‘What the –’ growled a startled voice. ‘Why, you green-skinned monkeys! Trying to escape are you? We’ll see about that!’
It was the wagon driver who had shipped them here. After eating a meal and collecting his bonus, he had just turned the wagon round and was in the process of returning to Alavis when the road in front of him burst open with a flourish of branches. The guard too was still by his side, an incredulous look plastered across his face.
Jensen and Kelko merely grinned and crossed their arms. The tree branches that emerged from the crevice shook and rustled. The movement got fiercer and in an explosion of green leaves Sic Boy jumped free.
The guard and the driver, already halfway off the wagon seat, froze in astonishment.
‘Er …’ began the guard.
‘Eep,’ wheezed the driver.
Kelko and Jensen’s grins grew even bigger.
‘Leave yer clothes and weapons behind and we might let ya leave here with yer skin intact,’ smirked Jensen. ‘But be quick; we ain’t got all day.’
The two Stomen looked at each other, but a menacing growl from Sic Boy soon had them pulling the belts from their trousers with trembling fingers.
‘And yer weapons,’ insisted Jensen when the two stood in nothing but their underwear.
There was a clang as a short sword and two daggers hit the floor.
‘And let’s not forget yer bonus, eh, boys?’ sniggered Kelko.
The guard tried to bluster a response, but Sic Boy snapped his teeth mere inches from the man’s backside.
A handful of coins joined the weapons.
‘Good … now beat it!’ said Jensen with a snap of his fingers.
They watched with interest as the two scampered back towards the entrance to the Soul Mines of Zhartoum.
Chuckling, Jensen and Kelko helped themselves to the fallen booty before swinging themselves on to the wagon. As they retreated back towards the Great Plains, the leaves of the elm tree gently rustled in the wind.
22
A Devilish Betrayal
As they fell from the temple, Charlie caught a brief flash of the bridge, a dizzying glimpse of the bottomless drop beneath and felt more than heard Lallinda’s terrified scream as the young girl pressed her face into Charlie’s back. The wind tugged at her hair, vertigo lurched in her stomach and her eyes watered as the temple wall flashed by.
Gripping the sword hilt as tightly as she could, she reared back then lunged forward, driving the blade into the brickwork. The sword sank deep, but with Charlie and Lallinda’s combined weight hanging from the hilt it didn’t stop their fall, only slowed their rapid rate of descent so that they fell like two pirates with a knife in a sail. From floor to floor they slid, the sharp blade cleaving a huge chasm into the wall. They crashed through roof after roof and in a cloud of mortar, loose bricks and wayward slates they continued downward.
Charlie, unable to restrain herself, grinned jubilantly at the dwindling faces of the Daemon Kindred.
‘Haaaaa!’ she screamed. ‘Catch us now, you suuuuuuuuuuckers!’ She cackled in delight.
Then her eyes bulged as the Daemon Kindred scampered down the wall on their insect and spider-like limbs. Hundreds of them burst from the top floor, their claws and talons giving them unbreakable grips. Spreading out, they almost obscured the temple walls with their sheer weight of numbers. They streamed downward, mouths agape and screaming like hyenas.
Growing desperate, Charlie searched for a new avenue of escape. Spying a rapidly approaching balcony coming up on their left she reached a sudden decision. Pulling the blade from the wall she kicked outward with her feet. The two girls flew through the air to land on the parapet in an explosion of dust and sprawling limbs. Checking that the urn was still in one piece, Charlie hauled Lallinda to her feet, sprinted to the end of the parapet and jumped on to the roof below.
Loose tiles scattered on impact and Charlie instinctively rolled forward, but Lallinda – slower and lower on luck – broke through the timbers and fell part way through the roof. Staggering backwards, Charlie grabbed the young girl by the shoulders and helped drag her free.
‘Quick! Quick!’ snapped Charlie, hurrying the crying girl forward.
‘I can’t, I can’t go –’
‘Yes you can! You can!’
