Frog and the Sandspiders of Aridian (8 page)

‘Why shoot a harmless bird?' asked Billy.

‘Aridians use their hawks to spy on us. I'm surprised that this one found us so soon. We'll pick up the body and see what message it was carrying.'

Unexpectedly, however, as the bird neared the
ground, its wings spread from its body and it curved out of its death dive with only a couple of metres to spare. It swooped across the sand and shot towards Billy. As it passed overhead in a blur, two feathers floated downwards. Baron reached out and caught one of them and then instinctively, before he could be stopped, Billy reached up with his bound hands and grabbed the second.

‘Keep your trophy,' said Baron, holding his feather up to the sky before pushing it into the folds of his robe.

Billy craned his neck to see the hawk pump its wings and speed itself towards the horizon. He had a feeling that somehow the bird had played out exactly what it had been sent to do and that it wasn't an accident that he was in possession of the feather. He gently tucked it into his robes, sensing that it contained a message for him.

After the skirmish, Ameer had led his group back to the refuge of their base. He now knew that their plans had somehow been overheard as Cassaria had predicted, but he was both worried and puzzled as to how this could be. Was there a traitor among them? He found this difficult to believe, as all of the men that he had chosen in his group were well known to him. However, the Dreden had discovered the route of their journey and the result was the death of a comrade and three spiders injured. He would guard future actions and only release details to those that needed to know them at the last moment.

It had been two hours since the hawk had returned and its handler spent a few minutes stroking it
reassuringly and checking that it was unharmed. He then confirmed to Ameer that it had delivered its messages.

Ameer gathered his group together and announced that as soon as new spiders were ready, the group would be leaving on another mission and that he was introducing the code of faith: no one would be informed of their destination or its purpose; they were to follow his orders without question and without council. If any of them wished to be reassigned then now was the time to step forwards. They had seen in the death of their comrade that new levels of danger had been reached and a cold and determined enemy had emerged. He could not guarantee their safe return. There was a long silence, but not one man stepped forward.

10

The Sisterhood

‘We need you to seek out a man called The One. The Guardians believe that he has more than a small part to play in the current events here on Aridian,' said Cassaria to Frog.

‘You mean that he can help us against Belzeera and Lord Maelstrom?'

‘We are not sure of his final purpose,' said Cassaria. ‘His presence has also been something of a mystery until now. It has been several years since rumours of his existence reached us. Some believed him to be an Aridian priest of the old order who grew tired of our underground society and chose to become a recluse, others deem him to have a more ominous purpose, but one thing is now clear: you must meet him.'

‘You want me to go searching around in caves and tunnels for some strange person and you're not sure whether he's good or bad?' said Frog.

‘Yes.'

‘Here we go again,' said Frog, remembering his adventures in the Labyrinth searching for the Earth Sage on Castellion.

‘We don't expect you to go alone,' added Cassaria.
‘You will be accompanied by Nadiah and two of her best girls from the Sisterhood.'

‘I'll be happy with just Nadiah, thanks.' But as soon as he had said the words, he knew that he had been too abrupt and to confirm his thoughts one of the women moved forwards.

‘I had heard many things about the one called Frog,' she said. ‘But ignorance was not a trait that was mentioned. The Sisterhood, whether young or old, are ready to fight and die if necessary to protect Aridian and the Dimensions. The girls that you so easily dismiss have been trained to defend our crystal farms with their skills. They are also no strangers to conflict and danger.'

‘I didn't mean any offence,' he pleaded. ‘It's just that I don't give my trust away easily and there is still a lot that I don't know about Aridian; for instance, what exactly is the Sisterhood?'

‘We place our trust in you through the influence of the Guardians,' said the other woman. ‘If you need proof of our loyalty and ability then come with us now,' and she swept past him, closely followed by her companion.

Cassaria placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. ‘You must realise that these are a proud people. They do not yet fully understand why they need the help of a boy to fight their enemies, nor do they fully appreciate the depth of the evil, which faces us. Go with them and discover how the women and the girls of Aridian have learnt to deal with the constant conflict in their world.'

