by Emlyn Hall
Jack froze as soon as he landed. Clevan and Bafflebod scrabbled out of the hole, both falling face first into the ice cold water.
"Dev? Is that really you?" asked Jack.
Dev bent down and scooped the stone off the bottom of the stream. "Here, I think you dropped this," he said with a small smile growing on his face.
"I have no time to explain, or for small talk. We have to move, they will be tracking me and fast. I suggest that we follow the stream. There is less chance of the Cara caras picking up our scent if we keep to the water," said Dev.
"No Dev, that is pointless," said Clevan. "If you were alone then maybe you would evade them for a while, but they are not stupid. They would follow the river, travelling much faster than you. It would just be a matter of time. With four of us, the scent is impossible to hide, that is unless there is?"
"A fire!" interrupted Dev. "Of course! Jack, can you do that with the stone?" Jack nodded his head. "Well go then, boy, we have no time to waste."
Jack nodded again and drew the fire symbol on the stone's surface. The stone shimmered and produced the hovering golf ball sized flame that Clevan had taught him.
"There," said Jack. "But what now?"
"Grab it and throw it, Jack, it's quite safe," said Clevan.
Jack slowly and nervously reached into the strange flame. It felt as cold as ice. He closed his hand around the flame, pulled his arm back and threw. A huge fireball erupted from Jack's hand and zoomed off into the forest igniting everything in its path.
"Now throw more, Jack, and we will retreat back to my home, we will have to lay low for a while," said Clevan
The four of them started to walk back up the bank and Clevan led the way back towards his home. All the while Jack unleashed fireballs to ensure that their scent was destroyed, making following them impossible.
The four of them walked quickly all day and arrived back at Clevan's home in the early hours of the following morning.
"We have burnt down so much forest," said Jack pulling the front door closed behind him.
"It is unfortunate indeed," said Clevan. "But we did not really have much of a choice. In the great scheme of things, it was a necessary evil we needed to commit. The reality of the situation is that we four and the Great Stone you hold are probably the only chance this world has of stopping the Brachanids from complete domination. I have a feeling that before this whole mess is over, many more sacrifices will need to be made, Jack."
"We all need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. Clevan, come with me, we need to dress and treat that wound before it becomes infected," said Dev.
With that, Dev and Clevan disappeared into another room leaving Jack and Bafflebod alone. The pair of them warmed themselves by the fire and then hung up their wet things to ensure they were dry for the morning. Jack settled himself down by the fire and tried to drift off to sleep, but it was impossible. So much had happened and so much was going to happen that his mind would just not switch off. He thought about the Brachanids, their red eyes, huge bodies and gigantic frames. He thought about the burning forest and thousands of trees, plants and animals he must have destroyed with his fire. He thought about the Savveroff and of just how scared he was when it attacked at the stream. He thought about his dad and just how much he missed him. He thought about his enormous old house and his sleepy little village. It was no use; he could just not relax enough to fall asleep.
"Bafflebod," whispered Jack, "are you asleep?"
"Not even close," came the whispered reply from the other side of the fire. "My mind is racing. I think if I fall asleep I may even have one of those dream things you talked about."
"Will you two knock it off and get some sleep," said Dev from the other side of the room.
"We can't," replied Jack and Bafflebod together.
Dev stood up, walked across the room and joined them at the fire. "Very well then, perhaps a song will help send us all off." Dev sang quietly and slowly with a tenderness his looks did not suggest he had.
Away in the rolling peaceful mountains
Under the clouds which hug a sky so blue
The peaceful wind that laps the shadows
Oh the place I lay with you
From the shallows to the deepest seas
Under trees so tall and dells so green
A day so pure with air to match
Oh the place you remain my queen
Sand that stretches and caresses rock
Streams which dance and sing their song
Fields of colour and scent of heaven
Oh the place where we belong
Colours so bright and air so clear
Warm days stretched out as if they a year
Clean air and peace in the realm of my hand
Oh the place where we live without fear
Dev looked down on the two friends as they slept deeply, smiled to himself, returned to his side of the room and settled down to sleep himself.
When dawn broke, Clevan busied himself making a large breakfast and preparing everything the party needed for their second attempt at reaching Vassash. Swords, bow, arrows, food and water were meticulously prepared and arranged while the others slept on.
After everyone had woken and washed, they sat around and ate, discussing the plan.
"The way you were planning on entering Vassash was just right," said Dev drawing the outline of the city on the dusty floor with a stick. "It is generally not well guarded here and here, with only sentries who pass randomly during the day. There are slave holdings here and here and this is the entrance to the underground cells which hold the pit fighters. If we can reach this side of the city, we can use the power of the stone to hide us and we can free at least two slave holdings and maybe even the underground cells. What we do after that will depend upon the condition of the prisoners. It would be foolish to turn and run. The Midnight Army would simply run us all down, we would not stand a chance. I propose that we attack."
"Attack?" said Clevan. "Are you crazy? We have no weapons and like you say, who knows what kind of state the poor captives are in, my guess is that it will not be very good."
