Wychetts and the Dungeon of Dreams

by William Holley

  The platform creaked and rattled as it picked up speed. The brick walls became a blur, and Boney’s candle sputtered in a rush of cold air blowing up the shaft.

  Then the candle flickered out, and they were hurtling into darkness.

  “We need to zap ourselves out of here,” shouted Bryony. “Now.”

  “A very good idea. Let us combine our magic powers and…”

  There was a mighty crash. A heavy jolt threw Bryony into the air, the wooden platform shattering beneath her.

  Time seemed to slow. Bryony hung motionless as a bright light flooded the shaft. She shut her eyes, dazzled by the glare.

  Then she felt solid ground beneath her feet.

  She stood still, savouring the sun on her face and the sweet fresh air in her lungs. After several deep breaths, Bryony opened her eyes again.

  She was out of the shaft, standing in an impressive street in front of an even more impressive house: a modern, stylish building with an immaculate front garden.

  She didn’t have to look at the nearby road sign to know where she was.

  “Mum’s house in America. But how did I get here?”

  “Were you not thinking of visiting your mother?”

  Bryony looked down at the skull in her arms. “Suppose my magic powers brought me here, huh?”

  “I would not be so sure of that. Are you sure this is your mother’s house?”

  “Sure.” Bryony nodded confidently. “I’ve been here before, the first day I moved into Wychetts.”

  “It may look like your mother’s house, but that doesn’t mean it is. I advise caution, Guardian.”

  After all they’d been through, Bryony had every reason to heed Boney’s warning. But this time she was sure he was wrong. She was in America, right in front of her mum’s house, just where she’d wanted to be.

  What was she waiting for?

  Bryony rushed up the spotless drive towards the beautiful front door of the impressive house. She rang the doorbell, smiling as she listened to the expensive sounding chimes. Seconds later the door was opened by a tall, grey haired man whom Bryony assumed was her mother’s butler.

  “It’s me,” said Bryony. “I made it.”

  The butler looked Bryony up and down, his silvery eyes narrowing suspiciously.

  Bryony realised she probably didn’t look her best after escaping from a filthy dungeon. Plus she was holding a skull, which might not be giving off positive vibes.

  “It’s a cake.” She held Boney up so the butler could get a better view. “A novelty cake. See the candle? It’s my birthday, see.”

  “Of course.” The butler smiled suddenly, moving aside to usher Bryony through the door. “The lady of the house has been expecting you.”

  Bryony walked hurriedly down the immaculate hallway, her heart beat quickening with every step.

  “I’m here, Mum.”

  There was no answer.

  “I don’t like this,” said Boney.

  “Be quiet,” shushed Bryony. “What do you know about interior design anyway?”

  “I wasn’t referring to the wallpaper. I meant…”

  The front door slammed shut, causing Bryony to jump. She wheeled round to reprimand the butler for his heavy handedness, but the hall was empty.

  “This isn’t right.” Boney’s voice carried an unfamiliar hint of panic. “There is something unnatural about this place.”

  From somewhere ahead came the sound of pattering footsteps and a child-like squeal.

  Turning round, Bryony saw a small blonde haired girl running off down the hallway.

  “Mum’s other daughter.” She felt a rush of resentment, but tried to push her jealous thoughts aside as she followed the girl. “Mum? Are you there?”

  More squeals and pattering footsteps from ahead.

  Bryony followed the sounds, wondering why she hadn’t yet reached the end of the hall. She guessed that Mum’s house must have been a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Yet surely not even a mansion or palace had a hallway this long?

  The light faded whilst Bryony walked further along the never ending hallway. The air became colder, and she began to think that Boney’s suspicions could be right.

  “Mum?” Her call was more anxious now. “What’s going on? Where are you?”

  “That remains to be seen,” said Boney. “But I’ve worked out where we are. And I’m afraid it isn’t your mother’s house.”

  There were more pattering footsteps. The small, blonde girl appeared in front of Bryony. She giggled teasingly before running off into the shadows again.

  “Wait!” called Bryony. “I want to see Mum. Where is she?”

