The Magic Lands

by Mark Hockley

PART TWO

  SHADOWS AND MASKS

  The finding of the way is easy enough,

  but it is best remembered that we are often led to places that

  it would be better we never go.

  1. BLAKESTONE'S HOUSE

  2. THE HUNTSMAN'S BALL

  3. CONFRONTATION WITH THE BEAST

  4. SECRET DELIGHTS

  5. THE HUNT BEGINS

  6. THE BLACK TREE

  7. THE UNDERLAND

  8. REFLECTIONS OF TRUTH

  9. DREAM DEEP

  10. ANGEL TOWER

  11. A TEST OF CHARACTER

  12. THE HEART OF DARKNESS

  13. BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

  BLAKESTONE'S HOUSE

  The two uneasy companions sat beneath a large tree of unknown origin.

  "The vegetation does not fare well here," commented Geheimnis.

  With a curt nod, his self confidence now fully restored, Dredger agreed. "What could thrive in this limbo between the desert and the Land of Scars?"

  "Nevertheless," observed the masked man, "there is enough water and edible fruit here to serve our purpose."

  "Barely edible," the warrior complained, "but as you say, it will serve a purpose."

  They sat there for some time after this exchange, both men with their own thoughts. Geheimnis' mask was blank once more and it occurred to Dredger that neither of them had slept since they began to cross the treacherous sand, his own mistrust of his companion precluding such luxuries.

  In this brief time of calm and quiet, in a middle ground between two barren, uninhabitable lands, both men paused before they would again walk a road of certain evil.

  To Dredger, it was a dark quest, where many lives were in the balance. And yet, to Geheimnis it was something quite different, an intricate design, moving meticulously toward a pre-ordained conclusion, at once a game and a necessity.

  Tom ended his tale with a smile that betrayed a certain amount of embarrassment. He had realised he could no longer keep Lisa a secret and had told his friends of her part in his exploits as best he could. While he spoke, Jack had stared at him with a look of stunned surprise, although Mo's expression, as always, remained neutral.

  "So what was Rith-ran-ro-en?" Jack asked slowly, glancing oddly at Tom, the revelation about the girl leaving him rather bemused.

  "A cursed creature," the badger told them both, "but always remember that evil comes in many guises and few realise that the most common is that of beauty."

  "If Lisa hadn't pulled me away," admitted Tom with a confused shrug, "I would have stayed there. The worst thing is, I wanted to stay…that is until I saw what she really looked like."

  Mo looked hard at him. "And what of your task?"

  Tom scratched his head and concentrated. As he had related his story he had deliberately left out the part when he had actually asked his question, for the simple reason that he had absolutely no idea what the woman had told him. He had completely forgotten, what with all that had happened. He eyed the badger uneasily. "I...I'm not sure I can remember."

  Mo came over close beside Tom, brushing the boy's legs with his body. "You must, Tom. All is lost if you do not." With a quick thrust of his nose the animal pushed Tom gently backward.

  "What…what are you doing?" the boy asked, struggling to keep his balance.

  "Remember," Mo instructed him, pushing him again.

  "I know she said something," he muttered hesitantly.

  The badger pushed harder and Tom nearly lost his footing. "Remember," Mo commanded. Jack stood a few feet away and watched with dumb fascination.

  As ridiculous as it seemed, when the badger had pushed him a picture had formed in

  Tom's mind. He saw a beautiful woman, her face very close to his, her lips moving. What was she saying? He strained to hear but the sound of her voice was like a whispering wind, her words unintelligible.

  Mo pushed again and this time it seemed certain that Tom would topple over but he barely managed to steady himself, the woman's voice suddenly ringing out clearly inside his mind. "Take just seven steps," she intoned in a voice much like his own.

  "Seven steps," repeated the badger, his voice seeming far away to Tom.

  "To find your heart’s desire," continued the woman in Tom's mind, "a promise of regret to lay within the fire." The picture appeared to waver, threatening to dissolve into nothingness. Tom's mind reeled with a tangled web of emotions. Fascination, desire, revulsion. His heart beat very fast and his brow ran with sweat. Gripping his hands tightly, his fought to hear her words, her face shimmering ghost-like before him, her mouth much too wide. "On to the very edge and claim a blighted kiss,” she murmured, the words slurred. "There to meet your match, beyond the dark abyss.”

