“Um…” Bryony screwed her face up, trying to think of a suitable question. “I know. What’s your favourite colour?”
“I can’t remember,” said Boney. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any colours apart from grey walls and green slime, and I don’t care much for either of those.”
“Then I’ll try something else. What’s your favourite day of the week?”
“There are no days down here. It’s all one long continuous night.”
This was proving harder than Bryony had expected, so she decided to change tack. “So what else do you remember about the Wise Ones?”
“Only little,” replied Boney after a moment’s reflection. “I recall they governed the Realm of Magic for many centuries, maintaining the balance of natural forces to ensure harmony in the world. And that they passed on their knowledge to selected children in special magic classes, the most able of which became Guardians of Wychetts, who bore responsibility for looking after the source of the Wise One’s power.”
“Good.” Bryony nodded. “Anything else?”
“Not really. Except… for some reason I keep thinking of the moon.”
Bryony stopped, almost dropping the skull. “The moon?”
“Yes. I remember the moon. But I don’t know what it has to do with anything.”
Bryony thought she might. She lifted the skull and stared into its empty eye sockets. “Have you heard of…” The words got tangled up in her throat, and she had to swallow several times before she could say them. “The Moon of Magister?”
She waited in vain for a response, but the skull stared silently back at her.
“Boney?” Bryony shook the skull. “Are you still there?”
“I am,” answered Boney. “And I am not a child’s rattle if you don’t mind.”
“Sorry.” Bryony stopped shaking Boney. “But what do you know about the Moon of Magister?”
“We must hurry, Guardian.”
“But what about the Moon of Magister? If you know something, anything, you must tell me.”
“I have heard the words.” Boney spoke in a whisper. “But they are words, that is all. Perhaps more memories will return in time. Until then, we must press on.”
Bryony tucked the skull under her arm and continued along the tunnel. She had a suspicion Boney knew more than he was letting on, but for now she had to concentrate on escaping the dungeon.
And her hopes grew when she saw a door ahead of them…
13 Minding the Toddlers
Alphonsus and Floriana screamed, clinging to Edwin whilst he held on to the broken flagpole.
He saw they were heading for the moat, so hoped they might get away with just a severe dunking. But then suddenly he realised they had changed course…
Hot stinky breath fanned his cheek, and an ugly beady-eyed face filled his vision. A bat monster had seized the broken flagpole in its jaws, and was carrying Edwin and the children away from Maddergrub Manor!
Edwin guessed the monster wanted to take them alive, for what grim purpose he dared not imagine. But he couldn’t let that happen, whatever the cost. So, without thinking of the consequences, Edwin let go of the flagpole.
There were more screams from Floriana and Alphonsus, but the screams became whoops of astonishment when they saw that Edwin was flying them back towards Maddergrub Manor.
Yes, that’s right. Edwin was flying.
And if the Maddergrub children were astonished, Edwin was even more so.
He hadn’t meant to fly. It had been an instinctive decision to let go of the flagpole, more from panic than anything.
But now, somehow, he was soaring through the air.
“You can do magic.” Floriana squealed with delight. “Prince Edwin can do magic!”
Edwin had to agree that he was doing magic, even if he couldn’t work out how. But he had little time to dwell on the matter because another bat monster was already swooping down on him from the right.
He tried to change direction, but magic flying proved trickier than he might have thought, and Edwin found himself heading straight towards the gaping jaws of yet another bat monster attacking from the other direction.
A streak of pink light fizzed past his left ear, and the bat monster shrieked as the magic arrow struck it in the chest. Twisting in agony, its left wing clipped Edwin as he flew past. His body went spinning from the sky, the world melting into a giddy blur. Edwin clung on to the Maddergrub children, bracing himself for impact with the ground below.
But however much he braced himself, Edwin couldn’t have prepared for the bone jarring impact that followed.
