by Eli Ingle
Rigel opened his eyes, screaming. His sheets were all twisted around his ankles. Kicking them off, he stood up and pulled off his sweat-soaked night clothes. Breathing heavily, he could barely think through the horror of the memory of his dream.
Changing out of his bedclothes, he went to find Laurie, who was sitting in the dining room alone. Rigel sat opposite him, wanting to confront the thing that had been bothering him since he woke up.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“What for?” asked Laurie.
“Because it’s all my fault. If you hadn’t come to get me then this wouldn’t have happened. Now we’re stuck … I’m sorry.”
“Well, we shouldn’t have come in the first place. If we’d done it properly then we wouldn’t have got stuck. So it’s our fault too. We’ll work something out, I hope …”
“Me too.”
Rigel fell silent when he realised he had said everything he could. He stood up and left.
Walking back down the corridor again, lost in thought about what they were going to do, he did not notice the high wind that was now shrieking around the fallen airship or the whispering voices that came from the walls.
An almighty boom. Blackness. A feeling of tremendous impact and then silence.
Rigel had been thrown down the corridor. Standing up, he listened bewildered as bells rang incessantly. Hurrying to the control deck, he found all the pilots running around and shouting at each other. As he peered through the front window, Rigel could see why they were panicking – the whole ship had been moved to what looked like a shallow sea bed. Walking closer, he saw that they were surrounded by fog; little was visible ahead. The roaring close by indicated that the waves were slowly moving in with the tide. They were on a cracked but smooth rock floor in about a foot of water. Laurie burst into the room a moment later and demanded to know what was going on.
“We don’t know, sir!” said Tink, pulling several levers at once. “One minute we were still grounded, the next everything went black, and then we landed here.”
“This isn’t anything to do with the machinery. This is something else, something evil. Just look out there! Prepare everything, Tink. We’ve got to leave.”
“But sir! The ship isn’t in any condition to fly!”
“No Tink, Emergency Protocol Nine. Get us out of here.”
Tink looked grave before saluting. “Emergency Protocol Nine!” he shouted.
There was a pause before Quimby began pulling the control panels from the flying machine whilst Tink and Spanner began wiring the loose pieces together.
“Come on Rigel,” ordered Opal. She held out her hand. Rigel grabbed it and they went down the corridor, stopping at each door, where Opal would go inside, returning a few moments later with a suitcase. “Hold these if you can,” she instructed. They continued until they had been to everyone’s rooms and returned to the control room once they had collected all their possessions.
When they arrived they found the door open.
Stepping outside, Rigel was surprised at how quickly they had worked. Tink and Spanner had wired together the control panels to form a pyramid-like structure. L’aroche had bent strings of thick wire into a large dome shape that covered the whole thing. All the mechanics and pilots were squeezing in under this dome. Rigel jumped from the ship and landed in the cold water.
“What is that?” he asked.
Tink looked up as he finished wiring the control panels together.
“Emergency transport device,” the mechanic explained. “It uses the technology of the airship without the bulk of having to transport the ship around too.”
“Why don’t you just travel around like that all the time?” Rigel asked.
“It’s very, very dangerous and if I mis-wire it we’ll all be fried to death.”
“Oh, good.”
Sloshing over to the door, Rigel was about to go inside when a voice behind them made him jump and turn around.
“I’d think again about that if I were you.”
The Dark Angel was poised three metres away, cold fury burning in his eyes. Knelt down next to him was Iselt, her head tilted back as the cruel, thin, black blade of the man’s sword pressed lightly against her throat.
“One false move on your part and I’ll open her throat before you can blink.”
Laurie stepped forwards, stretching out an arm.
“A-a-ah!” blurted the man, pulling her to her feet and stepping backwards. “None of that. Now, listen to what I have to tell you and this can all be a lot easier. I’ve changed my mind from earlier. Oh yes. Give me the boy.” He pointed at Rigel. “And you can all go home safely.”
