“Immortal?” cried Resus. “You mean they live for ever?”
Zeal nodded. “They had to get something in return for losing four of their senses. G.H.O.U.L. obviously thought immortality was a suitable replacement.”
“If you ask me, I think it’s disgusting,” scowled Cleo.
“I agree,” said Chillchase. “But none of this gets you any closer to returning Heru’s heart.”
“You knew why we were up there?” asked Luke.
“I’ve been watching Sir Otto for the past couple of days,” the Tracker explained. “I knew he was up to something when he began emptying out the Movers’ attic, so I shapeshifted and started to follow him.”
“That’s why he kicked you,” said Cleo. “He said there were mice everywhere.”
“No,” smiled Chillchase. “Just one very committed mouse.”
“Sneer must have known the attic was where we’d go next,” sighed Luke. “Mr Skipstone said we’d have to return the relics in the order we found them – so of course he was waiting for us. I never expected him to think ahead.”
“Nor did I,” said Resus. “But if we can’t find Heru, the doorway will stay open for good.”
“It won’t,” Chillchase assured them as he pulled himself to his feet. “It can’t. Life is too dangerous for normals here in Scream Street.”
“It’s not exactly a picnic for them if G.H.O.U.L. catches them sniffing around, either,” Cleo muttered.
“If the doorway remains open, it will only be a matter of time before G.H.O.U.L. discovers its existence,” added the Tracker. “I’ve been able to hide it from them so far, but when they find out, they will almost certainly banish the three of you to the Underlands as punishment.”
“Then we have to find Heru,” Luke declared. “Wherever Sir Otto has sent him.”
“He used an illegal spell to open a Hex Hatch for the Movers to pass through with Heru’s sarcophagus,” Zeal Chillchase said. “They returned empty-handed.”
“Where did it lead?” Luke asked. “Where did they take him?
“I couldn’t get close enough to see,” Chillchase replied, “not without revealing myself – but I did manage to memorize the Hex Hatch’s residual magic frequency.”
Resus looked blank. “And for us non-brainiacs, that means…?”
Zeal Chillchase removed his mirrored sunglasses and stared soberly down at the trio. “It means I can open a Hex Hatch to exactly the same place,” he said. “But I don’t know where in the world it will take you.”
Chapter Three
The Hex Hatch
The view through the rectangle in the air showed nothing but swirling violet light. Luke, Resus and Cleo gazed at it in trepidation.
The trio had helped the injured Zeal Chillchase to a quiet spot along one of the side streets, and when they were certain they wouldn’t be disturbed by normals, the Tracker had stepped into a tree-lined garden and set about opening the Hex Hatch.
“OK…” said Resus eventually. “So, Sir Otto’s hidden Heru where, exactly?”
“I can’t tell,” Zeal Chillchase admitted. “Usually Hex Hatches are opened with the knowledge of what’s on the other side. Activating them by frequency alone doesn’t allow light to pass through.”
“But I thought Hex Hatches were like windows?” Luke protested. “You just open them and look through to the other side.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Chillchase. “Think of it like finding the parts of a machine but not knowing what they’ll build until you put them together correctly.”
Suddenly the rectangle of swirling light twisted violently to the left, making everyone jump. The Tracker held his hands out in front of the light and mumbled a few words under his breath until it settled. “I’m afraid it’s not very stable,” he said apologetically.
“But it definitely leads somewhere safe?” asked Luke.
“It leads somewhere,” the Tracker confirmed. “Whether or not that somewhere is safe is a different matter. Stepping through this Hex Hatch will require something of a leap of faith.”
“Or a leap off a high cliff if we walk in the wrong direction,” Resus remarked. “Or a stroll into a dragon’s cave, or a walk towards the mouth of a ravenous—”
“Don’t be daft,” scolded Cleo. “The Movers who took Heru through came back alive, didn’t they? And that was with only the sense of touch.”
“They’re immortal!” Resus cried. “They could have been chewed up and spat out by man-eating meatballs and they’d still have made it back alive!”
