Pitfall (5) (The Underground Kingdom)

by Steve Elliott

  “Pretty far-fetched,” Thorn observed. “But a lot of your weird theories have proven to be true in the past. What do you propose to do now?”

  “I'm not sure,” I mused. “We can't tell Trix of my suspicions, that's for sure. She’d never talk to us again. Even if we had solid proof, she still wouldn't believe us. People in love are the hardest people to convince of anything.”

  “Like us,” Thorn murmured, leaning against me.

  “Exactly like us,” I agreed, caressing the back of her neck. “Nobody can tell us anything.”

  * See ‘Trix (3)’

  Chapter 10

  Thorn and I returned home to be greeted by Tracy.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  “Nothing incriminating,” I shrugged, “but the uncle is short of stock and desperate to get more. He’s money hungry and I had the distinct impression he’d do anything to add to his bank balance. Also, he has an unholy and disturbing interest in elf artefacts.”

  “And what has that to do with Trix?” Tracey peevishly enquired.

  “I swear, the One are such innocents!” I sighed resignedly. “You two are like lost babes in the woods. Now, if you had a nasty mind like mine, you’d be jumping to all sorts of malicious conclusions right now.” I paused, ruefully rubbing my chin. “Actually, I love your ingenuousness. It’s part of your overall charm. I much prefer it to the suspicious and dark nature of my human compatriots.”

  “Now that’s what I call a mixed compliment,” Thorn remarked wryly.

  “It's what I do best,” I joked.

  “So, what you're saying is that Janoma is chasing my baby simply to get his hands on cogdommina artefacts?” Tracey reiterated in a shocked voice.

  “That about sums it up,” I confirmed, “although, as stated previously, I could be totally wrong about his motives.”

  “That's preposterous!” Tracey exploded. “No One would be so callous, so unfeeling, so …… so horrible! It doesn't bear thinking about. To play with a person's affections simply for material gain ….. No, I can't believe it. I won't believe it!”

  “I understand your revulsion, sweetheart,” I told her, “but it's worthwhile considering, just in case.”

  “Surely you're not going to tell my baby about your suspicions, are you?” Tracey asked, disbelievingly.

  “Of course not,” I reassured her. “She wouldn't believe a word I said, anyway.”

  “And I wouldn't blame her in the least,” Tracey affirmed. “I don't believe it for a second myself.”

  “Suit yourself,” I shrugged, “but if Janoma asks Trix to go searching for lost artefacts or something in the near future, would you believe me then?”

  “Maybe,” Tracey grunted, doubtfully. “It’d certainly strengthen your case, I suppose, but I just can't see it happening.”

  “Well, if it doesn't happen,” I replied, “then I'll quite cheerfully admit that I was absolutely, and unequivocally, wrong. Satisfied?”

  “Not a totally adequate punishment, really,” Tracey announced with a smile, “but it'll have to do. If it was up to me, I'd devise something more fitting.”

  “Such as?” I asked.

  “Oh, it'd be a retribution so horrendous that the very stones themselves would cry out in anguish,” Tracey extolled with biblical fervour. “A chastisement ghastly enough that future generations would speak of it in horrified whispers.”

  “Are you done?” I asked, laughing at her brief moment of impromptu madness.

  “I think so,” she replied.

  “And this punishment of yours is taking place, when?” I questioned.

  “Sometime soon,” she promised.

  “And in the meantime?”

  She grinned at me. “In the meantime,” she answered, “we'll adjourn to the bedroom and you can await your punishment there.”

  “Now that's a punishment I’ll willingly undergo,” I remarked, taking her hand.

  “Hey, what about me?” Thorn demanded.

  “You can't come,” I told her as I led Tracey towards the staircase.

  “Yes, you can,” I whispered in Thorn’s ear. (You see how confusing this is?) “I’ll dole out your punishment if you like.”

  “You wicked thing!” Thorn giggled, capturing my arm. “But it's a good idea. Why should those two have all the fun?”

  “Beats me,” I said, angling her face towards me and kissing her ardently.

  “Why are we still down here?” Thorn murmured once our lips had parted.

