Monster War (13 page)

A
s Violet fought the Hag Queen, she soon realised one very important thing - they weren’t going to make it.

The Hag’s talons were as long and sharp as swords - it was like squaring off against ten enemies instead of one - and the wind from her flapping wings made it hard to even stand, much less fight. With a sinking feeling, Violet realised that her prowess against the Gorgons had left her disastrously overconfident against this most cunning boss of the Nether.

“Out of the way, girl!” Sir Thomas shouted. “I can’t swing my weapon with you standing between me and the beastie!”

Theodore stared at the man in disbelief. “Would you stop whining and start fighting? Or just hand over your
stupid mace and let
me
take a whack at her!”

Theodore reached for Sir Thomas’s weapon.

“Unhand the mace, boy!” Sir Thomas roared. “Never touch the weapon of a knight of England, unless ye desire to lose an arm in the process! Many is the time that I wielded this glorious instrument against a mighty foe who—”

Brooke’s portal snapped open.

As the Hag Queen dived down at Violet with her razor claws outstretched, a jet of water blasted through the newly opened portal, knocking the monster backwards in a violent tumble of wings and teeth. An instant later, Charlie, Brooke and a giant Shredder-Shark rocketed through the gateway and into the maze.

“Close it, Brooke!” Charlie shouted, struggling to his feet. “Close the portal!”

Brooke did so with a quick wave of her hand, shutting off the flow of water. The giant Shredder-Shark flipped and snapped on the slick maze floor, gasping for air, knocking aside Gorgon heads like footballs.

Sir Thomas stared at the monster in amazement. “Great steaming piles of partridge poo! It’s a Land Shark!”

“A what?” Theodore shouted. “It’s not a Land Shark, you moron! It’s some kind of shark from the Nether that just happens to be
on
land!”

“It’s a -
crooooak!
- Shredder-Shark,” Brooke said. “And there’s an interesting story behind how it got here.”

“You think?” Violet snapped, leaping to avoid the monster’s teeth as it slid towards her like a runaway truck. “Can we swap stories about it
after
we kill it?”

“Stand aside,” Sir Thomas yelled, raising his mace, “and I will slay the abomination for you! It will soon know the steel sting of my weapon! I will send it back to the shadows from whence it came, to the dark recesses of the night-time of its birth, to the—”

As Sir Thomas jabbered on, Charlie turned to Theodore. “Who
is
this guy?”

Theodore shrugged. “His name is Sir Thomas and he won’t shut up. He’s been talking about that stupid mace for ages and I have yet to see him use it.”

“Uh, guys!” Violet yelled from down the hallway. “Little help with the giant shark, please!”

Charlie ran towards her and, with one nimble leap, landed on the creature’s back and drove his sword into its brain, silencing it for ever.

“Thanks,” Violet said with a smile.

“And thanks for killing the Gorgons and saving my life - I’m guessing that was you and not Sir Talks-A-Lot.”

“Good guess.”

With a cackle, the Hag Queen flapped her wings,
spraying everyone with droplets of water as she rose a few metres in the air. “Well, if it isn’t my old friend, Charlie Benjamin. I should have known that this would involve you eventually. Wherever you go, boy, trouble follows.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss,” Charlie replied with a deep bow.

“
Miss!
How delightful! Miss, he calls me…”

“But I will
not
miss!” Sir Thomas roared, walking towards her. “My mace is
incapable
of missing!”

“Go away, strange man,” the Hag said. “And take your silly mace with you.”

“This silly mace will crush you utterly, you unclean creature of filth!”

“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” Charlie said. “I won’t stand for it.”

“What did you say to me, boy? Do you dare to defend this impure thing?”

“How can you call something so beautiful a ‘thing’? I mean, just look at her - she’s gorgeous.”

The Hag cackled girlishly. “Oh,
please
- attractive maybe, but gorgeous…?”

“I just say what I see. Never before have I been so mesmerised by beauty.”

“What’s he doing?” Theodore whispered to Violet.