As they moved out onto the cavern floor, Frog observed that all of the women had the spider insignia
on their robes and that everyone had the delicate tattoo on their cheeks. They passed one group that was sparring and exercising. Then they came to a circle of a dozen girls. Each one of them had a pile of what looked like small, coloured beanbags at their feet. A short-haired woman at the centre of the circle stopped addressing them to acknowledge Frog and his escorts.

‘Girls!' she exclaimed. ‘We are honoured with unexpected guests.'

The group turned their attention to Frog and some of them audibly questioned the presence of a boy in their midst.

‘Quiet! We have one of the Sisterhood's brightest stars amongst us. Nadiah, would you take my place and demonstrate your skills?' she continued.

Nadiah looked at the two accompanying women who nodded in approval. She then moved to the centre of the circle and Frog noticed the same quick hand movements, in and out of her robes, that she had made before demonstrating her skills to Billy. She closed her eyes and took in a long, slow breath as she lowered her head and dropped her arms by her sides, her hands clenched in fists.

‘Ready,' instructed the woman and the surrounding girls picked up two bags, one red and one black, in each hand.

‘Red!' she shouted and one after the other, the twelve bags flew at Nadiah, all aimed at her upper body and head. As the first bag was released, Nadiah's eyes shot open and before Frog could take in a breath, she had swept out her arms and the bags were deflected in
mid-air to ricochet back at the circle of girls, some of whom needed to duck or dodge the speeding objects. Nadiah regained her relaxed pose and accepted excited applause from the group.

‘Now with the hood,' directed the woman.

Nadiah pulled the hood of her robe down over her head to conceal her face. She then positioned her arms at her sides. This time Frog observed that a faint glow emanated through her closed hands.

‘Black!' snapped the woman and the remaining twelve bags were thrown simultaneously. Nadiah dropped her body and swept one arm around her in a circle while her other arm shot straight up, the wrist twisting in an almost impossible rotation. Not one object reached her. All of the bags struck an invisible barrier and fell to form a perfect circle on the ground around her.

This time the applause was ecstatic as she stood and pulled back her hood to reveal a beaming smile. Frog clapped enthusiastically as he walked forwards to congratulate her, drinking in her smile and not understanding why he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach and chest. He nearly forgot himself and hugged her, but restrained himself at the last minute and murmured, ‘Brilliant,' as he patted her on the shoulder instead.

Suddenly, shouts of alarm filled the air, mixed with screams of urgency. As one, all of those on the cavern floor turned their faces upwards, their expressions turning from apprehension to disbelief as a black shadow spilled out from the lift shaft above and spread like a stain across the ceiling. Dark shapes detached
themselves to free-fall towards the ground in a sinister downpour of squirming insect bodies.

Cassaria was the first to react. ‘Sanctuary is breached! Defend! Defend!' she shouted.

Frog watched as the initial chaos evolved into a disciplined action. Groups formed across the floor, a circle of orange robes shaped itself around the edge of the cavern, immediately reinforced and swelled by throngs of the Sisterhood from the tunnels and lower galleries.

The first of the scorpions – at least a metre long, its sting glistening with green venom – dropped to the floor and charged at the edge of the circle. Many arms rose in unison and Frog stared open-mouthed as an invisible force hit the creature and it shattered into a mass of black and green pulp. As he looked around, he saw battles in all directions as more and more of the oversized intruders poured through the opening, threatening to overwhelm all who stood in their way.

Some of the Sisterhood on the higher galleries fought desperately, but the venomous stings found their marks and orange robes crumpled to the ground. Frog had to turn away as he saw one unfortunate figure overpowered by three of the creatures, their pincers tearing into the orange robe as it disappeared beneath them.

Cassaria turned and gathered Frog, Nadiah and the two girls to her.

