by James Erith
A high-pitched whirring noise built up and up until the intensity was almost unbearable, the cocoon swirling faster and faster.
The toadstools on the old man’s body began to quiver, like birthday candles on a bowl of jelly.
All of a sudden a toadstool exploded off Old Man Wood’s body like a rocket, smashing into the ceiling. Then another – shattering the mirror – and another through the windows.
Toadstools from every part of his body rapidly discharged, peppering the walls, ceiling and bed. The noise like a gun fight, fires starting on the wooden panelling surrounding the room.
All the while Isabella stood still, her hands extended, her concentration absolute as the swirling glow over Old Man Wood forced the toadstools out.
Soon, her energy wavered and the cocoon around the old man weakened. Only one remained. The large, lime green toadstool on his chest.
Exhausted, her strength gone, her body spent, Isabella had nothing more to give. She dropped her hands. The pink energy fizzling away.
Dizzy, her head as heavy as lead, Isabella stumbled into the wall and fell to her knees.
‘I can’t,’ she cried. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Old Man Wood ... I’m so terribly sorry.’
And she collapsed on to the floor.
EIGHTY-EIGHT
THE RING OF BABYLON
Gaia reached out a long, silvery claw. So, Asgard had sided with Cain and the news coming back through the ether painted a bleak picture.
Somehow, Cain had added the plague to their dream powders to make lethal dreams. The spread was unimagined, unaccountable, swift and devastating. It was the perfect mass-murder weapon.
‘How many dreamspinners are using Cain’s spider web powders?’
‘Hundreds,’ a smaller dreamspinner vibrated, ‘maybe thousands. More go every minute.’
‘And each one uses his powder?’ She already knew the answer.
I need Genesis, she thought. She’ll know what to do.
She reached out for the vibration of the old dreamspinner, channelling her energy into the universe. A wavy, strange vibration tickle returned – slight and distant.
In a flash, Gaia inverted through the electric middle of her body, flashing through the universe to the spot where she desperately hoped Genesis would be.
She arrived moments later in a cave. A cave as tall as a mountain and half as wide. Was there such a place on Earth, or Havilah?
Gaia’s opaque, silvery legs walked on the air towards the middle as though on an invisible grid.
Genesis would not be invisible here, Gaia thought, and she altered herself so she might also be seen. By doing so, she would see any dreamspinner that had themselves turned visible.
As she suspected, Genesis was waiting for her. ‘You have come. Good. At least there is one of the ancient order still in possession of their faculties.’
Gaia had almost forgotten what a large, intimidating dreamspinner Genesis could be. Around her neck, and down the length of her shimmering silvery body, grey hoops gave her a formidable appearance. And far from the broken creature that had departed to die after giving the boy his Gifts, she looked menacing.
Her three black eyes pierced into Gaia. ‘You know?’
‘I do, mother. Our order, our traditions, are being dismantled, our purpose lost, dreamspinners corrupted. Asgard has aligned with Cain. Disease spreads from powders made from the spider webs in Havilah. As the sun goes down while Earth rotates, he spreads dreams of fear and failure. Death extends across the planet.’
Genesis tilted her head. ‘Cain should never be trusted. Asgard has showed him our secret and he has grasped it in his ghostly hands. Dreamspinners have been led to believe that the Heirs of Eden cannot open the Garden of Eden, so Asgard makes it his business to determine our future. He sees no hope in the Heirs of Eden.’
Genesis raised herself up. ‘But the Heirs have every chance. That is why the universe selected them. Furthermore, there are ancient lores that Asgard does not know.’
The great dreamspinner’s posture fell a little and her vibrations quietened. ‘I should have shared these with you many suns and moons ago, Gaia. And when I have, I will make a calling, to stop this madness.’
‘A calling, mother?’
‘Yes. You will see. I alone know of it. There is a power to recall dreamspinners from every corner of the universe. But first, let me inform you of the ancient ways, for my time is not long now, and you, Gaia, will take my place. One mother of the universe to another.’
