‘And you are going to help me!’
There was tense silence, while Saddler tried to digest this unpalatable piece of information. Then Crevitos was on his feet again, pacing like a caged wild animal.
‘My army will be invincible. Already it is strong, very strong. You were impressed, were you not by my fighting Creation!’ It was spoken as a command rather than a question, but Saddler’s revulsion at what he’d seen prompted him to retort, ‘If you mean that poor creature I saw your bullies torturing …’
Crevitos laughed loudly.
‘No pain, no gain! I admit the procedure is clumsy and lengthy, but it is remarkably effective. Not only are my Creations virtually indestructible, their minds become totally malleable to my will!’
Crevitos turned to his desk and snatched up some papers, which he thrust into Saddler’s hands. There were a number of drawings of Creations of varied types. Saddler looked at Crevitos bewildered. Crevitos snatched the papers back impatiently. He waved them feverishly in the air.
‘These are the very essence of my army. Each one of my fighting Creations has, as you’ve witnessed, body armour of the like never seen before. It has taken my scientists years of experimentation and failure and, just as I was close to despair we discovered a substance tougher, more resilient and more powerful than anything we had come across before …’
‘Diamond,’ whispered Saddler, as understanding dawned. He was fascinated, despite everything.
‘Just so,’ smiled Crevitos. ‘All the years of fruitless experimenting at last repaid. We had the missing ingredient. The one thing that could be used to create an impenetrable armour. But still …’ Crevitos face creased into a frown, ‘… still there are drawbacks. A huge amount of powdered diamond is needed for each single amount of substance, which means that hundreds of Creations who could be adapted are needed for digging in the mines.’
‘That creature you manufactured,’ said Saddler disgusted, ‘was totally dead behind the eyes. It might be totally invincible, but I don’t understand ‘ow it suddenly becomes an aggressive fighting machine!’
Crevitos threw his head back. ‘Suddenly,’ he roared, ‘is exactly the point! There is no suddenly. Each one has to be totally retrained. True, they have no will to be uncooperative or disobedient, but time is of the essence. My scientists are on the very cusp of discovering how to enlarge the size of the gateways into other worlds. Once we can open a large enough pathway to let through an army, I want to be ready to strike whilst we still have the element of surprise!’
Saddler had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer to his next question, but he still felt compelled to ask it.
‘Where in particular are you in such a ‘urry to conquer?’
Crevitos’s generous-sized mouth stretched widely into an appreciative grin. He knew exactly what Saddler was asking and this was a moment to savour.
‘I think we both know the answer to that,’ he said smoothly.
‘What has Emajen done to deserve such a doubtful privilege?’ groaned Saddler.
Crevitos breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. He licked his lips as though anticipating some delicate morsel.
‘Emajen,’ he said slowly, ‘is by far the strongest and most powerful world we have discovered so far.’
He paused.
Saddler waited.
Crevitos continued, ‘Emajen has two things no other place that we have encountered does. It has mind power, and it has the Natorqua. The Natorqua, as you know are being dealt with. Without their steadying influence, everything will fall into disarray and once that happens, a lack of collective mind power will render it very weak and ineffective.’
Saddler attempted to leap from the bed. He wanted to pound Crevitos and wipe the sardonic smile off his face. But his strength had not yet fully returned and his knees buckled, forcing him to flop back down on the bed once again.
Crevitos was unfazed. ‘Your world’s mind power is an interesting concept,’ he continued. ‘I do hope your friends didn’t begrudge me my little bit of fun!’ He smirked.
Then his expression hardened. ‘But now the time for fun is over. I have you here and without you I doubt your little friends will cause me any more bother!’
‘I wouldn’t underestimate ‘em,’ muttered Saddler, but his words were lost on Crevitos for whom, at least for the time being Destiny, Anthony and Boff had now ceased to exist.
Perched on his chair once more, Crevitos commanded Saddler’s attention with his mere physical proximity.
