Frog and the Sandspiders of Aridian

by Joffre White

  Meanwhile, two unseen reptilian eyes looked down from the shadows high above them and absorbed the scene before their owner finally sensed the air with its moist, flicking tongue. Then, silently, it turned and made its way back into the passage that it had hewn down from the surface to infiltrate Aridian's tunnels.

  The party reached the tunnel entrance and passed out into the moonlight. Frog noticed several guards perched high on the surrounding rocks, their eyes alert and searching the surrounding dunescape.

  Ameer brought the group to a halt and called to Nadiah who quickly dismounted the Sandspider, leaving Frog to sit alone. He watched curiously as she and Ameer walked to one side away from anyone's earshot. Ameer did all of the talking, as if issuing instructions, whilst Nadiah nodded several times to confirm that she understood.

  Probably a message from Cassaria, he thought and then he turned his attention to watch several of Ameer's riders as they collected desert falcons, which were tethered to perches just inside the cave. Frog took in their splendid grey-white plumage, which gave them a ghostly appearance in the moonlight. He recalled that these wonderful birds could pursue their prey at a tremendous rate, often achieving speeds of over 120 miles an hour, making them the fastest of all living creatures. He watched as their handlers gently stroked the birds and spoke quietly to them, finally attaching a small roll of parchment to their legs.

  Nadiah returned and took her seat in front of him on the Sandspider.

  ‘What are they doing?’ he asked her.

  ‘Sending out information to the crystal farms and to Pelmore and Arachnae. They are very intelligent and loyal birds. During their flight, if there is something amiss, they will alert the falconers with shrill calls on their return.’

  The falconers brought their birds into the open and, as one, they raised their arms and set the birds into flight. As the winged silhouettes disappeared out into the pale horizons, the group of Sandspiders and their mounts began their own journey out into the featureless desert landscape. The soft rhythmic drum of the spiders’ feet was the only sound to betray their presence as the convoy wound its way across the sand.

  As they progressed, Frog noticed that Ameer and Billy were deep in animated conversation as they rode atop their Sandspider. He asked Nadiah what Ameer had told her.

  ‘Just messages,’ she replied.

  ‘If it concerns Billy, then it concerns me.’

  ‘There are some things that you need not know at the moment – those are Cassaria's instructions,’ explained Nadiah.

  Frog decided not to pursue the matter and chose to use his time once again trying to communicate with his friends on Castellion, but to no avail.

  They had been travelling for nearly an hour when, as they were halfway along a channel between two long and high sand dunes, Ameer raised his hand and signalled for them to come to a halt. The hairs on the back of Frog's neck rose as he sensed something was about to happen and his hand instinctively reached for his sword. At the same time, the riders drew their own long, curved scimitars. The blades slid silently from their sheaths to be bathed by the light of the over-hanging moons.

  Nadiah turned and spoke to Frog. ‘Whatever happens, do not get separated from me …’ she said, but a piercing howl cut off her words and more than twenty bodies materialised up from the surrounding sand, shaking the fine dust from their camouflage.

  ‘Dreden!’ she shouted at Frog.

  Frog felt the draught of an arrow as it passed by his face and he turned to follow its path. He grimaced as it sank home into the neck of one of the riders. An unnatural gust of wind in the otherwise still night air picked up a cloud of sand and hurled it at the group, causing a moment of distraction. In those brief seconds, there was screeching everywhere. Dust and sand spiralled around them, their visibility reduced to less than a metre.

  Frog felt the Sandspider lurch forward and a hand grabbed his robes, pulling him down onto the sand.

  ‘Something is wrong,’ shouted Nadiah into his ear. ‘Dreden don't attack like this, not with cold-blooded killing. We have to get away from here.’

  ‘We can't leave,’ Frog shouted back. ‘We must stay and fight.’

  ‘There is a time for fighting and a time for running,’ she yelled in his face. ‘Now is the time for running.’

  She pulled him away from the shelter of the spider and out into the swirling dust and sand, which scratched at his face and caught in his throat, making him cough. Nadiah's hand then found his scarf and pulled it over his head, wrapping it around to make a mask.

