The Dragon's Game

by James Erith

  ‘Yes, Sue I'm positive. It’s what this whole thing is about. Their failure means that disease will spread, the rain will continue, and the world will swiftly fall apart. If you could see it, you’d realise it’s happening already. Why do you think the soldiers are here?’

  Sue leaned her head back against the cold stone. ‘Why are you telling me this, Kemp,’ she said. ‘There’s something else, isn’t there.’

  Kemp’s face fell. He looked away. ‘I know it’s pretty hard to fathom, but in return for helping him, this ghost promised me that he would save my mother and me. You see, I’ve never known her, and … and well, having a mother – a family – is all I’ve ever really wanted. It’s why I’m such a mess.’

  Nearby, a radio fizzed into life. Footsteps approached. They ducked down and pulled in their knees.

  ‘You’re right, though,’ he whispered. ‘There is one other reason.’

  ‘Team two, come in,’ Stone’s distinctive voice shouted from the other side of their boulder.

  ‘Catch that, sir. Are you ready to fire? We think we’ve got your position. Let’s go to ignition in ten seconds.’

  Kemp whispered. ‘Thing is, he can save you too.’

  21 OLD MAN WOOD RETURNS

  Old Man Wood woke up with a start and instantly felt as if he’d been through one of Mrs Pye’s spin cycles in the washing machine. His head swam with unusual shapes and images bouncing in his mind. He opened his eyes to darkness.

  Someone, he sensed, was beside him. ‘Eh, who’s that?!’ he demanded.

  ‘Old Man Wood - you’re back!’ Archie cried.

  ‘Back? Where am I?’

  ‘The entrance to the labyrinth under the ruin! We found it — that’s where we are now.’

  ‘But how did I get here?’

  Archie chuckled. ’Actually, I dropped you in it - after Daisy had made a bit of an ass of herself with an outstanding air-kick. Are you OK?’

  ‘What happened?’ Old Man Wood said, groggily. ‘What’s been going on?’

  ‘One minute you were walking along complaining you’d been bitten in the ear, the next you were slumped against a rock fast asleep, snoring like a champion while we trembled for our very lives in front of a dragon. At the same time,’ he continued, ‘Isabella bashed her head and went mad while hundreds of animals looked on expecting us to know all the answers.’

  ‘Answers? Animals?’ he queried.

  ‘Yep. Tons of them. Big, small, flying, quacking, bleating, barking. They’re out there, and they claim they want to help us. Other than that, nothing much.’

  Old Man Wood stretched out a leg, followed by the other. ‘Who carried me here if I was asleep?’

  ‘I did,’ Archie said, ‘until we fell through the boulder.’

  ‘Impossible—’

  ‘Aaaaaahh!’ Daisy and Isabella tumbled and slid down the chute crash-landing next to them.

  Daisy rolled, righted herself and looked around. Her sister lay still for a moment.

  ‘Hey, Bells, you alright?’ she asked, as her eyes adjusted to the light.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ Isabella eventually replied, sitting up and rubbing her head, her voice thick with confusion.

  ‘Bells?’

  ‘Ow,’ she groaned. ‘Bruised. Head … sore.’

  ‘Archie!' Daisy said. 'Where are you?’

  ‘Over here,’ he replied, the sound of his voice echoing back. ‘I think we’re in a chamber of some sort.’ He started chuckling again. ‘Daisy, that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. The look on your face.’

  ‘Yeah, really hilarious.’

  ‘By the way, Old Man Wood’s woken up!’

  ‘Does he know about the animals?’

  ‘Ask him yourself.’

  ‘Old Man Wood, do you know about the animals?’

  ‘I wish I were still asleep,’ the old man moaned. ‘I was having a GREAT dream—’

  ‘Yes, but what do you know about the animals out there?’

  ‘I wish I was still asleep too,’ Isabella interrupted. ‘That thing spoke to me WITHIN my head. It’s going to kill us to get its freedom.’

  ‘Bells, you’re back too!’ Archie said.

  ‘Back from where?’

  ‘A hotel, I think,’ Archie said. ‘We were about to have a party.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Well, yeah,’ Archie said. ‘To be honest, you guys have been pretty freaky. We haven’t got much time - Old Man Wood, what do you know about this beast?’

