by Emlyn Hall
As Jack fell he gathered speed, faster and faster he tumbled, gaining on his father who was spinning out of control in much the same way just ahead of him. Jack managed to turn out of his spin and began to slide down his back, his father just a little ahead now. Jack gained more, he reached out a hand and his father vanished.
Jack slid over the edge of a cliff and fell alone forwards hurtling towards the ground. The floor rose up to meet him fast, he closed his eyes.
Jack's eyes sprang open. He was dripping in sweat, breathing quickly and shaking. Bafflebod was fast asleep next to him. Clevan was sat up against a tree on the other side of the clearing, he too was asleep. A loud snap made Jack jump and ensured that his heart maintained its brisk pace.
Jack shook Bafflebod awake and signalled to him for silence as soon as his eyelids flickered open. The pair of them rose, Jack drew his sword, Bafflebod loaded his bow and they tiptoed across the clearing towards Clevan, all the while scanning the intense blackness of the surrounding dense foliage for any movement. Jack prodded Clevan awake with his sword, again signalling for silence. Clevan groggily shook his head and stood up. The three of them stood back to back, turning slowly with weapons at the ready. Then it happened.
An arrow whistled through the air striking Clevan in the shoulder, sending his sword to the floor. Another arrow zipped through the air, this time grazing across Bafflebod's left cheek. A huge battle cry rang out as a dozen Brachanids poured into the clearing with weapons drawn. The light from their torches illuminated the scene. Clevan sat slumped on his knees trying to pull the arrow in his shoulder free.
Bafflebod and Jack had gone.
Tunnels and Darkness
Siinjid desperately searched the chamber, they had completely disappeared.
"Brachanids, bring torches!" screamed Siinjid back down the corridor. Within seconds a large group of Brachanids arrived into the Karkan's chamber with torches, illuminating the chamber.
"Search everywhere, then search it again! They cannot simply vanish! I want them found and I want them found now!" roared Siinjid wildly swinging his black sword around in frustration.
The Brachanids looked at each other in confusion, there was nowhere to search, there was no furniture, nothing to hide behind. The room was barren apart from the large variety of skeletons, bones and occasional lumps of rotting organic material which littered the dusty floor. The Brachanids walked around the chamber slowly, kicking bones out of the way and doing their best to look as though they were busy searching in an effort to keep Siinjid satisfied.
Siinjid stopped pacing and stood very still.
"Search the walls! Search for anything that looks different! Zephods can dig fast with their hands," he said.
The Brachanids spread out and began searching the walls.
"Here sir!" shouted one of the Brachanids from near the door. Siinjid ran over and looked towards where his solider was pointing. The Brachanid was pointing to an area of displaced earth where the floor met the wall.
"That's it!" shouted Siinjid, and with that he quickly started digging at the area with his sword, the earth and wall came away very easily, revealing the start of a tunnel.
"Keep collapsing it," whispered Dev. "I will start heading up soon, then it will be even easier to fill behind us."
"It is not easy with one arm but I am trying. This thigh bone is almost worn out," said Sevvin blindly scratching at the ceiling of the tunnel. "I'm starting to feel light headed, there is no air in here."
"I will be going up in a moment, we will have air soon enough. For now, stop talking," said Dev.
In the Karkan's chamber Siinjid had commanded some of his troops to fetch shovels while the others took turns attempting to dig out the tunnel which Sevvin had deliberately collapsed as the dug deeper into the earth.
"Dig faster!" yelled Siinjid. "They have a huge head start. You, get above ground and ensure we have units ready in case they attempt to surface. They will need air soon and I want their foul heads chopped off the moment they raise them above the ground."
Dev was sweating heavily and his shoulders ached, but there was no option but to keep up the effort. He lay in the narrow tunnel he had created with his arms stretched out in front of him, his hands busily scraping the soft sandy clay away. Every few minutes Dev would stop burrowing and scoop the loose earth underneath him for Sevvin to deal with.
