Monster War

by Dean Lorey

  And the Golems weren’t the only thing destroyed along with the Queen of Nightmares.

  Her terrible creation known as the Slumber also vanished the very second her dark heart stopped beating. Back at the Nightmare Academy, Mama Rose awoke and glanced around to discover that all the students were regaining consciousness, finally free of the grip of that awful place.

  “Well, that was interesting,” she declared, rising to her feet.

  Far away, deep in the throne room of the evil one’s lair, the Headmaster opened her eyes and looked over to see Rex and Tabitha beginning to stir as they escaped the seductive hold of the Slumber and rejoined her in the land of the living.

  “Headmaster!” Brooke shouted. “Are you OK?”

  The Headmaster nodded weakly. “The Fifth is dead?”

  “We think so,” Violet replied. “Charlie must have killed her.”

  “Dang, I knew that kid would come in handy,” Rex said with a grin, propping himself up on his elbows. “Where is he?”

  Violet and Theodore glanced at each other uncertainly.

  “Gone,” Theodore said finally, his voice cracking with emotion.

  “Gone?” Tabitha asked, struggling to her feet. “What does that mean?”

  Violet shook her head. “It means we don’t know. He fell into the Netherforge. We haven’t seen him since…”

  There was silence as everyone struggled to process that - and then the quiet was broken by the unwelcome sound of Nethercreatures stirring in the hive of hallways and chambers beyond the throne room.

  “They’ll be coming for us,” the Headmaster said. “The Fifth may be dead - and her Golems along with her - but the rest of the monsters in our world are still alive and on the attack. We must leave.”

  “But what about Charlie?” Theodore asked as the sound of the Nethercreatures drew closer.

  The Headmaster closed her eyes tightly. “He has always been a resourceful boy. We must hope that he has one last trick up his sleeve…”

  “He better have,” Theodore said, looking behind him. Pinch stood there beside the empty throne of the Queen of Nightmares. “Because if anything happens to him, I’m going to take it out on you - you traitor!”

  Pinch shrugged. “Everyone dies sooner or later. For Charlie, it’s just sooner - that’s all.”

  “You filthy little—”

  Suddenly, a portal snapped open in the air above the throne room and Charlie Benjamin came crashing through, along with a flood of magma from the well in the Netherforge. He slammed into the floor of the lair on all fours, gasping for breath.

  “Charlie!” Violet yelled.

  “Yeah. It’s me.”

  He staggered to his feet and, still holding the Sword of Sacrifice, stepped out of the jet of bubbling blue liquid that poured into the room. Theodore, overcome with emotion, grabbed his best friend and gave him a big hug.

  “You idiot! I thought you were GFG!”

  “Gone For Good?” Charlie asked.

  Theodore nodded. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

  It was a joyous reunion - for the few seconds it lasted. Within moments, dozens of Nethercreatures swarmed into the throne room. Charlie raised his sword - ready to defend them in spite of his exhaustion - when he realised that, for once, he didn’t need to. The magma from the Nether Core, which still poured in from the open portal, spilled across the floor of the throne room, instantly incinerating every monster it touched.

  Netherstalkers wailed as their spindly legs came into contact with the deadly stuff. Darklings - low on the ground to begin with - were quickly overcome, as were the Dangeroos leaping into the chamber. Their muscular legs shot out from under them as soon as they landed and, within moments, they were consumed by the wave of lethal lava. As it spread across the floor, Pinch glanced down to see that its outermost edge was nearly touching the severed arm of the Queen of Nightmares. He leaped towards it and snatched the limb out of harm’s way before the magma could destroy it.

  “What are you doing?” Charlie asked, aghast.

  Pinch smiled. “Becoming glorious again! One final sip from the blood of the Queen is all I need to permanently return me to my beautiful, monstrous form!” He raised his hand and opened a portal to the Nether. “Till we meet again…”

  “You’re not going anywhere with that!” Theodore shouted and leaped towards him. The treacherous man stumbled backwards, and Theodore was only able to grab on to the hand of the severed arm.