“What?!”
“That’s right! As simple as that …”
“We’re not giving you Rigel!”
“Then here you will have to stay, I’m afraid. That or watch dear Iselt here perish …”
“How is she alive again?” asked Rigel, in awe at seeing her but terrified they might lose her once more.
“It was bound to happen sometime anyway … I just … sped up the process.”
“Give us Iselt!”
“Very well,” he said, walking forwards before stopping and laughing nastily. “What do you think I am? Give us Iselt? Ha! Hand over Rigel or this gets ugly.”
“He’s with us,” said Laurie, walking away from the flying contraption and towards Rigel, resting a hand on his shoulder. Rigel was overcome with a feeling of gratitude.
Crack!
Quimby had shot at the Dark Angel but before the bullet even reached him there was a wisp of black smoke where it should have hit and the Dark Angel remained unharmed. He hissed as his head snapped around to see the perpetrator. With a flash of black flames Quimby disappeared before reappearing next to the Dark Angel, bound in chains.
“Anyone else?” he hissed.
“Come on, Rigel,” said Laurie, pulling him backwards.
“No! We’ve got to get Iselt! Iselt! Hurry!”
She tried to break away but the blade was too near her throat. All the while Laurie was still attempting to drag Rigel backwards. Sensing that time was running out, the Dark Angel sent a stream of energy towards them. Rigel blocked it without conscious thought this time and sent it rocketing back towards the man. This took the Dark Angel completely by surprise and he stumbled backwards.
In that moment they knew what to do. Iselt spun away from the blade and ran towards Rigel. Seeing this happen, the two shipmates turned on their heels and ran towards the contraption that Tink and the pilots had constructed. Standing up again, the Dark Angel saw what they were doing. Raising his hand he drew a tidal wave from the ocean and sent it careering towards the makeshift machine before twisting on the spot. Suddenly his form blended into a cloud of black smoke.
Rigel jumped through the wire door and slammed it shut, joining the rest of the crew who were already assembled inside. He was expected to see Iselt with them but when he could not see her white hair, he turned around only to see that she was still outside.
Suddenly the Dark Angel reappeared in another cloud of smoke and grabbed Iselt around the waist before pulling her backwards. The air shimmered behind them, giving Rigel a glimpse of a black and twisted city. As the Dark Angel moved, Rigel realised they were not stepping away from them, but into another dimension. Iselt was screaming as the man was laughing; the sound echoed as he stepped through the gap. Then the air shimmered as the rift began to close and the city disappeared, only the landscape of their current world was visible. The Dark Angel spoke for a final time as the worlds sealed back together.
“I am Frivlok,” he said. “Remember my name, for I will return, oh Light One. I will find you and I will take you!”
The words faded and mixed with the undying laughter, bouncing and echoing through the dimension, on and on ….
Rigel scrabbled against the wire frame of the machine, trying to get the door back open and to reach Iselt while he
still had a chance.
“Get off!” shouted Laurie just as Tink had fired up the machine and the wires were glowing blue, cracking electricity into the air. Rigel jumped back, narrowly avoiding being fried by the electricity.
“We have to get her!” he shouted.
“Too late,” said Tink, pointing to the tidal wave.
Desperate to do something before they left, Rigel stared at Quimby bound in chains. He disappeared and then re-appeared inside the machine. The chains that had previously bound the pilot melted into white smoke, making them all cough.
“Hit it!” Laurie shouted.
Tink twisted a handle just as the wave hit.
CHAPTER TEN
Electricity crackled and a blast of white heat and light exploded out from the contraption in a dome.
Light, heat, colour.
With a massive boom the machine appeared out of the sky and rocketed towards the ground. A moment later it smashed into it, sending pieces flying everywhere, crushing the pilots in the twisted fragments. Slower and slower it travelled until finally it stopped grinding along the floor.