“The Movers returned entirely unharmed,” Zeal assured them, clutching his hand to his painful ribs. “Now, enough delay. You must pass through.”
“We don’t need to go right this second, do we?” asked Cleo. “There must be enough time to get you some help, or at least get you to where you can lie down for a while.”
“I agree,” said Luke. “Even if Sir Otto has discovered we still have all five senses intact, he’ll think we don’t have a clue where Heru is. And you really don’t look well; you’re very pale.”
“It’d be a good look if you were a vampire,” Resus quipped. “But I’m not sure you should be sweating quite so much.”
“There’s no time!” Chillchase barked. “Besides,” he continued more calmly, “I already have access to treatment…” He produced a half-empty bottle of wine from the pocket of his coat and pulled the cork out with his teeth.
“I’m not sure that’s exactly what Dr Skully would recommend for broken ribs,” commented Resus.
Chillchase up-ended the bottle and poured the contents onto the grass. Within seconds, the ground began to rumble and a rotten, scabby hand burst through the earth. A decomposed face appeared and began to suck up the wine.
“A Nineteen Forty-nine Chablis, drizzled over grass and crunchy insects. Bodacious cocktail, man!” When every drop had been consumed, the zombie clambered out of his tunnel and gazed blearily around him.
“Doug can help me to Everwell’s Emporium after you’ve gone,” said Chillchase. “Eefa has a superb spell for broken bones.”
Cleo nodded. “He’s right,” she said. “Eefa made the pain completely vanish that time I broke my arm.”
Doug blinked as if noticing the children for the first time. “Hey, little dudes!” he beamed through blackened teeth. “How are my three favourite adventurers doing?”
“Off on another one, I’m afraid,” Luke replied. “Got a mummy to find and a relic to return.”
Resus pulled the heart from his cape to show him.
Doug licked his lips. “Are you dudes going to eat that?”
Resus quickly slipped the heart away again. “It’s not a snack, Doug!” he admonished.
The zombie sighed, then suddenly noticed the Hex Hatch. He stared, transfixed by the sight.
“Whoa, dude,” he breathed. “That’s, like, so swirly!”
“And it’s as stable as I can make it,” Zeal said, “but it won’t stay like that for long. I shall return and reopen the Hatch once Eefa has treated my injuries, but you must go through it now.”
Luke, Resus and Cleo shared a nervous glance, then stepped into the pulsating violet tunnel.
Luke hit the ground with a thump, biting his tongue and tasting blood. But there was something mixed in with the blood. Something gritty. Sand.
The journey through the Hex Hatch had been very strange. As soon as he had stepped through the window into the swirling purple tunnel, he had lost sight of Resus and Cleo and become aware of a collection of faces whooshing around his head. No, not faces – memories.
Moments from his life were twirling in the tunnel around him, like something out of a cartoon. There was the bully from his old school; Resus spraying his hair black on the day they’d first met; his mum’s terrified expression as she underwent her first werewolf transfor—
Thump!
Resus landed beside Luke. The vampire lifted his head and tried to focus. “Doug was right,” he gulped. “That
was, like, so swirly!”
“Where are we?” asked Luke, sitting up and spitting the sand out of his mouth. He shielded his eyes against a blazing sun. The ground beneath him was hot to the touch.
“No idea,” replied Resus, brushing sand off his own hands and looking around.
“I know where I am,” squealed Cleo excitedly. “I’m home!”
The mummy was standing a few metres away and the boys climbed to their feet to join her. The sand stretched ahead for miles, and there in the middle distance stood several enormous pyramids.
Resus stared. “That’s where you used to live?”
“Not in any of those,” said Cleo. “My pyramid was in the Valley of the Queens, miles over that way – on the other side of the Nile.” She pointed out across a seemingly endless desert.
“Valley of the Queens?” said Luke. “Is there something you’re not telling us…?”
Cleo laughed. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing royal about me,” she said. “I was a handmaiden, nothing more. But I was buried in the same pyramid as my queen.”
“Good,” grinned Resus. “There’s no way I’m going to start bowing down to you – even if you were a queen in some daft country.”
