Petronella & the Trogot (17 page)

Percy came out of his thoughts, and asked:

“Do ye knoweth how much further we hath to goeth?”

“Not long now,” Barden answered.

They passed a group of women who were dressed in green tunics and had snakes tied around their waists in place of belts. Petronella and Percy didn't ask. They had now had enough of this place. All they wanted to focus on was getting out.

But the sky turned black. Everyone started darting around in all directions. They had heard the sound of wings in the air.

Above their heads hovered huge vultures. The size of a small aeroplane. Beating their way through the air. Their thick black bodies and wings blanked out the light of day. Barden and others rushed to stand against the wall. Petronella and Percy did the same. Their arms above their heads, flat against the wall.
The Black Vultures
swooped down. Each vulture sank its claws into a person. These were the people who were left standing in the middle of the road.

“It be
The Trogot'
s way of keeping the number of folk down,” said Barden. “Those folk be flown to the other end of the road. Down at the bottom where there be
The Den of Giant Spiders.
The folk caught are droppeth into the den from a height. The spiders feedeth on them. I hath been told that the spiders' centre be red and their legs be black and hairy. They sayeth that these spiders be as tall as any man. No one ever knoweth when
The Black Vultures
shall
flyeth by.”
 

 

 

The end of the roadway opened up onto a big green field sloping downwards. Separating the road from the field was a tall wire net running around the whole field. People were clinging onto the net and staring into the field. There didn't seem to be a way through the net. But down at the bottom of the field stood a mighty iron gate. And right in front of it, clear as anything, was
The Minotaur.
 

He was a mixture of a man and a bull. Horns came out of his forehead. The tips of the horns were of the same iron as the gate. His breath was heavy. Every time he breathed out, fire blew from of his nostrils. It stood upright on two legs like a human being. Its bottom half had bull's legs and tail. His chest and arms were that of a man. But it was double the height and width of an ordinary man.

When it saw Petronella, Percy and Barden coming towards the net it walked towards them. They felt like running away but had to speak to it if they wanted to get out.

The Minotaur
roared out as it got close to the three. Everyone clinging onto the net had moved back and had gathered around behind Petronella, Percy and Barden to see what was happening. Petronella knew that she could not use
The Black Box
anymore because she had used it seven times. Neither was
The Metal Disc
any good because
The Minotaur
was not a Strincas.

Petronella spoke first. Everyone listened.
The Minotaur
arched its back and put its head down into a fighting position. It started pawing the grass with its left foot sending wads of soil flying up behind him. Luckily there was the net between him and everyone else.

“
Minotaur
, I have been on a journey through
Trogot Caves
with Percy here...” Petronella said.
 

As soon as she said
‘
Percy', a woman came running out of the crowd, grabbed Percy, hugged him and said: “Ye be myn son. I knoweth ye be.” A man was standing behind her. “Percy, this be ye father,” she said. Tears streamed down her face. The father flung his arms around his wife and son. Sobbing, he said: “Me thinketh I would never seeth myn son again.”

Petronella was now responsible for all these people. Only she could get them out.

“Sorry,
Minotaur
, I will begin again. I have been on a journey through
Trogot Caves
with Percy here. We were not grabbed by
The Trogot
.
It was our decision to go down there. All I ask of you is if you will please let us out. We would like to go back to our normal lives.
 

The Minotaur
started bellowing. It seemed to go on for so long. But it finally stopped and said:
 

“What do you think all these people are doing here? Every single one of them has asked me to let them out. Some have been here for over a thousand years. After all these years, you come along and think you can do what these people have not been able to do.”

He took a deep breath, threw his head back. As he breathed out a huge flame rose upwards.

“I was told by the guardians in
Trogot Caves
that you would let me out,” she said.

“Why, what is so special about you?”
The Minotaur
roared.
 

“I am
The Chosen One.
I can prove it. Look, here is
The Metal Disc
to prove it. She held it up and showed it to him.
 

“I did not know you were
The Chosen One
. In that case, I must let you out. You cannot take anybody
else with you. You know that. You have been told by
The Hooded Horseman
. You can leave, but the others cannot.”
 

“I cannot leave without these people here,” Petronella said. “It simply cannot be.”

