‘Maybe,’ shrugged Briel. ‘But it amused me.’
‘It nearly killed us,’ snapped Ben. ‘And that’s hardly amusing.’
‘Real drama merchants,’ replied Briel with a shake of his head. ‘If that frightened you, goodness knows how you’ll react later.’
‘What’s later?’ asked Ben nervously. ‘What is there to be frightened about?’
Briel shrugged. ‘Oh, this and that,’ he said dismissively. ‘Nothing to concern yourselves with at the moment.’
‘This and what?’ demanded Trep, his face colouring with anger.
‘Nothing to concern yourselves with at the moment,’ soothed Briel. ‘If I told you everything and you knew what to expect, you’d spend all your time fretting about it and getting stressed. It would just make matters all the more frightening.’
‘What is worrying,’ replied Noj calmly. ‘Is what is a toy windmill doing stuck in your top pocket?’
‘Oh, this,’ laughed Briel, waving the windmill around his head. ‘It was a present from Leonard. Rather useful as it happens,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘It has a habit of doing the opposite of what you expect it too.’ He looked at Ben. ‘A bit like teenagers if you ask me.’
‘Who,’ began Ben irritably, ‘is this Leonard and is it something to add to our list of frightening experiences?’
‘Leonard? Frightening?’ snorted Briel with laughter. ‘That has to be the best thing I’ve heard since breakfast.’ He paused momentarily. ‘Come to think of it,’ continued Briel thoughtfully. ‘It’s not Leonard that can be frightening, but some of his gadgets do have a tendency to behave in an unexpected manner.’
While Briel stood chuckling to himself, Ben and Noj peered into the misty depths of the gorge. The mist had once again filled the chasm and, as hard as he looked, Ben couldn’t see any trace of the Whispers. Noj sensed Ben’s anxiety.
‘Don’t think about it.’
‘Eh?’ responded Ben. He looked at Noj and sighed.
‘Beyond belief,’ he added with a nod towards the mist.
Noj placed his hand on Ben’s shoulder.
‘You could stand there all day and still not work it out. Why bother? Just be thankful that we’re safe and not adding to the aroma at the bottom of the gorge.’
‘Well, I’m certainly not going back that way,’ grinned Ben.
‘Certainly not a good idea,’ Noj grinned in reply. ‘I suppose we’d better ask Mr Chuckles there for any suggestions,’ he said with a nod towards Briel.
Briel, seeing Ben and Noj looking towards him, sniffed the air and turned to point towards the forest that stood some way back from the edge of the gorge.
‘Onwards and upwards lads, eh?’
‘Into the unknown more like,’ muttered Mak. ‘It feels like we’re walking into one disaster after another.’
‘Not a disaster,’ replied Briel wagging his finger in Mak’s face. ‘Think of it more as a series of challenges.’
Without waiting for any replies from the group, Briel quickly began to herd them towards a barely discernable path that meandered its way towards the forest.
‘Away you go lads,’ urged Briel. ‘I think it wise that you get a move on before the Whispers start to regroup.’ He nodded back to the gorge. ‘I’ll do my best to distract them,’ he added with a wave of the toy windmill. ‘Doubt I’ll be able to put them off for long though. So be about your business.’
For a few moments the group stood looking at Briel as he continued to wave the windmill. Eventually, Ben coughed politely.
‘Erm, could you tell us what this business is exactly?’ he asked.
‘No time now,’ grumbled Briel irritably. ‘You’d best ask Leonard when you see him.’
‘But Pinchkin said to ask you,’ replied Ben firmly.
‘She did, did she,’ sighed Briel. He tugged at his ear in an agitated manner. ‘Well, what I will say is keep your eyes peeled and if you see things out of place then they are out of place.’ He pointed the windmill towards the forest. ‘Go on, follow your noses and be quick about it.’
Ignoring the muted grumbling, Briel moved towards the edge of the gorge and promptly walked straight into the mist and instantly disappeared as the swirling mass enveloped him completely.
‘See you later,’ called Briel’s mist muffled voice.
‘Well, that’s that then,’ muttered Ben. ‘We don’t seem to have much choice.’
‘Did we ever have any?’ asked Noj with a wink. Shrugging his cloak tightly around his body, he strode ahead. After a few seconds he turned to the rest of the group. ‘Are you coming then?’
