“It was a trick!” declared Ben. “How do we get out?”
Amy came running over. “What’s happened? What’s happened?” she screamed, as she peered at her friends caged in the alcove.
“We pressed a piece of rock that looked like a button. We thought it might reveal a secret room. Look around on the walls outside, there might be another button that makes the cage door go back up!” cried Tia.
As Amy scanned the walls outside the alcove, the others tried lifting the metal panel, but it was stuck to the floor and would not budge.
“I’ve found something!” shouted Amy. “I think this could be it… it’s a square piece of stone sticking out of the wall.”
“Press it quickly!” replied Hal. “Get us out of here!”
Amy pressed the rock, and nothing happened for a few seconds. Then, to everyone’s horror, metal spikes protruded from the ceiling of the alcove. They extended for about a foot and then stopped. The captives looked up in horror at the spikes and wondered what was about to happen. Then an alarm sounded… some kind of warning siren. The floor in the alcove began to move! It was moving upwards, moving them towards the spikes. Tia screamed, and Jacob started banging on the metal bars.
“We’re going to die… we’re going to die!” he howled.
Amy looked at her friends, not knowing how she could help.
“Amy, look around for another button!” screamed Hal. “There must be another button!”
Amy was shaking with fear as she frantically searched around. The alcove floor moved higher and higher with each second that passed.
“Lie flat on the floor!” Josiah shouted to the others in the alcove. Everyone immediately obeyed, lying as flat as possible as the floor rose upwards towards the spikes.
“I’ve found three more buttons all next to each other!” shouted Amy in desperation. “I don’t know which one to press!”
“Just press any!” shouted Hal. The spikes were now only a few feet above them, and Hal looked at his friends panic-ridden faces. Amy quickly pressed the first rock button and the floor immediately stopped moving. Relief appeared on the faces of those trapped in the alcove, and they waited, hoping that the floor would move back downwards or the spikes would ascend back into the ceiling, but nothing happened.
“Amy, press another button!” shouted Hal from inside the alcove.
“What if I press the wrong one?!” Amy sobbed.
“We have no other option, Amy! You need to press one!”
Amy held out her hand, not knowing which button to press. Fearing the worst, she placed the palm of her hand over the second button, closed her eyes and pressed it, not daring to look at her friends. The floor started to move upwards again, and she heard Tia’s screams. She quickly put her hand to the final button and pressed with all her might. She watched as, immediately, the floor again came to a standstill. After a few seconds a siren sounded, the floor started to move downwards again and the spikes disappeared into the ceiling.
Her friends sat up and hugged each other as Amy collapsed to the floor and sobbed in exultation. As the floor hit ground level, another alarm sounded and the metal bars rose to the ceiling, freeing the trapped friends. Then, as the relieved, shaking group stepped clear of the alcove, they heard another strange sound and looked behind them. To their astonishment, the far wall of the alcove was opening out to reveal a secret room behind it!
“I knew it… I knew it!” cried Ballin excitedly.
They slowly walked through the open alcove and into the room beyond. Before them was a large area of sand with several rows of stepping stones stretching to the far side of the keep. Beyond the sand they could see a large circle of stones with a glass dome on top. Floating inside the dome was the Orb, the Orb they had been searching for, glowing and shimmering and rotating in the air!
“The Orb!” gasped Amy. The friends smiled at each other, knowing that it was now within their reach.
“The Orb is yours for the taking, Hal.” Tia smiled. “You should go and take what is rightfully yours!”
“We need to use the number code and magic spell first,” replied Hal enthusiastically.
“You will probably need to use the code to release the glass,” suggested Ballin.
“Well, let’s go and have a look!” said Hal, smiling, as he began to walk across the stepping stones towards the Orb. Ballin followed closely behind.
Suddenly, Hal lost his balance and realised that the stones were sinking into the sand. He felt himself being sucked down and tried to move his feet, but they were stuck fast, and the more he tried to free himself, the lower he sank. “Help me… it’s quicksand!” he yelled.
