Monster War (11 page)

“
W
hy did you do that?” Theodore shouted, staring down in shock at the statue of Charlie Benjamin.

“Because we never would have been able to capture him otherwise,” William replied. “He’s…tricky. But don’t worry about it - he won’t trouble you any more.”

“He didn’t trouble me to begin with!”

“That’s because you don’t remember.” William turned and looked his son in the eyes. “This boy caused you a lot of difficulty, Theodore - but I’ve taken care of everything. You’ve been forgiven for all of your mistakes and now you don’t even have to be burdened with
memories
of the bad times.” William smiled and there was something desperate about it. “You and I can start over, son.”

Theodore shook his head, confused. “But…he was my friend. Or at least I thought he could be.”

“No. He’s bad for you. He poisons everything he touches.”

“Don’t listen to him!” Theodore looked down to see Violet standing in the operating room below. “Charlie was your best friend before and he
still is
!” she yelled. “Come and help me now and I’ll prove it!”

“She’s lying, son,” William said. “She always does.”

“
He’s
the liar, Theo! Remember what happened in the ice cave, in the lair of the Named? You saw him kill the Guardian! Do you remember? I
know
you can because Charlie wasn’t with you at the time, so that memory should still be there.”

Theodore tried to remember, but it was difficult. In his mind, the last six months were an unconnected series of snapshots - random pictures assembled out of order and out of context. But then…there it was! He saw an image of his father holding the frail creature known as the Guardian in the icy lair of the Named.

Had that caused its death?

“Come and help me, Theo…join me…” Violet begged.

“Don’t listen to her, son. I’m the only one that truly cares about you.”

Theodore looked from the pleading eyes of his father to Violet’s outstretched hand beckoning him to her, to the marble statue of the boy who looked so terribly familiar, the boy whose friendship seemed almost preordained, as impossible to change as…

Destiny.

“Sorry, Dad,” Theodore said. “I have to go.”

“Wait! Son!”

Ignoring him, the skinny boy leaped down into the operating room next to Violet. “So what do we do?” he asked.

“Close your eyes and follow me. And don’t look at the Gorgons unless you want to end up like Charlie!”

She closed her eyes tightly. Then, with a savage battle cry, Violet leaped through the still-open portal and into the foul stink of the Gorgon Maze. Theodore, shutting his eyes as well, followed.

Moments later, the portal snapped closed behind them, locking them in the Nether.

The brilliantly coloured crystal pathways of the Gorgon Maze branched off in all directions. Gorgons prowled through the labyrinth, carefully weaving around the many statues of humans who had made the mistake of
looking directly at them and been turned to stone for their folly.

“OK, so what’s the plan?” Theodore asked, feeling around blindly. His hands touched the marble face of a woman who had been trapped lifelessly in the maze longer than he had been alive. “Oh, sorry…” he muttered. Then, “And now I’m chatting with a statue. Good work, Theodore.”

“Just relax,” Violet said. “We’re here to save Charlie, just like he tried to save me, and we’re not going to fail.”

“Ah, great! The ‘no-fail’ plan - exactly the plan I was hoping for. And how are we going to do this exactly?”

“Simple really. We just have to chop off the head of the Gorgon that transformed him - that’s the only way to bring Charlie back to life.”

“Right. Excellent. So…which one of them did it? Transformed him, I mean.”

“Well, how am I supposed to know? And, even if I
did
, I can’t exactly look at them now anyway, can I?”

Which was absolutely true - Violet couldn’t look at them…but she could
hear
them. The dozens of snakes protruding from the Gorgons’ grimy scalps loudly hissed and licked the putrid air. Theodore clamped his hands over his ears to dampen the noise.

“Well, if you don’t know which Gorgon did this to
him, how are we supposed to know which one to kill?”

“Simple,” Violet replied. “We kill them all.”

Theodore wasn’t sure he’d heard right - in fact, he was positive he couldn’t have heard what he
thought
he had. He took his hands from his ears. “I’m sorry, it’s hard to make out what you’re saying over the sound of a million monsters trying to eat us, but did you just say ‘we kill them all’?”

Violet nodded. “That’s right - every single Gorgon in the maze. It’s the only way to be sure.”