Chapter 22
Ben stood looking in amazement at the sight of his three companions apparently walking toward the forest without hesitation. He couldn’t believe it! Stretching out in front of them towered a seemingly impenetrable forest, behind lay a cavernous gorge shrouded in mist and behind that another forest. And, somewhere amongst the various bits of life threatening terrain, a herd of angry Cutters were stampeding towards them intent on making someone understand that liberating dragons was not a painless procedure. As if that wasn’t enough, there were some strands of very annoyed Whispers reforming somewhere not too far away.
Ben shook his head in bewilderment. It just didn’t seem feasible that all he appeared to be doing was trudging monotonously from one dangerous environment to another, and for what? Without bothering to answer his own question, he put his head down and set off after the others.
Settling to a steady rhythm, Ben allowed his eyes to explore the forest. There was nothing whatsoever to differentiate this mangle of leaves and branches from any other tree tangle he’d experienced so far.
If it were possible, the forest seemed to become darker, thicker and more eerie each time he looked. The sunlight only penetrated a little way between the trees before it was forced to go back the way it had came. There was no discernable path or any obvious gap between the tangle of bushes and trees where even the birds seemed to avoid exploring the dense, sunless depths. With a deep sigh Ben followed the other three into the darkening shroud.
Noj led the way, thrashing at the malevolent forest with his walking stick, while the others used their sticks to fend off the whiplash from the disturbed branches. After a short time, which felt like forever, Noj stopped.
‘Phew,’ he moaned, drawing his hand across his face, ‘I’m exhausted,’ he said, leaning on his stick as the others wiped the perspiration from their eyes. Trep looked around.
‘Any idea where we are or how far we’ve come?’
No one answered a question for which there were no clues.
‘Are you sure we haven’t been this way already? It looks familiar,’ asked Mak squinting into the gloom.
‘How can you tell the difference?’ exclaimed Ben.
‘By using my eyes,’ suggested Mak sneering.
‘Well,’ admitted Trep with a shrug of his shoulders. ‘It all looks the same to me.’
‘It would,’ snapped Mak. ‘You’re not exactly famous for your powers of observation, are you? And you certainly didn’t forecast this little lot did you? You couldn’t pick a rain cloud out of sunny sky’
Trep picked up Mak’s walking stick and flung it deep into the undergrowth.
‘Let’s see if you can pick that out!’
Before Mak and Trep could get their hands on each other, Noj swung his walking stick between the angry bodies.
‘That’s enough!’ he yelled. ‘What on earth do you think you’re doing?’
Trep pushed angrily at Noj’s stick.
‘Ask him?’ he said, pointing at Mak.
‘Don’t bother asking me,’ spat Mak. ‘This isn’t my idea of fun.’
Both Mak and Trep stared at each other, both fury and frustration colouring their cheeks. Ben, who had just stood and watched the altercation, finally appeared to have lost patience. Kicking out at the nearest piece of forest detritus, he raised his head towards the place where the sky would have been if he could have
seen it.
‘Aaargh!’ he yelled at the top of his voice. He quickly turned to face the other three, who by now had totally forgotten their argument and looked at Ben in bewilderment. Pointing in their direction, Ben shook his head. ‘Hasn’t it crossed your tiny minds that this is all absolutely pointless?’ he asked as tiny flecks of spittle accompanied his words. He pulled the book that Pinchkin had given him from his cloak. ‘Look at this,’ he continued angrily. ‘It’s a stupid book that does stupid things and none of them one practical bit of good.’ Ben threw the book onto the ground in disgust. ‘We would have been better off with a map,’ he added nudging the book with his toe, ‘rather than this bit of fire fodder.’
Noj started to bend down to retrieve the book but was immediately stopped as Ben placed a foot firmly on the book. He looked enquiringly at Noj.
‘Haven’t you,’ he asked, his finger pointing directly at Noj’s eyes. ‘Even bothered to question what we’re doing?’ Without waiting for a response, Ben threw his hands out wide. ‘It’s futile,’ he yelled. ‘We’ve been threatened, chased, imprisoned and goodness knows what’s next?’
