“That’s my paranoia at work again,” I explained. “There may be pressure sensitive floor tiles or something in front to the altar. I’m simply being careful, that’s all.”
“Oh, I see,” she murmured.
“Ready?” I asked Thorn.
“As much as I can be,” she replied, tensely.
“Okay,” I said, taking to the air. “Let’s go.” A few seconds later, we were hovering above the ruby, wings whirring and heads almost touching.
“On the count of three,” I told her quietly. “I have to put the stone down immediately after you take the ruby off. There’s not enough room for both on the pedestal.”
“I understand,” she told me. “You do the count.”
“Very well,” I agreed. “One – two – three!”
Thorn snatched the ruby from its support and my stone took its place almost simultaneously. I held my breath and waited. The support depressed a miniscule amount and then stopped. I let out a sigh of relief. We had gotten away with it! I grinned at Thorn in triumph and she smiled back at me.
“Well done, beloved,” I whispered.
“Right back at you,” she told me.
We joined the rest of our companions who crowded around to stare in awe at our prize. It truly was a magnificent gem. Totally flawless and cut to perfection, it sparkled in Thorn’s palm like a crimson teardrop.
“Now that we have what we came for,” Nix stated, “let’s get out of here.”
“I second that,” Trix agreed. “I don’t want to hang around here more than we have to. Those Knarl gave me the creeps.”
“You’re right,” I proclaimed. “Let’s head for home.”
Chapter 20
That was our innocent intention anyway, but it didn’t quite eventuate because, as soon as we had emerged from the building, we were greeted by twenty or so Knarl, spread out in a line. My heart sank as I surveyed the scene. Damn it! To come so close, only to trip at the very finish line ……
“What do we do?” Thorn asked, gripping her sword. “Can we fight our way out of this?”
“I can’t see how,” I told her, morosely. “They’d cut us to pieces.”
“So we’re just going to give up?” Rosewing asked in disgust.
“Do you remember what I told you about dying needlessly?” I asked her, my mind dashing here and there, looking for possible loopholes. “There’s nothing to be gained by fighting. We’d all die and they’d get the ruby anyway. No, I think we’d best surrender. I can’t see what else we can do for the present.”
“They could kill us after we surrender,” Nix protested. “So, why don’t we take a few of them with us anyway?”
“What would be the point of that?” I argued, staring at the ranks of our opponents. “I think they’ll take us alive. I’m bargaining on their need for slaves.”
“Stephen’s right,” Bon interjected. “They were always chasing slaves. It’d be a waste to kill us.”
“But we’ll be giving them what they want!” Rosewing exclaimed in frustration. “They’ll have the blood stone!”
“They can take it any time they want to, sweetheart,” I consoled, patting her hand. “In fact, I don’t know why they’re waiting.” It seemed strange that the Knarl hadn’t done anything about it as yet. They weren’t moving at all, apart from the occasional leg shifting.
“Why haven’t they taken the ruby?” I whispered to Bon. “They’re just standing there.”
“I think they’re waiting for us to realise our hopeless position and to offer them the blood stone,” she replied. “They’re not stupid. They don’t want to lose any of their number if they can avoid it. They want every available soldier for their war.”
“That makes sense I suppose,” I grunted. “As you’ve said, they are intelligent. Let’s go into a huddle and pretend we’re debating the issue.”
“What are you up to?” Nix asked, as we formed a circle. “What’s in that devious mind of yours?”
“Not a lot,” I conceded. “They have us dead to rights and there’s not a lot we can do about it. Fighting would be stupid because there’s too many but there may be one defence.”
“And that is?” Niama asked.
“The altar,” I pronounced. “I think there’s some sort of protection mechanism embedded there. Suppose we lured the Knarl into the building and then removed the stone we used to take the ruby. What do you think would happen?”
“Something awful, I suspect,” Trix gloated.