"Believe me, I wish that there was another way. I do not like the odds of this battle, but we have the element of surprise on our side and that counts for a lot. I am pretty sure that this building here is a factory where the slaves make weapons and armour for the Midnight Army. It should be easy to take with the numbers in the pens. Our key objective has to be the pit fighter cells. I have walked the corridor and there are hundreds of cells and in each is a fighter skilled in hand-to-hand combat, who I am certain would fight to the death for the slightest chance of freedom. We will attack them from within their own walls; they will not expect it and we do have a chance. Besides, I do have one final idea which may well help us."
Dev explained the remainder of his plan, the group finished their meal and prepared themselves for the dangerous journey ahead.
"We will walk fast and with luck will reach the outskirts of the city in the night. There we will wait until the hour before dawn before we make our move," said Dev, his eyes burning with determination.
"Let's go!"
The Dark Stone
Repelled by the raging fires, Siinjid returned to Vassash late into the night, empty handed. He flung the door to his chamber open to see Halknin asleep on the table next to the stone.
"I see that you value sleep more than your life!" shouted Siinjid, instantly jolting Halknin awake and sending him crashing to the floor in fear and surprise.
"Master, apologies for my laziness," srovelled Halknin. "I have however made a lot of progress since you have been away. Let me show you."
Siinjid sat in a chair behind the table and poured himself a foul smelling green drink. "Go ahead," he said.
"I know you are not interested in the lesser things that the stone can do, but let me humour you first, my lord, just so you can see some of the stone's other uses," said Halknin. Siinjid nodded and drank
deeply, draining his cup.
"Firstly, the elements, sire." Halknin demonstrated the stone's ability to conjure flames in exactly the same way that Jack had done earlier that day to throw Siinjid off their trail.
Next Halknin demonstrated the stone's water ability. "Sire, if I may borrow your cup?" Siinjid passed Halknin his empty cup and after he had drawn the symbol on the stone's surface a yellow glow emanated from it. Halknin pointed the stone at the dusty ground and it began to shake. Tiny beads of water began to rise from the ground and collected in a swirling ball over the surface of the stone. Halknin brought the cup close and caught the sphere. He used his thumb and swiped it across the surface, the yellow glow vanished and the last of the rising beads dropped back to the cold earth below.
"Making water does however seem to drain the stone's power, so it is not really very useful," said Halknin.
Halknin offered Siinjid the cup. Siinjid merely peered inside out of curiosity and gestured Halknin to get on with his show.
"Next sir, air," said Halknin. He drew the symbol on the surface. This time the stone glowed with a mysterious green light. The room which was lit by flickering orange torches on all wall dimmed eerily as thousands of tiny sparks of light travelled towards the stone, joined together forming a small cloudy white ball. The light returned to normal and Halknin began to demonstrate the power by sending icy cold blasts of air across the room, extinguishing the torches on the wall, leaving them covered in a thin layer of frost. He then spun his finger around the white orb, unleashing several mini tornados which swept around the chamber destroying furniture as they went. Halknin ran his thumb across the surface again and the tornados disappeared instantly.
"Sire, you of course have to imagine each of these on a much bigger scale. All of these could prove very useful. The last element however is my favourite. If I may have your permission, I have a slave outside for me to demonstrate upon," said Halknin.
"Proceed," said Siinjid who leaned forwards in his chair, his curiosity fully aroused.
"Guards! Bring in the slave!" shouted Halknin.
The great door swung open and the two guards on the other side of the door walked in holding an elderly looking Zephod between them. The Zephod did not struggle but walked calmly into the chamber wearing tattered robes and a long matted white beard. His eyes were sad as if he knew what was about to happen but his bright blue eyes showed strength, dignity and defiance.
Halknin drew the symbol upon the stone's surface. The stone began to glow a mesmerising light blue colour and a strange misty cloud began to circle around Halknin's hand.
"Do you have any last words, slave?" asked Halknin.
"Just this," said the elderly Zephod. "I go to my death happy and without fear. Your time will come, my friend and it will come sooner than you think. Your foul species' time upon this world is almost at an end."
"Yes, of course it is," laughed Halknin. He waved his hand through the spinning cloud and a bolt of light shot across the chamber instantly turning the elderly Zephod into solid stone.
"Impressive," said Siinjid sitting back in his chair smiling.
"Guards leave us," said Halknin and the two rather shocked looking soldiers did so immediately. "My lord, I believe I have saved the best until last."
Halknin drew a very complicated series of symbols upon the stone's surface making it glow a brilliant and sparkling white. Tiny beads of water rose from the floor, the remaining torches dimmed sending showers of minute sparks across the room, air rushed in from all directions and the mist once again spun around Halknin's hand. Halknin drew one further symbol upon the stone. A huge flash of blinding light and a thunderous bang rang out shaking the Dark Tower, then all went silent. In the middle of the chamber spun a disk of swirling white cloud the size of a bicycle wheel and in its centre a black hole had opened up.
"This, sire, is a portal," said Halknin. "The gateway to the world of men."