It took several dazed seconds before Edwin worked out what had happened. He was sprawled on his back in the courtyard of Maddergrub Manor. Floriana and Alphonsus lay on top of him, stunned but luckily unhurt. He had no idea how far he’d fallen, but when he tried to move he found that he couldn’t.
And he needed to move, because carnage was unfolding all around him.
The bat monsters were everywhere, dropping from the sky to swarm over the ruined outer wall and into the courtyard. They moved as easily on the ground as in the air, chunks of dismembered armour clattering to the ground whilst the marauding invaders hacked and chewed their way through the ranks of defenders.
It was obvious to Edwin that the manor wouldn’t hold out much longer, but he was paralysed and powerless to help.
“Floriana! Alphonsus! Prince Edwin!” A woman’s lilting voice called out through the clamour of battle. Edwin lifted his head to see Lady Maddergrub drop nimbly from the outer wall and come running towards them.
A bat monster lunged at her, but Lady Maddergrub had dispatched an arrow into its body before Edwin could muster the strength to shout a warning. In a heartbeat she was kneeling by his side.
“Floriana, Alphonsus.” Lady Maddergrub hugged her children before turning her attention to Edwin. “Are you hurt, my Prince?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered truthfully. “I can’t move a muscle.”
“You must have fallen a great distance.” Lady Maddergrub looked concerned. “You may have broken something.”
“Prince Edwin didn’t fall,” said Floriana. “He flew.”
“He did magic,” said Alphonsus. “He saved us with his magic!”
Lady Maddergrub frowned. “He is a Wise One?”
“Look out!” This time Edwin managed a warning cry, but it was too late.
An airborne bat monster dived low across the courtyard. It was the largest and ugliest of the lot, with a horned head and a long spiked tail, and it was heading straight for Lady Maddergrub.
She raised her magic bow, but couldn’t draw before that ugly bat head slammed into her.
Lady Maddergrub was thrown across the courtyard, landing in a crumpled heap some distance from where Edwin lay. Wailing, Floriana and Alphonsus ran to their mother. Edwin saw her head moving, but his relief faded when he saw the ugly bat monster was circling for another attack.
And this time it was coming for him.
“Use your powers!” Floriana squealed at him. “Destroy it with your magic!”
But it was too much for Edwin to even raise a hand, and he could do nothing but lie there.
He turned his head to one side, spying Lady Maddergrub’s magic bow on the ground beside him. There was an arrow close by, but both lay just beyond his reach.
The horned bat monster exhaled a triumphant shriek, a shriek that grew louder as it closed in for the kill…
There was a clang as an iron-clad foot stamped the ground beside Edwin. An armoured hand reached down to pick up the longbow, another to retrieve the discarded magic arrow. The bow was lifted, and Edwin heard the string tightening.
There was a whoosh, a blur of pink light speeding towards the horned bat monster’s head. Then a blinding flash on impact, followed by a wave of searing heat and an agonised scream.
The heat faded and the scream died. Edwin blinked, still dazzled by the flash. And when his vision cleared,
he couldn’t believe what he saw.
There were signs of battle everywhere. The outer wall and towers lay in ruins, whilst the courtyard was littered with pieces of dented armour and chunks of stone, all that remained of Maddergrub Manor’s defenders. The previously pristine exterior of the house itself was now cracked and charred, and the main tower was missing its flagpole.
But there was not a single bat monster in sight.
No high pitched screams or swishing leathery wings. No yawning dark blotch in the sky. The breeze was warm again, and golden sunlight bathed the courtyard once more.
“My children!” Lord Maddergrub’s voice boomed like a cannon as he came hurrying across the courtyard. “Are you safe, my darlings?”
At that moment Lady Maddergrub stood up, seemingly none the worse from the battle. Floriana and Alphonsus embraced their parents, soon joined by a smiling Rosabella who emerged from the manor to take part in the family celebrations.
Although Edwin couldn’t move he shared their joy, his relieved gaze turning to the armoured figure that stood above him, its magic bow still poised.
