Louis still wasn’t convinced. He blinked his eyes several times before giving them a rub. ‘Yes, Shaun was still there.’ A little smile played around his eyes as he stroked his beard before struggling up on his feet and wrapping his arms around him. ‘How are you here? How did you know?’
‘Don’t worry about that now: we will have plenty of time to catch up when you are safely out of here.’ Just then, Ava gave out a long, lingering groan before opening her eyes. She lay there for a brief moment motionless, looking up into Shaun’s face, her eyes filling with tears. He dropped to his knees, taking hold of her hand, his face breaking into a warm smile before gently lifting her up in his arms, and she broke down in floods of tears. He carried her over to where the Dwarfs were standing; some of them, too, were fighting back their tears at such a tender reunion. Louis slowly followed Shaun over. He was totally drained mentally and physically; he staggered the last few strides before collapsing into one of the Dwarfs’ arms. Shaun passed Ava over to one of the Dwarfs. ‘Please can you take them up to the portal with Ferreira and Geriba and out of this forsaken place? I’m afraid the witch must have taken your Prince deeper into the mountain, still hoping to swap him for the hammer, so I must follow her to see if I can rescue him.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said the chief guard but my orders from the King were to make sure we returned with the Prince. So four of our guards will take the four of our friends back, as you say, but the rest of us must go with you.’
‘Very well,’ Shaun said as he turned to Louis and Ava. ‘Group hug,’ and they huddled together for several minutes in silence, just holding one another, tears streaming down their faces and laughing with glee at the same time.
‘Can I not come with you?’ whispered Louis.
Shaun shook his head. ‘I don’t think so, your job is to stay with Ava: she needs you more than I do. Don’t worry, I have the mighty Dwarfs with me. We will be back with you before you know it.’ Again they hugged each other before the four Dwarfs led the four grateful friends back up the tunnel with Shaun and the remaining guards close behind. They cringed slightly, feeling uncomfortable as they passed through the magic room into Baba Yelka’s cavern, and Shaun watched and waved as his friends were half-carried across the cavern before disappearing up the secret tunnel to the surface. ‘Wait for me here,’ Shaun said to the chief Dwarf. ‘I need to go back and destroy the magic room just in case she returns.’ But while he was smashing the room to pieces the connection of the fighting had alerted the Dark Wizard through the portal, but the Grey Elf had taken control and all they could see was a blurred, fuzzy screen with no sign or sound of their master.
Back at the Dark Wizard’s fortress the guard designated to keep watch over the contact portal watched as the guard from the dark side briefly flashed across his screen before fading away and leaving the same blurred, fuzzy screen. He jumped up and raced along the main corridor, his boots pounding the stone floor, and his heart was pounding, too, at the thought of facing the Dark Wizard. No one enjoyed speaking to him, let alone bringing him bad news. Dear knows how he would respond, maybe just throw things about, but it wouldn’t be the first time he had killed one of his guards who upset him. It all would depend on his mood. He came to a halt outside a huge, ornate door etched with strange signs and mysterious captions, an armed guard stood either side.
‘Can I speak to your master? It is important,’ he said before leaning forward and whispering in the ear of one of the guards. ‘What kind of mood is he in?’ The guard frowned heavily and shook his head. ‘Oh dear, as bad as that. Nevertheless, I must speak with him.’
‘Wait there,’ the guard replied in a sharp, abrupt tone. He turned and banged heavily on the door three times. There was a silent, tense lull which seem to last for such a long time with the nervous guard becoming more and more stressed.
Suddenly the silence was broken with a thunderous bellow from within.
‘Come in, and it had better be important!’
One of the armed guards leant forward and slowly opened the door and waved the terrified guard forward. By this time he was shaking like a leaf and his legs felt like jelly as he wobbled into the room and the door closed behind him. He stood for a moment, his feet rooted to the spot and his head bowed, trying desperately to pluck up the courage to speak.
‘Well!?’ screamed the Dark Wizard, banging his fist onto his table. ‘Say what you have to say and get out while you can!’
