“Bad, bad idea, Tommy!” Johnny yelled. “Baaad idea!”
Boooom!
Another large boulder landed even closer, chunks of stone striking them. It was a trap.
Kat trembled against the side of the cistern, knees pulled up, her head covered by her arms. Kiri Lee broke down, tears welling up in her eyes. Even Jimmy, seemingly fearless in every other situation, had grown pale. Jett resorted to praying once again, and Johnny and Autumn held each other. And Tommy . . . Tommy just wanted to go home. He pictured his dad sitting in his chair playing a computer game the day he had left. He wanted so badly to—
Crack—crash!
Another boulder shattered across the room, bringing with it an entire section of the ceiling, now burying the hole they had climbed out of. Tommy pulled himself together and chanced a glance at the ceiling directly overhead, and then at the wolf, who stood utterly still. “We’ve got to get out of here!” He stood up, looked down at the Keystone and the pillar in the cistern, then noticed something about the water level . . . it was lowering. “Jett! There’s something underneath!” He pointed into the water.
Jett nodded and then hit the top of the Keystone so hard it immediately sank from view. The water surrounding it sloshed violently, splashing the Seven, and then disappeared from the reservoir.
The others stood up and looked over the side. To their amazement, a smooth tunnel shot straight down and curved out of sight. Jett looked at Tommy as more of the ceiling crashed down beside them. “You thinking what I’m thinking?!”
Tommy nodded and lifted a leg over the side of the cistern, holding his bow and quiver in his hands. “Better go first and make sure what awaits us is friend and not foe!” He took one last look at the wolf, who suddenly seemed forlorn, and then slid down the tunnel chute.
Jett watched Tommy vanish from sight, followed only by a long hoot as Tommy whizzed down through the tunnel, his voice echoing over the crash of the boulders. Jett then reached down and picked up Kat, who was still curled in a ball, and tossed her in. A loud scream trailed behind her as she, too, sailed down the chute.
Autumn waved her hands in protest. “I can handle this myself.”
Next Jett picked up Kiri Lee underneath her shoulders and dropped her in like a rag doll. Jimmy went next of his own accord, followed by Johnny. When at last it was Jett’s turn, he sat on the side and gave a salute to the wolf. “Thanks for not eating us!” But the wolf appeared very melancholy. And it was then Jett realized that it—like them—had no desire to die.
The ceiling was ready to give way completely, and Johnny’s deposits of fire had all but been extinguished. Jett sat on the edge, legs hanging over the tunnel, ready to drop in. But the wolf gave out a small whine, eyes pouting down at him.
Tommy easily ranked the tunnel chute as better than any amusement park ride he had ever ridden. The polished surface of the tunnel combined with the residue of the water made the going fast. Really fast. He shot through the tube, twisting and turning, hardly able to keep his feet in front of him. The course shot him up around turns, corkscrewing over himself, one minute sliding along the bottom of the tunnel, the next skimming along the ceiling. And all the while he couldn’t help but holler. It was too much fun! Granted, he felt like an emotional basketcase, one moment fearing for his life, the next having the time of his life.
And it was at the height of the ride that he suddenly felt himself spit out of the tunnel like a bullet, sailing in midair, then free-falling. He looked up and saw stars. Then down, and saw the reflection of the stars, only shimmering.
Water.
Splash! Tommy hit the water so hard he nearly had the wind knocked out of him, his bow and quiver lost. He was instantly submerged in a world of churning sounds and bubbles, unsure which way was up. He tried to compose himself, then felt tiny bubbles ripple up over his face, heading toward the surface. He kicked his legs wildly, then burst into open air, gasping. As soon as he had a good draw, he smacked his hand down in the water and let out a “Whoop!”
He heard a scream from somewhere above and behind him.
The others!
Fearing whoever came after him next might impale him, Tommy immediately started swimming away from . . . well, from wherever he had landed. He wasn’t sure if he was moving toward the tunnel or away from it, but he dreaded being struck with the same force he had landed with moments earlier. He grabbed his bow and quiver and paddled ahead.
Sure enough, he recognized Kat’s voice as she materialized into thin air directly overhead. Like him, she slammed into the body of water, a tremendous plume erupting around her. Kat’s scream was swallowed whole, until she came splashing to the surface, gasping for air, half crying, half yelling.
“I gotcha!” Tommy said, slipping an arm around her and releasing his bow. She fought him at first. “Kat! It’s me, Tommy!”
“Tommy?”
