Austerley & Kirgordon Adventures Box Set

by G R Jordan

  Calandra jammed her staff together and spun it hard before driving the white-hot end into the wall. Brickwork shattered as chunks of wall flew into the room. The girl cowered behind Calandra and saw a figure in a habit hop into the room with its webbed feet. But Calandra saw a gap in the wall, grabbed the girl’s habit and hauled her towards the possible escape. There was a single hole, just about wide enough for a frog-man, and therefore quite a generous space for a human woman.

  The girl looked in horror at Calandra who just pointed at the hole as she turned to face the intruders. Without looking back she hammered her staff at the first frog-man, sending him crashing into the far wall. With the other end of her staff she flicked the door back onto the rest of the intruders, slamming it hard in their faces. As they pushed the door back open, she drilled each in turn with the white-hot end of her staff. From behind she heard a dull splashing sound and turned back to the hole to see that the girl had disappeared.

  With one last flurry she battered the few frog-men who were still standing. And then she heard a truly dreadful sound. There was wild croaking and a noise like hundreds of wet flannels being slapped all at once. The horde had been alerted and was coming. Time to go, Cally, old girl. Calandra ran and leapt onto the edge of the hole then wrapped her legs around her staff, allowing it to poke out just below her feet. Let’s hope it’s not too deep, she thought. And she jumped.

  The Winged Beast

  Calandra splashed into a fast-moving body of water and instantly felt herself being pulled under. Damn, she thought, if they follow us down here then they’ll have a ridiculous advantage. Her hair trailed out behind her and she kept her staff pointing just beyond her feet, hoping it would catch any rocks before she slammed into them. But from the force of the water, she believed herself to be in the middle of the flow.

  At first all thoughts were about self-preservation, but soon her mind wondered about the fate of the girl who had jumped before her. The poor thing was only wearing a robe and would freeze in this water. Calandra’s head bobbed above the surface and she grabbed a breath before being pulled back into the current. The water weaved this way and that before she found herself propelled outwards and down in a waterfall.

  There was no way to check what was happening, no reverse gear to pull, so Calandra tried to relax as she fell. Without warning, she crashed into another body of water but this time she was able to rise gently to the surface. The current was weak and when her eyes opened she was surprised to see shafts of daylight. Calandra was floating in a large pool into which the waterfall emptied. It was in a cavern with holes littering its roof, allowing the light to come in. Across the pool was a ledge in the rock just above the waterline and here was sitting the girl, soaked through.

  Putting her staff between her legs, Calandra swam over to the ledge. After she had pulled herself up onto the exposed rock, she studied the girl closely. The girl sat huddled with her arms wrapped round her legs and was obviously cold and frightened. I’ll need to do something or she’ll die from exposure, thought Calandra.

  “Come on, girl, let’s see if we can wring this out,” she said. The girl looked up but didn’t move. “Up. Stand up, and we’ll dry your clothes.” There was no recognition. Damn. Calandra tried all the languages she knew but still there was no response. This was going to be awkward.

  Calandra took hold of the girl’s arms and stood her upright. Calandra pulled the grey habit off the girl and stripped her of her jacket and half-robe, now just a sarong. Calandra was surprised by how submissive the girl was, standing there naked and failing to cover herself up. She was shivering and a wave of pity flooded through Calandra. She squeezed the water from the sarong and jacket as best she could, discarded the habit and then redressed the girl with the sarong and jacket. Finally, Calandra zipped up the jacket, covering the girl’s cleavage.

  “Well, girl, the skirt’s not the most conservative but at least you don’t look like a hooker.” The girl looked at her with forlorn eyes. “Now then, how do we get out of here?” Calandra’s clothes were wet through but she felt no cold. Or rather, she felt only the same cold she had felt ever since the witch had cursed her eight hundred years ago.