She frowned. “Not sure…”

Sir Thomas walked up to Charlie, dumbstruck. “Do you have a fever, lad? Are you mentally unsound? ‘Mesmerised by beauty?’ The only thing beautiful about this beast will be the manner of her death, which I will soon deliver!”

“Quiet!” Charlie commanded. “I will not have you insult this lady.”

“Lady!” the Hag screeched and Charlie thought it was possible that she may have actually blushed. “I’m a lady now, am I?”

“The fairest of them all…”

“Preposterous!” Sir Thomas was so red with fury that it looked like his head was about to pop off. “She is a repulsive, repugnant
witch
fit only to be spat upon and then hit in the head with a mace!”

“I warned you,” Charlie said, then opened up a portal beneath Sir Thomas and dropped him through to Earth. The knight only fell a few metres before landing on the sand in front of the Nightmare Academy - but he screamed as if he had fallen a mile. With a quick flip of the hand, Charlie closed the portal, then turned back to the Hag. “I’m so sorry he troubled you, dear lady. His words were unconscionable.”

The Hag screeched with laughter. “Oh, go on, you charmer! You don’t mean any of it…”

“On the contrary - where others see a monster, I see a vision of loveliness.”

The Hag’s wide, bloodshot eyes fluttered in surprise. “Really?”

Charlie could tell that she was actually starting to believe his flattery. He nodded. “Of course…Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I am currently beholding a beauty brighter than even the brightest star.”

“That’s pushing it a little,” Theodore grumbled. Violet stomped on his toe.

The Hag Queen fluttered towards Charlie on her mighty wings. She pulled stringy hair from her face, dislodging several beetles and worms. “As beautiful as I am - and as charming and kind as I am known to be - there is still the question of the girl who killed all my precious Gorgons. I know she is your friend, but she will have to pay dearly for her infamy. Don’t you agree?”

“I would if she did it to harm you. But instead, she did it to celebrate you.”

“She
what
?”

“Yeah, she what?” Theodore echoed.

Charlie whispered to the Hag: “The Gorgons have
been talking. They claim that their beauty surpasses even yours. But surely you know that - you, of course, know
everything
that happens in the Nether.”

“Indeed, I do,” she replied - although it was clear from the tone in her voice that this was news to her.

“Which is
why
,” Charlie continued, “I asked Violet to get rid of the boastful beasts - there is only one great beauty in this mansion and that great beauty is
you
.”

The Hag sighed happily. “Truer words have never been spoken.” Reluctantly, she turned to Violet. “I suppose I owe you thanks, girl.”

“Don’t mention it,” Violet said. “Trust me - it was my pleasure.”

“As I’m sure you
also
know,” Charlie continued, “there has been whispering from your Ladies-in-Hating. They envy your loveliness and there is word that they plan to kill you so that you are no longer the most gorgeous thing in the Nether.”

The Hag Queen was clearly shocked by the revelation. “Jealousy! Sheer jealousy!”

“Can you blame them? I mean, just
look
at yourself.”

“Without vomiting,” Theodore added. This time Brooke stomped on his foot.

“Yes,” the Hag Queen said, eyeing her reflection in the crystal wall of the maze. “It’s not really their fault, is it? It
must be so difficult to see me all the time and feel so
hideous
in comparison. I really should have more compassion for the homely creatures.”

“You are as wise as you are kind,” Charlie said. “However, my friends and I will gladly destroy every one of your ladies, if you wish. We certainly don’t want you to be troubled by them, even for a moment.”

“How wonderful you are, offering to slaughter them for little old me! You make a delicate flower like myself want to weep with happiness.”

“So shall we get rid of them for you? As you know, the Sword of Sacrifice is mine now.” Charlie held up the brightly glowing sword. “It wouldn’t be any bother.”

The Hag Queen quickly drew back, eyeing the Ancient Weapon with fear. “I…I wouldn’t ask you to sully the blade of that wondrous artefact. Never fear - I will take care of my ladies myself. And if there’s anything I can ever do for
you
, you have but to ask.”

