The Magic Lands (25 page)

Don't be
foolish,
he chastised himself.
Was not the Master in control? And was he not the

Master's envoy? Nothing could
stand against them. Nothing. The badger would learn that soon
enough.

They passed over many
scars in the land. Dredger did not speak. His mind was tormented by
his companion. Who was Geheimnis?
What
was he?

Since his ordeal, the acrid
taste of defeat and humiliation staying with him, Dredger had tried
vainly to rationalise what had happened. So the man was a magician,
that much seemed certain. But what was his purpose? Why had the
masked man saved his life?

Whatever his intentions,
Dredger knew that they must be of some arcane design. But he was
forced to wonder if he could match the sorcery of this man. Doubts,
like locusts, swarmed through his mind, devouring his thoughts,
consuming his reason. Unable to rely upon logic, he understood on
some basic level that all he could trust now was his own will to
succeed, the heart of his existence.

And whatever role Geheimnis
might play, Dredger would not let it make any difference.

Everyone had to die
sometime.

Jack quickly closed the book as
the man entered the room, feeling a little embarrassed because he
hadn't asked permission to look at it.

Rising from his chair, Tom
waited for the expected invitation to go and meet their host. But
none came.

Jack put down the book and also
stood up. "Where's Mo?"

"Young masters," the man began
graciously, "your friend has asked me to advise you that he will be
detained for quite some time, as he has very important matters to
discuss. He has asked me to relay to you his most profound
apologies and to assure you both that all is well."

Tom glanced at Jack and then
regarded the man doubtfully. "How long will he be?"

"I really cannot say. Your
friend asked me to tell you that he would explain everything later
and until then, my Master has instructed me to show you to your
room."

"Room?" Jack spoke up.

"Yes," said the man kindly. "It
has been agreed that you shall stay the night. After all, it is The
Huntsmen's Ball this evening and you wouldn't want to miss that,
now would you? And then tomorrow, there will be the Hunt itself.
Who knows, the Master may even invite you to ride with him."

Tom and Jack didn't know what
to say. As far as Tom was concerned it was all very suspicious, but
what could they do? He knew that something was wrong, yet until
they knew more about what was going on in this house, they were in
no position to do very much other than keep their wits about them
and see how things went. "All right," he said eventually, "we’ve
come a long way and we are tired. I suppose we could both do with a
good night's sleep on a real bed." In the corner of his eye, Tom
noticed that Jack was staring at him.

"Very good," said the man,
smiling. "If you would come this way..."

He led them out into the
hallway and then up a flight of wide stairs that took them to a
long corridor, and as the boys walked along a little way behind
their escort, Jack nudged his friend and whispered harshly into his
ear. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "Don't you think
you're being just a bit too trusting about all of this?"

Tom smiled tightly. "I know,"
he replied softly, "but until we find Mo, it's better if we just go
along with it. Once that butler, or whatever he is, leaves us
alone, we can do a bit of exploring and see what we can find
out."

Jack nodded at this, his
confidence restored. "I've got a few questions of my own I'd like
to ask Mo," he said enigmatically.

Tom was about to comment on
this when the man came to a sudden halt ahead of them and waved his
hand toward a broad oak door. "Here you are, young masters. This is
your room. I hope you don’t mind sharing." With that he opened the
door, unveiling a lavish suite which for a few seconds took both
boys breath away.

Tom stepped inside onto a deep
burgundy carpet. A huge four-poster bed stood impressively against
a wall, reminding him fleetingly of the one he had seen in the
caves of Rith-ran-ro-en, but he quickly pushed this memory away and
continued to survey the room. An ornate chest of drawers dominated
another wall, a gigantic mirror above it and an adjoining door led
through into a very spacious bathroom, the bath itself five times
bigger than any he had ever seen before.

"I hope you will be
comfortable," the man said as he turned to leave. "I will come and
inform you when the ball is about to begin. Until then, if you
require a change of clothing, there is suitable attire in the
wardrobes. And of course, all other facilities are at your
disposal."

"Thanks," answered Tom.

With a brief nod of his head
the man left, giving Tom and Jack a chance to have a good look
around.

"It really is like a palace,"
Jack remarked, taking a running jump at the bed and landing easily
on a wonderfully springy mattress.

"It is pretty impressive,"
admitted Tom a little begrudgingly.

"I know what you're thinking,"
Jack said, bouncing gently on the bed. "Now’s not the time for
admiring the scenery. We've got work to do."

Tom looked back at his friend
and smiled. "Let's find out if things are really the way our butler
friend wants us to think they are."

"Do you think Mo is all
right?"

This concern was also on Tom's
mind and he wished he could believe the old badger was really
discussing important matters with Mr. Blakestone. But he was
afraid. Very afraid. "He can take care of himself," he told Jack,
hoping it was so.

"I'll be a lot happier when
he's with us again."

"Come on then," Tom bid the
other boy, moving toward the door.

"What if it's locked?" Jack
said, the idea only just occurring to him. Tom took hold of the
handle and turned it sharply, the door opening with ease. "I know
this may sound stupid," Jack voiced at his side, "but what if they
want us to come looking."

Tom glanced at his friend
uneasily. "I only wish it did sound stupid."

With a grunt escaping from
between gritted teeth, Dredger reached the far side of a wide
chasm. It was perhaps, marginally, the largest they had yet
crossed. Geheimnis stood casually awaiting his arrival. "You are
improving." The warrior spat dust from his mouth and looked ahead.
"It would seem we near our goal," the masked man said, also turning
toward the horizon where the landscape appeared to slope
dramatically upward.

Dredger gazed out into the
swirling clouds of powder and dirt roused by a relentless wind and
in his memory, buried deep, a recollection began to stir.

He had been here before, in a
dream.