“Hey!” Cleo scolded. “It’s not ‘some daft country’. It’s Egypt! Come on.” She set off in the direction of the pyramids.
“Egypt?” breathed Resus excitedly as he and Luke caught her up.
Cleo nodded. “I didn’t realize G.H.O.U.L. still owned this part of it.”
Resus was staring at the landscape around him, eyes wide. “I can’t believe we’re actually in Egypt…”
“Well, if all the sand and big, pointy buildings don’t give it away, surely you should have noticed from the Sphinx.”
Resus followed Cleo’s gaze and his jaw dropped at the sight of a mammoth statue of a lion’s body with a human head. “That’s … HUGE!” he exclaimed.
“Certainly is,” said Cleo proudly. “Took years to build, too. Although it looks like vandals have got to it recently – its nose is missing.”
Luke fought the urge to smile. The Sphinx’s nose had been missing in every picture he’d ever seen. “Who’s buried in those?” he asked, gesturing towards the pyramids up ahead.
“I’m not sure about most of them,” said Cleo. “But that,” she added, pointing to the largest one, “is the final resting place of the great pharaoh … Heru!”
Chapter Four
The Pyramid
“Of course!” exclaimed Resus. “Sneer’s sent Heru back home, just like Chillchase did with Count Negatov! It’s obvious when you think about it.”
“As obvious as pyramids telling you we’re in Egypt?” smirked Cleo.
“Ha, ha.”
“It’s not all good news,” Luke put in. “From what I remember, pyramids are sealed once the mummy’s inside – and they’re not designed to be reopened.”
“Maybe,” said Resus. “But we’ve got a local on our side: handmaiden Cleo Farr and her incredible skeleton key!” He bowed theatrically.
“Give over,” Cleo said good-naturedly. “You were right – don’t ever bow, it doesn’t suit you.”
The trio had now reached the foot of the pyramid, and Luke peered up at the colossal sloping sides, which disappeared into the glaring sun above. “I’m not sure any sort of key is going to help us get inside this,” he said.
“But there has to be a way in,” countered Resus. “The Movers must have carried Heru’s sarcophagus inside.” He turned to Cleo for inspiration.
“Don’t look at me,” she protested. “Each pyramid was built differently, with different entrances and exits. This one won’t be the same as mine.”
“Resus is right, though,” said Luke. “The Movers had to get inside somehow, unless they dumped Heru in the desert and scuttled off home. Let’s take a look around.”
The trio began to explore the base of the pyramid, inspecting the bottom-most blocks of stone as they circled it. The sides were rough and weather-beaten, and chunks of rock had broken away, littering the ground.
The children ran their fingers along the fine gaps between the stone blocks, searching for anything that might indicate a hidden entrance – but there were no clues to be found. How the Movers had got inside remained a mystery.
An hour later they were back were they had started. “Nothing!” sighed Resus, wiping sweat from his brow. “And could this place get any hotter?”
Cleo glanced up at the cloudless sky. “It’s actually quite mild today.”
“Yeah, right,” grumbled Resus, fanning his face with the edge of his cape. “And Samuel Skipstone’s a champion mountain-climber!”
“That’s an idea,” said Luke.
“What?” spluttered Resus. “You want us to climb up there?”
“No,” retorted Luke. “Mr Skipstone might know how to get inside.” He pulled a gold-covered book out of his pocket. The title, The G.H.O.U.L. Guide, was embossed along its spine.
“Ah … Egypt,” smiled the author, opening his eyes, which protruded from the front cover. “I haven’t been here for many a year.”
Samuel Skipstone had been one of Scream Street’s founding fathers, and he had merged his spirit with the pages of one of his books in order to continue his research into the community. The G.H.O.U.L. Guide was his latest papery home.
“I’m afraid we won’t be staying long if we can help it,” said Luke. “But do you know how we can get in here?” He turned the book to face Heru’s pyramid, and as he did so the glare of the sun reflecting off the cover shone in Resus’s eyes.
