ISOF

by Pete Townsend

  ‘Ah,’ beamed Cedric, ‘ready are we?’

  Ben blinked and scratched his ear. ‘Ready for what?’ he croaked, his throat still suffering from Lord Tolc’s attention.

  Pinchkin smoothed the shoulders of his cloak. ‘First things first, Cedric, I think Ben is a little confused at the moment.’

  Ben nodded. He felt that confusion was fast becoming a way of life. The three youths exchanged grins and relaxed into their chairs. Ben sat down, sniffed and asked the question that had been nagging him ever since he found himself in the cell.

  ‘Is anybody going to tell me what’s going on?’ he asked, exasperation being to make him feel quite assertive, even with a sore throat. ‘This isn’t where I’m supposed to be,’ he explained to anyone who cared to listen. ‘And if this is a hidden level in A Quest for Time, what have I got to do while I’m here and how do I get out?’ demanded Ben.

  Cedric looked enquiringly at Pinchkin, who simply raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

  ‘I’ve haven’t told him very much,’ she shrugged. ‘In fact nothing really, well, maybe a snippet here and there but not anything much,’ she added in response to Cedric’s questioning gaze.

  Cedric performed his polite cough routine and spoke directly to Ben.

  ‘In the grand scheme of things, young man, you have no right to be here.’

  ‘Well that’s fine by me,’ answered Ben. ‘Just show me how to get back home and I’ll be gone before you can say Supercallafragalistic, expialladocious,’ he grinned.

  ‘What?’ exclaimed the three youths in unison. They immediately stood up and began muttering, walking about in an agitated manner and pointing at Ben. Cedric held his hand out in front of him as if to push them back into their seats. He looked enquiringly at Ben.

  ‘Mary Poppins?’ said Ben. ‘Haven’t you heard of her? She was…’

  ‘Enough,’ snapped Cedric. He nodded to the three youths to sit down. Reluctantly they each shuffled over to their seats and sat. ‘Right,’ continued Cedric. ‘The simple fact is Ben, that you’re here now and you’re here for a reason,’ He poked a finger under his silk cap and scratched his head. ‘Goodness knows what that reason may be, but while you’re here you can make yourself useful.’

  Obviously uncomfortable about being in the room, and certainly less than enthusiastic about having a distinctly odd stranger joining their group, the three youths fidgeted in their seats. Cedric took a deep breath and resolved to be rid of this inconvenience as quickly as possible. Giving a little formal cough, he nodded at the youths.

  ‘Thank-you,’ he said, in an officious voice. ‘Now, let me deal with the formalities first.’ He turned to the three youths and indicated Ben with a throwaway gesture of his hand. ‘May I firstly introduce, Ben.’ Cedric turned to look at Ben as if it was the first time he’d seen him. He stroked his chin for a moment before continuing. ‘Unfortunately, there’s not a lot I can say about him except to say we don’t know who he is exactly, where he’s come from or what he’s doing here.’ He gave a desultory sniff to emphasis his apparent lack of interest.

  Meanwhile, the three youths were becoming very agitated. Fingers tapped on chairs, cuffs were fiddled with and noses scratched as they listened to the less than informative introduction. Cedric, seeing their anxiety, held up his hand.

  ‘I know,’ he said. ‘That’s not very reassuring, but it’s all the information I have at the present time. However,’ he continued as the three youths began to grumble. ‘I think it only fair to leave our concerns for the moment while I introduce each of you to Ben.’ Cedric indicated a youth with dishevelled black hair and the most vibrant green eyes that Ben had ever seen.

  ‘Ben, my I introduce Trep. He has the ability to read the sky and predict what the weather will be doing for a short period of time. However,’ Cedric frowned, ‘some of his predictions have not, shall we say, been too accurate. I would go so far as saying we would have been far better off sniffing seaweed.’

  Ben nodded his understanding. ‘Yeah, my Gran has a piece of seaweed hanging outside her back door and…’

  Trep grunted his annoyance. His dark features crumpled into a scowl as he pushed a few stray hairs from his face and brushed a finger under his nose. Cedric took no notice and carried on with his introductions. He turned to the second youth whose bright blue eyes seemed in a constant state of agitation sitting beneath a crop of short, spikey fair hair.

  ‘May I introduce, Mak. He would be a fine craftsman if he didn’t spend so much of his time whittling sticks.’

