lad's a danger to us all, Gizal. You should've let Rawth slay him. Here, I'll go and do the job
myself!"
The blind woman's staff blocked Ligran's way as she lowered her voice, warning him, "Don't
let anger rule thy thinking, Ligran. If the lad did kill Maguda with his eyes, he must be even
more powerful than she was. Thy sister ruled through fear. Without one as strong as she, our
people would soon leave here and go their own ways, am I not right, Rawth?"
The elder Razan nodded. "True, old one, but if the lad is as powerful as you think, how can
we bend him to our service?"
Ligran began warming to the idea. He smiled wickedly. "Through his two young friends—
they are as close as brothers and sister. The boy would not wish them hurt, would he?"
Gizal's staff touched Ligran's shoulder. "Now thou art showing good sense. Leave me to think
now. First we will have a great ceremony to impress our people. Maguda must be installed in
a suitable tomb before our new leader is made known to the Razan. That will be after the
spirit of Maguda appears to us three and names the boy as her successor."
Rawth was puzzled for a moment. "Will she?"
Ligran grinned. "She already has. Brother, did you hear her?"
Rawth caught on then and laughed. "Oh, aye, I heard her. Pity all the Razan couldn't, eh?"
Gizal squeezed Rawth's arm reassuringly. "Fear not, they will! At the right time. There be
plenty of hidden places, and the great cavern carries lots of echoes. Leave it to old Gizal!"
Having hatched their plan, the three departed from the armoury cave, leaving behind them the
rigid corpse of the once all-powerful Maguda Razan. What Gizal, Ligran and Rawth had
missed was the lesson their former leader had learned at the cost of her life: a surety that
Good will triumph over Evil, always!
26
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON OF THE FOLLOWING day. Arnela and Ned crouched behind
a jumble of ice-sheened rocks. The ground in front of them was solidified soil, shale and
patches of snow in a small escarpment, backed by the pristine white mountain peak.
Arnela pointed, whispering to the dog, "See there, Ned, that's the one and only entrance to the
Razan caves. Just inside the rift, straight ahead." The black Labrador focussed his gaze on the
shadowed hole in the solid rock face, listening to the big goatherd woman. "Those red marks
by the entrance, they look like old bloodstains from this distance. But they're ancient pictures
of cave dwellers hunting wild boar. I saw them once, some years ago, when I tracked some
Razan villains here. Our friends will be imprisoned somewhere inside. Where, I'm not sure. I'll
wager there are many caves and passages inside. We'll worry about that when we come to it.
Our first job is to get inside. I'm sure there must be guards at the entrance. Let's hide here and
watch until we get a chance. Right?"
Ned snuggled down, nodding his head to show he understood.
After Ben was bundled roughly back into the cell, he lay still, listening to the henchmen
locking the barred door and pacing off down the passage. Then he went to work. Still bound,
his eyes taped, the boy rolled about until he bumped the rough, rocky wall. Backing onto it,
he wriggled along until his tightly bound hands encountered a small ridge. Then he began
sawing at the cord, rubbing it back and forth along the stone protuberance. It was slow,
painful work, and his hands were cold, swollen and numb from the tightly lashed cord.
"Ben, are you there, mate? It's me, Ned! I'm with Arnela, watching the main entrance. As soon
as we can sneak in we'll try to rescue you. How are Karay and Dominic? Are they with you?"
Relief flooded through Ben as he replied, "Good old Ned. I knew you'd come. And you've
brought help, too! Great! Listen, pal, I'm a bit tied up at the moment, so I'll make it brief. I'm
locked in a cell, somewhere below the big main cavern. I think our friends might be here, if
those Razan returned me to the same cell. I know that sounds a bit odd, but I'm bound, gagged
and blindfolded. I'm working on getting free. As soon as I know where I am for sure, I'll keep
contacting you. So you and Arnela be extra careful, you'll be no use to us if you get captured.
