The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  Kaileena scouted around, hoping to see some familiar faces or one that resembled their friend.

  “Are you looking for someone?” asked Vince, popping up out of nowhere. “Someone you know?”

  Samuel and Mary came up behind him, laughing over a small joke.

  Benjamin nodded. “Sort of,” he said. “One of them we don’t know, but we know her sister, and the other is their cousin. Their names are Ranjit and Pari. Do you know them?”

  “Yes!” Samuel said quickly, diverted from his joking conversation with Mary.

  “You do?” asked Prince Adam, his face lighting up.

  “Yes! Ranjit and Pari are cousins, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, that’s right. That’s them!” said Benjamin, almost shouting. “Where are they?”

  The others pointed to a group of children in the centre of the playground. Sure enough Benjamin could see a boy bearing a resemblance to Ruby, although Pari was nowhere to be seen. Without a moment’s delay he ran over to him, stumbling once or twice in the snow. “Are you Ruby’s brother?” he panted.

  Ranjit stopped playing his game of tag, wondering if he’d heard right. He smiled and exchanged surprised glances at Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam.

  “You know my sister, Ruby?”

  Benjamin nodded and opened his mouth, only to be cut off by the third bell signalling their next lesson.

  “We’ll tell you everything if you skip your lessons and come to our room,” Kaileena suggested.

  It was a hard decision to make, knowing that the consequences would probably be far worse than a detention. Slowly, one by one, they all nodded. Benjamin raised a hand. “Before we go,” he said to Ranjit, “where’s Pari?”

  “She went home a few weeks ago.”

  “Went home? How do you know?” asked Prince Adam.

  “I asked,” said Ranjit, “and that’s what they told me. I was worried when I hadn’t seen her for a few days. If she’s gone home, though, I’m sure she’s fine.”

  Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam said nothing, but they were all thinking the same thing: Pari hadn’t gone home. She was right under their feet in the basement, beneath the playground. She was one of the pale-faced children.

  *

  When they were all in the bedroom with the door closed, they sat on the beds and Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam faced the others.

  “First, I would like each of you to tell me how long you’ve been kept in this place,” Benjamin began. Some said since the beginning of October, but those who had arrived in the middle of the month caught his interest. Benjamin and his friends told them their tales in turn. At the end, Benjamin said, “My friends and I rescued the children from the Far South, and we’re here to help you all get out too. Ranjit, we thought you were in the Far South, but we were wrong.”

  There was a long silence.

  “I know we were taken far away from home, but I think we’re safe here,” Vince commented out. “No has hurt us, and the people working here seem fairly nice.”

  “None of us is safe here,” Benjamin stressed.

  “This place is bad – you can’t trust the people at all!” agreed Prince Adam. “Do you not remember how they kidnapped you, bound and gagged?”

  There was another silence. A few nodded, but it would seem that time had changed their views about this place.

  “Prove it,” challenged Ranjit, folding his arms.

  There was no choice, since none of them had been convinced by Benjamin and his friends. Later that evening, Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam secretly took Vince, Samuel, Mary and Ranjit to the restricted door. Sneaking inside, they took the stairs to the basement where Prince Adam turned on the light.

  They screamed.

  *

  No one spoke the next day. Even Benjamin was traumatised by the previous night’s events. It was the first time he’d seen the pale-faced children locked in cages, real cages – the kind you would find in a zoo. The lessons were still boring, but Benjamin found that they helped; they distracted him.

  Just as he was thinking about the Aradian Alliance’s estimated arrival, the compass vibrated in his pocket. Diverting his gaze from the maths teacher, he took it out, opened the lid and read its minuscule words:

  The Aradian Alliance and the British army are coming on the thirteenth of November just before sunset. When you’re being rescued, you must help everyone escape. Three zeppelins will be waiting to take all the children away. We cannot risk anyone getting hurt in the middle of a battle.

  It took a long time for Benjamin to plan it all out. He’d been here five years ago, but that wasn’t very useful as he’d only been seven back then. However, there was something here that he could use to great advantage. During supper, he took Kaileena and Prince Adam to a table on their own after they’d chosen their food. “When I was in Egypta,” he began, checking that no one was listening, “Sebastian and I created a diversion and we all got out successfully. I’m thinking of doing the same thing here.”

  “What about doing it the April Goldenberry way?” asked Kaileena. “You said you were going to do that with your band when you rescued us from the Far South.”

  Benjamin shook his head. “I have a better idea,” he told her.

  “Well, what would you have us do, then?” asked Prince Adam.

  “See those?” Benjamin asked, pointing to the four black speakers, one in each corner of the hall. “They’re used to alert the whole building when there’s a fire drill. I’m thinking of using the system to tell the staff to come to one particular room – all the staff. If I can get them all together the children will be unsupervised, so they can escape easily.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” said Prince Adam.

  “When should we do it?” asked Kaileena. “Now?”

  “No,” said Benjamin. “We have to wait a few days, until the thirteenth of November just before sunset. The compass told me that the armies are coming then to rescue us. There’ll be a battle, but we cannot risk the children being caught in the middle of it. There will be zeppelins ready to take them away.”

  Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam were the last to leave the dining hall. The food didn’t seem to pose any danger or contain any brainwashing drug, since the Unique Compass had not warned them against it. Therefore they enjoyed their food and took their time over it.

  Now they could hear quiet adult voices coming from the next corridor on their way to the dormitories. Benjamin watched the little group pass by, unaware of Prince Adam’s strange behaviour; he had pulled Benjamin and Kaileena into a dark corner.

  “Benjamin! That’s her!” he said, waving his hands frantically; he’d seen something that he wished he hadn’t.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  Kaileena poked her head out and drew back with a face so troubled that tears filled her eyes. She was speechless with fear.

  Benjamin frowned again, bending over to get a good look at the three women speaking in hushed voices. They were arguing about something or other. One of them had a strange hat with rams’ horns protruding from it.

  “Who are they?” he asked the others.

  Kaileena had still not said a word.

  “The woman with the funny horned hat is the owner of this place,” Prince Adam told him. “She runs it! She was also there in the Far South.”

  Benjamin frowned as he bent over to look once more. This time he found himself face to face with one of the women. He kept quiet, staring into her violet eyes.

  “Eavesdropping, were you?” said the lady. She had dark curly hair, silky and down to her elbow. Her clothes were severe but elegant, giving her the look of a wicked princess.

  Kaileena clapped her hands over her mouth and Prince Adam started. The lady with the horned hat approached.

  “Vendettaluxia, leave the children alone. Back away n
ow, sister!”

  Vendettaluxia did as she was told but her creepy smile was disturbing. “They were eavesdropping on us, Enchantelxia.”

  Her sister, Enchantelxia, cocked her eyebrow. “Is that so?” she asked, flapping her long dark cloak aside. The furs on her collar bristled at her disappointment.

  The three children shook their heads in denial.

  “I recognise you two.” Enchantelxia pointed at Kaileena and Prince Adam with her long varnished nails. “At the Far South, weren’t you? Did you miss it? Don’t worry, you’re back now.” She laughed and Vendettaluxia threw back her head in her turn, their cackling voices ringing through the corridor. The third woman appeared beside them; clearly angry, her scarlet eyes flaring like the beginning of the apocalypse.

  “Oh, come now, Dryluxia, you must possess some sense of humour,” chuckled Enchantelxia.

  “I want to go home!” said Dryluxia, her eyes now ruby red.

  “We will not speak of private matters here, sister. Move away.”

  Dryluxia looked at Benjamin, her eyes turning to a shade of orange. No one has the ability to change the colour of their eyes, Benjamin knew that, but somehow this woman could. Enchantelxia looked at him too, as if she’d just noticed him for the first time, and gasped quietly. Reflecting her sister’s reaction, Vendettaluxia stared at Benjamin with malice and folded her arms, still wearing her nightmarish smile.

  Benjamin stared back at the three sisters with a frown. Silence fell.

  “We’ll be watching you,” said Enchantelxia coldly. “Come, sisters, we must make haste.”

  And the three sisters left.

  When the children were alone again, Prince Adam said, “What was that all about?”

  “We weren’t eavesdropping on them,” said Kaileena.

  Benjamin said nothing. He felt an instinctive hatred for those three women, but couldn’t explain it.

  *

  Benjamin couldn’t stop thinking about the three women they’d met, and Prince Adam kept thinking about the fountain from his dream. Kaileena feigned deafness at the mention of ‘those three sisters’ or ‘the Golden Fountain’.

  Nonetheless, they told Vince, Samuel, Mary and Ranjit of their escape plan, trusting them to spread the word only among the children. What they had seen in the basement got them working fast.

  In two days’ time, excited whispers could be heard throughout the dining hall and the dormitories. The staff and teachers of the O.O.H. hadn’t a clue about what was going on. They thought it was merely some childish game and nothing to concern them.

  As the day of their escape drew nearer, Benjamin found that the source of the speakers was in the main office. If he could get into that office alone without being seen, his plan should succeed.

  “If there’s anyone in the office, I’ll tell them that there’s a gas leak near the kitchen,” said Vince during one supper.

  “And I’ll lead people off the corridor with that excuse, so you can go into it,” said Kaileena.

  “I’ll go and free the pale-faced children,” said Prince Adam.

  Samuel raised a hand. “Ranjit, Mary and I can pretend to fight with each other, so we can distract the supervisors in the hall. With all that going on, the adults will be blind to your purpose.”

  Mary and Ranjit nodded.

  And so it was decided.

  Chapter 27

  The Third Battle

  Tapping the table was an annoying habit, but Benjamin was impatient. The dining hall was once again filled with children speaking in excited whispers. It seemed to take a long time for dinner to finish. The Unique Compass should soon inform him about the rescue mission, as the sun was setting, casting a red shadow over the hall. The armies would soon be here.

  The aroma of spices filled the air as Benjamin drew a deep, silent breath. All these children were looking admiringly at him, waiting for him to act.

  There it was, the vibration.

  Benjamin took out the compass, opened the lid and looked around before reading it. They’re coming in twenty minutes. It would be wise to get the children out now.

