The Magic Lands

by Mark Hockley

  DREAM DEEP

  "What's that noise?" Tom asked, looking up toward the ceiling of the tunnel.

  Elrin Jinn stood perfectly still and also peered upward, concentrating on the ominous rumbling that Tom was talking about.

  "Worms," he said indifferently, starting away once more, "but do not concern yourself. They rarely venture this deep."

  Tom stared at the man with incredulity. "What kind of worm could make a sound like that?" Jinn chuckled but said nothing. "Are there any other creatures we're likely to run into?" Tom questioned, following a few yards behind and hoping, even as he asked, that the answer would be no.

  "You never can tell," Jinn uttered, his voice floating back to Tom as he hurried on. "There are always surprises in The Underland."

  The twisting passageway reminded Tom uncomfortably of the corridors in the great house and in turn this focused his thoughts on his absent friends, last seen in that evil domain. He had resolved to escape from this catacomb lair and find both Jack and Mo, and whatever it took to achieve this end he would seek them out. They were out there somewhere he felt certain of that, maybe searching for him too.

  "We can rest soon," Elrin Jinn notified him, turning a corner, "there is a place where we will be safe. For a time at least."

  This was good news as far as Tom was concerned. His legs were heavy and his throat painfully dry and there was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to just sit down and have something to drink. "I don't suppose there will be any water there?" he ventured hopefully.

  Jinn smiled down at him and Tom almost believed he was being genuinely friendly. "I too would be pleased to quench my thirst," he admitted, "but there is hope ahead if not behind, that is, if the spring has not dried up."

  Encouraged by this, Tom managed to walk a little faster, now forcing his companion to keep pace with him and soon after, they came upon a large aperture in the wall and following the man inside, Tom saw that they were now in a fair-sized chamber cut from grey rock.

  "And there is your drink, master," announced Elrin Jinn with a hint of triumph in his voice, pointing over at a trickle of clear water that flowed steadily from the wall in the far corner of the chamber. The modest pool it formed there was enough to satisfy even Tom's thirst. "Where does it come from?" he asked between gulps, taking as much of the precious liquid as he could.

  "From above," Jinn told him, indicating the ceiling, "The Overworld."

  "Underland, Overworld," Tom muttered, wiping his mouth and chin on his sleeve. He turned and eyed the man with a challenging gaze. "I've been meaning to ask you. How do you know Mo anyway?"

  "Your...badger friend," hesitated Elrin Jinn. He had stood in the entrance way while Tom drank, but now he came to join him, sitting down beside the pool, his long legs crossed and cupping his hands, he scooped up some water. "We have been comrades for a very long time. He has taught me many things." He paused and took another mouthful before continuing. "When I was very young, not much older than you are now, I saw something that changed my life. Even now, after an existence in which I have encountered things beyond all imagination, the memory of it still fills me with awe."

  Tom looked up at the man and saw such an expression of love and wonder on his face, that every doubt he had about his strange companion vanished, as if washed away by a cleansing rain. "What did you see?" he urged softly.

  Elrin Jinn stared at the water, ripples of reflected light upon his face. "I saw something that was dead live again. And since that moment I have followed the one who made it so."

  Tom gazed at Jinn and knew whom he spoke of without having to be told. " Mo," he said quietly. The boy paused, a mental picture of the old badger forming in his mind. "Tell me the story."

  The man nodded and reached down and ran a hand gently across the surface of the water, as if he could see past events in the clear depths of the pool. "There was a black tree," he began.

  Jack remembered it all.

  He saw again, the death by his hand of the hideous creature in the room where the generator had throbbed like a massive steel heart. He recalled the madness that had overtaken him, commanding his mind, inciting him to do terrible things. And it haunted him now like some clinging, malevolent phantom.

  He had destroyed the house and everyone within it. He was the real murderer.

  How could I have done such a thing? All of those people. Dead now because of me.

  He looked down at the ancient features of the badger, tasting his own tears. "I am the murderer. Me. It was me all along." Oh how he wished that he could exorcise the guilt that now dwelt within his soul, but he knew his own crimes better than anyone else could ever know them and however much he might wish it, tears of self-pity would not wash away those vile deeds. "Why must we kill?" he pleaded finally not expecting any answer, only crying out to the unknown for some form of understanding, desperately needing to find something he could hold onto.