  I wish the boys were here, she thought. Not that we women won’t manage, but I am a bit stretched for ideas. Havers was always the one for the plans but… well, he won’t be making many more. A tear welled in Calandra’s duct but froze. She flicked the ice out. Yes, I wish the boys were here. Actually, I bet they would too, she laughed to herself as she looked down at her cold, wet figure. Yeah, they’d love it.

  The thought of frog-men following her made her snap out of her longing for the boys. It was time to move, but where? She was surprised that the frog-men hadn’t followed her down the drop and into the water. At least, she assumed they hadn’t, for she hadn’t seen or heard any. There was a narrow staircase cut into the rock and Calandra decided to follow it rather than jump back into the water. Turning to the girl, she signalled her to follow. On reaching the first step, Calandra heard footsteps behind her.

  The staircase cut into the wall and the way became dark. The steps were large for a human, but again perfectly sized for a hopping frog. Calandra heard the girl stumble behind her several times but kept her focus ahead into the pitch black, tapping her way forward with her staff.

  The steps gave way to a larger space and Calandra felt around the wall in the dark, locating a wooden torch. Checking the girl was standing well back, Calandra swung her staff to a white heat and lit the torch. With the new light, Calandra found another torch, lit it and passed it to the girl, who pulled it close to her, embracing its heat. Meanwhile Calandra explored the room they had entered.

  There were shelves of manuscripts up to eight feet high all around the room. At the centre was a large dish with some bones residing at the bottom. This must be some sort of library, thought Calandra, but well hidden. This stuff must be important. She pulled out a book and looked at the symbols on the page. It meant nothing to her. Where was Indy when you needed him?

  Quickly she tried various books and manuscripts but all were gobbledygook to her. Realizing there was nothing more to be gained from further investigation, Calandra searched the room for an exit. There was nothing, only the way they had come in. The girl wasn’t going to like what Calandra was going to suggest next.

  With Calandra leading the way out, the pair made their way back down the steps to the rock ledge. Calandra scanned the cavern but saw no movement. She led the girl to the water’s edge and with a variety of hand signals tried to explain the next step of jumping back into the river. At first the girl looked dumb but then she began to shake her head violently. I haven’t got time for this thought, Calandra. Grabbing the girl with one hand, she pulled them both back into the water.

  The river was less wild than it had been upstream and Calandra was able to hold the girl and her staff as they drifted along. All along the route, little shafts of daylight lit up the way and if you were able to ignore the cold, like Calandra could, the journey was rather pleasant, almost like a dull theme park ride. At one point they could hear the sounds of the street just above them. Wagons rolling, people calling out at each other, trades being advertised. But the sides of the cavern were sheer and there was no way they could climb up to the noises above.

  We must have been in the water for at least thirty minutes, thought Calandra. It’s a wonder the girl hasn’t passed out from the cold. But then she realized that the river wasn’t cold. Calandra wasn’t as sensitive to temperature differences as other people, at least not since her curse, and it took time for her body to pick up on the rising temperatures. But now the water was more like a hot bath and she couldn’t fail to notice. Especially as a steamy vapour began to rise and then condense on the roof of the extended cavern.

  Then there was darkness. The holes in the roof that had been providing the light were behind them but Calandra, still holding the girl, drifted on in darkness. The water was still warm, but without light it wa
s hard to gauge time and Calandra was unsure how long they had sailed in the water before she saw some firelight ahead.

  Another cavern appeared, lit up by the cavern walls. But this time they weren’t rough walls of rock but solid vast blocks of stone. Cyclopean, that’s the word Indy always uses, thought Calandra. She could see movement ahead and so swam as best she could towards the edge of the river, staying in the dark shadows. She felt the girl huddle close to her. Above the lapping of the water on the edges of the cavern, Calandra could hear hopping sounds and that unintelligible croaking those things made.

  From her position, Calandra counted five frog-men. Well, four actually; one was definitely a frog-woman. Hussy, thought Calandra, she’s barely covered. Although the frog-men don’t seem to be taking an interest. I hope I don’t end up like that, she mused, all there and no one interested.