‘Recently, I visited a world called Earth, a place I believe you know rather well. There was something … someone I needed to see.’
For just a fraction of a second, Crevitos sounded less sure of himself.
Saddler was instantly alert. Was this a chink in Crevitos’s armour? His Achilles heel?
Crevitos recovered himself almost immediately however.
‘People on Earth are not so greatly different to those on Emajen, as I’ve no doubt you’re aware. They have the same capacity to use the power of their minds, but they’ve grown dull and lazy.’ Crevitos paused and then smiled. ‘I see you are familiar with what I’m talking about. It seems that many of them still have power behind their thoughts but are totally unaware of it!
‘Do you know how Creations come into existence?’ he asked abruptly.
Saddler nodded.
‘Then you will also know that it is exactly that strength of mind power, possessed by these people on Earth that gives Creations substance – some more so than others.’
Saddler nodded again.
‘I have watched you closely,’ mused Crevitos. ‘A weaker mortal would have crumbled in the face of such adversity. But you are strong – very strong!’
Crevitos leant forward until Saddler was almost breathing the same breath.
‘My army will be limitless. I can design Creations that are very nearly indestructible, but they all have a weakness – a part where the protective armour simply will not cling. And beneath the armour they are nothing, mere shadows easily dispatched.’
Crevitos rose from the chair and started pacing again, clearly agitated.
‘My strength will grow with every conquest I make – but in the meantime, every Creation I draw saps my energy.’
‘Why is that? Because you’re ‘aving to draw so many?’
‘No, no!’ Crevitos was impatient and wound up tightly like a coiled spring. ‘My creator lost interest before I had the chance to draw enough strength from him. A few more weeks were all I needed …’
Saddler sat up abruptly.
Crevitos was a Creation!
He was the evil figment of some human being’s imagination. Had he gone to Earth to see if he could find his creator? To see if somehow he could siphon the energy from him he so badly needed? It seemed that he had failed, but had he now found a way to make up for it?
‘So what is it you think that I can do for you, Crevitos?’ he asked quietly.
Crevitos stopped pacing abruptly.
‘You are not a Creation and I am greatly impressed by your inner strength. I want you to draw my fighting Creations for me! With your vital force in their veins, they would be strong and robust and we could eliminate their weaknesses completely!’
‘You’re forgetting one thing.’
Crevitos raised an eyebrow enquiringly.
‘Why on Emajen should I agree to help you?’
‘It’s something I’ve given much thought to. I will of course need a second in command; one with brains that is. Once conquered, Emajen could be yours to do with as you wish – after all, with so many worlds to conquer, I can’t be everywhere at once.’ Crevitos’s expression took on a sly twist as he looked intently at Saddler. ‘And if that isn’t quite tempting enough, there are always your little friends to consider. I assume you would like them to be able to return to Earth …’
Saddler didn’t need any further clarification to understand exactly what Crevitos meant.
‘Sou
nds like an offer I could hardly refuse!’ he said dryly.
Crevitos grinned. ‘There is a slight catch,’ he said.
‘When isn’t there,’ said poor Saddler.
‘I can’t risk any … shall we say … uncertainty on your part marring the perfection of my fighting Creations. If you agree to help me, it will mean drinking a potion to eradicate your memory. Your mind will be a bright, blank page ready and willing to do my bidding.’
‘So how do I know you’ll keep to your end of the bargain?’
‘Because I have said it will be so!’ Crevitos actually looked genuinely offended.
From nowhere the seed of a plan planted itself in Saddler’s mind: a very small seed, but better than nothing. If it didn’t work, all was lost anyway. And really, he had no choice.
Saddler stayed silent for a few moments as though considering Crevitos’s offer. His heart began to thump uncomfortably loudly and he was certain that Crevitos would hear it and know something was afoot. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm his voice, he finally said, ‘If I agree, when will this ‘appen?’
Crevitos let out a roar of victorious laughter.
