The Wrath of the Lizard Lord

by Jon Mayhew

  As they rounded a bend, the river widened before them. Dakkar’s mouth hung open at what he saw.

  The land flattened out and vegetation abruptly thinned as the river opened into a shallow estuary cutting through a flat plain. Steaming pools of water dotted the expanse, and beyond it a rolling black sea. At the very mouth of the river a wooden stockade surrounded a soaring tower.

  It took Dakkar’s breath away. The walls were made of huge stone blocks and massive beams of wood. Round windows dotted the sides as the square tower reached up and up until the dark, grumbling clouds above them shrouded its top.

  ‘I’ve never seen such a tall building,’ Dakkar gasped. ‘Even St Paul’s cathedral in London isn’t that big.’

  ‘It’s amazing,’ Mary whispered, gazing up.

  ‘We’d better get out of sight before we’re spotted,’ Dakkar said, steering the Liberty towards the bank.

  The reeds scraped along the hull of the sub as Dakkar landed her in the last clump of dense foliage that clung to the river’s side. Mary and Dakkar climbed out to find Gog and his tribesmen crouched among the bushes, their eyes wide with fear. They had never been so close to the tower since Stefan had started hunting them down. Slowly, they picked their way through the forest to the edge of the clearing that surrounded the tower.

  ‘How are we going to get in?’ Mary asked the question that was written all over the giants’ faces. ‘The stockade wall around it is so high.’

  ‘Many guards on wall too,’ Gog agreed.

  Dakkar nodded. Huge tree trunks, sharpened to a point at the top, stood side by side to form the stockade wall. Guards paced behind these, giving them a high vantage point.

  ‘We need to get a closer look,’ Dakkar said, running his fingers through his hair. ‘Maybe we can find a blind spot or a weak area.’

  Gog gave a nod. They set off towards the tower.

  ‘It’s quieter here,’ Mary said in a hushed voice.

  She was right. The eerie silence made every step sound alarmingly loud; every twig that snapped was a gunshot to their ears.

  ‘Rohaga kill everything,’ Gog snorted. ‘Nothing go near tower.’

  The forest had been partially cleared around the stockade, preventing them from creeping close. The canopy let more light in here where the trees had been thinned out.

  ‘This whole area has been partly cleared,’ Dakkar said, frowning. ‘Why?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Mary said, catching up with him.

  ‘Wouldn’t it be better to have thick forest?’ Dakkar replied, waving his hand at the hacked vegetation. ‘That would be harder to get through, surely?’

  ‘Or completely razed to the ground to stop people sneaking up,’ Mary added, following his line of thought. ‘Unless Cryptos wants people to try to sneak up . . .’

  But Mary never finished her sentence. With a gasp, she vanished into the ground as if it had swallowed her whole. Dakkar spun round to see Gog disappear and then his tribesmen. Taking a step forward, Dakkar felt the soil under his feet shift and then his stomach lurched as the ground gave way beneath him.

  He was falling into blackness. Then he hit something hard and knew no more.

  Chapter Twenty

  Traitor!

  ‘Wake up!’

  Something struck Dakkar hard across the face.

  ‘Wake up, or do I have to smack you again?’ a voice snapped at him. A familiar American accent rang in his ears as sharp as the slap that still lingered on his cheek.

  Dakkar blinked, half expecting to find himself sitting in the Liberty. His cheek stung and his head spun. Grey stone walls surrounded him and straw lay scattered on the floor. He peered up at the blurred figure in front of him.

  ‘G-Georgia?’ he stammered. ‘Is that you?’

  ‘Of course it is,’ said the figure.

  The darkness gradually receded and Dakkar recognised the angry, red-headed girl standing over him, hands on her hips.

  ‘Thank goodness you’re safe, I thought . . .’ Dakkar began. Then he stopped. ‘Georgia, what are you wearing?’

  ‘What does it look like?’ Georgia hissed, glancing down at her black Cryptos uniform.

  It fitted her snugly, a stiff woollen jacket with matching trousers and shining knee-high boots. Dakkar could tell it had been made especially for her. She hadn’t stolen it as a disguise.

  He glanced around the grey cell. They were inside the tower, it seemed. Two guards stood at either side of a narrow door behind Georgia, rifles at the ready, their eyes steely.

  ‘What’s going on, Georgia?’ Dakkar said, straining at the ropes that held him to the chair. ‘Why are you wearing that uniform?’