  “Let it go!” Pinch shouted.

  “Make me!”

  They began tugging at the strange prize like two kids fighting over a wishbone at Christmas dinner. Suddenly, three of the Queen’s long fingers - gripped securely by Theodore - snapped off from the rest of the hand. He stared down at them in revulsion.

  “Eww.”

  “Enjoy!” Pinch said with a cackle, then turned and leaped into the Nether, still holding the arm of the horrific creature that Charlie had just killed. Moments later, the portal slammed closed behind him. Pinch was gone.

  Magma began to overflow the vast chamber, flooding into the rest of the lair, leaving slain Nethercreatures in its wake.

  “We’d better go,” Brooke said and, with a wave of her hand, she opened up a portal of her own. Within moments, everyone had escaped through it, leaving the inside of the vast nautilus shell as still and quiet as a tomb.

  At first, Charlie thought he had returned to the Slumber, and he could tell from the look on the Headmaster’s face that she thought so too.

  But then he realised where they really were - in the grassy meadow that led to the banks of the lake where the Trout of Truth lived. It was the only place in the Nether that was both beautiful and monster-free. Charlie breathed in deeply, finally allowing himself to relax a little.

  “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”

  “Thanks to you, Mr Benjamin,” the Headmaster said.

  Charlie shook his head. “Thanks to all of us. I never could have got the sword to begin with - heck, I never could even have survived long enough to use it - without my friends.”

  “I stand corrected. You have all been…spectacular.”

  The youngsters beamed.

  “There you are!”

  Everyone turned to see Sir Thomas, still in his nightshirt, gripping his mace like a hammer. The deranged knight had made his way across the white stepping stones that led to the large, flat rock in the very centre of the lake where the Trout of Truth lived. Dark, glassy water surrounded him on all sides.

  “Once again, you magicked me, you nasty children!”

  “Who’s this clown?” Rex asked, hitching his thumbs in his belt loops.

  Theodore sighed. “Ah, just this dumb knight we picked up.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hey, Sir Thomas, you might want to get away from there and come back to shore!”

  “Preposterous!” the knight yelled back. “I will go where I please, sprout! I have examined much of this unnatural area and now I intend to explore this lake!”

  The children glanced at each other, grinning.

  “This is going to be funny,” Theodore said.

  Charlie walked towards the water. “Seriously, I’d listen to Theodore if I were you, Sir Thomas! Get off the lake before you say another word!”

  “Do you dare to threaten a knight of England, lad? I have been slaying men and beasties since before you were born!”

  “Way before,” Theodore muttered.

  “My trusty mace and I are a fearless team! We have killed many vicious enemies in our world and slaughtered countless Gorgons in your own - no thanks to you! I am the bravest man alive!”

  Theodore chuckled. “And here it comes…”

  Sir Thomas stood defiantly on the white rock at the very centre of the lake as Theodore started counting.

  “One…two…” As soon as the boy said ‘three’, a gigantic, glistening fish - the Trout of Truth - exploded from the depths and, to Sir Thomas’s astonishment, sw
allowed him whole. The great Trout slammed back into the water with a mighty crash.

  “I take it he’s not the bravest man alive?” the Headmaster asked with a sly smile, and everyone burst into laughter. They all waited patiently for the Trout of Truth to resurface and spit out Sir Thomas…but the great creature was nowhere to be seen. “My goodness. Sir Thomas must have been quite a liar for the Trout to keep him under this long…”

  Just then, the Trout of Truth burst out of the water and hurled Sir Thomas from its mouth. The knight, covered in fish goop, flew through the air before slamming ungracefully into the ground. He struggled to his feet, and then slipped back down on the patch of Trout slime beneath him.

  “Preposterous!” he roared. A fresh round of laughter erupted from the group.

  “What’s he doing here anyway?” Violet asked, smiling happily - it struck Charlie that it had been a long time since he had seen her do that.

