Land of Verne (24 page)

“Veerasin, it’s me, Grim.”

It sniffed at him and leaned in. Grim reached out to touch it, his hand inching closer. It growled. Then he thought of Veerasin and the long hair that covered half her face. He paused. This one’s face was whole. There was no scarring.

The beast swiped at him, its claws piercing the skin. Grim cried out, cradling his bleeding hand. It throbbed with pain.

He stumbled back. “That’s not Veerasin!”

The beast edged closer and crouched as if to leap at them. Then another creature appeared in the den, half of its face was scarred and ravaged. It growled and its hackles rose.

The first one turned and the two leapt into the air. Tufts of fur flew and blood splattered as the two beasts fought, claws and legs locked in battle. Their teeth gnashed and snapped.

The second one was slight and frail, and struggled to fight against the other more agile one. The first one was much larger and moved swiftly, delivering short stabs and fast bites. Grim stepped back with Barny and Rudy, giving a wide clearance. Then someone appeared on the other side of the lair.

It was Master Galan, and in his hand he held the vial of blood.

Grim’s mind raced. He remembered how the original Jinn blood had made its way to Master Galan and who had brought it to his attention. He thought of how poorly Treena had been treated by one of the Tutors, likely because of her father’s renowned reputation as a Trapper. He studied the size and agility of the larger Changeling that now had the smaller one pinned to the floor, and knew exactly who he was dealing with.

“Madam Adelaide!” Grim called out.

The larger creature turned its head to look at him, and it was exactly the distraction that was needed. The smaller Changeling bit the other on the neck and the first one howled before bounding out of the cave, tail between its legs. Master Galan said nothing, but his face wrinkled in rage and he gripped the vial in his hands, crushing it before he ran out of the lair.

Grim breathed a sigh of relief and ran over to the wounded beast. It licked his face and then collapsed. Grim stroked its head.

“Veerasin,” he said. “Are you all right?”

The Changeling’s head lowered. Its breathing was labored. Barny laid his hands on its fur, softly stroking it. Its breathing eased a little. He then reached over and removed a tuft of hair that sat in Veerasin’s mouth. He handed it to Grim.

“Perfect,” Grim said. “He likely used Madam Adelaide’s hair, not Veerasin’s.” He looked at the woman in her Changeling form. “I’m not sure we can leave her here like this, but we have to hurry. Master Galan knows about us.”

Barny stroked Veerasin’s fur and remained seated. “I’m staying,” he said.

Grim looked to his sister.

She nodded. “He’ll be fine. They won’t come back here. And Barny knows how to hide, don’t you Barny?”

Their little brother nodded.

Grim was hesitant to allow it, but finally conceded. “Fine, but be careful.”

Then Grim grabbed the sinth light from the wall and scooted through the dark tunnels to find the cell where Dorian had been imprisoned.

Rudy followed closely on his heels. “How did you know that was Madam Adelaide?” she asked.

Grim quickly explained his thinking. “And remember she’s new here. She told me that a large bird had knocked her predecessor off the roof. Guess who that was, I wonder.”

Rudy said nothing, which meant she, too, saw the logic.

They searched through the cell, and found a few strands of gray hair lying on the musty bed. Wasting no time, Grim scooped them up and ran off through the corridors.

They weaved through the tunnels, Grim vaguely remembering where the twins had taken him before and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally found the stairs. He climbed up the stairwell and waved his scarf. The painting slid open to let them through once more. They ran up to Eevenellin’s room and pounded on the massive door.

The Grundel opened it just a crack before ushering Grim and Rudy into her room. It was filled with books. On a table a blue liquid bubbled. Two empty vials waited beside it.

Grim reached into his vest pocket to retrieve the two samples of hairs and plopped onto the bed. His head swam and a feeling of weakness swept through his body in waves.

“Master Galan and Madam Adelaide attacked Veerasin in the catacombs,” he rasped. His mouth was unusually dry. “He knows what we’re up to.”