Theodore threw his arms in the air. “Of course! Just kill them
all
. That makes
perfect
sense.” He nervously cleared his throat and continued. “But, just for the sake of argument, can I ask one more silly little question? Exactly
how
are we supposed to fight something we can’t even see?”

“Simple. We fight blind.”

“Ah, and there’s the answer! Fight blind - how obvious. And this is something you’re skilled at doing, I’m guessing?”

Violet shook her head. “Nope. Never done it before. Not sure if anyone has actually - at least, not successfully. Where do you think all these statues came from?”

“From people who totally failed the very thing you’re about to try?”

“Exactly.”

The shrieking of the Gorgons grew louder and Theodore could smell a nauseating odour of spoiled flesh as they closed in.

“Girl meat…” the beasts hissed. “And
boy
meat. Tenderrrr…”

Violet held her glowing axe in front of her like a blind man with a cane. “So here’s what I’m thinking - their only real attack is the ‘turning you to stone thing’.”

“Yes. Not a bad attack, by the way…”

“True, but as long as we keep our eyes closed, it can’t affect us. Without that, they basically just move really slowly, so whenever I hear one near me, I’m just going to kick off and swing at the sound.”

“I see. And you feel pretty sure you’re going to be able to actually hit the thing that
made
the sound?”

Violet nodded. “Definitely. I mean, my axe was created to kill monsters, right? It
wants
to taste Gorgon flesh - so I’m just going to keep swinging and give it what it wants.”

“Gotcha. Sounds like a plan. Only one thing…”

“Yeah?”

“When you swing, don’t swing at me.”

Violet grinned. “Deal.”

A familiar feeling of calm washed over her as the
Gorgons descended on them. In her mind’s eye, Violet imagined every brilliant blue flash of her axe blade as it sliced through snake and gristle. In fact, she was surprised to discover that fighting blind actually seemed to
increase
her talent. It forced her to rely on her other senses - touch and balance and smell. The Gorgons nearest her shrieked in pain as she lopped off their heads, while the ones behind them continued to advance in wave after monstrous wave - but it didn’t matter.

She killed them just the same.

Director Drake ran a hand over the smooth stone of Charlie Benjamin’s head. It was cool to the touch. “Finally, after all this time, the boy is mine.”

“What about my son?” General Dagget asked. “He’s lost in the Gorgon Maze.”

“Because he was foolish. You cannot protect him for ever, William - eventually, the boy has to stand or fall on his own. We all do.”

“Maybe…but I’m taking a squad in there. He’ll die if I don’t. The Gorgons will kill him.”

“Unless…” Director Drake paused, thinking. “Unless the girl kills all the Gorgons first.”

“One child against the entire maze? Impossible.”

“No,” Drake countered. “
Unlikely
. But if she succeeds…” He turned and looked at the statue of Charlie - bone-white and shiny - then ran a manicured fingernail across the Sword of Sacrifice, now turned to stone as well. “Bring me a sledgehammer.”

“A…what?” William was genuinely confused.

“If the girl kills all the Gorgons, she’ll kill the one that turned the boy to stone, which will free him. If that happens, he’ll escape. I cannot permit that. It has taken too long to bring him to justice.”

William’s eyes widened as he realised what the Director planned to do. “You can’t mean to
destroy
the boy…”

“You think he prefers being a lawn ornament?” Drake shook his head. “Do as I command, William. Bring me a sledgehammer. I’ll dispose of the child myself.”

The General stood firm. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I said I would help you capture him, even Reduce him - but I won’t allow you to outright execute him. We’re not murderers, Reginald.”

“We are whatever we need to be to protect the common good.” Drake’s grey eyes were as cold as a winter wind. “Now do as I ask or I will find myself a
new
General. Bring me a sledgehammer!”

While Violet fought, Theodore struggled to keep from slipping on the floor of the Gorgon Maze - it had become black and slick with monster blood. He steadied himself against the marble statue of a short man holding an oversized mace and stifled a yawn. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I know you’ve basically got this all under control, but I’m right here…just listening to you kill things…getting bored.”

Violet, concentrating fiercely, didn’t reply. With one mighty sweep of her axe, she chopped off the head of the nearest Gorgon. Suddenly, the statue Theodore was leaning on sprang to life.

