by Dory Perlman
Sheila opened her hand, staring at the talisman.
Without warning the disk flew from her hand, sailing toward the hole in the floor. "What are you doing!" Dian gasped angrily. "Why did you throw that thing away? We've got to get out of here!"
"It wasn't me!" Sheila shot back. She was too shocked to explain what had happened.
Meanwhile, the piece of gold flew back into the room and, guided by its own extraordinary power, slammed hard into the enchanted bolt of cloth that sat near the tunnel's opening. The material floated to the ground. Magically, it fell across the hole, hiding it to perfection. And as the cloth settled, Sheila heard voices—two of them—as footsteps sounded in the chamber above.
"Good work," Dian whispered shakily. "Hiding the tunnel will give us a little more time to escape. Sheila knew that Dian had turned and started the long crawl back out of Campora, expecting Sheila to follow.
But Sheila didn't follow. "Wait!" Sheila whispered. "Laric's disk. We can't just leave it. What if Mardock finds it?"
"No!" Dian whispered the word, but her tone was fierce. "That disk is not worth dying for, and-"
Dian broke off as a few words from above stopped the two girls dead. "We'll kill those unicorns once and for all, and be rid of them." Mardock's sharp voice pierced their hearts like a dagger.
Sheila grabbed Dian's arm and squeezed tight. For a moment the horror of what had been said stunned her. Already the land suffered because the unicorns were in captivity. How much worse would it be if they were destroyed! Sheila glanced at Dian. "Now we've got to stay."
"Agreed!" Dian whispered, her tone completely changed now. "I'll risk my life for the unicorns. We've got to find out everything we can and bring the information back to Illyria!"
In the dark the two girls waited, shuddering with fear, for the next words from above. "Kill the unicorns yesss," a second voice hissed like a snake slithering. "It's a wonderful idea."
Sheila knew immediately who had uttered the terrible words. That cold, pitiless voice could belong to only one person. Dynasian! And no one but the evil emperor could agree to such a cruel and stupid plan.
"Let me tell you a bit more," Mardock said, false humility covering his contempt for the emperor. As Dynasian's most trusted adviser, he flattered the emperor at every turn. Yet the sorcerer was a master of manipulation.
"As you know, your most defiant subjects have made the unicorns a rallying point," Mardock explained. "They've been building a revolutionary organization around the idea of freeing them. Dispense with the miserable animals, and you'll break the rebellion, plain and simple."
Another flash of fury rose into Sheila's throat. Anger was replacing fear.
"That was my idea exactly," Dynasian purred.
Sheila could picture him stroking his pudgy, overfed face as he thought. "We'll murder the beasts in a public display—right in the central square of Campora—so that everyone can see. He chuckled. "The rebels will look on, hopeless. And I will be victorious!"
"Very good," Mardock sniveled obediently. "You've come up with the perfect plan. But, My Leader, I have a small suggestion. Those unicorns have magic power. It would be a shame to lose it all when they die." The sorcerer hurried on, not giving Dynasian a chance to realize he was being manipulated. "You see, I think you can kill them and get their power for yourself. I'll check my spell book and tell you how it's done.''
Down below, in the dark, soggy tunnel, Sheila sucked in her breath. So that's what Mardock was after. The unicorns magic! Above, she could hear him flipping through the pages of one of his huge magic books.
"How much do you want to bet he knows exactly what that spell is," Sheila whispered to Dian. "That rummaging through the book is just to please Dynasian. Mardock had the whole thing planned all along."
The rummaging stopped. "Ah, yes, here it is-" Mardock said greedily. "All we have to do is cut off the horns and grind them into powder. A tiny pinch of it on my tongue, and I'll increase my powers at least tenfold."
Tenfold! Sheila didn't dare believe it. Mardock was barely beatable now, as he was. If he got any stronger, the forces of good would never be able to gain the upper hand—and she, herself, would be completely doomed. Mardock would be able to kill anyone just by thinking about it.
"Wait a minute," Dynasian was saying. "A pinch on your tongue? What about my tongue? They're my unicorns. I want the power!"
Dynasian sounded like a spoiled three-year-old throwing a tantrum—a very dangerous three-year-old.