Genesis rose up again. ‘The prophecy is far from failing. Even now, as the old man suffers from Cain’s poison, there is hope. For he is protected by a charm the Heirs possess and which Cain long ago abandoned. It is the magic of love. Besides, these Heirs are not so weak or so frail as Asgard imagines, nor are they so stupid or so slow. It is a clever choice to use children as the Heirs; they are neither too cowardly nor too proud, as Asgard assumes. And they learn fast. And, moreover it contains the element of surprise. Cain and the Mother Serpent will underestimate them.’
Genesis dipped one long, bony leg after another into the electric blue fire of her maghole, which raged harder than Gaia had seen for some time.
‘You helped the old man find his Resplendix Mix, did you not?’
Gaia was astonished. ‘Indeed. I wanted balance—’
‘Balance. Good.’ Genesis hummed. ‘Now you will need to go further. The old man once possessed a branchwand. Find it and deliver it before the third tablet is found. Discover the dreams for informing him of its purpose. I will show you how to do this.
‘And know this: Cain’s twin, Abel is not so crazed anymore. Time has banished his anger and he seeks his revenge. Like Cain, his shadow grows. And even though Seth, the little brother, will not come out of his place of hiding, he has promised a great gift.’
‘But what of us? Is Asgard truthful? Is our time at an end?’
Genesis flicked her legs into her maghole. ‘Tell me, Gaia, what do you know of the Prophecy?’
‘Three tablets lead the way to the Key of Eden,’ Gaia replied. ‘The lock must be released to open the Garden and then life will begin anew, the Garden reborn. New species will come unto Earth and Havilah. But one failure will prove mankind’s failing, and the Earth will be cleansed.’
‘And, tell me, what if the Heirs have the three Tablets but do not find the key? Do you know what happens then?’ Genesis asked.
‘They die—?’
‘No, not necessarily. Opening the Garden requires that a great power be unleashed. We dreamspinners have the means to create this, when there is no more. These things have been long forgotten.’
‘Create? Create what, mother?’
‘Here.’ Genesis passed over a polished white ring made of a glass-like stone.
‘What is it? I know of no such things.’
Genesis’ dark eyes sparkled. ‘This is the Ring of Babylon, hidden on the walls of the cave and shrouded from common knowledge. But Adam will know, deep in his lost mind.’
Genesis ruffled her body so that she appeared, for a moment, larger, like a huge angel, her silvery, almost see-through body cloaking her strange spidery frame. ‘If the Heirs succeed, there is a choice even if they cannot open the lock.’
‘I do not know of it, mother.’
‘If the children survive, a new world will arrive.’
‘If that time happens there is one thing the Heirs must do. Point the ring at the red planet. One of the Heirs must push their breath through it. That is all. But it must be done before the sun goes down on the eighth day.’
‘For what purpose?’
‘The Garden of Eden is dead. One breath of life through the Ring of Babylon will create holes in space through which will be sucked life-givers.’
‘For life-giver, you talk of comets?’
‘Yes. When one life-giver collides with Earth and another with Havilah and The Garden of Eden and Assyria and Cush, five new places of habitation will be formed. This will signal th
e end of the ancient order and the beginning of the new.’
‘So, Eve and the old man, Cain, Abel and Seth will die?’ Gaia said. ‘I had no idea. Then a new time really will begin. A new time for us all, even dreamspinners...’ Gaia flickered her legs out. ‘Then Cain cannot prevail. He fails.’
Genesis dipped a couple of legs in her maghole. ‘After a great sleep, the Heirs of Eden shall be the stewards.’
‘The Heirs? But there are only three? How are they to reproduce and populate?’’
‘There are others, Gaia. More than you realise. When the time is right, the process of populating the worlds will be quick enough. But when they are of an age they will die, as it always should have been. The mistake of endless life will never be repeated. Remember, Gaia, this may only happen if they are alive at the end of the seven days and if they have the tablets.’
‘After defeating Gorialla Yingarna, the mother serpent—’
‘Yes, and if they overcome Blabisterberry Jelly.’
Gaia shuffled and cleaned two legs in her maghole simultaneously. ‘One failure—’
‘Is all it takes,’ Genesis interrupted.
