A New Darkness (17 page)

Jenny and I followed her, trying to keep up. It was dark in the wood, and there was a real danger of blundering into a tree, tripping over a log, or stumbling into a hole and breaking a leg. Somehow we reached the edge unscathed, and then had the light of the moon to guide our progress.

My gift was working well—it meant that I could sense the creature directly ahead. It was moving fast.

We crossed a meadow before coming to a high, thick hawthorn hedge. This forced us into a detour; we had to clamber over a locked five-barred gate before continuing. A sequence of small fields further impeded our pursuit.

In the distance, farther to the east, I could see lights from a farmhouse. At some point the creature’s route would take it past human habitation. We had to stop it before that happened.

We had reached an area of flat moss land with no obvious obstacles and were making better progress. Then, from somewhere ahead, the creature gave another roar.

To my dismay, it sounded even more distant. The vartek was much faster than we were—but why was there no sign of its passage, no trail of destruction?

Moments later, I discovered why. It had been moving underground. Directly ahead lay a large pile of freshly excavated earth; at its center, a dark hole gaped where the creature had emerged. We could see tracks leading away into the distance. This was where we’d heard its first roar. There was a smell of loam and dank earth, then something else—the acrid stench that I had smelled on the one that Grimalkin had lured into her pit. I remembered how she had warned me that it could spit globules of acid.

Grimalkin sprinted on beyond the hole. I was struggling to keep up with her, and I glanced round. Jenny was falling behind. It couldn’t be helped—I had to keep going. Perhaps it was for the best anyway. If we caught the creature, it would be an extremely dangerous confrontation. I didn’t want her to get hurt.

Although we were now back among a patchwork of cultivated fields, our progress became much easier. When it had reached a hedge, or a stand of trees, the vartek had simply crashed straight through, flattening everything in its path, so our route was clear.

We continued running for an hour or so, still following its trail. I’d gotten my second wind now, and was running easily. However, I knew that I couldn’t keep it up forever. I could still sense the creature moving ahead, but then at last it slowed and came to a halt.

I heard another roar, followed immediately by terrified shrill screams. Then, directly ahead, I spotted the lights of another farmhouse.

Five minutes later, we reached a scene of total carnage and devastation. The vartek hadn’t attacked the farmhouse but had crashed straight through a large barn, slaying and devouring the animals within.

Judging by what remained, there had been cattle in there, and at least one horse. Now the stands were flattened and wet with blood. Grimalkin and I halted, staring at the grisly remains. I saw fragments of dead animals everywhere, and bile rose in my throat. I saw Jenny coming toward us. She too came to a halt, and immediately bent forward and vomited onto the grass.

The farmer had emerged from his house, and he came running toward the ruin of his barn, carrying a lantern and a big stick. It was fortunate for him that he hadn’t gotten there in time to confront the creature.

We turned and raced off into the dark without waiting to speak to him. There was no time for explanations.

Soon afterward, the vartek went to ground again. We halted at the fresh mound of earth, struggling to regain our breath. I concentrated hard, trying to sense where the creature was. For a second or two the picture was vague, but then a light flared inside my head. Even before Jenny caught up with us, I had located the creature. It had come to rest less than fifty yards away from the entrance to its burrow, but it was deep underground.

“We’ll have to follow it into the tunnel,” I said.

Jenny tried to say something, but she was still fighting for breath and couldn’t get the words out.

In reply, Grimalkin simply pointed down at the burrow.

I peered into the dark hole and, for the first time, saw that it was packed full of earth.

“It fills in the burrow behind it as it moves!” I realized.

Grimalkin nodded. “It eats the earth and rock, using its teeth and the acid in its saliva. They pass through its body after it has extracted the nutrients it needs, sealing the tunnel behind it.”

“But it eats flesh too—those poor animals!” Jenny gasped.

“Yes, child, it has been created to require flesh also. It is a brutal creature, designed as a battle entity to devour the soldiers of an opposing army.”

Without speaking, I set off after the vartek, and Grimalkin and Jenny followed behind me. Soon I halted and pointed down at the grass. “It’s directly below us—about fifty feet down, I think.”

“How can you know that?” Jenny asked, staring at me in astonishment.

“You’ve got your gifts, and I have mine,” I replied. “It doesn’t always work, but I can often locate a person or an object from a distance. Fortunately it’s working well in this case. I know exactly where the vartek is.”

Grimalkin already knew of my gift and made no comment. She appeared to be deep in thought.

“It is too far down for us to reach by digging,” she observed at last. “And even if we could do so, it would be too dangerous.”

I concentrated again. I was sure that the vartek was not moving.

“The creature’s at rest,” I said, “but it may not actually sleep. It may also be aware of our position. We could be ambushed.”

“So that leaves us with just one option,” Grimalkin decided. “We must slay it as it comes to the surface.”

I nodded. “It’ll either emerge here, or travel for some distance underground . . . in which case it will be much slower. We should be able to keep up or get ahead of it.”

We settled down right there. There was no point in taking turns to sleep, because I was the only one who could detect movement by the vartek. So Grimalkin and Jenny dozed off while I kept watch.

About an hour before dawn, it began to move again. Quickly I roused the others, and we followed its underground progress. It was still heading in the same direction.

I looked up at the fading stars and took my bearings. I felt sick with dread.

This was the approximate route that I took when traveling from Chipenden to Jack’s farm. If the beast continued in the same direction, my family lay ahead.

