Blood Stone (11) (The Underground Kingdom)

by Steve Elliott

  “Hush up, you!” Thorn scolded. “I didn’t ask for the opinion of a rabid ratbag.”

  “It takes one to know one,” Nix replied, smugly.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Niama asked Trix.

  “It’s one of Stephen’s,” she told him.

  “I could have guessed,” he sighed.

  “Yes, nonsensical, as always.” Nix muttered.

  “Hey!” I protested. “I’m right here, you know. Show a little respect, please.”

  “Of course, my darling,” she soothed, patting me patronisingly on the head. “Whatever you say.”

  “There are times when I’m only too happy to be a human again,” I muttered, winking at Bon. She giggled, coyly captured Nix’s hand and blushed again.

  “Don’t go too wild,” I warned, pressing the transfer button. “Not in front of Zen, anyway.” This comment was awarded a further giggle, although it really didn’t deserve one, but it made me smile, nonetheless.

  Chapter 13

  When I awoke in my human body I knew that something was amiss. My limbs were lethargic and heavy. I felt short of breath and my chest ached. Okay, not good, but I couldn’t spare the time to have myself checked out. My companions and I were in the middle of something very important, so I struggled out of bed, walked around a little and felt somewhat better. I glanced at myself in a mirror and took note of the grey-hairs and facial wrinkles. Over the years, I’d shamefully neglected this poor body, but I didn’t feel overly guilty about it because I’d spent the time with Thorn and Tracey and that made up for everything.

  I performed my usual maintenance schedule but the continued heaviness in my chest worried me. Was it a heart thing? Statistically speaking, a heart attack constituted about a forty percent possibility, but I couldn’t afford to worry about it right now. If the Knarls truly had access to a laser, then it was imperative to reach the ruby first. I couldn’t justify the luxury of running around the human world going to doctors just to find out if I did have a problem. Maybe the whole thing resulted from a simple a lack of exercise. After all, I didn’t give myself very much of it. I spent the majority of my life lying flat on a bed, so I suppose that my wheezing wasn’t very surprising. With that in mind, I spent an extra ten minutes or so striding around the room and ensured that, when I lay down, my posture was especially comfortable and secure.

  After tending to my human body as best I could, I returned to my underground companions and found Thorn still holding my hand. Niama and Trix were doing likewise, as was Nix and Bon.

  “You’re back, beloved,” she murmured as I blinked myself awake.

  “Yes, I am,” I told her. “Has anything happened while I’ve been away?”

  “Not really,” she assured me. “Nix has been more obnoxious than usual, but that’s standard I suppose. Unfortunately, he seems to have hypnotised Bon because she apparently believes him to be a fun individual and not abnormal in any way. Of course, when she gets to know him a little better, she’ll awaken from that delusional state and see him for what he really is – a hopeless degenerate and obnoxious reprobate.”

  “I beg your pardon!” Nix protested. “Watch your language! This is slander of the worst kind! I’ll have you know that I happen to be a hopeless reprobate and an obnoxious degenerate. Please get your facts right next time.” He turned and faced Bon’s shocked expression. “You see what I have to put up with around here? I’m continually insulted by fat, waddling fairies whose only boast is that they were once passably good-looking. Of course, those days are long gone, but she stays mired in the past. All the geriatric, broken down oldies do it, you know. The ravages of age are terrible to behold, especially when the fairy in question looked like the back end of a lizard in the first place.”

  Bon, still not au fait with the Thorn-Nix interchanges, held a horrified hand to her mouth as she listened. “I can’t believe you two,” she gasped, trying hard not to giggle. “I mean, you’re both so ….. outrageous!”

  “That’s us!” Nix boasted. “Well, me anyway. The other half of the equation isn’t worth mentioning.”

  “That’s how much you know,” Thorn snorted, disdainfully. “Without me, there wouldn’t even be an equation.”

  “Can I perhaps interrupt this sparkling debate and suggest that we all get some sleep?” I questioned. “We have a ruby to find and tomorrow may be a busy day.”

  “As your Majesty commands,” Nix mockingly conceded.

