He was close now, less than ten feet from Broxli, Wertol, and the sheep. They were almost to the door of the hut. Wertol glanced behind him. Right before they stepped through the gate at the front of Mulrox’s yard, Wertol gave a great bellow and slammed into the nearest sheep. He sent one and then another of the sheep rolling onto their backs. He roared in delight and darted for the opening.
Go. Groxor told himself. Help him. But his feet were rooted to the ground.
Wertol threw sheep after sheep over his shoulder, swimming his way out of the flock. He was going to make it. He didn’t need Groxor.
But why hadn’t Broxli done anything? The gangly green ogre was standing, watching Wertol’s desperate efforts.
Wertol made it to the last line of sheep. He lowered his head, leaned over, and then out of nowhere, a sheep slammed into Wertol’s back. He went down. The sheep clambered on top of Wertol and then the rest of the herd swarmed over him.
“What’s this?” Inside the hut, something rustled. “Has he arrived?” The voice was unfamiliar. An eerie light filled the windows of Mulrox’s hut and spilled into the surrounding night.
“No, Your Greatness,” Broxli said. “Another to add to your ranks.”
There was a crash from inside and a chorus of loud bleating.
“He’ll come back.” The gravelly voice belonged to Griselda.
“He better. I didn’t fix your hip for fun. You promised me results,” said the other voice. Groxor shifted, trying to get a better look but could see nothing.
The sheep dragged Wertol through the backdoor. It slammed shut behind them.
“And I’ll deliver,” Griselda said.
“You said he’d return,” the voice said.
“He won’t miss the Behemoth. He can’t. The fool made that impossible deal with me. He’ll be back.”
Since when was Griselda blackmailing Groxor a deal?
“That’s what you said. Yet he continues. It’s only three days away and nothing I do works.”
They weren’t talking about him, Groxor realized.
The voice continued. “We’re supposed to be eliminating malcognitos, but new ones are popping up left and right.”
“Irrelevant.” Griselda scoffed. “We have the notebook now. They’ll be no new malcognitos. My nephew never came up with anything he didn’t squirrel away in one of his notebooks first.”
“Why does he resist?”
“I’ve told you. You need something more forceful. It’s the only language he understands.”
“This is not how it was supposed to go!” the voice screeched. “Mulrox is deep in the Woods Mercurial, the stage is only half built—nothing is ready. It’s a disaster.”
“If you came here yourself,” Griselda said. “Everything would move much faster.”
“Not until everything is ready. There’ve been too many mistakes. You said they still resist.”
“If they saw you and spoke to you, they’d know the error of their ways.”
“No! It’s all wrong! He trusts the malcognitos. And now… now I’ve lost track of one of my grinders!!”
“Groxor has seen them. He traveled with them. Once he joins us, he’ll lead us to them. We’ll be back on schedule.”
There was a high, hysterical shriek and the sound of something ripping. Then the voice came back strained as if it was dragging itself over broken glass. “Gather Groxor.”
“Yes, of course.”
There was a whistling and a thud and the light in the window went dark.
Groxor was shaking. The hut door opened again, and two ogres emerged from the hut, trailed by a pair of fluffy-looking sheep.
“We must hurry,” Broxli said.
“It must be perfect,” Wertol replied.
31
They had all been quiet for some time. The sun had set behind the trees, leaving the sky a pale yellow. Over the fire, the fish the malcognitos had caught was slowly roasting. Occasionally, little bits of fat would drip into the flames, spraying them in sparks. It smelled so good it was hard to mind. Mulrox looked over at Geraldine, who lay on her back, snug inside a perfectly formed cage. Tork had done an amazing job.
She had stumbled at first. The grinder spent the first few minutes snatching at the air and then looking at her arms in bewilderment. But once Yvwi had explained there were no figs in Veralby, that they would have to collect their supplies rather than plucking them out of thin air, she quickly got the hang of it. Within an hour, Tork had produced a sturdy, moss-lined cage, and with much wrangling, they had secured Geraldine inside it.