  "I understand how you feel, Jack," Mo said softly coming closer, his large eyes full of compassion, but Jack was already withdrawing into a remote world of contrition and shame. "You must look for the whole of the truth, not just fragments," the badger persisted, "you see only what you know and you do not yet know all there is to be discovered. Listen well, Jack. You think you are no better than the Beast because you have killed, but that is not so. You think me alike the Wolf and yes, there is truth in that, there are things that link us. But do not mistake two paths that might lead you home as the same, for each may take an infinite amount of twists and turns before they finally meet at the end of their journey. I have been and always shall be, the enemy of the Beast. You and I are among those who have been chosen to do battle, until one side or the other is overcome, and though you believe I have acted as the Wolf might act, there are fundamental differences between us that cannot be ignored. Where the Beast draws strength and joy from the pain and suffering it inflicts, I and those like me, are depleted, our hearts pierced by the arrows of violence shot by our own bloody hands. Look at me now and what do you see?"

  Jack did look, and he saw the truth of the badger's words. It was as if years had descended upon him in just a moment, his haggard features weary, a burden of sorrow mirrored in the animals eyes.

  "For yourself," Mo said with warmth, though his dark gaze was stern, "only you can know in your heart if you are one with the Wolf. But I can tell you this. When I look into your eyes, I do not see a beast staring back at me. I see only you."

  Wiping away tears with his hand, Jack faced his friend. "It's hard," he said, as much to himself as to the badger.

  "I know," answered Mo. "The road is cruel and dark, my friend."

  "And you followed him?" Tom asked, fascinated by the story. He found it incredible, but never for one moment did he doubt the truth of it.

  "I followed him," nodded Elrin Jinn, "and he took me under his wing, showed me things that until then I had not believed could exist. Our mutual friend has led me on a very long journey, Tom, but now we near its end."

  "Do you really believe that?" Tom wanted to know, sensing that once their travelling was over, everything would change forever, though for good or ill he did not know.

  "Everything I have seen, everything I have learnt convinces me that we are soon to take the final step," Jinn answered, "when we shall either reach the summit of our dreams, or stumble and fall into the arms of the waiting darkness. And once there, in that place you would name Hell, we shall never dream again." Tom felt the ominous words resound in his mind, knowing that things were in the balance and that somehow, he had become an integral part of something vast and momentous. "But I think that now is not the best time to ponder such things," Elrin Jinn finished, rummaging inside his tunic as if looking for something. Tom watched with interest, wondering what surprise the man might have in store for him now, and with a flourish Jinn produced a small fiddle, closely followed by a battered looking bow. Tom smiled with enthusiasm and wonder. "Let us rest now," Elrin Jinn suggested, taking up the instrume
nt. "I will play for you. And then, if you can, I would advise you to get some sleep, for you will need all of your strength if you are to succeed in your undertaking."

  Tom glanced across at the man, leaning back against the hard wall of the chamber, resting his head upon the cool stone. "Do you know why I’m here then?" he queried timidly and saw the flicker of a smile upon Jinn's face.

  "In part, but not all," his new friend told him bluntly, "yet I know enough to tell you that you must tread carefully from now on, even more so than before. The further you travel, the more treacherous your journey will become. Things are never what they seem, master. Trust no-one. It is lamentable that I must give you advise that may cause you to mistrust even me, but that is as it must be.” Taking the fiddle carefully up under his chin, Elrin Jinn began to move his bow elegantly over the strings and then, as if magically, lilting notes filled the chamber becoming a sweet melody of hope.

  Closing his eyes Tom felt himself getting drowsy, but he did not resist it, instead welcoming the relaxing waves of tranquillity that the music induced. And then, he was dreaming.

  He still walked through the underground passageway, passing many chests in their alcoves, handles glinting in an eerie light.

  I think I'll get something for Jack.

  Tom halted briefly to gaze about him, the idea striking him as very good indeed and he quickly approached the nearest casket, reaching for the golden handle. As he did so, a small voice whispered in his mind that this was a foolish thing to do, that the chest could be trapped as Elrin Jinn had said, but Tom was unconcerned. I feel lucky! A broad smile lit up his face and pulling the lid upward he peered inside. At first glance it appeared empty and he felt a pang of disappointment, but shadows concealed the corners at the very bottom and Tom leaned closer, sure that there must be some treasure hidden there. Taking his weight upon the rim, he pushed his head further inside blinking against the darkness as he blocked out what light there was.

  Abruptly, without any conscious perception of how it had happened, Tom began to fall and all around him points of light glittered like a million stars. As he hurtled past he reached out, attempting to touch the shining configuration but found that they dissolved like powder between his fingers when he snatched at them. Then, as swiftly as it had begun, the sensation of falling ceased.

