Lord of Monsters

by John Claude Bemis

  His sword was almost in his grasp when Pinocchio saw something move in the broken branches caught by the web. It was small, no bigger than his hand, and seemed at first like a mushroom. But then the stem split, becoming a pair of legs and a pair of arms. The creature turned its mushroom cap up to him. It had a tiny face on the gills.

  “P-Prester?” it gasped. “Are you the prester?”

  Pinocchio couldn’t imagine that this tiny creature was one of Diamancer’s monsters, but he kept pulling his sword until the hilt was almost in reach.

  The mushroom saw this and looked in panic from Pinocchio to the flapping creatures.

  “No, Your Majesty, please! Don’t hurt them! The arachnobats mean no harm!”

  One of Rion’s arrows sailed into the darkness. The shouts of Mezmer, Sop, and Lazuli echoed through the forest. A squeal of pain sounded, then another.

  Pinocchio realized now that the flying spiders—no, arachnobats—weren’t attacking, but simply flying wildly as if in fright. These weren’t Diamancer’s monsters.

  “Mezmer!” Pinocchio bellowed. “Stop! Stop your attack. They’re harmless!”

  From above came a thump and a grunt followed by a feline hiss. “Hey, ow! What’s that about, shorty!”

  “Leave the arachnobats alone, you big brutes!” a little voice cried.

  There was shouting and then arguing, but moments later Mezmer barked for them to be quiet.

  Kataton’s reptilian face emerged from the branches above Pinocchio, his tiny eyes swiveling in his protruding lids. “Are. You. All. Right. Your. Majesty?” He reached out a hand.

  “Yes, thank you,” Pinocchio said, grabbing his sword and then Kataton’s hand. The chimera hoisted him up into the branches, out from the sticky strands, and helped him back up to the others.

  Pinocchio saw a standoff between his friends and a small mob of mushrooms. The one in the front, who was quite a bit larger than the others—almost knee-high—had his fists raised and was glaring fiercely at Sop.

  “Harmless, you say?” Sop spat, rubbing his stomach. “That one head-butted me!”

  “You were attacking our herd, you blooming bully!” the mushroom said, black eyes narrowed beneath his red-speckled cap. “Keep it up and I’ll rearrange your kneecaps!”

  The mushroom that had fallen down with Pinocchio emerged beside him. He seemed older, bent slightly with age, and had a green cap. “Calm down, Goliath. This is our prester.”

  The mushrooms all looked at once at Pinocchio, eyes bulging. Then they fell to their knees. “Your Majesty!”

  Pinocchio still felt embarrassed when his people did this. “Prester Lazuli is here also,” he said, gesturing to Lazuli, who was sliding her sword back into her sheath.

  The mushrooms drew a breath in unison. “Your Majesties!” they exclaimed, bowing again to Lazuli.

  “We’re sorry the arachnobats frightened you, Your Majesties,” the elder mushroom with the green cap said. “I know they can look terrifying.”

  “They’re monsters!” Rion snapped, an arrow still notched in his bow.

  The elder mushroom held up his hands. “No, sylph sir, really they aren’t. Their webs are for catching the fruits that fall from the forest. I promise they would never have harmed any of you. But I’m afraid it’s their appearance that puts them in danger from our fellow Abatonians above.”

  “Danger?” Lazuli asked.

  An arachnobat fluttered around the elder mushroom. He reached out his tiny fingers, scratching the arachnobat’s chin. Pinocchio saw now that the flapping creature definitely had more than two wings—eight in fact.

  The elder mushroom said, “Centuries back, after Diamancer’s Rebellion, any creature in Abaton that looked monstrous was hunted down. Our people had always been herders to the arachnobats, weaving their discarded webs into fabrics. But to preserve the herd, our ancestors moved them down here to the Upended Forest, where they could live safely.”

  The arachnobat flitted around Pinocchio before disappearing into the trees. The elder mushroom gave a sigh. “They look frightening, but they are not monsters.”

  Pinocchio smiled. He thought the arachnobats were a bit cute even, once you realized they weren’t a threat.

