by Dean Lorey
She closed her eyes tightly. Then, with a savage battle cry, Violet leaped through the still-open portal and into the foul stink of the Gorgon Maze. Theodore, shutting his eyes as well, followed.
Moments later, the portal snapped closed behind them, locking them in the Nether.
The brilliantly coloured crystal pathways of the Gorgon Maze branched off in all directions. Gorgons prowled through the labyrinth, carefully weaving around the many statues of humans who had made the mistake of looking directly at them and been turned to stone for their folly.
“OK, so what’s the plan?” Theodore asked, feeling around blindly. His hands touched the marble face of a woman who had been trapped lifelessly in the maze longer than he had been alive. “Oh, sorry…” he muttered. Then, “And now I’m chatting with a statue. Good work, Theodore.”
“Just relax,” Violet said. “We’re here to save Charlie, just like he tried to save me, and we’re not going to fail.”
“Ah, great! The ‘no-fail’ plan - exactly the plan I was hoping for. And how are we going to do this exactly?”
“Simple really. We just have to chop off the head of the Gorgon that transformed him - that’s the only way to bring Charlie back to life.”
“Right. Excellent. So…which one of them did it? Transformed him, I mean.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know? And, even if I did, I can’t exactly look at them now anyway, can I?”
Which was absolutely true - Violet couldn’t look at them…but she could hear them. The dozens of snakes protruding from the Gorgons’ grimy scalps loudly hissed and licked the putrid air. Theodore clamped his hands over his ears to dampen the noise.
“Well, if you don’t know which Gorgon did this to him, how are we supposed to know which one to kill?”
“Simple,” Violet replied. “We kill them all.”
Theodore wasn’t sure he’d heard right - in fact, he was positive he couldn’t have heard what he thought he had. He took his hands from his ears. “I’m sorry, it’s hard to make out what you’re saying over the sound of a million monsters trying to eat us, but did you just say ‘we kill them all’?”
Violet nodded. “That’s right - every single Gorgon in the maze. It’s the only way to be sure.”
Theodore threw his arms in the air. “Of course! Just kill them all. That makes perfect sense.” He nervously cleared his throat and continued. “But, just for the sake of argument, can I ask one more silly little question? Exactly how are we supposed to fight something we can’t even see?”
“Simple. We fight blind.”
“Ah, and there’s the answer! Fight blind - how obvious. And this is something you’re skilled at doing, I’m guessing?”
Violet shook her head. “Nope. Never done it before. Not sure if anyone has actually - at least, not successfully. Where do you think all these statues came from?”
“From people who totally failed the very thing you’re about to try?”
“Exactly.”
The shrieking of the Gorgons grew louder and Theodore could smell a nauseating odour of spoiled flesh as they closed in.
“Girl meat…” the beasts hissed. “And boy meat. Tenderrrr…”
Violet held her glowing axe in front of her like a blind man with a cane. “So here’s what I’m thinking - their only real attack is the ‘turning you to stone thing’.”
“Yes. Not a bad attack, by the way…”
“True, but as long as we keep our eyes closed, it can’t affect us. Without that, they basically just move really slowly, so whenever I hear one near me, I’m just going to kick off and swing at the sound.”
“I see. And you feel pretty sure you’re going to be able to actually hit the thing that made the sound?”
Violet nodded. “Definitely. I mean, my axe was created to kill monsters, right? It wants to taste Gorgon flesh - so I’m just going to keep swinging and give it what it wants.”
“Gotcha. Sounds like a plan. Only one thing…”
“Yeah?”
“When you swing, don’t swing at me.”
Violet grinned. “Deal.”
A familiar feeling of calm washed over her as the Gorgons descended on them. In her mind’s eye, Violet imagined every brilliant blue flash of her axe blade as it sliced through snake and gristle. In fact, she was surprised to discover that fighting blind actually seemed to increase her talent. It forced her to rely on her other senses - touch and balance and smell. The Gorgons nearest her shrieked in pain as she lopped off their heads, while the ones behind them continued to advance in wave after monstrous wave - but it didn’t matter.
