Return to Colgilor

by Colin Gibbins

  They pulled up a short distance from the gates, out of sight behind a craggy hillside. Herne slipped off his horse and helped Shaun to dismount. ‘As I said, put on the shroud and keep close behind me. I will go slowly and you must remain silent at all times, regardless of what monsters we might meet on the way. The least sound will alert the sentries. Are you ready?’

  Shaun smiled. ‘Thank you so much for your help: you are putting yourself in danger for us as you did the last time we were here. You are a special soul. You do not belong in this dreadful place.’

  ‘You’re right, it’s not ideal but it serves its purpose. Maybe one day I will move out. Never mind that now, we must concentrate all our efforts on freeing our friends.’ He jumped back on his horse as Shaun slipped on the shroud. ‘Are you there?’ said Herne. ‘It really is remarkable: even my hounds can’t pick up your scent.’

  ‘I’m here,’ replied Shaun. ‘Let’s be off.’ Herne shook the reins and trotted over towards the gates.

  As they approached, Shaun shuddered inside his shroud when he spotted the two Griffins perched up on the huge stone pillars, one either side of the gates, and as they slowly swung open he was faced with an even greater shock to his system. There, blocking their way, was the most hideous of monsters replacing the two-headed lion which Herne slaughtered on their first visit. It had the head and forelegs of a lion, the body of a huge goat, and the tail of a dragon. As Herne came to a halt a few metres away, its huge jaws opened and a jet of steam burst out, followed by a blast of fire.

  ‘I don’t think it likes you, Herne!’ roared one of the Griffins. ‘Maybe because we told him how you killed his friend, the three-headed lion. I think he would like to do battle with you. What do you think?’

  Herne leapt from his horse, drew his sword and axe, and his faithful hounds came from behind and slowly split into two files, prowling forward and covering both flanks before coming to rest. Their eyes, wide open and flashing, trained on their prey, just waiting for Herne’s signal. The monster turned its head to the right then left, and back to Herne.

  ‘Well!?’ Herne roared. ‘Attack or back away!’ The monster glanced up at the Griffin as Herne moved forward within striking distance.

  ‘Let him pass,’ said the Griffin. ‘We can save this for another day.’ The monster moved to one side as Herne remounted and walked by, and when they had safely passed, the hounds gave out a huge, ear-shattering howl which reverberated all around, and they turned and followed Herne away from the gates.

  Shaun gave out a huge sigh of relief. ‘What a dreadful place.’ He thought he had seen everything with the three-headed lion and of course the terrifying harpy that snatched Ava on their first visit. But as Herne had said, there were so many weird monsters in there, this was just one more. Herne, his steed and the hounds took flight, just at a gentle pace to allow Shaun to keep up in his shroud. As they journeyed on deeper into the dark, depressing land with only an eerie light under the sea of heavy mist, and the air was so thick and humid. How Herne could live there was a total mystery to Shaun.

  They travelled for some distance but it was difficult to tell if it was day or night as the gloomy light never changed. They finally came to a halt a short distance from one of the many ravines. They paused for a moment or two before flying down to the valley floor, and he dismounted behind a small thicket of trees opposite one of the steep rock face sides which housed several cave entrances.

  ‘How do you know which one? There are so many,’ Shaun whispered.

  ‘It is the one near to the middle, the one with the vegetation flattened down. When you get up close you can see the footprints: some going in, others coming out. It is well used.’

  ‘Have you actually been inside?’

  Herne shrugged his huge shoulders. ‘Not exactly. I’ve kept watch and seen their guards coming and going.’

  ‘So you don’t know where to place the veiled frame?’ Shaun said with a hint of frustration.

  ‘I think I should go in first to take a look. The Grey Elf gave me this special waystone so he will be able to guide me through the labyrinth of caves and tunnels so I can gather the information that much quicker. After all, that is the main priority: without the frame in position our army won’t be able to free our friends.’

  Herne nodded his head reluctantly. ‘Very well, I suppose it makes sense but I need to go in to make sure the frame is in the most secretive place: that is the reason I am here.’

