Land of Verne (27 page)

Tunnel after tunnel, staircase after staircase, they fled, ever
the dark laughter chasing them. They had no knowledge of how far
they had come and how they would ever get back. They knew only to
run, for whatever chased them had wicked intent.

The four orphans and Mimick spilled into an enormous cavern with
old ruins. The walls rose above them, ending in a ceiling of
stalactites that stretched down like stone fingers. They each felt
a foaming in their mouths and spat out the
strall
.

They heard a shout and peered further into the darkness. At the
far end of the cavern they could barely make out Master Rickett,
sword swinging. He was wounded, and surrounded by four stick-like
creatures with crooked limbs and backward joints. They moved with a
calculated swiftness — short jabs and fast swipes. Their eyes
were small and cunning, recessed into faces that were long and
narrow, appearing as if they were crying.

“Weepers,” muttered Maddock. His stomach
churned.

“But they live in the Ruins of Seeto,” Sari
said.

One of the Weepers picked up a rock and crushed it with its
gnarled fingers.

Master Rickett struggled to fend them off. Three more appeared
from the shadows, as if they were peeling from the darkness that
surrounded them.

“We have to help Master Rickett!” Sari yelled, and
swept forth with her gleaming rod.

“Mimick!” cried Mimick and bounded after her, its
body now surging with a brighter green.

Widget joined them, his two daggers in hand.

Roe looked at Maddock and then ran also, wings extended. Her
crossbow was nocked and firing.

Maddock stood with sword in hand. He knew this enemy. They would
die trying to fight these things. The Weepers were too powerful.
He’d lost his family to them in the Ruins of Seeto. Only he
had lived, having run while his family fought the monsters. He had
run until his legs had finally collapsed beneath him. And now fear
stayed him. He thought of his parents and elder siblings. That was
three years ago. Now his friends were running towards their
deaths.

Master Rickett yelled to the others to run away, but they did
not listen. He swung at the Weepers, cutting one of their legs into
splinters. It fell with a piercing cry. Three more of the monsters
peeled from the shadows and lunged forward, screaming as they
crawled upon their crooked limbs. Master Rickett pulled a pouch
from his belt and cast a powder into the air. He yelled out some
words and the powder flashed orange, burning the Weepers as it fell
upon them. They howled and pressed in closer, furious that this man
was causing them pain.

The other three orphans and Mimick joined Master Rickett, each
taking up positions around him. The stone of Sari’s rod lit
up bright and red and she cast forth bursts of flame, burning the
Weepers where they stood. Roe fired off arrows. Her aim was true
and she pierced two of the monsters through their blackened hearts,
dropping them where they stood. Mimick strangled the Weepers with
its tail until they collapsed in a pile of twisted limbs. Widget
flung his dagger at the beasts and it struck one of them in the
eye. Then, as was his talent, he would disappear with the shadows.
He would reappear briefly to retrieve his dagger and then vanish
once more.

Four more Weepers peeled from the darkness.

Maddock’s head spun. This was a losing battle.

He looked back at the entrance.

The way was clear. It called to him and he knew he should run;
run until his legs collapsed beneath him.

The Way of Courage

The Way of Courage

Maddock watched his friends battle.

No, not his friends, he thought. His family.

For three years they had traveled together, watching each
other’s backs; caring for each other where no one else would.
These were his brother and sisters now.

He thought of Madam Patrice’s words to him:
Keep your
head about you, keep your wits, and most of all keep
together.

Keep together, he thought.

His hands tightened on his sword.

Together
.

He dashed forward with courage in his fluttering heart. He swung
at the Weeper closest to him, cutting its legs out from under it.
These monsters were not going to take his new family from him.

Five more Weepers appeared from the shadows. Mimick chased two
of the beasts, forcing them back into one of the tunnels.

Maddock swiped at one of them again and noticed that as they
attacked they seemed to avoid Sari.

Brilliant flames danced around her.

“They hate the light,” he said as he swung his sword
round.

“Then we need more!” called Master Rickett.

Sari raised her rod and poured forth a sphere of flames. It
floated just above them. The Weepers pressed forward.

Master Rickett glowered one-eyed. “It’s not
enough!”

He pulled out a golden ring with a blue stone, but dropped it.
He swung his sword as the Weepers closed in.

Roe dove and grabbed the ring before the Weepers could get
it.

“That’s an Air Ring,” called Master Rickett as
he swung. “Use it!”

She stepped back. “How?” Everyone knew that magic
was dying.

Two more Weepers attacked. Maddock and Master Rickett forced
them back.

Sari pointed to the ball of fire, instructing her friend.
“Push the fire up and make it bigger.”

Roe slipped the ring on. She tried to think of something to
rhyme off, closed her eyes, and spit out the first words that came
to mind.

Roe paused, unsure of how to end the spell.

Then the fireball flared up, ten times its size.

 “Woah!” she cried and dove to the ground with
the rest of the troupe to avoid the sudden heat. She could smell
the burnt tips of her hair. She checked to make sure the rest of
her remained unsigned and then winced as she cited the last
line.

“… go go go!”

The ball of fire rose to the ceiling. And with it, the cavern
was filled with a yellow and orange radiance. The Weepers
retreated, screaming as they tried to avoid the light that now
filled the cave.

Two of the Weepers threw themselves at Sari and Roe. Widget
stabbed one with his dagger, Maddock pierced the other with his
sword. The remaining Weepers fled into the tunnels.

They breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the Weepers slunk
away.

Mimick then approached Master Rickett. It tiptoed towards him on
all fours, head low to the ground, its tail between its legs. It
muttered to itself in a meek voice as it drew near. The man brought
his sword up in defense, but Sari held his arm.

