by David Sinden
“The moon will rise soon,” the Baron told him, checking Ulf’s chains. “Wrap more on, Bone. I don’t want him breaking free when he transforms.”
Bone wrapped more chains around Ulf and fastened their ends with a padlock. He took the key from the lock and handed it to the Baron.
“Splendid,” Baron Marackai said, slipping the key into the pocket of his fur coat.
Ulf tried to move his arms and legs, but he couldn’t.
“There’s no point in struggling, werewolf,” the Baron said. “You’re not getting out alive.”
Ulf twisted his neck and saw a basket below his head at the end of the bench. It was writhing with rats.
The Baron felt in the basket and pulled out a chewed piece of meat. “Come and finish your dinner, little rats,” he said. The Baron wiped the meat up and down the rope that secured the guillotine blade.
Ulf saw the rats scurry to the rope. They started chewing it.
“Enjoy your transformation, werewolf. It will be your last,” the Baron said. He rubbed the stump on his right hand where his little finger was missing. “You’ve messed up my plans once too often. But soon I’ll be rid of you. Farraway Hall will be mine.”
“Farraway Hall belongs to the RSPCB,” Ulf said. “Professor Farraway never wanted you to have it.”
The Baron stepped to the door. “My father was a traitor to the Farraway name,” he spat. “Come on, Bone. It’s time to go hunting.”
Ulf looked up at the blade, then at the rats gnawing the rope. “Let me out!” he shouted, struggling.
As the Baron and Bone left the room, the Baron glanced over his shoulder. “Now, now, werewolf. Try not to lose your head.”
He grinned, then slammed the door shut behind him.
• • •
“Bone, start the machines!” the Baron ordered.
The big man headed off down the corridor to the pedal-carts.
Baron Marackai walked to the archway. He stood by three levers on the wall, looking into the dungeons.
Blud was revving the engine on his motorbike. The trolls were oofing, reaching through the bars trying to grab Dr. Fielding in the blanket of meat. The hunters were waiting with weapons: pistols and rifles, bows and arrows, knives and harpoon guns.
Chuck Armstrong was spinning a pistol on his finger. “Let’s get this party started,” he said.
“Gentlemen, Lady Semolina, if you would join me behind the security door?”
The hunters filed out into the corridor, and the Baron pulled a lever on the wall. Metal bars lowered in the archway, sealing off the dungeons. The hunters peered in through the bars.
“Blud, get ready with the bait!”
Blud revved his engine. He turned the bike to face the end wall of the dungeons, then the Baron pulled a second lever and the end wall started lifting up, revealing the snowy valley outside. It stretched out in front of the dungeons. The snow looked blood-red in the setting sun. Spotlights came on in the valley, lighting up machines and contraptions on either side.
“Behold the Predatron!” the Baron said. “The most thrilling hunting range known to man.”
Blud sped out on the motorbike, dragging Dr. Fielding along the snow wrapped in the blanket of meat.
Baron Marackai pulled a third lever and the doors of the cages sprang open. The trolls bounded out, charging on all fours into the Predatron, following the scent of the meat.
Orson glanced at the Baron. “You’ll pay for this,” he said.
“Hadn’t you better save your precious Dr. Fielding from those trolls?” the Baron chuckled. “Run, Mr. Orson, run!” The Baron grinned as Orson shook his fist, then strode out into the valley.
“Hunters, proceed to your vehicles!” Baron Marackai said. He turned and marched the hunters down the corridor and through the big wooden door.
Each hunter jumped into a pedal-cart, clutching their weapons.
“Let’s hunt these beasts!” the Baron told them. As he stepped into a cart, the Baron felt a tug on his coat. He pulled it into the cart then sat down and pedaled off up the tunnel.
“Yee-ha!” Chuck Armstrong shouted, excitedly.
Lady Semolina blew loudly on a hunting horn.
The Baron rubbed his hands together.
“FIRST STOP: SKITTLE ALLEY!”
Chapter 17
ULF LAY BENEATH THE GUILLOTINE STRUGGLING IN the chains. He glanced up at the blade, then across to the rats chewing on the blood-stained rope. Through the open hatch, he could see the sky darkening. Any moment now the full moon would rise.
