The Cornerstone (32 page)

Morodai stood, as did the Dweller disguised as Bethan Falion. ‘What’s the meaning of this, Osgood? I gave no orders for Carvallen to be brought down here. Where is his infernal daughter?’

‘I thought it fitting that he come down here and grovel for his daughter’s life!’ Draveli squeaked, making this up on the spot.

Max groaned. A lie that made no sense was as bad as the truth in circumstances like this.

‘I see,’ Morodai replied, looking closely at the entire party. ‘You know, you really are a worm, Osgood. Allowing yourself to be captured by the enemy and bullied into betraying me. What did they say they’d do to you?’

‘I said I’d pull his head out through his arse,’ Max piped up, knowing damn well Morodai hadn’t fallen for their ploy at all.

He stepped forward and slowly started to draw in what energy he could.

‘Colourful,’ Morodai said. ‘I can understand that working on him. Personally, I think you could have just threatened to make him jog a mile - that would have done it.’

This almost made Max smile, but he remembered who he was talking to.    

‘You must be the boy from Earth who thinks he’s a Wordsmith,’ Morodai stated, showing that he’d been privy to far more information than anyone had guessed.

‘And you’re the nut job who let these purple eyed tossers out of the box.’

The Falion Dweller hissed.

‘That’s correct,’ Morodai raised an eyebrow, ‘
Max
, is it?’

‘Yep, that’s me. Guess you knew what we were up to all along, eh?’

The Chapter Lord flashed his patented thin smile. ‘Enough to make necessary preparations, should the need arise,’ he said. ‘So now I think it’s time to stop this little attempt at rebellion going any further.’

Morodai clapped his hands together twice and things got a lot trickier for our heroes very quickly.   

Dwellers of all shapes and sizes came flooding in through the four sets of large double doors on each wall of the Great Hall, surrounding Max and company. They snarled and growled, salivating at the prospect of another feeding.

‘My… this is going extremely well,’ Imelda remarked.

Jacob Carvallen put his hands out to Morodai. ‘Please Lucas, you don’t have to do this.’

‘Yes he does,’ Max said, starting to draw in more power, which felt disturbingly limited in this high chamber. ‘He’d like nothing better than to watch this lot rip us apart.’

‘For a shaved ape, you exhibit some sense boy,’ the amused Chapter Lord told him.

There it was again:

Boy.

‘And for a nutter from the Chapter Lands, you exhibit a desire to get your head pulled out through your backside, mate,’ Max responded, having real trouble letting go of that particular threat.

‘Try anything and our new arrivals will regret it.’ Morodai pointed over to the entrance behind the crowd of Dwellers.

Max groaned as two Wordsmiths appeared, holding Halia and Merelie captive. The girl gave him an apologetic look.

‘As I said, I am always prepared,’ Morodai gloated and looked up, addressing Merelie’s mother. ‘My dearest Halia, I had hoped your husband would be more co-operative and I could allow you all to live, but it seems he has other ideas. Now you get to watch him die in front of you… won’t that be nice?’ He looked round at the thing in Bethan Falion’s body. ‘Would you and your friends like a meal, my dear? Please feel free.’

Falion snarled with ravenous glee and leapt towards the surrounded group, the other Dwellers taking this as their cue to attack.

Part Seven

- 1 -

While Lucas Morodai had been in mid-gloat, Max had started crafting a barrier in his mind that could protect the whole group. As soon as the Dwellers advanced, he threw this up, hoping it would hold the monsters back.

It worked. The Dwellers began to run into the barricade, howling as they smashed into the invisible dome Max had erected, bloodying noses and breaking bones.

‘Lucas!’ shouted Osgood Draveli, standing just inside the barrier. ‘Let me through, for Writer’s sake!’

Lucas Morodai said perhaps the most predictable thing he could have at this point. ‘You’ve failed me one too many times, Osgood. I promised my colleagues a meal and you’ll make a fine one no doubt… once that boy’s power fails.’

‘Bite me!’ Max shouted.

The beardy ponce may have a point, though.

The barrier was holding, but it was getting harder and harder to draw power to keep it there. They were far away from any books in this high hall.

The Dwellers were packed four or five deep in some places, all of them pushing against the hastily constructed umbrella of energy Max maintained. A few had begun pushing their arms through as the pressure began to weaken it.