‘I can’t!’ wailed Lallinda, collapsing into a sobbing heap. ‘Dis is just a dream. It’s a dream. A dream …’
Charlie glanced back at the approaching horde. They had almost reached the balcony. Half cursing, half bemoaning her luck, she ran back. Heaving the sword overhead she swept it through the large supports that formed part of the parapet’s foundations. With a groan of tortured timber and the snap-snap of cracking bricks, the balcony plunged into the abyss, taking scores of daemons with it. Unfortunately the demise of their brethren didn’t slow the others or dull their enthusiasm for pursuit. Hooting and screaming, the daemons scuttled closer.
‘Get up, Lallinda! Get up! I’m not leaving you here. Now up on your feet!’
Grasping the girl by the arm, Charlie lurched forward and, reaching the end of the roof, half flung, half lowered Lallinda to the bridge then swiftly followed after.
‘Come back and plaaaaaaaaaaaaaay with us!’
‘We have games, such games. Delightful games!’
‘Yeah, I’ll show you chumps what to do with your games,’ gasped Charlie as she staggered across the bridge, doing her best to prod the terrified Treman girl forward.
The mist closed round them, hiding the temple and their pursuers from view. The taunts and cries of the approaching Kindred now sounded muffled and distant.
‘C’mon, Lallinda, we’re almost there. Almost safe.’
Reaching the end of the bridge, Charlie slashed at the ropes then gleefully watched as the bridge and its annoyingly cheerful lanterns disappeared into the mist.
‘Catch us now, you –’
The sight of the grinning daemons spanning the void with lines of spun silk caused Charlie to fall silent. Even from a distance their teeth looked awfully sharp.
‘Come back!’ they cackled in unison. ‘Join us! Join us and plaaaaaaaaay!’
As she stared at their gaping mouths and multi-jointed legs, the fear suddenly returned.
‘R-run!’ The word escaped her lips as a gurgled whisper.
With the aroma of hot greenhouses catching in their noses and the feel of the clammy mist on their cheeks, Charlie and Lallinda sprinted up the cobblestone path. Puffing and panting, they headed towards the soft golden glow of the Gate.
The sound of insane laughter, the scuttle of insect feet and the anticipation of something grabbing at her shirt gave Charlie an extra burst of speed. Grabbing Lallinda by the hand, she jumped for the welcoming glow of the entrance.
Landing back in the cave, adrenalin pumped through Charlie’s veins. The thick stalactites, smoky air and screaming statues still littered the area, giving it an unwelcoming atmosphere. But Charlie didn’t care. She’d made it back and with the vessel too! She felt delighted; at last something was going right!
Something suddenly tugged at her hand. The motion pulled her up on tiptoes and almost lifted her off her feet.
Befuddled, she turned to look at Lallinda.
But the Treman girl was gone. In her place was one of the Daemon Kindred and it was grinning madly like a fisherman having just landed the catch of a lifetime. It was half-human, half-millipede and much larger than those she had left behind. It loomed overhead and Charlie was shocked to realize that she was holding the creature’s hand. She blinked in astonishment.
‘Lallinda?’
The daemon, with its hag’s face and long matted hair that floated in the air like seaweed caught in the tide, giggled in delight. ‘Ah, little Charlie, so innocent and sweet. Did you really think you could get away without being my plaything?’
‘B-b-but where’s Lallinda?’ stuttered Charlie. Dismay, exhaustion and confusion prevented her brain from putting two and two together.
‘Oh, sweet Charlie! Your innocence is a prize. A real prize! I shall enjoy sucking it from your soul. Souls such as yours are a rare gift indeed.’ Seeing that Charlie still hadn’t grasped the truth of its trickery it allowed its face to morph back into that of the young Treman girl. ‘Oh, Sweet Sap please save me, Charlie Keeper!’ it lisped mockingly. ‘Please be my hero!’ Once again it chuckled wickedly before morphing its face back into that of an old hag. ‘I am Lallinda, Queen of the Patchwork Kindred and you, Charlie Keeper, are the only mortal foolish enough to have fallen for my trick in millennia. Millennia, I tell you! Everyone who steps into our realm knows better than to believe their eyes and ears. At least everyone but you.’
‘So you tricked me.’