“But wait a minute,” Niama protested. “Wouldn’t we be caught in whatever was going to happen?”
“Yes, but we’d be expecting it,” I foretold, “and might be able to take preventive measures. Plus, I have this idea that all the action will take place in front of the altar where the would-be robbers would most likely be standing. If we stay at the back of the altar, as far away as possible, we may just survive the impending disaster, whatever form it happens to take.”
“It’s not much of a chance, is it?” Thorn questioned.
“No, it isn’t, my darling,” I admitted, “but what other choice do we have? At least this way there’s a possibility for us to escape and to stop the Knarl from obtaining the blood stone. I honestly can’t think of anything else.”
“It’ll do for me,” she murmured, slipping her hand into mine. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”
“Yes, together,” I agreed, gazing lovingly at her. “It’s what I’ve always wanted.”
“Me too,” she confided, touching my face with gentle fingertips. “Despite the situation, being by your side is the only place I want to be right now.”
“I love you,” I whispered sincerely, kissing her gratefully on the forehead. “You’ve made me so happy.”
In reply, Thorn snuggled into my embrace and hugged me ferociously. I noticed that Nix and Bon, along with Trix and Niama, were similarly engaged. Rosewing absently patted a softly growling Zen and stared at the rows of unmoving Knarl.
“We’ll meet behind the altar,” I told everyone in an undertone. I gave Thorn a final cuddle and took a deep breath.
“Go!” I barked, turning around sprinting back into the building. As I ran, I heard the shuffling and clicking of the Knarl as they began to pursue.
Chapter 21
Because of our head start, we reached the altar first and paused to regroup. I ushered everyone behind it and waited for the Knarl to appear. The first few of our opponents scuttled inside the room and stood waiting. Others joined them, until no more could fit. At a rough guess, I reckoned there would only be a few who hadn’t arrived.
“What are you waiting for?” Rosewing hissed.
“I wanted to get as many of them inside as possible,” I told her, surreptitiously. Then I turned around to face the others. “Okay now, everybody get back against the wall. Keep your fingers crossed and get ready for anything!” So saying, I took to the air and snatched the stone from its support, then fled back to my companions. Nothing happened for a second or two, but then the entire floor, from the front of the altar to the room entrance, split in the middle and swung downwards. The Knarl scrambled desperately on the tilting floors to no avail. One by one, they slipped into the dark abyss that had opened under their feet. Once the room was clear, the two floor halves ponderously hinged upwards and clicked together as neatly as you please. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
“Bloody hell!” Nix swore in astonishment.
“Yes!” Bon yelled triumphantly down at the now empty floor. “That’ll teach you to go around taking slaves! Serves you right, you ……. you ratbags!”
“Wow!” Niama breathed. “That could have been us.”
“We got lucky,” I conceded, gently replacing the substitute ruby on the stand. “Let’s not push it too far. I vote that we get out of here.”
“Amen,” Thorn assented.
“Be careful,” I recommended. “By my count, there’s still a few of them out there.”
“We can
deal with them,” Nix confidently maintained. “The main thing is we’re still alive and have the blood stone.”
“Less talk, more action,” Trix stated, already halfway through the door with Zen. “Let’s get out of here.”
“That girl has the best ideas sometimes,” Nix murmured, striding after her. “I certainly don’t want to hang around here any longer.”
“Wait for me!” Bon and Niama exclaimed together.
I bowed to Thorn. “After you, my dear,” I told her.
“Thank you, beloved,” she graciously replied. “Let’s blow this joint.” I laughed at her human phraseology and, putting an arm around her waist, we walked out of the room together.
Our progress was unhindered by the missing Knarls as we hurried away from the building. I wondered where they’d disappeared to, but dismissed it from my mind. I probably shouldn’t have because we came across them not long afterwards, accompanied by hundreds and hundreds of their brethren.