Sevvin was finding things even tougher. His broken arm was in a bad way, blood ran from a wound the bone inside had punctured and his fingers had lost all feeling. He did his best to keep up with Dev but was clearly starting to fall behind the efficient Zephod.
"OK back there? I am going to start going up," said Dev pausing for a moment.
"I'm still here, although I'm not sure about OK. Life was easier in the pits," replied the heavy breathing Sevvin.
A further thirty minutes of hard digging and Dev's sharp fingers cut their way into the open air. Sunlight streamed in along with cool air. Dev retreated back down the tunnel, dug two seats into the side and helped Sevvin climb up and take his seat.
"I have no idea where we have come out, but I say we wait here until darkness falls," said Dev.
"I agree," said Sevvin clutching his arm and panting heavily.
"It will be heavily guarded out there and I know they will be following our tunnel behind us, but waiting until darkness is really our only chance," said Dev. "I could kill for some water; my throat is so dry."
"Don't think me rude or weak, but I am going to have to pass out for a while," said Sevvin immediately closing his eyes and slumping against the wall of the tunnel.
I think I will join you, said Dev to himself as he curled up on his step and fell asleep.
Dev opened his eyes. The sound of scraping below was worryingly close, he looked up. Darkness.
"Wake up," Dev said as he shook Sevvin gently. Sevvin did not wake up. Dev placed his fingers on his friend's neck and bowed his head in sadness.
"You died in freedom my friend and for your help I shall be forever grateful. If I get out of here, your name will be sung and remembered for all time. Sleep well." Dev kissed his hand and placed it on Sevvin's cold cheek. "Sleep well."
Dev focussed, exhaled and climbed to the surface. He picked quietly at the surface until he had created a hole large enough to look out of. Dev rose up pushing his eyes up into the cool evening air. He had risen next to the wall of a small hut, the area was empty and deathly quiet. Dev spotted a line of trees in the distance and decided that was his best option. Within seconds, Dev was on the ground, crouched into the shadows.
As stealthily as he could, Dev hugged the wall. He reached the end of the wall and crossed the empty street quickly and quiet. On the other side of the street was a Cara cara enclosure, Dev stayed close to the fence and continued on. Footsteps in the distance froze Dev like a statue. He waited and listened, which was easier said than done when you are crouched next to ten snoring Cara caras. The footsteps were coming closer; they were behind him.
Dev had no choice, he cut through the fence with his sharp fingers, creating as big a hole as time would allow. A Cara cara was fast asleep next to the large hole he had now created. He reached in and drove his pointy fingers deep into the giant animal's hind, turned and sprinted for the treeline.
The Cara cara woke instantly and went into a panicked frenzy, kicking out, destroying the fence and waking the rest.
The troop of Brachanid guards turned the corner just as the Cara cara stampede started. The scene was one of pure chaos; the huge beasts had now all broken free and were rampaging through the streets destroying everything.
Dev was nowhere to be seen.
The Edge of the Stream
Clevan was scooped up from the ground and pinned to a tree by two heavily armoured Brachanid warriors. The leader of the group stepped forwards and yanked the arrow violently from Clevan's shoulder causing him to scream out and almost faint with the pain. The lead Brachanid eyed the arrow carefully, stuck out his
slime covered pink tongue, slowly licked the blood from it and placed it with the others in his quiver.
"There were three of you, where are the other two?" the lead Brachanid asked in a calm, gravelly voice. Clevan looked at the Brachanid in defiance.
"I do not know, but if I did know, please be clear that there is nothing you could do to me to make me tell you," said Clevan.
"Maybe, maybe not. We will soon find out." The lead Brachanid pushed a finger into Clevan's arrow wound, drew his face so close that their noses were almost touching. "Where are the other two?"
Clevan winced in pain, then composed himself and stared deep into his enemy's eyes and said, "I do not know."
"We shall see," said the Brachanid digging his finger in deeper and turning it. "First I will remove your hands, let's see if that refreshes your memory. Hold him."
