Careful not to make a sound he retraced his steps back to where he knew danger would almost certainly be waiting for him. One thing that was in his favour had been the realisation that there would be fewer Goblin Soldiers to contend with than before. Most of them had set about chasing him further into the Nebier Forest, and unless they knew of another way to return to Gordrick’s side, they should still be behind him.
Arriving back at the sentry post Jack crouched down low and hid himself from view behind a cluster of rocks. With his heart pounding he waited until he caught his breath, then tentatively raised his head high enough so he could see over his rocky hiding place.
The sight which greeted him was not pretty one. The few remaining Goblin Soldiers not involved in the chase, and who had stayed behind with Gordrick, had captured Olivia and Hangaku. But Macy and Romulus were nowhere to be seen. It came as a partial relief to him as it meant they might have managed to evade the evil clutches of the pursuing Goblin Soldiers. Though of course he couldn’t be too happy, as two of his friends had not been so lucky.
Tears welled in Jack’s eyes and he watched helplessly as Olivia and Hangaku were bundled onto the back of a Flight Stalker. With their hands bound behind them they were fastened to a saddle by a large belt and buckle.
Jack wiped away his tears and raised himself further up. But it was a move too far as he fell forward and slid out into the open.
Gordrick homed in on him. “Ah, boy—” he hissed, “—you’ve decided to return, I see. And what made you comeback? Was it loyalty towards your friends? Yes, of course it was.” Two red hot eyes pierced the defences of his hood and fixed on Jack. Then Gordrick pointed in his direction — curling a scrawny finger in a beckoning gesture he signalled for Jack to move forward. “Come on, boy... You came back to rescue your friends … so let’s see you try.”
Jack thought better than to rise to Gordrick’s challenge. Instead he stayed where he was. “Let them go. They haven’t done you any harm. If you want a prisoner, come and get me.”
It was an instinctive outburst and he knew it would result in nothing … but what else could he do? If he was foolish enough to even contemplate going anywhere near Gordrick, or any of his Goblin Soldiers, he would be captured along with Olivia and Hangaku.
He need not have worried himself though, as the outcome of his little confrontation had already been decided. The sound of fallen branches being trampled underfoot instantly alerted him to a new danger fast approaching from behind.
Gordrick spewed out a throat-rattled order. “Take him... Take him, now.” Jack turned on his heels and was met by a terrifying sight. The Goblin Soldiers who had pursued him for so long through the Nebier Forest were less than an arm’s length away. Drooling in anticipation of his impending death. Jack closed his eyes and made himself ready for what he thought was going to be the end. But Gordrick had other ideas, and his deep voice bellowed out once more. “I’ve changed my mind… I want the boy taken alive... He amuses me with his foolishness.” Gordrick returned to his Flight Stalker and climbed onboard. “My word is final. The boy is to be captured unharmed.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he was confronted by the group of grotesque Goblin Soldiers before him. He wasn’t going to meet his maker just yet, and that’s the way he wanted to keep it. Though, judging by the look on the faces of some of the Goblin Soldiers in front of him, they were clearly disappointed at Gordrick’s change of heart.
Suddenly, a tangled mass of rope mesh landed on his head and draped all the way down to his feet. It had happened in a split second and caught him off guard.
“Do you still think it was a clever idea to come back?” One of the Goblin Soldiers started to poke and prod Jack in the back of his head as he stood entangled deep within the spider web maze that had been thrust over him.
“Not really, no,” Jack replied bluntly. “I bet you feel really brave capturing someone half your size?” He pointed at the group of Goblin Soldiers encircling him. “And look! It only took eight of you.”
It was sarcasm personified and a bit too lippy for the lead Goblin Soldier to take, and he snorted and grunted his annoyance. “Listen, little creature. If it was up to me, I’d sooner finish you off here and now.” The enraged Goblin Soldier drew his sword from its sheath and raised it in the air.