Ballin gasped and held out his hand to help his friend, but to his horror, he also began to submerge into the sand.
“Keep still!” shouted Hal. “The more you struggle, the further you sink!”
The sand was now up to their waists. They tried to keep as still as possible, afraid that they would disappear completely beneath the surface.
“Don’t stand on the stones!” Ballin shouted to the others.
Something came into Ben’s mind and he counted the number of rows of stepping stones. “What if we don’t need to use the number code for the Orb?” he blurted. “What if we have to use the code when crossing the stepping stones?”
“I don’t understand!” Tia panicked as she watched her friends sinking further into the quicksand.
“There are eight numbers in the code, and there are also eight rows of stepping stones!” answered Ben. The number code is 3.1415926. What if we were to step out three stones on the left-hand row, then step to the right to the second row? The next number is one, so step forward one more stone and then across to the third row. The next number is four, so move forward four more stones and then step to the right again. Continue to move in this pattern until we reach the far side. It might work! Then if we know which stones won’t sink, we can work out how to help Hal and Ballin!”
“The only way to find out is to try it!” shouted Hal fearfully. “But be careful!”
“I’ll do it!” replied Ben. “I could be wrong and I don’t want anyone else to come to any harm over my mistake.”
“Be careful, Ben!” whispered Amy.
Ben moved in front of the first row of stones. He began stepping out, counting the stones as he crossed. “One, two, three.” He stood still on the third stepping stone and paused, afraid to make his next move. The stones stayed firmly on top of the sand and did not move. He carefully stepped across to the next row and held his breath. The stone held fast.
“The next number is one, Ben,” shouted Owen in encouragement.
Ben stepped forward one more stone, then across to the next row. Again the stones remained rigid and did not submerge into the sand.
“Now four, Ben,” yelled Amy.
Ben’s heart was in his throat as he moved forward another four steps, and again stepped across to the next row. With the shouts of encouragement from his friends he continued the pattern: forward one and across, forward five and across, forward nine and across, forward two and across. His heart pounded as he moved forward on the final six stones and found himself standing on the far side of the sand in front of the glowing Orb. He released a huge exhalation of pent-up breath as he heard the others clapping in excitement.
“Now we know which stones to stand on, we need to help Hal and Ballin quickly,” shouted Ben. “There is a long pole hooked onto the wall over here. I presume this is to help people out!” He ran over, unhooked the pole and turned back towards the sand.
“I don’t think that will be necessary!” boomed a voice from back inside the alcove.
The friends turned around, and to their horror saw King Ados and his guards standing in the entrance to the room. Amy, Jacob and Owen were pushed to the ground by the Unicerons and their hands were tied behind their backs.
Tia and Josiah were shoved against the rocky wall, tied together and gagged. Ben stared in disbelief and shock from the other side of the sand, feeling helpless and afraid.
“So, Haligan Lexin… you thought that you could trick me, did you? You thought that you could steal my Orb and become king. You didn’t think I would make it that easy for you, did you? And you used Giddles to help you! Well, here you are stuck in quicksand. What are you going to do now? You can’t reach the Orb whilst you are cemented in there, can you?” King Ados broke into a callous and wicked laugh and pointed the glowing Sword of Gwyntog at Hal. “Shall I finish you off or enjoy watching you slowly sink?” A sardonic smile gleamed in his eyes.
“You might stop me from becoming king,” bellowed Hal in retaliation, “but there are others who could make a worthy king.” He turned his head towards Ben. “Ben, get the Orb! The throne is yours to take! You are the one who brought us this riddle and helped us solve it. You are the worthy king of this land… go and take what is rightfully yours!”
“But it is not mine to take,” shouted Ben in bewilderment. “The Moonbeamers are the true kings of this land.”
“No, Ben, the old witch led you to us. You are the true king. Take the Orb, Ben, before it is too late!” yelled Hal in desperation.