The guard slowly raised his head and a cold shiver ran up and down his spine as he made eye contact. He wondered why they were all frightened of him: he seemed to radiate evil. His eyes had no soul, just two large, black pupils that stared straight through him without once blinking. He had no nose as such, just a black, stub snout which lay above his mouth which was a round opening with small, yellow teeth protruding and a black, limp, fleshy tongue which just hung down. He wore a tall, pointed, black hat with a symbol of a bolt of lightning down the front, and his long strands of straggly tufts of white hair tumbled down from it. His black robes were covered in symbols of death and destruction; even his caduceus looked sinister with a black skull with flashing, green eyes and blood dripping from its jaws spiralling continuously around and down the staff.
‘It is the dark side, Master,’ the guard stuttered as tried to stop himself shaking. ‘The screen just faded as one of our guards there was trying to make contact.’
‘Faded! What do you mean faded?’ the Dark Wizard replied in a stark, icy tone which certainly did not help the poor guard. ‘Have you tried to contact them?’
‘Yes, Master, I’ve tried several times but the screen remains blurred and I cannot see or hear them.’ The wizard sank back in his chair, rubbing his grubby fingers through his unkempt beard. Suddenly he jumped up.
‘Come with me,’ he roared as he headed for the door. The guard quickly opened it and the wizard swept out of the room, his robes flowing behind him. The two armed guards outside tagged along behind as he scurried down the corridor. News quickly spread around the fortress that he was on the prowl, which created an unnerving atmosphere which put all the guards on full alert, and as he passed by them, they bowed their heads, partly out of respect and partly afraid to make eye contact. They stood silent and motionless, their feet rooted to the spot.
And as he entered the control room with the three guards struggling to keep up a few metres behind, the room fell into a deathly silence. The guards in there stopped what they were doing and drooped their heads. He strode straight over to the portal, raised his hand towards the screen, and uttered several magical-sounding words, but to his annoyance nothing happened. He stamped his foot in rage, sending a shiver through all the guards, making them jump and try desperately to sneak a glimpse of what he was doing without being detected. This time he lifted both hands, his dark black pupils flashing as he screamed out further words and phrases of magic, trying desperately to summon his supernatural powers. There was a short lull before the screen started to clear but the portal itself started to vibrate.
All of a sudden the whole thing exploded and shattered into tiny fragments. Again he screamed out in frustration, ‘This is the work of magic! Someone with great powers has taken control of our portal in the dark side. It must be under attack.’ He turned to one of the armed guards. ‘Call out the guards: take as many bodies as we can spare. Travel as fast as you can to the dark side: do not kill the leaders of the attackers. I will take great pleasure in making them suffer before they die.’
‘Yes, Master,’ he said as he bowed his head before racing out of the room. A few moments later there was an ear-splitting sound of a metal gong being repeatedly struck louder and louder, followed by the thud of heavy boots pounding the stone floors from all directions, echoing around the fortress as the guards answered the call to arms. The Dark Wizard returned to his room and swung open a large door onto an outside gantry overlooking the courtyard and stables. He watched as dozens of horses were led out and his guards, all armed, raced out of t
he building and quickly mounted up. The leader, a huge, muscular guard, raised his sword as a salute to the wizard, and all his men did the same before riding out of the courtyard. As they approached a huge metal section in the side of the fortress, there was a deafening groan and creaking sound as part of the wall lowered down to create a ramp, and the leader rode through with his army galloping on behind.
Meanwhile, back at the dark side, Shaun had finished smashing the magic room and had returned to the waiting Dwarfs gathered in Baba Yelka’s cavern. He led them back along the tunnel, moving the boulder. They continued further along but as they reached the main junction he came to a halt: straight on would lead them to the burial chamber, and the tunnel leading off would take them back to the main entrance and the Dark Wizard’s portal cavern. Shaun turned to the chief guard. ‘We must go straight on: at the other side of the burial chamber is the torture chamber and prison, and that is where I think Baba Yelka will have taken the Prince.’
‘Well, what are we waiting for?’ said the chief guard.
‘What happens when Herne tries to warn us of the Dark Wizard’s army? We will never hear the sound of his horn along there: we need one of the guards to return to the secret exit tunnel, and he will have enough time to come and warn us.’