  The frog-men were on the opposite side of the water from her and were on a substantial platform built alongside the river. It was made of solid rock and looked as if a boat could moor alongside. Glancing further downstream, Calandra saw that the river seemed to end against a far rock face. Damn, she thought, if it flows on it’s probably underground. Who knows how long we’d have to hold our breath. Guess it’s good for frog-men though. Time to sit and wait.

  For an age, Calandra kept them both in the water, waiting for a chance to mount the stone platform. First, two frog-men left, followed by another one. Then she had to watch as frog-man and frog-woman mated. That was probably the correct technical term but hell, she didn’t want to see that again. Eventually the two lovers left and Calandra took the chance to swim to the platform.

  Cautiously, she clambered onto the jetty and scanned around. There were three exits, all open spaces cut into the vast stone block that made up the wall behind the platform. The first two were dark inside but the third passageway was lit. From her position in the water, it had been hard to see where the frog-men had exited but she was sure this passage was it. It had light at least; she didn’t fancy trying to fight in the dark.

  With the girl following her, she tiptoed her way along the stone corridor that led from the third exit. Calandra was aware that although she was making little noise, the girl wasn’t as quiet. The corridor led up without steps, its gradient becoming gradually steeper. The walls were damp and warm and to Calandra the air was akin to a tropical garden. After some five minutes, the corridor broke off into four different paths. Three of the paths seemed to stay on the same level but one started with an obvious uphill track.

  Calandra and the girl quickly took the uphill track as they heard some hopping sounds close by. The corridor ran sharply uphill before turning abruptly right. Then it broke out into a vast room. But the room wasn’t empty.

  Calandra only had a few seconds to survey the room. She saw a winged beast on her right side. It had a head similar to that of an eagle, complete with large beak, but the body extended into something more like a salamander. Well, except for the wings. Unlike the creatures the boys had mentioned in Dillingham, this was obviously one complete beast, but one Calandra had never seen before. It seemed docile. There were a few other beasts in the room. Looking up, there was no roof to the vast expanse.

  Any further information was lost as a shout broke the air. It wasn’t a frog-man croak but a humanoid voice. The language was lost on Calandra, but the presence of a sixty-strong posse over where the voice had originated from wasn’t.

  Calandra went to turn back to the corridor but the girl grabbed her arm and ran towards the winged beast. Calandra clocked the leather saddle atop the creature and saw that the girl suddenly seemed enlivened. On reaching the beast, the girl ran up the side of the creature, picking out the bones underneath the skin which ran up its side. Quickly the girl climbed into the saddle and grabbed some loose reins. The posse of humanoids had drawn closer and Calandra saw they were in full battle armour, consisting of leather smocks and gauntlets, and carried various pikes and swords.

  The winged creature was responding slowly to the girl’s encouragement and Calandra decided she needed to buy her some time. Turning to face the oncoming group of soldiers, she let her wings expand and drew pleasure from the gasps of shock. With a body that spoke of every dream and wings and a staff that promised a nightmare, she had broken their confident charge. Come on lads, let’s see you handle an old woman!

  The first line of five soldiers broke at her, yelling and waving their weapons. Calandra turned sideways and swept two aside with her wing. The first that arrived in front of her took a blow to the head that floored him completely. Calandra didn’t wait but bore down on the next attacker, drove her staff into his groin and then lashed out with a foot at the fifth attacker, catching him on the jaw and dropping him instantly. Come on boys, there’s more where that came from.

  Then Calandra felt the beat of wings behind her and, glancing back, saw that the creature was up on its legs and the girl was waving at her to join them. The second wave of soldiers attacked and Calandra swept her wings into them before running to the winged beast. As the beast became airborne, Calandra jumped and with the aid of her wings glided onto the back of the creature. The creature seemed to struggle with the additional weight and began to circle the room at a low level to gain some momentum.