  “Do not follow!” warned Boney. “This is part of the trap.”

  “Trap?” Bryony ignored Boney’s advice, quickening her pace to keep up with the girl. “What are you on about?”

  “We have not yet escaped the Dungeon of Dreams. Indeed, we have reached its very heart. We have fallen into the Dream Well.”

  “Dream Well?” Bryony was now jogging to keep the blonde haired girl in sight.

  “The place where dreams are created. The very source of dream power.”

  “So you’re saying all this is just a dream?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. None of this is real, Guardian.”

  “Of course it’s real,” Bryony argued despite her growing doubts. “It has to be real.”

  “That’s the point of dreams. They feel real when you experience them. Some people even confuse dreams with genuine memories.”

  “So this place is just a memory?” Bryony slowed down, inspecting the walls and floor.

  “Not just memories. Dreams are also formed from our hopes, our desires, and our greatest fears. That’s what makes them so powerful. And so terribly dangerous.”

  “How can dreams be dangerous?”

  “Dreams are made not just of happy thoughts, but of dark things too. Things we might want to forget, that we locked away in a box a long time ago. And the magic power of dreams can turn them into reality. And not always the reality you may have hoped for. We must beware…”

  “Beware.” The blonde girl spoke as she stopped running. Then she turned round slowly.

  Bryony dashed forwards to reach her, but froze when she found herself looking at a mirror image of her own face.

  “Beware.” The girl pointed at the night sky.

  At first Bryony wondered how she could see night sky through the ceiling of her mother’s hall. Then she realised they weren’t in the hall anymore, but outside on some vast open moorland.

  Then the girl spoke again.

  “Beware the Moon of Magister.”

  “Magister…” Bryony stepped towards her blonde haired twin. “What do you know about…”

  A full moon emerged from behind a curtain of broiling clouds, flooding the landscape with silvery light.

  “The Moon of Magister.” Bryony spoke in a cracked whisper. “Is this the Moon of Magister?”

  But the blonde girl had vanished.

  “Come back!” Bryony’s cries were drowned by a blast of sound from all around her, a raucous din of shouts, clangs and explosions. Shadowy figures ran about, pulsing explosions lit up the sky, and it seemed like she was in the midst of some tremendous battle.

  “Where are we now?” Bryony flinched when a glowing arrow whizzed over her head. “Boney, what’s happening?”

  “The moon,” cried Boney. “Look at the moon!”

  Bryony looked up to see the moon had grown, the pale orb expanding to fill the entire sky. And in the moon she saw a face, a man’s face that stared at her with intense silver eyes. It was a face she recognised: Mum’s butler!

  The butler’s mouth twisted open to emit a terrible scream. The skin melted from his face, bubbling and peeling away until there was nothing left but a gaunt grey skull.

  “Nooooo!” Boney screamed too. Bryony felt a surge of power crackling through her fingers from the skull. She let go, the skull clatterin
g to the ground at her feet.

  Boney still screamed as the battle raged on all around them. Bryony closed her eyes and covered her ears, trying to block the terrible sights and sounds.

  She wanted to get out of there, to somewhere warm and safe.

  She wanted to get back home.

  To Wychetts.

  The shouts and screams stopped. For a moment the silence hurt. Then Bryony felt a hand on her shoulder, and opened her eyes to find she was back home in the lounge of the cottage, with her father and Jane beside her.

  Inglenook’s carved features smiled back at her from the fireplace. But then his smile contorted into a frown, and cracks appeared on his wooden face.

  Bryony wanted to ask him what was wrong, but choked when she tried to speak. A bitter taste clogged her throat, a burning stench stinging her nostrils. Billowing smoke filled the room, and Inglenook’s face blistered as red flames flared all around him.

  There was a shout, and Bryony saw a ginger haired boy running towards the fireplace.

  “Edwin!” Bryony reached out for her stepbrother, but he disappeared into the smoke before she could touch him. Then a loud boom thundered through the cottage, an avalanche of timber and stone crashing down all around her.

