The Serpent of Eridor (22 page)

Almost midnight. Fifteen minutes ago they had been standing exhausted in the tunnel, listening as the last of the tremors died away and the earth settled again. A few muttered words from Zorrin produced the now-familiar coldness and distant elfin music as they transparticulated to
Phaedea
, moored off Desdea.

‘There's so much I don't understand,' Alex began once his body had passed through the hazy stage, his limbs becoming solid.

‘Eat first, then talk,' said Flick, sweeping an arm over the galley table.

A magnificent feast appeared: bowls of hot soup, chicken pie, fruit, cake, juice. They all dropped into chairs and started eating as Zorrin pointed to a huge ripe pineapple. With a shower of sparks it began to peel itself, the skin unwrapping in one long curl. For a moment it hung in the air motionless, then began to twist itself into the outlines of various jungle creatures. The snake formed quickly, but it took several seconds to create a passable elephant.

‘Easy,' hissed Ikara. ‘Rhino?'

Zorrin waved a finger. A charging rhino bore down on Tariq, who half rose to attack it. It became a monkey. Tariq sat back, laughing.

‘Tell me, Flick. How exactly did you manage to get enchanted by Karlan?' asked Zorrin.

‘Stupidity,' she replied, stabbing a hefty wedge of roast yam. ‘As soon as Karlan had flown into the stables he changed back into a man. Scheming, vengeful, back to full magic power, he crept to the main part of Ravenscraig, leaving the hexed drink for me. On finding a goblet of gorgeous-smelling juice in the kitchen I drank it, believing it to have been left by either you or Viskar. Unfortunately – as I was distracted by relief at your sudden appearance and concern about Tariq – I didn't register that it was magical, despite it being irresistible.'

‘This food's irresistible. Is it enchanted?' asked Keeko, ploughing her way through her fourth mango.

‘Only enough to make it yummy. Once I had drunk Karlan's vile potion I had no choice but to obey his orders.'

‘Good spell. I must get the recipe,' said Zorrin.

‘No chance. Subsequently, Karlan transmorphed into a mouse to eavesdrop on your plans. Yet Clawds has such a highly-developed sense of predor, he recognised him to be evil. Once you had gone, on Karlan's orders, I released him from his bubble and took him down to the dungeons to talk to Tevo.'

‘But why didn't you say something to us? Give a hint?' asked Ikara.

‘I couldn't, owing to the hex. Yet his influence was radically weakened by being lignified. That's why I could send for you when threatened by someone other than him. I couldn't directly contradict his orders, but I could do some things that he had not expressly forbidden and he had not banned me from sending a souvent.'

‘How would he have known that souvents exist?' asked Zorrin.

Flick's face broke out into a huge gin. ‘Exactly. He didn't.'

‘But why did you imprison Rectoria?' asked Alex.

‘She wasn't working for Karlan at that time.'

Tariq picked up another hunk of warm fresh bread. ‘So under his orders you released the goblins from the dungeons and let the whole pack of them out of Ravenscraig?'

‘Yes, and led them to you. Yet even under the influence of such a major spell I'd insisted that you wouldn't die, Zorrin. That was his major mistake, underestimating the power of the bond between brother and sister. For when he went to kill you and I moved to stop him, he stated that the agreement was broken. Hence the enchantment combusted.'

‘Thank Xenos for the love of a sister.' Zorrin threw a ball of bread at Flick. Just before she caught it it morphed into a single white rose. ‘Why did Karlan have you release the goblin band? He and Tevo have been enemies in the past. Theirs seems an unlikely alliance.'

‘Karlan needed allies. Deep in the dungeons he made a pact with Tevo. He would get me to release all of them and hand over the Sword of Alwyn. In return they had to accompany us and fight for him. The goblins were more than happy to agree, as they love a battle. Furthermore, Tevo would have agreed to almost anything to get the Sword of Alwyn back.'

‘Which unfortunately they have achieved. That will be a problem for another day,' sighed Zorrin.

A grunt escaped Smuddy Binks, lying sleeping on a chair.