  ‘I’ll ask the questions from now on,’ she snapped, her emerald eyes flashing with anger. ‘What do you mean by sneaking up on Count Cryptos’s tower?’

  ‘This is madness,’ Dakkar hissed. ‘What do you think I was doing? Paying a social call?’

  Another blow from Georgia stung Dakkar’s cheek. ‘You’re a fool for coming here,’ she said, narrowing her eyes. ‘The count will kill you, and serve you right!’

  ‘And you’ll let him?’ Dakkar said, shaking his head. His face glowed with the heat of the blow and the anger that boiled up inside him. ‘I came to rescue you!’

  ‘I don’t need rescuing, thank you very much,’ Georgia snorted, her face reddening under her freckles. ‘I’m doing fine by myself.’

  ‘I can see that,’ Dakkar said, his voice faint. ‘But why? How did you get here?’

  ‘Uncle Robert heard a rumour about strange sea monsters off the coast of Nova Scotia,’ Georgia said. ‘But he wouldn’t go and investigate . . .’

  ‘So you went alone,’ Dakkar said, finishing her sentence. ‘And followed them here?’

  ‘I found myself here by accident after chasing Cryptos. They led me into an undersea tunnel that brought me here,’ Georgia said. ‘Stefan rescued me from certain death. He made me realise how corrupt the nations of the world up there really are.’

  ‘And you joined Cryptos?’ Dakkar said, incredulous.

  ‘So what if I have?’ Georgia snapped back. ‘There’s a war coming, Prince, and everyone will have to decide which side they’re on.’

  ‘A war?’ Dakkar said, frowning. ‘But what about your Uncle Robert?’

  ‘A fool, like you,’ Georgia spat. ‘Has he searched for me? Does he even care? No. Too busy with his plans and projects. He’s happy to make weapons but never uses them.’

  ‘Then why hide the Lib–’ Dakkar began to say, but Georgia slapped him again before he could finish.

  ‘Count Cryptos will want to question you himself, I’m sure,’ she said, staring deep into Dakkar’s eyes. ‘You’re better off telling me all you know. He’ll be harder on you.’

  ‘Harder than you?’ Dakkar said through gritted teeth.

  ‘He’s ruthless, Dakkar,’ Georgia said, and Dakkar thought he saw genuine fear in her eyes. ‘I managed to persuade him that you might have useful information or he’d have killed you when we took you from the pits.’

  ‘The pits?’ Dakkar said.

  ‘Covered holes in the ground, deep and sheer-sided. They surround the tower,’ Georgia explained. ‘You fell into them. You were lucky – some have sharp spikes at the bottom.’

  ‘What about the others?’ Dakkar said, the blood draining from his face. ‘Mary, Gog?’

  ‘Safe, for now,’ Georgia said. ‘The giants have been set to work. Mary has piqued the interest of the count. He’s intrigued by how she found her way down here unaided and how she made many return trips. He sees potential in her.’

  ‘Potential?’ Dakkar said, scowling.

  ‘As an agent for Cryptos,’ Georgia said, folding her arms. ‘He knows that the Brothers Oginski are getting older. New blood is required.’

  ‘Like you,’ Dakkar muttered, his voice bitter. ‘I was given that chance once, remember?’

  ‘Yes, and you took it,’ Georgia said, arching her eyebrows. ‘For your own
reasons.’

  Is she trying to tell me something? Dakkar thought. He glanced at the two burly guards but they just glared back.

  ‘But, Georgia,’ he said in a low voice, ‘you know I never actually joined them.’ Dakkar had pretended to side with Cryptos in order to foil his plan.

  ‘I don’t think this Count Cryptos will make you the same offer,’ Georgia said, her face stony. ‘You’ve blotted your copybook, so to speak.’

  ‘You were my accomplice,’ Dakkar retorted.

  ‘The count knows the truth – that I was duped by you,’ Georgia said, shaking her head. ‘Besides, he sees how committed I am to the cause now. He trusts me.’

  ‘Gog’s tribe,’ Dakkar said, his eyes pleading with Georgia, ‘they’re almost all dead. Women and children too. Butchered by Cryptos. You can live with that?’

  ‘And the English would treat them with more respect?’ Georgia said, turning her back to Dakkar. ‘My own country treats its native people in just such a way. Those who join us and work for us fare better.’