These Razan are no fools—they know the inside of this mountain very well. I'll speak to you
later, take care now, d'you hear me?"
Ned's answer came through to Ben. "I hear you, mate. Let's hope we can get to you before too
long!"
Ben had been sawing continuously whilst sending thoughts to the dog. Finally, he pulled, and
the frayed cord snapped in two pieces. Using both thumbs, Ben pushed the gag up beneath his
nose and levered the blindfold up until he could see a little. Then, with his teeth, the boy tore
off the pieces of cord that were knotted tight about both his wrists. His numbed hands were
useless for several minutes. He squeezed back tears, gasping as the blood flowed agonisingly
back into his fingers. Finally, reaching behind his head, he untied both the gag and the
blindfold.
Dominic and Karay were there, sitting, leaning askew at opposite angles, their eyes wide
open. Ben saw their twitching limbs and ashen faces. He knew they were still trapped within
the realm of nightmare. Drugged! Ben decided to use Ned's methods of getting through to
them, combined with a little addition of his own. Both the porridge and the water were still
there outside the cell's bars. He filled the ladle with water, splashed it straight into Dominic's
face and began slapping the boy's cheeks hard, shouting in his ear, "Come on, lazybones, rise
and shine! Up you come!"
Grabbing his friend beneath both armpits, Ben hauled him upright and gave his shin a smart
kick.
The facemaker winced sharply, his hands scrabbling at Ben's face as he whimpered,
"Yeeeegh! Get these snakes off me, I can't stand sn— Ben?"
Hugging his friend close, Ben whispered soothingly. "There there now, hush, Dom. It was all a
bad dream, the snakes are gone. Keep your mind on good and happy things. They won't bother
you anymore then."
Dominic blinked tears from his eyes and rubbed his leg. "One of them bit me, Ben, a green
cobra, right here by my knee. I think I'm going to die—it stings and pains. Oooohhhh!"
Ben wiped the tears from Dominic's eyes. "That wasn't a snake, Dom, 'twas me. I gave you a
good kick to wake you. Sorry about that, mate. We'd better get Karay back into the land of the
living. Come on, lend a hand!"
Dominic splashed water in the girl's face. Ben slapped her cheeks and tugged sharply at her
hair as he shouted, "Up and about, miss! Let's see you dancing and singing, pal!"
Karay screamed. She scratched and batted at Ben's hands as they pulled her hair. "Eeeeee! Get
away, you filthy crawly things! Ugh, spiders! Uuuuggghhh!"
Ben's face was a fraction from hers. The girl's eyes were wide and pleading as she sobbed to
him, "Kill the spiders, Ben. Don't let them get me. Kill them!"
It took an hour or more before Karay and Dominic were completely themselves, though they
both complained of roaring headaches and some dizziness. Ben explained to them what had
taken place. He told them about Maguda Razan's death but had to lie about the visions she had
seen in his eyes—he attributed her death to the fact that she was very ancient and must have
&nb
sp; had a weak heart.
Karay was only half listening at that stage. She was gazing longingly at the ladle in the water
pail. "Ooh, my mouth is so dry, I'd give anything for a sip of water!"
Dominic was in complete agreement with her. Ben shrugged. "Touch that water, either of you,
and within an hour you'll both be fighting off snakes and spiders again, I warn you!"
Karay massaged her temples moodily. "Well, what are we supposed to do now, just sit here?"
Ben nodded. "There's little else we can do. Don't worry, though, I've got a feeling Ned might
come to the rescue soon."
Dominic stared curiously at Ben. "Is that a thought, or just a feeling, friend? Tell me."
Ben's mysterious, clouded blue eyes met those of the facemaker, and he was smiling oddly.
"A bit of both, I think."