We were hastening along when Zen suddenly halted, all bristling fur and faint growls. Immediately, everyone stopped, hands on weapons, peering around frantically for enemies. When nothing untoward appeared, we stealthily crept forward, climbing up a slight hill and looked down on a sight I never hoped to see again. Like butter on a piece of toast, the rocky plain below us had been spread with spiders. There must have been thousands of them present, camped together in one massive army.
“Gods defend us!” Thorn whispered in shock. “Look at them!”
“I’m looking!” Nix exclaimed, his eyes round with astonishment. “This is crazy! Where did they all come from?”
“More importantly,” Niama interjected in a shaky voice, “where are they going?”
“We have to tell the Council! ” Trix insisted.
“They’ll know in a few minutes,” I told her. “My other self is ready on his way.”
“Yes, very handy that, having you back at the settlement as well as here,” Nix said. “What do you suppose the Council will do?”
“They’ll have to declare an emergency,” I surmised. “I’m going to suggest they send an emissary to everyone. Every race will have to band together to meet the scale of this threat.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Thorn suggested. “All those spiders scuttling around is starting to creep me out.”
We got to our feet and turned around only to find ourselves facing a whole platoon of Knarls. They stared at us noiselessly, not moving.
“Oh!” Thorn exclaimed in surprise. Then her shoulders drooped. She looked at me and I shrugged in a defeated manner.
“It looks as though we’ve been captured again,” I told everyone. “I didn’t even hear them.”
“Neither did Zen,” Trix said consolingly. “I guess the noise and scent of all the other spiders must have masked their approach.”
“So they get the blood stone after all?” Rosewing muttered, rebelliously.
“I’m afraid so, sweetheart,” I told her, “but at least the Council knows what’s going on now and can do something about it.” I turned to Thorn and asked, “Give me the ruby, will you, dearest?” She pulled out the jewel from her pocket and placed it on my palm. I held it up, my action causing a mild stirring among the Knarl ranks.
“Now give me that diamond ring I gave you for our first anniversary,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.
“Why?” she whispered back.
“I need it to do something,” I hastily and inadequately explained. Thorn tugged the ring from her finger and gave it to me. I turned my back to the Knarls and, using the diamond, began scratching a long groove in the ruby.
“What on earth are you doing?” Nix hissed.
“The instructions in that Elf book said the blood stone had to be flawless,” I told him. “I’ve had the idea for some time that this ruby could be used in something called a ‘laser’ and if I’m right, then the Knarls would have a weapon of devastating power. However,” I continued, “if the power source, that is, this ruby, has a flaw, then something catastrophic might happen to the machinery. It’s not much of a hope, but it’s all we have.”
“What’s this laser thing you’re talking about?” Niama asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said, smoothing over the groove I’d made with a little saliva and the freed ruby shavings. I then returned the ring to Thorn. “If I’m still alive to do so, of course,” I added grimly.
I turned back to the waiting Knarls and held the ruby out to them, turning the gem so that the engraved flaw lay face down on my palm. One of their number came forward in the peculiar disjointed walk that spiders have and took the gem neatly from my palm. To my relief, it gave the ruby only a cursory glance before hurrying off. The rest of the Knarls surrounded us and we were forced to march down to the massive encampment on the plains below.
Chapter 22
We were captives but still alive. So far, anyway. I looked around curiously. We were situated on the edge of the camp. Most of the Knarls were eerily still but a few were rushing around, intent on specific errands. Not far away I glimpsed a group of large lizard-like creatures. They were around fairy size but I could see only five of them and I presumed they were the mythical fire-breathing reptiles Bon had told us about.
“Are they your snoles?” I asked, nudging Bon.
“They sure are,” she confirmed. “Ugly things, aren’t they?”
“I’d like to know how they do it,” I mused. “Their digestive system must be amazing.”
“Believe me, you don’t want to be in front of one when it’s flaming,” she proclaimed with conviction. “The flame is so hot and bright you can barely look at it.”