Ben had only moments to wait for an answer. As if becoming tired of being trodden on, the book suddenly flew open causing Ben, whose foot still rested on the cover, to lose his balance and topple backwards into a clump of brambles.
‘Damn, stupid book,’ moaned Ben from his prickly position as the other three tried desperately to contain their laughter. ‘Go on,’ growled Ben. ‘Laugh, I would if you were in my predicament.’
As Noj, Trep and Mak laughed openly, the book, which had been ignored after its opening display, began to turn each page rapidly, as if someone were anxiously flicking through the pages in search of a particular reference. Without warning a sprawling cobweb leapt from between two pages of the book and immediately embraced the laughing boys.
‘Urgh,’ gagged Mak. ‘That’s so gross!’
Pulling and clawing at their faces, the three boys struggled to free themselves of the cloying web strands. Eventually, Mak and Trep managed to remove almost of traces of the sticky cobweb from their faces. Sitting in silence, too tired and angry from their exertions to talk, the four boys looked at each other with barely disguised disgust. It was Noj who eventually broke the silence.
‘Well, he sighed. ‘This isn’t going to get us anywhere.’
Three pairs of eyes watched his lips move, heard the words but couldn’t find the energy to respond. From his sitting position, Ben slowly lowered himself to the ground lying full length upon the forest floor. Every few seconds he took a deep breath, allowing his breath to escape noisily once his lungs refused to inflate further. After several breathy repetitions, Mak threw a handful of forest floor at Ben’s head.
‘Give it up, for goodness sake,’ he grunted. ‘The last time I heard something like that I had to clean the drains!’
Ben, from his prone position thrust his hands in his pockets and began to whistle tunelessly. ‘I think we could do with some of the Cutters around here,’ he mumbled in a brief whistle pause.
The other three, startled at first by Ben’s comment, quickly disintegrated into laughter.
Eventually, Noj wiped the tears from his eyes.
‘I hope you mean to help clear a way through the forest and not to…’ he said before dissolving once more into laughter. With aching cheeks, he managed to force a few words between his lips. ‘Enough...please...before I explode.’
Ben rubbed his eyes took a deep breath.
‘What’s so funny? Was it something I said?’
The whole group collapsed into a fresh burst of giggles. Now leaning against a tree, Ben felt the tension and anxiety escape with each peel of laughter.
Trep waved his hand, as if surrendering to the next outbreak of convulsive laughter.
‘So,’ he breathed heavily, ‘what do we do now?’
Noj swallowed to help clear his throat. ‘I think,’ he declared. ‘That a truce is called for.’ He nodded at the other three. ‘This constant bickering and fighting is getting us nowhere and doing the Cutter’s job for them.’
‘We must put our differences behind us,’ said Ben nodding in agreement with Noj. ‘I want to know what kind of errand we’ve been sent on and why.’ He thought for a moment before adding, ‘and then I might have a chance of getting home.’
The group fell silent. Sitting in the dank, claustrophobic forest made them feel isolated from the rest of the world. Occasionally the noise of a distant bird would cause one of them to raise his head for a moment only to lower it again just as quickly. Ben rested his head in his hands as he peered into the shadows. Suddenly something caught his attention.
‘Sssh, what’s that?’ asked Ben looking urgently around.
Everything seemed quiet. Nothing could be heard apart from the sound of nervous breathing.
‘You’re imagining things,’ muttered Trep, his eyes scouring the trees.
‘No I’m not,’ insisted Ben. ‘Listen.’
The group listened with heads cocked to one side. Still nothing. Mak shuffled his feet.
‘If this is your idea of a joke...’
‘No,’ retorted Ben angrily, ‘I definitely heard something. It sounded like it came from somewhere behind us.’
Mak clicked his tongue irritably. ‘Are you sure?’
They all held their breath and listened to the sounds of the forest as it went about its everyday business. Nothing unexpected drifted to their straining ears. Ben swallowed, his face felt hot. The other three had grown impatient and had begun to shuffle their feet. Having seemingly made up his mind, Noj sniffed.
‘No point in waiting around here for whatever or whoever might decide to make our acquaintance,’ he said with more confidence than he felt.
Just as they began to move towards an almost imperceptible gap between the tangled bushes, the group heard the unmistakable sound of dry leaves and twigs being brushed aside as something made its way towards them. Trep was the first to react as he dashed towards the bushes.