  Shaun smiled. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not trying to take all the glory. I could never have done this on my own. You have your job and I have mine.’

  That seemed to allay Herne’s fears, and he gave Shaun one of his bear-crushing hugs. ‘Good luck, I’ll be waiting.’

  Shaun managed to wriggle free and stand a moment to get his breath back before slipping the shroud back on and floating over towards the cave.

  He paused a few moments inside to allow his eyes to adjust. Although the light outside was bad to say the least, it was much worse here: the narrow tunnel was so gloomy and the air had an icy, clammy feeling which caused him to shiver, but he was there to do a job, a very important job, so he shook himself out of the depressing thoughts he was having and moved on. After travelling for a few hundred metres he entered a large, cavernous area with a host of tunnels leading off, and at the far end several guards stood huddled together in conversation. As he moved nearer he could see a large, ornate mirror set in a deep niche cut out of the rock face, and another tunnel further down. Its entrance seemed to be shrouded in shadow.

  He counted six guards before cautiously entering the tunnel. He tried to jolly himself along by imagining he was on the ghost train back in Cork. As the tunnel twisted and turned, he was expecting a monster or ghost to spring out from the shadows.

  The tunnel had so many interconnecting tunnels branching off, but his faithful waystone guided him through. Finally, after the ride from Hell, he entered another large cavern with weird shapes formation like the stalagmites and stalactites, casting sinister shadows which seemed to float around the whole area. The next part of his journey was just a maze with countless tunnels and caves winding in all directions and leading to chamber after chamber full of the strange formations, a whole labyrinth of interconnecting underground cavities all varying in size and length and without a shadow of doubt in Shaun’s mind he or indeed anyone else could not possibly find their way there again. He thanked his precious waystone for showing him the way, but had he spoken too soon? He turned a bend and came to a dead end, but his waystone was flashing straight ahead, and as he passed through he could see it was a large boulder acting like secret door that could be moved.

  He had entered a much smaller tunnel and he chuckled to himself as he imagined Herne, the great hulk, trying to squeeze through. But his amusement was short-lived as he entered another enormous cavern and came face to face with Baba Yelka who was addressing her army of renegades and outcasts. As he floated by them his blood ran cold when he recognised Darby, Louis’ brother. So this is where he ended up, Shaun thought. So he must have helped the witch capture his two friends; his heart was filled with sadness as he passed by, seeing elves, leprechauns, fairies, goblins and even Dwarfs. What could have turned them so bitterly towards their own to have teamed up with the evil witch? He shuddered at the thought and continued on his mission, realising that they would need as much information as possible if they were to overcome her dedicated army, and of course the witch wielded so much power herself. An overwhelming task faced them.

  The light there was much better than in the tunnels, with an array of lamps hanging all around the walls, and he was able to check out the many adjoining chambers. He gasped out loud as he entered one of these, which was set up identically to her own house and these vivid, dreadful memories of his visit there to free Louis and Ava. He shook his head in amazement at every detail that had been put in place: she was indeed a very powerful and dangerous sorcerer.

  The chamber close by contained her magic
area with the circle and mirror all as her own back in the house, but the connecting chamber was the one that took his breath away. He had to cover his mouth to stop him calling out. He stood frozen to the spot with a combination of horror and frustration as his eyes stared in disbelief through the huge iron bars of the cells to see his friends all shackled to the walls, their heads bowed as though they had been dragged, their bodies limp and slumped in crumpled heaps on the floor, even the Prince of the Dwarfs, this majestic fighting machine, now a giant, broken slave. Shaun wiped away a tear and had to turn and leave the area: he couldn’t bear to get up close to Louis and Ava, for he would have surely struggled to stop himself trying to free them: if he had the magic hammer he would not have been able to resist. He floated back out, giving one sorrowful glance over his shoulder before returning to the Cavern to count the witches’ army which totalled 84.