‘We must put as much distance as we can between the Rune Stone, the Hourglass and yourself. I must now secure them to a far safer place and you must start your quest with urgency. I don't suspect that Belzeera
knew of this particular gathering; this is just one of her random attacks to test our strength, but for now you and I have separate roads to take.'

Four scorpions broke through the ranks behind her and scuttled with unnerving speed towards them, their pincers raised, scything the air, tails arced, the hooked stings poised for attack. Frog drew his sword and the blade flared a blue-white light as he clasped it with both hands in front of him. Nadiah and the two girls moved to either side, their clenched fists glowing with unseen power, and Cassaria turned to face the oncoming menace.

The scorpions separated, three broke away to attack Frog and the girls while the other remained focussed on Cassaria.

Suddenly, the creature threw itself forward, its head and claws flattening onto the ground as the tail rose up and whipped towards her. She stood her ground and an unseen wind billowed her hair and robes around her. She then raised her arms and the bangles blazed gold. The sting came down in a deathly curve and she caught it impossibly between her wrists, inches from her face. Trapped in her grip, the tail ignited in a white-hot flame and as Cassaria stepped back, the creature burst into an inferno, its whole body writhing and shrivelling before finally collapsing into a pile of smoking charcoal dust.

As this happened, the girls directed their attention to two of the other attackers. The unseen force from their fists blasted the black bodies, which dropped dead in their tracks. The third creature leapt at Frog, who twisted sideways and with a curving slice of his
sword, he removed its head and one of its claws; black liquid spilling out and covering the cavern floor.

Cassaria shouted above the echoing cacophony of noise.

‘You must leave, now! You know where your journey starts, Nadiah. If you succeed then we shall all meet again at the place of reckoning.'

Then she turned with a swirl of her cloak and they watched as she advanced towards the black, writhing mass. She raised her hands and again brought her wrists together, the gold light building into a blinding glare. Once more, she turned her face back towards them.

‘Go! We must make sacrifices to win this battle and you must not be among them. Now go!'

Nadiah dragged Frog to an arched alcove where she pressed a small carving in the rock and a door slid gently away to reveal an illuminated passage into which they all hurriedly stepped. A wave of light and heat exploded out in the cavern and it rushed towards them, reaching the narrow gap as the wall slid silently back to block its progress. In a moment of darkness, a deathly silence surrounded them.

11

Caught in the Middle

The rest of the day's journey passed without incident, but for Billy it was an uncomfortable ride and the heat caused him to doze off now and again into troubled dreams, only to awaken with a raging thirst. As much as he had tried to conserve his water, he only had a couple of mouthfuls left and as the crimson suns melted into the heat haze of the horizon, he wondered if they would continue to travel through the night. He had lost all sense of feeling in his bottom and the onset of cramp was beginning to appear in his legs. Long shadows from distant dunes stretched out across the desert floor and he could see no sign of shelter.

‘Will we be stopping for a rest?' he enquired.

‘Soon,' was Baron's short reply.

Just as darkness enveloped the landscape, Baron tapped the side of the scorpion's head with the handle of his whip and the creature slowed its pace and turned towards a nearby sand dune. As they approached it, Billy noticed a gully opening up and sloping down into the mound. As they drew even closer, he could see a large entrance. They progressed down the sloping channel and into it, passing two Dreden guards, and as
they did so, the enormity of the structure became clear. It was a false dune made of sand-coloured material, which was supported by a wooden frame that gave it a dome effect. Billy was impressed by its camouflage and the sheer size of the construction, which housed at least a dozen more giant scorpions. From what he could see, it also stationed over a hundred men.

As he was lifted down from his seat, pins and needles attacked his legs and he found himself dancing a jig, trying to get the circulation working again.

‘What foolery is this?' asked Baron.

‘My legs have gone to sleep,' Billy explained.

‘Get moving. I'm hungry and in no mood to put up with your antics,' he ordered.

Billy hobbled over to a rough blanket on the ground and Baron ordered him to sit on it. He then retied his hands to a long leather tether, which was fixed high up and well out of Billy's reach. Baron checked Billy's wrists, examining the redness from the bindings.