  Bryony called out again, but all she could see was a wall of fire. She looked for her father, but he had vanished along with Jane.

  And then suddenly the flames cleared, leaving Bryony alone. The moon had retreated behind the clouds, but there was enough light to reveal the burned out remains of a cottage, a blackened skeleton of smouldering timbers standing stark against a snow covered landscape.

  And there, rising from the ground in front of her, were three curved stones.

  Three gravestones.

  Bryony shook her head, unable to accept what she was seeing.

  But she knew what it meant.

  They were gone. Her family. Her home. Nothing left.

  Nothing.

  And as the realisation hit home, Byrony’s legs buckled beneath her. She fell to her knees, her body racked with choking sobs. She had never felt such loss, such an overwhelming surge of despair. Even when Mum had left her, it hadn’t been like this.

  She slumped forwards, struggling for breath. Then she glimpsed a flash of silver, and instinctively grabbed the leaf pendant swinging from her neck.

  She held on to it, all that was left of them, whilst the cold earth opened up to swallow her…

  19 We Eat Magic

  Edwin laughed as he took his seat at the table. He was exhausted: exhausted from magic dancing, exhausted from the magic games that had followed the magic dancing, but most of all exhausted from laughing.

  He had never laughed so much in his life. Even now he couldn’t stop. Even now, when every muscle in his body ached, when he had a stitch in his stomach and it hurt just to breathe, Edwin couldn’t control the spasms of glee that exploded from somewhere deep inside him like a stuttering volcano eruption.

  You ain’t seen nothing yet. How right Maddy had been!

  After the magic dancing, it had been time for the magic games. There was magic musical chairs, where the chairs had a tendency to move around and throw you off if they didn’t like the way you sat on them. Then magic pass the parcel, where the parcel had a mind of its own and the winner was the one who actually caught it. Then finally there had been magic pin the tail on the dragon. A real dragon, of course. Edwin had given it a go, and been lucky to escape with only slightly singed eyebrows.

  Maddy had won, but then Maddy had won all the games, even beating her parents. Maybe they were taking it easy because it was her party. Or maybe she was stronger at magic than them. Whatever the reason, no one minded. Jollity reigned, and everyone appeared to be having the time of their lives. Especially the monkey in the glittery sombrero.

  “Enjoying yourself?” Maddy flopped breathlessly into a chair opposite Edwin.

  Edwin’s answer was a hoarse laugh. He meant to say that he was having a good time, but all he could do was laugh.

  “Knew you’d love magic parties,” said Maddy. “Now it’s time to sample a magic feast.”

  Edwin was pleased to hear it. He still hadn’t eaten a morsel since breakfast, and was in desperate need of food after all the games and dancing.

  “It’s a self service meal,” Maddy explained. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Edwin’s hopes fell just a little. His arms and legs were aching, and the last thing he wanted was to queue up round a table for sausages on sticks.

  But when he saw the food approaching the table, he realised that Maddy’s idea of ‘self service’ differed vastly from his own.

  He hadn’t imagined that the food would float its way to the table, or that it would proceed to arrange itself on the guests’ plates without the need for spoons or ladles.

  Or that it would look so delicious. There was every kind of food imaginable, and quite a few Edwin could never have imagined.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Maddy watched Edwin eyeing a giant joint of roast beef floating past him. “If you want something, just click your fingers.”

  She demonstrated, and the joint of beef floated down to land on her plate, followed by flock of assorted vegetables.

  “But how do you do it?” Edwin was mesmerised by a hovering jug that poured lashings of steaming gravy over Maddy’s dinner. “You must use up so much magic.”

  “So?” Maddy declined the offer of horseradish from a passing tureen dish.

  “Inglenook rations us.” Edwin examined a hovering plate of chicken legs. At least he thought they were chicken legs; by the size of them they could have come from an ostrich. “We’re only allowed to use a certain amount of magic every day.”

  “That’s the Wise Ones for you,” sighed Maddy. “They see magic as something a precious that should be locked away so no one can use it. We Maddergrubs are different. We live magic, we breathe magic. We eat magic.”