  The dark shadows of the spiders loomed around them and the sound of steel on steel filled the air. Among the shouts of anger and pain, Frog heard Ameer's voice rallying his men, calling them to his side. Small pockets briefly cleared within the dust storm giving them glimpses of their surroundings. A body lay in front of them and Frog was thankful that it was face down as he stepped over it.

  ‘Billy! Billy!’ he called, now desperate to find his friend, but there was no reply.

  The dust cloud closed in around them again and the wind whipped and tore at their bodies. Nadiah screamed and Frog turned to find that she was no longer standing beside him. He brandished his sword in an arc as he frantically turned this way and that, his eyes slits against the stinging grains of sand that assaulted him.

  ‘Billy! Nadiah!’ he shouted in desperation, then he heard a cruel voice in the distance.

  ‘Find the boy,’ the voice commanded and Frog turned again to see a dim shape bearing down on him. He crouched and swung his sword as he rolled to one side and felt the blade make contact. There followed a loud curse of pain and the figure dropped to the ground. Peering to his right he could see the dark bulk of a spider and he reached out and touched its hairy form, feeling for the leather strapping and quickly finding it. He grasped hold of the harness and pulled himself up until he was in the vacant rider's seat. Higher up now, he could see clearer areas in the dust cloud, which revealed bodies lying on the ground, some with dark red patches seeping through the robes.

  Panic rose in him and he shouted recklessly. ‘Billy! Nadiah! Ameer!’ All he heard in reply was a swish followed by a dull thud as an arrow struck the Sandspider and embedded itself into its side. It reared up and gave an ear-splitting scream of pain. Frog lost his grip and slid sideways down on to the sand, the impact knocking the breath out of him. As he lay there a new horror gripped his senses: the sand was sinking beneath him, pulling him down as if into a funnel. He scrabbled with his remaining strength, but unseen hands wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, speeding his decent into the smothering, claustrophobic hollow that was engulfing him. He took in one last breath and closed his mouth and eyes as he stretched an arm out above him in desperation to grasp a lifeline, but his clawing fingers felt only sand as it sealed above him to complete his burial.

  In the desert storm that had descended on them, Ameer and his men used their lifelong skills to defend themselves and cut down their attackers. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the sand storm dissolved to reveal over a dozen Dreden bodies strewn around. The assault had only lasted a few minutes, but the intent was not that of a normal raiding party; this was the most vicious attack that Ameer had ever encountered. One of his men was dead, killed in cold blood, and three of their spiders were injured through arrow fire. Normally, in any skirmish, a warning was given or a challenge was announced before the Dreden raiding parties attacked and usually the fighting was at close quarters; crossbows were only used for hunting. Swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat was the general rule of engagement. Everything was different this time.

  Ameer surveyed the scene. ‘And so the treachery begins,’ he said to himself, but he was shaken out of his thoughts by the voice of one of his men.

  ‘My Lord Prince, we have lost the young ones.’

  8

  Underground

  In his mind he was still falling, but this was through soft white clouds, their cotton wool shapes gently brushing his body as he pass
ed through them. Somewhere, a girl's voice was calling for him, pleading with him.

  ‘Frog! Frog! Frog! Breathe! For pity's sake, breathe!’

  Another female voice reached into his senses.

  ‘Here, let me try,’ she said and he felt hands lift him up. Without warning, there was a sharp blow to his back. He exhaled in surprise and his eyelids shot open as dry, coarse sand escaped from his throat. He coughed and rasped as he inhaled again, tears filling his eyes.

  ‘Here, drink this.’ It was Nadiah's voice and he turned to see her offering him a leather water bottle, which he gratefully took. The water tasted sweet and refreshing as it washed away the dry sand from his mouth and throat. He splashed a handful across his face and wiped the gritty residue away with the back of his hand.