Two Razan guards who had been posted inside the tunnel entrance stepped outside to enjoy
the late-afternoon sunlight. Leaning their flintlock rifles against the rock wall, they stood idly
basking in the warmth. They had not been there long when a tall cloaked figure came into
view, tugging a black dog on an improvised rope lead. The guards shaded their eyes against
the lowering sun, but they could not see the newcomer's face, which was hidden by the
overhang of the cloak's hood. The dog dug its paws in, trying to resist being led. But the big,
strong-looking figure hauled it along easily and waved a friendly hand at the two guards.
One of them nudged the other. "Look, there's the black dog Maguda ordered everyone to
search for."
The other guard viewed the animal sourly. "Huh, lot of good that'll do now that Maguda's
dead. They're placing her in a tomb about now—maybe they'll bury it with her, eh?"
As the figure came closer, however, he challenged the person. "Halt, who goes there, an' what
d'ye want here?"
The big person spoke confidently. "Nought to worry about, friends, I am of the Razan. I
thought Maguda might like a little gift. I found this beast wandering the lower slopes."
The figure continued coming forward. The first guard broke the news. "You've come a bit
late, brother, Maguda Razan died last night."
The newcomer pointed to the inside of the tunnel. "Maguda Razan dead? She can't be. There
she is!"
Both guards turned to look into the tunnel. Arnela—for it was she—let go of Ned. Seizing
both men from behind with her powerful hands, she banged their heads hard against the rock
face. They dropped like two logs.
Ned winced at the sight of the two unconscious guards. "Oof! I'm glad I'm on her side!"
Arnela bound both men back to back with her long climbing rope and gagged them securely
with their own bandannas. Grabbing a foot of each man, she towed them away easily and
stowed them in their own former hiding place. Shouldering both firearms, she pointed to the
tunnel. "You go first, Ned. Maybe you can sniff our friends out."
The black Labrador trotted inside, accustoming himself to the flickering torchlit walls as he
relayed a message to Ben. "We're inside, Ben. Arnela's just flattened the entrance guards.
Where are you, mate, can you give me any help?"
The boy's thoughts answered him. "Ned, I'm sorry, but we haven't a clue about this place. I
can't direct you, pal. But if you hear a bear whining and moaning, you'll know we're
somewhere nearby. They've got the poor animal in a cell about three doors down from us.
Listen out for him."
The dog stopped, thought about Ben's suggestion, then came up with a solution of his own.
"The bear might fall silent—he doesn't know we're coming. Tell Karay to start singing and to
keep it up. Her voice is higher pitched, so I'll be able to hear it more easily."
Ben turned to the girl with his request. "Sing something, Karay, a nice long song with lots of
high notes."
She remained seated and replied moodily, "Who d'you think you're giving orders to, eh? My
mouth's too dry to sing. Besides, I've still got a splitting headache and I don't want to sing.
Huh, you can sing to yourself if you like!"
Dominic looked at Ben. "Why d'you want her to sing all of a sudden? Is there a special reason
for it?"
Ben made an awkward explanation to the facemaker. "I can feel that Ned's somewhere in these
caves, looking for us. I'll bet he's brought help, too. If he hears Karay's voice, it should help in
guiding him to us."
Karay stood up and hurried to the bars. "Well, why didn't you say so, Ben? How long shall I
sing?"
Ben shrugged. "For as long as it takes, I suppose. Anyhow, it'll save having to listen to our pal
Mr. Bear—the poor old fellow's moaning and whining is making me sad."
Karay began to sing.
"Don't love a soldier, my fair maid,
You'll have to follow his brigade,
Through the cold and muddy streams you'll wade,
Away across far countries.
Rub a dum dum dum, rub a dum dum dum,
That sound shall be your whole life's sum,
The fife and regimental drum,
Will rob you of your homeland.
And what will you be marching for,
When he leaves you to fight a war?
You'll sit about and grieve full sore,
To pray for his returning.
Rub a dum dum dum, rub a dum dum dum,
You'll grow to hate the beating drum,
When feet are bleeding cracked and numb,
Its sound will keep you marching.