‘I understand.’
‘Good. Remember it well. And Gaia.’
‘Yes, mother?’
‘Cain and Asgard and his band of deserters must never know of the Ring of Babylon. There. You know all that I know. Now I must summon dreamspinners and put a halt to the error of their ways. And while they come to me, they are not spinning dreams filled with poison.’
Genesis produced a thin, shiny stick the size of a small piece of wire, glittering as if it were made of one piece of elasticised diamond. She tapped on it quickly as if it were a drum, creating reverberations that hummed high and low, deep and soft, loud and searching.
‘Stand with me, my daughter of the universe, and watch.’
Back in their invisible state, the two dreamspinners waited as the humming continued wailing, its sound at once both harmonious and haunting, singing into the expansive universes.
It didn’t take long.
Moments later, as if by magic, dreamspinners started popping out of the sky into the huge cavern in tiny flashes, pinpricks of light, until the huge chamber was packed with thousands of opaque, spidery-looking creatures with fiery, blue middles.
EIGHTY-NINE
SOLOMON’S INTERROGATION
‘Headmaster!’ Sue rushed up to him and gave him a hug.
The headmaster hadn’t anticipated it and only after a moment reciprocated.
‘You survived!’ she said, ‘I can’t believe how lucky we are.’
The words filled Solomon with a pang of guilt; how had he lived, when so many had died? he thought. ‘And you are well?’ he asked. ‘How is our hero, Gus?’
‘Oh, he’s doing really well, thanks,’ she said, smiling back at the familiar, yet slightly less rotund face of the headmaster. ‘In fact, he’s bored and itching to get out of his bed. Seems like all he had was a sort of mini-flu.’
‘What a great relief,’ Solomon said, and he meant it.
Sue looked around. ‘Cool place, isn’t it? What’s it called, Swinton Park? I heard it was once a beautiful hotel.’ Another helicopter buzzed overhead and settled down just behind a large cluster of bare trees just out of sight through the windows. ‘I’ve never seen so many helicopters in one place,’ Sue said, almost in awe. ‘Have you met the Commissioner? He’s a bit of a creep if you ask me. I’ve got a “debriefing” with him in half an hour.’
The headmaster had forgotten what a lively, pretty girl she was – and clearly desperate to talk. ‘Sue, I wouldn’t mind a brief catch up before you see him. Find out all about your extraordinary adventure. Can you spare a moment – outside? Have you got a coat?’
Sue caught his eye. ‘Sure.’
They pushed open the double doors that led from the reception and rounded the thick stone walls heading up the path in the darkness. Solomon continued on around the lake towards the gardens.
‘Headmaster, where are we going?’
‘Please, call me Solomon, won’t you, Sue? We’re not at school now so you can leave the airs and graces behind, don’t you think?’ He smiled his head-masterly smile, his small, tea-stained teeth a little too evident. ‘A little bit further, if you don’t mind stretching your legs.’
He stopped for a minute and turned to face the vale behind them. ‘Such a beautiful place isn’t it, perched here on the Daleside of the Vale? Did you realise that Upsall is almost exactly opposite on the edge of the Moors, right over there?’ he said, pointing into the distance. ‘And have you seen the lake? It’s well worth a visit in the morning. Dug by hand, so I’m told, and now overflowing like a mini Niagara Falls. A most impressive sight.’
Sue thought this commentary was rather odd but, as they walked around a clump of dense yew trees, she spotted a bench lit by an old street light. Solomon beckoned her to sit down.
He pulled out a notepad and a pen.
We’re being monitored, he wrote. You are in terrible danger.
‘Can you hear the geese over there?’ he said. ‘They’re Canadian, you can tell by their distinct call.’
I’m bugged. You are too.
‘Er … Gosh – wow!’ she said, the colour draining from her face. She shook her head and felt a hard nodule on her lapel. ‘You’re very knowledgeable,’ she stuttered, her brain fizzing. ‘Are they, er, related to Iberian Geese?’ she said, racking her brain about birds.
He nodded encouragement.
Why? she wrote.