‘Easily, little Keeper – you are as naive as a puppy and now –’
Charlie didn’t wait for the daemon to finish. Fuelled by anger and horror at what she had allowed to escape from hell, she swung the sword overhead and sliced clean through the creature’s neck. There was a brief moment when the daemon managed a look of disbelief before its head toppled one way and its body the other.
Charlie watched with mixed feelings as the sword in her hand shrank back to its original rusted form and the daemon’s body withered into a pile of purple leaves. Charlie noted that the leaves were the same as those from the forest hidden within the daemons’ temple.
‘I’m an idiot,’ she muttered. She was disappointed in herself; her stupidity had almost ruined everything she had fought for. Darkmount had warned her about the crossed doors. ‘How could you have been such a sucker?’ She resolved in that moment not to tell the bishop about Lallinda. The last thing she needed was for him to think even less of her than he already did.
She shuddered in revulsion and had to fight the urge to empty the contents of her stomach across the floor. Suddenly unable to bear the weight of the sword, she threw it so that it landed amongst the scattered leaves. Wiping her hands on her shirt, she slowly backed away.
The sound of battle echoing down the tunnel from the Stubborn Citadel reminded her that Nibbler and Darkmount were still fighting for her. She took a hesitant couple of steps in that direction then stopped. Thoughts rampaged through her head, thoughts of hard lessons learned and bitter betrayals suffered. Reaching a sudden decision, she swept the backpack off her shoulders, opened it and drew forth the urn.
Taking a deep breath she stared into its depths. The stars within lit her skin with a soft glow, yet the stone surface of the vessel itself felt cold. Very cold.
‘Hello?’ she said. She was aware of how ludicrous it was to hope to hear a voice coming from an urn, but with all the events unfolding around her she didn’t care. ‘Is there anyone there?’
‘What is it you desire?’ asked a voice, which sounded not from within the vessel or from within the cavern but resounded loudly inside her head. ‘Speak and let your request be known.’
It’s more like a genie than a god, Charlie thought to herself. There was something seductive about the voice, something honey-rich, but at the same time alien and insect-like. As the god spoke to her, she felt a wet trickle of something running down her nostrils, over her lips and off her chin. With a start she realized it was blood. Once again Charlie felt slightly sick, but drawing more upon necessity than courage she voiced what she thought needed to be asked.
‘Do you know why my pendant was made?’
‘Yes.’
Charlie felt the stirrings of excitement. ‘I want to know the location of the Winged Ones’ secret Gateway. I want to know where I have to go to release the Winged Ones back to Bellania.’
‘The Serpent’s Tail,’ the god answered without hesitation.
Ha! This was much easier than dealing with Darkmount. No wonder he hadn’t mentioned this little perk to her before.
‘Where is –’
But the god, pre-empting her question, was already answering. ‘The Serpent’s Tail lies within the Winged Mount’s shadow.’
‘Yessss!’ Charlie punched at the air. She knew where to go now! She knew how to free the Winged Ones and now, now she really was on the path to rescuing her parents. At last she had uncovered the final piece of the pendant’s puzzle. However, one last question remained unanswered. She took a deep breath and clenched her fingers knuckle-white round the vessel before continuing. ‘One more thing: does Edge Darkmount intend to betray me?’
‘Yes.’ Even as the voice echoed within the confines of Charlie’s head she felt as though she had already known the answer. It was, after all, her doubts that had caused her to ask the god the question. All she had really wanted was confirmation.
‘Well done, Charlie Keeper. Perhaps you are not quite as infantile as I had first thought,’ growled a voice right by her ear. ‘Now give me my god!’
23
Greed
Charlie tried to pull away from Darkmount’s grasping hands, but he was too quick and she too surprised by his sudden appearance. His large fingers wrapped round the vessel, overlapping her own.
‘Give me my god!’ repeated Darkmount, a fevered look shining in his eyes.
‘So you can betray me just like everyone else? Not a chance!’ snapped Charlie. Her hands burst into flames as she summoned her Will.
Darkmount, matching her move for move, sang several notes of power so that his palms too billowed with flame. With the urn clutched between their glowing hands, the pair stared at each other with hate-filled eyes.
