Across the way, by the mountainous summits of this new valley, William spotted a vague silhouette sailing in stealthily from the rear and landing upon a mountainside. It belonged to Jimzin. He and Wren had taken settle upon the closest of the highest peaks, where they could observe matters from a safer viewpoint. Crosco had since caught up with them, and was insisting that they go no farther. Not just because he was frightened, but also because he was exhausted from hauling the horse up and down hills and through thick grass. Nobody could blame him, now that they were close enough to get a proper glimpse at the fire.
Lying down flat on the hilltop, they spied in. And this is what they saw...
A narrow valley with patches of woodland on either side. A mighty waterfall gushed from the cliffs in the distant north and ran into a deep lagoon far below. Streams branched out from it and spread out like fingers to yet another dip near the remote end of the valley. Beyond that was a dale of heavy forests and many black mountaintops afar, and, high above, the clouds had cleared and the moon was at its fullest.
Close by, the trees had clambered as high as the foothills would allow, and the distant fire was of flickering reflections, like torchlight upon the glistening mountainsides. In the centre of this valley there was what looked to be an arena of some sort; built into the ground as part of a deep, empty crater or natural depression. Inside this crater was an audience of ghastly creatures, with an awful sense of hooliganism about them altogether.
They were all shouting, and snapping, and sneering, and screaming; jabbing their skinny tridents up at the moon. Ugly looking scoundrels they were, and our heroes were close enough to know just that.
Small, oily characters, with dark-green skin. Their noses were long, with flaring nostrils, and standing up straight like spears were their ears. Rimmed in red, their eyes were white and bulging, and they had lethal black claws, big, flapping red gums with teeth like needles, and all of them had a thick, ashy mane running down their bony spines. They were Gremlins...and they were all settling in for an evening of their dreaded games.
“Oh, my!” gasped Icrick. “Travel the world over and you’ll never find a gang of more horrible, filthy, ugly, rotten, deviously disgusting little toads as you would a Gremlin!”
“Gremlins!” William whispered, kind of excited. “Really?!”
“Ara, there’s worse out there in all fairness, Icrick boy!” Khrum said. “You’re just afraid ‘coz—”
“Oh, keep out of it, you!” the Grogoch snapped to shut him up, while also trying to stay discreet.
“Why? What happened?” asked William.
“Oh, it’s nothing, William...really,” Icrick said with a grin, when Khrum let out a cheap little chuckle at his expense. “Be quiet you!”
“Back when we were livin’ on the Elderland, Icrick here went out for a nice summer stroll,” the leprechaun narrated, as Icrick mumbled away, all red and bothered. “It was jusht after the midsummer’s feast, ‘n’ the poor aul’ lout had eaten some bad prawns...”
“It was crayfish!” the Grogoch corrected. “Get it right!”
“...Oh, okay, crayfish then,” Khrum amended. “He was in such bad shape that he didn’t know where he was off ta! Sweatin’ ‘n’ groanin’ like an aul’ badger, he was! Anyways, he ended up shtrollin’ down some dark, broken path...delirious. I followed him ta see if everythin’ was all right when, all of a sudden, I spotted him pinned to the ground by four Gremlins, with a big mess o’ poo all about him.”
“Poo?” William exclaimed, trying desperately not to snigger. “What happened?”
“The pains had gotten so bad, ya see!” giggled Khrum. “So he felt that ‘wringing the tubes’ might relieve him a smidgen. He was jusht about ta squat behind a bush when it turns out he had his backside shoved, point-blank, up against the hole o’ some Gremlin den! They pounced on him before he could say ‘lavvy leaves’! He wasn’t long lettin’ loose after that, I can tell ya! Nearly calfed, I did. Can’t blame the Gremlins though, really, when ya think about it.”
“Well, how did he get free? Did you help him?” William asked, battling a smile.
“I pegged in a few shtones ‘n’ that was the end o’ them,” Khrum went on. “They’re not so bad if ya get them in shmall groups, ya see. A bit thick like. But if ya come across a gang, then that calls for a little more brawn! ‘Coz some Gremlins are known to have terrible powers. Powers ta control the minds o’ those whom they meet. Beashts, Elves, magicians...it doesn’t matter who.”