Before Eevenellin could say anything, a thunderous pounding turned their attention. Something struck the door. It was followed by heavy snarling.

“He’s here.”

Chapter 25

Grim felt as if the walls closed in around him. They were trapped.

The door pounded again. Eevenellin grabbed the different samples of hair and dropped them in each of the vials. Blue smoke swirled as she added them. The Grundel took the vials of blood and dropped their contents in each, corked them and shook. One vial turned deep purple, the other violet.

Eevenellin held the violet one up. “This is for Valeria. The other is for the Scourge. One drop in the mouth of each infected person should be enough.”

The door pounded harder and a violent red glow surrounded it. The door barely held, straining against the pressure. Rudy pulled out her rod, pulled three switches and popped a couple of levers. Her fingers danced along it like she knew exactly what she was doing.

She pointed it at the door and a blast of golden light poured out of it. It enveloped the door and secured it in place.

Eevenellin’s eyes widened. “Impressive.”

Rudy grinned. “I’ve been practicing with Quinn.”

Grim glanced about the room. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“I’ll take care of that,” Eevenellin said. The Grundel placed the two vials in separate pouches at her side and reached behind the bed. She motioned for Grim to get off and the bed folded itself up to reveal a set of stairs descending into the catacombs.

“Hurry,” Rudy muttered, continuing to hold the door. Grim’s legs buckled and he grabbed his sister for support.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I’ll be fine,” he said through gritted teeth. His arm hurt and his brain felt like it was swimming.

Eevenellin descended the stairs and Grim followed. Rudy brought up the rear with the rod still gripped in her hand. As she stood over the stairs, she released the trigger. She descended the stairs behind them and they all heard the bed click back into place just as an explosion thundered above. Something scratched frantically at the bed and growled.

“Are you all right?” Eevenellin asked as Grim’s legs failed him once more.

He nodded and rubbed his head. It throbbed.

“We have to run,” Eevenellin said. “It won’t take long before he figures out how to open that bed.”

A soft blue light emanated from her hand — one of Master Rickett’s firefly bugs. It flew above them to illuminate the tunnel.

The Grundel tore down the corridor, and Grim and Rudy stumbled after her. They followed her through the maze of tunnels until they finally came upon a set of stairs that wound upwards. Eevenellin knocked three times on a stone. A door opened and they spilled out from the wall at the side of the orphanage.

“How do you know all of these entrances?”

“Dorian showed me. There’s more, sublevel,” she said, pointing downwards.

The door slid closed behind them, becoming seamless with the stone wall. Grim ran his fingers along the surface and could find no trace of the door.

The Grundel handed Grim one of the pouches. “Take this to the Infirmary. I will take the other to free Valeria.”

They then ran out into the chill, night air where leaves blew across the grounds with a heavy wind. They bolted towards the Infirmary and stopped in their tracks about half way across. Standing in front of the door was Master Galan and the Changeling. Rudy grabbed the rod and faced him. Eevenellin took out her own.

“Well,” he said, “it seems you’ve figured me out.”

“Valeria figured you out first, didn’t she?” Eevenellin said.

The old man nodded. “Most annoying assistant I’ve ever met. I was glad to turn her into stone. And most unfortunate for the poor Gargoyle that found her first. Who better to blame?”

“Why?” Grim asked. “Why would you do this?”

“My master wants you dead.” He stepped closer. “No one is to take your life directly, it would cause too much sympathy for your fathers. So it needed to be more subtle. No one would miss a bunch of dead orphans, and the six of you would be considered in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Scourge provided the perfect solution to my problem. And it allowed me to be rid of that meddlesome Aunt of yours. She can no longer summon with the Scourge.”

“Huh? Aunt Patrice?”

“You haven’t figured it out, have you? Are you that daft? Could you not see it after all these years? She’s the last of the Mystics. She’s the one who locked the Tower, and with her death I will get the key to opening it. Then I will have the secrets locked within it and the Jinns will serve my bidding!”