The vampire quickly ducked under his cloak. “Watch out!” he shouted. “I might not shrivel up in the sun like other vampires, but that doesn’t mean I want it beamed directly into my brain!”
“Sorry,” said Luke, quickly angling the book away. As he moved it, the shaft of light raced up the side of the pyramid and settled over a bulge in the uneven rock. Suddenly there was a crunching sound and the block of stone in front of them began to slide inwards, creating a narrow entrance.
“A light-activated switch!” exclaimed Luke. He flipped the book over and grinned at the face on its cover. “Mr Skipstone – you’re brilliant!”
The author looked up at him, confused. “I am?”
The tunnel was dark: much darker even than the Movers’ attic. The stone doorway had remained open for only a few seconds, giving the children barely enough time to dart inside before the daylight was sealed off. Resus pulled out his flaming torch and led the way along a narrow passage.
“How do you reckon the Movers got in?” he asked. “They didn’t have The G.H.O.U.L. Guide to bounce the sunlight off that sensor.”
“Heru’s sarcophagus is made from solid gold,” Cleo reminded him. “That would work.”
“The ground’s starting to rise,” Luke observed. “We’re walking uphill. Do you reckon we’re heading towards the centre of the pyramid?”
“Well, that’s where the main tomb is in mine,” said Cleo. “It would make sense for Heru’s resting chamber to be in the same position.”
The trio walked on in silence for a few more minutes, then Luke suddenly noticed a light up ahead. “I think we’re almost there,” he whispered.
They hurried faster along the tunnel and soon it began to widen, eventually opening out into a vast chamber. The children caught their breaths. Before them was more gold and treasure than they could ever have imagined. And dozens more corridors led off from the chamber. They glimpsed other rooms beyond, all of them also piled high with gold.
The room was lit softly by some unseen glow from above, which sparkled off the heaps of gems. Resus slid the torch away and peered up at where the pyramid’s four sloping walls narrowed and joined, shaking his head in amazement at the sheer scale of the building. “This place is massive,” he breathed.
“There’s an entire golden chariot over there!” exclaimed Luke.
“That will be so Heru can get around in the next life,” Cleo e
xplained, smiling at the boys’ expressions of astonishment.
Resus grabbed a handful of gold coins from the ground by his feet. “Just one pocketful of this stuff could make us rich beyond our wildest dreams…”
“Don’t you dare!” said Cleo.
“Think about it,” Resus persisted. “We could buy Scream Street and get rid of Sneer once and for all!”
Cleo folded her arms. “Resus Negative, you are not to take a single penny out of this pyramid. Do you hear me?”
“But…”
“No!” insisted the mummy. “This gold has been here for thousands of years.”
“Then nobody needs it, do they?”
“Forget it, Resus,” said Luke. “We’re here to find Heru, give back his heart and go home. We’re not touching the treasure.”
“Especially as it’s cursed,” added a voice that came from the direction of Luke’s pocket.
Luke pulled out The G.H.O.U.L. Guide once again. “Did you say cursed?” he asked the face of Samuel Skipstone.
“Indeed I did,” replied the author, flipping the book open to a page showing an illustration of the very tomb in which they now stood. “Heru’s treasure is guarded by all manner of powerful spells. Remove anything from the pyramid and you release the magic along with it. Who knows what the consequences of that might be?”
Resus pulled a face. “You don’t believe any of that nonsense, do you?”
“There were many things I did not believe were possible before I was moved to Scream Street,” Skipstone replied mysteriously.
“There!” said Resus. “Mr Skipstone agrees with me. I think…”
“Cursed or not, this stuff doesn’t belong to us,” declared Luke. “Let’s just find Heru and do what we’re here to do.”
“That could be tricky,” said Cleo. “This place is massive, and we’re looking for a golden sarcophagus hidden somewhere among vast piles of – guess what – gold!”
The G.H.O.U.L. Guide snapped shut and an expression of concern came over the golden face on the cover. “Miss Farr has a valid point,” Samuel Skipstone said. “Please be careful not to set me down – you might never find me again!”
Rampage of the Goblins Page 2