‘I'll bring you some salve to take away the soreness and you'll get some food shortly.'

‘Thanks. Any chance of some more water?' Billy asked hopefully.

‘I'll see what I can do,' he replied taking the water bottle.

Billy noticed that the man who had previously threatened to cut off his legs was staring at them.

‘What's that nasty guy's name?'

‘Zebran. You don't want to go tangling with him,' advised Baron. ‘That witch has brought out his real evil streak. He was ruthless enough before she got into
his mind, but now he tests even my resolve and patience with his cruel ways.'

He rechecked that Billy's tethers were secure then moved towards a small group of men, who were distributing food to the newly arrived group. After a while, he returned to place a wooden bowl into Billy's lap, containing what looked like Atemoya and strips of dried beef. He placed the water bottle on the ground at Billy's side.

‘This is the all water you will get until we reach our destination tomorrow. Make it last.'

Billy looked down at the food.

‘Is this what I think it is?'

‘Dried Serpens and Atemoya,' confirmed Baron.

As much as Billy's mind told him that he could do without the food, his stomach ached with hunger and he resigned himself to the necessity of having to eat it.

‘How am I going to eat?' he said pulling at the tether.

‘I will free one hand, but do not try to untie the other. There are many eyes on you and most of them would not think twice in bringing you down with an arrow should you try to escape,' warned Baron as he released Billy's right hand.

Billy was left alone to chew on the salty strips that this time reminded him of pork crackling, and with a few sips of water, he managed to satisfy his hunger pangs.

As he ate, he watched the Dreden assemble and hold a discussion that, as it progressed, became more and more heated. At first, he couldn't hear or understand all of what was being said, but one person kept giving him piercing and hostile stares. Zebran would then
turn back, raising his voice and leading others in vocal aggression. There was obviously some kind of power struggle taking place and it became clear to Billy that some of the group had not fallen entirely under Belzeera's spell, while others were more faithful to her; a dark hatred had welled up in their hearts and minds and they thought nothing of slaughtering the Aridians and of the rewards that she had promised.

‘We should have killed them all,' shouted an angry voice.

‘Our orders were to capture the boy – nothing more, nothing less,' said Baron.

‘If we are to take back Aridian then we must rid ourselves of our enemies at every opportunity,' challenged Zebran. ‘You have become weak as a leader and have no loyalty to our cause.'

Baron gripped the hilt of his sword and spoke purposefully.

‘My loyalty is to the Dreden, not to Belzeera. I will follow her as long as she takes only what she needs and leave us with what is rightly ours, but I will not kill for the sake of killing. She may have brought hope to our cause, but it would be purchased at a terrible price if we allowed ourselves to do her bidding at every turn.

‘Our part of the bargain is to deliver the boy. Once she has him she will take the Rune Stone and her vile army and leave us with the power to defeat the Aridians so that we will have the freedom to roam wherever we desire. Those of you who wish to join her can do so, but my future and that of all true Dreden lies here on this world.'

Zebran changed the tone of his voice. ‘Of course, we
could have supremacy over both our own world and that of others should we take the opportunity. They say that the boy's blood is the link to the power. If we bring him and the Rune Stone together, then we will not need the witch. It is we that should be the rulers and conquerors.'

Many of the group now saw the possibilities and voiced their support for him, the sudden prospect of power and unknown rewards fuelling their greedy imaginations. Zebran saw that he now had the majority of the support and seized the opportunity that he had waited for for so long.

‘I will lead us to the victory and the power,' he shouted and leapt to his feet, drawing his sword. ‘We shall take what is rightly ours and more, without mercy, without bargain.' His face seethed with venom and rage.

His followers took his lead and brandished their weapons. Amidst momentary chaos, the two groups divided and faced each other. Zebran, wild eyed and thirsty for blood, taunted Baron.

‘You are feeble minded and stuck in the old Dreden ways. A new dawn has come and there is no place for weakness. You and what is left of your followers must bow to my command and join us or you will die here at my hand.'