She killed them just the same.
Director Drake ran a hand over the smooth stone of Charlie Benjamin’s head. It was cool to the touch. “Finally, after all this time, the boy is mine.”
“What about my son?” General Dagget asked. “He’s lost in the Gorgon Maze.”
“Because he was foolish. You cannot protect him for ever, William - eventually, the boy has to stand or fall on his own. We all do.”
“Maybe…but I’m taking a squad in there. He’ll die if I don’t. The Gorgons will kill him.”
“Unless…” Director Drake paused, thinking. “Unless the girl kills all the Gorgons first.”
“One child against the entire maze? Impossible.”
“No,” Drake countered. “Unlikely. But if she succeeds…” He turned and looked at the statue of Charlie - bone-white and shiny - then ran a manicured fingernail across the Sword of Sacrifice, now turned to stone as well. “Bring me a sledgehammer.”
“A…what?” William was genuinely confused.
“If the girl kills all the Gorgons, she’ll kill the one that turned the boy to stone, which will free him. If that happens, he’ll escape. I cannot permit that. It has taken too long to bring him to justice.”
William’s eyes widened as he realised what the Director planned to do. “You can’t mean to destroy the boy…”
“You think he prefers being a lawn ornament?” Drake shook his head. “Do as I command, William. Bring me a sledgehammer. I’ll dispose of the child myself.”
The General stood firm. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I said I would help you capture him, even Reduce him - but I won’t allow you to outright execute him. We’re not murderers, Reginald.”
“We are whatever we need to be to protect the common good.” Drake’s grey eyes were as cold as a winter wind. “Now do as I ask or I will find myself a new General. Bring me a sledgehammer!”
While Violet fought, Theodore struggled to keep from slipping on the floor of the Gorgon Maze - it had become black and slick with monster blood. He steadied himself against the marble statue of a short man holding an oversized mace and stifled a yawn. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I know you’ve basically got this all under control, but I’m right here…just listening to you kill things…getting bored.”
Violet, concentrating fiercely, didn’t reply. With one mighty sweep of her axe, she chopped off the head of the nearest Gorgon. Suddenly, the statue Theodore was leaning on sprang to life.
“Great steaming piles of dragon dung!” the newly revived man roared, pushing Theodore away. “Unhand me, boy! Never sneak up on a warrior like that!”
Theodore, startled, opened his eyes for just a second and caught a quick glimpse of the man. He was short and round, with a body like a barrel. A thick, red beard covered his puffy face, which was pierced by two blue eyes. He wore a dirty grey nightgown and held a large studded mace in his right hand.
“Uh, you better close your eyes,” Theodore said, quickly closing his own. “See, we’re in the Gorgon Maze and, if you look at them, they’ll turn you to stone again.”
The man laughed. “Outrageous! Why, I’ve never heard of anything quite so prepos—” He glanced at a Gorgon and was turned to stone.
“Oh, man. I think the guy’s a statue again,” Theodore said, blindly touching the rough rock of the man’s head. “I wonder how long he’
s been in here.”
Violet, not replying, continued swinging her axe at the monsters, chopping off the head of the last Gorgon the man had looked at. Once again, he sprang back to life.
“—terous!” the man shouted. “Gorgons? Absolutely ridiculous! Do you know who you are speaking to, boy? I am Sir Thomas Wainwright in the service of His Majesty, King Henry the Eighth, and, when addressing me, I demand that you show me the common courtesy of opening your blasted eyes!”
“Yeah, but that’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you look at these monsters, they’ll turn you to stone.”
“Ah! Now I understand…such as the mythical Medusa?”
“Exactly!” Suddenly, Theodore felt a spray of spittle from Sir Thomas’s mouth.
“Preposterous!” the man shouted. “That is a fairy story told to sprouts like you for the purpose of scaring them into obedience! No grown man would ever believe in the existence of—”
Another Gorgon slithered into view and Sir Thomas, once again, was turned to stone.
Theodore sighed. “Man, is he pig-headed. That’s the second time in the last minute he’s been turned to stone because he just won’t listen!”