“Jack’s farm is in its path,” I told Grimalkin. “If it misses the farm, it will still pass through Topley. Over sixty people live there, and tomorrow is Friday, market day. People converge from all the nearby hamlets and outlying farms. There’ll be hundreds of people in the streets and on the village green.”

Had this vartek knowledge of what we had done to the haizda mage? I wondered. Was it heading for Jack’s farm out of revenge? If so, why hadn’t it made a beeline straight for me? It seemed preposterous, but whatever the truth, the danger was real.

Grimalkin remained silent. She was staring into the distance.

The vartek might pass right underneath the farm and the village, but if it sensed what was above it, the farm animals might draw it to the surface. And how could it not sense all those people at the market?

This creature, which Grimalkin had termed a battle entity, had been designed to kill and devour soldiers. Those villagers going about their business would probably be indistinguishable.

I began to grasp at straws. What could I do to stop this attack? Could I summon the boggart to my assistance?

I had no doubt that Kratch would be able to deal with the vartek, but I needed a ley line to allow the boggart to travel here. Picturing my master’s maps, which had been destroyed in the fire, I vaguely remembered that there was one a few miles farther east. But how could I get the vartek to cross its path? I couldn’t think of any way to achieve this.

The creature continued moving until about an hour after midday. Then it came to a halt again, and it still hadn’t moved at nightfall.

By now I was desperate to find some way of halting the vartek. I spoke to Grimalkin, hoping that she might have some ideas.

“Couldn’t you use your magic against it?” I asked. I glanced across at Jenny. She was fast asleep, exhausted by the chase.

The witch assassin shook her head. “I have already tried spells of binding and confusion,” she replied. “They have no effect on it at all. I am dealing with an entity that seems resistant to human witch magic. Such defenses may have been built into it quite deliberately. Of course, in time I may learn ways to overcome such a creature. That is why it is vital that I obtain knowledge of Kobalos magical practices. But for now we can only be patient and make sure that we are there when the vartek emerges.”

Her words were like a blow. It seemed that there was nothing we could do. I felt so helpless. Soon I sensed the vartek stir beneath us, and I quickly shook Jenny awake. It was moving much more slowly now, but still heading in the same direction.

As we followed, my anxiety grew.

Just before dawn it speeded up again, and our stroll became first a fast walk and eventually a jog. I was soon running, and Grimalkin and Jenny kept pace with me.

The sky was pink with the dawn light, and I could see trees ahead and a couple of low hills, which functioned as landmarks. I took my bearings again, and a wave of relief crashed through me as I realized that the creature would miss Jack’s farm.

But the village of Topley was now directly in its path.

My relief gave way to shame.
What about those hundreds of innocent people at the market?
I thought.

Then I realized that my family was not safe after all. My brothers visited Topley market on Friday mornings. At least one of them would be there, I was sure of it.

By now I could see the familiar hill in the distance and felt a surge of hope.

“Is that Hangman’s Hill?” Jenny gasped, struggling to keep up.

I nodded, saving my breath.

“Then it should miss your brother’s farm.”

“There’s a chance that it might just miss the village too,” I told her.

We would pass half a mile to the east of the hill. Beyond it lay Topley. Although the vartek would pass close by, it seemed likely that it would just miss the village. What was the creature planning? I wondered.

As we passed Hangman’s Hill, leaving Jack’s farm behind, the vartek paused for a moment, and I thought it was about to surface.

Then it set off again at an angle. My worst fears were realized. It must have sensed the presence of people.

It was now heading straight for the center of the village.

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20

The Fanatical Gleam

Y
EARS
earlier, when I’d visited the market with my dad, the early-rising farmers had done their business first: cattle, sheep, horses, and hens were penned and displayed before being bought and sold; farm implements were on display; bales of hay were neatly stacked. Only later, toward noon, did the streets become thronged with mothers and children browsing among the stands.

It was now nine o’clock, still early. The air was chilly, but the sun was high enough in the sky to bathe the village in light and radiate a pleasant warmth. As a result, there were more people on the streets than usual, and the stallholders, anticipating good business, had already set out their wares. Never had I seen it so busy this early.

As we raced down the main street, heading toward the village green, still following the line taken by the vartek, heads turned to watch us. Many stalls were set up in the streets that radiated like spokes from the large village green; others stood on the periphery. People turned to gaze at us in astonishment. Fear flickered on their faces at the sight of the witch assassin, and there were a few shouts of fear and anger. Ignoring the reactions of the shoppers, we ran on down the cobbled street.

Suddenly I knew where the vartek would emerge: right at the heart of the green, where the cattle were penned. I didn’t know what senses it used to find its prey—perhaps it located its victims by scent, even when deep underground. Maybe it could see through rock or sense warm blood from a great distance. Whatever the reason, the closely penned cattle had attracted it in preference to the people.

Perhaps so much flesh and blood collected together was irresistible, compelling it to attack. After all, wouldn’t that be the design of its Kobalos creators? They would require it to strike at the heart of an enemy army, erupting from the ground to take the soldiers by surprise, spreading panic through the ranks.

My gift was working perfectly now, and I sensed the vartek pass beneath the market stalls and move toward the cattle pens. I imagined its jaws working feverishly, its acidic saliva working on the earth and rock it ingested.

So far we had kept pace with the creature, no more than twenty or thirty yards behind it at any point. Now, suddenly, it took me by surprise and accelerated away from us; it was moving as fast as it had on the surface.