They were back on track and headed straight for Sounous.
Tork now sat on the far side of the fire, whittling figurines of the group with the leftover cage supplies. She had already completed Yahgurkin, Mulrox, and Geraldine and was now working on each of the malcognitos.
The nocturnal noises of the Woods Mercurial were picking up. He had been so scared that first night. The woods had felt unpredictable and wild, and they were. But it no longer bothered him. How strange that he now found the chirp of raccoons and the hooting of owls comforting. He had even grown used to the black, angular outline of the treetops against the night sky, like someone had messily torn away the bottom half the world, leaving only the radiance of the stars above it. The woods were fine—it was Sounous and everything in it that terrified him now.
He swallowed. “Tomorrow we set out for the portal,” Mulrox said.
“Is it far?” Yahgurkin asked.
“I don’t think so, a day tops,” said Mulrox.
And only three days until the Behemoth. They were probably already starting to set up back home. He wondered if anyone besides Griselda would notice he wasn’t there to compete. Maybe Trolzor.
“Tork, do you know what’s happening to the malcognitos?” Yahgurkin asked.
They all turned to the grinder.
She nodded.
Mulrox felt the prickly sensation again, but instead of words, he saw stairs leading down to a large, dark room littered with piles of paper and junk. Mulrox could see water leaking down the walls.
The malcognitos, Mulrox persisted.
The view shifted, and Mulrox saw that behind the piles of junk were metal bars. Cells lined the walls of the room, and malcognitos of all shapes and sizes were imprisoned inside.
“What’s she saying?” Yahgurkin said.
“They’re being held in a prison of some kind. It looks like it’s underground.”
“Must be in the Vaccus, like Rodenia said.”
The image kept going. He moved down the hallway, past cage after cage. There was something wriggling through the cage bars at the back. At first he thought they were malcognito arms, but as he drew closer, he recognized them for what they were. Tentacles.
Then he got a full view of what was trapped inside.
Mulrox jerked himself out of the vision, closing his eyes and pressing a hand to his heart. It was thudding around his chest so violently he was afraid it would fall out.
“What’s wrong?” Yahgurkin asked. “What did you see?”
Mulrox closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe. “I think. I think it was a dendrool.”
“Judging by your reaction, I’d say you were right,” Yvwi said.
He couldn’t get the creature out of his mind. Its thin, boneless torso held upright by two stiff, bowed legs as if a snake had balanced upon a horseshoe. There were no arms to interrupt the long, wriggling, tube-shaped body, which fell this way and that with the creature’s slow, jerky steps. Atop of the body sat a mass of wriggling tentacles radiating out from its circular head like some kind of nightmare sun. As the tentacles slapped this way and that, Mulrox caught glimpses of the giant, toothless mouth that took up the creature’s entire head.
Why? Mulrox asked. Why is Griselda doing this?
The image shifted. They moved back up the spiraling stairs until he was standing in the largest corridor he had ever seen. Columned arches stretched out in every direction and al
ternating patterns of shadow and light divided the floor. There were grinders bustling through gateways that glowed faintly with a pale purple light. They moved through this arcade toward a single gateway. As they crept toward it, Mulrox could barely see to the other side. It was as though he was looking down through water. On the other side was a familiar hearth, one he had spent many long nights in front of, staring into the winking bejeweled eye of the dragon coiled around it. Two ogres stood in front of it bathed in a purple light. Griselda and someone else he couldn’t quite make out. For a moment, he thought he caught sight of who it was, but then the image went dark.
Danger.
Tork started to her feet. She was shaking.
“What’s going on?” Yahgurkin asked.
“She’s afraid,” Mulrox said. So was he.
“With good reason,” Yvwi said.
“What is it?” Yahgurkin said. “What’s she so afraid of? Dendrools?”
“Not dendrools.”
“Then what?”