  ‘The Qualar didn’t do so well when they worked for the other Cryptos,’ Dakkar said through gritted teeth. ‘They were slaves.’

  ‘I was hoping I could persuade you to join us and then persuade Cryptos that you weren’t beyond hope,’ Georgia sighed, heading for the door. ‘I can see I’m wasting my time. Take him back to his cell.’

  The two guards jumped to attention, then advanced on Dakkar. Untying the ropes, they dragged him to his feet, twisting his arms behind his back until he winced at the pain.

  ‘Georgia, wait!’ Dakkar called out, but Georgia had vanished.

  ‘Keep quiet, boy!’ one of the guards snarled.

  The guards dragged Dakkar out into a corridor lit by the flickering of flaming torches that hung from brackets in the wall. Shadows danced on the rock, exaggerating the gaps between the huge stone blocks that made the tower. Cell doors lined the dank walls that Dakkar stumbled past, propelled by the two burly men. Behind, he could hear moaning and even cries of pain. Every now and then a distant rumbling shook the building. Dakkar glanced at the guards in alarm.

  ‘You get used to that, boy.’ The guard laughed. ‘The count uses the hot-water springs for power. Some of them fire water high into the air. The screaming? That’s just someone who didn’t agree with the count.’

  They came to the final door at the end of the passage and the guard loosened his grip to reach for his keys.

  Dakkar wrenched his arm free while simultaneously swinging his head back at the guard behind him. Pain stabbed through his skull as his head caught the guard in the chin and sent him staggering.

  Dakkar leapt high and landed a kick to the side of the second guard’s head. The guard bounced off the wall and then collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

  Spinning round to face the remaining man, Dakkar’s heart fell at the sound of a metallic click and the sight of the barrel of the man’s musket.

  ‘Stand still,’ roared the guard, ‘or I’ll blow your head off!’

  The guard on the ground began to groan and slowly pulled himself to his feet.

  ‘Proper little firebrand, this one,’ the guard said, rubbing his head. ‘Keep that musket trained on ’im.’

  The man fumbled with the keys and pushed the door open. They bundled Dakkar into the tiny cell and hurled him to the floor. Dakkar sprawled, panting, as the door crashed shut behind him.

  He lay still, taking in his surroundings. Chains hung from the stone-block walls and damp straw clung to the rough ground, smeared in the foul mud that coated it. Dakkar leapt up. Shadows shrouded the room apart from the shaft of light that shone in through the small barred window above his head, but he could tell that he was not alone.

  ‘You fight well,’ a voice said in French. ‘Keep that spirit, mon ami. You will need it.’

  Dakkar squinted through the darkness. A dim shadow sat in the corner of the cell. A man, stocky framed and dressed in a dirty, ragged uniform of blue.

  ‘Who are you?’ Dakkar said. The voice seemed vaguely familiar but he couldn’t place it. ‘Show yourself.’

  ‘I’m not used to taking orders.’ The man laughed softly and stepped nearer. ‘But I like the fight in you. My name is Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?’

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Count Cryptos

  ‘Your excellency!’ Dakkar said, giving a curt nod. ‘It seems that your boasts of being safe from Count Cryptos were a little premature.’

  ‘My boasts?’ Bonaparte’s forehead wrinkled with confusion.

  ‘When we met last,’ Dakkar said, ‘you said that you didn’t need our protection from Cryptos. Your bodyguard Alfonse had just killed three men . . .’

  ‘Alfonse!’ Bonaparte spat. ‘That turncoat. It was because of him that I have languished here for so many months. He betrayed me, drugged my wine. I awoke in this cell and have been here ever since.’

  ‘Many months?’ Dakkar scratched his head. ‘But how is that possible? I met you only a few weeks ago . . . It is I, Prince Dakkar.’

  ‘My boy, you are mistaken,’ Bonaparte said firmly. ‘We have never met before. I would remember you!’

  ‘Well, I have met you before, your excellency,’ Dakkar said. He explained about their encounter, carefully avoiding any mention of the Nautilus or giant sharks.

  Bonaparte sat absorbing his words, and after a while he lifted his head and stared at Dakkar.

  ‘It all sounds incredible,’ Bonaparte said, stroking his chin. ‘The only explanation can be that you met somebody masquerading as me.’

  ‘The man I met was an impostor?’ Dakkar said, raising his eyebrows.

