The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  “Okay, Benjamin, but there’s something else you should know; most of the people working in this place are not from this world entirely. They come from a very dark world. That’s why they have no Eidoncheirs. The few that are from here are restricted from having one as they under a dark spell unless they are free.”

  Benjamin nodded and understood.

  “Good luck!” Bana sparkled away, leaving his human plunging through the snow and through the outside gate that the Eidoncheirs had unlocked.

  Oooooooooeeeeee! Oooooooooeeeeee! Oooooooooeeeeee!

  Red light reflected off the snow as the alarm blared from the wire fences. Now Benjamin was worried. What had caused the alarm to go off? He looked back and saw the staff pouring from the main entrance. They must have broken out of the staff room, but they were too late. Benjamin and his friends had freed the children already and were far from their grasp.

  But it wouldn’t be long before the soldiers came out, and Benjamin remembered them as clearly as if it had been yesterday – inhuman, turning to smoke after death. They were from a dark world, unwelcomed. Still, they would never catch them either, for Kaileena had pointed eastward and shouted, “They’re here!”

  The sky was turning dark, and on the eastern horizon a faint glow of orange could be seen. Growing specks of scarlet on gold filled the sky. The zeppelins of the Aradian Alliance had arrived, gold and red, and were landing upon the peak to let out the soldiers; amongst them were three silver and blue zeppelins, from which British soldiers began to pour out.

  “We’re safe!” Benjamin flung up his arms into the air. “Run towards them! Keep going!”

  “Where to?” asked Samuel.

  “To the east! That way! Towards the zeppelins!”

  The children ran as fast as they could towards the east, trying to reach safety. Legs whirling, lungs pumping, foreheads sweating, they sprinted and dashed and hurled themselves after Benjamin and his friends.

  A trumpeting call sounded in the air, coming from behind. Benjamin turned once more and gasped to see the soldiers of Halamaband leaving the dark gates, gaining on the children with black wolves and rogue elephants.

  “Run!” Benjamin repeated. “Don’t stop!” He wrenched his muscles onward. Kaileena ran beside him, Prince Adam following close behind.

  The first to pass were the Orellions. Although they looked fearsome, Benjamin had warned the children that they were not to be feared; they were sworn protectors of the children and good allies. If there was an overpowering need to ride one of them, then they must raise a hand to call them; a couple had already mounted some of the pale-faced children on their backs. Benjamin didn’t look at those who were fighting the wolves; he remembered how gruesome the previous battle had been. It could not be viewed as a game.

  “Fight to the death! Show no mercy!” Supreme Commander Warrick’s voice rang throughout the air. A loud war-horn blew.

  Haroooooooooooooooooooo!

  War cries multiplied and sent chills through the listeners. The Aradian Alliance and the British army parted to form a gap for the children to pass through, then they closed together once more to head into battle. Shields clanged and swords clashed; the Aradians, the Spartans and the British soldiers fought with their mightiest weapons, leaving none of their enemies alive; Tuaryans used their elemental powers and birds squawked loudly, gashing and blinding their enemies with their sharp talons. Orellions and large Afghardan beasts roared and punched with their paws; fierce dwarves smashed dents into helmets with their bulky hammers and axes; elves pierced the enemy with their poisonous arrows and witches threw magic spells, levitating some soldiers into the air.

  The rogue elephants of Halamaband swept their tusks around, sending Aradian allies and British soldiers flying over the battlefield, but Benjamin knew that their time would soon come; soon he heard stomp! stomp! stomp and trumpeting calls emerging from the hills of the east; the elephants of Princess Elma’s clan had arrived.

  “Yes!” Benjamin cheered at the sight of their mighty arrival.

  Passing the zeppelins, they stormed over the thick snow, their eyes dark with anger and their trunks blowing out steam; they raised and lowered their thick feet one after another, making the ground shake.

  When the children arrived at the three zeppelins, with twenty guards stationed outside each, they ran up the ramps and boarded.

  “Where’s Ruby?” asked Ranjit, holding the hand of his cousin Pari who had been found among the children in the basement. “You said she was coming.”