“Griselda,” Mulrox said. He was trying to puzzle through everything he had seen. Sounous and then somehow his own living room.
Tork’s tremble grew worse, knocking her many legs together in a great clatter. He reached over and stroked her back.
“We’ll try again tomorrow before we get to Sounous.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to another dimension!” Yahgurkin said.
“It’s also the best dimension,” Yvwi said.
“Go to sleep,” Mulrox said.
* * *
That night, Mulrox slept uneasily. He had nightmares of dendrools and sheep chasing him through a dungeon while Griselda read from his old notebooks and danced with the grinder. These images faded, and he was left standing in a cloud of purple mist. He glimpsed little patches of yellow and green through the swirling water droplets.
He stepped out of the cloud, and the damp was replaced with the gentle warmth of sunshine.
To his left was a maze of long-stemmed sunflowers. To his right, yellow, red, and pink flowers and a patch of florescent orange pumpkins. A swath of flowering pink trees behind him.
He looked to where the gazebo had been, and there she was, the purple vortex, spinning beneath it.
“Tabiyeh, it’s you!” Mulrox rushed down the path toward her. “I’m so glad to see you. Things have gotten so complicated.”
She didn’t say anything.
“Rodenia told us the Vaccus wasn’t after the malcognitos, and then we thought it was the grinder, but we caught the grinder and she’s not at all what I thought she would be like.”
The air was so hot and humid it was like breathing through a wet towel.
“It’s like you said! Tork was on our side all along.”
He took another step forward and heard an answering crackle from the vortex.
“It’s Griselda. She’s done all of this to get back at me. I have to stop her. She’s holding the malcognitos in the Vaccus and turning them into dendrools. Tork showed me. But I saw something else. Someone with Griselda…” He had been too frightened to say anything to the others—it didn’t make any sense—but Tabiyeh would know what to do.
“I thought I saw something that looked like,” he paused, “me.”
The light crackled and a spark leapt into the air between them, stopping his progress. Mulrox swallowed and looked up at the light.
“You’re mad,” he said.
The only response was a slow sizzle.
He stopped where he was. What had he done? His mind raced back to the last time they had talked.
“I’m sorry I didn’t go home. Things kept getting stranger, and then when Groxor left, I couldn’t abandon the malcognitos.”
“You have disappointed me.”
Mulrox stumbled almost as though the words had shoved him. “I didn’t mean to. I still want to be great, I’m just not good enough yet. I’m still trying.”
“By creating malcognitos left and right?”
“I’m getting better. Yahgurkin’s been helping me. We came up with a way to trap the grinder. Yahgurkin and Yvwi think we have a definite shot against Griselda and the Vaccus.”
“Every mistake takes us further from our goal.”
Mulrox shifted uneasily from foot to foot. His head and neck felt so heavy he could hardly lift them to look up at her. “I’m sorry,” he managed to mumble.
There was a sigh, and then Tabiyeh began to speak again. “All is not lost, my child. Come here.” The golden light at the center of the vortex pulsed. Mulrox wondered if it was her heart. The glow was like a beacon, and Mulrox felt himself pulled in toward it. “You may still be able to reach your goal. Are you committed to your purpose?”
Mulrox nodded.
“Then you will go to Sounous. You have made certain decisions that now make this inevitable. There were easier ways, but no longer. In Sounous, you will find your greatest idea. Together you will take care of the malcognitos and fulfill your destiny.”
“The Behemoth?”
“Yes. We will show them all. Everyone will love and respect you when you win.”
Mulrox could see it. The malcognitos safe and zipping about overhead. Yahgurkin, Geraldine, and Tork by the side of the stage, cheering him on as he accepted the medal. And then to be home. Even seeing the chilling image of Griselda in front of his hearth had stirred his homesick heart. To be back in his cozy hut with Geraldine at his heels and snug in his own bed. It all seemed impossible.
“I’ll do my best.”