  Now he was in a dark place, although a faint light shone upon him like the first rays of dawn. I've fallen into the chest was all he could surmise, hardly able to believe it, but as his eyes became accustomed to the poor light, he realised with astonishment that he was in some kind of tremendous cave, the rocky floor covered with tall stalagmites. Looking up he saw their counterparts, stalactites hanging from the roof, while over to his left, although quite some distance from him, he saw the source of the dim light that struggled to illuminate the huge cavern. There seemed to be some kind of entrance there and the idea of being able to see daylight once more encouraged him to hastily make his way toward it, stumbling over the awkward terrain. As he came to the slender opening through which the light filtered, Tom felt a cool breeze brush his face and a familiar smell came to him, reminding him of a holiday he had spent in a small coastal village only a few years before. There was no doubt about it, he was close to the sea.

  Stepping through the gap in the rock, emerging from the murky cave into bright daylight, he was greeted by the sight of a gentle tide, splashing against a golden beach. The waves foamed before moving away, only to come back once again to leave their mark, the eternal motion of the sea beckoning him forward. Moving swiftly, risking injury on the sharp rocks protecting the cave entrance, Tom leapt onto the soft sand, tumbling over as he landed. He just lay there for a moment before jumping to his feet and walking closer to the water.

  This is a dream his mind insisted, but he didn't want to listen. It felt real to him and that was all that mattered. He breathed deeply of the salt air and holding out his arms wide as if to embrace the sea, he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind on his face and the sound of the breakers.

  After a while Tom began to amble along the beach, attempting to stay just out of the incoming tides reach, playfully dodging the surf. It was then that he noticed a man standing beside the water's edge, a few hundred yards ahead of him, apparently staring aimlessly out to sea. There were no ships or boats to be seen, nothing but the rolling waves.

  Tom made towards him and he noted subconsciously that he felt no sense of apprehension, despite the fact that, until now, everything he had encountered in this alien realm had made him uneasy and wary.

  "Hello!" Tom called, drawing closer and turning slowly, the man regarded him with a friendly smile.

  "Oh, hello Tom, I'm glad you were able to come," he said in a voice that Tom immediately liked.

  As he looked at the man, Tom became certain that he had seen him before but though the face was very familiar, he just couldn't quite place it.

  "Aren't you going to ask how I know your name?" the stranger questioned, an infectious amusement shining in his eyes, bringing a smile to Tom's own face.

  "No," he answered, still grinning, "I'm used to things like that now. And anyway, I'm pretty sure this is a dream."

  Nodding, the man pointed back along the beach, indicating the direction from which Tom had come. "You've come a long way," he reflected, his expression now more sombre.

  "Not really, just from that cave over there in the rocks," Tom replied with a shrug, waving a hand half-heartedly to show what he meant.

  "There are distances beyond measure," the man stated, his gaze now fixed upon Tom.

  "Do I know you?" the boy questioned, still trying to place where he had seen the man's face before but failing to make the connection. The stranger didn’t answer, returning his gaze to the increasingly choppy waters. "I'm sure I do," Tom maintained, searching his mind for the memory, "but I can't quite remember where I've seen you before."

  The man continued to look out at the rising waves, the wind in his face, ruffling his long, dark hair. "A storm is coming," he said softly.

  “Who are you?” Tom asked, unsure why the question felt so important to him.

  "I’m your friend, Tom. There is a bond between us that can never be broken. Remember this, in your time of need. Remember that whoever has faith can never lose, for he will have no need to compete for love." He turned back and smiled gently.

  Tom looked deeply into the man's eyes and felt himself swept away, as if the tide had come suddenly crashing up onto the shore to take him back with it into the depths of the sea.

  Please don't make me wake up. I don't want this dream to end.

  "Time to continue our journey," came the voice of Elrin Jinn close beside him, intruding into his slumber and reluctantly Tom opened his eyes.

  "I had a wonderful dream," the boy said with such emotion that his companion looked at him carefully, before speaking again.

  "Dreams mean a great deal in these lands," Jinn said in earnest. "Are you fully awake now?"

  "Yes," Tom confirmed, getting to his feet, "but I just wish I could have had more time. There were so many things I wanted to ask."

  "Can't we rest for a while?" asked Jack as they passed quickly through a copse of overhanging trees. "We've been walking for ages. Surely we've lost them by now."