Siinjid stood up in awe and walked across the room towards it, hypnotised by its swirling beauty. Halknin swiped his thumb upon the surface and the disk vanished.
"Halknin, that is incredible. You have surpassed my expectations. I will see to it that you are greatly rewarded for your services," said Siinjid.
"Thank you, sire. I still have a little work to do in ensuring that the hole is large enough for a Brachanid to travel through, but that will just take a little bit of practise. I will then test the portal and await your orders sire," said Halknin.
"This is a significant day for my people. We have conquered this world. Now our glorious empire shall force the world of men to fall before our feet," said Siinjid, his eyes burning as red as rubies.
The Liberation
Dev's pace though the smouldering forest was brisk to say the least and everybody was finding it difficult to keep up. There was no rest, no stopping and no let up.
"How are you keeping old timer?" said Dev to Clevan.
"Tired and sore, but otherwise OK," he replied.
"It's good to see you and I am glad you are here. How are the young ones coping with all of this? I had hoped to have trained Jack a lot more before he faced the Midnight Army, but that didn't really work out," said Dev.
"The boys have shown amazing bravery and resilience. Penny has chosen wisely; he will truly become a great warrior," said Clevan.
"Not a day goes by that I do not think about banishing you from our people. I think now that I made a poor decision, I was just a boy myself and wasn't ready to deal with such things. Do I now banish myself for losing the stone and failing my people?" said Dev.
"Nonsense," said Clevan with a slight smile on his face. "The decision you made was right and it was a strong one. You are a fine leader and your people love you. There are some things which will always remain out of our control and I am afraid that the actions of our enemies will always be one of them. Besides, history is no longer our concern, it is what we do now that matters."
Dev patted Clevan on the back and smiled. "I think we can afford to stop for a moment. Those two could do with a little break," said Dev nodding over his shoulder towards Jack and Bafflebod who had slipped quite far behind.
After a brief rest the group set off again. It was pitch black by the time they reached the city's edge. Dev and Bafflebod quickly dug a small trench so they could all observe any activity taking place, while remaining out of the enemy's view.
"We will hold here for a few hours until they are all asleep before we make our move. I will keep a look out and suggest you all try to get a little rest. Huddle close to keep warm," whispered Dev.
Clevan, Jack and Bafflebod did as they were instructed and Jack quickly drifted into a very shallow sleep nestled in between the other two. With images of his father's face still at the front of his mind, Jack felt himself being gently shaken awake by Bafflebod.
"Wake up, Jack, its time," said Bafflebod nervously.
"OK, this is it. I have been watching for hours and there is only one sentry that appears at the end of that street." Dev pointed. "If I am right, then he will shortly be making an appearance and if I am accurate, it will be his last."
Dev loaded an arrow into his bow and dug another in the soft earth beside him just in case. He settled upon his knees in the trench and waited silently. The others lay hidden and still, scarcely able to breathe with the tension.
Through the soft night breeze came the light crunch of boots on gravel spelling the imminent arrival of the guard. Dev pulled back the arrow and focussed. The large Brachanid emerged into view sleepily rubbing his eyes, he reached the end of the street, rocked back on his heels and stretched. Dev released the string.
The Brachanid guard flinched as he heard the soft whistling noise, a millisecond later he was dead before he hit the floor. Dev truly was a fantastic archer.
"OK, let's move," said Dev calmly.
The four of them broke from the trench and quickly and quietly covered the ground between them and the fallen sentry. Once there, Dev held guard while C
levan stripped him of all weapons.
"At the end of this street is the first of the slave pens, there will be guards. Jack, we must use the stone here. We simply cannot be seen," said Dev.
Jack nodded and pulled the stone from his pocket and drew the symbol Clevan had taught him. Once the stone had rendered them all invisible they set off as quietly as they could down the dark Brachanid street towards the pen.
When they reached the end, Dev peered around the corner then turned back and whispered.
"There are three guards at the gate to the enclosure. We cannot use the stone as it cannot do two things at the same time, but if we can creep close enough, arrows would be the best solution. I will take the one on the left, Clevan you the centre and Jack you the third on the right. Bafflebod, you load your bow and be ready to finish anything we miss."
The four turned the corner and covered half of the distance to the gates where the guards stood idly chatting. They stopped, kneeled and readied their bows. Jack exhaled and braced himself.
The three arrows raced through the air. Dev's arrow struck first dropping his guard instantly. Clevan's arrow hit next, but only striking the Brachanid in the shoulder causing him to scream out in a mixture of pain and surprise. Jack's arrow struck his Brachanid's head killing him instantly. Dev reloaded his bow as quickly as he could and was pulling the string back as Bafflebod's arrow struck Clevan's wounded guard sending him crashing lifelessly to the ground.
"Great shooting, let's move. One of them will have the keys. Let's search the bodies and pull them out of view," said Dev.
"I have them," said Bafflebod.
"Great, now let's get that gate open," said Dev.
Dev placed the key in the large metal gate, turned it until it clicked, then slid it open and went inside. The smell from within the dark pen was dreadful and all apart from Dev felt the need to pull their sleeves across their faces to reduce the smell.