  ‘Better?’ asked the other voice as he focussed his eyes in the soft crystal light. She was maybe eighteen or nineteen, dressed in the same orange robes as Nadiah and with the same small black spider tattoo on her cheek. Her eyes were dark brown to match the wisp of hair that escaped from her hooded robe.

  He took another drink and looked around. He was in a small cave, the walls and floor of which seemed to consist of sand. In the ceiling, only a couple of metres above them, was a trap door with small trickles of sand escaping from its edges. He stared at it for some time, trying to make sense of his surroundings, then he saw a third girl crouched at the entrance to a small tunnel. She was also in her late teens, in matching orange robes, with a striking black spider tattoo on her cheek.

  ‘What's going on? Where are we and where's Billy?’ he asked Nadiah.

  ‘We have to move quickly. We are to take you to Sanctuary. Everything will be explained when we get there,’ she replied.

  ‘I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on.’

  ‘We are in a network of secret underground tunnels,’ explained Nadiah.

  ‘And where is Billy?’ he repeated.

  ‘Everything that Billy has done and plans to do will be in vain if we do not get you out of here quickly and find our way to Sanctuary. If you care about him you will trust me until we are in a safe place to answer your questions,’ she told him with a no-nonsense determination.

  ‘I've been kept in the dark,’ he said. ‘And I don't like it at all. I do trust you, Nadiah, but if anything happens to him I won't rest, even if I have to cross all of the Dimensions to get revenge.’

  The look in Nadiah's eyes softened. ‘You must trust your friend to do what he feels is right. He is also here for a reason and he understands that he always has a choice. The longer we stay here the more danger he is in and the less time we have to get to Sanctuary where you will be told what is unfolding. Now, we must make haste.’

  The tunnels were just high enough for them to run through with their heads lowered and their shoulders hunched. The girls led the way, carrying small crystals that illuminated the small chambers through which they were passing, each with trap doors in the ceilings and more tunnels that led off in other directions. Frog followed as instructed, but after quite some time he became impatient.

  ‘How much further?’ he asked, as claustrophobia seeped into his concentration.

  ‘Nearly there,’ replied Nadiah and Frog became aware that the floor of the tunnel was sloping beneath his feet and a cool draught of air chilled the sweat on his face. After another 10 metres the tunnel opened out onto a solid platform of rock. They were now standing on the edge of a circular shaft that housed a wooden lift cage and Frog could see that it was suspended by glistening, twisted ropes that reached up into darkness. The girls entered the cage and Frog tentatively followed.

  ‘How high are we?’ he enquired as he tried to peer down between the shaft and the timber floor.

  ‘Don't worry,’ said Nadiah and pulled a wooden lever. The lift lurched downwards. ‘We've never had an accident. Besides, if you fell from this height you'd be dead from fright well before you hit the ground.’

  ‘And that's supposed to make me feel better?’ he said as his hands tightened their grip around one of the wooden bars.

  The cage bumped and creaked as it slowly made its progress down the shaft until, just as Frog thought that things couldn't get any more nerve-racking, they exited out into an open space. He looked over the side in alarm to see that they were now descending from the roof of a large cavern, still some 30 or 40 metres up, its galleries illuminated by clusters of the light-giving crystals. Below, orange robes busied themselves backwards and forwards and some glanced with curiosity towards the lift. It seemed that they focussed their gaze fleetingly on Frog in particular.

  As they got closer, Frog could see that there was a group of about fifty figures practising moves and patterns, which looked like a cross between Tai Chi and Taekwondo. Frog watched with interest as it appeared to him that they were sparring with each other with such force that they should be making full contact, but somehow they managed to deflect the blows without actually touching their opponents.

  A sharp jolt distracted him and he returned his attention to the thick ropes that guided their progress. As they neared the ground, two large stone counter weights rose up past them. He could see a series of pulleys feeding more ropes to a big water wheel, which was embedded in the cavern floor. Two more robed figures pulled at levers and the flow of water slowed, bringing the momentum of the wheel to a halt as the cage bumped firmly onto the ground.