  "As you wish," responded the badger, halting immediately, “but as for those who pursue us, they will not give us up so easily."

  They made themselves comfortable beneath a large elm, a huge tree that towered above the smaller ash and hawthorn that made up the coppice, and leaning heavily against the massive trunk Jack stretched and yawned. "I’m so tired," he muttered. "Do you know where we are?"

  Mo did not reply at once, seeming preoccupied with thoughts of his own but just as Jack was about to ask his question again, the animal spoke.

  "This region is known as Gravis and though it holds many pleasures for the eye, it is not a place much frequented by Men."

  Another involuntary yawn escaped
Jack and he felt his eyes becoming heavy. As he began to let his mind slip away into sleep, he heard Mo's voice saying, "remember that sleep is not always restful."

  But the words became distant as Jack flew through a cloudless sky, his arms outstretched as if he were an aeroplane or a giant bird. He wished that Tom was there with him, sharing such an amazing and wonderful experience, but he knew that his friend was lost and there didn't appear to be much hope of finding him, not in the boundless fields and forests through which they travelled. He continued to fly, time and space no longer having any meaning for him, a sense of absolute freedom filling him with joy. Maybe things would be all right after all.

  Looking down at the far-off landscape below Jack saw a meadow crowded with wild flowers, creating patterns of colour across the surface of the world.

  Jack swooped lower, drawing closer to them and touching the ground once more he stood very still, not wanting to move and crush the delicate blooms. He wondered how he could possibly make his way out of the field without destroying hundreds of them, for already beneath his feet where he had come to rest, he could feel the broken bodies of the flowers he had already slaughtered.

  In his head he could hear them screaming. MURDERER! MURDERER!

  "But I didn't mean to," Jack called aloud, hoping they would understand and forgive him. "I had no choice."

  There is always a choice the flowers seemed to cry inside his mind.

  "No!" he shouted, "I wasn't in control. Something brought me here. It just happened, I don't know why."

  But it gave you a thrill, didn't it? It felt good to kill, to have the power of life and death? Admit it, at least to yourself. At last you feel truly alive, don’t you? At last you have found your place in the scheme of things. You have found your calling.

  The voice inside Jack's head was no longer that of the flowers he had killed. This was another voice, insidious and cold.

  "No!" Jack bellowed, "I'm not like the Wolf! I've never wanted to hurt anyone." A hideous laughter began and grew louder and louder, seeming to violate his mind and though he covered his ears with his hands it echoed on, overwhelming him. "Please…leave me alone," Jack managed to beg, dropping to his knees, barely able to hear himself above the hateful sound.

  Do you really want to be alone?

  The laughter had ceased abruptly and now the voice was softer, compassionate.

  I know that all you really want is to be loved, and I will give you that and more. But even love must be earned. You must wait for me, for the hunt is not over yet. Be patient just a short while longer and then all of your pain will be soothed away. You will never have to be alone again. This I promise.

  Jack hung his head so that his face almost touched the flowers, the voice still whispering in his mind, fading very slowly to leave him weak and dazed. He closed his eyes. "It's only a dream…a bad dream. When I wake up, it will all be over."

  Opening his eyes, he was relieved to see the big black and white face of Mo but the

  badger only stared at him with a grim expression of horror and fear. And scattered all

  about his feet coloured petals covered the ground.

  As they wandered through the labyrinth of The Underland, Tom still reflected upon his dream finding it difficult to concentrate, his thoughts drifting back as he trailed behind his unfaltering guide.

  At Jinn's direction he had collected several rough chunks of rock from the chamber where they had rested, each piece approximately the right size for use with the catapult. They now rattled together inside his pocket and although he was reluctant about using the thing, he knew it would be an effective weapon if they were attacked again.

  An image of the bird he had killed rose up out of his subconscious and stubbornly refused to go away, expanding until it seemed to fill every corner of his mind. He gritted his teeth and tried to shake off the memory and focus all of his attention on the figure of Elrin Jinn now several yards ahead, but it was no use. He could not push it aside so easily.

  How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? How long will I have to keep paying for one mistake?

  But he thought he knew the answer to that question. He would pay until he had atoned for his sins. It was up to him to make amends.

  But what can I do?

  He so much wanted to be forgiven. And yet he could not forgive himself.

  "We are making progress," came the voice of Elrin Jinn drifting back along the tunnel, the man almost out of sight. "Soon, master, you shall see the sky again."