"Of course, on your tongue, too, My Leader," Mardock hastened to add. "We'll keep it, just for the two of us."
But the wheels were turning in Dynasian's conniving mind. "I've got an even better plan. We'll give it away.
"What?!" Even a practiced politician like Mardock couldn't keep the shock and desperation out of his voice. "The powder would be a thousand times more precious than gold. You can't let it go."
Down below, Sheila imagined Mardock's expression. The sorcerer was watching his longed-for powers slipping quickly out of his grasp, before he even had a chance to taste the unicorn powder. He must look like a cross between a wounded water rat and a rattlesnake ready to strike. But then again she herself was pretty confused by Dynasian's bizarre turnabout
"Oh, don't worry, you fool," Dynasian replied airily.
Only Dynasian was stupid enough—and powerful enough—to call Mardock a fool.
"We won't really give it away," Dynasian explained. "But we can pretend to do it. We'll promise the stuff to the ten subjects I judge to be most faithful. Everyone will be trying to impress me in order to get the powder. They'll stuff the palace with expensive gifts. They'll be tripping over their own sandals to please me.”
Greedy old creep, Sheila thought.
Mardock was having no trouble agreeing—once he realized that he would still get his magic powder. "Genius, sheer genius," he wheezed. "People will betray their own grandparents if they seem disloyal, just to be in better favor. You'll crush the revolution-"
"And get richer-" Dynasian added.
"All at the same time. There won't be a rebel left in the entire country!"
That's what you think! Sheila felt like shouting. She knew for a fact that there were plenty of rebels who would never give up, who could not be bought at any price, and who were not very likely to be caught by any of Dynasian's mealy-mouthed subjects.
"And I know the perfect time to stage the execution and 'reward' your loyal subjects," Mardock continued. "I've done some calculations with my star charts. Tomorrow night there will be an eclipse of the moon. The darkness at the moment when the moon is blotted out would provide a wonderful cover for replacing the real unicorn horn with a substitute powder."
"Then it's settled," Dynasian's voice cut through. "We'll publicize the event today. Then, tomorrow night, we'll slaughter the unicorns and grind their horns in public. When the moon goes black, we'll substitute talc for the magic powder!" He laughed, delighted at the treachery of his plan.
"As I said before, you're a genius," Mardock praised him.
Dian tugged at Sheila's tunic. “All right. We've got the information we need. Let's go!"
"No!" Sheila whispered back. “We still have to get Laric's disk. If Mardock finds it, who knows what he'll do with it. It's very powerful—and besides, it might tip him off to Laric's plan."
"What are you planning to do? Go up and ask Mardock to return the disk?" Dian was getting angry.
"Mardock will eventually leave, and then we can go up and get it," Sheila answered.
"We have to tell Illyria about the plan to kill the unicorns. We can't afford to get caught now," said Dian. "Come on, Sheila. Remember what happened when you went back to pay the cloth merchant after we took the fabric in Ansar that time? You barely made it out of there alive."
"Dian,'' Sheila said. "I'm staying. I have to get the disk. You go if that's what you think is best."
"Fine!" Dian snapped. "You obviously haven't learned a thing about doing wh
at you've been instructed to do. You always have to do everything your own way.
"You do things your way, I'll do them mine, okay, Dian?" Sheila angrily turned away from Dian. She wanted to get out of there as much as Dian did but she couldn't let Mardock get that disk. There was no telling what havoc he would cause if he possessed its magic.
When Sheila turned back to Dian, she saw the girl was already crawling away from her down the tunnel, "Wait, Dian, the potion," Sheila whispered as loudly as she dared. It was no use. Dian was swallowed up into the darkness of the tunnel almost instantly. In her anger and eagerness to leave, Dian had forgotten to take the parchment that had the potion written on it.
Sheila told herself it didn't matter. She'd soon be crawling out of the tunnel right behind Dian, and she would hand the parchment and the disk to Laric herself. She pictured herself doing that, and she felt warmed by the image of a smiling Laric and Illyria thanking her for a job well done.
In another moment the comforting mental image was gone as she focused her attention on the sounds in the chamber above her. From the muffled tone of their voices, it seemed to Sheila that Dynasian and Mardock had moved away from the tunnel's entrance. In another minute she heard the unmistakable creak of a door opening and closing.