A trail of sparkles burst through the hatch. It was Tiana!
“Ulf!” she called. “They’ve dragged Dr. Fielding into the Predatron. They’re hunting Orson and the trolls. We’ve got to do something!”
“I can’t move,” Ulf called.
Tiana flew to the guillotine blade. “Oh my goodness,” she said.
“Quick, stop the rats!” Ulf told her.
Tiana saw the rats gnawing the rope. She flew down and kicked one on the nose. The rat snapped at her tiny foot and she darted out of the way. Tiana grabbed the rat’s tail and tugged it, trying to pull the rat from the rope, but the rat flicked its tail sideways, sending her hurtling across the room. Tiana picked herself up from the floor and flew back. Rats were scurrying up and down the rope, gnawing and chewing it. She blasted them with sparkles and they squeaked and scattered. Then they turned and ran back again. “It’s no use, Ulf,” Tiana said, pulling a rat’s whiskers. “I can’t stop them!”
The rope was fraying where the rats were chewing it.
Ulf stared at the guillotine blade. “You have to try,” he said. “I can’t get out.”
He wriggled in the chains, but they were fastened tight. “I’m locked in,” he said, glancing at the padlock.
Tiana kicked and punched the rats. She blasted and prodded them, but they kept nibbling the rope. “There are hundreds of them!” she screamed. The rope was creaking, about to snap.
Just then, the door opened. A head poked in with large white eyes, pointy ears, and a fat snout.
“Gumball!” Ulf said.
It was the little goblin. He scampered in.
“Oh, that’s all we need!” Tiana cried, tugging a rat’s ear.
The goblin held out his bony hand. “Shiny,” he said, smiling. He was holding the key to the padlock!
“Where did you get that?” Ulf asked.
“I took it from the nasty man,” Gumball said, proudly.
The blade was hanging by a single strand.
“Quickly!” Ulf said.
Gumball put the key in the padlock. “Friend,” he said, turning it.
At that moment, a silvery light shone into the room. Ulf looked up at the open hatch. He could see the moon outside. His eyes f lashed silver and he felt the bones in his chest cracking. His skeleton began realigning. Dark hair started growing over his whole body. A thick tail grew from the base of his spine. His nails lengthened into claws. His muscles bulged. Fangs split through his gums. He tore off the chains and sprang forward just as a rat bit through the last strand of the rope. The guillotine blade slewed down the wooden uprights, thudding into the ground.
Ulf looked out at the moon and howled.
“Gumball, you did it!” Tiana called, flying to the goblin. “You saved Ulf!”
She planted a kiss on Gumball’s fat snout. “Sorry I was mean to you,” she said.
Gumball blushed.
“The others need saving now,” Ulf growled. He leaped up and scrambled through the open hatch.
“Go, werewolf! Go!” the little goblin called.
Ulf bounded into the Predatron.
Chapter 18
IN THE MOONLIGHT, FAR UP AHEAD, ULF COULD see the trolls lumbering through the Predatron. Spotlights shone from the steep slopes on either side of the valley, their beams criss-crossing the snowy ground.
As a wolf, Ulf’s senses were sharp. He could smell the trolls’ fear. He could hear Baron Marackai’s
voice: “Let the fun begin!”
Ulf bounded on all fours, following the meaty trail in the snow where Dr. Fielding had been dragged behind the motorbike.
“Be careful, Ulf,” Tiana cried, flying after him.
Ulf scanned the valleysides. He saw Baron Marackai high up, standing by a hatch, holding a megaphone to his mouth. “Bone, show us the beasts!”
On the side of the valley a spotlight swivelled, sweeping a beam of light on to the trolls. Ulf saw Orson striding after them.
“Release the boulders!” the Baron called. “Knock them down like bowling pins!”
Ulf heard a clanking sound and the creaking of levers. He saw a large metal chute pointing down into the valley. It was moving, aiming for the trolls. With a loud rumble, a boulder rolled down the chute. It thundered into the valley and tore across the ground like a huge bowling ball, just missing the trolls.
“Bone! More boulders!” the Baron called.