“Hmm, interesting,” I murmured, thoughtfully. I wondered if that was how the human legends of dragons had originated. Perhaps one of the snoles had found its way up to the surface one day. I could imagine the terror it would have induced in anyone it encountered. True, snoles didn’t have wings, but they could have been added later on as a literary embellishment. Over time their physical size would have been exaggerated as well. To take my mind off our predicament, I began to try out various theories to defeat them. What could possibly work? Buckets of water? An airtight cage? A fire extinguisher? My random thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a large machine, pushed along by a number of Knarls. It looked complicated in the extreme but it definitely appeared to be a weapon. For one thing, it had a nozzle, so something was going to come out of the end. My laser theory began looking more viable by the second.
“Is that your laser thingy?” Nix questioned.
“I’d say so,” I answered. “I’ve only ever seen pictures of them, but the resemblance is there.”
“What do lasers do?” Niama wanted to know.
“They can punch holes in just about anything by using concentrated light,” I explained. “I’m not at all happy with the idea that the Knarls have their claws on one. I shudder to think what they’ll do with it.”
“Maybe that scratch you put on the blood stone will stop it from working,” Thorn whispered, optimistically.
“I’m hoping it’ll do more than that,” I told her. “Be prepared for the unexpected,” I announced to everyone. “If there’s any sort of disturbance when they crank up the laser, there may be an opportunity for us to leg it out of here. We don’t want to stay around here if we can help it.”
“That’s for sure,” Nix muttered.
Various Knarls fussed around the machine and eventually, with solemn ceremony, the ruby was produced and clicked into place. I held my breath and my muscles tensed in anticipation. I had no idea what was going to happen. Perhaps nothing would, but I hoped for something resembling a climax. Something sufficiently extraordinary to divert attention away from us, just enough to allow us to escape. The final preparations seemed to have finished and the Knarls stepped away from the machine. The nozzle was pointed upwards towards the tunnel roof and one of the Knarls stepped forward and pressed down on a button with its leg.
&n
bsp; The machine hummed. Various small lights lit up and then the humming suddenly turned into an escalating shriek of tortured metal. The noise reached an almost painful crescendo and whole thing then exploded in a blaze of crimson light. The first few rows of Knarls standing around the laser were scythed down by shrapnel and the blast flattened further rows. Panicked by the noise and light, the five snoles began flaming in random directions, spraying their fire over nearby Knarls, creating living incendiary torches that ran through the packed ranks of their fellows, spreading the fire indiscriminately.
“Time to go!” I yelled, grabbing Thorn by the hand and starting to run. The others joined me and we ran for our lives, pushing stunned and gibbering Knarls out of the way. Finally, when we could run no more, we stopped for breath. We could detect no sign of anything following us and I dared to hope that we had indeed escaped. A haphazard thought of my human body pushed itself forward into my consciousness. Although I have no watch, I was sure that more than twenty-four hours had passed since I had performed its daily maintenance. Our packs and weapons had been confiscated by the Knarls and that meant my portable transfer machine had also been taken. The niggling symptoms of ill-health I had encountered the last time came back to haunt me. I really should get back as soon as possible to check. Ah well, there was nothing to be done about it right now, I thought, morosely. The nearest transfer machine was back at the settlement and I certainly wasn’t about to go back to the Knarls for the other one.
“Do you think we’re free now?” Thorn said, interrupting my train of thought.
“I’d say so,” I replied, looking behind us and seeing no sign of spider-like intruders. “The laser exploding must have been a huge shock to them and they don’t appear to be a species who recover very quickly from setbacks. Very set in their ways, I’m thinking.”
“Your plan to damage the blood stone was brilliant,” Nix praised. “I bow before you.”
“Don’t do that,” I urged. “It was sheer luck that it worked so well.”
“Luck or not,” Nix persisted, “your plan worked to perfection. I salute you.”
Blood Stone (11) (The Underground Kingdom) Page 7