  ‘What do I know?’ Old Man Wood said, thinking. ‘If I recall, the beast was thrown out of the Garden for being too disruptive and dangerous. It is powerful and untrustworthy—’

  ‘Don’t tell me: it’s the same snake that tempted Adam and Eve in that Creation story?’

  Old Man Wood sighed. ‘Well, that, littlun depends on what you believe. Now, if I recall correctly, shortly before the Great Closing of the Garden of Eden, the Beast of Havilah, also known, I believe, as Gorialla Yingarna, was tracked down, snared and summoned for execution.’

  ‘What’s it doing here?’

  ‘I believe I offered it as an alternative.’

  ‘You did what?!’ Isabella stormed.

  ‘I reasoned that it would be better to use the beast as the guardian of the labyrinth. Everyone agreed, and the beast was given to me.’

  ‘How’ Isabella muttered in disbelief, ‘could you do something so incredibly dumb?’

  ‘Because I needed the keeper of the third tablet here in the labyrinth to be the very best - so that everyone involved in the Great Closing would be satisfied that the Garden of Eden couldn’t be found by accident or by some foolhardy adventurers. Only the real Heirs to the secrets of the Garden would succeed - still with me? You see, the beast has never lost.’

  Isabella exploded. ‘Have you seen this thing?’ she roared. ‘It’s like the perfect reptilian killing machine.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ he pondered, ‘I suppose that’s true.’ He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘Isn't it amazing what one can remember after a good sleep!’

  ‘Now I wish you hadn’t told us,’ Isabella said. ‘That information is entirely unhelpful. Will someone fill me in on what’s been going on, and please, can someone find out how to get some light in here.’

  22 THE BRANCHWAND

  Apart from the hole above, darkness hung around them like a heavy curtain.

  ‘What’s the beast doing right now?’ Old Man Wood asked.

  ‘Just before we fell in, it was eating a sheep,’ Archie replied. ‘Whole!’

  Old Man Wood groaned as he began to stand up. ‘Excellent. That’ll give us time, how do you say it, “a window of opportunity”? We must get going.’

  ‘Where to?’ Isabella asked. ‘I can hardly see my hand in front of my face. Daisy, do your eye thing?’

  Daisy sighed audibly, her voice quavering. ‘Nice to have you back to your usual cheery self, Bells. How’s the head?’

  ‘Bit sore. How about some illumination?’

  Daisy didn’t reply. ‘I just can’t – I can’t concentrate on anything right now.’

  ‘Ah-ha,’ Old Man Wood cried, ‘I thought I might find it somewhere. My earlobe! Of course! Here, look. Excellent!’

  A glow appeared from his earlobe lighting the lined features of the side of his face. ‘Ha! It’s a branchwand from the Tree of Knowledge,’ he said. ‘Just as I dreamed a moment ago. This is wonderful news.’

  ‘What wonderful news?’ Isabella asked, her voice wobbling. ‘What is that thing?’

  ‘It’s a branchwand, Isabella, that’s what it is,’ he said, pulling the stud out of his ear. ‘You’ve seen them in those books of yours with wizards and witches and so forth.’

  ‘A branch-wand?’ Daisy said. ‘Bit of a roundabout way of saying a “wand” isn’t it?

  ‘I suppose,’ Old Man Wood said. ‘But branchwands came long before there were wands,’ he said, his eyes boring down onto the small stud that sat in the palm of his hand.

  Da
isy stood up and inspected it. ‘It doesn’t look like a wand; it looks like a small ear stud with a tacky light in it. Do you have any idea how it works?’

  ‘Now then, let me see.’ He held the stud out and closed his eyes.

  ‘GAGOG, GAGOG – BARK!’ the strange roar of the beast echoed down the chute and echoed through the room they were sitting in.

  As one, they looked up. Scraping sounds, and growls and grunts - noises of a scuffle sounded above them.

  ‘Hurry! Old Man Wood.’

  Old Man Wood flinched and the stud fell to the floor. Light was replaced by dark. More noises spewed in from above.

  ‘Quick! Help me find it.’

  Furiously they scratched around on the floor. Archie touched what felt like a stone, and a glint of orange light radiated out. He passed it to Old Man Wood.

  In silence, they watched the old man.

  ‘I need to remember,’ the old man said.

  ‘Remember faster,’ Isabella said.