‘Perhaps,’ he said peering at the pad. ‘You may well be right, I’m no expert. There used to be a famous deer herd here, but I believe all the animals have been put down,’ he continued. ‘A very ancient breed, by all accounts.’
They’re on to the de Lowes.
‘Oh! I like deer,’ she said, rather thickly.
Crap, she wrote, before scribbling it out.
Solomon was a little taken aback and gave her one of his most knowing looks. ‘I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am to see you again,’ he said. ‘Tell me, how did you find that old rowing boat? I’m rather astonished it held together. Was that Isabella’s idea?’
He scribbled fast. I have to ask. He pointed at her lapel again and gave her an encouraging look.
She grabbed the notebook and coughed as she turned the page. ‘Well, yes! I suppose it was. Isabella realised the huge storm cloud might blow at any time. It was pretty obvious really. I mean, there was lightning shooting out everywhere, and all they had to do was run up the track home. She probably reckoned I wouldn’t get home so, just in case, she suggested the boat. In hindsight, it was totally inspired. Then, luckily, I bumped into Gus.’
Sorry, don’t normally swear.
‘Sue, can I ask? What made Isabella so infatuated with the storm cloud? I know you both came to see me with a home-made barometer, was it something to do with this – were you just playing “scientists”?’
Sue shot him a curious look, trying to ascertain what sort of reply he was fishing for. ‘Yeah, I suppose so. Isabella went a bit crazy on weather forecasting and...’
She stalled and stared at the ground.
‘My dear,’ Solomon said. ‘Is there something you’d like to tell me?’
‘Well, yeah, there is one more thing – but it’s a bit weird. Actually no, don’t worry about it – it’s probably irrelevant.’
Solomon pressed her. ‘Tell me everything,’ he encouraged. ‘I’m intrigued that Isabella knew enough to think of getting you a boat, but why didn’t you simply head up into the tower – like many of the children and me?’
‘We did calculations, sir.’
‘Calculations? Whatever for?’ Solomon raised his eyebrows in anticipation.
‘OK – this will sound ridiculous.’ Sue took a deep breath. ‘I’d had a dream about a storm. Actually, it was more like a nightmare. Thing is, it felt so clear I thought it might be a premonition, you know, when you see something before
it actually happens.’
Solomon nodded.
‘Anyway, I told Isabella about it. You see, I always try and write my dreams down the moment I wake up. Amazingly, she believed me.’
‘So it’s happened before?’
‘Yes. A couple of times. Anyway she then got all excited about it – in a scientific, meteorological way, you understand—’
Solomon smiled encouragement and mouthed: ‘good’.
‘—and then she started looking at storm data on websites and she got more and more carried away until she made a barometer which kept bottoming out and all the while, much to our astonishment, the cloud kept growing until she came to the conclusion that this one was going to be the biggest of the lot. From her calculations, I don’t think she thought the school tower would make it.’
‘And all this came from a dream?’ Solomon said, almost to himself. ‘Fascinating.’
He handed Sue a note, with a finger over his lips.
No more!
Sue smiled back at the headmaster. It was nice to have someone to talk to.
There’s more, she wrote, much more.
‘Getting a bit chilly, isn’t it?’ Solomon said, rubbing his hands together. ‘Let’s go back inside shall we?’ They linked arms. ‘I am so terribly sorry about your losses. I am afraid our whole community has suffered dreadful personal tragedy. We are very much the lucky ones – I doubt if the populace will ever really recover. Life has a habit of bouncing back, though, so let’s hope that maybe one day things will return to something near normal.’
Sue looked pensive. ‘Why are there so many people rushing around with protective kit on?’
‘You mean you don’t know?’
Sue shook her head. ‘I’ve heard there’s some kind of virus out there. Is it true?’
Solomon pushed his glasses back on. ‘My dear, absolutely. The country is in quarantine, everything – and I mean everything – has ground to a halt. According to a military chap I sat next to at lunch, half the towns and cities are up in flames. Mass looting – general pandemonium. By a total fluke, Swinton Park is possibly the safest place in the world, right now.