As the story was being told, Icrick was sitting out of the conversation with a look of pitiful embarrassment.
“Not to worry, Icrick,” William said thoughtfully. “We’ve all had our awkward moments at one time or another. No need to feel embarrassed.”
With that consolation, Icrick turned to him, smiled shyly, and asked, “Really? H-H-Have such things happened to you, too?”
“Well...maybe not like that as such!” the boy answered, trying earnestly not to offend the poor Grogoch while retaining some dignity. “But other things have happened to me...all sorts o’ funny things. They happen to everyone, and anyone that says otherwise is a liar.”
“Yip, that’s true, Icrick!” added the leprechaun. “We’ve all had our moments. I remember wakin’ up shtarkers beside a leprechaun dolly one day. Ugh! That was one violent hangover.”
Shocked by the sheer inappropriateness of Khrum’s remark, everyone stopped and stared at him with drawn faces.
“It f-f-fell down from the land above, it did,” he stuttered defensively. “A woman dolly, like. She looked real ta me in my shtate! Ara, forget it...Gombeens!”
He then tried to divert the focus from himself by saying, “Besides, Icrick lad, it hasn’t happened ta ya since...wanderin’ off into Gremlin dens like that. Meldrid sees ta that.”
“You mean, the bird?” asked William.
“Yip!” said Khrum. “That’s why I gave it ta him for his birthday, so he wouldn’t get losht ‘n’ into as much trouble. A super guide, is Meldrid! Watches out for all kinds o’ nashtiness from above, ya see.”
“It’s a wonder you didn’t bring him along, Icrick,” the boy said. “You know...for backup or whatever. Not that you’d need it. Just saying.”
Coming around from his state of mild discomfiture, Icrick said, “Old Meldrid has aged quite a bit since I first got him...”
“True indeed!” Khrum concurred.
“I think he would’ve preferred to stay put in the Grollo. Or, at least until Lythiann is unbound again and he can roam the lands free of peril. Who knows...it might even bring some vigour back into those old wings of his!”
They all faded into fond ponderings at this.
“Listen, this is all very touching, but aren’t you forgetting about these Gremlins!” grumbled Crosco. “I’d hate to think that you woke me from my slumber, only to have me travel all this way, with Ifcus on my back, just so as you could reminisce on such nauseating memories...while ever in the presence of enemies, might I add!”
“Um...good point!” William said, nodding.
Although they still couldn’t see clearly enough to understand what exactly was going on within the actual arena itself, the peculiar whistling screams (which sounded innocent and not in the least Gremlin-like) continued to wail, and William insisted that they move in closer to inspect.
Crosco stayed put, ultimately meaning that The Body and Ifcus stayed put as well. William didn’t object all that much, as he too was scared, and there was no point in him denying it or judging others for being so either.
Again, they left their possessions behind with the Dullahan as they scouted for a more suitable location wherefrom they could observe more efficiently.
Just before the arena, to the left, was a very deep mass of hawthorn bushes upon a bluff. William, Khrum, and Icrick all made for it as silently as they could, with every fleeting step keeping to the guise of shadow. But I don’t expect the Gremlins would have taken much notice, for there was far too much exc
itement brewing within the arena.
Once they’d reached the thicket, they immediately dropped to the ground and peered out. The grass there was so full that Khrum had to sit on top of Icrick’s shoulders, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to see anything. So there they were, at an upward angle gazing down, with a much clearer view than before.
In contrast to the size of that fairly huge subterranean arena, in the centre of it was a great labyrinth of stone walls. All around these confines were many torches and, encircling the labyrinth, were two stone tiers full of Gremlins. They were all sitting around this oval stadium, chanting and taunting at whatever was in the pit. Suddenly the screech for help roused again, and William sharpened his focus.
In the very heart of the maze, a heavy wooden post was stood, tied to which was a small, furry creature of a greyish coat. It looked completely harmless, as well as helpless. Then, on either side of the maze, two iron gates slowly started to open. On sight of this, the crowd grew even wilder, and their tridents danced even more savagely at the moon.
