his eight shoulders slumped. ‘Which means … I ain’t got nothin’.’
‘My turn, double-negative spider.’ Greta pushed Bruce aside. ‘Everyone, close your eyes.’
‘I ain’t closin’ my 128 peepers,’ Bruce grumbled. ‘You figure how much energy that takes?’
‘Close your moronic eyes!’ Greta raged. ‘Or I’ll jab them with a stick, one by one!’
‘Chill, snarky! Don’t get your army knickers in a knot. Peepers closin’. Sheesh.’
I closed my eyes, but not entirely. Through the gloom between my lashes, I watched the tiny goblin reach out. Holding a large emerald, her slender grass-green fingers brushed the grate. She mumbled something and …
SHAM! Light flashed.
Whoa!
Cha-chunnng! The grate juddered into a hidden recess in the roof. A gap yawned wide, about one-and-a-half metres high.
‘How the web?’ Bruce vibrated, gobsmacked.
Greta strolled under the grate, dust curling from her fingers. Jaak ducked through. Bruce exhaled and squeezed into the gap. ‘Nrrgh!’ he strained. ‘Stuck again! Lucky … I’m so … skinny-assed … on this questly … starvation diet!’ He burst through, bowling over Jaak and Greta.
Chung-a-chung! The gate chattered downwards. I dropped and rolled. The leading spikes lurched towards my face. I kicked myself through and felt the tear of material as the spikes impaled the backside of my swamp monster costume.
Rrrrrip!
Bruce tore me free and whooped, ‘Sayonara, Fire Mountain! We made it out alive!’
‘Apart from our poor king’s monster bottom.’ Greta actually smiled. ‘Nice underpants, BTW.’
‘And apart from Zorg,’ I muttered.
‘Awww, our zombie bud was already dead.’ Bruce turned to gaze over the bleak landscape. ‘And speaking of the recently carked …’
‘The Dead Quarter,’ said Jaak. ‘Morpho’s nostrils, I hate this place.’ The shape-shifter’s eyes narrowed. His body transformed into the image of … Zorg? Complete with empty eyesocket, scabs, no lips and tattered clothes. Noticing our shocked stares, Jaak shrugged. ‘It’s always handy. You know, to blend in.’
Bruce sniffed. ‘You might peep like a dead dumb-ass, but you smell … seriously, sorta edible.’
‘Ahem. I’m always jazzed, chum. You know, by your gags!’ Jaak sidled away from the salivating spider.
I peered over Greta’s shoulder at the dragon delivery compass she held. Though I estimated the time to be early afternoon, the view seemed gloomier than dusk. Beneath a swathe of clouds stretching from the mountain behind us to the distant horizon lay barren fields speckled with crosses.
‘Now what?’ asked Bruce. ‘I vote we find somewhere cosy and doze – for a day or three.’
‘Sorry, chum,’ said Jaak. ‘I’m knackered too. But we have to keep rolling. Those gobs? When they blunder through? You know, Big K’s maze? I don’t want to be around. You know, to find out. The only itsy-safe time? You know, to travel through the Dead Quarter? Day, chums. At night? Things get really creepy. You bet. So let’s walk. You know, while we talk.’
Jaak set off southwest, towards the guts of the Dead Zone.
‘Wrong way.’ I pointed at the chain of mountains jagging away from us to the west, surely leading towards the heart of Monstro City. ‘We must return t
o Castle Mount. As the new king, I have duties. The school library will be the best place to research dragon eggs. Most importantly, my mother could have woken up. I need to be there! And following the mountains west has to be the fastest way.’
‘That way?’ said Jaak. ‘We meet dead monsters. You know, AND mountain monsters!’
‘We are supposed to search for Kalthazari’s dragon eggs.’ Greta pointed at the dark wood sprawling to our left, veiled in mist. ‘Forests are an ideal pocket to hide secrets.’
‘Yeah,’ I agreed. ‘The dragon eggs are our next priority.’ Though I had no idea where to start such a search.
Jaak backed away. ‘Any search of Grimwood? Especially short. You know why? We’d all be dead!’
‘Chill.’ Bruce bounced in front of us. ‘You gang blow-ins own no clue sometimes. Our first goal should be busting Scarab free from the hypnotised state Jaakie here ditched her bandaged mummy ass in.’
‘But we haven’t time!’ I protested.
Bruce loomed over me. ‘First up: Scarab’s our gang member and we ain’t leavin’ her behind behind. Second: she’s kick-butt strong. And third: she’s dead! A bit of local know-how would be most handiful! And fourth: I’m getting my mad on. And you two-legs don’t wanna peep me when I–’
‘Okay!’ I raised both arms. ‘You had me at “Second”. You’re right, of course. Scarab would never abandon us. And away from the watchful mountains will surely be … safer. I’m sorry I was impatient. I guess, while we’re in the neighbourhood, we should pick up Stoker too?’
The others stared at me like I’d just turned into a giant skunk.
‘Smart,’ said Greta. ‘Let’s visit the underground Necropolis where Stoker resides with TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VAMPIRES! Tens of thousands of vampires who DREAM OF DRINKING HUMAN BLOOD! Smart indeed, HUMAN, in your RIDDLED-WITH-HOLES MONSTER SUIT!’
‘You had me at “TENS OF THOUSANDS”.’ I turned to Jaak. ‘Okay. Which way to Scarab’s home?’