  “Are you sure you want to hang around with this hopeless scallywag?” I asked Bon. “I don’t think you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”

  “Oh, I think I do,” she shyly replied, giving Nix’s hand a squeeze and coyly lowering her gaze. “After all, a girl can suffer worse fates than this.”

  “Are you positive about that?” Thorn piped up, grinning maliciously.

  “Of course she is,” Nix interceded. “She has impeccable taste, after all. I mean, how lucky can a girl get? I know any number of women who’d give anything to be in her shoes right now. And I couldn’t blame them in the least.” He waved his free hand down his body. “Just look at what she’s getting! It’s what all women yearn for in their heart of hearts. Totally irresistible! No, Bon is privileged beyond all females.”

  “Gods, I think I’m going to be sick if I have to listen to any more of this!” Thorn groaned. “My ‘absolute balderdash ’ allocation has been well and truly exceeded for the night. I’m going to bed.”

  “Have fun,” Nix smirked. “I know you’ll be dreaming of me. I hope Stephen won’t be jealous.”

  “Dear God, make him stop!” Thorn muttered, cuddling up to me and throwing the blanket over us both. “Bon, you poor, poor, girl!”

  Chapter 14

  After a round of ‘Good nights’, we settled down to sleep. Before drifting off, I worried a little about the state of my human body. I really would have to go to a doctor and get myself checked out as soon as all this present commotion had finished. Only I couldn’t do it right now, that’s for sure. There was too much at stake. We had to prevent the Knarls from finding the ruby at all costs. But even if we succeeded, what then? Would we still have to fight them? I tossed and turned in agitation. A war? Surely it wouldn’t come to that. I dreaded the outcome of such an event. We’d all have to take part and how many of us would survive? I glanced across at my beloved Thorn, her arm casually draped across my chest, and imagined what my life would be like without her. Careful not to create a disturbance, I reached out and tenderly brushed the hair back from her closed eyes. Even after all this time, she remained as beautiful as ever to me and I felt a deathly chill at the thought of losing her. I determinedly pushed that thought aside, unwilling to entertain it any longer. If you don’t think about it, it can’t happen, I told myself forcefully and tried to settle myself into sleep. Just don’t think about it, I warned over and over until that mantra eventually sent me into blissful unconsciousness.

  Upon awakening, we had breakfast and resumed our journey. With some amusement, I noted that we now travelled in three distinct groups.– myself, Rosewing and Thorn; Nix and Bon; then Trix and Niama. Zen was the only odd one out, although he attached himself to Trix whenever he wasn’t roaming around sniffing at things that caught his fancy. And his fancy was very easily caught, believe you me. Talk about having a bad case of W.A.D.D. (Wolf Attention Deficit Disorder)!

  After a few hours of walking, I noticed a distinct chill in the air. This was rather unusual because, thanks to being in insulated underground tunnels, the atmospheric temperature very rarely varied. Thorn looked at me enquiringly and I shrugged uncomprehendingly.

  “What’s going on?” Nix asked. “I’m starting to shiver.”

  “It’s certainly very strange,” I ventured. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was an ice floe or something ahead.”

  “Ice?” Rosewing questioned. “How is that possible?”

  “Who knows?” I replied uncertainly. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Another
half hour went by and then we came across the mysterious source of our goose bumps. It was indeed an area sheeted with ice.

  “Would you look at that!” Niama exclaimed. “I’m never seen anything like it.”

  “Neither have I,” Rosewing agreed. “It’s incredible!”

  “Well, we can’t go around it,” Trix asserted, intently looking at her map. “It’s directly on our path.”

  “Let’s get going then,” Nix commanded. “We can’t stand around here forever. It’ll be warmer on the other side.”

  “Good idea,” I conceded. “But watch out. It’ll be slippery.”

  “Nothing can possibly live here, can it?” Bon wanted to know as we began our first uncertain as steps over the ice. “It’s too cold.”

  “You’d be surprised what can adapt to the cold,” I told her. “Up in the human world, all sorts of animals live in these conditions.”

  “How strange,” she murmured, huddling next to Nix for added warmth. “Anything living here must be amazingly resilient.”