  Benjamin looked around, hoping to see a glimpse of his band and his family, but it was hard to pick them out in the midst of the battle. “Sorry, Ranjit, but we’ll have to find her later. You need to be safe. Please go inside now.” As Benjamin had hoped, his new friends entered the large airship. Only Ranjit was hesitant to move, all the time keeping his eye on his dear cousin.

  Shortly afterwards, Kevin and Alby joined them, accompanied by Nadine who pulled him into a tight hug.

  “Benjamin! You’re safe!”

  “Please help me get the children inside! No time for a reunion right now!” Benjamin dragged, pushed and nudged one child after another into the zeppelin. When the last child had mounted the ramp, he looked at Prince Adam to find him gazing west at the brown cliff. A golden light flickered there, with the sun setting behind it. He was looking at the Golden Fountain, wondering if he could go there.

  “Adam, no!” Benjamin held his arm to prevent him leaving. “Not now, please. Later!”

  Prince Adam frowned. Benjamin knew that he didn’t like being thwarted in this way, but he had to understand; there was a lot to be done.

  Just then, Ranjit screamed, “There’s my sister! I can see her! Ruby!”

  Benjamin looked ahead, two zeppelins down, and saw his band and his friends helping the last child get on board. Then his heart gave a skip as two large sledges skidded towards them. In one swift movement, the men swerved and grabbed them, flinging a dark grenade into the air. Their Eidoncheirs disappeared with a bang and the soldiers fell from the explosion.

  “No!” called Benjamin, running down the ramp. “Leave my friends alone!” He couldn’t believe this was happening. Falling to his knees, he watched his friends and band being taken away, disappearing towards the south where a large gap split two tall icy cliffs. The buildings of the O.O.H. lay right next to it.

  “Benjamin! Look out!”

  A hand rolled him aside then streaked over his head; Lagunar had been taken and with him Kevin who had chased after Benjamin. The two had saved him from being abducted.

  “No!” Benjamin wailed once more, tears streaming across his face. They had been taken by a third sledge, faster than the first two. He pushed himself forward and tried hard to chase them down, no matter how little breath was left in his lungs. When all seemed lost, he tripped over and cried. If he’d had the ease of mind to watch it, the southern cliffs were reflecting the aura of the northern lights, softly streaming back and forth like a moving rainbow in the vast sky.

  Benjamin saw that the Ghost Boy was mounted on Aloncheir’s back; the two sped off to chase the sledges.

  “What about Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam?” the Ghost Boy asked Aloncheir, glancing at Benjamin.

  “There’s nothing they can do!” The great lion disappeared through the gap and they were gone, too.

  Benjamin shouted again and again until he ran out of breath. He was upset that they’d left him behind, and annoyed with himself because he hadn’t been able to prevent the abduction. His friends, his band and Lagunar were all gone – even Kevin, his own brother! He flailed his arms in anguish, pushing aside the dirty snow. As Kaileena approached, he rose in tears to meet her. Prince Adam has stopped looking to the west and come to his senses, and together they called: “Toalla! Chamillion! Someone, please help!”

  In answer, a large polar bear emerged from
the battlefield wearing the armour of a king.

  “I heard you call.” It was Toalla, still alive, a faded scar running down his cheek.

  “Some of our children have been taken. We must rescue them!” Benjamin told him.

  “Get on!” shouted Herman, mounted on a bronze saddle, his hands digging into the bear’s snow-white fur. His Eidoncheir clutched his muscular shoulder with the talons of an eagle. Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam hauled themselves up with Herman at the front.

  “After them!” said Prince Adam.

  “They’ve got Kevin,” cried Benjamin. “Please hurry!”

  Toalla sped on as fast as he could, his paws beating hard against the soft snow. Passing through the gap, they found a steep pathway leading to the top of the icy cliffs. A silhouetted lion and ghost could be seen ahead. The bear raced against time with four humans on his back, his rapid heartbeat audible through his golden armour. Emerging from the steep pathway, they reached a road bearing left, heading towards the flat landing of the icy cliff. Losing sight of Aloncheir and the Ghost Boy, Toalla followed the sledge tracks.

  Before Benjamin, Kaileena and Prince Adam could shout a word of warning, Toalla jumped over a large rock, causing the three children to fall off his back. No one noticed them go; not even the thump of the landing turned their heads. Benjamin clenched his fists as he watched them ride away. He could have called them back, but felt it would be wrong to delay the rescue. A hand gripped his shoulder as Kaileena helped the two boys to their feet.