Despite Clevan's best efforts, the two Brachanids holding him were far too strong and in seconds he found himself on his knees with his left hand securely held on a tree stump. The lead Brachanid rested his sword on Clevan's wrist. "Where are the other two?"
"I don't know," said Clevan bracing himself for what was coming. The sword was raised.
A huge cracking sound erupted above the clearing followed by a blinding flash of light. As the energy wave struck, it sent everyone in the clearing to the floor like dominoes, including Clevan.
Jack moved his thumb on the stone and he and Bafflebod descended from the sky above and back towards the clearing. Jack was relieved to see that everyone was unconscious, it was safe to land.
Jack and Bafflebod touched down, grabbed hold of Clevan and began dragging him out of the clearing. As they reached the edge, Jack noticed that one or two of the Brachanid warriors were already starting to come around from the stone's energy blast. He drew another symbol on the stone's surface and the three of them vanished from view.
Jack and Bafflebod were only small and even though Clevan wasn't a particularly large Zephod dragging him along the forest floor was very hard work.
"What are we going to do?" asked Jack quietly. "This is impossible and we really need to put some distance between us and those creatures."
"Let's head for the stream. I know it's dangerous, but it is downhill and it will be a lot easier to pull him," replied Bafflebod.
"OK, I like it. But we can't stay invisible forever, we are going to need some of the stone's powers when we reach the capital," said Jack.
"Let's just get down there and hold out until morning," said Bafflebod, Jack nodded and the pair of them began pulling Clevan towards the stream.
"Those creatures were Brachanids, they are the Midnight Army," said Bafflebod.
"I feared as much," replied Jack. "They are certainly a lot bigger than I thought they would be and a lot scarier too."
By the time Jack and Bafflebod reached the stream the sun was already starting to rise and was casting long strange shadows across the land. Bafflebod set to work digging a tunnel into the side of a bank next to the stream in an attempt to give them some shelter.
When he was finished, Jack and Bafflebod bundled Clevan in and then joined him. Jack drew a further symbol on the stone rendering them all visible.
They removed their wet shoes and huddled together for warmth, it certainly did not appear that it was going to be a particularly warm morning at all.
"So we just wait?" said Jack.
"I guess so, we just wait. Hopefully he will come around soon and we won't have to drag him everywhere we go," said Bafflebod.
The pair of them spent the early hours of the morning dozing happily in the cold but cosy tunnel they had skilfully dug.
Both Jack and Bafflebod were woken from their shallow sleep by coughing.
"Clevan! You are awake," said Jack, barely able to contain his relief.
"I suppose I am," replied Clevan in a weak voice. He shuffled around and propped himself up against the wall of the tunnel.
Jack explained to Clevan what had happened back at the clearing and all about how he had grabbed Bafflebod and risen with him quickly into the dark night sky the moment the second arrow was fired.
"I am sorry I blasted you," Jack said.
Clevan laughed. "Nonsense, you saved my life! You saved all of our lives with your quick thinking. I think Penny would be proud of you."
"Did you know Penny well?" asked Jack with a quizzical look upon his face.
"Of course I knew her well, I used to lead the Zephods, remember? She and I fought many battles together." Clevan stopped talking and held his hand up asking for silence. The three of them waited in fear.
"Something is coming," Clevan whispered.
The Tower and the Plan
Siinjid paced around the Dark Tower in a furious rage. Dev's escape had infuriated Siinjid so much that he had ordered the immediate execution of five of his officers for their incompetence.
'The time has come to use the stone,' thought Siinjid to himself, pulling it from his pocket. 'With this, I will raise this world to ash, build a slave army and march upon the kingdom of men which sits behind the Waking Veil. Never will my people want for the basics in life or learn to live a barren existence. Never will we be slaves, to another race or to the limited resources of a dying and barren world!'
Siinjid swung open the great door to his chamber and commanded the guards, "Bring me the scientist Halknin immediately." The two burley guards nodded and hurried away.