  “And then some,” grumbled Nix. “Fancy being here when they could be somewhere nice and warm. They must be weird animals.”

  “I wouldn’t say that to a polar bear if I was you,” I chuckled.

  “What’s a polar bear?” Niama asked.

  “Imagine something three times taller than you,” I explained, “covered in white fur and armed with claws and teeth that could shred you in seconds. Throw in a very aggressive personality that will attack as soon as look at you. That’s a polar bear.”

  “I’d rather not imagine it,” Niama shuddered, “but thanks for that picture. I was wondering what to dream about tonight. I haven’t had a decent nightmare for ages.”

  “You’re welcome,” I smiled. “But at least you can put your mind at ease. The last thing in the world you’ll encounter here would be a polar bear.”

  I really should stop tempting Fate by saying those sorts of things. I mean, everybody knows that as soon as you emphatically state that something is impossible, you’ll meet it around the next corner. Not that we did meet an actual polar bear, of course. That would be impossible because it simply would have been too large to fit inside the tunnel, but we did suddenly come across an evolved smaller version. Like its larger cousin, it didn’t like being startled and immediately took the offensive. Rearing up on hind legs, it growled in a belligerent manner, then dropped down to all fours and charged. Panicked, we scattered in all directions.

  Luckily, our miscellaneous diversity of escape routes confused our opponent because it halted, undecided as to which one of us to chase first. Its choices were narrowed down when Thorn, Rosewing and I took to the air and flew out of its reach, leaving Trix, Zen, Niama, Bon and Nix on the ground. Drawing her sword, Thorn circled around to the bear’s back as it finally came to a decision and headed for Nix. Then, in what I considered to be an almost suicidal display of bravery, Bon rushed over and planted herself defiantly in front of Nix. Then, taking a cue from the bear’s instinctive behaviour, she raised herself on tiptoe, flung her arms above her head to make her stance taller and then screamed in a piercing voice. Such bizarre behaviour caused the bear to stop its attack, confused. It shook its head, stepped backwards a few paces, and then turned its attention to Trix. Once again its focus was disturbed when Niama, equally as courageous as Bon, began throwing stones at its head. It growled in annoyance and its gaze narrowed down to the source of the irritation.

  “Here I am, you stupid beast!” Niama yelled, jumping up and down. “Over here! Here! She’s too small to eat! Try me!”

  It was almost comical but it worked. The furry carnivore lumbered towards Niama, only to have Zen attack from nowhere and fasten his teeth into its rump. With a howl of pain, the bear knocked Zen flying just as Thorn and Rosewing swooped in from behind and plunged their swords into its back.

  Chapter 15

  And that dual attack turned out to be the last straw for our attacker. Deciding that its intended prey didn’t follow the rules as they were supposed to, and that enough was enough, the bear turned around and galloped away, grumbling to itself. Trix rushed over to Zen to check on his injuries and the rest of us grouped around her. Zen staggered to his feet, shook himself, scratched his side reflectively and then licked Trix’s hand. Relieved, she embraced him fiercely and rubbed her face against his shaggy coat.

  “Who’s a brave boy, then?” she asked rhetorically. “Who’s the bravest wolf in all the world? You are! Yes, you!”

  “Speaking of bravery,” Nix remarked, glancing at Bon with a mixture of admiration and anger, “just what did you think you were doing back there? You could have been killed!” Bon blushed under Nix’s accusing words and lowered her eyes.

  “I just couldn’t let that beast attack you,” she murmured self-consciously. “I just couldn’t!”

  “And why not?” Nix asked softly, taking her hand.

  “Because,” she replied, her face flaming, “…. well, ……. just because.”

  “Kiss her, you idiot!” Thorn interrupted. “Or do I have to do it myself?”

  “Well now, that would be an interesting scenario,” Nix leered. “I’d pay to see something like that.”

  “I see that even this near death experience hasn’t changed you in the slightest, you disgusting ratbag,” Thorn sourly protested. “Bon, the next time you feel impelled to save someone, make sure it’s someone worthwhile.”