‘Very well,’ but as he turned to select one of his men… ‘Oh, can you hear that noise, Shaun? It’s coming from the main entrance tunnel.’
Shaun stuck his head inside. ‘Yes, sounds like voices and heavy footsteps, lots of footsteps, it must be the guards from the portal cavern. They must have heard the sound of fighting and have come to investigate. Every sound seems to echo around these tunnels. We will have to face them, but it will be difficult to engage in battle in the tunnel, but there is another cavern between the main one and us. I suggest we hurry along and meet them there.’
‘Lead the way,’ said the chief guard. ‘We can get totally lost in here. You are in charge: we are all behind you.’ Without further ado, Shaun turned down the tunnel with his faithful army following behind, their swords drawn as they moved forward. They moved quickly but silently along the tunnel and flooded out into the cavern. Luckily, the Dark Wizard’s guards had not arrived, and they were able to set themselves up in battle formation prepared to tackle the enemy. They could hear the sound of heavy boots pounding through the connecting tunnel closer and closer, louder and louder.
Shaun’s heart was thumping as the adrenalin pumped through his body, but as he clasped his mighty hammer all his fears faded, but a thought passed through his mind. He was sure by now the Dark Wizard would have deployed a large army and time was running out. The Dwarfs didn’t have time to engage in a long battle otherwise they would probably be overrun once the army arrived. He looked down at his golden ring and a little smile played around his eyes as he rubbed his chin. He pondered a moment before turning to the chief guard.
‘Can I just try something? It might save us some precious time. Ask your army to step back and leave the area in front of the tunnel free to allow the enemy to enter the cavern.’
The chief guard shook his head. A strange request, he thought, but Shaun had never let them down before so he ushered his army back towards the rear of the cavern while still ready to attack if given the order.
Shaun stepped forward just as the enemy emerged from the tunnel and gathered in a group behind their leader. Once they were all in, the leader led his army slowly forward but they stopped in their tracks as Shaun moved towards them, his hand raised. The leader was puzzled by Shaun’s antics and the fact that the Dwarf army remained at their station. The leader raised his hand and ushered them forward; they obeyed and slowly drew their swords as they approached Shaun. Suddenly, without warning, Shaun painted his ring towards them and as the Great Wizard had instructed him he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying desperately to summon the power of his thoughts. There was total silence in the cavern, the Dwarfs watching and wondering what Shaun had in mind and the enemy, completely perplexed, still continued cautiously forward. The silence was broken by the sound of rumbling and the cavern floor began to vibrate which changed the whole atmosphere of the two armies. They were unsure what to do next as the vibration gained momentum, but before they could act there was a loud explosion and a flurry of flashing, coloured light engulfed the cavern and a section of floor beneath the enemy army disappeared, resulting in every last one of them tumbling down and disappearing from view, their screams reverberating around the cavern. As Shaun and the Dwarfs approached the void and peered over the edge, they gasped in amazement to see the enemy floundering in a deep pit, and just then a heavy metal grill appeared across the top, forming a sealed prison cell.
The chief guard turned to Shaun. ‘Tell me, why did you bring us along? You could defeat any army on your own.’ All the Dwarfs burst into fits of laughter.
Shaun flashed the ring. ‘It’s not me, it is the Great Wizard’s power. I have just borrowed some but I need you: our work is not done yet, we still have a lot to do and not much time to do it.’ He walked across the metal grill to the tunnel entrance and, using his hammer, began breaking up the entrance walls, causing a rockfall which sealed the opening. ‘That will delay the enemy when they arrive. Let’s be off, it’s time to pay the wicked witch another visit and free the Prince.’
The Dwarfs raised their swords and chanted Shaun’s name before following him back up the tunnel. When they reached the junction the chief sent two of his guards back to the secret exit tunnel to listen for Herne’s signal, and Shaun blocked the tunnel entrance back down to the main entrance to delay the Dark Wizard’s army still further before continuing onward.