  This meant coming close to the soldiers and the other creatures in the room. A few of the soldiers jumped and secured themselves onto the winged beast. Calandra fought to keep her balance as she moved towards the new arrivals. With her wings outstretched, she was able to reach the soldiers and thrash them with her staff, knocking them to the ground. The creature, freed from this weight, began to rise up in a circular motion and Calandra allowed her wings to vanish lest they get caught in the mounting airflow.

  As the beast rose higher, Calandra could see various devices being readied on the ground below. Crossbows of different sizes were loaded and fired at the escaping threesome, but the creature was circling at speed now and most missed their target. The few small bolts that hit the creature were too dainty to penetrate its thick hide. The room was incredibly high and it took a good minute to reach the open roof where a grey day greeted the animal aviators. Below, the soldiers readied a large wooden crossbow that looked more like a siege weapon. As the beast started to clear the top of the room, the bolt was launched. It flew high and struck the beast’s side. The creature rocked sideways; Calandra stumbled on its back and lost her footing. She slid down its body and managed to find faint purchase on the start of its tail, but the creature was struggling and clipped the edge of the top of the room. Beyond the room Calandra could see a vast complex surrounded by woodland. But striking the edge had hurt the creature and it reared. It flicked its tail, throwing Calandra aside, and she landed on a nearby rooftop. After rolling to a halt, she watched the beast limping in flight as it cleared the structure she was now on before beginning a descent to the ground. Calandra was stranded atop the structure.

  Enter the Dragon

  With a flagon of water in one hand, Kirkgordon was propping himself up with his other. He was sitting on some sacks in a dusty storehouse watching the monoped Kilon attend to Nefol. Lying beside the girl was a slumbering Austerley. They were safe, safe from the dark beacon that was Austerley’s foot, but he knew this rescue attempt was in a right mess. Austerley was an amputee once again and his mobility, never great to begin with, was further reduced. Havers and Calandra hadn’t been seen and the rescue of Alana didn’t seem any closer.

  Kirkgordon stared at an awakening Nefol, his only bright light in a darkening world. The girl was groggy but at least she was alive, thanks to Kilon’s attentions. Of their little group, she was the hardest for him to connect with but to see her moving again brought a lot of joy. He was almost desperate for that dismissive teenage stare she always gave him.

  Glancing at the storehouse door, a thick wooden structure with a large crossbeam securing it, Kirkgordon saw the figure in the dark shadows. He had stood behind bulletproof windows, armed guards and fanati
cal converts, but never had he been guarded by a bogeyman. What was more disturbing was the fact that he appeared to be one of the good guys. This shouldn’t be pondered on. A striding Nefol brought him to his senses.

  “Where’s Calandra? And Havers? Why aren’t they here?”

  “Easy, girl. They’re not here.”

  “Well, I can see that.” And there was the tutting noise. “What have you done with them?”

  “I didn’t do anything with them. They went to look for someone to help you and they haven’t been seen since.” Nefol’s face fell. “We had to run from our digs, due to Austerley’s foot, which as you can see is no more. We couldn’t warn them and we haven’t heard from them. Kilon, our single-footed friend, hasn’t been able to discover their whereabouts.”

  “Are they dead then?” asked Nefol, eyes welling up.

  “I don’t know anything, Nefol. Sorry, that’s all I got.”

  “Well, it’s not enough. We should go look for them.”

  “We will, but not now. It’s still dark. These streets aren’t good in the daylight, never mind at night.”

  “So I’m expected to just calm down and sit it out till morning?”

  “Pretty much. And get some food. You’ve missed a few meals.” Nefol paced off and casually struck a beam with her hand. The wood vibrated and a crack was left behind.

  “The Professor is stirring, Archer,” said Kilon, “I will try to find him a crutch to assist his walking. He may not think his new-found freedom a great compensation for the lack of a foot. Although I seem to manage on only the one.”