Charlie took a calming breath.
OK
, he thought.
Here we go - let’s see if this works…

“Well, since you’re offering, there is one incredibly
small
thing.” He gestured to Theodore. “He and I used to be friends - best friends in fact - until you removed all memories of our friendship from his brain.”

“Indeed, I did! And delicious memories they were too!
Delightful! Delectable, even!”

“I can imagine. But here’s the thing - he has now also lost the memories of the many times he and I spent walking under the stars, talking about your great beauty and wishing we could gaze upon it.”

The Hag sighed wistfully. “That
is
a shame…”

“Many months ago, you took my friend Rex’s memories…and then you gave them back.”

“The cowboy!” the Hag gasped, her eyes glittering with delight. “Oh, how I miss his visits…”

Charlie nodded. “He talks about you all the time. And it would be so great if you could return Theodore’s memories to him, so that we could
all
talk about you - about how you’re the most beautiful creature that has ever walked or flown or crawled through this world or any other.”

The Hag Queen suddenly grew cold. “You wouldn’t be
teasing
me, would you, boy? Because that would be
terrible
for you.”

“Look into my eyes and tell me if I’m being truthful.”

She flew to him on her great wings.

Don’t look away
, Charlie told himself.
Hold her gaze. Look serious…maybe even a little lovestruck. You can do it. Just a moment more…

The Hag Queen cackled. “You old charmer, you!”

She swooped down and snatched Theodore up in her strong arms, then leaned her head back, snaked out that long, terrible tongue and drove it into the boy’s ear like a hammer driving a nail into a plank.

Theodore felt a rush of memories flood into his brain, memories of Charlie - his first and best friend. As quickly as it had started, it was over. The Hag Queen let him go and he dropped roughly to the ground.

“Are you OK?” Charlie asked, running over to him.

Theodore looked up, recognition in his eyes. “Charlie?”

Charlie nodded. “Hey, pal. It’s me.”

Theodore’s sunny grin seemed to light up the entire Gorgon Maze. “Of course it’s you! Let’s see, we’re in a miserable pit in the Nether, surrounded by dead monsters - who else would it be?”

They hugged.

“There…” the Hag said. “Just as you asked. Now would you all care to accompany me back to the manor to watch me slaughter my ladies? We can have tea after.”

“We’d love to,” Charlie said, “but I’m afraid we’ll have to decline. Our world is dying and we have to save it.”

“Yeah,” Theodore added. “Plus, you’re so darn ugly, I can’t figure out whether to pity you or flush you.”

The Hag Queen’s eyes went wild with fury. “What did you say? Trickery! Hateful trickery!”

“Thanks, Theo…” Charlie said with a sigh.

Theodore beamed. “Don’t mention it.”

“You will pay!” the Hag screamed and then attacked.

As she flew towards them, Charlie opened a portal back to Earth - back to the beach in front of the Nightmare Academy - and he, Violet, Theodore and Brooke ran through. Moments later, the portal snapped closed behind them, silencing the Hag’s shrieks of rage, leaving only the sound of breaking waves and the chirp of crickets in the cool, night-time air.

T
his has been some day,” Charlie said as his friends gathered around him on the beach in front of the Nightmare Academy. “Let’s see…so far I’ve been mind-controlled by a Chasm Wyrm, paralysed by a Shock Wasp and turned to stone by a Gorgon.”

“Yeah, but at least you’re better now,” Brooke said, brushing sand from her green, warty cheek. “So is Theodore, and Violet never even got Reduced to begin with. But me, well -
crooooak!
- just look at me.”

Charlie stepped towards her with a gentle smile. “I know you’re going to want to punch me for saying this, but I actually kind of like you better this way.”

Brooke snorted with laughter. “You’re a moron, you know that?
You kind of like me better this way?
Why - you’ve always had a weird reptile fixation?
Your first crush was a newt?”