As the land rose, they would
climb to the top of a steep ridge and there below, Hydan would lay,
awaiting him. Spitting bitter saliva from his lips, he turned to
his companion. "Now finally the truth will make itself known. No
more masquerades, no more trickery. The time has come for you to
reveal your purpose."

Geheimnis nodded slowly,
his mask plain once more. "Indeed, my eternal friend. The
time
has
come. I have awaited
aeons for this moment to come to pass. At last, I have returned
home again."

"Do you think we should split
up and look for him?" Jack asked, although his voice indicated that
he didn't really like his own suggestion very much.

"Not likely!" stated Tom
firmly. "You know what happens to people in films when they split
up."

"Someone always gets it!"

"Exactly," Tom went on, "and
we've already been separated from Mo, so let's me and you stick
together, all right?"

"I'm convinced," agreed
Jack.

They were now passing along a
shadowy hallway that was lit by hanging lanterns suspended from the
walls. They gave the place a strange, ghostly appearance that
neither boy particularly relished. Arriving at a turning in the
long corridor they came to a prompt halt, distant voices audible
somewhere just beyond the corner.

"What now?" whispered Tom,
leaning close to the wall.

Jack bit his lip absently.
"There’s no point running at the first sign of trouble.”

With a nod Tom started forward,
Jack following close behind.

They crept stealthily around
the corner and found themselves gazing at what appeared to be no
more than a continuation of the hallway. But the voices were much
louder now and seemed closer. It sounded as if there were many
people in conversation, a great gathering, but there were no doors
visible and the corridor went on for as far as they could see. They
noticed that this part of the house was also far brighter, even
though the lanterns on the walls were exactly as before.

On closer inspection, Tom saw
that further along the hallway to his right the wall was
interrupted by an ornately carved, wooden balustrade. Moving very
cautiously forward to where light poured into the passage, they
peeked down through the balusters and realised that they were
directly above a great hall.

"The Huntsmen's ball?" breathed
Jack, kneeling down and keeping his head low.

They watched as scores of
people dressed in the red and white of the hunt milled about
below.

"That means we'll have been
missed," Tom whispered.

Jack nodded grimly. "Look's
like we're in more trouble."

"And that's not the worst of
it," Tom returned, looking into his friend's anxious eyes. "Have
you noticed anything funny about those people down there?"

Jack gazed down at the crowded
hall and studied the men and women more carefully, and although
when he had first glanced at them he had presumed them to have
human faces, he now realised with growing horror that none were
visible.

The features of everyone
gathered there were concealed beneath a mask. The mask of a
wolf.

CONFRONTATION WITH THE
BEAST

He had gone to the room where
he had left the two boys and as expected found it empty. The Master
had told him they would be gone. And as it was always, the Master
had been right. Now it was time to pay a visit on the creature he
had trapped so neatly in the cellar.

With a quickening pace, the man
made his way along one of the many twisting corridors that ran all
through every level of the great house, creating a maze in which
those who were unfamiliar with its secrets could easily become
lost. He could admit, at least to himself, that he didn't
particularly relish the idea of facing the badger again, but he had
been given his instructions and could not ignore them. He knew what
had to be done and that the task was his alone to perform.

The Master had leant close to
him and spoken in a low, confidential voice. "The half-one must be
slain...murdered by your hand."

"But how shall I kill the
animal, Master?" he had questioned, doing his utmost to hide his
fear.

"Take this," the Master had
said nonchalantly, handing him a small metallic object.

The man had examined the gift,
turning it over tentatively in his hands. It was a miniature
pistol, no bigger than his palm.

"How can I kill it with a toy?"
he had asked, confused.

"It will do quite well, quite
nicely," the Master had assured him. "Trust me."

The man had gazed into his
master's eyes with both awe and dread and bowed his head. "It will
be done."

"Just one shot between the
eyes," the Master had chuckled, close to his ear, "no more, no
less."

Now, as he turned another
corner in the hallway, the man fingered the gun nervously. Just one
shot. And so it would be. For when he had checked the weapons
chambers, only one of the six had held a bullet.

"Wolf masks!" Jack said, only
just managing to keep his voice down.

Tom stared at the faces of the
huntsmen assembled together for their Ball. "We were right then,"
he whispered, "something is going on here, something to do with the
White Wolf."

"Yes," Jack answered, "and you
can bet your life that it knows we're here."

Tom frowned. "I'd rather not
take that bet if it's all the same to you."

"So what are we going to do
now?" asked Jack as Tom crawled back along the corridor until he
was certain he could not be seen. Jack did likewise and then
gaining their feet, the boys looked gravely at one another.

"We'll search this place from
top to bottom until we find Mo," Tom said. "Maybe not everyone in
the house is on the Wolf's side, but to be safe, let's keep out of
sight as much as possible. Who knows, Mo might even be looking for
us."

"If he's still alive," Jack
mumbled, his eyes downcast.

Tom didn't want to think about
that. If the badger had been captured by the Wolf, that would mean
they were all alone. No, Mo was all right, wherever he was. He
would not allow himself to think otherwise. "Come on, let's get
going," he said briskly.

Jack's face told how
afraid and anxious he was and Tom knew that their situation wasn’t
good, stranded here in the midst of an enemy stronghold, without
help or guidance. Briefly, he wondered if Uncle Ira and Aunt Emily
thought that
he
was dead. Had
they called in the police? Perhaps search-parties were at that very
moment scouring the area around their village, dogs attempting to
sniff out their scent. But surely they had been missing for too
long, possibly weeks, although his concept of time had been
completely altered since coming to this strange world. The search
could have been called off long ago for all he knew and this idea
depressed him deeply. But as the badger had said, time was just a
manmade thing. Maybe only a moment had passed in that other
world,
his
world.