‘No time like the present!’ he crowed. He held out a small phial, much like the one Saddler had supped from before. He undid the stopper and held it out to Saddler.
Saddler raised the phial to his lips.
With one, last desperate glance at Crevitos, he closed his eyes and felt the cool, sweetish liquid slide over his tongue. As his throat muscles automatically contracted in a swallow, he slipped his free hand into his pocket.
Then Saddler was no more!
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
A cold, restless and dismal night was followed by an equally chill and cheerless dawn. Anthony, Destiny and Boff ate a meagre breakfast in morose silence. A light, dreary drizzle did nothing to lift their spirits.
At length Anthony shook himself out of his reverie and stood up, shaking crumbs from his jeans. Rummaging in his rucksack, he ferreted out the egg timer and peered at it intently.
‘This isn’t good,’ he said.
Destiny and Boff looked up at him and gazed dismally at the egg timer, which now had barely a fifth of the sand remaining at the top.
‘We can’t wait here!’ Anthony said firmly. ‘Something’s happened to Saddler or he would have been back by now!’
‘But what can we do?’ asked Destiny. ‘We don’t know where we are, let alone where we’re going and supposing he does come back and finds out we’ve gone on without him?’
‘Look at the timer! It’s no good! Without Saddler and without the map, we’ve only got one option – we’ll have to try and retrace our steps.’
‘Um …’ Boff’s light bulbs started glowing a rosy pink colour. ‘I have the map. Saddler had too much in his rucksack!’
Destiny flung her arms around Boff and squeezed him until his bulbs flashed alarmingly. Anthony laughed, and all at once, the stress of the situation eased. Destiny planted a kiss on Boff’s cheek.
‘You’re a star!’ She beamed.
Carefully stowing the timer back in his rucksack, Anthony sat back down again and took the map from Boff. The other two peered at it over his shoulder.
‘Here’s the old town we were at,’ said Anthony, pointing to its position on the map, ‘so I figure we must be somewhere Around … here. Saddler reckoned he could reach the new town and back in about three hours – look, he’s marked it here. It would have taken us slightly off our route, because the last place the Natorqua were seen is here.’
Boff’s bulbs flashed briefly. ‘So by that reckoning, if we follow the straightest route from here, it shouldn’t take us more than a day to reach them!’
‘As long as we don’t have any more delays, then yes,’ said Anthony.
‘Saddler wouldn’t want us to give up now,’ said Destiny. ‘Whatever’s happened to him I vote we should carry on!’
‘We don’t have the faintest idea what we’re supposed to do when we get there,’ cautioned Anthony.
‘Neither did Saddler, but he trusted us to help him,’ said Destiny.
‘There’s a good chance we’ll run out of time – I dread to think what our parents will do when they find out we’re missing!’
‘Well there’s no guarantee we’ll get back in time anyway. And what if Crevitos succeeds in doing here what he did to Doodland …’ Destiny leapt to her feet in agitation. ‘Anthony, we can’t just let Emajen die! We’ve got to at least try …’
Anthony grinned. ‘That’s settled then. I just wanted you to be sure! Boff?’
Boff stood and hitched up his tartan shorts.
‘What are we waiting for?’ he said.
Not long after the sun had reached its peak, the trees began to thin and the vista became one of high, rolling hills. Consulting the map once more, they could see that there was a broad valley beyond the hills and, according to the cross marked on the map, it was where the Natorqua were last seen.
They all agreed that they would stop for a brief rest. If they could at least reach the valley before dark then maybe they would find the Natorqua the following day.
Despite the constant drizzling rain, they were heartened by the hope that they were at least nearing their goal.
From a distance, the hills looked smooth and green and easy to climb, but the reality was vastly different. The first hill they climbed was pitted with awkward holes and crevices, hidden by innocent looking tufts of tangled grass and fern that caved in beneath the lightest tread.