  “Beats me,” I repeated. Bending down, I lifted Thorn bodily in my arms and strode towards the staircase.

  “You animal!” she whispered, passionately kissing my cheek. “What do you think you're doing? Put me down at once!”

  “If you think I'm going to put you down and give you a chance to escape, then you're crazy,” I announced, tickling her under the ribs. “No, I've got you now and I'm not going to let you go.”

  “You're mad,” Thorn giggled. “Are all humans as insane as you?”

  “Only the ones in love,” I informed her. “The rest of us are fairly normal.”

  “That must make me mad as well,” Thorn murmured, draping her hands around my neck, “because I'm totally in that state.”

  “Then that must make us the maddest couple on the planet,” I affirmed, turning my head and kissing her ear.

  Chapter 11

  I must have at least some psychic ability because a few days after our …….. ahem, ‘punishments’, Trix waltzed in and announced that she and Janoma going for a trip into the wilderness.

  “Why?” Thorn asked, glancing meaningfully at me.

  “Oh, it's just a simple camping expedition,” Trix casually replied. “Nothing to write home about.”

  “Really?” Tracey enquired, with a frown. “Are you sure?”

  “What do you mean?” Trix asked, defensively.

  “Well, we thought that maybe ……… I mean, Stephen had this idea that …….. I know it's silly, but ……… um ……. ” Tracey fidgeted and stammered, her voice eventually trailing away into uncertainty.

  “What are you trying to say, Mother?” Trix demanded. “Is there some problem with me going on this trip with Janoma?”

  “Not a problem as such, my darling,” Tracey fussed. “Not as such. It’s just something that Stephen said.”

  “And what did you say?” Trix wanted to know, glaring at me. “What's going on here? Somebody tell me something, for heaven's sake! Is it about me? Is it about Janoma? I love him, you know, and I won't let anyone come between us.”

  “I was afraid of that,” I muttered to Thorn. “Now what do we tell her?”

  “The truth, I suppose,” Thorn whispered back. “She already suspects that something’s going on anyway.”

  Isn’t that just great! Now I was going to be painted as the bad guy when all I wanted was to look after Trix’s welfare. At least, I hoped I was. The poor thing fancied herself in love, and I was about to shatter her dreams. Or try to, at any rate. In all likelihood, she wouldn't listen to me. I wished that Tracey had been a little more tactful about broaching the subject, however. Just blurting it out like that probably wasn’t perhaps the best route to take. Slow and steady might have worked better. Ah well, too late now. Okay, what was I going to say? ‘Trix, honey, I think your boyfriend is a sleazy crook and he's just using you.’ No, not really. Somehow I didn’t see that as the best approach to take.

  “I'm waiting,” Trix impatiently proclaimed. “If you have something to tell me, Stephen, I'd like to hear it.”

  “I'm simply a little concerned, is all, sweetie,” I told her. “Has Janoma ever asked you about the history of your race?”

  “A few times,” she frowned. “So what? He just wanted to know my background.”

  “And this little expedition of yours?” I asked, carefully. “Might it have something to do with finding and searching old ruins?”

  “What if it does?” Trix asked, heatedly. “I'm curious to explore them myself. It�
��s something we have in common.”

  “Well, here's the problem,” I announced in a low, controlled voice. “I suspect that Janoma may be more interested in what you find in those ruins than anything else.”

  “And, by ‘anything else’ you mean me, I presume?” Trix posed angrily, patches of color blossoming on her cheeks.

  “I didn't say that,” I protested.

  “But that's what you meant, isn't it?” Trix persisted, her voice rising.

  “I just think you shouldn’t be too hasty where Janoma is concerned,” I declared, defensively. “Not everyone is as honest and open as you are, honey.”

  Trix spun around to face Thorn and Tracey. “And what do you think?” she challenged. “Do you go along with Stephen and think that Janoma is a slimy deadbeat whose only thought is to get what he can out of me?”

  “Hey, steady on!” I complained in an injured tone. “I didn't describe him like that at all!”

  “Well?” Trix insisted, ignoring me. “Do you agree with Stephen or not?”