King Ados glared at Hal in disbelief and then turned to stare at Ben. Ben knew he had to do everything he could to free the land of this evil king. He began to run towards the Orb.
“Seize him!” roared the King as rage swept over him.
The King’s men started to run across the stepping stones, slipping and sinking into the sand.
“You imbeciles! Do I have to do everything myself?!” The King’s blood boiled as he quickly jumped onto the first row of stones and started to count out the number sequence in order to reach the far side.
“Run!” Amy shouted to Ben.
Ben reached the Orb and touched the glass protecting it. The dome opened up and he placed his hands on the Orb’s glowing surface. It felt warm to touch, and a haze of glittering light lit up his hands and spread a quiver of goosebumps through his entire body. He felt a burst of energy enter him and engulf his inner self. As he began to chant the magic spell, he instantly felt a renewed confidence and strength:
Oh, Orb, dear Orb, please listen to me,
Pass me your powers for all to see,
For I am the one who will rule this land well,
The power of the Sword should be mine to tell.
As he chanted the spell, flashes of light escaped from the Orb, shooting around his head. He tried to concentrate on the spell, but felt the speeding wisps of light trying to pull him away.
“Ignore them, Ben, ignore them. They are the deathly souls the riddle warns us about. They will try and stop you from taking the Orb, but they cannot hurt you. Ignore them!” Hal shouted.
Ben kept his eyes tightly closed, trying to block out all evil, and continued to recite:
I will be a leader who is good and true,
Using powers wisely, which pass from you,
For I am the rightful heir of these lands,
I promise you this, as I hold out my hands.
Out of nowhere, Ben heard a familiar voice whispering his name. He glanced over into the corner of the keep and, to his disbelief, saw his mother standing there. She was beckoning him to come to her. He paused for a moment and smiled.
“Don’t listen to her, Ben! It’s not your mother, it’s the deathly souls trying to play tricks with your mind. Ignore her; I promise you it’s not your mother!” Hal shrieked, hoping and praying that he could convince Ben to listen to him.
Ben had not seen his mother for weeks and felt drawn to the image of her in the corner. He desperately wanted to feel her arms around him again, and to tell her how sorry he was for the worry he had caused, but slowly he tried to take heed of Hal’s warning. He regained his composure and turned back to look at the Orb and realised it was becoming very hot in his hands. He glanced behind him and saw that King Ados had reached the far side of the stepping stones and was running towards him, brandishing the Sword of Gwyntog. With renewed determination, Ben’s concentration returned to the Orb and he continued to chant the spell.
Be loyal to me and I will be faithful to you,
For this is my destiny, which I dearly hold true,
For I am the monarch, the monarch to be,
Your powers should pass to no one but me.
As he finished chanting the spell, he saw King Ados swinging the Sword towards him. Ben’s blood ran cold and he held his breath in fear, anticipating the impact, but none came and the glowing Sword suddenly dimmed and dropped from King Ados’ hand. The King hollered in fury and went to pick it up. As he did so, it scalded his hand and he dropped it again, screaming in pain.
“No!” he shouted in absolute rage. Fury blinded him and he sank to the floor in anger and disbelief.
Ben, still holding the Orb in one hand, bent down to pick up the magical Sword of Gwyntog. As he touched it, it began to glow and shimmer radiantly. He held it high in the air. Ben felt an enormous rush of power from the Sword, and knew, in that moment, that the Sword now served no one but him.
Chapter 15
Crowning of a King
News spread fast and the inhabitants of the land of Numblebrook were overjoyed. King Ados ruled no more and at last the people could look forward to a new future. The name on everyone’s lips was that of Benjamin Giddle, a young earthling boy who had saved the land from evil and destruction. Today was to be his coronation day, and people had come from far and wide to catch sight of their future king.
King Ados had been banished to Numblebrook Island Prison to meet the same fate he had sentenced many others to. Innocent prisoners had been freed and talked of owing their lives to the brave earthling child, a national hero. The Unicerons no longer served the evil King Ados and now served the one with the power of the Sword… Benjamin Giddle.