Sheila waited a moment, listening. Was it only Dynasian who had gone, or had Mardock left with him? The moment lengthened, but all she could hear was the key turning in the lock. No extra footsteps. Not a sound at all. She had gotten her lucky break. The room was empty.
Sheila raised her arm, ready to sweep away the golden cloth that covered the tunnel. She stopped herself abruptly. She had forgotten it might be dangerous to touch the fabric.
She slipped her dagger out of its sheath and, using the tip, inched the cloth away from the hole. Light from inside the room spilled into the tunnel, making Sheila blink. When she opened her eyes, she realized the terrible mistake she had made.
The chamber wasn't empty. Looking up, Sheila stared directly into Mardock's fiendish black eyes.
6
Trapped!
"Y-you?” the cruel sorcerer sputtered. An expression of stunned amazement etched across his twisted features.
Sheila dropped her dagger, fell to her knees, and started crawling into the tunnel as fast as she could.
"No, you don't!" Mardock's voice boomed. "You're not getting away from me this time!" In an instant Sheila felt a shock of energy hit her, She was being dragged back through the tunnel, and there was nothing she could do to counter the strength of Mar-dock's magic. When she reached the tunnel opening, Mardock grabbed her, his thin strong hands wrapping painfully around her forearms, As he jerked her up to face him, he pulled her sword from its sheath and threw it toward the bubbling pot on the hearth. The tentacled arm reached up and pulled it down into the bubbling brew. Mardock shook Sheila fiercely. She couldn't escape. Sensing that struggling would only encourage Mardock to squeeze harder, Sheila stopped fighting.
Pressing through her own terror, Sheila opened her mouth to speak. "H-how d-did you kn-know I was down in th-the tunnel?" she stammered She knew she hadn't made a single unnecessary sound as she had waited below.
Mardock laughed. "Magic!" he replied.
Still, Sheila's careful eyes took in a pair of scissors and a spool of golden thread lying near the glimmering, magical cloth on the floor Suddenly she knew exactly what had happened. Mardock hadn't known she was there at all! He had simply been getting ready to turn that cloth into a beautiful, lethal garment at the exact moment that Sheila had pushed it aside with her dagger. It had all been a matter of very bad luck!
"Now, tell me, my dear-“ Mardock bared his yellow teeth, like a dog getting ready to attack-"what were you doing in that tunnel beneath my room? Trying to steal a little magic?"
Sheila just stared at him. There was no reason to give Mardock a single shred of extra information.
"So you won’t answer? Well, no matter; I'll force the truth out of you." Mardock dug his long nails into her arm and seemed to be contemplating some gruesome torture. Sheila didn't want to give him more time to think.
Summoning up every bit of strength within her, Sheila struggled against Mardock's ever-tightening grip. "Unngh," she groaned. Mardock laughed.
Desperate, Sheila chomped down on Mardock's hand. "Aaaagh!" The startled wizard pulled away. Here was her moment She ripped herself away from the horrible sorcerer. Falling to her knees, she made a desperate grab for the magic disk. She could feel her fingers graze its shining surface ...
The tip of Mardock's boot got there just a second faster. Lightly he kicked it just out of Sheila's reach.
"So that little piece of gold is what you were after, is it?" Mardock nodded with his sharp little chin toward Laric's disk. "Well, let's find out what's so special about it." Grinning triumphantly, he leaned down. Feeling utterly lost, Sheila watched him scoop it up.
Mardock screeched in pain. Cursing, he dropped the disk. A gaping wound stretched across the palm of his hand, and a faint burning scent reached Sheila's nose.
"Miserable forces of Light!" he spat. On the floor at his feet Laric's disk lay in a melted lump. It still glowed, however, with powerful light.
Suddenly Sheila remembered something Pelu had told her long ago. When the forces of Light met the forces of Darkness, nature seemed to go haywire. When Mardock had picked up the disk, his own evil forces had collided with Laric's good ones. Neither his hand nor the piece of gold could stand the contact.