  But as he turned to leave, the waystone led him over to another tunnel half-hidden in the unlit back of the caves, and to Shaun’s amazement this led to a secret exit back up to the surface, its entrance camouflaged with thick vegetation. He slipped outside and scanned the surrounding area which was barren with no sign of life. He stood for a while, pondering, his face creased into a broad smile. This would be the ideal place to site the Grey Elf’s portal: the army of Dwarfs could enter without being detected and have the huge advantage of surprise when they attacked. He felt quite smug as he turned and floated back down to the cavern and along to the main tunnel. But again the waystone led him away from his entry route, over to another tunnel leading off in the opposite direction, a dingy, eerie passage which led him to the huge chamber that contained the corpses all lying stacked up on the rows of timber racks around the wall. His waystone led him over to the far side. The stench was overbearing: he took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth as he floated through and came to a halt in front of the metal, locked gates. He peered inside but struggled to see anything: it was so dark and the eerie silence seemed to create a sinister, evil atmosphere.

  All of a sudden there was a nerve-jangling roar that sent Shaun sprawling backwards. ‘What the devil was that?’ he whispered. ‘Maybe I should just leave that area alone.’ But as he turned back his waystone started to vibrate. ‘Please don’t send me in there,’ he said with his hands clasped together. He turned slowly back to face the gate and the waystone was flashing forward. He knew the Grey Elf wouldn’t send him in there if it wasn’t necessary, so he took a deep breath and floated through. Cautiously he continued along the tunnel and as he turned a bend he gasped out loud as he came face to face with the monster, its two heads surfing the air, its evil, green eyes looking in his direction. Surely it couldn’t see him: although he knew it couldn’t see or smell him, it seemed to be able to sense his presence.

  The waystone was still flashing so Shaun had no option but to carry on. He gave a huge sigh of relief as he passed straight through it and it was only then that he could hear the strange, whimpering sounds and smell a sickly stench as he followed the meandering pathway both increasing in intensity the further he travelled.

  He had seen some horrifying sights that day, but as he entered another large chamber this one was greater than all the others put together. It was divided up into single cells. He had thought the ones his friends were locked up in were diabolical, but these were unimaginable. To one side of the cavern the prisoners were lying on filthy straw bedding, their frail, lifeless bodies pure skin and bone, with their faces twisted in agony and their soiled, matted hair drooping over their hollow eyes, all of them wailing and groaning pitifully.

  But worse was to follow. On the other side of the chamber the cells contained grotesque torture contraptions, and the prisoners locked inside were screaming in agony, surely praying for death. The whole area had such an evil feeling and overwhelming, rancid stench, a place where nightmares are created, and Shaun knew it would be a long time, if ever, before he would erase these images from his head. He felt physically sick, and quickly turned and floated back up the tunnel. On his way back to the surface to join Herne he wondered why the Grey Elf had made him see that: what use could that possibly have? He must have had a reason. Shaun shook his head. He must try and forget that part and he was sure the Grey Elf would tell him it was necessary.

  Meanwhile, Herne was becoming more and more impatient as he strode back and forward behind the thicket of trees, his hounds following close behind. Just as he was contemplating going inside to try and find Shaun, he suddenly appeared in front of the startled Herne.

  ‘You won’t believe what I’ve seen in there,’ said Shaun as he rolled up his shroud. ‘If you think this is an evil place on the surface, down there is much, much worse: cruelty beyond imagination.’

  Herne’s face crumpled into a deep frown. ‘Yes, I guessed as much: there are so many here without feelings. They can carry out torture: punishment for those who do not obey their rules. But enough about that. Have you been able to gather the information we require?’

  Shaun threw back his shoulders. ‘I have, and to be perfectly honest I’m quite proud of myself. I discovered a secret exit from the witches’ fortress up to the surface, and it is the ideal spot to place the Grey Elf’s portal and for our Dwarfs to enter and attack her army.’

  ‘Sounds good. We will go and take a look, but about the Dark Wizard’s portal, did you find out where that was?’

  ‘Yes, it’s not very far into the tunnel, just a few metres, and it leads to a large, cavernous area. The portal is sited at the far end and there were six guards gathered there.’