Charlie shook his head. “Nope. You may have lost your looks, but you got your Gift back in its place. I mean, you were doing some seriously awesome Nethermancy back there.”

“Uh, Charlie,” Theodore said. “Let me give you a little wake-up call here - she looks like a
frog
! Now I may be going out on a limb, but I’m guessing she doesn’t consider that any kind of great trade-off.”

“It’s OK,” Brooke said, looking away at the vast, rolling ocean. The silvery moonlight revealed several dolphins jumping playfully in the waves. “What’s done is done. Let’s just get on with this. You have the sword now, Charlie. Let’s go and kill the Fifth and end this.”

Charlie nodded. “We will - as soon as I charge it in the well at the Netherforge.”

“Charge it?” Violet stared curiously at the glowing weapon. “Looks pretty powerful already.”

“It is, but it needs to connect to the Core before it’ll be strong enough to kill the Fifth - at least, that’s what the Smith said. Now come on. Let’s just get this done.”

He raised his hand to open a portal back to the Netherforge when they heard a familiar voice.

“There you are!”

Everyone turned to see Sir Thomas stomping up the
beach, nightshirt soaked in ocean water, mace in hand.

“Oh, great,” Theodore moaned. “The return of Sir Dork.”

Huffing and puffing, the rotund knight walked up to them. “I thought the witch had destroyed you, children! I would have slain the foul beastie, but something preposterous happened and I fell through to this deserted isle!”

“Deserted?” Charlie said. “It’s not deserted - there’s tons of people at the Academy.” He gestured to the great tree behind them. “Didn’t you look?”

Sir Thomas nodded, causing the fat under his chin to ripple like ocean waves. “Aye. There are plenty of people, lad - but none that are
conscious
. It is as if they have been placed under a sleeping spell by a great and terrible wizard…”

Theodore rolled his eyes. “What is this nut talking about?”

“You dare call me a nut?
You’re
the nut, nut! And I shall crack you open like one!” Sir Thomas raised his mace threateningly.

“OK, that’s it,” Brooke said and, with a wave of her hand, she opened a small portal beneath Sir Thomas. He fell into it with a shout. As soon as he was out of
sight, she snapped it closed behind him, sealing him in the Nether.

“All right!” Theodore shouted. “Go, Brooke! Way to dump the mouthy knight!”

“Where did you put him?” Charlie asked.

“Same place I put Director Drake - somewhere safe. Now let’s forget about him and figure out what’s going on inside the Academy…”

Like fallen leaves in autumn, the students of the Nightmare Academy lay scattered across every deck, cabin and catwalk - even Mama Rose. Violet tried to shake her awake, but to no avail. It was almost as if she was in a coma.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Violet sighed. “She won’t wake up - none of them will.”

“They have been cursed by the Fifth,” a voice said from the darkness of the shadowy tree limbs above them. They all looked upwards.

“Xix?” Charlie asked tentatively.

The friendly Netherstalker dropped towards them on a thick line of spider-silk. “Yes, Charlie. It is me. The Queen of Nightmares herself came here, along with Edward Pinch. She…
touched
everyone…and they fell
where they stood. I have kept careful watch on them. With every passing minute, they grow sicker…”

Xix gestured to Mama Rose with a bristly foreleg. Charlie noticed that the large woman’s normally ruddy complexion was now waxy and pale.

“Something terrible has happened to them,” Xix continued. “And it’s getting worse. And that’s not even the most awful part. Come.”

Moments later, they entered the Headmaster’s study. It was empty.

“What am I supposed to be looking for?” Charlie asked.

Xix scuttled over to the wine-coloured couch. “This is where the Headmaster used to be - and Rex and Tabitha were just in front of her before the Fifth took them.”

“
Took
them?” Violet asked, alarmed.

Xix nodded. His five eyestalks bobbed in unison. “Whatever she did to everyone else, she did to them as well - and then she and Pinch portalled out with their bodies. Where they went to, I do not know.”