This was the main event...
From the gate on the left, a monstrous snake slithered. Twenty times larger than any snake you’ve ever heard or read about. Scaled with a wet complexion of sorrel and sable diamonds, it was bristled with spiky quills all down its back. Upon the entry of this beast, Icrick blocked his eyes, and Khrum even plugged his ears for him.
At first, the serpent didn’t move that much; only tasted the air with forked flicks of his poisonous tongue. Once he’d gotten a scent for his prey, he slowly rolled off through those corridors to find it. From the other gate, something entirely different emerged.
It lumbered out on all fours, champing hard and snorting madly. This creature looked magnificent and terrible, all at once. His brown coat shone in the firelight. Its snout contorted as he sniffed, with rabid foam slobbering all over its black lips. Almost like a bear it seemed, but for its back, with its massive hump. His ears were as that of a wolf’s, and his paws were brutishly huge and out of proportion with the rest of his body. Indeed, a most ferocious beast.
To its hind legs it rose; so tall a thing that its head was practically peering over the walls. And so it began sniffing after its evening meal.
In a muddle, William said, “This is cruel! We have to do something!”
Just then, he saw how Jimzin had taken flight and was circling dangerously low over the arena. He was still relatively out of sight, nonetheless.
“What in the name o’ God is she at?” he griped. “She’d better not give away our position.”
Seeing Jimzin doing this made the Grogoch sweat. But, to his relief, the dragon heightened his altitude and disappeared off behind the mountains.
“Good,” sighed the boy. “Now, about this lot...”
“What do you propose we do?” asked the Grogoch. “We’re outnumbered! Not only by Gremlins, but by large beasts, too! Not to mention the fact that the thing we’re trying to rescue is stuck right in the middle of that confusing labyrinth.”
“Agreed,” said Khrum. “Ta run in there would surely mean we wouldn’t be runnin’ out again, lad!”
All mixed up in his head, William said, “Hang on, let me think. There has to be a way! I suppose we could try the truffles again?”
“Not wise, lad,” Khrum advised. “Ya can’t be usin’ them for every little obstacle that comes by. Ya have ta shpare them for when ya really need them, ‘n’ ya only have the two left.”
“Yeah...yeah, maybe you’re right,” said William, stroking his chin.
Then, with a click of his fingers, an idea sprang on him.
“Icrick! You can save him! Just turn invisible. They’ll never see you. Even if you just untie him, at least then he has a chance.”
Icrick went as rigid as a mop handle, as every animate organ in his now-trembling body felt like just scuttling up through his mouth and then dashing back to the Grollo where they could hide under the nearest bed.
“I’m sorry ta say, Icrick, me aul’ segotia. But that’s actually not a bad plan!” the leprechaun nodded.
“That’s all right for you to say!” the Grogoch nipped, all agitated and bothered. “You’ll be hidden here in the bushes, all safe and sound, when it’s me who has to go out into the middle of that shower!”
“Ya can face your old fears,” said the leprechaun, in the hope that it would somehow sound encouraging.
“Go and take a flying leap! You and your fears,” barked the Grogoch.
“Please, Icrick!” William implored. “Think about that poor little creature and how afraid you were the first time you had a run-in with the Gremlins! How do you think he feels right now? Please...”
William had a point. Set in the spotlight, Icrick otherwise whimpered, and fidgeted, and pondered.
“Um...oh...um...well...ah...o-okay, okay then!” he finally decided. “But, please, don’t let anything happen to me, William. I’m not cut out for this sort of thing.”
Placing his hands on the Grogoch’s shoulders, William looked him square in the eye and reassured him as best he could. “I promise you; if it looks like something has gone wrong, or if you’re in danger in any way, we’ll be straight in to help you...I swear!”
“Cross your heart?” Icrick asked timidly.
“And hope to die!” said William, crisscrossing his heart.
He spoke with sincerity of the greatest degree. Of course he wouldn’t have let one hair on the Grogoch’s head get harmed if he could help it. And Icrick had every faith in him, too. With nothing else to say, Icrick’s shape began to dwindle to the flora of yonder.