“Thank you,” he said, even though he knew he was talking to an empty metal suit.
There was a creak as the armoured figure removed its helmet, revealing a mass of lurid green hair and a spectacled face that grinned back at an astonished Edwin.
“My pleasure,” beamed Malady Maddergrub. “And thanks for minding the toddlers.”
14 Pickle or Chutney
“Faster,” cried Boney. “It’s gaining on us.”
“I’m running as fast as I can,” panted Bryony. “Happy to let you have a go if you can do better.”
“Thanks for the offer. But I thought you wanted me to stick to navigating.”
Bryony glanced over her shoulder to see a huge dark shape hurtling down the tunnel behind them. “So while you’re about it, a ‘take next right’ would be good some time soon.”
“Keep going, young Guardian. I believe we are close to the end of this tunnel.”
Bryony thrust the flaming torch forwards, and saw a slimy brick wall ahead of them.
“You’re right. We’ve made it.”
Bryony gasped with relief as she neared the end of the passage. Her lungs were fit to burst, and her legs felt like lead weights. She doubted if she could have run much further.
But her relief dissolved when she realised something.
“There’s no left or right turn. There’s no way out.”
“That’s because it’s a dead end. I fear quite literally.”
Bryony wailed hopelessly. “Then your rat friend has led us into a trap.”
“You can’t blame him for this. You must have taken a wrong turn.”
“Oh how careless of me. It’s not like I had anything else to think about, like getting squashed to a pulp by a giant runaway boulder.”
“Maybe I was being a touch over-critical,” conceded Boney. “But on the other hand, there wouldn’t be a giant runaway boulder if you hadn’t pulled that lever.”
“It was a lever. Levers are for pulling. What else was I supposed to do with it?”
“You could have tried not pulling it.”
“I thought it was for opening that door.”
“The door had a handle. That normally does the job.”
“The handle was stuck. And you said I couldn’t use magic.”
“Fair point. Happy to label that one as an honest mistake.”
“Thanks. That makes me feel a whole lot better.”
Bryony looked back up the tunnel. The huge boulder rumbled closer like a runaway train, sparks flashing as it scraped the walls.
“There must be a way out.” She waved the torch frantically. “A lever or something.”
“You want to pull another lever?” Bony sounded incredulous. “One death dealing giant boulder not enough for you?”
The rolling boulder was now only seconds away. Bryony knew they had only one option.
“I’ll have to use magic.”
“Is that wise? I have warned you of the consequences.”
“I’ll only use a bit, just to zap us to the other side of this wall.”
“But we don’t know what’s there. We could end up in a right pickle.”
“We’ll end up as chutney if we stay here.”
“With hindsight, I prefer pickle to chutney. So do it, Guardian. Now!”
The thunderous rumbling became a deafening roar as the boulder rushed closer. Bryony closed her eyes and concentrated, but a savage jolt knocked her off her feet. She slammed against the wall, and the torch went tumbling from her grasp.
There was a massive crash when the runaway boulder struck the wall. Then silence.
Bryony realised she had stopped breathing. For a second or two she panicked, then remembered how to breathe again. And as her lungs filled with air, she noticed she wasn’t squashed flat.
At first she was confused. She was standing with her back to a slimy stone wall, its chill dankness seeping through her clothes. But it couldn’t be the same wall, surely. Not unless…
“You did it,” said a voice from the darkness. “Zapped us to the other side of the wall.”
“Happy to be of service.” Bryony patted the top of the skull still tucked beneath her arm. “Makes up for pulling that lever, eh?”
“Rather depends on where we’ve ended up. Some light might help.”
“I’m on it.” Bryony magicked another flaming torch, its quivering glow illuminating the slimy walls of another passage stretching ahead into the gloom.
“Brilliant,” she groaned. “Another gloomy passage.”