The metal chute swung sideways, adjusting its aim. A second boulder rolled down and Ulf saw Orson run to protect the trolls. The giant stepped in front of them and smashed the boulder away with his fist. A third boulder came hurtling after. Orson caught it and threw it to the side of the valley. Then he blocked another with his shoulder. Boulder after boulder came thundering down. Orson tried to block them, but there were too many for him to stop. One of them struck a troll, knocking it to the ground.
“Troll down!” Baron Marackai shouted. “Guns at the ready!”
Ulf started running for the fallen troll, Tiana whizzing alongside him. He saw five hatches open in the valleyside. The five hunters appeared, each holding a gun. The spotlight shone on the troll.
“Fire!” Marackai commanded.
Shots echoed around the valley and bullets whizzed through the air.
“BANG GOES A TROLL!” the Baron shouted.
The hunters cheered.
Then the troll sat up, shaking its head.
“It’s still alive! You missed!” Baron Marackai called. “Reload, hunters!”
The hunters took aim at the troll as it was getting to its feet.
“Fire!”
As more shots rang out, Ulf saw Orson throw himself in front of the troll. The bullets thudded into Orson’s chest and he crashed to the ground.
“Bang goes the giant!” the Baron laughed.
“Yee-ha! I got him,” Ulf heard.
“Well done, Mr. Armstrong,” the Baron called. “Hunters, back into your carts. Next stop: the Drowning Pool!”
The hatches slammed shut and the spotlight swivelled, sweeping its beam up the valley.
Ulf raced to Orson. The giant was slumped on the ground. There were bullet holes in his shirt.
“He’s dead, Ulf!” Tiana said.
Slowly, Orson sat up. He put his hand inside his shirt and picked out a bullet. He winked at Ulf and smiled. “Good thing I packed my chainmail vest,” he said.
Tiana hugged Orson’s ear. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
Ulf grinned with his fangs. Then he glanced up ahead. He could see the trolls further up the Predatron, sniffing the ground.
“Come on,” he said. “They’re in danger.”
Chapter 19
ULF RACED AFTER THE TROLLS. THEY WERE approaching a wide expanse of water that spanned the width of the valley. Ulf could see the meaty trail from Dr. Fielding’s blanket leading on to a rusty metal bridge.
“Dr. Fielding went that way, Tiana,” he said, pointing over the water.
Ulf bounded ahead of the trolls and leaped on to the bridge. He looked down, seeing the full moon reflected below him. Then he felt the bridge wobble and looked back. The trolls were following behind him.
“Ulf, watch out!” Tiana screamed, flying over -head. She pointed across the water. Standing on the far bank at the end of the bridge was Baron Marackai.
Ulf growled and ran for him.
“What are you doing here, werewolf ? You’re supposed to be dead!” Baron Marackai said. He put the megaphone to his mouth. “Hunters, we have a new beast in the Predatron. A pesky werewolf!”
The Baron pulled a long lever at the end of the bridge.
Ulf felt the bridge drop away beneath him. He grabbed for the handrail but grasped thin air. He splashed into the cold water below. He kicked his legs, and flicked his tail to swim. He could hear splashing and oofing. The trolls were in the water behind him, thrashing their arms.
“They’re drowning!” Tiana cried, flying above them.
“Trolls down!” Ulf heard Baron Marackai call. His voice rang around the valley. “And the werewolf!”
On the left-hand side of the valley, the hunters stepped out onto a metal balcony.
“Harpoons at the ready!” Baron Marackai called up.
The hunters each pointed a harpoon gun.
“Fire!”
Five metal harpoons whistled through the air and struck the water. A troll squealed.
“Good shot, Herr Pinkel!” the Baron called.
Ulf turned, swimming toward the troll. A har -poon was stuck in its arm. He pulled the harpoon out, then began dragging the troll through the water.
Baron Marackai was looking at Ulf from the shore. “How dare you, werewolf!” he shouted. “You’re spoiling our fun!”
As Ulf started pushing the troll to the bank, the Baron climbed into a hatch in the ground and disappeared.
The troll slowly pulled itself up and Ulf climbed out after it.
Just then, he heard an almighty splash behind him. Ulf turned and saw Orson wading in the water. The giant was so tall he could stand. He was pushing the other four trolls, two with each arm, toward the shore. “Stay there, Ulf,” Orson called. “Help them out.”