“Good luck!” William winked.
“Show ‘em what your made o’, laddie!” Khrum added, with a thumbs up.
Once he’d vanished, William and the leprechaun resumed their places down low in the thicket, where they watched on nervously. Both were extremely concerned for the Grogoch’s wellbeing, but they couldn’t just stand by and watch the helpless creature getting devoured, either.
Minutes passed. William’s palms were sweaty, and his anxiety carried his awareness to his pulsating heartbeat. Meanwhile, those great beasts were still wandering around the maze, making slow progress as the helpless, innocent fellow in the midst of the labyrinth continued to struggle and squeak. By now, all of the Gremlins were getting caught up in the thrill of the moment, howling and crying out into the night. Suddenly, out of the unknown, a twig unexpectedly snapped just to William’s right, giving both of them a violent scare.
Suddenly, a notion struck the boy. A rather discouraging notion at that.
Wincing, he asked, “Icrick...are...are you still here?”
Wouldn’t you know, they heard the slight whimper of a petrified Grogoch.
“I can’t! I just can’t do it! I’m not cut out for rescues or battles. I’m just not!” he whinged, and he materialized before their eyes, thereby catapulting their plans straight back to square one.
“Icrick, what did you do?” William gasped, gripping handfuls of his own hair.
“I’m sorry,” whined the Grogoch, almost on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry!”
“No, it’s fine,” the lad said, realising that Icrick couldn’t avoid being afraid. “I’m the one who should be apologising. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off like that. It would o’ been a nerve-racking thing for anyone to do! It can’t be helped. It was my nerves is all...”
“Well, I hate ta be the bringer o’ bad news, but there isn’t much time left, lads,” Khrum reported, after he’d climbed up through a bush and was watching the labyrinth from there.
It turns out that the serpent was indeed making a lot of errors, yet he was also remembering them quite well. Nor did he have all that far to go before he’d have a tasty little morsel for himself. On the other side, the opposing creature was hunting at a great pace also; occasionally dropping to his paws and dashing along on all fours. Keen, too, was his sense of smell, and it was quickly paying off.
Time was qu
ickly drawing to an end, and both beasts were nearly upon their meal. In the heart of it all, the creature squirmed and twisted, but the ropes were far too tight. The snake had but two corners left to turn. William stood up from the bushes, tousled in the distress of both hesitation and bravery. The ideas were rushing too fast through his mind for him to focus on one plan. The bear creature had one more corner to his left and, by then, all of this hunting was making him even hungrier than before. On the opposite side of the labyrinth the serpent took the final turn when, just up ahead, the defenceless creature cried out in vain. Discarding his fear, William ran out from the bushes with his hand on his sword. All of a sudden, a mammoth explosion roared, and the arena became engulfed in a massive cloud of viridian smoke, followed by a low ripple of aftershock. Immediately, the boy skidded and watched on in terror. Just then, as though quenched by a sudden hail of invisible rain, the torches burnt out. Within the cloud, mass panic ensued.
First were the sounds of fear, as forks clanked off one another and feet shuffled about. For an instant, William thought that maybe Jimzin had finally found his magic and had thrown down a great burst of fire, but there were no flames. He then peered up to the distant mountaintop, where he saw Jimzin sailing back round the corner towards the arena. He was too far away...it couldn’t have been him, he thought. Before he could remedy his train of thought, William could’ve sworn that he saw something, other than the Gremlins, moving around in the smoke.
Squinting, he observed closer. As he did so, he detected a faint blur, swift in movement, followed by a terrible uproar. Weapons clashed and a vicious hsss was quickly silenced. After which, all the Gremlins could be heard scuttling about, and they sounded furious. All went quiet again, if only briefly, and there came another black flash. It whooshed through the smoke as quick as anything. This time he heard a hollow thud, pursued by a harrowing whine and then a thump. William could but presume it was the second beast. Next, the vile clatter of Gremlins kicked off again. Meanwhile, the smoke was beginning to clear, and that’s when William saw it.
The Other of One - Book One: The Lythiann Chronicles Page 31