Starfall (The Starfall Chronicles Book 1)

by R. M. Anderson

  Turning, she walked toward Radianne and Thomas, to where she could get a good look at them simultaneously.

  “You both really will do quite nicely. You will learn well.”

  Radianne had heard enough.

  “What makes you so sure?” she demanded. “I will never join you. I think you are overconfident in your delusions.”

  “Yes, I agree with that statement,” Thomas added. “If I recall, your brainwashing didn't work on me in the past. And back then, you were an innocent, a confused little girl.”

  He shook his head. “It would have been much easier to listen to you then. But now, now I must say that you are a black-hearted traitor to your kind – no doubt now a murderous fiend like the Snorgs as well. I wonder how many souls you've destroyed.”

  Elin stepped forward, keeping a calm demeanor, no sign of rage showing on her face. She reached into the bars of Thomas's cage and trailed one finger along his cheek.

  “I have my ways,” she whispered.

  “So I see you are more of a black-hearted vixen now,” he muttered.

  With a snap, Elin pulled her hand back and scowled. Then she turned again on her heel and yawned.

  “This meeting has proven to be too much for me tonight,” she said, casting a pointed look at Henrick.

  “But tomorrow, when I am refreshed, we will begin. We will start with those furry creatures over there…” She nodded toward the Floppersnogs. “They will be very simple to work with, I'm sure. And you three will follow later.”

  “In the meantime,” she said to the Snorgs, who were still standing nearby, “make sure the prisoners have food and drink. You know what to do.”

  She then turned to Henrick again.

  “It is good to see you again, brother, despite the unpleasant reminders of the past. Especially the painful reminder of your cowardice. Hopefully our time together will heal the bond that was ripped apart all those years ago. Hopefully you can prove yourself useful these days.”

  Before Henrick could comment, Elin nodded to the Snorgs, and away they all went, leaving the three prisoners standing once more in the shadows.

  “Before they come back, let me give the both of you some vital advice,” Thomas said, when he was certain Elin and the Snorgs were gone. “Do not, absolutely, DO NOT eat or drink anything they give you. Except the water. That may still be safe. Maybe.”

  “And why are you telling us this?” Radianne asked.

  “The food is just one of the many ways they prepare you for the training,” Thomas replied. “Some sort of concoctions that make reality turn, perception becomes flawed, memories fade. I made the mistake once and I will not do so again. The effect wore off in a day or so, but I was lucky. For some, the damage takes hold permanently and distorts everything they once knew to be true.”

  Radianne shuddered. She looked over to Henrick, who was quiet. He was, no doubt, brooding over the shocking encounter with his villainous sister. The sister he'd thought he'd lost years before.

  “How are you ?” she asked him.

  He shook his head and spoke slowly. “I honestly find this all hard to believe. My sister alive… now turned to the dark side.”

  “We are in a place where truth gets distorted and hearts grow cold. Where goodness is sucked away, forgotten,” Thomas said in the shadows. “As I've been saying, we have to fight against it. Your sister apparently couldn't, as sad as that is. But I do believe we are all strong enough – especially armed with my knowledge and previous experiences here.”

  Henrick shot a dirty look in his direction. “You don't know much about my sister,” he spat out. “There still may be hope for her yet. You don't know her. Once, she was good and she was kind…”

  Thomas interjected. “And that, my friend, was a long, long time ago. The little teary eyed girl I met years ago has long since vanished, I'm afraid.” He shrugged. “But one can hope.”

  Before the tense conversation could escalate further, Radianne quickly changed the subject. “They said the Floppersnogs will be the first,” she said to Thomas. “What does that mean?”

  He sighed. “I'm assuming that tomorrow, after the Floppersnogs eat or drink something tonight that messes with their minds, they will be gathered up and forced to look into the pool sitting in the center of this cavern. What they see there will further distort their perception of reality, and then they will be taken away to one of the outer rooms for the real training. What they will endure, I don't know for sure, but I'm afraid it will involve a good deal of torment and more distortion of precious memories.”