Go choose a cook, a clerk or groom,
Or weaver who toils at the loom,
For he'll not tramp you to your doom,
Like that brave reckless soldier.
Rub a dum dum dum, rub a dum dum dum,
Why even army mules so dumb,
Would sooner hear a guitar's strum,
At home inside his stable!"
Karay stopped singing. She held up a finger for silence.
"What've you stopped for?" Ben queried.
Dominic edged up to the bars. "I hear it, some sort of chant. Sounds like a lot of people
coming this way!"
Ben joined his friends at the grille as the chant grew louder. The two brothers Rawth and
Ligran passed the junction at the corridor's end. By squinching his face sideways against the
bars, Ben could just see them from the corner of his eye. They were followed by a host of
Razan men and women. Gizal led the eerie chant, between beats from four gongs.
"Maguda ... Maguda!
The underworld rings to thy name.
Maguda ... Maguda!
Widespread thy fear and fame.
Razan, Razan, Razaaaaaan!"
This was repeated over and over in the same monotone as the entire clan marched by, in lines
three abreast. At the rear of the procession, twelve sturdy robbers bore a long trestle with the
body of Maguda set on her throne on top of it.
Karay watched in silent dread as the macabre cavalcade passed. "They must be taking
Maguda down to her tomb. Best place for the evil old hag, that's what I say!"
A message from Ned came to Ben. "Ahoy, mate, we're in a great big cavern, horrible place,
filled with coloured smoke and lots of huge strange statues. But there isn't a living soul to be
seen anywhere!"
Ben interrupted the dog's thoughts. "Good! You've come at just the right time. The Razan are
attending a funeral ceremony on the floor below this one. If you can get to us, we can break
free while the Razan are attending the ceremony in the lower caves. Hurry up, pal!"
The bear, who had been whining and moaning continually, now began howling and rattling its
neck chains.
Ned's thought winged its way to Ben. "Is someone blowing a horn down there? What's all that
racket I can hear?"
Ben answered with frantic speed. "It's the bear, he's started kicking up a right old row. His cell
is only three doors from ours. If you can find him, we're only yards away, mate!"
Ben clearly discerned the determination in his dog's reply. "Hang on, pal... We're coming!"
Ned tugged at Arnela's sleeve. Without a word she followed him at a rim—around the empty
throne dais, through the noxious clouds of multi-coloured smoke and into a downward-sloping
tunnel. She paused a moment, frowning. "Are those villains making a human sacrifice?
What're all those dreadful noises, Ned?"
The black Labrador tugged the goatherd's sleeve so hard that it ripped. She nodded furiously.
"Alright, alright! Lead on, boy, I'm following you!"
Together they pelted along the narrow, downsloping tunnel, taking a sharp left turn into the
prison corridor. Ben's voice rang out joyfully, as he heard their footsteps. "Ned, Ned. I knew
you'd find us!"
Arnela arrived at the cell's entrance, panting alongside the dog. "Hah, there ye are!"
Karay sobbed. "Oh, you made it, you're here at last!"
Ever the practical soul, Arnela silenced them. "Time for that later! Let's get you out of there!"
Dominic shook the bars frantically. "They took everything from us except our clothes. We
have nothing to work on the padlock with. And we vowed to free the bear if we got out. Just
listen to the poor beast howling!"
Arnela pushed him away from the bars. "Step back, young 'uns, leave this to me!"
Taking a musket from her shoulder, she bashed at the old padlock with great force—once,
twice! The tumblers of the ancient mechanism fractured under the impact, and the big padlock
fell open.
The bear had fallen silent; still chained to the wall, it was at the bars of its cell. Karay hurried
to it. Before anyone could shout out to warn her, she put her hand between the bars and
stroked its huge face. "Poor old fellow, we'll get you out." The big beast laid its head
sorrowfully against the girl's hand.
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