Shaun was most surprised as they entered the burial chamber to find it in total silence and no sight of Baba Yelka, just the rows of timber racks around the walls bearing the corpses. But the smell was much worse than he remembered: the stench of death was suffocating and he and the Dwarfs were coughing and gagging as they passed through heading for the metal gates at the far end. Shaun knew exactly where she had taken the Prince: that dreadful torture chamber. His blood ran cold and he shuddered at the memory of that evil place. But, with the gates in sight, suddenly there was the sound of Baba Yelka’s evil cackle reverberating around the chamber, increasing in volume which made Shaun and the Dwarfs stop in their tracks. Shaun raised his hammer as he scanned the area and the Dwarfs drew their swords. Her voice faded and there was a moment of deathly silence before she screamed out some sort of magic rhyme, and to Shaun’s horror some of the corpses started moving before climbing down from their racks: to make matters worse, they were all brandishing swords. Shaun turned to the chief guard.
‘Give me six guards and we will go and free the Prince. You might be able to keep the zombies at bay.’
Shaun and his little team quickly marched over to the gates. He pointed the ring towards the lock, and it fell to the floor and they slipped inside the tunnel. Shaun closed the gates to prevent the zombies from following, but he gasped in dismay as he watched them in combat. No matter how many times the zombies were struck or stabbed, they just kept moving forward. Shaun shook his head. Of course, he thought, how can you kill someone who is already dead? But the Dwarfs seemed to know what to do. They moved quickly around the chamber, keeping the zombies busy, but keeping out of their reach away from their thrusting swords, so it was imperative for Shaun to carry out his part as soon as possible. He led his team along the dimly lit tunnel, and as they approached the bend he turned his head.
‘Be prepared: the monster is around this corner. Just leave it to me,’ he whispered. The monster either heard Shaun’s voice or caught smell of their scent, and it gave out one of its blood-curdling roars, and as they moved forward and around the bend even the battle-hardened Dwarfs gave out a gasp of disbelief. They had seen some weird creatures in Colgilor, but this enormous beast with two lions’ heads and those evil, green eyes was something else. They stood and watched Shaun, slowly creeping forward all the time, circling his ring
hand towards it, and just as the monster prepared to pounce, a large, metal cage just appeared from nowhere around it, preventing it from attacking. Again it gave off an ear-splitting roar as it crashed its mighty paws against the cage. Cautiously the Dwarfs followed Shaun past the cage and continued along the tunnel with the terrifying sound of the angry monster ringing in their ears.
Further on they could hear the groans and moans filtering through. When they finally reached the end of the tunnel and stepped into the large chamber, the pitiful ones and the smell of stale body odour was overpowering: they could taste the rancid stench which filled the air around them. They were so distracted by the smell that they didn’t notice Baba Yelka standing at the far end of the chamber with one of her guards, and when they looked closer they could see the guard was holding their Prince close to him. Shaun moved slowly forward, beckoning the Dwarfs to follow, but when they got within ten metres of her, she raised her hand and the guard pushed the Prince to the ground and held a knife to his throat.
‘One step closer and your beloved Prince dies,’ cried Baba Yelka. ‘Place the hammer on the ground and move back and I will release him, but if you refuse, my guard will slit his throat.’ Her face cracked into a hideous, evil grin. She laughed out loud.
‘How do I know you will keep your word? I do not trust you: once you have the hammer you will still kill the Prince,’ said Shaun.
Again she rattled one of her sickening cackles. ‘You will just have to trust me, my dear. You have no option: if you want to save him, I will give you a few moments and then the guard will do the deed.’
Shaun thought he would play her at her own game and call her bluff. ‘You know and I know that won’t happen. You have seen for yourself the power of the hammer, and if you kill the Prince this time I won’t hold back and I will let the hammer cast all its power on you and you wouldn’t want that now, would you?’ The witch’s face crumpled into a frustrated grimace and she shuffled her shoulders nervously. ‘Right, this is what I will agree to.’ He paused. ‘Just a moment, I need to talk to the chief Dwarf, he has instructions from the King, so I need to get his approval.’ He turned to the chief. ‘Be ready to grab the guard once I have disarmed him. Now nod your head as though you are agreeing with me.’
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