Rudy and Grim looked at each other. They both muttered, “Aunt Patrice?”

Eevenellin stepped forward. “But why aren’t you sick?”

He smiled a sickening grin. “I created the antidote with that little bit of Jinn blood your friend found. She gave me exactly what I was looking for, but I had to bide my time. I ripped pages out of countless books to ensure that no one would learn of the Scourge. Unfortunately you figured it out. And I don’t know how you managed to get past Marveleous Thingrom. He was supposed to take care of you should you leave the orphanage. You have had too many escapes for my liking.”

He pointed towards the pouch in Eevenellin’s hand. “Now hand it over, and I might let you escape with your lives rather than letting you be sport for my friend. Adelaide gets awfully hungry.”

“What about Festrel?” Grim asked.

The man laughed. “He came here eager to make Quinn return to Harland, or make him suffer, but once I told him you were his cousin he became obsessed with trying to make those stones work. He wanted to see where you’ve been all this time and what secrets you may have.” He cackled as he rattled the burgundy pouch at his side. “I offered to show him how they worked, but his pride got the better of him. He was determined that if his pathetic little cousins could make them work, he should be able to. He searched for endless hours through the books for the clue, but found nothing.”

The statue of Valeria was mere steps away from where Eevenellin stood. The Changeling growled louder and then morphed into a hulking cat-like monstrosity. Grim didn’t like the look of its glistening claws.

The old man repeated himself, his face reddening.

“Now, hand it over!”

Eevenellin removed the vial from the pouch. It glowed in the dark of the night. Master Galan reached out, his fingers trembling as he stretched towards them. The Grundel held out the vial, and then snatched it back as it brushed his fingertips.

“Run!”

Grim and Rudy bolted towards the Infirmary, but a great force threw them flailing through the air. They flew forward as the sound of an explosion blasted Grim’s ears. He hit the ground and rolled. Shards of stone flew everywhere.

Valeria’s statue lay shattered on the ground.

Eevenellin screamed. “No!”

The Grundel used her rod and fired off blue fire at Master Galan which he batted aside with a shield he produced from his own. Grim got up just as Madam Adelaide bounded towards him. He leapt to the side and the Changeling missed him by inches.

It rounded once more, turning to dive at him, but Rudy stood over him, rod in hand. She flipped two levers and pushed a button. It produced a massive metal shield. The Changeling bounced off it and rolled. Then the rod’s green liquid evaporated. The weapon clicked, whirred, and then died.

Rudy shook it. Nothing.

“Oh crud!” she said, and dove as Madam Adelaide leapt towards her.

Hordes of children ran from the Academy, sleep in most of their eyes. At the Infirmary Madam Zelna clutched the doorframe for support. Her hands and face were coated in brown splotches.

Grim dodged another leap from the Changeling. He rolled, clutching the pouch in one hand. Madam Adelaide dove towards him and again he leapt from her path, but this time the Changeling scratched him in the back, gouging him with its sharp nails. Grim cried out and fell forward, burning pain searing up his spine.

His head swam and Grim collapsed. The Changeling bolted towards him and Grim braced for her teeth, but he heard low, guttural words on the air.

“Get away from him!”

A sudden stream of ice pellets shot from a blaster, throwing the beast backwards. Quinn now stood over both Grim and Rudy, in the light of the two full moons. In his hand he gripped the platinum blaster from his father. His canine teeth had grown considerably longer and his eyes had changed to a shining yellow. He growled at Madam Adelaide, a deep throaty snarl.

“Go!” he roared. “I’ll help Eevenellin hold them off.”

Rudy pulled Grim up and helped him hobble towards the Infirmary, stumbling in front of Madam Zelna.

“This will cure the Scourge,” he said. “One drop on each person’s tongue.” He struggled to make the words form. His mouth numbed as did the rest of him.