  “Come on!” she said. “We’re not going to let anything stop us now, are we?”

  Following Toalla’s pawmarks and the sledge tracks, the three huffed and puffed their way to the top. Yellow arrows on blue signs provided directions, but where did the arrows lead? The height was beginning to affect them, and Benjamin’s ears hurt at every weary step, but he could still hear faint booms and bangs from behind. Suddenly Prince Adam grabbed his sleeve.

  “Stop! Don’t go any further!” he shouted.

  Benjamin’s dizziness had prevented him from noticing the crevasse right in front of him, about fifty metres wide from left to right. There was a lone bridge leading to the other side, above which the aurora borealis seemed almost close enough to touch. A sudden scream jolted him from his daze. It was Kevin, calling for help.

  “That’s my brother!” Benjamin leapt onto the bridge, wanting to reassure Kevin that he was coming to help him, but he seemed to have lost his voice; even his tears had run dry. The only strength left in his body was the will to go on, with Kaileena and Prince Adam at his heels.

  “Careful, Benjamin!” said Kaileena, cautiously stepping onto the slippery rock.

  Benjamin dared not look down. He felt as if he were walking in the sky. Small clouds hovered like shrouds, concealing the sled tracks and the pawmarks. There was a sudden roar, followed by another.

  Benjamin crept hurriedly forward at a pace too rapid for safety, but holding his hands out helped him keep his balance. At the other side of the cliff, everything seemed to be happening at once: four huge machines were being manipulated by two men and a woman; Benjamin’s band and his friends stood behind these in a row, their eyes betraying the dark spell they were under, controlled by a group of people in dark cloaks; Lagunar lay on the floor beside them, unconscious; and side by side, Aloncheir and Toalla ran with their companions on their backs, growing closer to their destination.

  Then the bridge vibrated from the throbbing of the four machines that had just lit up, blue and green sparks flying into the surrounding air. Benjamin concentrated on keeping his balance. He glanced back and saw that Kaileena and Prince Adam were safe and waiting for him to go on. As he was about to take another careful step, there was another tremor and he screamed, fearing the worst. Up ahead, the domed lids of each machine split in half and opened to extract the power of the northern lights. The machine was building up power, but for what? Benjamin watched as electrical beams shot into the sky, creating an orb as big as Prince Adam’s royal palace.

  Once again Kevin screamed, and Benjamin wailed as he crept onward. They were nearly there; the other side was close and the bridge was strong. Clambering onto the first rock of the cliff, Benjamin pulled himself upwards. The wind was dangerously strong and his boots would not save him if he stayed where he was. They were not designed for climbing or running, but he managed as well as he could.

  Benjamin helped Kaileena up and moved on to help Prince Adam. Just then Kevin was brought forward by a man wearing dark sunglasses, who withdrew a wired syringe from a small briefcase before connecting it to one of the machines. He was about to do something very cruel to Benjamin’s brother.

  A bulky silhouette the size of a bear roared and jumped at the man holding the syringe, its paws raised high. Before Kevin could be harmed, Toalla punched the man out of the way, causing him to stagger and crash into one of the machines. It broke apart at the fall, tearing its beam away like a waving whip. The enigmatic orb above shook as it plummeted down like a meteorite and then stopped. The three other machines raised their power levels, supporting it in the air.

  Angered at Toalla’s destruction, the man got up and wrestled with him, then a faint gasp left his mouth; a huge gash cut open his belly where Toalla had torn him. He was dead.

  Herman grabbed Kevin, pushing him out of harm’s way, then he turned to Toalla and Aloncheir and signalled to them to roar at the three people in dark cloaks. The roars were loud and startled the group, making them jump in fright; it sent them back a few steps, distorting their faces with fear.

  The children were freed from the spell. Benjamin’s band shook their heads to clear the dizziness, wondering how they had ended up here.

  “Run!” cried Herman. “All of you, come this way!”

  The sight of the frightening, floating orb encouraged them to run. One by one, Benjamin watched each of them turn towards the bridge. As they passed him, he lost count. There were too many; it was all a blur, and he didn’t know who had left or stayed.