  Tom slumped to the ground, his eyes glassy and instantly Jack was there, kneeling over him. "Tom, are you all right?" he asked urgently, glancing quickly from the boy to Mo. "Is he all right?"

  Tom's eyes flickered and he slowly sat up. "How do you feel?" Mo enquired.

  "All right, I think," the boy said getting to his feet.

  "I wish I knew what was going on here?" Jack grumbled, helping his friend.

  "The way of the dark road is hard," the badger voiced sternly, "and the Beast has many

  tricks and many faces. But now we know the way we must travel to find the end of this grim tale. With courage and wisdom who can say that we will not succeed."

  The Land of Scars lay before them. It was a sterile, lifeless place, much like the desert they had journeyed across such a short time before.

  "It would seem night has been banished from these lands," uttered Geheimnis, peering up at a radiant sky.

  "Darkness will return only when it suits the white dog best," returned Dredger with a growl.

  They looked out across the terrain that stood between them and the lost city and saw a ruptured landscape, thousands of cracks puncturing the earth, the smallest of them perhaps only two or three feet in width, but others were immense chasms, deep and forbidding.

  If only we had some rope.

  Dredger was about to voice this when Geheimnis turned and spoke himself.

  "Here," he announced, his mask displaying a wide smile. "I think we may be needing this."

  Catching Dredger by surprise, the masked man tossed a coiled length of rope into his arms. With a grunt, the warrior stared incredulously at his companion. "How…" he started, "how could you have carried this across the desert without me knowing."

  Geheimnis seemed to regard him as if he were a foolish child, his smile mocking. "You still have much to learn, my friend. But I am willing to be your teacher, if you let me. Learn quickly though, before you fall too far behind."

  Dredger threw the rope violently to the ground, hate blazing in his eyes, their colour altering rapidly until they became a vivid green. "You are so very clever, masked man," he ranted, "but I tire of you and your petty displays. To me, you are nothing. Just a tool to be used and then discarded when it has served its purpose. I would kill you without hesitation, without regret. Indeed, I begin to relish that prospect."

  Geheimnis' smile was gone. "The rope will be useful, will it not?" he breathed.

  After a long pause and with a scowl that exposed the loathing and anger that he felt toward the man, Dredger finally snatched up the rope and slung it over his shoulder. “Useful it may be,” he grunted, “but do not expect me to applaud your sleight of hand. Save your trickery for children who are easily impressed.”

  Geheimnis gave a short bow and turned away, although Dredger still caught the sound of a soft chuckle as he went.

  Tom stood in a forest glade and knew that he was quite awake. It was definitely not a dream this time, that much he was sure of.

  Above him in a dull sky, an aeroplane buzzed through the heavens like some enormous bird with metal wings. He peered up at it, watching
it slowly disappear within distant clouds.

  My name is Tom and I'm fourteen years old.

  Other than this, he knew nothing about himself. He had no idea of what his past had been or of what might be waiting for him in the future, and yet amid this confusion there was one small detail that he did know for certain. He had just killed somebody.

  It was another boy, about his own age. They had been fighting, a long, furious battle that had exhausted them both, until in a last desperate bid to claim victory, he had grasped a jagged rock as they rolled over and over on the ground. He had struck the other boy's head again and again, possessed by a fury that at once elated and terrified him.

  Now alone with the broken body, Tom stared down at what had once been a young boy's features, much like his own, but was now a sickening, bloody pulp.

  The best man won! said a jubilant voice inside his head and he smiled crookedly. Tom felt very strange. He was experiencing a deep sorrow that cut into his heart like a poisoned blade, but there was also a peculiar sense of power surging through him, a twisted pride at what he had done.

  What's wrong with me? I don't understand.

  The sound of footsteps nearby caught his attention and he waited guiltily as three men marching in single file and dressed in blue uniforms approached. They were policeman, he realised with a sudden, rising panic.

  "Hello, hello, hello," said the first of the men as they came to a halt, standing side by side before the boy.

  "Hello," answered Tom politely, giving the policeman his best, more innocent smile.

  "What's all this then?" asked the second man in line, who Tom noticed looked remarkably like the first.

  "Eh," fumbled Tom, "it's a dead body, I think."

  "Why, so it is," confirmed the third of the party.

  "I found him!" Tom blurted, red-faced.

  "Well, well," responded the first officer. "Would you believe it?"