Alex glanced over towards him. ‘Why did the badger help? Risked his life for us. Seems odd, when we only met him today.'

Flick told them all about Smuddy Binks's visit to her room and how he'd subsequently lied for her. ‘I wasn't sure of him at that point, which is why it seemed safer to imprison him with the others, but he's certainly proved his loyalty to us.'

Zorrin pushed back his chair and stood up. ‘I'm going to the forward deck to fish for a while.'

With an uncomfortably overfull stomach, Alex followed Zorrin, Skoodle in his pocket. The moonlight seemed suspiciously bright. Alex suspected that Zorrin had somehow turned the brilliance up a few notches. The sea lapped at the gently rocking boat as a few clouds drifted across the heavens.

Zorrin was sitting on an air cushion, a drink and a bowl of nuts on a table beside him, the fishing line aiming straight upwards towards the moon. Figstaff slept nearby, his breathing so shallow that he resembled a statue of Buddha. Zorrin threw a Brazil nut at him. One of the frog's eyes opened, his mouth yawned wide and the nut vanished down his throat. His heavy lids closed and he started snoring.

‘Asleep again in less than three seconds,' said Zorrin. ‘Not a record, but close.'

Skoodle yawned. ‘This boat is awesome. Better than the caves. On an enjoyment scale of nought to ten this is ten – the encounter with Hypnos being about minus forty-two point three.'

‘So precise?' asked Zorrin.

‘I don't want to exaggerate.'

‘What are you hoping to catch?' Alex asked, gazing up into the dark heavens in which the stars stood out as tiny bright holes in the velvet canopy.

‘Sky fish.'

There was a tug on Zorrin's line. He reeled it in to find a pale blue octopus-shaped cloud. Zorrin unhooked the undulating mass. He glanced up at Alex. ‘I've got a reasonable chance of tracing your parents, as we know where the time tears that blew them away came from.'

‘I've just clicked. Is that why you kept Rectoria talking?' asked Alex. ‘I thought you were stalling for time.'

‘No, fishing for information. If I can find more time tears at the same place they should transport me to the same era as your parents. Then I can bring them back to the present.'

Zorrin turned the luminous shape over, viewing it from all sides. ‘Only a dream.' He allowed the cloud to float away then let the line play out, glinting silver in the moonlight.

‘We may have sent Karlan and Virida to the same time zone as your parents. However, I feel that Virginia and Mark should be a reasonable match for two displaced wizards.'

Alex picked up a Brazil nut. About to shove it in his mouth, he realised that he couldn't stuff anything else in. He lobbed it to Figstaff. There was a pop as his mouth opened and the nut vanished. The frog closed his eyes, instantly asleep again.

‘Three seconds,' said Alex. ‘Equalling you on my first attempt.'

‘Luck. Your final task on Eridor will be helping me return the sapphire to the heart of Makusha.' He gave a wry smile as Alex shuddered. ‘The journey will not be bad at all this time. As the stone is in my possession, we'll find a sunny tropical morning when we arrive.'

Zorrin gave his line an impatient shake. There was a strange stiffness in his body and his speech sounded odd.
It's like he's being really formal
, thought Alex. Then another thought crossed his mind.
Or brave
. Suddenly he understood.

Zorrin's line straightened a little, swaying in the weak current, the hook drifting in the air. ‘Once you've replaced the sapphire you can return to your own country.'

‘Yes,' shouted Skoodle, punching the air. ‘What do you think, Uncle Toomba? Leaving this place with poisonous snakes, evil wizards and exploding aqualates to return to safe old England… what?… yes, I know we haven't found… but surely… oh, fine… thanks a whole heap.'

‘What did he say?' asked Alex.

‘He didn't answer.'

Alex scratched Skoodle behind the ears. ‘Toomba's right. Since I know now that my parents are alive somewhere, I have to try to find them. Anyway, Eridor feels more like home than my aunt's house ever did.' Alex picked up a second rod and let his own line float towards the stars. ‘So you're stuck with us for a while.'

As Alex's hook drifted up to join his own, Zorrin grinned. ‘Ice.'