The crew lay battered amidst the wreck. Opal was looking around in disbelief, Laurie was rubbing his head. Spanner was groaning, holding his arm. Rigel was largely unscathed, just squashed between several of the pilots.
“Sit rep,” called Laurie.
“The machine’s screwed,” replied Tink.
“Everyone alright?” asked Laurie.
“Never better,” replied L’aroche, grimacing.
Pulling himself up, Rigel groaned as his muscles cramped. Digging his fingers into the bunched muscles, he pressed them until they relaxed a little. Stepped carefully, he extricated himself from the ruined machine before tripping and falling out onto the floor.
From the ground he watched as the other pilots began to clamber out. All were covered in various cuts and bruises, although none too serious. Laurie was sporting a magnificent black eye. He peered around.
“Well, we’re here at least,” he said, looking content for what seemed to be the first time since they had met.
Rigel straightened up and looked around. They were in the middle of a barren space between a forest and a huge walled city. The pine forest ran in a straight line, an impenetrable barrier to their right. Heavy fog swirled around the edges, as if eager to escape but not quite able to. In the opposite direction a city towered towards the sky. A heavy wall surrounded it but the distance meant it was difficult to pick out any detail.
“Where’s ‘here’?” asked Rigel, rubbing a cut he had just noticed on his arm.
“Kozenia. Home. Come on.”
Leaving the wreckage behind them, they began walking towards the outer wall of the city. An unsettling stillness had fallen across the land, making the back of Rigel’s neck prickle, causing him to keep looking almost constantly behind his back. Laurie seemed to sense Rigel’s discomfort and looked around.
“What is it?” he asked. They looked together at the swirling fog that clung to the pine trees. “They’re taller than I remember,” he murmured, looking slightly put out. “And where is everyone?”
“I don’t like it, sir,” said Tink, his eyes darting from side to side.
“Neither do I,” Laurie replied, stopping. Rigel bumped into him. “Let’s get to the town as fast as we can. Come on.”
Running together, they moved towards the outer gate of the city. As they neared it several horns blared, sounding harsh in the emptiness of the plain. The sound sent Rigel’s spine tingling – it sounded more like something to bring out warriors than to announce the arrival of friends.
It was growing darker as they approached the wall. This seemed to make the pilots even more uneasy – although Rigel could not tell why – and they hurried more quickly still.
Finally they slammed into the gate as if they had been expecting it to be opened for them. The gates, however, remained firmly shut. The crew bounced off the heavy wooden doors.
“Open the gate! Open this gate godsdamn you!” shouted Laurie, smashing it with the butt of his rifle.
The heavy doors swung open laboriously, pulled by twenty men in strange military outfits. The portcullis, however, remained down. An official strode forwards to the portcullis and looked at the assembled group.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded angrily. His eyes fixed on Laurie and the blood drained from his face. “Oh my God. Laurie?”
“Maximilian?” he said, recognising the face. “What are you playing at?”
But Maximilian did not appear to be listening. He was backing away from the gate as quickly as he could. “This isn’t right, no, it just can’t be right. Quick! Shut the gates! Don’t let them in!”
“Maximilian! Please it’s us! What are you doing?! Let us in! I have the child!”
That stopped him, and he looked down at Rigel but then shook his head immediately. “No, no, no. Phantoms. Demons. Tricks, it’s all tricks. Not again, never again! Shut the gate! SHUT THE GATE NOW!”
The men, pale, clammy, and wide eyed, pushed the heavy doors back, ignoring the frantic pleading and cursing from Laurie. With a final boom, they shut.
“You have to listen to me, you filthy turncoat!” yelled Laurie, a flush creeping up his face. “We haven’t flown through wormholes and crash landed on barren worlds just to have you shut the gate on us because you’re scared of the dark! Open the gate! OPEN THE GATE!”
“Oh come on fellas,” tried Tink, attempting to sound reasonable. “It’s us – your friends. Please let us in.”
They only got silence.