  "No," stated the second, eyeing Tom very suspiciously.

  "It isn't the way it looks," began Tom, "I was just..."

  But the third policeman put up a white-gloved hand, cutting him off in mid-sentence. "Silence in court," he commanded.

  "But we're not in court," Tom argued, becoming more and more bewildered.

  "The Lady wants you," declared the first man with an official nod and a knowing smile.

  "Lady?" Tom repeated, "what lady?"

  "She's a real good-looker," confided the second policeman with a wink.

  "A real good-looker!" endorsed the third, leering at his fellows.

  "What does she want me for?" Tom asked, looking up at the men with wide eyes.

  "She wants you for her own," the first man told him in a hushed voice.

  "That's right," the second agreed, "only you. No-one else will do."

  "But I don't want to go," moaned Tom with a despairing shake of his head.

  "No choice," the third in line informed him with a grim expression. "No choice at all."

  "Is this a dream?" enquired Tom hopefully.

  The first man merely smiled at him, baring perfect white teeth. "Who can tell."

  Tom woke up with a start and looked quickly around. Jack was by his side and just a short distance to his right, Mo sniffed at some long grass. "Hello," he said, sitting up and yawning.

  Jack turned over onto his side and smiled. "Have a good sleep?"

  Tom frowned. "I don't even remember going to sleep in the first place. How long have we been here?"

  "Only a short time," the badger advised him.

  "So where do we go now?" Jack asked, getting to his feet and brushing grass from his clothes.

  "I think you could both do with a bath and a change of clothing," Mo said briskly, wrinkling his nose.

  "And how are we going to manage that?" Jack chuckled.

  The badger began to pad away over a hillock and down toward a long meadow.

  "The house of a friend is somewhere near here," Mo told them. "Could you check the map, Tom?"

  After all that had happened, Tom had completely forgotten about the map but now he pulled it from under his shirt, unfolded it upon the ground and ran a finger across the creased parchment while Jack and the badger looked on. It was not easy to follow the route they had taken, but making allowances for their unorthodox exit from the caves, he calculated their position roughly and pointed at a symbol marked to the north-east. "There is some kind of building here. Is that what you mean?"

  "Yes," affirmed Mo, "that’s it."

  The company of three moved on again, fully expecting to find a signpost nearby. They were not disappointed. One of the now familiar wooden constructions awaited them dutifully, a few hundred yards into the trees.

  "Do you get the feeling that someone wants us to get wherever it is we’re going?" asked Jack dryly.

  "The thought had crossed my mind," admitted Tom.

  Mo made a low coughing sound in his throat. "We will be able to rest and refresh ourselves at the house," he said seriously, "and maybe even requisition some new clothing for you both."

  At Tom's side, Jack laughed. "Tom definitely needs a bath as well!"

  Tom tutted and pushed lamely at his friend. "You don't smell so good yourself."

  The badger nodded gravely, sniffing the air. "Indeed."

  They walked on past swaying trees, branches relenting to a stiff wind that had begun to blow. Where the land began to climb steadily upward, the hillside was lush and prosperous, thick grass and wild flowers dominating the countryside.

  "So who owns this house?" Tom enquired, trying to concentrate on what lay ahead of them rather than what they had left behind, his ordeal in the caves of Rith-ran-ro-en still troubling his mind.

  "It’s the home of my good friend, Henry Blakestone," explained the badger. "He will help us."

  "Sometimes I think you know more than you let on, Mo," Jack said and the animal gave him a sharp look but did not reply.

  Jack moved up next to Tom and walked alongside him, hesitant about broaching a subject that he had been thinking over ever since his friends account of his adventures in the caves.

  "Tom," he began at length, "about that girl...what was her name?...Lisa?" He said it as casually as he could manage. But there must have been a certain edge to his words that betrayed some of his true feelings, although if asked, Jack would have been hard pressed to explain them, even to himself, because Tom's expression darkened.

  "She's just a girl."

  "But where do you know her from? You've never mentioned her before." Jack said this in a slightly hurt tone of voice, unhappy that his friend should have kept secrets from him.

  "I've just seen her before," said Tom shortly.

  "But where?" Jack insisted on knowing.

  Tom seemed to be annoyed by these questions and looked away. "In my dreams," he mumbled, almost too low to hear.

  Jack shook his head, mystified. "In your dreams!" he parroted, disbelief on his face. "What are you talking about? So now you're telling me she's just a figment of your imagination!?"