  Tears welled up in Radianne's eyes and anger in her heart. Something had to be done! The Floppersnogs were so innocent and trusting. She looked over at the little furballs just then, cowered in a bunch together in their cage, looking around the dimly lit room with wide eyes. She had promised she would take care of them…

  But what to do? The Floppersnogs did not have a solid grasp of Eugladian language, so it would be difficult to warn them of the danger to come.

  “We have to find a way to get them, ourselves, Blink, and my sister out of here,” Henrick said. “That's all there is to it. And soon. No time to waste.”

  “Getting your sister out will likely be impossible,” Thomas said slowly. “She won't want to go, and we'd have to kidnap her. No time for that. We may be able to save ourselves somehow. And we have to find Blink.”

  Before Henrick could argue with him, the group was interrupted again. A small but brilliant hero was headed their way.

  “Oh Blink! My dear Blink!” Radianne called out softly. “You're safe!”

  Blink ran down the platform toward Radianne's cage. “I hid in the shadows,” the star said with pride as he came to a stop in front of her.

  He looked around at the others and beamed. “And there aren't any guards out in the shadows at present. I think those creatures were telling lies.”

  “So you heard everything?” Radianne asked.

  “Most of it,” Blink said.

  He turned to Henrick. “I'm sorry about your sister. It's very good news she is alive though. Remember Henrick, never lose hope.”

  Henrick smiled softly at the star. “And it is equally good news to see that you are still here with us, my friend.”

  Blink looked quite worn out, and more alarmingly stone-like than before, factors which worried the others. But they said nothing to him about his current state as they knew commenting on it would not fix anything and may even cause worry on his end. They focused instead on what needed to be done.

  “Now, how to get all of you out of here?” the star asked.

  “You have to find the silver key with the red stone,” Thomas told him, trying to describe to Blink what a key looked like and how it was used. “It's the only key that will open the cages. And I have a feeling it's somewhere very close to Elin, as she seems to be running things in this base at the moment.”

  “I will do my best to find this treasure,” Blink said. He nodded to his friends. “I'll be on my way now. See you soon.”

  “Be careful Blink!” Radianne called after him worriedly. “Stay in the shadows.”

  **************

  Some time later the Snorgs carried in an array of fruit and earthen goblets filled with sweet-smelling liquid and presented them to the captives. The evil beasts said nothing as they passed the items through the bars. The plan was to let the prisoners become tempted by the twisted sustenance and its enticing aromas.

  The Snorgs left as quietly as they'd come. They knew they didn't need to stay for the food to do its work.

  Radianne found herself alarmingly drawn to the food and drink presented to her. She raised the goblet to her lips, her desire to taste its contents overpowering.

  But she remembered what Thomas said.

  Dumping the liquid in the goblet on the floor, she watched as a cloud of smoke rose from the puddle. She shuddered. She had to convince the Floppersnogs not to eat or drink.

  Turning toward their cage, she tried
using words and hand gestures to distract them. Henrick, who was closer to them, did the same.

  Some of the Floppersnogs seemed to understand, but about five of them did not quite get it. Without hesitation, they dove happily and eagerly into the fruit and drink that lay before them.

  The Floppersnogs who seemed to understand took a few steps away from their siblings, covered their eyes and trembled, fearing the inevitable. When they peeked between their fingers and saw that nothing seemed to have happened, they looked up at Radianne and Henrick with confusion.

  Radianne shook her head and placed her hands around her neck, making a choking sound.

  The Floppersnogs who'd consumed the poisoned food and drink seemed to be fine at the moment, but Thomas said the foul magic could take some time to work. The others who did not partake moved to another corner of the cage and sat, huddling together.

  All the captives waited in the darkness.

  Time ticked on by.