  “We owe you an apology, good herders,” Mezmer said, making a bow. “I’m General Mezmer, head of the reestablished knights of the Celestial Brigade—”

  The brawny mushroom Goliath leaped forward. “The Celestial Brigade! Is that a fact? My great-great-great-great-great-greater-greatest grandmother Stinkhorn the First fought right alongside General Mezmercurian.”

  “Did she, now?” Mezmer said, looking doubtfully at Goliath. “Well, we’re searching for the prison where Prester John housed the rebel monsters. We have reason to believe it is hidden here in the forest.”

  “Yes,” the elder mushroom said. “The pyramid is nearby.”

  Goliath waved a hand, excitement swelling in his gills. “Hurry-scurry, General! Goliath will show you the way.”

  With Goliath in the lead and a scampering mushroom mob around their feet, Pinocchio and the others made their way from branch to branch deeper into the forest. Arachnobats flittered by on occasion, and the aleya had nearly gotten to the point where she didn’t hide every time she saw one.

  “Have you seen any monsters?” Lazuli asked. “Have they been escaping?”

  Goliath shook his cap. “Prison’s been mum as a tomb, long as our ancestors have been in the Upended Forest.”

  “But we’ve only just returned from our annual mustering,” the elder mushroom said. “We’ve been away from this part of the forest for months.”

  “Ah, here we are, Your Majesties,” Goliath called.

  Pinocchio saw no signs of a prison. Only more upside-down trees and an increasing number of flittering arachnobats.

  “Where’s the prison?” he asked.

  “Down this one.” Goliath patted a stubby hand to an enormous tree trunk.

  As Pinocchio looked closer, he saw it wasn’t a tree trunk but a thick, ancient tangle of vines that disappeared into the leaves below.

  Goliath jumped from his branch and clung to the vines as he disappeared down.

  Mezmer put a hand to Rion’s shoulder, as he was already heading for the vine. “I’ll go first, my good knight.”

  Rion gave a stiff nod and stood aside.

  One by one, they started down. Pinocchio followed Lazuli, with Sop behind them. The huge tangle of vines had shoots jutting out to allow easy holds. Tangles of arachnobat webs had also collected along it, adding a helpful stickiness.

  Once through the leaf canopy, Pinocchio saw only the empty, dark void he’d seen when he’d fallen. As the glowing aleya drifted ahead, he could make out where the thick mass of vines was leading. He gave a gasp.

  The prison was as he remembered from Regolith’s memory—an enormous pyramid of weathered wood. It was suspended over the black abyss by the vines, swinging side to side ever so slightly. It almost looked like one of the decorative lanterns back at the Moonlit Court, but on a massive scale.

  Once they reached the top of the pyramid, the knights spread out along the sloped sides, inspecting the structure. Centuries of fallen arachnobat webs coated the surface, making it easier to hold on to, but Pinocchio imagined that one misstep could send any of them tumbling down into the dark chasm below.

  “It’s bigger than I imagined,” Mezmer said, breathing hard as she came back up to meet Pinocchio and Lazuli. “But I don’t see any signs that the walls have been breached.”

  “So how do we get in?” Pinocchio asked.

  “Your Majesties,” Rion called, a few steps down one side of the pyramid.

  The sylph pointed to a square of gold, set into the wood. As they knelt to inspect it, Pinocchio saw that in the center of the square was a handprint, as if someone had pressed their palm into the gold when it was still soft. It was the only part of the prison that didn’t look dingy with age.

  “What is this?” Rion asked.

&n
bsp; “The keyhole to unlock the prison,” Lazuli said. “Dr. Nundrum said the prester’s hand would open the entrance. Let’s see if he was right.”

  Lazuli cut Pinocchio only the quickest glance before pressing her palm into the impression. He knew what she was thinking. If it didn’t work for her, Pinocchio would have to try, even if that meant drawing on the Pearl’s powers.

  Lazuli’s thin fingers didn’t quite match the size. But then the sides shrank, fitting to her hand before golden light glowed at the edges. A sharp crack resounded on the pyramid face below them. Pinocchio let out an exhale of relief.

  “There’s a door,” Sop said. He pulled away the webs and grasped the edge of the wood with his claws, tugging it open.

  Pinocchio followed Lazuli down to face the doorway. Stairs disappeared into the darkness inside. He tilted his head.

  “I don’t hear anything,” he said.