  He held the stud cupped in the palm of his hands.

  The children held their breath as the old man scrunched up his face, deep in thought.

  Old Man Wood began, his voice quiet but clear. ‘Spirit of Nature, awaken, for I am a child of the universe and you are its deepest secret.’

  From the tiny ear stud, there emerged a thin, gnarled twig not much longer than Old Man Wood’s forearm, glowing brilliantly white and then mixing through a spectrum of colours.

  Daisy squeaked, ‘so your stories about turning frogs into haystacks are … TRUE!’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Old Man Wood said, using the radiating light to usher them deeper into the chamber. ‘And there’s more; so much more. The wizardry of old is all but lost, thanks to cars, and kettles, and life support machines, and those mobile phones of yours and all that stuff. But a long time ago, there were great wizards with great powers.’

  ‘Where did it go?’ she said. ‘The magic, I mean.’

  ‘Problems started,’ he continued, ‘when it became hard to tell what was real magic – that is to say, proper – magic, and what were illusions and slights-of-hand by tricksters, fraudsters - you know the sort. You see, some magic wasn’t magic at all, and then, sooner or later, confidence in the real magic deteriorated. Fear and misunderstanding took its place—’

  ‘Excuse me,’ Isabella said, her teeth chattering. ‘I’m sure the legitimacy of the history of supposed magic is important, but right now we could do with some light.’

  Old Man Wood flicked up the branchwand and swirled it up and then to the left in an arc. ‘Illuminate the labyrinth!’ he commanded. Instantly several braziers hanging on the walls burst into flames, their shadows dancing on the walls.

  Daisy shielded her eyes, ‘Ow! Too bright! Order the twig-thing to turn it down!’

  Old Man Wood beamed with delight and barked another couple of orders, with varying results. After a couple of tries and much to everyone’s astonishment, Old Man Wood managed to get the braziers to burn at a brightness that suited everyone.

  23 THE HEIRS HAVE COMPANY

  Now they could see, they found themselves in a cavernous shiny, damp stone chamber, its walls patterned by water that had seeped through the rock over time. Some areas were smeared with green slime, others bore the streaks of white calcium-deposit. Above them, a domed stone ceiling connected the chamber to the entrance and, on the walls, at long intervals, big, burning metal sconces, highlighted the way to the passage into the labyrinth at the far end.

  ‘What is a labyrinth?’ Archie asked as they inspected the room. ‘I mean everyone’s heard of one, but what’s the point of it?’

  ‘It’s a route,’ Isabella rattled out, ‘or a journey, that allows the person to traverse from passageway to passageway to a mid-point or central space or chamber. The path is often long and complicated by twists and turns,’ she paused, catching her breath. ‘A good labyrinth is said to test the spirit, the mental endurance and belief-system of the journey-taker; it is also a physical test of mind, heart and soul. After that, the route out follows an almost identical pattern to the one in—’

  ‘So, it’s different to a maze?’

  ‘A maze is there to trick you; it’s a route with false turns — more of a puzzle, whereas a labyrinth is a path to challenge nerve and endurance.’

  ‘Then, this is like a race to the middle—’

  ‘That would depend on where the tablet is. Logically, the most secure place for the tablet would be the centre because it is only halfway. In the event that we find it there we still have to wind our way out. And that means the beast still has, in theory, a fifty percent chance of getting us.’

  Archie rubbed a hair spike. ‘You built it Old Man Wood - what do you know?’

  The old man thought a while. ‘Isabella’s right, I suppose,’ he replied. ‘But the path is made harder because the beast can turn up at any point along the way—’

  ‘The beast can cheat!’ Isabella thundered.

  ‘Cheat? No. I wouldn’t say that. Well, not exactly,’ the old man countered. ‘The serpent is the guardian of the tablet, and it knows every nook and cranny. Why wouldn’t it travel through the ventilation system or the water ducts? It can go where it likes within these tunnels and in whatever form it chooses.’

  ‘This isn’t getting any better.’

  The commotion at the entrance of the cave increased dramatically.

  ‘There’s no time to lose,’ Archie said.

  ‘Now before you get too hasty,’ Old Man Wood said, ‘what was it, Daisy, that you were saying about some animals—?’

  Without warning a stampede of hooves and animal groans and baas and crows and yaps grew at the chute as if a battle raged directly above them.