  Radianne was so hungry and thirsty. She was growing weary and wanted to rest. But there would be no sleeping tonight. Instead, she closed her hand around the dagger in her tunic. She knew she would fight to the death for her freedom, for the freedom of her friends and for Blink's safe passage to the sky. The Snorgs and Elin – sister of Henrick or not – would not take her down without a challenge.

  Suddenly, one of the Floppersnogs let out an ear-splitting howl. Radianne turned. Though the light was dim, she could make out a little blue furball foaming angrily at the mouth.

  -20-

  Escape

  O

  ne by one, the Floppersnogs who'd so eagerly consumed the foul food and drink were beginning to transform. One or two of them shivered and cried, while the rest began to snarl angrily at their non-poisoned siblings, who trembled in a huddle.

  Radianne's heart sank as she watched the disturbing scene unfold. “Will they attack?” she asked Thomas.

  “I'm not sure,” he said. “Probably not at the moment. Right now, they are of course not in their right minds and are confused, it's all just starting to morph.”

  Radianne found it difficult to believe that something as simple as the food or drink provided could have done this to the creatures, but then again, she didn't know what had been in the concoctions. Whatever dark potion had been mixed, coupled with the sadness and dreariness of the place, could indeed be enough to make one confused and unwell in the head. She guiltily prayed to The Creator that somehow her little furry friends would be saved in the end. They were her responsibility, after all.

  After her prayer, she sat back and observed the situation while trying to formulate a plan with Thomas and Henrick for if and when Blink returned with the key to their freedom.

  Eventually, the confused Floppersnogs settled down somewhat. They stood at an opposite side of the cage and had fits of shaking every now and then, but thankfully, not one of them attacked.

  In the very early hours of the morning, Blink returned. The group was relieved to see him return in one piece and with the key in tow. They praised his courage and thanked him as he whispered the story of how he'd snatched the key from Elin's chamber as she slept. For the next several minutes, they worked silently to free themselves from their prisons.

  The star slid the red-stoned key through the bars of Radianne's cage first and she picked it up, turned it easily into the lock, and let herself out.

  Since Thomas was closest to her, she let him out next, and then moved on to Henrick.

  As heart-breaking as it was, the group decided the Floppersnogs would have to be left behind for the time being. It would be dangerous to attempt to let them out, when there was no telling what the confused and warped ones would do. They could possibly give the escape away.

  With an extreme sense of guilt, Radianne quietly made her way to the end of the cage where the untainted Floppersnogs huddled and she stroked them gently through the bars.

  “I'm so sorry, my dear little friends. We must leave you behind for now,” she whispered. “But we will return for you as soon as possible, you will not be forgotten. I will keep my vow.” With tears she said the words, remembering the promise she and Henrick had made to mother Floppersnog. It was a horrible turn of events to have to leave them behind, but there weren't any other options just then. She only hoped that when she returned for them, the Floppersnogs would not be too far gone.

  The creatures looked up at her with large, sad eyes. Henrick appeared by her side and also offered a few words of consolation, hoping they would understand. When one of them nodded slowly, Radianne and Henrick knew the language barrier had been crossed. The two raised fingers to their lips and backed away from the cage.

  Radianne plucked up Blink and set him on her shoulder for safekeeping. They all quickly made their way across the platform and down the steps, into the dusty and eerily quiet arena. Since it was already well into the first hours of the morning, Thomas said the Snorgs and Elin would be along shortly with a breakfast – poisoned – to get the day started off on the right foot. At any moment, one of the four doors of the arena would fling open and all hope of escape would be lost. The group continued to tread quietly, but quickly, across the arena toward the door that Radianne and Thomas had initially come through.

  They arrived without incident. But as Henrick went to push it open, they found it would not budge.

  “I've forgotten they lock from the inside,” Thomas murmured. “What to do, what to do…” He looked around the arena, as if trying to remember something important.

  “Aha! There it is,” he said, pointing to an odd metal lever sticking out of the dirt wall on one side of the room. It nearly blended in with its surroundings and if one wasn't looking for it, one wouldn't have noticed. “The door opener, of course. Wait here.”