  Napoleon gave a tired smile. ‘Very possibly,’ he said. ‘During my time in power, I employed many doubles – impersonators, men who could take my place in dangerous situations. Some of them just held a passing resemblance to me. They would ride through the crowds quickly and the people would be cheered by my presence. Others would look like me from a distance, on a balcony or a fortress wall, addressing the people. One or two looked like my twin brother and spoke like me – maybe even thought like me. I never suspected one would overthrow me.’

  ‘Oginski said something about how you . . . he’d changed,’ Dakkar said, nodding slowly. ‘I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Why would someone do that though?’

  Napoleon puffed out his chest. ‘The people will rise up behind Napoleon,’ he said, lifting his chin. ‘My armies will follow him and rebuild an empire.’ His shoulders sagged. ‘Only it won’t be me. Cryptos will control the impostor. The double will be his puppet and Cryptos will control all of Europe.’

  ‘Very astute!’ said a voice from the doorway.

  Dakkar turned to see a tall man, burly and dressed in tight-fitting breeches, knee-high boots and a loose cotton shirt. There was no mistaking that he was an Oginski. He had the same dark, brooding eyes and curly hair, and yet he seemed much younger than Dakkar’s Oginski.

  ‘Count Cryptos?’ Dakkar said, narrowing his eyes at the man.

  ‘Stefan Oginski will do just fine,’ the man said with a faint smile. ‘I prefer to think that the name Cryptos describes my organisation rather than myself.’

  ‘Your brother revelled in the name,’ Dakkar said coldly. ‘Before he died.’

  ‘I am not my brother Kazmer,’ Stefan said, quiet menace in his voice. ‘Nor am I my elder brother Franciszek. The man you so revered.’

  ‘You speak as if he’s dead,’ Bonaparte said.

  ‘By all accounts he is,’ Stefan murmured, fixing Dakkar with a cold stare. ‘I made sure of that. Did you like the sharks? I had Alfonse release them from their cage once you thought you had escaped in that damned submersible of yours.’

  ‘You lie!’ Dakkar yelled, lunging at Stefan, who stepped aside, swatting at Dakkar with the back of his hand. Dakkar stumbled back into Bonaparte, who caught and steadied him.

  ‘Careful, mon ami,’ he said. ‘Save your anger for w
hen you most need it.’

  ‘He’s not dead,’ Dakkar muttered, meeting Stefan’s gaze. ‘But I won’t forget what you did to Gog and his tribe.’

  ‘They had served their purpose and refused to work for me.’ Stefan shrugged. ‘They are barely above the animals.’

  ‘Gog has more humanity in his little finger than you have in your whole body,’ Dakkar said through gritted teeth.

  ‘My brother has mentored you poorly,’ Stefan said, raising his eyebrows. ‘Come, let me show you around so you can see what you’re up against. Georgia pleads well for you. I fear you may shake her resolve to support us.’

  ‘Why would I want a tour?’ Dakkar spat.

  Stefan shrugged. ‘It will prolong your life. I can always have you shot here and now if you prefer,’ he said, nodding to the two guards who stood behind him in the passage.

  Dakkar glanced at Bonaparte, who shrugged and nodded as if to say, ‘What have you got to lose?’

  Stefan led Dakkar out of the cell and into the passage. The two guards from before flanked Dakkar, clutching their rifles warily. They passed cell doors on either side of them. Dakkar wrinkled his nose. A foul smell of rotten meat and excrement filled the corridor. The smell grew stronger as the passage opened into a large room.

  In the dim light, Dakkar could barely make out any detail. Gradually as his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he made out the edges of a pit that filled the centre of the room. A narrow walkway of stone ran round the edges of the pit but there were no rails to prevent them from tumbling over. Stakes dotted the sides of the pit and Dakkar shuddered as he realised that each wooden pole had a human skull sitting on its top. Deep below them, Dakkar heard hissing and snapping. The stink from the darkness nearly knocked Dakkar off his feet.

  ‘My death pit. Full of lizards from the jungle,’ Stefan said. He stopped and ran a finger over one of the skulls. ‘Some of Kazmer’s men managed to escape when you destroyed his island.’ He stopped and held the skull close to Dakkar. ‘They brought news of his demise.’

  ‘You killed them?’ Dakkar gasped, staring into the skull’s empty eye sockets.