  Frog's manners overcame his desire to push himself from the cage first and he stood back and allowed the girls to exit, thankful that they were quick and breathing a sigh of relief as his feet touched the smooth stone floor. Before he had a chance to relax, two tall figures, whose orange robes bore embroidered black spider symbols, approached them. The first one pushed back her hood to reveal the kind face of a woman that Frog guessed to be roughly his mother's age.

  ‘Welcome to Sanctuary my young friend. The council are waiting. Please follow us,’ she said, turning.

  They quickly crossed to a wooden door, which opened as they approached it. Both of the women stood back and allowed Frog to enter a brightly lit room. On a stone plinth in the centre of the room stood the Hour-glass in its cradle, the grains of sand rhythmically falling through its narrow tube. The difference now was that the Rune Stone was firmly seated on the top of the wooden cradle.

  On either side of the Hourglass stood two more women in the familiar orange and black robes along with Cassaria, who smiled gently at him, the hood of ice-blue robes now cushioned her electric blue hair.

  ‘Cassaria!’ he exclaimed. ‘What's happening? Where's Billy?’

  Cassaria approached him and knelt before him on one knee, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Be calm, young Frog. Your friend has now found his part to play in the events that are unfolding. Billy has journeyed into danger in order to create a deception, which it is hoped will buy us valuable time,’ she answered. ‘He willingly agreed and understood the risk that is involved. He is not without guidance and the Magic of the Guardians is with him for his protection and to aid him through his mission.’

  ‘I don't understand why it's been kept a secret from me,’ said Frog.

  ‘Until this moment, only Ameer, Billy, Nadiah and I were party to what I am about to reveal to you and to those who are trusted to be present here.’

  Frog looked around him and saw that the door was now closed and only Nadiah and the two girls had entered with him.

  ‘Belzeera has been busy with her vile Magic,’ continued Cassaria. ‘She already has spies within the ranks of Ameer's men and we are informed that she uses desert creatures to infiltrate our settlements and do her bidding. We must use our trust sparingly. Our enemies believe that this meeting is taking place at Arachnae and that the Hourglass and the Rune Stone will be there. They tried to take you as part of their plans, but we anticipated their actions and that is why we were prepared to rescue you and create a deception so that Billy could fulfil his role.’

  ‘And what is Billy's role?’
asked Frog.

  ‘He has become you, dear Frog. In sound, manner and image and at this moment, the Dreden believe that the boy that they have captured for Belzeera is you.’

  ‘But how?’ asked Frog, bewildered. ‘How can he be me?’

  ‘You should know by now that the Guardians possess many forms of ancient Magic; one art is that of duplication and Billy was given such a potion that enabled him to become your double, your twin if you like, along with instructions on how to carry out his deceit and play his part.’

  A light bulb lit up in Frog's head. ‘The teardrop! You used my teardrop; you've turned Billy into my clone.’

  ‘He is your double in every sense except for his mind. He still controls his own thoughts and memories,’ explained Cassaria. ‘He still has his own free will.’

  ‘But how will we get him back? How will we return him to being Billy?’

  ‘Billy's teardrop, which I will use to change him back into his own image, but more importantly we must arrange for his rescue after he has had the opportunity to find out the extent of Belzeera's plans. We know that if she thinks that she has you in her possession, then she will focus her mind on obtaining the Rune Stone and the Hourglass. Until the time of confrontation, this must be the last and only time that they are to be in the same location as you. If she were to bring them together with one drop of your blood she would be free to release the monster that is Lord Maelstrom and then they will have the power to cross the Dimensions and control the past and the future.’

  ‘What is it that makes my blood so special and why do the Rune Stones react to it?’

  ‘That answer is hidden in the history of the Dimensions and only known by the Guardians of old. All we can do is play out our destinies and protect you with all the powers that we hold,’ answered Cassaria. ‘Until Belzeera and Lord Maelstrom are eliminated, you and the safety of the Dimensional worlds will be in peril. The Guardians now know that even the world that you call home, the Dimension that is Earth, is part of their planned conquest, now that Belzeera has learnt of its existence.’