  “Twenty minutes!” said Kaileena, looking at the golden words. “Will that give us enough time?”

  “Let’s do this before a war starts!” said Prince Adam, almost banging on the table. “It won’t be safe for them.” He stood up to follow Benjamin, while the others trailed behind. Samuel, Mary and Ranjit stayed where they were, exchanging fleeting glances; they were to pretend to fight when the time came.

  As expected, the main office was occupied by the head supervisor and his assistants. Benjamin could hear them discussing matters concerning the organisation. Indifferent to what they were saying, he hid around a corner and counted to three, then waved to Vince. Vince ran inside without a moment to lose.

  “I smell a gas leak coming from the kitchen!” he cried.

  Benjamin smiled and stepped back, flattening himself against the wall. The head supervisor and his assistants came running out with Vince at their heels.

  Then a loud roar came from down the corridor. That should distract the supervisors in the hall.

  Benjamin was left with the freedom to do what he wanted, with all the adults tending to other problems. Hoping his boots wouldn’t make too much noise, Benjamin sneaked in, asking Kaileena to signal him with a whistle if anyone approached. Prince Adam went downstairs to free the pale-faced children and Benjamin was left alone to do his part.

  The main office was now empty, smelling of coal from the fire burning in the grate. It was dark, with a large desk at the back on which lay a microphone beside a black laptop. Benjamin hurried over to it, quiet as a mouse, a dark shadow in the night. Picking it up, he pressed the red button which emitted a dim glow.

  This is not a drill, he said, imitating a man’s voice as well as he could. I repeat, this is not a drill. All staff are to assemble in the staff room and await me there. I repeat, this is not a drill. Take all children to their dormitories now and then assemble in the staff room in five minutes. Thank you.

  Loud footsteps passed through the corridors. The ruse had worked. Benjamin found a pair of scissors and cut off the wire connecting the microphone to the speakers, then he stole a spare set of keys he’d found hanging on a hook and tiptoed across the office to join Kaileena outside, carefully closing the door behind him. They looked down at hundreds of children hurrying their way towards the dormitories, accompanied by a few supervisors.

  Benjamin was silent as he stood there, watching the children pass. He wanted so much for this plan to work.

  “We’ll only be a moment. Nothing to worry about, dears.” The voice, came through clearly, even though it was in the distance.

  Benjamin grinned. Nothing for us to worry about, but plenty for you, he thought.

  A minute later he heard oncoming footsteps. He and Kaileena hid behind a corner and waited until all staff had entered the main office. Benjamin counted up to thirty of them, knowing that that was the maximum number. The last was the head supervisor and his assistants. Once the door was closed, Benjamin quietly turned the key and hurriedly crossed the bright corridors as quietly as possible. Not even the slippery tiles of the floor could slow him. While the staff unknowingly waited, Benjamin and Kaileena reached the dormitories and opened the doors.

  Hundreds of faces turned to look at them, wondering why they were so late. Benjamin put a finger to his lips and addressed the boys. “Don’t make a sound,” he said. “We’re getting out of here now! Put on your outside clothes and follow me. Make sure no children are left behind!”

  The children rose from their seats and surged towards them. They dropped whatever they were doing, donned their coats and ripped off the badges with the bluebird symbol that bonded them to this place.

  Benjamin and the boys linked up with the girls as they followed Kaileena. The children had known that this w
ould soon happen and had been expecting it; the smiles on their faces was heart-warming as they followed their saviours. They held each other’s hands as they took the path towards the main entrance, to freedom.

  “Don’t look back!” said Benjamin. “Go straight out!”

  There was a scream and Benjamin turned around, dreading the worst. Prince Adam emerged from another corridor with at least a hundred pale-faced children stumbling after him. There were cries of terror, and some children turned their faces away from the sight of the tortured ones. Benjamin couldn’t stop right now and urged the children onward, organising four or five children to help the weak. The scream, he worried, might have alerted the staff.

  “Benjamin, wear my shawl.” In Prince Adam’s hand was the magical shawl, ready for Benjamin to take. “Everyone can follow you easily if you’re dressed differently to the rest of us.”

  Benjamin nodded his thanks and wrapped the shawl around himself.

  Soon they reached the main entrance, which was locked. Benjamin took out the set of keys and sorted through them to find the one labelled ‘main entrance’. Once he’d found it, he unlocked the door. The hinges broke as four hundred children ran out, embracing the wintry chill. The snowy ground crunched beneath their feet and fireworks of light lit up the cold air; their Eidoncheirs had appeared to reunite with their humans.

  “Did you do what I asked you to do?” Benjamin shouted.

  “Yes, look!” said his Eidoncheir.

  The wire fences had watch-towers at regular intervals, filled with guards – guards who were now all asleep. Benjamin was glad to have given Bana the task of passing on the word to the other Eidoncheirs to deal with the guards, a job they seemed to have done well. All the guards were asleep, held under powerful hypnosis. There would be no warning signal if no one was awake to see the children escape.

  “Well done, Bana! It must have been scary for you, but you’ve done a brave thing! I can’t take full responsibility for you now; I have to make sure that the children are safe first. I’ll call you when I need you.”