The Cornerstone (30 page)

‘As well as could be expected, Emmy,’ Elijah replied. Merelie’s eyebrow shot up at the use of the nickname.

‘Thank goodness. I thought you’d be damaged for good with everything we threw at you.’

‘That thing kept me protected from harm for the most part. I wouldn’t have been much good to it broken into pieces,’ the Arma said, touching his head and remembering the toilet incident.

‘My parents?’ asked Merelie. ‘Are they alive?’

‘Your mother still lived the last time I saw her. I tried to fight off the intruders when they ambushed us in her quarters, but they were too strong. As that thing took hold of me, your mother was being tied up. I heard one of them mention she was not to be hurt, by order of Lucas Morodai.’

‘And my father?’

‘I’m sorry, I know nothing of his fate.’

Merelie’s look of anguish nearly broke Max’s heart.

‘We’re not going to find out what happened to them standing here,’ he said, putting his arm round her.

‘We still need a plan,’ Imelda reminded him.

From the corner of the room where Garrowain was attempting to free another luckless victim of the Dwellers, there was a loud cry.

They all turned to see the custodian backing away from the book, which he’d dropped to the ground. From it, a monstrous figure of black and purple smoke rose, lunging toward the old man, one clawed hand outstretched. Garrowain fell, arms raised to ward off the spectre.

It thrust an amorphous claw into the old man’s chest and he let out a blood curdling scream.

Max word shaped, sending a blast towards the shadowy creature. The Wordcraft struck and the thing exploded into tattered ribbons of smoke. Garrowain slumped back, his head hitting the flagstones, body spasming in pain.

They hurried over and Borne lifted him gently to the sofa, where the old man settled and came out of the seizure.

‘You alright?’ Max asked.

 Garrowain gave him a grateful look. ‘I think so. Thank you, my boy. That’s the second time today I owe you my life.’

 ‘What happened?’ Imelda said.

‘I was trying to release that man from his bondage. All was going well until that creature erupted from The Cornerstone.’

Max examined the book, which seemed no worse for wear. ‘I think that’s the last time we’ll be sending a Dweller home using this.’

‘What we were doing must have been noticed and steps taken to stop it,’ Garrowain agreed, his face as white as chalk.

‘What was it?’ Merelie asked, sitting at Garrowain’s side, taking his hand in hers.

‘I don’t know, child. Another Dweller I suppose. One powerful enough to breach The Cornerstone and enter our world in its true form.’

‘What did it feel like?’

‘Very cold and very
angry
,’ Garrowain said and winced, clutching his chest where the claw had entered.

‘Let’s not give it another chance to kill one of us,’ said Borne. ‘Max is right, we can’t free any more people using The Cornerstone.’

‘Then they’re doomed,’ Elijah said, as he bent down to look at one of the fallen men. ‘We should slit their throats now to make sure they can’t cause any more trouble.’

‘Don’t be so hasty, Arma,’ Garrowain said, struggling for breath. ‘You’d be in your grave if we’d taken that attitude. This Cornerstone can’t help anymore, but Morodai’s might. He used it to free them all from the void… maybe we can reverse the process.’

‘Stealing the Morodai Cornerstone so you can test that theory will be impossible,’ Elijah replied. ‘Lucas keeps it close by and well protected.’

Max stepped in. ‘Which is why - as I said before - we should stop talking and start moving. Corny’s brother is with Morodai and Merelie’s parents will be floating about in the same vicinity.’

‘What makes you say that, boy?’ Borne asked.

 ‘Gloating. What’s the point in vanquishing your foes and taking over the world if you can’t have a good old fashioned gloat, eh?’

Borne didn’t look too sure about that explanation.

‘If we just go running out into the Chapter House, we’ll be overwhelmed,’ Imelda said.

Max looked at the unconscious bulk of Osgood Draveli. ‘I’ve got an idea.’

- 10 -

Elijah woke the fat man with a few slaps to the face.

‘Get away from me!’ he squealed, backing against the nearest wall.

 ‘Now look here Porks-a-lot, the situation’s simple,’ Max said. ‘You’re going to help us get through the Chapter House without a fight, or this day’s going to get a lot worse for you.’

‘Never! I will never help you and your worthless gang, boy!’ Draveli spat back.