Moments later, two bangs upon the great door announced the return of the guards. Siinjid opened it, bowed to the scientist, invited him in and slammed the door shut.
"To what do I owe this great honour, my master?" asked Halknin deliberately bowing lower than Siinjid had.
"The time has come to unlock the mysteries of this Great Stone and I want you to help me do it. I know a little of its capabilities and that its powers are unleashed by the use of ancient symbols, but I am not one of science and learning, merely a tool of suffering and war. I need your help, the entire race of the Brachanids needs your help," said Siinjid.
"It will take a little time sire. I am aware of a little of the history of stone lore. The symbols used to harness the stone's great energy are ancient characters from an early form of the Ungan Dazaf alphabet. If you permit me, sire, I can begin immediately," said Halknin.
"Permit you? I command it. Let us be clear, however before you begin. I am not interested in the stone's range of party tricks and light shows. I am interested only in the stone's ability to travel to other worlds. Are we clear?" said Siinjid.
"I will do my best, sire, but as I said, it will take a little time," said Halknin nervously.
"Very well, a little time is exactly what you have. I expect you to have solved the stone's riddle within two days. If you fail me, I will kill you with it. Are we clear?" said Siinjid in a quietly menacing voice.
Halknin bowed nervously. "Of course, sire. I will try my best."
"Good, I do like you, Halknin. It would be a shame to lose you. I must go now, you will stay here with the stone and get to work. I have to hunt its previous owner. I will leave the two guards outside of the door; just ask them if you need anything. Good luck, Halknin." Siinjid turned and left. Halknin walked over to the table and stared at the stone.
"Let's see what you are capable of," he said.
At the bottom of the Dark Tower, Siinjid had assembled a group of his finest warriors who were waiting patiently for their leader on the backs of their huge Cara caras.
Siinjid leapt up on his beast, sharply dug his heels in its side and led the group through the streets and towards the very forest which Dev had vanished into over an hour earlier.
"I know he is in here somewhere. Spread out and alert us all if your ride picks up a scent!" yelled Siinjid as they disappeared into the treeline.
As well as being vast horse-like creatures with an amazing capacity for heavy work over long periods of time, Cara caras also have a phenomenal sense of smell. Brachanids have been using Cara caras as their mai
n form of transportation for centuries, but they also use them as their primary method for tracking and running down their enemy. Some say that a Cara cara's sense of smell is so good that it can smell a single drop of blood from well over a mile away.
"Sire, we have a strong scent!" yelled one of Siinjid's group.
"Excellent!" Smiled Siinjid turning his Cara cara. "Let's ride him down!"
The group hit full speed, skilfully dodging the large trees and riding straight over the smaller ones. On and on they rode, deeper and deeper into the forest. All the while the Cara caras bellowed out plumes of black smoke from their nostrils, drawing in great volumes of fresh air to keep them focussed upon the scent trail left behind by their target.
The trail took a sharp turn and led them downhill. Faster and faster, steeper and steeper. The Cara caras suddenly jolted to a complete stand still. They had lost the scent.
Siinjid and his hunting group were now standing in the middle of a small but rapidly flowing stream.
"He has travelled through the water to keep us from his foul scent. He is smarter than I thought, but there will be no escape. Onwards!" said Siinjid.
The Unexpected Guest
Clevan, Jack and Bafflebod sat silently in their tunnel at the side of the river. Jack reached blindly for the stone, which he had placed by his side in the sun to reenergise. His fingers brushed the surface of it sending it tumbling over the edge. Despite Jack's best efforts to catch it, it bounced off the bank and landed in the stream with an almighty plop. The colour drained from Jack's face when he realised the seriousness of the situation.
Not only was someone or something approaching, but now they knew exactly where they were. Furthermore, they no longer had the stone and were completely visible. Jack could think of nothing else to do. He grabbed his sword, drew it and before Clevan or Bafflebod could react he leapt from the tunnel and into the stream, screaming at the top of his voice.