  ‘I’ll have to devise a plan,’ said Herne, rubbing his huge hands under his beard. ‘But first we will go and take a look at this secret exit.’ Shaun explained the surrounding area close to the exit, and Herne knew exactly where he was describing. He knew every inch of the dark side’s surface: he travelled across it each day. He quickly mounted up, hauled Shaun up behind him and they were off flying just a few feet or so above the ground. Shaun was hanging onto him and his hounds were trotting behind. Although the sky was blinded with dark, forbidding storm clouds, and the air was dense and muggy, at least there was no stench, so Shaun was happy with that as they rode on. How clever, thought Shaun, as they landed a short distance from the rocky crag which was covered and screened with thick vegetation, and without a sat nav he chuckled to himself.

  ‘Over there,’ said Shaun as he slipped down off the horse and ran over, excitedly tearing at the vegetation. Herne dismounted and strolled over to help and they soon inspected the opening.

  ‘Perfect,’ said Herne, scanning the area. ‘You were right: it’s the perfect spot, no one comes here. I have passed over many times and never given it a second glance.’ He disappeared inside and emerged several minutes later. ‘Yes, this will be ideal.’ He wandered up and down, stopping a few times to examine the crags’ vegetation, finally coming to a halt a short distance from the exit. ‘This looks as good as anywhere. We’ll put the portal behind this clump of undergrowth: no one will find it there.’ He took the frame out of a large leather bag and carefully placed it in position before making sure it was well camouflaged and that the surrounding undergrowth looked undisturbed. ‘Right, back to the main entrance.’

  They mounted up and returned to the thicket of trees opposite the cave entrance. ‘Now, I have thought of a plan. In fact, I’ve thought of many plans, but I keep coming back to the obvious one. I will just ride straight in and attach the frame to the Wizard’s portal.’

  Shaun threw back his head and laughed out loud. ‘I don’t think it will be as easy as that. What about the guards?’

  ‘Let me worry about the guards,’ Herne said, patting his mighty sword.

  ‘But even if they see you, surely you will be hounded out of the dark side: the Dark Wizard will see to that. You’ll be lucky to escape with your life.’

  It was Herne’s turn to laugh with a thunderous belly. ‘You worry too much, my friend. As I say, I have a plan. I will send in the hounds: they hate g
uards. I struggle at times to stop them attacking when we see them on the surface. Only six guards: they will be easy prey for my trusted pack.’ Again he roared with laughter: he seemed to enjoy danger. Shaun just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. ‘You be ready to leave as soon as you hear my bugle being blown from inside: that will mean I’m on my way out. Wish me luck,’ he said as he gave Shaun one of his body-crushing bear hugs and leapt up onto his mighty steed and galloped over to the entrance.

  Shaun could only stand and watch as Herne jumped down and gave each of his hounds a loving stroke before ushering them inside. Shaun so wanted to join him, but he must do as the Grey Elf instructed. He had done his part, now it was up to Herne, who was pacing up and down, stopping several times to stick his head in the entrance, obviously listening for some sort of signal. Finally after what seemed like hours to Shaun, Herne remounted turned and waved over to Shaun before disappearing inside.

  The hounds had swept into the cavern like a pack of wolves, howling at full pitch, their fur bristling and their jaws wide open, exposing their huge teeth – truly a frightening sight and the startled guards were sent into panic mode. The hounds were on them before they could draw their swords, and when one of them turned tail and ran, the others needed no encouraging: they all followed suit. When Herne arrived the hounds were standing by the exit tunnel, snarling and howling, preventing the guards returning. He galloped down to join them, scanning both sides and searching for the portal, giving out a yelp of delight as he spotted it. He quickly dismounted and took out the frame from his leather bag and carefully attached it to the back of the same wizard’s ornate mirror. But as he remounted and his hounds gathered behind him, one of the guards popped his head out of the tunnel and screamed Herne’s name. Herne paused a moment, wondering whether he should deal with the guard, but as he drew his sword the other guards emerged, so he turned back, shook the reins and galloped off back up the tunnel, blowing his bugle and his hounds followed behind, howling in full cry.