  The rest of the group watched as he noiselessly raced across the arena floor, kicking up dust in his wake. When he reached the wall, he gently pushed on the lever and the escape door made a sharp clicking sound as it unlocked. Just as he turned to return to his friends, a door on the opposite side of the arena squeaked open.

  Elin and one of the Snorgs appeared.

  “Run!” Thomas shouted to the others, as he made a mad dash toward the escape.

  The Snorg also rushed forward. Elin stood in place, her features frozen and devoid of emotion. She let out a shrill whistle and almost immediately, two of the hulking Desert Dogs appeared. They too raced toward the escapees.

  Thomas by that point had somehow managed to move halfway down the escape route, into the long corridor, with the rest of the group.

  The dogs fell on him and then Henrick, causing a great struggle. Meanwhile, the Snorg approached Radianne. The foul fiend leered at her, his crooked teeth stretched into a sickening grin as he came forward with outstretched arms that were eager to snatch her up.

  But she was ready.

  The blade of the dagger flashed dangerously in the dim light of the tunnel. Without hesitation, she ducked out of the Snorg's reach. They did a little dance for a few moments as the Snorg continued to lunge for her and she darted quickly out of his way. At an unsuspecting moment, she brought the weapon down – hard – stabbing his foot. Just as swiftly, she pulled the blade out, plunged it into his chest, pulled it out again and turned quickly on her heel. As she did so, she noted with with satisfaction that the Snorg howled in pain and fell backwards, hitting his bulbous head on the floor.

  During her battle, Blink had fallen to the floor and scampered off to one side looking worriedly at Radianne and his other companions. He felt as if he should do something, but he didn't know what. In his weakening state, he knew that his bites would be futile and the nasty creatures would probably stomp him to stardust.

  Radianne seemed to be handling her situation nicely, but Thomas and Henrick were not faring well with theirs. As they struggled to keep the fangs of the beasts from sinking into their necks, Blink remembered something he'd overheard when he'd stolen the key from the table in Elin's chamber. She had been tryi
ng to sleep and one of the Desert Dogs that acted as a guard to her quarters kept whining and pacing the room.

  “My aching head!” she'd yelled. “Smurgoff!!”

  As she'd shouted the words, the Desert Dog quieted and lowered itself to the floor, soon falling fast asleep. Maybe that command would work again, Blink thought.

  He yelled the strange word just then. Instantly, the Desert Dogs pulled back and sat upright on their haunches. They then lowered themselves to the floor. Henrick and Thomas watched in amazement as the beasts pulled away and were shocked when the Desert Dogs began to close their eyes.

  The two men quickly jumped up.

  “A word to remember,” Henrick said, as they breathlessly joined Radianne, who'd just finished defeating the Snorg. "Excellent work, Blink!"

  There was no time to rest, however.

  Radianne plucked up Blink once again and they all began to race down the hallway. The sound of Snorgs and Desert Dogs approaching forced them to move faster than they'd ever moved before. The snarls and enraged shouts echoing in the tunnel shook the walls and the impact of the thundering chase caused sand on the sides of the tunnel to cascade down like small avalanches. The villains would show no mercy this time. Escaping was critical.

  It seemed like an eternity before the entrance to the tunnel that would lead them above ground appeared, and when it did, Radianne and her friends hurled themselves in. They struggled to scramble upward as fast as they could, toward the desert, toward freedom.

  Radianne's thoughts were racing. Thomas said the Snorgs didn't care for the desert, but would that stop Elin and the Desert Dogs? She doubted it and knew there would be a much bigger battle ahead.

  They tumbled out of the underground tunnel and onto the sandy desert floor just as the sun was rising on the horizon.

  The sky greeted them in a breathtaking array of soothing, vibrant color and, for a moment, they all gave a sigh of relief. But just for a moment. For they knew there was still no time to waste.