Great
, Charlie thought.
As if things weren’t grim enough…

With a quick wave of his hand, he opened a portal. “Xix, you stay here and keep an eye on things, please.
The rest of you come with me to the Netherforge.”

The first thing they noticed was the bodies.

Slain Nethermancers and Banishers lay scattered across the place in crumpled heaps. “What happened here?” Brooke asked, aghast, checking the people nearest her for signs of life.

Charlie shook his head. “No idea. But I’m willing to bet that someone - or some
thing
- was looking for me and they got in the way. All of you just stay here and keep watch while I finish this.” He turned and walked towards the centre of the Forge.

Violet drew her axe and followed.

“Violet, I told you to—”

“I’m coming with you - and if you even
try
to say no, I’m going to brain you with this.” She gestured to her axe handle. Charlie knew better than to argue.

Soon they arrived at the large well. Inside, blue magma bubbled up from the Core.

“So…what are you supposed to do exactly?” Violet asked.

Charlie shrugged. “Just plunge the blade in, I think. Not totally sure. Let’s just see what happens.”

He stood in front of the low stone wall and held the
brightly glowing Sword of Sacrifice out over it. As feather-light as the weapon had always felt in his hands, it was now drawn down towards the magma with terrific force. Charlie aimed the blade downwards and, taking a calming breath, slowly lowered it into the bubbling blue lava. The second the weapon made contact, there was a brilliant explosion of light and the weight of the sword seemed to intensify a hundredfold. The magma sucked at it greedily, like a thirsty child slurping juice through a straw, and it took all of Charlie’s strength just to hang on to it.

“What’s happening?” Violet yelled.

“It’s getting sucked in - and so am I!”

“Hang on! I’ve got you!”

She dropped her axe and grabbed Charlie around the waist. Even with her added strength, the entire blade was soon submerged and, moments later, so was the hilt. Charlie expected searing pain to slam through him the second his hands entered the blue liquid, but he was astonished to discover that it was actually quite cool - apparently, it was only deadly to creatures of the Nether.

“Theo, help!” Charlie yelled as his arms were pulled below the surface - he could still feel the sword in his hands even if he couldn’t see it.

“On my way!” Theodore shouted, rushing over. He
grabbed on to Charlie and, together, he and Violet struggled to pull their friend away from the intense grip of the magma - but it was like playing tug-of-war with a giant.

“Keep pulling!” Charlie yelled. “Brooke! Get over here and help us!”

No answer.

“Brooke!” Charlie shouted again. “COME HERE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!”

Brooke didn’t reply…but something else
did
.

“Well, well, well - what have we here?”

The voice was deep and powerful…but also strangely familiar. Charlie glanced over his shoulder and saw something that actually made him gasp in surprise.

It was Pinch.

Monster
Pinch.

Towering above them, his red, antlike body looked almost brown in the shimmering blue light of the Netherforge. Brooke was gripped tightly in his mighty grasp. He smiled darkly.

“Charlie Benjamin - I’ve been looking for you.”

“Well, that’s typical. Look, Pinch, I’d love to chat, but we’re in a bit of a situation here.”

“You’re about to be in an even worse one. Release
the sword - let the Nether reclaim it - and I’ll let your friend live.”

He gave Brooke a squeeze.

Charlie, still clinging desperately to the sword, quickly tried to think through his options. If he let go of the weapon, he would lose it for ever, along with any chance of killing the Fifth. But would that save Brooke from Pinch?

Charlie doubted it. Pinch was unpredictable even when he was normal. The chances of him honouring his word were even more remote now that he was transformed…but into
what
exactly?

If he was more monster than man, Charlie knew that he could potentially use the Sword of Sacrifice to slay Pinch before he killed Brooke. But what if Pinch was still more
man
than
monster
? Would the sword even affect him then? Its power was to destroy creatures of the Nether. Against humans, it was just a regular sword and it would barely scratch the surface of Pinch’s massive, plated body.