  There was a ripple of applause as a massive white drum floated into the banqueting hall. At least that’s what Edwin thought it was, until he saw it was covered in icing.

  “Is that a cake?” A gawping Edwin watched the huge iced drum park itself in the middle of the hall.

  Maddy nodded. “The party wouldn’t be complete without a cake. It’s fruit and nut. But I can change it to sponge if you’ve got an allergy.”

  “Fruit and nut is fine,” said Edwin. He’d never seen a cake so huge, so enticing, so perfect. In many ways it represented Maddy’s life, the life of the Maddergrubs: a magic family, in a magic home, with a magic family life.

  A life he could share for a while.

  “I’ve been thinking.” Edwin cleared his throat. “Maybe there’s no need to rush back to the future tomorrow.”

  Maddy had just crammed a fork load of beef and potatoes into her mouth, so her response was limited to a quizzical arching of the eyebrows.

  “Maybe,” continued Edwin, “we could stay here a bit longer. Like you said, we can go back to the future any time to save Wychetts and my family. That’s if they still need saving, now you’ve defeated the Vampi… the bat monsters.”

  Maddy swallowed her food, then took a swig of drink from a drifting chalice.

  “Just another few days.” Edwin checked Maddy’s face for a reaction. “It’s all right by me.”

  Maddy’s face was hidden as an airborne napkin wiped her lips. It was only when the napkin fluttered away that Edwin saw she was smiling.

  “Oh Edwin.” She clasped her hands together as though offering a little prayer of thanks. “I’m so glad you feel that way.”

  Edwin smiled back at her. “I know how much they mean to you. Your mother, father, Rosabella and Floriana. Even Alphonsus. I’ve grown to like them too.”

  “They like you.” Maddy grinned. “Just as well, since Floriana has set her heart on being bridesmaid at our wedding.”

  “I’m serious,” said Edwin.

  “So is she,” insisted Maddy. “Who do you think should be Bes
t Man? At the moment it’s a toss up between Alphonsus and the monkey in the sombrero. I’m not sure who has the better table manners.”

  “Will you listen to me?” Edwin was impatient with Maddy’s joking, although when he glanced at Alphonsus he figured she might have a point about table manners. “I don’t like lying to them about the Prince of Ninny stuff. It feels wrong, after they’ve been so kind and welcoming. It would be better if we told them the truth.”

  “We can’t.” Maddy leaned across the table. “If I tell them you’re a Guardian of Wychetts I’ve magically transported from the future, they’ll start asking all sorts of questions. Especially how I got to the future in the first place.”

  Edwin realised what Maddy was getting at. “You’d have to come clean about stealing the Tome Terriblis.”

  “I didn’t steal…” Maddy checked there was no one within earshot before continuing in a whisper. “I didn’t steal the Tome. I only borrowed it to help me pass my magic exams. And anyhow, it was all a set up.”

  “A set up?” Edwin leaned closer to Maddy. “How come?”

  Maddy took another sip of drink from the floating chalice before revealing more. “I might have stolen the Tome, but someone else put me up to it. Someone who told me where to find it, who filled my head with ideas of how to use its power. Someone who could get me access to the Library of the Wise Ones.”

  The sounds of the party faded as Edwin’s attention focussed on Maddy.

  “But all the time he was using me. All the time he wanted the Tome for himself, so he could use its power against the Wise Ones. That’s why he came here that night, forcing his way into my home to claim his prize.”

  “The night you transported yourself to the future?” Edwin remembered Maddy’s story of events. “This was the renegade warlock guy?”

  “A renegade, yes. But no mere warlock. He was a member of the High Council of Wise Ones, a one time Guardian of Wychetts. He was my tutor. And he was called…”

  “The Magister.” Edwin had already worked it out.

  Maddy winced, as if it hurt to hear those words.

  “But if he was a member of the Council, why did he want to use the Tome against the Wise Ones?” Edwin’s curiosity had been sparked. “Was he a secret agent of the Shadow Clan?”