“This is the Dungeon of Dreams,” Boney reminded her. “There isn’t a scenic route. But fear not, for we are making good progress and will soon be out of here.”
“You said that half an hour ago,” sighed Bryony. “And once every ten minutes before that.”
“I’m just trying to keep spirits up. Don’t want to see your head dropping.”
“I’ll drop your head if we don’t get out of here soon.”
“There’s no need to get grumpy,” tutted Boney. “If it wasn’t for me you’d still be stuck in that cell.”
“At least I wouldn’t be covered in stinky slunge and have blisters from all that running.”
“Then you should have worn sensible shoes, young lady.”
“Sure, how dumb of me not to pack hiking boots for a transatlantic plane flight.” Bryony slid down the wall to sit on the floor. “It’s no use. I’ve got to rest.”
“We don’t have time for a rest. Globb may be hot on our trail.”
“I don’t care.” Bryony shivered. She was exhausted, wet through with slunge, and smelled like a sewer. “Let him find us.”
“Are you serious?” Boney’s skull face was as blank as ever, but his voice was shrill with shock. “Don’t you want to see your mother again?”
Bryony was surprised to find she wasn’t thinking of her mother anymore.
“I wish Edwin was here,” she whispered.
“Your fellow Guardian? Why?”
“He’s got a special psychic link with Inglenook.” But that wasn’t the only reason Bryony was thinking about her stepbrother. “Plus he’s clever. And brave. And loyal. And…”
“And you miss him?”
“A bit.” Bryony suddenly felt very alone. “I wish Dad was here too. And my stepmum Jane.”
“I’m sure they’d be happy to join you on this delightful dungeon tour.”
“I don’t wish they were actually here, just…”
“You want to be with them. Then all the more reason to escape this place.”
“I’m too tired.” Now Bryony had sat down she found it hard to move her legs again. “Don’t forget I’ve been doing all the walking. It’d be different if the shoe was on the other foot.”
“Then swap your shoes. That might help with the blisters.”
“That’s not how shoes work.”
“How would I know?”
“Just let me rest a few minutes more.”
“There isn’t time. Globb is sure to be gaining on us. We don’t want Wychetts’ sacrifice to be in vain.”
“Sacrifice?” Bryony wrinkled her nose. “Wychetts isn’t sacrificed.”
“It will be if you fly off to your mother in America, leaving Edwin, Inglenook and the rest of your family to the mercy of whatever evil power locked you in this dungeon.”
“Well…” Bryony knew Boney had a point. “I…”
“I’m not judging. It’s only natural you should favour your mother. Even though she left you.”
“How do you know she left me?”
“You said she’s been in America nearly four years. I’m thinking she didn’t pop over for groceries.”
“You don’t know anything about me or my mum.” Bryony’s cheeks blushed angrily. “I just want to see her again. There’s so much I need to ask her. Especially about the Moon of Magister.”
“What do you think she knows about that?”
Bryony shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve asked Inglenook if he knows, but he never talks about it. But she’s involved somehow, I’m sure of it.”
“Intriguing,” mused Boney. “Even more reason for us to hurry.”
Bryony was going to plead for another five minute’s rest, but the sound of stomping feet and snorting came echoing from somewhere behind them.
“OK.” She struggled reluctantly to her feet. “But there’d better not be any more levers.”
Despite her former misgivings, Bryony’s mood lifted as she headed along the passage. The walls became less slimy, and the stone floor was free from slunge.
“This isn’t too bad after all,” she told Boney. “I think you might be right about us getting out soon.”
“We must still take care,” the skull warned her. “We have strayed from the rat’s escape route. One wrong step could lead to…”
There was a click when Bryony’s leading foot pressed on a paving slab.
Bryony froze. “What was that?”
“I hate to say it. But that could have been the wrong step.”
Even as the skull spoke, an ominous rumbling noise sounded from both sides of the passage.
Wychetts and the Dungeon of Dreams Page 8