Jack knew he had gone too far … though it didn’t take a genius to work that one out. Craning his head toward Gordrick, who right at that delicate moment happened to be preoccupied with Olivia and Hangaku; he let out an ear-bashing yell.
“You said I wasn’t to be harmed!” He took a gulp of air to pump his lungs back up for an encore. “I thought you were in charge, not him?” Having attracted the attention of Gordrick, Jack pointed at the Goblin Soldier next to him, his sword held tight and ready to strike.
“Zelth, No!” Gordrick thundered out a searing cry of disapproval at the actions of the disobedient Goblin Soldier. “You’re right... It is I who decides who lives and who dies.” Gordrick fixed a poisoned glaring on the Goblin Soldier in question. He was furious and showed his dissatisfaction at what he saw as a total disregard for his authority. “Zelth, you heard my command … the boy was not to be harmed. No one, and I mean no one disobeys me.”
Zelth slid his sword back safely in it sheath and had a look of fear written all over his face. His lips quivered in unison and his breathing got deeper and more laboured as he tried to calm his fraught nerves. “He made fun of us, sir. I know you said not to harm him, but I couldn’t let him speak to me the way he did.” Zelth bowed his head and fell silent.
“I care nothing for what he said to you. I gave you an order and you disobeyed it. You and I both know what the penalty is for that.”
Gordrick folded his arms across his chest, then threw them open. A blinding bolt of blue and green lightning forced its way out of his fingertips and right into Zelth’s midriff.
“What are you doing?” cried Jack as he frantically shielded his eyes. Moreover, as the lightning finally relented, Zelth had been vaporised in a cloud of grey mist, leaving almost nothing behind except a small pile of smouldering black ash.
“Anyone who dares go against my express wishes will befall a similar fate,” growled Gordrick. The Goblin Soldiers in front and behind Jack didn’t seem too bothered by what they had just witnessed. Obviously, it wasn’t the first time such a forceful course of action had been taken by Gordrick to restore order in the armed forces under his command. Jack had no time to dwell on what he’d seen, or his good fortune at not being killed by Zelth. Two Goblin Soldiers took a firm hold of his arms and led him over to Gordrick. “Put him by his friends — I’ve had enough of him for now.”
The Goblin Soldiers marched Jack over to a Flight Stalker behind Olivia and Hangaku and fastened him to it in the same manner as his two friends.
Hangaku turned her head so she could see Jack out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay.”
“I hope so,” replied Jack. “Macy and Romulus are still free, so there is still a chance they can find the Spell Keeper. Hopefully, he’ll know how to help us.” His voice had carried further that Olivia and Hangaku. Gordrick, with his exceptionally acute hearing had overheard what had been discussed.
“So, that’s it, is it? You were trying to find the Spell Keeper? Well, well. Kraken will be pleased to know about that bit of news.”
Olivia reacted angrily. “Well done, Jack. You really have got a habit of opening your mouth without thinking. Mister brain just engages without a thought for the possible consequences.” She was furious that Jack had let it slip about their intended destination and didn’t hold back in letting him know how she felt. “It’s not going to help Macy and Romulus if Kraken knows what they are up to.”
Jack was remorseful. “I’m sorry. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.”
Olivia wasn’t finished with him. “That’s just it with you though, Jack … you don’t think. You just jump in feet first without realising.”
Jack hung his head, he knew what he had done, and he knew the danger he had put Macy and Romulus in. Gordrick and his Goblin Soldiers on the other hand had found the argument between Jack and Olivia highly amusing.
“Come now, children,” Gordrick cackled. “You’ll have plenty of time to explain what happened when your two friends are captured. But for now, hold on tight, and keep quiet.”
— CHAPTER THIRTEEN —
The Road to Help
A huge dust cloud filled the air as the Flight Stalkers beat their wings wildly. It was a clear sign they were preparing to go airborne ... though not before Jack had time to say his piece.
“I know I was wrong to open my big mouth—” he whispered, “—but things might not be as bad as they look.”