  “No, of course not, sweetheart,” Tracey pleaded. “We don't think your boyfriend is anything like that. But, well, he does seem awfully interested in artefacts and his uncle does run an antique store, so perhaps …….. ”

  “I can't believe you all,” Trix said in a hurt voice. “Why are you doing this? I thought you'd be happy for me but instead, here you are, trying to make me miserable by making up these stories about the one I love. How could you? You're supposed to be my friends, and you ....., ” she stipulated, pointing directly at Tracey, “ ...... you’re supposed to be my mother! If your aim is to make me unhappy, congratulations, because you've achieved your goal.”

  “Darling, don't be like that!” Tracey begged. “We never meant to hurt you. I love you, you know that. I'm just a little worried, that's all.”

  “Listen, Mother,” Trix stated, “I'm not a child! I appreciate your worry but I know what I'm doing, okay? Janoma is mine, and we’re going on this expedition whether you like it or not. I don't want to hurt you either, but you have to let me live my own life.”

  “Of course, dearest,” Tracey sadly agreed. “I know you have your own life to live and I shouldn't be interfering, but it’s so hard not to look out for you. I'll always think of you as my baby and that's a tough habit to break.”

  “For heaven's sake, Traculimna,” Thorn sniffed contemptuously, “show some backbone for once in your life and tell her she can't go. I'm inclined to agree with Stephen. Janoma is definitely up to no good. Your daughter can't see it because he has her under his spell. Show a bit of discipline and make her stay at home. It's for her own good.”

  “Leave my baby alone!” Tracey cried, her Mother Bear persona immediately appearing. “My daughter is perfectly capable of looking after herself.”

  “My, that was a quick turnabout,” Thorn sneered. “Just a second ago you were saying she was too helpless to even dress herself properly.”

  “I did not!” Tracey vehemently denied. “Arugohumna, you're being mean! As usual.”

  “And what you mean by that?” Thorn demanded.

  “You're always bossing me around,” Tracey protested, “ever since we were children. You never appreciate anything I do, and you’re always criticising me. I can't do a single thing without you saying something nasty. What's wrong with you?”

  “Wrong with me?” spluttered a livid Thorn. “That's a laugh! You're the problem! Prancing around like a common floozy off the streets, thinking the world owes her a living. If it wasn't for me looking after you, the gods alone know what would have happened to you.”

  “Looking after me?” Tracey squealed in indignation. “Is that what you call it? Admit it, Arugohumna; you just like to order me around. You get off on it.”

  “Don't be ridiculous!” Thorn howled. “You're acting like a child!”

  “Well, so are you!” Tracey shouted. “The biggest, meanest, nastiest child that ever existed!”

  “Take that back!” Thorn screamed.

  “Make me!” yelled Tracey in reply.

  I glanced across at Trix’s horrified expression and winked at her. “Time to break up this little war, wouldn’t you say?” I asked.

  “Yes, for heaven’s sake,” she agreed wholeheartedly, “before they kill each other.”

  “Oh, it never comes to that,” I comforted, moving towards the two combatants. “You should know that by now. There's hardly even a bruise, but don't get caught in the crossfire, that's all. If you did, it's odds-on you probably wouldn't survive to see the next day.”

  Chapter 12

  Luckily, there was two of me now, so I paired off to my respective lovers, took a few seconds to determine the best approach, and then simply jumped on each of them. Thorn and Tracey squeaked in surprise as they tumbled separately to the floor, all thoughts of physical retaliation against each other instantly vanishing.

  “Stephen, what are you doing?” Tracey asked indignantly, as I lay on top of her.

  “Just a surprise attack,” I explained, smiling. “I had to do something to prevent the inevitable mayhem. This had the advantage of shock value.”

  “I suppose you’re right there,” she grimaced. “Now, get off me, you overweight wombat! You're crushing me.”

  “Are you absolutely sure you want that?” I grinned lasciviously, running a gentle and marvelling finger over her perfect features. Honestly, she seemed almost too beautiful. My very fingertip tingled as it touched her skin.