“Reminds me of someone I know…” Violet grumbled as she severed the head of another monster - the very one that had transformed Sir Thomas.
“—Gorgons!” the knight shouted, springing back to life. “Only a fool would believe in them and I am no fool, lad!”
“Well, if you don’t believe in Gorgons, what do you think she’s out here killing?” Theodore blindly kicked at the pile of dead Gorgons.
“Monsters, to be sure!” Sir Thomas replied. “And snake-headed ones at that. But to believe that they have the capacity to turn you to stone just upon gazing at them is, well - preposterous! I mean, if that were true, would I not turn to stone right now?”
To prove his point, he looked directly at an incoming Gorgon and was instantly turned to stone.
“I’ve pretty much had it with this dork,” Theodore said. “Can you just hold off on killing that last Gorgon so he can stay a statue for a while?”
“Sorry,” Violet replied. “To save Charlie, I’ve got to kill them all.” She chopped the head off the Gorgon that had most recently transformed Sir Thomas. Once again, he sprang back to life.
“You see, fool! I remain as fleshy and pink-cheeked as I’ve always been!” He tapped Violet on the shoulder. “Now stand aside, little girl, and let a knight of England show you how monster slaying is done!” With a ferocious shout, he raised his mace above his head, swivelled to face the nearest Gorgon…and was instantly turned to stone.
“What a fool,” said Theodore.
A man with a nametag that identified him as ‘B. N. Counter - Facilitator’ rushed into the Reduction Room and handed Director Drake a sledgehammer. “Thank you, Mr Counter,” Drake said smoothly. “I truly wish all my Gifted employees demonstrated the common sense and loyalty that you Facilitators do.”
“You really plan to go through with this?” William asked, looking down into the Reduction Room. The hallway around him was crowded with Nethermancers and Banishers all pushing to get an unobstructed view through the shattered glass of the viewing window.
“I do,” Drake replied. “Because I must.” He turned to the statue of Charlie. “Mr Benjamin, it is my decree as Director of the Nightmare Division that you be permanently terminated for your numerous crimes against the people of Earth, including, but not limited to, the portalling of Barakkas, the portalling of Slagguron and the killing of the Guardian, who once protected us all.”
With trembling arms, Director Drake raised the heavy sledgehammer above the fragile marble statue that Charlie Benjamin had become.
“Stop this!” William said, pushing through the crowd. “This wasn’t part of our agreement! This is murder and I won’t allow it to happen!”
Several men in the crowd grabbed William and began to drag him away.
“What are you doing?” William yelled, fighting back. “Let me go!”
More people piled on and soon they dragged the General down the hallway and out of sight. After all, the Director was only doing what had to be done, wasn’t he? Yes, it was extreme, but extreme times called for extreme measures, didn’t they?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Director Drake said, still holding the sledgehammer aloft. “Justice is served.” He swung at Charlie.
Just before the sledgehammer made contact, a portal opened in the floor directly beneath Drake and - with a startled shout - he fell into the Nether.
There was a collective gasp as the assembled Nethermancers and Banishers looked around to see who would do such a terrible thing. Finally, their eyes rested on someone who had been all but forgotten in the insane events of the last hour.
Brooke Brighton, still horribly transformed by her sacrifice, stood in the midst of the mob with purple fire crackling across her body. With a wave of her hand, she closed the portal that she had just opened.
“Where did you put him?” a Banisher demanded.
“Somewhere - crooooak! - safe. You’re lucky too, because if I had any sense at all, I would have dropped that fiend into the 5th Ring.”
“Grab her!” someone else shouted. “This is treason!”
The crowd began to advance on Brooke, yelling angrily, when a familiar voice suddenly cut through the din.
“Leave her alone.”
It was Charlie Benjamin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN ESCAPE FROM THE SHREDDER-SHARKS
With one final swipe of Violet’s axe, the last of the Gorgons in the Gorgon Maze fell dead. The snakes protruding from its scalp rattled and then went still as it dropped on top of a heap of slain monsters. It was only then, in the perfect silence of the maze, that Violet realised how loud the hissing of the snakes had been when the Gorgons were alive. She opened her eyes and was astonished by the incredible mound of them that lay in front of her, corpses cooling.