  "Look," snapped Tom, his irritation growing, although he didn't really understand why. "She's real enough. And anyway, I don't want to talk about it, so let's just forget it all right?"

  Jack looked at his friend carefully, wondering just what was going on between him and this mysterious girl, Lisa, who apparently had sprung from Tom's dreams. He shook his head again and almost asked this aloud, but seeing the other boy's flushed face and pursed lips, he decided to leave well enough alone, at least for the time being.

  They had almost reached the brow of the hill now and gradually what lay upon the other side became visible to them, a long, wide valley winding into the distance.

  A great house stood below them, a startling image in a land that had until now seemed so desolate.

  "There it is," the badger indicated.

  "It's more like a palace," corrected Jack with amazement. And indeed the building was far more than a simple dwelling, huge turrets and spires m
arking the skyline, hundreds of windows glinting in the daylight. Tom assessed that there must be at least sixty rooms, very probably many more.

  As they made their way down the hillside, it became clear that there was a great deal of activity around the perimeter of the building. An enormous gateway was the only entrance visible, a high wall of brown stone encircling the grounds attached to the house. Tom saw a large group of people milling about outside of the gate tending animals that he decided must be horses. They did not appear to be actually doing anything. It was as though they were just waiting.

  "And the owner of this place is a friend of yours?" Jack questioned, glancing over at the badger as they continued to clamber down the hill.

  "A very good friend," confirmed Mo, moving on toward an area where several men and women all dressed in red tunics, white trousers and long black boots stood idly beside impressive looking horses. They regarded the three new arrivals with blank, impassive stares as the badger led Tom and Jack toward the open gate.

  They had managed to replenish their supplies with exotic fruit and water from a small pond found amongst the vegetation. But after the incident with their horses, Dredger was very reluctant to sample either resource. Only once Geheimnis had actually drank and eaten several mouthfuls was he satisfied and even then, the warrior had waited for a reasonable amount of time to pass to ensure that any effects they might have were not latent. Throughout this self imposed abstinence, Geheimnis had watched him with an amused half-smile set upon his mask, taunting his caution openly until Dredger could bear it no longer and ventured a grudging taste of the water. He had found it surprisingly pure and sweet, particularly after the trials of the desert and so now, at last they began their trek across the Land of Scars, a brooding silence falling between the two men.

  The warrior's thoughts returned to his mistrust of his companion. The further they travelled together, the more convinced he became that Geheimnis was an enemy. He had come very close to challenging the masked man to combat on several occasions, but he was still uncertain. Perhaps it might be a mistake. It was still possible that he was not a foe. And maybe, just maybe, the man behind the mask would be a match for him. These things he pondered on.

  At Geheimnis' direction they had sought and found several stout lengths of wood taken from a stand of tawny, sinuous trees that Dredger did not recognise. His companion informed him, after some sharpening, that they would serve as ground stakes. And to make things worse, setting the warrior further on edge, Geheimnis had also produced a grappling hook, apparently from out of thin air, telling him that it would go nicely with the rope!

  They passed over many of the smaller fissures, managing by sheer physical strength and prowess to hurl their bodies to the other side without hazard or injury. A fierce wind had begun to gust around them, billowing dust into their faces, forcing both men to push hard against the elements and Dredger found it bitterly amusing that where he had to shield his eyes from the raging dust-storm, the masked man had no such difficulties.

  At length, they came upon a rift in the land that ran as far as they could see, although in the present conditions, that was not really very far. It was perhaps the width of ten tall men and Dredger was thankful that they had the rope and iron, even as he resented having to use the unnatural objects. At least the masked freak had been of some use to him.

  Taking up the hook, it now fastened securely to the rope, Dredger flung the contraption through the air. With a dull thud, the iron claws dug into one of the smaller fissures that lay several yards beyond the far side. Pulling hard on the rope, the warrior assured himself that it would bear a man's weight and then, striking one of the wooden stakes into the ground, he began to tie the end of the rope to it.

  "Perhaps I should do that," Geheimnis interjected, kneeling down beside him.

  "I know how to tie a knot," retorted Dredger irritably.

  "Certainly," allowed the man, "but I know of a way to tie the rope so that once on the far side, we shall be able to retrieve it without having to wrestle the stake from the earth."