‘I’ll ask you once more and once more only: give me my god before I snuff out your life!’
In response Charlie grinned mirthlessly. ‘Have you forgotten that my Will makes me just as strong as you?’
‘Maybe it does,’ acknowledged Darkmount, ‘but perhaps you have forgotten that I am more experienced than you, YOU LITTLE WHELP!’
With a roar he released the urn with one hand. Scooping up a handful of dirt, he flung it at Charlie’s face. She countered his move, but it had been a bluff. Lunging forward he slammed his foot down. His heelstrike sent explosions of rock rippling out in circles and Charlie, caught off guard, was sent cartwheeling through the air.
‘Ha!’ said Darkmount as he secured his prize. ‘My god! Once again my god is mine!’
Grinning ecstatically he tucked the vessel inside his robe. Composing himself, he turned to face Charlie as she jumped to her feet.
‘So now, my little adversary,’ said Darkmount as he eyed his foe. ‘I believe the time has come to end your life.’
Digging his fists into a nearby stalagmite, he pulled free a chunk of rock that he fashioned into one of his characteristic clubs. Swinging it in large circles, he began to pace after Charlie with a determined look upon his face. The club thrummed and whistled as it whipped through the air.
WHUUUSH!
WHUUUSH!
Dancing out of reach, Charlie’s eyes widened as Darkmount stepped between a stalagmite and one of the screaming statues.
KA-KRAAACK!
KRAAACK!
Both stalagmite and statue burst apart in a shower of dust and splinters, but Darkmount and the brutal club didn’t slow at all. Merciless and unstoppable, he stomped forward leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
Charlie tried to jump forward so she could strike the bishop with her glowing fists, but she found it impossible to get past his weapon. Calling on all her K’Changa moves and gambits she leaped, tumbled and somersaulted this way and that, but each and every move was checked. Darkmount was simply too strong, his Stonesong too powerful and, armed with his club, his long reach was insurmountable.
Charlie was outmatched and outpowered.
Realizing this, Darkmount grinned.
Switching his grip so that he held the club one-handed, Darkmount started to sing louder. With his free hand he pointed to the stalactites that clung to the ceiling. One by one the
y burst free to fall like spears.
KA-PHOOM!
KRAK-PHOOM!
Close to panic, Charlie jumped from side to side, doing her best to avoid not just Darkmount’s club but the battery of missiles that cracked around her.
Aware that he held the advantage, Darkmount’s singing grew in power to become a deafening roar. Flinging the club aside he raised both hands upward. At his gesture the largest of the remaining stalactites burst from the ceiling. Charlie dodged one, slid beneath the explosive impact of another, but was too slow to avoid the debris of the third. She squawked, then screamed in agony as a large rock slammed down on her leg with a sickening crack.
Charlie went down in a tangle of limbs, the pain of her broken leg extinguishing her Will. Hearing the thump of Darkmount’s approaching footsteps she rolled on to her back so she could face him.
‘Just tell me why?’ she hissed through gritted teeth.
Darkmount leaned down to tear the pendant from round her neck. ‘For this, of course.’
‘You’re going to sell it to Bane?’ choked Charlie. ‘But why?’
Darkmount snorted in derision. ‘Foolish to the very last, eh, Charlie Keeper? No, Bane is no longer my main concern. With my god returned to me I can now bring the true faith to the whole of Bellania. The only fear I had was the return of the Winged Ones. They would have objected to my holy plans, but now with your pendant in my grasp I no longer have to worry. If it’s any consolation, know that Bane and all who honour him will fall beneath my fist. And now, Charlie Keeper, the time has come for us to say our final goodbyes.’
Lifting his fists he called upon his stonesinging and once again gestured towards the ceiling. Charlie, seeing what was coming, screamed. Raising her hands she summoned her Will, but the pain from her mangled leg broke her concentration so that it only manifested as a jittering light that stuttered weakly across her fingertips.
Darkmount grunted with mild appreciation at her efforts. ‘Still defiant? I can almost respect that … but it won’t save you.’
Keeper of the Realms: The Dark Army (Book 2) Page 12