“Wow. Not bad,” she said, impressed with her own handiwork.
Suddenly, Sir Thomas Wainwright sprang back to life, the hard marble of his skin turning soft and pliable once again.
“Victory!” he roared, still gripping his mace. “Turn you to stone, do they? Preposterous! I’m as soft-skinned as the day I was born!” He looked over at Violet. “And I believe you vanquished two of the foul beasties as well, young lady. Good show! A welcome respite from playing with your dollies, I expect!”
“Yeah, right,” Violet replied. “Dollies.”
“Can I open my eyes now?” Theodore asked, hands on his hips. “I feel like they’re going to get stuck like this if I don’t do it soon.”
Violet nodded. “Go ahead. All the Gorgons are dead.”
Theodore blinked his eyes open. It took them a couple of seconds to adjust to the intense coloured light of the crystal walls.
“Have a look, lad!” Sir Thomas bellowed, kicking at the mound of dead Gorgons in front of him. “Quite a feat, eh? I slayed so many of the hideous monstrosities, I lost track.”
Theodore laughed. “Then you must be really stupid because you slayed exactly ‘none’. El Numero Nada. The big fat zero.”
Sir Thomas’s brow darkened. “And how would you know? You had your eyes closed through the entire battle like some kind of ridiculous girlie-child!”
“Yeah, and you were a statue the whole time. Violet did all the fighting, you medieval glory-hogger.”
“Outrageous! I should whip you for your impudence!”
“Oh, knock it off,” Violet said to Sir Thomas. “Besides, it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re wearing a dress.”
“A dress? Young miss, this is a nightshirt and it is quite suitable for sleeping, I’ll have you know! Besides, there was no time to change - I awoke to discover a large opening of fiery purple flame in my quarters and, being a noble defender of His Majesty, I immediately grabbed my trusty mace and walked through to investigate. A moment later, you showed up.”
“A moment later?” Theodo
re repeated with a laugh. “More like five hundred years later.”
“Preposterous! Child, you are silly in the head.”
Violet sighed. “Look, Sir Thomas, here’s what happened. You had a nightmare and you mistakenly opened a portal to the Gorgon Maze in the Nether - which is where we are right now - and then you got turned to stone by a Gorgon and you’ve been stuck here for five centuries.”
“Exactly!” Theodore added. “So deal with it!”
“You impudent Gryphon turd!”
Sir Thomas ran after Theodore, who easily dodged the slower man by playing hide-and-seek around the heaped, steaming pile of Gorgon heads. He darted around a corner, nearly slamming into a woman and a man walking towards him.
“Whoa, slow down,” the woman said. She wore the outfit of a Banisher from the Nightmare Division, but it seemed horribly out of date. “It appears that everyone in the maze has come back to life. Are you the one that killed all the Gorgons?”
Theodore shook his head. “Nope, not me - although if I had a weapon of some kind, I definitely could have. I’m good that way.”
“I am the monster slayer you seek,” Sir Thomas roared, wheezing desperately as he trotted up to the boy, his face a bright, unhealthy red. “Hold him, please. I want to hit him in the head.”
“Oh, knock it off before you have a heart attack,” Theodore replied. “And I already told you - you didn’t kill the Gorgons, Violet did.” He pointed to his friend, who was wiping her axe blade clean on the side of one of the dead beasts.
“Do you mean to claim,” the woman said, “that the young girl over there killed every single monster in the maze? If true, that’s quite something.”
“Yes, she is,” Theodore replied with grin.
Suddenly, a screech echoed through the crystal corridors, followed by a horrible cackle. “Murderers!” a voice shouted. “Assassins! Violators! Who dared to kill my beautiful Gorgons?”
Violet knew instantly who the voice belonged to. “The Hag Queen. You’d all better portal out before she gets here.”
The woman nodded. “Excellent idea.” She turned to the man beside her. “Open one up, Henry. Quickly.”