“Yeah! Hold on, I’ll get you to shore,” he said, even though he had no idea where shore was. He looked around and noticed dark shadows directly ahead. Trees, presumably. He kicked hard, pulling water with his free hand while Kat coughed. I’ve rescued my prin—
“Wooooohooooo!!” came a long cry from overhead. Autumn appeared, zipping through the air and then crashing into the pool of water. She came up spitting water just as Tommy felt soft mud underfoot. Kat ran into a stand of sticky cattails, fighting through them for the shore.
“This way, Autumn! Over here!”
Autumn heard Tommy’s voice and started swimming toward him. It took only a few more moments for Kiri Lee, Jimmy, and Johnny to appear. And so far without collision. It was only when the six of them were on shore shivering in the cool night air that they realized Jett had not arrived.
“So where is he?” Autumn asked, her voice tense.
“Maybe he’s just moving slower,” offered Jimmy. “You know, big dude and all.”
Tommy didn’t reply; he was staring to the far side of the pool, looking at what appeared to be the side of a sheer rock cliff. “Something’s wrong.”
A sickening dread washed over each of them in that moment. They knew that facing the Spider King might cost them their lives. How many times had they been put in harm’s way already? By now they thought they’d be used to it. But here—now—the inevitable had caught up with them. They each waited for Jett to come flying out of the tunnel, screaming through the air before crashing into the pool.
Tommy heard the soft whimpering of sorrow behind him. He couldn’t bear to look back and see the girls crying. Then a deep rumble shook from within the cliff beyond, and a blast of white dust billowed from the tunnel into the starlight. Is the tunnel now sealed forever? Tommy wondered. He looked back at Kat, who was looking at him and shaking her head in disbelief.
As the final pebbles sprinkled into the water, the Seven—now the six—gave way to the full weight of the emotions that tore at their hearts, watching in muted horror. Beyond the devastating personal loss, it stood to reason that their mission was over. Without Jett, the prophecies could not come true. Could they? And regardless of any recent victories, no matter how telling, there would be no final victory in the end.
They had come so far. Learned so much. And in being so close to their goal of acquiring the Keystone, they had felt as though there was an end in sight . . . the secret to the enemy’s ruin. And now it was gone.
The hair on the backs of their necks stood up as a long howl rose into the night air. The girls stopped crying, the guys gathering close to them.
“Great,” said Johnny. “Just what we need.”
Tommy made out Johnny in the twilight. “We need some fire. Keep us warm. And keep the—”
“I read you,” he said, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, everyone’s tearstained faces were bathed in a warm orange glow. Tommy ordered the others to gather some sticks and any scraps of deadwood they could find, then placed them in a pile. Johnny set flames to those, and the six knelt down, warming their damp bodies. The howl came again, and ever
yone pressed in closer to the fire.
“We’d better be prepared to fight tonight,” said Tommy. “Johnny, you take first watch?”
He nodded, “for sure.”
“We go one hour at a time, does that work? The rest of you, try and get comfortable. This could be a long night.”
As if intentionally confirming Tommy’s words, the howling came again, only this time much closer. Too close. All eyes grew wide, everyone taking to their feet.
Something moved among the trees along the far side of the water. Kat screamed, then cupped her hands over her mouth.
“Johnny, give us some light!” Tommy yelled, pointing.
Johnny thrust his palms outward, and a sudden burst of blazing fire streaked over the water and engulfed the trees beyond. The scene was lit up like midday, and everyone shielded their eyes against the inferno. Tommy wanted their position defended, but he didn’t want Johnny to start a forest fire.
And then they heard a voice shouting from somewhere behind the flames: “What in the world are you trying to do, kill me?!”
Tommy’s eyes lit up. He glanced at Johnny, then Jimmy and Kat. Then back to the fire. He cupped both hands around his mouth. “Jett? Is that you?!”
“Of course it’s me!”
Appearing just to the near side of the flaming trees, Jett emerged onto the shore of the pond . . . riding on top of what looked to be a giant dog.
“The wolf!” Kiri Lee pointed.
“I can’t believe it!” said Autumn. The odd pair appeared gray, almost otherworldly.
“Ghosts!” said Jimmy. “Look at them!”
The six watched as Jett and his steed closed the distance between them along the shore. The image was too odd to be a reality: the spirits of Jett and the massive wolf from within the subterranean fortress. No one made a move until Jett slipped off the wolf and strode toward his friends.
“Jett?” Tommy squinted. “Is that really you?”
It was then the six realized that Jett was covered in a thick layer of dust . . . from the cave-in, as was the big canine, now lapping up water from the pool.
“Of course it’s me! Who did you expect? A Wisp?” Then he thought better of it. “Never mind, I—”
Autumn dove at him and squeezed the air right out of him, holding him so tight he thought she might break a rib. “We thought you were dead!” she cried.
The rest surrounded him, patting his back and punching his arm.