  Ben suddenly found a gnarled piece of wood pushed in front of his face.

  ‘Look at the craftsmanship in that,’ ordered Mak. ‘Admire the delicate carving, the attention to detail.’ He half smiled to himself. ‘A thing of beauty.’

  Ben tried to admire the object, but had extreme difficulty focussing on anything placed so close to his nose. He looked at Mak who returned his gaze with a questioning twitch of huge bushy eyebrows.

  ‘So, what do you think?’ Mak demanded.

  Ben hadn’t a clue what to say, but felt he ought to say something or risk having the finely carved stick thrust up his nose.

  ‘Well, it looks kind of woody,’ observed Ben. ‘A really nice piece of wood though, very nice, yeah, cool, smart, er, snazzy and, well, sort of neat.’

  Mak’s sharp features became puzzled as his small dark blue eyes scrutinised every pore of Ben’s face. After a few seconds, he placed the walking stick on the floor in front of Ben and sat back on his chair.

  Cedric, who had remained perfectly still during the encounter, turned to the final youth with an amused smile.

  ‘This is Noj,’ he said, with a slight sneer. ‘He has been an apprentice to Smegglebert, the keeper of the forests, these last ten years.’ Cedric gave a derisory sniff. ‘Goodness only knows what it takes ten years to learn.’ He closed his eyes and gave a slight shake of his head. ‘I expect only Smegglebert could answer that,’ he murmured.

  Ben turned to Noj and offered him a weak smile. Noj, sensing Ben’s apprehension, returned the acknowledgement.

  ‘We’ve met already, remember?’ said Noj. ‘I put my hand over your mouth when you almost assaulted Lord Tolc’s ear drums.’ His lanky form twitched with amusement. ‘Sorry if my hands are a bit grubby,’ he grinned. ‘If only you could see the forests, Ben. Such a riot of colour at this time of the year and...’

  Cedric shushed Noj with an impatient wag of his finger. ‘We haven’t the time for poetic ramblings,’ he snapped. Turning to Ben, Cedric continued wagging his finger.

  ‘Now, my lad, whether you like it or not, you are a part of this little venture, for which,’ he nodded towards the other three, ‘they have volunteered, unlike you, to help Lord Tolc on a mission of the utmost importance.’ Cedric crossed his arms and simply stood in front of Ben, waiting for a response. Ben looked over to Pinchkin and mouthed a silent ‘help’. She smiled and sat down next to Ben. Placing an arm around his shoulders she smiled.

  ‘You’re joining these three,’ she explained, nodding at Noj, Mak and Trep, ‘on a bit of an errand.’ Pinchkin coughed to clear her throat. ‘Shouldn’t take too long but you never know with these things.’

  Cedric clicked his tongue in annoyance. ‘It is more than an errand,’ he said haughtily. ‘Lord Tolc has lost something extremely valuable to him and…’

  ‘His Flugbeads?’ suggested Mak with a grin.

  ‘Flugbeads? asked Ben with a curl of his lip. ‘What are they when they’re at home?’

  Mak shook his head in exasperation. ‘You know,’ he said making a flicking gesture with his fingers. ‘Flugbeads, where you Flug a Flugbead at other Flugbeads and knock them out of a circle and…’

  ‘You mean marbles,’ said Ben excitedly. ‘`Dab hand at marbles, I am.’

  It was Mak’s turn to look bemused. ‘Who is a marble?’ he asked.

  ‘Not Who,’ grinned Ben tapping the side of his head. ‘You lose your marbles. You know, like in the film
Hook, Peter Pan and all that.’

  ‘Flugbeads or marbles, whichever it is,’ replied Mak. ‘Lord Tolc is not the only one to have lost them lost them! ’

  ‘Flippancy, young man,’ snapped Cedric, ‘is not an asset.’ He looked coldly at the assembled group. ‘We have no idea how far or how long you will need to travel, but,’ he added wagging his finger, ‘it is imperative that you do whatever is required to retrieve what has been lost.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ growled Trep. ‘So why are we wasting out time sitting around here?’ He turned to face the other two youths. ‘Have you any idea what it is we’re suppose to be looking for?’

  ‘Search me,’ shrugged Noj.

  ‘Don’t tempt him,’ smiled Pinchkin nodding at Cedric. ‘If it were that simple he’d have done it, had you thrown into some derelict dungeon and be back in his favourite armchair before you could blink.’