Max leant forward, the rest of the worthless gang crowded round him. ‘Really? What if I promise to pull your head out through your arse if you don’t?’ he said, supplying Draveli with the nastiest grin he could muster.

Five minutes later, a white faced Osgood Draveli walked along the corridor leading to the upper floors of the Chapter House. He couldn’t even begin to picture what having one’s head pulled out through one’s bottom would look or feel like, but was determined not to find out.

The Chapter Lord walked in front with Borne, who was trying his hardest to still look under Dweller influence. He’d picked up a guard’s helmet to cover his eyes, so they didn’t give away the fact the smoke had disappeared.

Max and Merelie were behind, apparently in chains, as was Imelda a step further back. Elijah brought up the rear, similarly attired to Borne.

They’d left Garrowain recuperating in the Main Hub.

‘I would slow you down given my condition,’ he’d rationalised. ‘Besides, somebody has to make sure the Library isn’t damaged further. I can do that, at least.’

The con they were employing probably wouldn’t stand up to much scrutiny, but it would get them far enough with any luck.

‘Where are my parents being held, Osgood?’ Merelie asked.

‘I’m not entirely sure… ‘

‘Head – arse – pull through,’ reminded Max.

‘They’re being held in your father’s study!’

‘Then that’s where we’re headed,’ Borne hissed, prodding Draveli with the bow gun he’d found hanging from the belt of a zombified Chapter Guard.

They encountered few people down in the bowels of the House, but as they ascended several flights of stairs, they started to see Dwellers lurking in the shadows. None of the creatures seemed interested in a confrontation, but Max still held his breath every time they went past.

The procession also came across more people unfortunate enough to have been fed on by the Dwellers. These victims wandered the hallways - mouths hung open, eyes unfocused. Merelie waved her hand in the face of one and got no reaction at all.

‘You and your master will pay for this,’ Borne whispered to Osgood, making the fat coward go even whiter.

The first people to actually stop them were three Wordsmiths standing in a sunny courtyard. Max recognised this as the place where he’d popped into existence the second time he’d come to the Chapter Lands.

All three Wordsmiths were of Morodai ilk and could barely contain their contempt when they saw Osgood Draveli. Contempt gave way to surprise as they realised he’d taken Merelie Carvallen prisoner.

‘You actually managed it then, Lord Draveli?’ one of them asked.

‘Yes,’ squeaked Osgood, aware of Max’s eyes boring into his back.

‘Lord Morodai will be pleased,’ the Wordsmith smirked and went up to Merelie, taking her chin in his hand.

‘Pretty little bitch, aren’t you?’

Max coughed politely. The Morodai looked at him.

‘What’s your problem boy?’

‘That would be you, pal. Say nighty night.’

‘What are you talk - ‘

The Wordsmith went sideways across the courtyard and through a window.

Borne and Elijah took care of the other two as they stood there in stunned horror.

‘If it all goes as easily as that, we’re laughing,’ Max said, poking Draveli in the back. ‘Keep walking, tubby.’

They continued along the same corridors Merelie had dragged Max through three weeks ago. He was dismayed to find that the pleasant vista he’d seen out of the tall windows had been replaced by a scene of utter destruction. The city surrounding the Chapter House was now a disaster zone.

Buildings burned and debris littered the streets. Max could see Dwellers teeming through the broad avenues, clambering onto overturned trams and sniffing their way through the rubble of broken buildings.

In the harbour to the south were several large vessels - long grey things that looked like ships from the Second World War - the gold symbol of the Morodai household on their prows. Golden airships were tethered to the highest Carvallen buildings and Max could see troops disembarking using long metal gantries.

I’m not even from this world and that makes me bloody angry.

Continuing their journey through the Chapter House, a few more Wordsmiths - all Draveli’s kin - came up to speak to him, and when they did, Max’s heart went into his mouth thinking the fat man would give them away.

He didn’t though, and after four of these tense exchanges they encountered no-one else, eventually reaching the door to the hallway where the enormous wooden staircase led to the upper chambers.

So far, the whole House had been relatively empty, but when Borne opened the door to the hall, they saw it was full of Dwellers.

‘Don’t try anything,’ Max warned Draveli. ‘Unless you want to bet these things can save you before I pull your head out through your backside.’ The idea was even beginning to turn Max’s stomach a bit, but it was a useful, effective threat.