“Great steaming piles of dragon dung!” the newly revived man roared, pushing Theodore away. “Unhand me, boy! Never sneak up on a warrior like that!”

Theodore, startled, opened his eyes for just a second and caught a quick glimpse of the man. He was short and round, with a body like a barrel. A thick, red beard covered his puffy face, which was pierced by two blue eyes. He wore a dirty grey nightgown and held a large studded mace in his right hand.

“Uh, you better close your eyes,” Theodore said, quickly closing his own. “See, we’re in the Gorgon Maze and, if you look at them, they’ll turn you to stone again.”

The man laughed. “Outrageous! Why, I’ve never heard
of anything quite so prepos—” He glanced at a Gorgon and was turned to stone.

“Oh, man. I think the guy’s a statue again,” Theodore said, blindly touching the rough rock of the man’s head. “I wonder how long he’s been in here.”

Violet, not replying, continued swinging her axe at the monsters, chopping off the head of the last Gorgon the man had looked at. Once again, he sprang back to life.

“—terous!” the man shouted. “Gorgons? Absolutely ridiculous! Do you know who you are speaking to, boy? I am Sir Thomas Wainwright in the service of His Majesty, King Henry the Eighth, and, when addressing me, I demand that you show me the common courtesy of opening your blasted eyes!”

“Yeah, but that’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you look at these monsters, they’ll turn you to stone.”

“Ah! Now I understand…such as the mythical Medusa?”

“Exactly!” Suddenly, Theodore felt a spray of spittle from Sir Thomas’s mouth.

“Preposterous!” the man shouted. “That is a fairy story told to sprouts like you for the purpose of scaring them into obedience! No grown man would ever believe in the existence of—”

Another Gorgon slithered into view and Sir Thomas, once again, was turned to stone.

Theodore sighed. “Man, is he pig-headed. That’s the second time in the last minute he’s been turned to stone because he
just won’t listen
!”

“Reminds me of someone I know…” Violet grumbled as she severed the head of another monster - the very one that had transformed Sir Thomas.

“—Gorgons!” the knight shouted, springing back to life. “Only a fool would believe in them and I am no fool, lad!”

“Well, if you don’t believe in Gorgons, what do you think she’s out here killing?” Theodore blindly kicked at the pile of dead Gorgons.

“Monsters, to be sure!” Sir Thomas replied. “And snake-headed ones at that. But to believe that they have the capacity to turn you to stone just upon gazing at them is, well - preposterous! I mean, if that were true, would I not turn to stone
right now
?”

To prove his point, he looked directly at an incoming Gorgon and was instantly turned to stone.

“I’ve pretty much had it with this dork,” Theodore said. “Can you just hold off on killing that last Gorgon so he can stay a statue for a while?”

“Sorry,” Violet replied. “To save Charlie, I’ve got to kill
them all.” She chopped the head off the Gorgon that had most recently transformed Sir Thomas. Once again, he sprang back to life.

“You see, fool! I remain as fleshy and pink-cheeked as I’ve always been!” He tapped Violet on the shoulder. “Now stand aside, little girl, and let a knight of England show you how monster slaying is done!” With a ferocious shout, he raised his mace above his head, swivelled to face the nearest Gorgon…and was instantly turned to stone.

“What a fool,” said Theodore.

A man with a nametag that identified him as ‘B. N. Counter - Facilitator’ rushed into the Reduction Room and handed Director Drake a sledgehammer. “Thank you, Mr Counter,” Drake said smoothly. “I truly wish
all
my Gifted employees demonstrated the common sense and loyalty that you Facilitators do.”

“You really plan to go through with this?” William asked, looking down into the Reduction Room. The hallway around him was crowded with Nethermancers and Banishers all pushing to get an unobstructed view through the shattered glass of the viewing window.

“I do,” Drake replied. “Because I
must
.” He turned to
the statue of Charlie. “Mr Benjamin, it is my decree as Director of the Nightmare Division that you be permanently terminated for your numerous crimes against the people of Earth, including, but not limited to, the portalling of Barakkas, the portalling of Slagguron and the killing of the Guardian, who once protected us all.”