“Choose!” Pinch commanded, squeezing harder. “And do it quickly - your friend cannot last much longer.”

What, exactly,
was
Pinch?
Charlie wondered.
Man or monster?

Charlie turned to Violet and Theodore with a fierce gleam in his eyes. “On three, pull with everything you’ve got.”

“Are you sure?” Violet asked.

Charlie nodded. “One…two…
three
!”

They yanked with all their might, pulling the sword free from the magnetic grip of the Core. Now charged, the weapon’s miraculous power energised Charlie with the force of a lightning bolt. He held the blade aloft and it shone with the brilliance of the sun.

“You’ve chosen
poorly
,” Pinch roared as Charlie reared back and flung the Sword of Sacrifice at his head.

Moving with supernatural quickness, Pinch snatched it from the air - it looked like a toothpick between his loglike fingers. As soon as he touched it, the sword exploded with an intense blue light that surrounded Pinch like a cocoon - but what emerged was no butterfly. Pinch shrieked in agony as his monster appearance was ripped off him like a cheap Halloween costume and he was violently transformed back to his boyish, human form. Unlike the other transformations, which had been slow and gradual, this one was fast and brutal and left a roadmap of pain on Pinch’s face.

Brooke tumbled to the ground next to him as the boy
(
man
, Charlie reminded himself) struggled to his feet, holding the blazing blade in his small right hand.

“No!” Violet yelled. “He’s got the sword!”

Pinch grinned crazily, the agony of his abrupt rebirth having driven him closer to madness. “That’s right…I do! And it’s mine now!”

“That’s not fair!” Charlie shouted. “You didn’t do anything to earn it. You didn’t sacrifice!”

“Neither did you!” Pinch shot back. “Your friends sacrificed, but they can’t hold the sword now, can they? Only Double-Threats are powerful enough to do that, Double-Threats like you…and
me
.” Pinch whipped the sword effortlessly through the air.

“Give it back!”

Pinch shook his head. “If you want it -
try and take it
.”

Charlie, unarmed, raced towards Pinch - after all the horror that he and his friends had suffered just to get the blade, there was no way that he was going to let it be taken from him. Pinch held the weapon out in front of him and ran straight at Charlie. The two of them headed towards each other like missiles on a crash course of mutual destruction. Then, just before they collided, Pinch did something completely unexpected—

He waved his hand and opened a portal.

Unable to stop their momentum, both Charlie and
Pinch sailed straight into it, leaving the enormity of the Netherforge behind them and falling through to Earth.

Right into the lair of the Fifth.

“NO!” Theodore screamed, watching his best friend drop out of sight.

From somewhere on the other side of Pinch’s portal, Theodore, Violet and Brooke heard the familiar, chilling laugh of the monster that sometimes called herself the Fifth and sometimes Mother and sometimes simply Pearl - but whose real name was the Queen of Nightmares.

“Welcome, Charlie Benjamin,” she said.

The portal slammed closed.

Deep in the throne room of the giant nautilus shell, Charlie struggled to his feet to see the Queen of Nightmares striding towards him on long, crimson legs, her purple cat-eyes swirling hypnotically under a flash of silver hair.

“Don’t worry, child,” she said. “Soon it will all be over and then you can sleep - you can sleep your life away.”

Charlie glanced to his left to see three familiar faces laid out next to each other on the glistening floor of the lair, unmoving and deathly quiet. He was alarmed to see how pale and drawn the Headmaster, Rex and Tabitha
looked - particularly the Headmaster. Her beautiful brown skin was now a mottled, pasty colour, like bad cheese, and she looked far too thin. In a strange way, she reminded Charlie of how the Guardian had looked after being poisoned.

They don’t have much time
, he thought.
If I can’t help them soon, they’ll die.

He looked to his right to see Pinch standing there, holding the Sword of Sacrifice in an outstretched hand. It shone with the brightness of a supernova. The many Nethercreatures in the hallways and chambers that led to the throne room quickly backed away, afraid.