Orson lifted a troll from the water and Ulf grabbed its arm.
“Reload and fire again!” he heard. He looked up to the valleyside and saw Baron Marackai appear on the balcony with the hunters.
“Aim for the giant!” the Baron ordered.
“Leave this to me,” Tiana said. She shot over the water and up the valleyside to Lady Semolina. She blew sparkles in the woman’s face. Then she flew to Pedro Pedroso and kicked him on the nose. She punched Herman Pinkel in the eye. One by one, the five hunters retreated from the balcony, backing through a door in the side of the valley.
“Come back!” Baron Marackai called. “It’s only a fairy!”
Tiana flew down.
“Thanks, Tiana,” Orson said.
The trolls were lumbering away, sniffing the ground. They were safe—for now.
Baron Marackai clapped his hands. “Oh, what a bunch of heroes you are,” he called. “Well, let’s see how you deal with the Forest of Fear.”
He left the balcony, disappearing into the valley-side.
Orson pulled himself out of the Drowning Pool and sat on the bank. He took off his boots and tipped them up. Icy water poured out. “Bit nippy for a swim,” he said.
Ulf looked up the Predatron. The trolls were moving toward a silvery forest. “Let’s go!” he said, bounding after them.
Tiana raced alongside him. “Hurry up, Orson,” she called.
The giant was pulling his boots on, hobbling behind. “I’m coming as fast as I can.”
Chapter 20
THE FOREST OF FEAR WAS MADE OF METAL. ULF padded between tall trees of twisted iron, their spiked branches blocking out the moonlight. He ducked under rusting leaves and crept past bushes of barbed wire, peering into the shadows. He could hear the trolls snuffling up ahead, following the scent of the meat.
“Be careful,” Orson whispered, pushing through the metal branches.
“It’s creepy in here,” Tiana said. “I don’t like it.”
Ulf moved stealthily, his paws scrunching in the snow. Suddenly, he heard a twanging sound and an arrow whizzed through the branches. “Hunters,” he said, crouching low.
“Where are they?” Tiana asked, darting behind a rusty leaf. “I can’t see them.”
Another arrow whistled through
the trees. The trolls roared and Ulf heard them clattering through the metal undergrowth, scattering in all directions.
Orson strode off. “Keep with them,” he said, pushing through the forest, snapping the iron branches with his bare hands.
To his left, Ulf heard a loud squeal and a crash of metal. He rushed toward the sound and saw a big net swinging from a tree. A troll was trapped in it.
A hatch sprang open by a bush and Biggy popped up, aiming a longbow and arrow. He fired at the troll and the beast roared.
Ulf leaped for the hunter.
“Holy hotdogs!” Biggy cried, seeing Ulf coming for him.
Biggy ducked back underground, slamming the metal hatch behind him. Ulf landed with a thud on top of the hatch and tried to pry it open. It was stuck. He could hear a bolt being drawn underground then the squeaking pedals of a cart trundling away beneath the forest floor.
“Up here, Ulf!” Tiana called. She was circling the troll in the net.
Ulf leaped up and slashed the net with his claws, cutting the troll free. It landed with a thud in the snow then stood up, staring at Ulf with wide eyes. It was a young male and looked frightened.
“Do not fear me,” Ulf growled. He gently bit the arrow in the troll’s leg and pulled it out with his teeth. The troll grunted then lumbered away through the forest, sniffing the snow.
Ulf heard the Baron’s voice again, calling: “Get the werewolf!”
A hatch opened in the metal trunk of a tree. Pedro Pedroso popped out, aiming a crossbow. He fired at Ulf. Ulf dodged and an arrow shot past him, just clipping his bushy tail. The hatch in the tree slammed shut and Ulf heard the hunter climbing down a metal ladder underground. Ulf bounded away on all fours.
“Watch out!” Tiana called, flying after him.
The sharp point of another arrow flashed in the moonlight. Ulf ducked and it ricocheted off a metal branch. Then a knife flew past, spinning through the air. It landed in a barbed-wire bush. Ulf kept low as he raced through the trees, until finally he saw moonlight ahead.