“How are you feeling, Ben… are you a little nervous?” asked Hal. He looked out of one of the high windows at Cottisham Castle as eager crowds were gathering outside. “Many people have come to see you crowned king. You have made them very happy, Benjamin.”
“I do not feel that I am a worthy king,” replied Ben. “I am grateful to the Moonbeamers and all these people who gather outside, but I am just a young child from Earthlingcragg. I don’t have the wisdom needed to be a king.”
“Do not worry yourself, Ben. I am your right-hand man and will teach you everything I know. Don’t forget, I owe my life to you!”
Ben smiled at Hal, but inside he felt a sense of emptiness and missed his family.
There was a soft tap on the door and Amy and Tia walked into the room. Both looked exceptionally beautiful in their long, flowing gowns and sparkling tiaras.
“Are you both ready? The ceremony is about to start and people are waiting,” Tia advised fondly.
Ben gave a deep sigh and nodded. Amy placed her hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring pat.
As they stepped through the doorway and into the castle grounds, they were greeted by the cheers of thousands of people. Trumpets played as Ben walked through the crowds wearing his majestic robes. Unicerons lined the walkway and bowed as Ben passed. Hal, Tia and Amy followed close behind him.
A stage had been erected in the middle of the large courtyard and the throne awaited him. He walked up the steps and saw Jacob and Owen sitting over to one side of the congregation. Ballin, Josiah and Shadrack sat at the front and cheered Ben as he climbed the steps.
Nalark stood in the centre of the stage dressed in long white robes. “Welcome, Benjamin Giddle, future King of Numblebrook! Please kneel,” he stated.
Ben knelt on the soft cushion before him, but a weight settled in his heart and he was unsure that this was what he wanted. He felt proud of what he had achieved and elated that Numblebrook
was free of its evil king. But sorrow shredded his insides, for he ached to see his family again and his body felt laden with sadness.
“Will you solemnly promise to serve the people of Numblebrook, to use the Orb and the Sword of Gwyntog for the good of the land, and to be a loyal and trusted king for your people?” Nalark asked.
Ben remained silent, trapped in his own thoughts, and the crowd began to stir, waiting for his response.
“You need to say you solemnly promise!” whispered Amy nervously, wondering why he was not responding.
Ben slowly rose to his feet and then turned to address the crowd. “I am sorry, but I cannot solemnly swear to serve the people of Numblebrook. I am truly honoured that so many people have travelled from far and wide to see me crowned king, but I am not the one who should rightfully rule this land. I helped overthrow the evil King Ados and I hold the power of the Enchanter’s Orb and the Sword of Gwyntog, but the crown should not have been mine for the taking. The true kings of this land are the Moonbeamers. It is they who had the crown stolen from them. They ruled this land well for many years, with loyalty, love, kindness and respect. It is they who can restore happiness to this land, not I. I do not have the experience and loyalty that I need to rule this beautiful place. I am proud to have been part of solving the riddle and bringing peace to Numblebrook, but although I love and admire this special land and the friends I have made here, my loyalties lie elsewhere. I would not make a good king when my heart lies in my homeland.”
Gasps could be heard from the crowd.
“Without you, Benjamin Giddle, we would not have been able to solve the riddle and win back the Orb. You have come to this land and brought peace. The Orb and the realm are rightfully yours,” Hal announced.
“No, Hal, you are the rightful king. The Orb was stolen from your father and you were next in line to rule. You were raised as royalty and I cannot take that from you.” Ben walked over to the glass cabinet where the Orb glowed in all its glory. He took it in his hands and carried it over to where Hal was standing. “I want you to take the Orb and chant the magic spell. I want the power of the Orb to pass to you, and I want the Sword of Gwyntog to become yours. You are the rightful king, Haligan Lexin, not I.”
Labyrinth Junction Page 12