“I can’t believe it!” said Laurie. “They’ve never treated anyone like this. Kozenia is known for its hospitality and welcome. What can have happened since we left that’s done this to them?”
“Please let us in!” called L’aroche. “Please …”
The calls went unheeded and the fight suddenly seemed to go out of Laurie. He slumped against the portcullis as he heard the huge bolt slide shut behind it.
“We’ll never get through it,” said Spanner. “I used to man this gate.”
“But I can’t understand why they’ve locked it!” said Tink, looking around. “They always used to leave the gates open. Remember the summers? Ah, happy days.”
“That’s all very well, Tink,” snapped Laurie, “but now is not the time to reminisce. Something is wrong here; something is very wrong. We have to get into the city before nightfall.”
“Why?” yawned Opal. “Let’s just sleep out here. I’ve done it before with … well, never mind. But you can do it.”
“But can’t you feel it?” asked Laurie, looking over his shoulder again. “We can’t stay out here, it’s not safe.”
He glanced over to the pine forest again. Rigel followed his gaze and could not help but agree with what Laurie was saying. There was something wrong there. Something ancient, dark, and watchful. As they stared the pine trees shivered uneasily and the groaning of the bows almost sounded like croaking laughter, floating towards them on the evening breeze.
“Right, no point thinking about what’s there,” said Laurie, snapping his head back round. “We’ve got to get over that wall. Ideas?”
“Rope,” said Tink, holding up a coil that was wound around his shoulder.
“Do you have everything, Tink?” asked Laurie.
“Everything except a brain,” said L’aroche. The others laughed.
“Give it here,” said Laurie, holding out a hand. Tink handed it over. “Watch how the master does it.” He fashioned a loop and swung it around his head before throwing it at the top of the wall.
It landed and dragged backwards for a moment, and then appeared to have caught successfully. Laurie grinned smugly at Tink as he gave the rope an almighty tug. The look melted off his face a moment later as he watched in horror as a guard was pulled from the wall, the rope caught around him. They ran over but he was unconscious.
“Give it here
, master,” said Tink, shaking his head. He re-tied the knot and threw it up. A moment later it caught around a turret in the wall. Testing his weight, he pulled himself to the top and fell over, reappearing a moment later, grinning broadly.
“Show-off,” called up Laurie. Tink’s smile disappeared.
The others climbed up one by one until Rigel was left at the bottom. He tried to pull himself up but realised after a moment that he was not strong enough.
“Hurry up!” called Quimby.
“Help!” he shouted up, aware of how dark it was getting.
Tink’s head appeared over the edge again and frowned as he spotted Rigel stranded at the bottom.
The mechanic hopped over the wall and slid down the rope, a faint hissing noise emanating from his palms as he did so. Landing on the ground, he blew on his hands to cool them off. Tink grabbed Rigel under the arms and with surprising strength for such a little man, swung him onto his back and pulled them both to the top of the rope.
Just before climbing over the wall, they heard a rifle crack, very loud in the silence, and froze. Shouting followed and the sounds of fighting. Clambering over the wall, Tink dropped Rigel and drew a short sword from his belt.
Rigel spotted the man Laurie had called Maximillian standing at the top of the stairs, directing the other guards towards the pilots who had scaled the walls. The surprise attack caught Laurie’s crew unprepared and forced them back to the edge of the wall. Several of the guards were shooting at them from the opposite direction. Tink joined the crew as both groups descended into brutal hand to hand combat.
Despite what Laurie had tried to explain to Maximillian earlier, the guards could still not seem to understand that the pilots were friends.
“Get back, foul demons!” cried a young guard, swinging his sword in an arc in front of himself, making Opal and Quimby jump backwards to avoid being sliced.
“Fall back! Fall back!” shouted Laurie, wrestling with a man much larger than himself. “We’ve got to get out of here! Where’s Rigel?!”
“Here!” he cried, terrified of the fighting and covered in blood that had sprayed during the fight.