  Bon’s giggle became interrupted when Nix pulled her over and kissed her comprehensively. Initially, her arms hung undecidedly at her side but then, obeying an instinctive imperative, they looped around Nix’s back and pressed her body firmly against his. I felt like cheering because it heralded a momentous occasion for my friend. Despite all of his bravado, trash-talking and sexual bluster, I don’t think he’d ever had a girlfriend before. This was certainly the first time I’d seen him kiss anyone at all. I glanced around at the others and found they were equally rapt in what they were seeing. In fact, Trix and Niama appeared to be faithfully copying what they saw because they were similarly clinched together. And kissing, to boot. Not to be outdone, I put an amorous arm around Thorn’s shoulders, gently turned her face to mine and applied my lips to that delightful, beautiful, loving face. She responded eagerly and I lost myself in the sensation of a tactile oneness that made me glad to be alive.

  On the periphery of my hearing, I made out Rosewing muttering to herself in the background. “Have you ever seen such a public display of open lechery, Zen, my lad?” she told him. “But if you think I’m going to kiss you just to make a complete set, then you’re sadly mistaken, I’m afraid.”

  We all separated a few moments later and stood around, smiling awkwardly at each other. Trix became the first to break the communal silence. “You were very brave too, my darling,” she told Niama, slipping an arm around his waist and looking at him in frank adoration. “I was petrified for your safety.”

  “So was I,” he ruefully admitted. “I just didn’t stop to think about it. If I had, I probably would have hidden behind a rock.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second,” Trix told him. “You’re my hero – my bold, dashing knight riding to my rescue.”

  “Now that this smoochy stuff is all over,” Rosewing complained, “can we get on with it? We don’t want to stand around here all day, you know.”

  “Your time will come, my girl,” Thorn told her. “You’ll fall for someone too one day and then you won’t be so sarcastic.”

  “We’ll see,” Rosewing laughed. “I think that day is a long way off.”

  “Not so long,” Trix proclaimed. “Every time we go for a walk I can see every young male drooling over you.”

  “What nonsense!” Rosewing exclaimed, blushing. “They do nothing of the sort!”

  “Then you must walk around with your eyes shut,” Trix grinned. “Face it, sweetheart, you have the sort of face and figure that stops them from sleeping at night.”

  “Stop it!” Rosewing deman
ded, flushing even more. “You’re embarrassing me!”

  “That doesn’t make it any less true,” Trix announced, patting Zen.

  “Nevertheless, Rosewing makes a valid point,” I told everyone. “We should get going if we want to find what we’re looking for. Wagons roll, yee ha!”

  “What was that last bit?” Bon asked, puzzled.

  “Don’t ask,” Nix said. “Every now and again he drifts off into the human vernacular. We generally don’t pay any attention but he doesn’t appear to notice, so everybody wins. It’s socially uncomfortable and gauche, but it works for us. Just ignore him and practice selective hearing. It’ll make your life a lot easier.”

  “You’re such a …. a wombat!” Bon decreed, punching Nix lightly on the arm.

  “Has Stephen been giving you human lessons?” Nix asked, suspiciously. “Where did you learn about wombats?”

  “Hey, I’m not just a pretty face, you know,” Bon replied, brushing back her hair in a flirtatious gesture. “I think you’re all crazy but I have been listening to what everyone says.”

  “I think she’s going to fit in just fine,” Thorn chuckled.

  “Just what we need,” Nix grumbled. “Another madwoman to add to the group. As if we didn’t have enough of them already.”

  Chapter 16

  We continued on our way, keeping a wary eye out for our bear friend, but eventually we reached the end of the ice with no further surprises.

  “How do you suppose the ice formed?” Trix asked, looking back at the cold whiteness. “I mean, it’s so peculiar.”

  “Well, the tunnels provide almost perfect insulation,” I theorised. “Perhaps it’s been there for eons. Maybe at one time the tunnels flooded and the water turned to ice. Or maybe your ancestors installed an ice-making machine there.”

  “Why would they do a weird thing like that?” she asked.

  “They might have wanted a different environment to break the monotony or something,” I shrugged. “Or perhaps they simply wanted to go skiing.”