“What are you talking about?” The noise from the Flight Stalkers wings was so loud Olivia had to raise her voice to a shout. “We’ve been captured by a group of mad Goblins and are about to be whisked away to a destination unknown. Meanwhile, Macy and Romulus are more than likely going to walk into a trap, set-up by Kraken because of your big gob. How bad do you want it to get?”
“But Kraken doesn’t know where Macy and Romulus are. Neither does he know where the Spell Keeper’s hideout is ... otherwise he would have caught them already,” shouted Jack back assertively.
Gordrick had again been paying close attention to the bickering children, and Jack’s well-meant argument had not gone unnoticed.
“You’re right, boy. At this moment in time, I’m not sure where your other friends are. But I do know one thing — you are going to tell me.” Gordrick emphasised the last part of his sentence by pounding his chest with a clenched fist.
“You must be joking? If you want to find them, you’ll have to do it by yourself.” Olivia hadn’t meant to vent her anger so openly, it just came out.
Gordrick reached down, grabbed a long black whip and lashed his Flight Stalker several times. “Brave words for one so young. But I must warn you. I have ways and means of finding out what I need to know. Believe me, you will come around to my way of thinking, and soon if you know what’s good for you.” Gordrick’s hollow words were spoken with true venom.
He pulled hard on the reins and his Flight Stalker reared up and launched itself like a coiled spring, skyward bound. The rest of the Goblin Soldiers waited until Gordrick beckoned them before steering their Flight Stalkers into the sky ... and as quickly as they had arrived, they were gone again.
Macy and Romulus had waited until the Flight Stalkers were specks in the distance before daring to venture out into the open. They had been hiding behind a cluster of rotten trees and bushes matted in a tangled heap on the forest floor, not far from the distressing scenes that had just taken place.
Having watched in anguish as their friends had been taken away before their eyes, they were emotionally and physically shattered. But they couldn’t have done anything to stop what had happened — Jack had tried and as a result he had been captured too.
Romulus had managed to persuade Macy to release the temptation that had built up inside her to try to intervene and help her friends. He had also informed her that he knew of a friend of his father’s, an Elf known as Mogatron, who lived in the Nebier Forest. Mogatron would hopefully help them in their quest to reach the Spell Keeper’s cave ... which was, after all, one of their main goals.
With the Spell Keeper on their side they could set about rescuing their friends and family from the evil clutches of Kraken.
Travelling throughout the morning and into the early part of the afternoon they walked in short bursts, in an attempt to evade any Goblin Soldiers who might be patrolling nearby. Romulus tried his best to keep up with Macy’s pace, but it was difficult. Macy had offered to carry him, but after a few hours she had to relent and let Romulus make his own way. Her arms had become tired and the most excruciating cramp had set in.
Finally, they arrived at a clearing in the Nebier Forest. But now they were faced with the choice of two pathways. The place where Romulus knew his friend Mogatron lived was clear in his mind — though he hadn’t visited him for some considerable time.
“It’s the left path,” Romulus prompted Macy with his voice and a poke on the shin. “Err, umm! Yes... I’m sure it is. First left, then left again, and we should come across a giant boulder.”
Macy was eager to be on her way and set off briskly. “You seem to know your way around here pretty well? Is Mogatron a friend of yours as well as your fathers?”
Romulus again fell behind and had to run to catch-up with Macy. “Mogatron has been a friend of my family for more years than I can remember,” he blurted out movingly. “He used to be a chef, a private one at that. One of the best — if not — the best.” He smiled openly, and his mind travelled back to a family get together, long before Kraken had overthrown his parents. “It was Mogatron’s sole job in life to cook for all the members of my family ... and he was especially good at cooking roast dinners ... my utmost favourite.”
“So, he was good cook—?” joked Macy, “—that will come in handy, not.”
Romulus licked his lips and winked at her. “He was … and still is. No one came close to his culinary skills when it came to roast dinners.”