  That,’ Madam,’ coughed Cedric, ‘is an insult. You know I would do whatever is required to reunite Lord Tolc with what he has lost.’

  ‘Really?’ asked PInchkin with a raised eyebrow.

  Cedric remained quiet, his arms folded across his chest. He stared at Pinchkin and finally, he nodded as if reaching a conclusion.

  ‘Well, what I can say,’ he said coldly, ‘is it might be preferable for all if we allow those most suitable to conduct whatever enquiries are necessary to retrieve what Lord Tolc appears to have lost.’

  ‘That is precisely what we have done,’ replied Pinchkin indicating the four youths with a wave of her hand.

  ‘I meant…’

  ‘I know what you meant,’ interrupted Pinchkin. ‘You meant allow those lard-brained Jaresh to shuffle around causing chaos and find nothing.’ She looked thoughtfully at Cedric. ‘I wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t have something to do with…’

  ‘Careful,’ warned Cedric. ‘There is much you don’t seem to understand about our relationship with the Jaresh.’ He began to fiddle with the buttons on his cloak. ‘It isn’t easy, you know, constantly dealing with the demands of the Jaresh, Lord Tolc and any number of unimportant busybodies.’ He nodded at Pinchkin. ‘No disrespect or insult intended,’ he said swallowing noisily.

  Pinchkin smiled coldly. ‘Your insults are like flies,’ she said, ‘irritating but hardly life threatening.’

  ‘Pah!’ snorted Cedric. ‘How much you underestimate me.’

  It was Pinchkin’s turn to snort.

  ‘Underestimate?’ She paused for a moment. With a slow shake of her head, Pinchkin looked sternly at Cedric. ‘Don’t ever think that,’ she replied.

  Cedric was just about to reply when shouts and the sound of furniture being overturned could be heard coming from the large hall. Great gargling roars reverberated around the building. The small company exchanged nervous glances and, as one, looked to Cedric. He straightened his cap and smoothed his eyebrows.

  ‘Stay here and keep quiet,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll go and see what the commotion is all about.’

  As he opened the door, another roar of noise burst through.

  ‘If I ever catch the vandal, I’ll have his teeth for this,’ growled a voice.

  A second, diminutive voice could be heard.

  ‘Speak up, speak up damn you,’ it wailed. ‘How can I understand what you’re gargling on about if I can’t hear a word you spit?’

  Unable to contain their curiosity, the three youths, closely followed by Ben, crowded behind Cedric and peered into the large hall.

  Everywhere they looked people were scrambling to get out of the way of the advancing Jaresh guards. Anything that stood in the way of the guards was quickly despatched with a careless swipe of an arm or a swift kick. Panic seemed to flow across the hall in waves as groups of people pressed themselves into the furthest corners. Every few paces, the Jaresh guards would pause, tear through any group of people like ripping cloth and then, when it appeared that they hadn’t found what they were looking for, would turn and walk forward once again, giving no regard for anything or anyone that happened to get in their way. Close by one of the pillars, Ben could see two lifeless forms of Goferats on the floor. As the guards continued their search of the hall, ear-piercing screams, mixed with the guttural noise of the Jaresh, echoed through the air. With the guards fast approaching the group huddled in the doorway, Cedric pushed the inquisitive lads back into the room and closed the door on them. The three youths each looked firstly at Ben and then at Pinchkin.

  She seemed lost in her own thoughts. Without looking at anyone in particular, she shook her head. ‘Just see what you’ve gone and done,’ she muttered under her breath. Noj gently tapped her arm.

  ‘Do you think we’re going to be discovered and imprisoned before we’ve even begun?’ he whispered.

  Pinchkin smiled and shook her head. But before she could respond with any words of comfort, the door burst open and in rushed a breathless Cedric.

  ‘Chaos,’ he breathed. ‘Utter chaos,’ he repeated and promptly dropped onto a chair. Gulping air he took out a small hanky and mopped his forehead. ‘Absolute pandemonium with Jaresh guards storming about, ranting and raving.’ he paused, took another gulp of air and began to hiccup. ‘Hic, someone’s written, hic, hic, in large letters, hic, in the great hall, hic. Graffiti, same as always, hic, just two words, hic, ‘Fish-head’, hic.’ Cedric sucked in great gulps of air.