“No! If it wasn’t for Mimick we wouldn’t be
here.” The gruff man hesitated and then lowered his sword,
but watched Mimick with eagle-like eyes as it approached. Mimick
ran its glowing hands over the wound on the man’s leg. It
took a few minutes, but when it was done only a scar remained where
once there had been a nasty gash.

Mimick then bounded back, its tail swaying once more.

“Mimick!” it said.

The man just harrumphed and turned to Maddock, “What
–“

A short, piercing cry echoed through the cavern.

“Patrice!” called Master Rickett. “Children, I
need your help! Will you come with me further into these blasted
catacombs?”

The energy from the
strall
still ran through their veins
and they knew they could continue on.

They all nodded.

The man studied one of the walls of the cavern where three
different entrances waited, unsure of which to enter.

“The middle one,” said Widget, pointing.

“You sure, lad?”

“Trust him,” Maddock said.

Master Rickett grunted and then nodded. “Then the middle
one it is. Everyone at the ready!”

He ran towards it with a slight limp. The others followed,
Mimick bringing up the rear.

Tunnel after tunnel they ran, Sari’s magic and
Mimick’s green glow lighting the way. Roe now carried the
other rod, looped in her belt. In her gray-skinned hands, her
crossbow was nocked and ready.

On they went, scraping themselves along the narrowing walls and
tripping along rocky ground that seemed to be grabbing at their
ankles.

They heard laughter behind them. The Weepers were following once
more. And by the sound of the wicked cackling, there were more of
them than before.

The tunnels narrowed. Master Rickett groaned as he ran, bent
almost in half as he shuffled his way along. The laughter was
louder now, close on their heels.

Master Rickett stopped.

“Fire, girls! Now!” he commanded.

Sari and Roe crawled under the legs of the others, trying to
squeeze past.

“Hurry!” he called.

They just managed to get past Mimick when they saw the throng of
Weepers creeping towards them along the walls and ceiling. Sari
closed her eyes and summoned a blazing ball of flame as fast as her
lips could mutter the words and then Roe sent it zooming down the
corridor. They all held their breath as they heard the screams of
the Weepers.

“Don’t wait,” said Master Rickett.
“Move!”

They continued on, and after what seemed an eternity, the tunnel
spilled out into a massive cavern, twice as big as the previous one
with old trees growing around the edges. In here they found Magus
Nimrel and Madam Patric near a faintly lit old lamppost. They were
surrounded by Weepers. Madam Patrice’s arm was bleeding from
a heavy gash.

“Quickly, light this cavern,” Master Rickett
said.

And as before Sari summoned a ball of flame. She warmed her
hands by it. It was cold in this place, she thought. Cold down to
her bones.

Then Roe motioned for the ball of fire to rise. It shot up in an
arc and lit the entire cavern. Maddock sucked in his breath.
Crawling along the walls were so many Weepers they could barely see
the rocky surface. The Weepers wailed at the sudden light and
scrambled to escape.

Magus Nimrel said nothing, and rushed to study some runes upon
the cavern walls. The man’s delicate fingers hovered over the
symbols and he murmured words the others could not hear. The frame
of a doorway appeared. In the door were two small keyholes.

He blew upon them, but did not touch them.

“We need the two keys,” he said.

Madam Patrice cradled her wounded arm as she approached Master
Rickett. “Where is the Key of Light?”

Master Rickett reached into his pockets and pouches, searching
for it. He looked aghast.

“It must be back in the tunnels,” he said.

“I’ll get it,” said Widget. He ran towards the
tunnels, but tripped, sliding along the dirt.

“Mimick!” shouted Mimick and then bounded after
Widget, pulling him up from the ground. Then the two of them
disappeared into the tunnels.

“Can it be trusted?” asked Madam Patrice.

Master Rickett hesitated, then nodded. “It fought at our
side. It brought the children into the Lair to help us. It knew
something was wrong.”

She nodded, seeming satisfied.

Magus Nimrel pulled out a cloth-covered object. He unraveled it
to reveal a black key. No light reflected off it. Sari winced. She
could feel the evil that radiated from it. Magus Nimrel kept his
hands on the cloth. He handed it to Master Rickett who took it
reluctantly.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked with his gruff
voice. His face seemed to darken as he held it in his bare
hand.

Magus Nimrel nodded. “You are the only one that can wield
it.” He pointed to the door. “Put it into the lower key
hole.”

Master Rickett inserted it. The lock clicked and the door
throbbed with a dark aura.

Then, as if on cue, Widget slipped from the tunnels.

“Widget!” the others screamed.

He held something in his armpit and was covering his eye with
his hand.

“Quick!” he cried. “Take it! Something’s
coming!”

Magus Nimrel rubbed his nose furiously.

Madam Patrice took the key. It was golden and bright.

“Open the door,” Widget gasped.

She walked towards the doorway.

Roe tugged at Widget’s arm. “Let me see your
eye.”

He backed away. “I’m fine.”

“Where’s Mimick?” Sari asked, looking about
the cavern.

“Please,” Roe pleaded. “Let us see it. Is it
serious?”

“I’m fine!” he snapped.

Maddock noticed Magus Nimrel still rubbing his nose.

“Wait!” he called. “Don’t put the key
in!”

Madam Patrice paused, the key suspended mere inches from the
hole.

“No!” yelled Widget. “Hurry! Something evil is
coming. Please, you must believe me!”

Maddock stepped in front of him. “No. Something
isn’t right.” He drew his sword and pointed it at
Widget. “Show us your eye.”

Widget snarled. He removed his hand. One eye was missing. There
was just an empty socket and it looked like it had been that way
for years.