‘Max?’ Imelda yelled, backing away from the flailing limbs.

‘I know, I know! I can’t summon enough power here!’

‘You see? Talent isn’t everything… you need training! It takes focus to draw enough power in places where the word source isn’t strong!’

‘Oh… and what an
excellent
time you’ve chosen to point that out!’ he bit back, as one Dweller pushed all the way through the invisible shield and ran at Borne.

The Arma set his feet, bent forward as the creature reached him and hoisted it over his shoulder, back through the barrier.

‘We’d better think of something!’ he shouted.

‘There’s nothing we can do! We’re doomed!’ squealed Draveli.

‘That’s looking on the bright side, you bloody coward!’ Max shouted. ‘Why don’t you stop complaining and help me with this shield?’

The Chapter Lord looked at him with distain. ‘You really know nothing, boy.’

One more time, I swear to God. One. More. Time.

‘I can’t help you! A Wordsmith casts his own craft. No one else can intervene or assist!’ Draveli told him, sending a bolt of Wordcraft at a Dweller nearly through the wall, knocking it back into the crowd.

In his periphery vision, Max could see Halia and Merelie being dragged up into the highest level of seats that circled the great table. Morodai obviously wanted them to have a clear view as they watched their loved ones being ripped to pieces. One Wordsmith slapped Halia heavily across the face when she tried to look away, tears coursing down her face.

Her Arma saw this too.

Elijah called out to Borne as he snapped the wrist of an insistent Dweller grabbing at him. ‘Can you help me over the crowd?’ He pointed at where Halia and Merelie stood.

Borne turned to look at where his mistress and her mother were being held and nodded in agreement. The big man squatted and laced his hands together.

Elijah sprinted across, jammed one foot in Borne’s hands and was catapulted over the throng of Dwellers, Borne’s massive arms driving him upward.

Elijah somersaulted gracefully and landed like a cat just beyond the creatures.

He clambered up the rows of seats screaming a hideous battle cry and crashed into the Wordsmiths holding the Carvallens captive.

‘Run!’ he shouted at Merelie and her mother, pounding on their terrified captors as he did.

Lucas Morodai, now stood on the huge centre table conducting this symphony of destruction, saw Elijah’s efforts, snarled in fury and sent a spear of Wordcraft arcing towards the Arma.

It struck him in the chest, piercing the tough leather waistcoat he wore, neatly skewering him with a precision born of years of practise.

Blood ran from Elijah’s mouth as he doubled over and fell between two rows of seats. A group of Dwellers, whipped into a frenzy, swarmed over him.

‘No!’ screamed Halia.

‘Elijah!!’ Borne roared and began battering his way through the barrier and the ranks of Dwellers, in an apocalyptic fury so absolute it even shocked Lucas Morodai into immobility for a moment.

The huge Arma steam rollered over anyone stupid enough to get in his way and such was the ferocity of his attack, he made it to Halia and Merelie before any Dweller was able to stop him.

He glanced down briefly at where the monsters still crowded over his dead friend, but shook off the grief, knowing it would do him no good. Halia was in floods of tears and Merelie’s face was ashen.

‘We’re leaving this hall… now!’ Borne told them.

‘No!’ Merelie shouted. She started back down to where Max was now sweating with the effort of maintaining the barrier, and Draveli and Imelda were still fighting off the Dwellers. ‘We can’t leave them… and we have to get that Cornerstone!’

The book in question lay at Morodai’s feet as he shaped more spears of power at Max, trying to pierce the rapidly disintegrating force field.

‘Stay behind me, then!’ the Arma demanded and began wading his way back toward the Chapter Lord. Merelie came after, Wordcrafting away Dwellers as she did.

Morodai saw the attack coming and span round to meet it.

As he prepared another lance of power aimed at Borne’s heart, he was rugby tackled to the table's polished surface by the rotund and extremely angry form of Osgood Draveli.

Morodai squawked in surprise.

Osgood had watched Morodai standing exultant as the very monsters Draveli had helped bring into this world threatened to suck his mind dry. He’d been utterly betrayed by Morodai. Despite everything he’d done for him - all the insults he’d taken, all the injuries he’d sustained - Morodai had thrown him to the wolves in an instant.

Anger had propelled him through Max’s barricade, the mass of Dwellers, and up onto the table within reach of his former ally.