‘I won’t try anything, just please don’t hurt me,’ Draveli moaned.

‘Clear us a path,’ Borne ordered.

Draveli nodded and addressed the Dwellers. ‘Remove yourselves from here. I command you!’ he shouted, voice cracking with fear.

The Dwellers didn’t budge.

‘I said I command you!’ Draveli shouted again.

‘Think of something, otherwise you know what’s going to happen,’ Max threatened.

‘I speak for Lord Morodai and he commands you to leave!’ Draveli tried.

This had the desired effect. Morodai’s name carried far more weight. One by one, the Dwellers sloped out of the room through several doors that led away from the hall.

As the last one left, Borne let out an explosive breath. ‘That was unpleasant.’

‘Could have been a lot worse,’ Elijah noted.

‘Let’s keep going,’ said Imelda, starting to climb the staircase.

Max followed, once again noting the massive portraits of Carvallens past hanging on the walls, and the gigantic tapestry of the world that hung above the staircase…

What the hell?

He stopped. Merelie bumped into him.

It’s the world.

‘What’s the hold up boy?’ Imelda said.

It’s the bloody world.

Max pointed at the tapestry.

The first time he’d seen it, Merelie had rushed him past so quickly it hadn’t registered. All he’d noticed was a large tapestry depicting the Earth, with the continents picked out in heavy stitching. Nothing odd about that, at all.

Unless you were on a totally different planet, that is.

‘The tapestry…’ he said in a quiet voice.

Imelda looked at it, frowning.

‘What about it?’

‘It’s the world.’

‘Yes. It’s a tapestry of the Chapter Lands, so what?’

‘No… it’s
Earth
.’

And it was.

It was a map of Earth, just like you’d find in any atlas.

‘It’s the Chapter Lands, Max,’ Merelie said, pointing at one part in the middle that was quite blatantly England. ‘Look, that’s where we are, in the Carvallen lands.’

Sure enough, right on the spot where the cities of southern England should be was a picture of a tall building with ‘Chapter House of Carvallen’ written under it in flowery script.

The other four Houses were also on the map:

Morodai’s was where Moscow should exist; Draveli’s was just about where Delhi in India was. The Falion Chapter House stood where New York ought to be, and Wellhome’s looked like it was slap bang in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest.

Names of a thousand other towns and cities were dotted across the tapestry, some similar to their counterparts in our world and some wildly different.

Several things clanged into place in Max’s head.

‘This is Earth,’ he said. ‘Well… it’s not, but it is.’

‘Hadn’t you figured that out?’ said Elijah. ‘Your world is a parallel version of ours, like every other one discovered by the Chapter Houses.’

‘Oh my! That is rich,’ Draveli cackled, forgetting for a second how precarious his situation was. ‘The monkey with the Wordcraft didn’t even know that?’

Borne clipped the fat man round the ear like an errant schoolchild. ‘Shut up or I’ll knock your teeth out,’ he warned.

Merelie took Max’s hand. ‘I can’t believe no one explained it to you Max. I can’t believe
I
didn’t… We both live on the same planet, just different versions of it. Yours is called Earth, ours is the Chapter Lands.’

‘And all the others are Earth too?’

‘Yes, of course. Same planet, different universe.’

Max looked back up at where the Carvallen Chapter House was positioned. ‘That explains why The Cornerstone was in my town. It’s the same place, isn’t it?’

‘Geographically, yes. The Carvallen lands incorporate the country you call England and a majority of the land mass known as Europe.’

Max let this sink in.

I’m still in Farefield. At least where Farefield would be back home.

‘Fascinating as this revelation is,’ Imelda spoke up, ‘we still have the small matter of defeating a power-mad Chapter Lord and his demonic underlings… in case anyone had forgotten.’

‘No need to be sarcastic,’ said Max, who knew the tone when he heard it.

‘We’ll have plenty of time for geography lessons if we survive this,’ Borne said, ‘but right now, I feel decidedly exposed and in need of stout walls between me and any Dwellers that might be lurking hereabouts.’

He poked Draveli into movement and they trooped up the stairs.

Max was lost in thought as they hurried along the long galleries and staircases that would eventually bring them to the door of Jacob Carvallen’s study, in the uppermost floor of the Chapter House.