“You will do as I instruct. There will be no more malcognitos. How will it look for the champion of the Behemoth to be surrounded by a parade of terrible ideas?”
He could see the ogres pointing at him and laughing. The woods had confused him—the others had confused him. “No more,” Mulrox agreed.
“You’ve already traveled a hard road,” the light said. “And it will get worse. Things that I cannot control have already been set in motion. From here, you must go alone. To the west is a mountain you can see through the trees. At the top of that mountain is the portal to Sounous.”
He was standing only inches from the vortex. Mulrox shook his head, trying to clear it of that cloudy feeling as her words sunk in. He would travel to the top of the mountain. But—
“We found another way to Sounous,” Mulrox said. “It’s in a clearing not far from here. We can get there tomorrow, and Yahgurkin and I—”
“You and the malcognitos will go to the mountain portal. No one else.”
“But Geraldine has malcognitus—I can’t leave her. And Yahgurkin—”
The vortex’s spin slowed. It began to twitch and devolved into a jerky stutter, skipping and popping. He thought he glanced something red behind the swirling purple light. But then it settled again into the uniform column of light.
“It’s no surprise they’ve been hurt. They are meddling in things that are meant for you alone.”
Mulrox thought of climbing the mountain on his own, making camp, navigating through the thick and twisted woods.
“I can’t.”
“You must.” Her voice was so full of snaps and crackles it had almost completely turned to static. “There is only one way. The others cannot understand what you must do. They are already in danger. The longer you stay with them, the worse it will be for all of you. Do you understand?”
Mulrox stumbled backward. He desperately wanted to run away, but his legs were so heavy.
“I understand,” he said.
“Good. Now you need to wake up. You need to run. Remember, do exactly as I said.”
“Run?”
“There is no room for any more mistakes.” The garden was fading. “They’re coming.”
“Who’s coming?”
“You will finally claim what is owed to you. I believe in you, Mulrox.”
32
Mulrox jerked awake. He stumbled to his feet, panting. It was dark—the middle of the night. He tried to focus his bleary eyes.
Al
l that was left of the fire were glowing embers. In the orange light, he could see the palest outline of Yahgurkin’s sleeping face surrounded by a ring of malcognitos. Geraldine was in her cage, her tongue wrapped around one of the bars. Tork was on the other side of the fire, legs twitching in what he assumed was a dream. Beyond them, the wood stretched in every direction, silent. They were alone; they were fine.
Mulrox tried to slow his breathing, but his heart still throbbed against his chest. He sat back down. It was that crazy dream again. Who knew why he dreamed the things he did?
Tork stirred.
Sorry, Mulrox thought to the grinder. Bad dream.
Tork rose and started toward him, head low. At his feet, she began to pace in a circle.
You’re coming to comfort me? he asked
She froze.
Had he said something wrong?
Danger, she said.
No. It was a bad dream.
Tork was bristling now, her legs rigid.
Danger! She held two of her legs above her head, a shovel and a crowbar. She pulled the crowbar back and then swung it at the shovel.
Clang! Bang! Bang! Tork sounded her makeshift alarm.
Yahgurkin jolted awake. Her head swiveled until she spotted the grinder charging around the campsite.
“I knew you’d break it,” Yvwi said, his voice floated toward him from the darkness.
“What’s she doing?” Yahgurkin asked.
“I think she’s trying to warn us of something,” Mulrox said.
Danger! Tork insisted.
As the malcognitos started awake, they took up the excitement and sped after the grinder. Dinner-bell-of-destruction tolled along to the alarm.
“I don’t see anything,” Yahgurkin said.
“There’s no explaining grinders,” said Mulrox.
Tork raced from across the campsite toward Mulrox. She stopped inches from him but reached up and snatched his shirt with a pair of pliers. She scuttled toward the trees, pulling him along with her.
He let her tow him a few feet and then stopped and looked up. There was something up there, a shape moving through the sky.
Mulrox and the Malcognitos Page 21