  “This is where I put him,” Brooke replied. “It’s the only place in the Nether I know of that’s safe. That’s why I dumped Director Drake here too.”

  At the mention of the Director, the laughter died away.

  “Drake’s here?” Tabitha asked. “I haven’t seen him…”

  Rex shook his head. “Me neither, but I doubt that snake is eager to let us find him. Heck, I bet he’s probably hiding out there in those trees somewhere.” The cowboy gestured to the woods at the far side of the lake. “One thing’s for sure - if you put him here, he’s still here unless he got help gettin’ out.”

  Charlie glanced at the sheer mountain walls that surrounded them on all sides. Rex was right - they kept the monsters of the Nether out…but they would also have kept Director Drake in.

  “Go and find your father,” the Headmaster said, turning to Theodore. “And bring him here immediately. In fact, bring everyone here.” She turned and looked out over the glassy lake where the Trout of Truth lived. Her eyes grew distant and cold.

  “It is time to settle the matter of Director Drake once and for all.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE DRAKE

  Purple portals snapped open across the meadow in front of the lake. To Charlie, the brilliant circles of light looked like a swarm of fireflies. Banishers, Nethermancers and Facilitators from the Nightmare Division strode through on to the soft grass, led by William Dagget, their General. His son, Theodore, walked beside him.

  “We’re back!” Theodore shouted as he approached Charlie and the rest of the group. “Everyone was pretty easy to find. After the Golems died, they all headed back to the Division.”

  “To celebrate your victory!” William said with a smile. The crowd that formed behind him began to cheer.

  “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” William walked up to him and - to Charlie’s astonishment - actually shook his hand. “Excellent work, son. All of you. What you accomplished today is nothing short of amazing.”

  “No thanks to you and the Director,” the Headmaster said pointedly.

  “I accept that. I made choices that I thought were in the best interests of my son, and I was wrong.”

  “Heck, don’t let yourself off so easy!” Rex said, walking up to the man and clapping him on the shoulder - but not in a friendly way. “Let’s be honest. It wasn’t just your son you were thinkin’ about - you also made choices you thought were in your own best interests. In fact, the only time you showed any decency at all was when Drake-the-snake actually tried to kill Charlie. The kids told us all about it.”

  William nodded. “I agree. My behaviour has been…shameful.” He turned to the crowd behind him. “Which is why I hereby announce that I’m stepping down as General of the Nightmare Division.”

  There were a few gasps of surprise - but not as many as Charlie had imagined there might be. William gestured to Charlie and his friends.

  “The seven people that stand here before us were placed in exile unfairly. They received our scorn, our fear and our hatred - but they did not deserve it. I take my share of the blame. All of you believed they were guilty of conspiracy and of the murder of the Guardian because I - along with Director Drake - said they were.” He frowned. “And yet…you are not entirely blameless.”

  The people shifted uncomfortably, but William didn’t flinch.

  “You knew that what we were doing to them was wrong - knew it in your gut, just as I did - and yet you didn’t protest. Only these seven had the courage to stand up and fight for what was right.” He turned to Charlie. “I apologise to you, from all of us - me especially.”

  He began to applaud them then. Soon the rest of the crowd followed. Charlie and his friends were overwhelmed by the wave of adulation.

  “You deserve this,” Violet said to Charlie.

  “We all do,” he replied, putting his arm around her.

  “There you are!” a voice suddenly cried out. Everyone turned to see Director Drake bolting from the cover of the treeline. “I’ve been waiting for ever for someone to come and rescue me since these vicious traitors arrived! William - take them into custody immediately!”

  William didn’t move.

  Drake, truly angry now, stormed up to him. “What don’t you understand about the word ‘immediately’? Are you still being defiant? I said, apprehend them!”

  “It’s over, Reginald.”

  “Over? What are you talking about?” Drake nervously licked his thin lips.