Romulus’s flashback to a time now past wasn’t exactly what Macy had in mind when she had asked about Mogatron — she was in no mood to talk about food. Especially, when all she had eaten in the past couple of days had been a handful of nuts, some berries and a chunk of dry bread, courtesy of the Tenka. “If he was such a good cook, why is he no longer your father’s private chef?”
Romulus smirked and rolled his eyes. “He decided to set-up his own business, selling flights to around Tormencer.”
“Flights? What do you mean, flights? Does he have an aeroplane or helicopter?” Macy couldn’t believe such state of the art machinery would be available in Tormencer. But what else could Romulus mean by flying?
“I don’t know of the things you mentioned, but if you let me lead the way I’ll show you exactly what I’m on about. It will be far easier for you to see for yourself, rather than me trying to explain.”
It made sense. If Romulus knew of a flying machine … trying to describe it to Macy could be tricky. But to see it, well … that would be a different story.
Romulus ran past Macy and beckoned her to pick-up speed and follow him. But Macy was having none of it. “I’ll move at my own pace, thank you! My legs are sore. But you carry on running. I won’t be far behind.”
After a brief run, jog, and stroll, they arrived at the boulder Romulus had mentioned earlier. Macy convinced Romulus to take a short break, which wasn’t an easy task, and then they continued on their way with a couple of left turns. This placed them onto a winding footpath that would lead to Mogatron’s home.
“You’ll like Mogatron,” said Romulus as a small wooden cottage came into view. “He’s a friendly fellow, as you will see.”
Made from small tree trunks, in a log cabin style, and a pretty straw thatched roof, Mogatron’s cottage looked both functional and comfortable. And its picturesque chocolate box features captivated Macy’s imagination.
The windows of the cottage had no glass and were just cut outs with white shutters and bright red curtains. A small chimney puffed smoke like a steam train hurtling down the track and signalled to Macy that there was warmth inside.
“Is he there?” Macy asked tentatively.
“Oh yes. Mogatron doesn’t stray too far from his home if he doesn’t have to. He’ll be around somewhere.” Romulus scanned the surrounding area. “Well, he doesn’t usually stray far anyway!”
Romulus’s second comment had gone unheard by Macy — she had taken several steps further along the path. Squinting her eyes to nothing more than slits, something caught her attention. Through a clearing in the forest a large wooden structure with three huge doors came ominously into view. Macy noticed that the doors were so big they must have been twice the height of Mogatron’s home. “Who
lives here, a giant?”
“Where?” Romulus set-off in Macy’s direction. “Ah, I knew it was here somewhere. But I’m sure it was at the other side of Mogatron’s house the last time I visited.” Romulus scratched his head lightly and pulled up alongside Macy. “He must have moved them!”
Macy took a step back as an eerie, bone chilling howl seeped through the large building and echoed all around them. “Moved what? And what was that horrendous noise?”
“The stables holding Mogatron’s Zynador’s, of course,” Romulus answered in a presumptuous voice.
“What’s a Zynador?” Macy enquired. “I’ve never heard of them.”
Before Romulus had time to answer Mogatron strolled around the corner of the large building in question.
He ambled up to Macy and stopped an arm’s length away. Macy stood her ground and looked him up and down. Mogatron didn’t look like a Goblin Soldier and he didn’t look like Romulus either. He was the same height as Macy and had a long rat like snout, and a small mouth, filled with row upon row of tiny black and yellow teeth. His eyes were the same size and colour of tennis balls, and his large hairy feet and hands were filled with thick sausage like fingers and toes ... and his skin was pale brown, wrinkly and warty.
He was dressed in shabby clothing, a pair of half-mast lilac, velvet trousers, held up by a piece of string, brown boots, and a green woollen jumper riddled with holes. And to top off his weird costume design, he wore a black leather bowler hat.
“Who are you, may I ask? The Nebier Forest isn’t the sort of place to wonder around on your own, you know.” Mogatron spoke in a polite and gentle manner, but he never received a response from Macy. She was far too busy gawking at his brain numbing outfit.
Macy Vickers and the Book of Spells Page 11