  “Are the prisoners still sleeping, then?” Rion asked.

  “Only one way to find out,” Lazuli said, stepping forward.

  “No,” Rion said, taking her by the arm. “I think it best if only Prester Pinocchio, General Mezmer, and I inspect the prison. If all is safe, then—”

  She looked down at his hand holding her. “I’m coming,” she said, and jerked her arm free.

  “Lazuli,” Rion said. “Be reasonable.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I think you forget your place, Rion! I am your prester.”

  “But, La…Prester Lazuli, what if the monsters down there really are a danger?” He scowled. “We wouldn’t want to lose both presters. Would you risk Abaton’s safety to prove your bravery?”

  Lazuli’s eyes flashed. But Mezmer stepped forward.

  “Rion, darling,” Mezmer said. “First of all, you are out of line speaking to your prester this way. Secondly, let me remind you that I’m the general of the Celestial Brigade, not you.”

  She turned to Lazuli, her orange fox eyes softening. “And as head of the Celestial Brigade and the one responsible for the safety of Abaton and her presters, I’ll have to insist that you remain up here, dear. I’m afraid Rion’s right. It’s not prudent for both our presters to head into potential jeopardy.”

  “What?” Pinocchio snapped. “Lazuli has to go!”

  “No,” Mezmer said. “She doesn’t.”

  “You command the powers of the Pearl, Prester Pinocchio,” Rion said.

  To the others, Lazuli’s face was a mask of royal serenity. But Pinocchio knew her well enough to see all the little nuanced flitters and flicks of her eyes and lips. In the end, she simply lifted her chin and said, “If you insist, General Mezmer. I defer to your judgment.”

  “I’ll stay with you, Prester Lazuli,” Maestro said, leaping from Pinocchio’s shoulder to Lazuli’s. His decision certainly had more to do with self-preservation than gallantry.

  Mezmer turned to the mushroom people. “Will you stay with Prester Lazuli? Listen out. We’ll call if we run into trouble. And if we do, see that Her Majesty reaches the surface safely. We have kirins waiting.”

  “Of course,” the elder mushroom said with a bow of his green cap.

  “Kataton—” Mezmer began.

  “I’ll. Come.”

  Mezmer gave a sigh. “Very well. Down we go, darlings. Rion, would you lead the way?”

  The sylph, who had been scowling a moment before at the reprimands, flashed an eager smile now. He notched an arrow in his bow and stepped through the low doorway.

  Pinocchio glanced back at Lazuli before following Rion. He patted the Sands. “See you soon.”

  She crossed her arms and gave a stiff nod. “Good luck.”

  The interior of the prison was steeped in an unnatural cold.

  Following the others down the steps, Pinocchio felt the racing of his heart. A thousand sleeping monsters lay somewhere below. And if they were awakening and attacked, how was he to use the Sands to put them back to sleep? Especially if he wasn’t supposed to draw on the Pearl’s powers.

  At each turn of the stairs, the next flight got a little longer. Pinocchio realized this was due to the prison’s pyramid shape. Between Rion’s glowing sylph eyes and the aleya’s light, Pinocchio saw how the walls had begun to split with age. The stairs beneath their feet creaked ominously.

  A sharp crack rang out, and they spun toward the sound. Goliath rubbed his head, where he’d butted it against the wall. “This place is crumbling to pieces.”

  Mezmer scowled. “Where did you come from?”

  “Me?” The mushroom pointed a stubby finger up. “Well, from the Upended Forest, General. Don’t you remember? I’m Goliath.”

  “Yes, but I thought I asked you and your people to stay with Prester Lazuli!” she grumbled.

  “Oh, they’re watching over her. You could use my help, you could. No need for a knight like me to have armor—with a head like this one!” He rapped on his mushroom cap.

  “You’re not one of my knights.” Mezmer sighed.

  Pinocchio grinned. For someone who’d always dreamed of leading a glorious band of knights, Mezmer seemed to be getting her wish little by little, even if they weren’t as glorious as she’d imagined.

  “General!” Rion called.

  The stairs ahead detached from the walls, jutting out like a rickety, downward bridge over empty darkness. Below, the hollow interior of the prison loomed.