  The four retreated, backs to the wall, listening nervously.

  There was suddenly a cacophony of flapping, squeaks, squawks and squeals followed by a blizzard of feathers that flashed through the air in front of their disbelieving eyes. Then, descending the chute, was a furry conveyor belt of smaller animals; rabbits, weasels, rats and mice, to name but a few, which scurried, tumbled and slid, and then dashed out of the way.

  The four humans fled to the far wall.

  ‘Look! The eagles,’ Archie cried. The birds flapped, shook out their feathers and landed in front of him.

  ‘At your service, young Heirs of Eden. You have recovered?’ the bird asked Old Man Wood.

  ‘Welcome, eagles of the moors,’ he said. ‘Yes, thank you.’

  As the multitude filled the chamber, the eagle they had met earlier bounced from foot to foot as if waiting for a sign.

  Archie noticed. He looked from one sister to the other and then spoke to the large bird. ‘Set up in groups along the passages,’ he ordered. ‘Take some as far as you can, to the middle if you have the numbers. Remember to tell your winged friends that they must attack the eyes, and to keep the beast moving at all times.’

  A young rat cartwheeled over before careering into a rabbit, landing at Daisy’s feet. Daisy eyed it curiously for a while and then bent down righting both. ‘Thanks for coming, brave creatures of the moors,’ she said sweetly.

  ‘My name is Speck,’ the rat gushed.

  ‘And I’m Springer,’ said the rabbit.

  ‘Well now,’ Speck and Springer,’ she said, copying Archie’s lead. ‘Take off along the passages and wait in small groups all the way until you reach the middle. Leave the strongest and the bravest till last. They will need to be patient. When the beast appears in whatever form, attack its eyes in pairs. Keep it busy for as long as you can - and make sure it does not eat. Is that clear? We’re gonna wear it out, big time. Go now. Tell your comrades.’

  Speck and Springer scuttled off gathering others on the way including several rabbits and rats and mice and other vermin, creating a stream of fur as they hurried off down the passageway.

  ‘Remember, go for the eyes,’ she called out after them. ‘Always the eyes, understand?’

  ‘The eyes, the eyes,’ the
y sang.

  ‘Are there any mongooses, snakes, hedgehogs or honey-badgers in our group?’ Archie said, addressing the animals.

  A hawk fluttered above the body of animals searching the floor with its sharp eyes. ‘There are adders, and a couple of big lazy home-snakes, many hedgehogs and other such types.

  ‘Hawk,’ Archie said, ‘Make sure that the snakes, hedgehogs and mongooses patrol the vents and the smaller holes where the beast may try and crawl or wriggle through if he takes the form of, say, a lizard. Find them and get them to wait in every cavity, and every little nook. Speak to them now.’

  ‘I understand,’ the hawk said, raising himself up and dusting himself down, before taking off towards a muddled-up, knotted-looking nest of snakes.

  During this time, the children had been forced back, as the flow of animals of all shapes and sizes continued to tumble down or fly in.

  ‘I’m sure I’ve seen a massive cat,’ Daisy said, as she joined her siblings. She inspected the crowd again, her eyes shining bright red. ‘And a bear? Archie, what about you?’

  But Archie was too busy thanking animals and trying to organise the smaller ones to notice.

  Suddenly, the remaining sheep from Old Man Wood’s flock tumbled in. Hot on their heels, Old Man Wood’s cattle followed, succeeded by a curious mix of horses, foxes, badgers, roe deer and muntjac. Many bore wound marks. Then, several dogs and cats jumped neatly in and, in the cats’ case, bristling, slinked off down the passageway. After the confusion, with hooves, paw and claw muddling together and a jumble of bleating and barking and mooing, the animals righted themselves and fell silent.

  The children looked on amazed.

  The cavernous space felt tiny.

  Thunderfoot, the reindeer, addressed them. ‘Today is the day that our forefathers talked about in stories passed down for generations. We will take humankind to the place of reckoning. Together, as a body of animals, we will protect the Heirs of Eden. Let us go, for the beast will not linger long now that the spell is broken.’

  The ensuing movement of animals herding themselves close or towards the Heirs of Eden was nothing short of chaos. Creatures crashed into one another to create a sense of overwhelming disorganisation.