‘Agreed,’ he yelled in panic. ‘No point in waiting.’
As the other three watched Trep crash through the bushes, a dark bundle of fur emerged suddenly on the other side of the small clearing. Everyone stood still, startled by both Trep’s action and the appearance of the fur ball.
The fur ball stood perfectly still on four feet that, unlike its body, were totally devoid of fur. As they watched, the fur ball shook its body, sending bits of accumulated forest scattering in all directions. Satisfied that its fur was once again just fur, a pair of huge round eyes suddenly opened in the middle of the ball. The eyes looked around momentarily before settling on an area just above Ben’s ankle. Nonchalantly padding towards him, the fur ball began gently rubbing its head against Ben’s leg.
‘Whatever it is seems to like you,’ commented Mak as a deep rumbling noise started to sound from deep within the fur ball.
‘Dinner time,’ joked Noj. ‘Juicy piece of leg,’ he chuckled.
Ben quickly moved his leg away from the beast only for the fur ball to immediately follow and begin once again to rub its head against Ben’s ankle. The sonorous rumblings continued.
Ben coughed quietly and pointed at the fur ball by his ankle. ‘What is it?’ he asked cautiously.
‘Haven’t a clue,’ shrugged Noj. ‘It’s a ball of fur with feet or four feet with furry knees or anything else you want to imagine.’
‘Thanks for that,’ replied Ben as the fur ball continued its ankle nuzzling and rumbling. ‘Why don’t you pick it up,’ suggested Mak. ‘See if its friendly or not.’
‘Oh thanks, big time,’ grunted Ben. ‘It always amazes me how brave some people are with other peoples’ lives.’
In one swift movement, Ben swooped the fur ball into his arms. Cradled against the warmth of Ben’s body the fur ball wriggled a couple of times to find the most comfy position and immediately fell to sleep, or that’s what it sounded like although no one could be certain.
>
‘Well,’ grinned Noj. ‘It hasn’t tried to make a meal of you,’ he quipped. ‘But whether it might feel a little peckish when it wakes up…?’ Watching the fur ball carefully, Ben nodded in the general direction that Trep had taken. ‘Shall we?’
Carefully cradling the fur ball, just to ensure it didn’t wake up in need of sustenance, Ben made his way towards the partial gap in the foliage that Trep had made.
After several minutes of failing to avoid the tortuous brambles and low-lying branches, Ben stopped and turned to the other two.
‘Hang on a minute,’ he said sniffing the air. ‘Can you smell anything?’
Noj and Mak paused, thankful for the rest and even more grateful for a moment’s respite from the barbs and scratches of the undergrowth. They each sniffed the air, their nostrils searching for whatever it was that had caused Ben to stop.
‘You’re right,’ agreed Noj. ‘There’s definitely something in the air but,’ he added thoughtfully. ‘I couldn’t say for sure but it smells as if something is burning.’
‘Oh no!’ wailed Mak. ‘We’re stuck in the middle of a forest. We’ll be roasted alive.’ He was just about to dash off further into the forest when Noj grabbed hold of his cloak.
‘Hang on a moment,’ grinned Noj. ‘Where were you going to run to?’ He gestured at the forest that completely surrounded them. ‘Do you know something we don’t?’ he asked caustically. ‘Because if I’m not mistaken, everywhere is forest so how do you know which way is the safest?’
‘I don’t,’ mumbled Mak. ‘But surely anywhere is better than standing here waiting to be crisped.’
‘Sniff again,’ said Ben gently rubbing the fur ball as it stirred. ‘Doesn’t smell like wood smoke to me.’
Both Noj and Mak raised their heads and sniffed the forest air.
‘I’m getting a hint of roasting meat with just a touch of mint overtones,’ said Mak sniffing greedily.
‘Hmm,’ agreed Noj. ‘Definitely meat, mint with a background note of spice, difficult to be precise but I’d guess possibly paprika or even smoked paprika.’
‘I can’t believe you two,’ said Ben shaking his head in disbelief. ‘I hadn’t got you down as culinary connoisseurs!’ He continued to shake his head. ‘You’re just plain embarrassing.’
ISOF Page 17