  “What’s holding those stairs up?” Sop asked, eyeing the precarious path.

  “They’re connected to the other wall,” Rion said. “I’ll check to be sure it’s stable.”

  He descended several steps and knelt to examine the structure.

  Sop peered into the depths. “How far down do you think the floor is?”

  “Far,” Mezmer said, “judging from what we saw outside.”

  “Why don’t you go check it out for us?” Sop said to the aleya.

  The little creature made a worried chime and flittered back.

  “The monsters are sleeping, you cowardly bubble,” Sop snarled.

  “Looks fine, General,” Rion called. He stood and motioned for them to continue after him down the staircase.

  “Onward, darlings,” Mezmer urged her crew.

  Pinocchio followed Rion, but he hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he felt the staircase shift ominously. “Wait!” he cried, throwing up a hand.

  A loud pop sounded beneath his feet, followed by a low groan and the unmistakable sound of the wood beginning to break. Pinocchio only had an instant to react if he was to escape the collapsing staircase. He leaped forward toward Rion, boosted by his seven-league boots. He nearly collided with the sylph, which could have been disastrous if it had sent them over the edge. But Rion caught him, and they tumbled against the stairs.

  Pinocchio glanced back in time to see a section of the groaning stairs come loose and plunge into the dark. His heart nearly stopped. Mezmer was still on it.

  Something green flashed from the far side of the gap, leaping onto the falling staircase. It snatched Mezmer and bounded with a powerful spring at the last instant before disappearing from Pinocchio’s line of sight. Black claws caught on the edge of the staircase before him.

  Pinocchio lunged forward. Kataton was dangling one-handed, his other arm wrapped around Mezmer.

  “A. Little. Help. Your. Majesty,” the lizard groaned.

  Pinocchio reached out for Mezmer and tugged, glad at that moment to have his automa strength. Mezmer stepped on Kataton’s shoulder and climbed up. Kataton then pulled himself up after.

  “Darling,” Mezmer gasped, her orange eyes swimming as they took in the sight of Kataton, “that was marvelous.”

  “I. Told. You. I. Could. Be. Fast,” Kataton said. “When. Necessary.”

  “Yes, the moment was exceedingly necessary.” She spun back to the missing section in alarm. “Were any others on it?”

  “We’re fine, Mez!” Sop bellowed from the far side of the gap with Goliath and the hovering aleya.

  Mezmer gave a s
igh of relief. She got to her feet and surveyed the distance. There was no way back across.

  “Better stay there,” she said. “Except for you, our shining aleya. Come over. We’ll need your light.”

  Sop nodded, but Goliath backed up several steps with a determined grimace. “There in a jiffy, General.”

  By the time Mezmer and Pinocchio had both shouted a united, “Wait!” Goliath had already flung himself headlong across the gap like a mushroom rocket. It was fortunate the stairs he was aiming for were lower than where he’d leaped. It was also fortunate Kataton reacted with another burst of speed, especially since Goliath hadn’t judged the distance right. The lizard caught him.

  “I ordered you to stay put!” Mezmer snarled as Kataton set Goliath down.

  “Sorry, General, not leaving you and His Majesty. Knight’s duty and all.” He clapped his hands together. “So…going down, are we?”

  Mezmer gave an irritated tap of her foot, but Pinocchio hadn’t missed the twinkle of admiration in her eye at her reckless new recruit.

  The aleya drifted forward, and Rion gestured for the others to follow. The stairs soon reached the far wall, where a new expanse zigzagged across the cavity of the prison, weaving back and forth, lower and lower into the dark depths.

  Sop was soon lost from sight, but Pinocchio knew his keen eye would be following their progress by the aleya’s light. Rion cautiously tested each section, but since he was a sylph, the real measure of its strength came when the others descended. To their relief, the stairs held, although they occasionally creaked worryingly.

  Pinocchio kept looking over the edge, but the aleya’s light didn’t reach the bottom. He listened intently for any sound of monsters—sleeping or not.

  His hand brushed against his satchel, and he remembered that Riggle was in there, tucked away in his box. He wondered how the little worm was doing after all of the tumbling in arachnobat webs and leaping across collapsing staircases.

  He pulled the box out and whispered to the lid, “Are you all right in there, Riggle?”