  Tom felt comforted by this news, as the longer he remained underground the more dejected he became. If he could just escape from the confines of this subterranean maze, then maybe he would be able to find his friends again. That at least would give him some reason to hope. But faith was an illusive friend. He had come to realise that. If you did not protect and nurture it then it would surely die, murdered by doubt.

  "Look there," Jinn called, slowing and gesturing ahead of them.

  Tom peered beyond the man and saw a small, blue door at the far end of the passage. "Is that the way out?" he asked, coming to a halt alongside his companion. "I won't be sorry to see the back of this place." He felt heartened by the thought of returning to the bright world above and leaving the darkness behind, but even as he spoke a rumbling began around them and steadily increased, growing to such an intensity that Tom was forced to clamp his hands over his ears, his face contorted with pain.

  "Prepare..." he heard Jinn shouting at him, but the rest of the sentence was lost amid the uproar.

  "What?" Tom yelled, unable to see the man, his vision a blur. "What!?" he cried again, putting out a hand to grope the air, but he never knew if Jinn made any reply for at that moment clay and earth came crashing down around them, most of the tunnel roof collapsing as something massive came bursting through. It was a white, clammy thing that undulated and coiled as it burrowed through the earth, its thick trunk oozing with a glutinous slime that dripped onto the ground and hissed like acid wherever it fell.

  And then it was upon him, smothering him and however hard he struggled, he could not elude the disgusting mass of its body, a terrible pain exploding in his left thigh, his leg buckling beneath him, sending him crashing to the hard floor. Inside his head a cruel, hostile laughter raged, rabid with glee, escalating in pitch until he felt he would go mad if it did not stop, and as he writhed on the ground he felt something heavy and soft slide over him, enveloping his body, pinning him down.

  "Help!" he screamed, his voice muffled, his flesh on fire where the slime made contact with his skin. He fought to get up onto his feet but he could hardly move.

  "I am here, Tom," answered a voice, at first sounding far away, then abruptly at his ear and all at once the laughter in his mind was replaced by a piercing shriek, an awful cacophony of rage. "Quickly," the voice ordered him. "This way!"

  Half dragged, he was bundled away from the writhing bulk of the monster, supported by powerful arms that guided him toward a blue door. All around them the earth quaked, but Tom was only dimly aware of what was taking place. Even though the terrible screaming in his mind had ceased, his head would not clear and his body was alive with pain.

  As they passed through the door he staggered, his vision growing dim, his strength failing. "I'm hurt," was all he could say. He felt confused and sick, weary to the point of sleep, and he knew that if he were alone he would not force himself on so mercilessly, that he would lay down where he was and rest.

  "Not much further, Tom," urged the person who was now having to almost carry him along. "Here!"

  Looking down, Tom saw a strange hole. The rim was made of stone the same as the floor, but the interior of the opening appeared to be metallic, the smooth surface glinting dully as it disappeared into darkness. Lifting his head with the last of his strength, Tom saw that it was Elrin Jinn who was holding him and even though he saw that the man's lips moved, he could not make out much of what was spoken. "Shock...help...slide." These were the only fragme
nts of speech that he understood and they meant very little to him, but he could see that Jinn was pointing at the hole and that in his other hand the man held a blade dripping with black fluid. Tom made to pull away, panicking as he recalled how his skin had burned, only to have Jinn grip him fast, bringing the dagger in front of his face. "It was the Wolf," the man shouted, this time his words penetrating the fog that choked Tom's senses. "It came to kill you. But it failed."

  Tom's mind was beset by ghosts. He was plagued by colours and shapes that weaved through his consciousness, leaving him groggy, bewildered. He was aware that he was being lowered toward the ground and hot pain fired somewhere below his waist and he almost blacked out, but then somehow, he found himself gliding downward at incredible speed, hurtling along as if he were on a roller coaster ride. Grey walls flashed by, cool air whipped at his face as he was swept away, taken faster and deeper by the twisting slide. Brutally, a dazzling light hit his eyes and his first instinct was to shut them, but squinting against the glare he saw a flash of vivid colours as he was thrown through the air into a world that sparkled, shimmering with radiance and he knew he was above ground again. He seemed to fly, weightless for a long time, a gentle breeze against his skin, soothing his wounds and just as he thought he might never touch the ground again, the earth tugged at him and he landed on something spongy and yielding, a brilliant blue sky the colour of the ocean filling his sight. His eyes fluttered for a moment and then he smiled as darkness took him, bearing him away into a world within himself.