  “Well, maybe not,” she murmured, giving me a hesitant smile. “You're the very devil with that beguiling tongue of yours. Why do I even listen to you?”

  “Because you love me madly,” I replied with total confidence. “That's the only reason I can think of.”

  “It must be,” she confided, looking up at me with a fond expression. “There's no other possible reason. Now, get off me, you big lump.” I laughed and helped her to her feet.

  Meanwhile, I was having a very similar floor-level conversation with Thorn, but she proved to be a little more reluctant to let go of her anger.

  “My sister drives me crazy!” she confided, as we lay side by side. “Why does she always have to argue with me?”

  “To be precise, my lovely,” I smiled, “you argue with each other. It's not one-sided, you know. Arguing means that at least you’re relating to one another. Would you rather she ignored you and didn't talk at all?”

  “No, of course not,” Thorn said. “We've always been able to talk. Well, argue, really, I suppose, because we can never agree on anything.”

  “Not even about me?” I teased, tenderly combing back the midnight curls that had fallen across her forehead. “So, the truth finally comes out, does it?”

  “Don't be silly,” she admonished, taking my hand and kissing my palm. “You're about the only thing we can agree on.”

  “I'm a ‘thing’ now?” I questioned, grinning at her.

  “Yes, you are,” she agreed, surrounding my face with her warm, soft palms. “A sneaky, manipulative, devious, tricky, scheming, conniving, sly thing of the first order. Don't think I don't know what you're up to here. You're seducing me with your honeyed words to divert me from the fight with my sister.”

  “And is it working?” I asked, tickling her under the chin.

  “Yes, damn you,” she accused, “it is. Gods above, Stephen, I love you so much! You can divert me any time you want to.”

  “I'll bear it in mind,” I promised, kissing her delightfully pouting lips. “As if I needed any further excuse to do just that.”

  “You're such a rogue!” she charged, getting to her feet. “You shouldn't be allowed out in public.”

  “Agreed,” I told her, also arising to the perpendicular. “But we don't happen to be in public right now, therefore I can do what I like, isn't that so?”

  “You’re incorrigible,” she smiled.

  “Well, I guess it’s better than being a mere thing,” I remarked, wryly.

  Now that the immed
iate danger of open warfare was averted, I turned my attention to Trix.

  “Now, following the instigation of this most unseemly and disgraceful display of conflict,” I proposed, grinning, “let’s get back to the business on hand.” Tracey huffed disparagingly at my mild censure and Thorn poked out her tongue at me. “Trix, sweetheart,” I began soothingly, “we're not trying to badmouth Janoma here. All we’re doing is trying to keep you safe because we care about you. We, – and by ‘we’ I really mean ‘I’, – have a few doubts about Janoma’s intentions, that's all. I'd much rather be a little mistrustful than to accept everything on face value. Surely you must know by now that ‘suspicion’ is my middle name. Love is grand and overwhelming, but it can force you to skip over things you wouldn't normally accept. I mean, look at me.” I flashed a look at Thorn and Tracey. “I tolerate the outrageous behaviour of this pair all the time.”

  Tracey opened her mouth to object and Thorn slapped my arm in response to my statement. I chuckled, and continued. “I'm not saying to stop going out with Janoma. All I'm trying to get across is for you to be careful, okay? None of us want to see you hurt in any way. We love you too much for that.” Trix fell silent as we awaited her reply. I could see her emotions tussling with each other as she strove to come to a decision.

  “I appreciate what you're all doing,” she finally said. “I know you care for me and you're only doing what you think is best, but I have a say in this as well, you know. I'm still angry that you're trying to put Janoma down. I can’t believe what you’ve been saying about him, but I'm willing to accept that we'll just have to agree to disagree and get on with things. Now, I hope you understand that I'm going on this trip with Janoma, regardless. I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I am going and that's that. Please don't make me go against your wishes. I don't want to leave with any bad feelings.”

  Tracey, naturally enough, was the first to break the stalemate. She rushed over to Trix and hugged her. “I don't want any bad feelings either, little one,” she exclaimed. “I'm sorry if I hurt you. You're my baby and always will be. I’m only trying to protect you.”