"You little snake!" Mardock growled at Sheila, rubbing his hand in pain. "How dare you try to destroy me!" he raged. "Well, your plan has failed. You'll pay for this-this and all the other trouble you've caused me." The hatred in his voice was so violent it made Sheila wince.
Despite her fear of Mardock, Sheila was alert enough to notice something strange. The disk was inching its way across the floor. It's trying to help me! She realized. It's buying me one last chance to escape. And I've got to be ready when the moment comes. She thought of the magical formula stuffed in her pocket. Laric and his men are counting on me, too.
"Yes, you've got me!" Sheila agreed. She had to divert Mardock's attention, keep his gaze away from the disk until it could achieve whatever strange thing it was attempting. "I'm your prisoner, and I see now that there's no escape.”
Mardock ceased raging and looked at her coolly. "I'm glad you've realized that. It will make things easier on both of us."
Sheila stole a covert glance at the disk. It was sliding quietly toward the pot of bubbling octopus on the hearth. What's it up to? she wondered.
She didn't have to wait long to find out. Suddenly the disk flew toward the living stew An octopus's tentacle reached out of the caldron to grab it and PPPPPPPPPPPPOWWWWWWWWW! Forces of Light met forces of Darkness. The pot, the octopus, and the hearth exploded in a blinding flash of fire and light.
Sheila didn't wait to see Mardock's reaction. The instant she saw the cauldron blow, she scrambled toward the entry to the tunnel. She dived through it, mud splattering around her.
Sheila guessed no one in history had ever crawled as fast as she did at that very moment. And she was sure no one had ever hoped so hard…
"Stop right there!"
Sheila's hope disintegrated as Mardock's furious voice reached her ears. A fizzle of sickly green energy crackled all around her. Suddenly the tunnel ahead of Sheila crumbled into nothingness. Her heart felt like crumbling along with it. She was caught again, trapped. And this time Laric's disk wasn't going to be there to help her out. This time there would be no escape.
Still, she had her dagger!
She pulled the sheathed dagger from her belt and shoved it into her pocket along with the formula and her lucky baseball card. The handle stuck out above the fabric, but she quickly hid that by tucking her tunic down over it. It bulged, but it wasn't too noticeable if you didn't look too hard. Maybe, just maybe, she would get through a search and still hold onto the things she needed most.
"Get
out of there!" Mardock demanded. "Before I have to do something really nasty."
“Oooooookay," Sheila murmured under her breath. It would be better not to enrage Mardock further. Feeling thoroughly miserable, she crawled once again to the mouth of the tunnel and pulled herself out to face her doom.
"I've had enough of your trouble!" Mardock shouted. "And I am going to end your wretched life—believe me!" He lifted his hand cruelly. The stench of evil, green energy seeped out of it. Slowly Mardock pointed one finger at Sheila. He intended to kill her right there and then, that was clear.
Sheila bit her lip. She refused to show her fear. If she was going to die, she would die bravely. Just when she thought it was over, a sickening smile spread over Mardock's face, and he dropped his hand.
"Yes, I'll end your life. But not here and not now. I've got a better idea. I'll give you to my liege, Dynasian. And tomorrow night he'll slaughter you along with the unicorns!"
Mardock swept toward the door, his ebony robes swirling behind him like a storm brewing.
"Guard!" he called into the corridor outside.
A soldier in royal armor appeared, one hand at his sword's hilt. "Yes, Revered Sorcerer!" he cried obediently.
"Get this girl out of here," Mardock commanded. He pointed rudely into Sheila's face.”Take her to the prison! And . . . don't bother to be gentle about it!"
Sheila pressed her lips together hard as the leering soldier stepped toward her. They won't see me acting afraid, she thought with determination.
Still, when the guard roughly grabbed Sheila's arm she couldn't help but let a tear escape from the comer of her eyes. It wasn't just herself she was crying for. The formula for Laric's men was in her pocket. If she was lost, the formula would be lost with her, and the men would remain bespelled by Mardock's power forever.
She should have given Dian the formula. She wondered if Dian had escaped—or been caught in the tunnel collapse caused by Mardock’s wizardry.
She bit her lip hard to stop the tears. Please be all right, Dian, she prayed, trying not to think of the girl crushed under all that dirt. Be all right—and bring help!