  Ben glanced at Pinchkin as was amazed to see her looking angry. She desperately tried to hide her annoyance but failed miserably.

  ‘She shouldn’t be out and about,’ grumbled Pinchkin. ‘She’s not well enough, hardly recovered, needs rest,’ she added cryptically.

  Cedric held his breath for a moment. Looking furiously at Pinchkin, he pointed a bony finger.

  ‘If I find out you know something about this mess,’ he said threateningly. Any other remarks, Cedric might have made, were cut short by Ben.

  ‘That’s it,’ he exploded. ‘I’ve had enough of being treated like an idiot. It’s about time someone explained to me exactly what’s going on out there.’ Ben looked around the room and was annoyed to see Trep, Mak and Noj, each with a hand clasped over their mouths trying vainly to subdue bubbles of laughter. Ben clenched his teeth.

  ‘What?’ he demanded. ‘What’s going on out there?’ he asked, pointing to the noisy commotion still audible outside the door.

  His question only caused a further outbreak of laughter, and even Pinchkin allowed a small chuckle to escape from her mouth.

  ‘Over the last few months,’ she began to explain. ‘Bits of graffiti have started to appear in public places. It’s the same every time, just two words: “Fish-head”. Last month, when a plaque was unveiled in the centre of the village to honour the ancient leader of the Jaresh: ‘Scallywar’, someone had daubed ‘Fish-Head’ all over it.’ Pinchkin gave a little cough to disguise a chuckle. ‘The Jaresh were livid, even Lord Tolc was shocked at the vandalism. Although he did admit later that it wasn’t so much vandalism as bravery, but he couldn’t say that in public.’

  While Pinchkin was speaking, Ben noticed the door open slightly and saw a brief flash, almost like shadow, flicker across the room and disappear behind a large tapestry that hung from the wall. He quickly looked around the room, but nobody seemed to have noticed the shadow or the tapestry that had momentarily shivered as something passed behind it. Ben screwed his eyes shut for a moment and then opened them to see everyone looking at him with a bemused expression. Pinchkin smiled, winked at Ben and continued with her tale.

  ‘Well,’ she said. ‘Since then, bits of graffiti have appeared all over the place. It’s too much to be the work of one person, but the Jaresh aren’t bothered who started it, they just want to capture someone and make an example of them.’

  There was no more laughter. A few seconds silence filled the room only to be broken as Cedric performed his usual cough as his eyebrows began to dance and he waved towards the tapestry.

  ‘I think that it’s time we made a move,’ he said in a matter
-of-fact tone. ‘Follow me,’ he instructed them. ‘That is unless you want to explain your presence here to the Jaresh.’ Ignoring any comments or questions, Cedric turned on his heels and strode across the room, his long robes causing a flurry of dust to rise from the floor. When he reached the tapestry, he gave it a gentle tug, and disappeared.

  Pinchkin wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and beckoned the others to follow. Within seconds the room echoed to the sound of silence. The only evidence that anyone had been in the room was the fading warmth of the chair seats.

  Chapter 12

  Behind the tapestry, six figures crept along a narrow passageway. Ben had no idea where they were going. The darkness and creeping dank smell that filled the tunnel reminded him of his recent experience of being locked away in the cell. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought. Keeping his hand on the back of the person in front of him and being pushed by a hand from behind, he shuffled along in the cloying blackness, his feet tracing the uneven surface beneath them.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the darkness lost density as cool air rippled across Ben’s face. Gradually, the group emerged into a narrow alley filled with overflowing dustbins and the remains of old wooden crates. The stench from the dustbins was overpowering as everyone quickly pulled whatever piece of cloth they could find in their pockets to place against their nose.

  Pinchkin, the last member of the group to emerge, pushed one of the rubbish-filled dustbins against the wall, covering their exit from the passageway. Wiping her hands together, she quickly looked around to check that everyone was present who should be. With a small shake of her head, she indicated to the group to remain silent, her eyes examining the shadows for anything out of the ordinary. While Pinchkin peered around the alleyway, the group cautiously moved closer together, forming a huddle of comfort. Cedric lifted his hand and was just about to say something when one of the shadows moved. Ben felt his chest tighten and his breathing dwindled to a faint whisper. Nobody moved. Cedric, his hand still hovering in the air, swallowed noisily.