  “Toalla, Herman, protect them,” said Kaileena, hurrying alongside.

  “To that bridge, then down,” said Adam. “Follow that bear.”

  Benjamin didn’t go with them; he ran to Kelindra who had stayed where she was, shocked by something Benjamin didn’t understand.

  “Amarant, what are you doing?” asked the woman, staring at one of the men.

  “No! Please leave her alone,” said the man, crying. He pressed his palms together in supplication to the three people in dark cloaks.

  “Daddy?” said Kelindra. She fell back into Ruby’s arms, wishing that this were all just a dream but knowing there was no way out. “No!” she shrieked.

  “Hey! Back off!” Ruby pushed Kelindra to the ground. “Is that your dad, then?” she scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re as bad as he is. Like father, like daughter.”

  Kelindra seemed to explode like a bomb. She growled as she stood up quickly, and dark patches grew around her eyes. Her skin turned pale with purple veins streaking all over her face.

  “You stupid girl!” she said, flinching at her transformation. “How dare you push me? What have I ever done to you?”

  “You’re such a rude friend! You were sarcastic when I couldn’t find my brother and my cousin down in the Far South!” retorted Ruby, unafraid of Kelindra’s Ifrahaili inheritance.

  “No, I wasn’t!” said Kelindra, shaking her shoulder. “If I’d felt like that, then why am I here?”

  Ruby looked at her with an uncomprehending frown.

  Flinging her arms around in rage, Kelindra went on shouting. “There’s no one else for me to rescue that I know of! My brother Noor is already safe at home! Musab found Walid! Benjamin found his brothers! So I came here to help you rescue Ranjit and Pari!”

  Ruby didn’t know what to say.

  “I’VE DONE A LOT FOR YOU, BUT WHAT HAVE
YOU DONE FOR ME IN RETURN? WHEN I GOT THE INHERITANCE OF THE IFRAHAIL, WHAT DID YOU DO?” Kelindra was shouting loud enough to be heard over the battle. Benjamin looked at them and saw Ruby breathing heavily, overwhelmed by the strength of Kelindra’s voice. “YOU LEFT ME! I SAW YOU SCURRY OFF, YOU COWARD!” she continued. “WHEN WE WERE DANGLING FROM THE TUNNEL ON THE PLANE IN EGYPTA, WHO WAS THE ONE WHO FELL OUT? ME, THAT’S WHO! AND WHAT DID YOU DO? NOTHING! I REACHED OUT FOR YOUR HAND! I THOUGHT I WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND!”

  Ruby looked down, ashamed and trying to hide it.

  “Did you know that I cried all night when you said you were going to return to Brytannia?” Kelindra now sounded eerily calm. “You were the only person that liked me, and you were going to leave without a word of farewell?” She tilted her head accusingly, shining tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Kelindra, I’m sorry.” Ruby raised a friendly hand, but it was brushed aside.

  “Get lost! Go away!” Kelindra shook her again, but her fury had begun to abate. “I’ve realised that I don’t need anyone in my life.”

  Suddenly her father gripped her shoulder and turned her around to face him. “Kelindra! Keli, darling!” he said. “Listen to me! This is not what it looks like.”

  “Don’t touch me, Daddy! I hate you!” Kelindra writhed around, trying to free herself from her father’s grasp, but he was too strong.

  “Darling, you don’t mean that.”

  “I hate you!” Kelindra bawled again, punching him on the arm. “That’s what you robbed the bank for, isn’t it? To fund this horrible organization!”

  “Keli, listen!”

  “Shut up!” she roared, addressing her parent in a way that would normally have earned her a slap, but these were not normal circumstances. “I can never look up to you anymore! You’re a bad father! You’re a criminal! You left little Noor, me, Zara, Dalmat and Mama – you left our family!”

  “Kelindra, no! That’s not true!” Mr. Fetahi was denying it strongly. What was he trying to say? Benjamin wished that Kelindra would give her father a chance to speak, but she kept on punching and screaming, her face turning paler, her veins turning darker. It was known that such a transformation took place when someone with the inheritance became angry, and if it reached its limit – oh! Benjamin had to try to calm her down. Kelindra kept trying to push her father away, and as she did Benjamin noticed the blood on her father’s hand.