  Dredger raised an eyebrow. "How could such a knot hold our weight?" he scoffed.

  "You should put your trust in me, my dear Dredger. I assure you that I know what I am doing. I have learnt many useful tricks during my lifetime."

  "So you finally admit that your miracles are no more than mere trickery," Dredger said with a thin smile. The mask showed no emotion and it occurred to him that perhaps the man beneath did not have any true feelings at all.

  "There is a time for tricks," Geheimnis hissed, "and a time for magic. As you will come to learn, my fearless friend, I am the master of both."

  Dredger almost spat his contempt at the ground but controlled himself, barely. "Will you go first or shall I show you how it should be done?" he managed finally.

  "I will watch and learn," stated Geheimnis, his mask now revealing the familiar, wide smile.

  This acted as a goad for the warrior and quickly lowering himself over the brink of the yawning chasm, he grabbed the rope and began working his way hand over hand along the taut line.

  This thing had better hold, he thought as he hung precariously in mid-air above the depths of an unknown darkness. Only then did it occur to him that in his anger and frustration, he had let himself be manoeuvred into this perilous position. He was completely at Geheimnis' mercy. All it would take was one cut of the masked man's blade. It would be foolish to expect to survive the fall, the blackness below appearing bottomless and even if he should do so, it would be almost certainly as a cripple, left to die alone in a subterranean tomb.

  Desperately he glanced back over his shoulder, fully expecting to see his enemy poised to send him to his doom, but the dust was too thick, making it impossible to see anything more than a vague outline. With renewed urgency, the wind buffeting him hard, Dredger hurried toward the far side of what he now thought of as the jaws of a ravenous beast, only waiting for the moment when it would take him down into its foul belly. As he drew closer to the edge, he vowed that if he survived this he would never again let the masked devil get the upper hand. Perhaps Geheimnis would have an unfortunate accident when it was his turn to come across. This idea spurred the warrior on, a snarl of hate upon his face. But just as he believed he would reach the other side, the rope began to shudder in his hands, gently at first but then with increasing violence.

  A small, rather plump man stepped forward and smiled broadly. "Welcome, welcome," he beamed. "And what an absolutely wonderful day it is too." The others gathered with the horses appeared to entirely ignore them.

  Mo nodded courteously. "Good day sir. Would it be possible for you to inform Mr. Blakestone that a friend of his is here to visit him. My name is Mo."

  The small man stared blankly at the animal and several long moments passed, the two boys beginning to think that the man had suffered a seizure of some kind. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, he grinned at Mo. "Absolutely wonderful day," he enthused. "And who can say, it could be even better tomorrow."

  Tom looked at the man with a bemused expression, but he seemed to be quite oblivious of he and Jack, concentrating solely on the badger.

  "Well, thank you for your help," said Mo amiably enough, although Tom detected a change in the animal's tone. "Now I think I will go up to the house and announce my arrival."

  The man continued to smile. "You've come just in time for the Huntsmen's Ball, you know. I look forward to seeing you there."

  Tom pulled a dubious face as he followed behind the badger under an archway and along an extensive driveway that led up to the great house. Once away from the group outside the gateway, Mo slowed and spoke to the boys in a hushed voice, as if he was afraid they might be overheard. "All is not well here," he told them, his eyes darting from side to side, scanning the surrounding bushes and foliage for any potential eavesdropper.

  "What's wrong?" asked Jack, also keeping his voice low. The animal sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose, making Jack smile sligh
tly. "Doesn't smell right?" he offered.

  "Something's in the air," Mo said definitely.

  "What should we do?" questioned Tom, becoming worried. There were a lot of people here and if it was they who posed the threat, it seemed pretty reckless to be walking so blithely into their midst.

  "Be vigilant and be on your guard," stated the badger.

  "But against what exactly?" Jack wanted to know.

  "The Wolf walks in shadow," Mo cautioned. "The Beast can be difficult to recognise. Be alert and note what you see and hear. It could turn out to be more important than you might at first believe."

  Drawing nearer to the house, Tom noticed the elaborate carvings and statuettes that adorned its face. The building seemed to be very old, but was nevertheless in excellent repair. Huge windows, some of stained glass, loomed above them, reminding him of cathedrals he had seen in the past.

  "It’s impressive, isn’t it" said Mo, glancing up at him.

  Tom nodded, peering up at the high turrets. "But what's inside?" he asked absently.