“You really had us going!” said Tommy, elated. “And then—”
“And then we saw your ghost over there!” interrupted Jimmy.
The others nodded emphatically.
“We’re so happy you’re alive, Jett,” said Kat. “We were so worried.”
“What kept you?” asked Autumn.
Jett peeled her off his waist. “Truthfully?” He gestured back at the wolf. “Him.”
“The mutt?” asked Jimmy.
Kat blew a few strands of hair out of her face. “The one who tried to eat us?”
Jett just smiled. “I couldn’t leave him behind. He was just doing his job: Keeper of the Keystone. It wasn’t until Kiri Lee sang the song that he could trust us. For all he knew, we were predators of the Spider King, sent to steal the very thing he was commissioned to protect.” At that the wolf gave a soft, woof.
“Huh,” said Kat. “Would you look at that? He understands us.”
To which the wolf cocked its head sideways and raised its ears, giving a funny, playful sort of look. Kat giggled.
“And you got out . . . how?” inquired Tommy.
“Simple. Wolfy here sniffed out a thin spot in the hall, and I punched a hole in the wall.”
The others stared at him in disbelief.
“What? I did!”
Then the other lords burst out laughing. It was simply too good to be true. Jett was not dead after all, the prophecies were not at risk of being nullified, and they had gained a new friend. And from the look of him, a valuable one, at that.
“Well”—Tommy took a step toward the animal—“I, for one, am happy to have our mangy mutt as a companion, especially out here in the middle of the forest all alone.” To which the wolf gave another, woof. “As long as he’s willing to be our friend, we will be his.” The wolf stuck out his tongue and began to pant, tail wagging.
“But we will need to do something about that breath!” Kiri Lee winced and waved her hand in front of her face. “Pew!”
“So what do we call you, big guy?” Autumn walked up beside him and patted his front leg. “You sure are a big fella.”
“Like a big bear,” said Tommy.
“That’s it!” Kat exclaimed. “We’ll call you Bear!” To which Bear thrust his head high into the air and let out a wild howl. The Seven covered their ears and started laughing.
“I think he likes it!” yelled Jett.
“Let’s hope so,” replied Kat when Bear finally ended his exclamation. “Because I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of those teeth for something he doesn’t like!” The others nodded and then walked forward to welcome the newest member of their tribe.
When at last Jett washed the dust from his body, as did Bear, everyone settled around the fire. Exhausted, they lay down beneath the stars, listening to the hissing of the embers. Theirs minds silently recounted the events of the day, each lord amazed that they were so fortunate to still be alive. Surely Ellos had his hand upon them all. It was in his peace that they slipped off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow’s trip to Nightwish Caverns would bring.
BONUS SCENE
37
A Stirring Revolt
Authors’ Notes: Did you wonder how Grimwarden, Goldarrow, and Charlie opened the door that revealed the slaves taken from Earth? It’s a fairly explosive scene.
GRIMWARDEN, GOLDARROW, and Charlie had found their way to a dimly lit hallway toward the rear of the fortress using the directions Regis had given them. They encountered little resistance, most of the enemy entirely focused on the breached walls without. This deep, the three leaders could feel the ground trembling, hoping the cavernous tunnels burrowed into the mountain would keep from caving in. It smelled foul down here, like rusted metal and ammonia. Grimwarden held a torch in front of them, adding to the light of the sconces lining the walls. At the end of the hallway stood a large black door made of iron.
“Locked,” said Charlie. “But I can fix that.” He produced an arc stone from one pocket and a wad of leaves from another. From within the bundle he withdrew a sticky golf-ball-sized substance. “Tar root,” he said, pressing the black stuff into the lock. Striking the arc stone with the edge of his sword, he pushed the stone into the mass, sticking it to the door. “Back!”
Grimwarden and Goldarrow ran backward, taking cover with Charlie in a cleft down the hallway. Charlie was counting to himself. “. . . Four . . . three . . . two . . .”
Boom!
Goldarrow had been looking around the corner, but Grimwarden yanked her head back just as an iron door flipped past them, slamming to the ground down the hallway with a loud clang.
“Thanks,” she said, feeling her neck.
“Your face is too pretty to lose it like that,” said Grimwarden. Elle smiled at the compliment. Surprised himself, Grimwarden blushed, then darted out of the recess and back up the corridor. “Let’s move!”
Goldarrow looked back at the bent iron door. “I thought it was just supposed to blowup the lock?” she asked Charlie.
“The arc stone, yes’m. But that there tar root has a lil’ kick to her as well, I reckon.”
Stepping into the next room, the three felt as though they had walked into a forge furnace. “So hot! And it reeks in here!” Goldarrow covered her mouth.
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Venom and Song Page 46