Boff was the first to discover this. With a yell, he disappeared from view, arms flailing, bulbs sparking in terror. Fortunately, the hole he chose to vanish into was roughly a Boff-sized one. Apart from being shaken and somewhat dusty, he was unharmed, but Anthony’s face was grim.
‘There’s no telling how deep some of these holes might be – we’ll have to be extra careful!’
Their slow progress was made even slower by this realisation and it was well into the afternoon by the time they reached the top of the first hill. The sight that greeted them at the summit however was far from cheering; yet another stretch of hills that rose higher than the one they had just climbed.
Destiny flumped down in despair. ‘We’ll never get there,’ she groaned.
The others flopped down beside her, but Anthony knew it would be fatal to stop for long. After a couple of minutes he got up and dragged Destiny to her feet.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘even though the next hill is higher, it actually begins about two thirds of the way down this one, so we haven’t really got all that far to climb.’
It was true. The hill they were on ended in a kind of dip part of the way down and then rose up again, just like the humps of some giant prehistoric serpent.
They slithered cautiously down the slope, which, on this side, didn’t seem to be so covered in knotted ferns and so it was much easier to avoid any cracks. They stopped again for a few moments at the bottom of the second hill.
‘I think we should empty our bags of anything we don’t absolutely need,’ suggested Anthony. ‘I doubt very much whether we’ll have time to be making tea once we find the Natorqua!’
Boff was reluctant to leave their belongings behind, but Anthony assured him that they would stash them safely and mark the spot for when they returned.
‘You’re surely not leaving the timer?’ Boff was aghast when he saw Anthony placing it with the things to be left behind.
‘It’s too late to worry about it now, Boff. It’ll still be here when we get back!’
‘And if we don’t come back?’ asked Destiny quietly.
‘Then I guess we won’t be needing it anyway!’
The shadows were just beginning to lengthen as they started to climb once more. Although there were far fewer crevices to watch out for, the foliage was also sparser and as they scrambled upwards, their feet slipped constantly – sending showers of loose debris bouncing and rattling down the hillside below them.
At one poi
nt they stopped on a convenient ledge to rest. Destiny looked down at how little ground they seemed to have covered and her heart sank. The sun was definitely beginning to dip now and there was a chill nip in the air.
‘We need to get moving,’ said Anthony anxiously. ‘If we don’t make it to the top before dark then we need to at least find somewhere more sheltered we can stop for the night!’
The others nodded in weary agreement and heaved themselves to their feet. Thankfully, the ground seemed to become more stable the higher they climbed, which helped them to make better progress. Here and there, tantalising niches appeared in the hill face, but none were big enough to shelter in. As the shadows deepened, Anthony became increasingly anxious about being stranded, unprotected on the hillside.
They passed a ledge that might reasonably accommodate the three of them and he was just about to suggest stopping there, when Boff gave a shout. He had lagged behind a little and was now gesticulating feverishly, a little to the left and higher up than the ledge. Anthony followed the direction of Boff’s gaze and his face broke into a wide grin.
‘You’re a genius, Boff!’ he yelled as he started to pick his way carefully through the dusk towards the mouth of a small fissure. A couple of minutes later, Destiny and Boff both appeared in the entrance, slightly out of breath. It was a very cramped space, but it would do.
Allowing themselves one biscuit each from their seriously depleted food supply, they all made themselves as comfortable as possible. Boff had insisted that they bring the orb and they were grateful now for its gentle glow, dispelling the chill of the night.
‘This reminds me of the last time we slept in a cave,’ said Destiny. ‘I’m so glad we met you, Boff, but I hope there aren’t any hidden entrances at the back of this cave!’
‘I had a good look,’ said Anthony, ‘but there’s hardly room to breathe let alone fit a secret entrance.’
‘I hope Saddler’s all right,’ murmured Destiny, as her eyes closed.
‘He’s probably raising an army as we speak!’ said Anthony, and he stared into the darkness willing it to be true.
Before long, they had all succumbed to an exhausted sleep and nothing occurred that night to trouble or disturb their slumber.
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