Baron and Zebran stared at each other across no more than a metre of space. A hushed silence filled the air for what seemed an eternity and Billy held his breath. A small bead of sweat appeared on Zebran's cheek and Baron chose his moment. He brought his sword out and up from its scabbard. The blade swished
towards Zebran's throat, but he was too slow. Zebran flicked his sword with practised ease and blocked the blade with a clash of metal. In that moment, all hell broke loose with men slashing and striking at each other. Billy looked on in horror as blood flowed and the reality of battle unfolded before his eyes. He tried to look away, but he was captivated and in those moments, the reality of his predicament hit him.

This is not a game Billy
, Frog's words echoed in his head.

From the crowd of fighting bodies, one figure emerged and headed towards him. It was Zebran and he had a look on his face that sent a chill down Billy's spine.

‘There is no mention that you have to be alive when your blood is spilt onto the stone and you will be less of a nuisance dead.' He smiled the words as he advanced, his already blood-stained sword raised to strike a fatal blow.

The sword scythed towards him and Billy could see from the trajectory that the intent was to separate his head from his body. He gathered all of his resolve and held his nerve until the last moment when he ducked his head down and stretched out his tied hand, so that the blade sliced through the tether. In that instant, he was free and snatching the water bottle. He rolled sideways, kicking out as he did so, and forced his heel into Zebran's leg. He felt it connect just behind Zebran's knee and he heard the screech of pain that followed. He didn't turn or look; he just forced himself onto his feet and ran as fast as he could towards the entrance, escape and survival the only thoughts in his mind.

The guards had left their posts to join in the confrontation and he passed unchallenged out into the chill, desert air. His feet pushed into the sand as he scrambled up the channel until he was faced with the vast expanse of barren wilderness. There was nowhere to hide, nothing that would conceal him from any pursuers and, more in panic than judgement, he ran around the edge of the false dune, hoping to buy himself some time in the shadows.

He stopped halfway around its circumference, his breath coming quickly as he tried to gather his thoughts. He then remembered the feather and the message that it might contain and felt inside his robes. The quill was a little dishevelled, but still intact. He stroked it with his fingers, easing the barbs back into shape, but he could not see any obvious markings as he turned it over and back. He held it up to the silver silhouette of a moon; it was then that the words appeared, the moonlight shining through the small plume.

TAKE COUNCIL WITH HE WHO IS CALLED BARON. HE WILL BE YOUR GUIDE.

Oh. Great,
thought Billy.
Why didn't I look earlier?

He stared at the message again, digesting the words. The reality of what he now had to do filled him with dread as he moved to make his way back to the dune's entrance and discover if Baron was still alive. His mouth was suddenly dry and he took a swig of the bitter, warm water from the bottle.

‘Yuck!' he spat. ‘If I ever get out of this alive, I'm never going to moan about warm coke again.'

The fearsome noise of fighting grew louder as he stealthily approached the entrance and he tentatively looked in. He could see bloodstained bodies spread out on the floor and quickly turned away to avoid seeing too much detail. Then, gritting his teeth, he looked again, this time focussing on the upright figures, searching for Baron. He saw Zebran suddenly limp out from a tightly knit group and with him half a dozen of his followers; they were heading in his direction – the only way out.

Billy stepped back into the shadows before he could be seen and waited as Zebran and his men bundled past. They were cursing as they made their way over the ridge and into the night, followed by half a dozen arrows, which fell short of their quarry.

He heard others approaching and he pressed himself against the side of the dune, desperately trying to melt into it. Two figures appeared, red-tinged swords glistening in the moonlight.

‘I'll get some of the men and we'll run them down. We'll crush them like the insects that they are,' said a voice.

‘They have nowhere to run except to her,' came Baron's voice. ‘Whatever happens, I swear that her protection will not be enough to save the treacherous cowards.'

He sheathed his scarlet sword and with a movement so fast that it was a blur, his hand shot out and grabbed Billy's arm, pulling him from the shadows.