Draveli wasn’t much of a fighter, but did do a nice line in vicious hand slapping and shrieking like a little girl. It certainly distracted Morodai long enough for Merelie to reach in and grab the golden Cornerstone.

 ‘Borne! Get me through to Max!’ she screamed, ducking below the grasping arms of a Dweller.

Borne ripped out one of the plush high-backed chairs from its place at the table and swatted the creatures away until there was a clear path for Merelie to run through.

‘Get back with mother Borne! There’s nothing more you can do. Max will protect me!’ She put her head down and sprinted at the barrier. ‘Max! Let me in!’ she yelled.

Max saw her coming and let that side of the barrier drop. Merelie ran in and he slammed the invisible wall back up before the Dwellers could follow.

Borne ran back up to where Halia still sat, intent on protecting his dead friend’s mistress.

Osgood Draveli was still doing a good job of keeping Morodai overpowered, slapping and shrieking so much that his ex-master couldn’t concentrate enough to muster any Wordcraft. Morodai may have been a powerful Wordsmith, but he was a hundred and seventy pounds to Draveli’s two ninety.

 ‘Merelie! I told you to get to safety!’ Jacob grabbed her by the arm as she went to Max.

‘We need to send them back, father! Otherwise we’re all dead anyway!’ She held up the Morodai Cornerstone to Max. ‘You need to send them back!’

‘Er… kinda busy here, Merelie!’ he replied, grimacing as another wave of Dwellers rebounded off the unstable force field.

‘But you’re the only one who can stop them!’ she wailed.

‘For crying out loud Merelie, I'm not the answer to everything!  If I let this down, the Dwellers will be over us in seconds!’

‘Then what do I do?’ she pleaded.

He looked at her with panicked frustration. ‘I don’t know!’

‘Send them back, Merelie,’ her father said in a calm voice as he knelt beside her. ‘You don’t need Max to do this. They're your nightmares, not his. You can send them away.’

Merelie looked desperate. ‘No! That’s not how it should work. That’s not what The Cornerstone wants!’

‘The Cornerstone chose Max… but it also chose
you
, Merelie,’ Jacob said. ‘Your strength made all this possible - your connection with the words on the page. So use them. Use Morodai’s book. Send the monsters away.’

Merelie looked down for a moment, then into her father’s eyes. She nodded and rose to her feet, opening the Morodai Cornerstone.

‘Open the gateway and send them back,’ she said to it in a firm tone.

The golden book glowed briefly with a sickly purple light, but otherwise did nothing.

Merelie took a deep breath. ‘Send them back, now.’

It still refused to do anything.

‘It’s no good. It won’t listen to me, I’m not a Morodai,’ she said, dejected.

‘Maybe it’ll listen to its own kind!’ Imelda called over from the other side of the shrinking barrier, where she was holding back several snarling Dwellers. ‘Give her our Cornerstone, Max!’

One of the monsters - Bethan Falion no less - broke completely through the invisible wall and ran at Imelda, screeching in fury. Both women went tumbling to the ground, the Dweller’s teeth snapping at Imelda’s face, smoke starting to spill from her eyes.

‘It’s down my pants!’ Max shouted.

‘What?’ Merelie looked horrified.

Max saw the expression not just on her face, but her father’s as well. ‘The Cornerstone, I mean! It’s in my jeans… at the back!’

Merelie understood and lifted his hoodie, snatching the Carvallen Cornerstone from where he’d stuck it for safe keeping.

She put both books on the ground, opened them, rested her hands on their pages and begged her Cornerstone to help.

Please! Please make it send those things back!

The Cornerstone heard her plea… and the great choir began to sing.

- 2 -

Back at the big prize fight, Morodai was finally getting the upper hand against his chubby counterpart. He smacked Draveli twice in the face, stunning him, giving the thin Chapter Lord time to get to his feet.

‘You little weasel! How dare you attack me!’ Morodai spat and pointed at the nearest Dwellers. ‘Kill him! Rip him to shreds! Take his mind and destroy his body!’

Several of the creatures broke off from the pack trying to get at Max and swarmed over Osgood Draveli.

He screamed once and was lost from view as living smoke engulfed his corpulent body.

Morodai turned his head away in disgust.

It was then he heard the unearthly sound of the Carvallen Cornerstone above the howling of the Dwellers. Morodai looked down to see that his own Cornerstone had gone and realised what was happening.