  “Charlie Benjamin is not a traitor. We accused him of killing the Guardian in the lair of the Named, but he wasn’t the one who did it…you did.”

  “Lies! Vicious lies!” Drake screamed and then, before anyone could stop him, he pulled William’s sword from its sheath and stabbed it into his former General’s side.

  “Dad!” Theodore shouted, rushing to his father, who collapsed to the ground. He pulled the sword from the wounded man’s body. “No…this can’t be happening. You’ll be OK…”

  William looked up at his son and smiled weakly. “So will you.” He touched Theodore’s cheek with one rough, calloused hand. “I’m so proud of you, son.”

  “No…Dad…” Theodore, tears spilling down his face, turned to Drake in a rage. “I’m going to kill you.”

  Drake stumbled backwards, pushing frantically through the crowd. “Stop him, all of you! The boy means to murder me - he just said so! He comes from a family of traitors and cowards! I am your Director!”

  But no one tried to stop Theodore. Still holding his father’s sword, now stained with blood, he pursued the Director with a blind fury. The sword was heavy in his hand - he was not a Banisher after all - but he didn’t seem to notice. Vengeance was the only thing on his mind.

  Drake, seeing the wrath in the boy’s eyes, turned and ran in the only direction left open to him - out on to the lake, across the stepping stones.

  “I had to do it, boy,” he shrieked, leaping gingerly from rock to rock. “Your father was a liar! And liars must be punished!” Finally, the Director arrived at the flat, white stone in the very centre. The water around him was deep and still. “I told you, I did not kill the Guardian - Charlie Benjamin did! Charlie Benjamin is evil! He must be destroyed! I have nothing but your best interests at heart! All of you! You must believe me - I’m telling you the truth!”

  And, with that, the Trout of Truth leaped from the dark lake and swallowed Director Drake whole. It crashed back down in a massive explosion of water. Soon it was gone from view.

  Theodore stood on the shoreline as waves from the enormous creature lapped over his feet. The lake rocked and rippled violently and then, eventually, grew still. Everyone waited breathlessly for the Trout to reappear and spit Director Drake back out.

  And they waited. And waited.

  And, finally, after many minutes of waiting, Charlie spoke. “I don’t think the Trout is going to let him go.”

  Theodore whistled in amazement. “Do you seriously mean Drake’s just going to stay in there for ever? I mean…can he actually survive in there?”

  No one ventured an answer - no
one knew really - and the Trout of Truth never surfaced. After centuries of protecting its precious lake from the terrible poison of lies, the most ancient and honourable creature in the Nether had finally found a person so full of them that it imprisoned the foul man in the slimy depths of its cold, dark stomach, perhaps never again to see the light of day.

  “He’s going to be fine,” the nurse in the Nightmare Division’s hospital wing said to Theodore some hours later as he sat with his friends at his father’s bedside. “His wound is serious, but it’s not life-threatening.”

  Theodore exhaled in relief. “Thank you.” He glanced down at his dad. William was fast asleep - the sedatives had kicked in over an hour ago.

  “We should let him rest and go to the ceremony,” Violet said, gently rubbing Theodore’s back. “They’re going to be officially giving the Headmaster the job of Director.”

  “Yeah, we don’t want to miss that,” Charlie added cheerfully. “I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”

  Theodore nodded. “Definitely.” He looked down at his father again. “He’s a good guy, right? I mean, ultimately?”

  “Yeah,” Brooke said with a smile. “Just like you. Ultimately.”

  They all laughed then and things seemed a little better.

  The High Council chamber of the Nightmare Division was packed and the Headmaster was already standing at the dais when Charlie and his friends entered. They quickly took their seats at the very back of the large room, careful not to make a noise and interrupt the proceedings. After patiently waiting for them to sit down, the Headmaster surveyed the crowd and began to speak.

  “My friends. What an adventure we have had together. It is with great honour and deep humility that I acknowledge your offer of the position of Director of the Nightmare Division. And it is with that same honour and humility that I must now decline.”