“LADY,”
The Minotaur
roared. You have no right to ask for anything more. You do know that these people can live here forever and never get any older.”

“What kind of life is this for them? It is better to have a happy free life than to spend forever in such a place where they live in fear,” Petronella answered.

“LADY,”
The Minotaur
roared again, letting off a flame double the size of the last one, “you do not know what you are talking about. Ask the people here what they wish for.”

Petronella asked the ones who wanted to leave with her to put their hands up. Petronella was overcome when she saw that they had all lifted their arms.

Percy made a square sign in the air with his hands. “
The Black Box,
” he said. “Getteth out
The Black Box.
”
 

“I cannot. I have already used it seven times.
The Hooded Horseman
said it would only work seven
times.
”
 

“I only counteth six,” said Percy. “I knoweth I hath nat been to school much. But I knoweth the difference between six and seven.”

“No, Percy, believe me I have used it seven times. I have
made a point of remembering that each time
I used
The Black
Box
because it was so important,” she said.
 

“Why doth ye nat trieth it? What hath ye got to lose? If it doth nat worketh, ye shall leaveth and we shall stayeth here. But if it doth work, we shall all be free. Please, Petronella, trieth it.”

Percy was a good boy. Petronella was sorry that his high hopes were about to be shattered. It made her sad. He had found his parents and they were still clinging on to him. What should she do? Get out of
Trogot Caves
and leave them behind? She had to give it a go. What did she have to lose? She got
The Black Box
out of her apron pocket. Pointed it into
The Minotaur
's face. Its eyes went blurry. Its expression changed from that of threat to a more friendly one. What was happening?

The Minotaur
kept breathing out fire. It roared: “STAND BACK EVERYONE.” They all moved back.
Some tripped over themselves or over others. But soon got back up again. In time to see
The Minotaur
melting a hole in the wire net. Big enough for a person to get through. One by one they went through.
Petronella leading the way. Soon they were all standing around the big heavy metal gate. The gate to Fort Willow.
 

The Minotaur
unlocked the gate. The hinges were rusty. It would not budge. It had not been opened for more than a thousand years. The men in the group got hold of the gate and tried pulling it together with
The Minotaur
. It was no good. They could not even open it an inch. “What if we climbeth over it?” someone shouted. “Cannat ye seeth how high it be? Cannat ye seeth the sharp points at the top?” someone else said.

“STAND BACK EVERYONE,” roared
The Minotaur.
“
The only way is for me to blow fire on the hinges so that the gate opens just enough at the side to let a person through. I will then weld it back together again, when you have all left.”
 

The Minotaur
kept his word. He blew fire onto the hinges on the left of the gate. The hinges loosened up.
The Minotaur
was able to pull it open enough to let people go out one by one. He turned around and said to them: “There. Those of you who want to go may leave now. You are good people who were caught and forced to live here. Go, and I wish you a long and happy life.”

They were soon all on the other side. Free at last.
The Minotaur
was already shutting the gate. Maybe not to be opened again for another thousand years.

Everyone was so happy. Dancing, jumping and crying with joy. Petronella's heart swelled up. She had never been so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Quiet, quiet, please,” Petronella shouted. “I know you are all over the moon with joy. But I need to speak to you.” They soon quietened down.

Barden came out of the crowd. He said: “I must needs nat listeneth to ye. Who doth ye thinketh ye be? I must needs findeth Marian. I shall maketh her my wife whether she liketh it or nat.”

Petronella hadn't lost her senses. If The Black Box had finished its life, The Metal Disc had not!

Barden ran towards Petronella in a rage. She held up The Metal Disc on the skull side and flashed it in his face. “You are not a fit husband for Marian,” she shouted at him. Barden was no longer there in front of Petronella. He had returned to Trogot Caves. Petronella certainly wasn't having Marian forced into marriage with such a brute. She did not like to send a Strincas back to the other world. Though she had to admit that sometimes it was necessary. People needed to be protected from the likes of Barden.

It was only now that The Strincas in the crowd understood Petronella's power. Not all the people in front of her were Strincas. Some had lived in Fort Willow after The Strincas had died out. Others had strayed into The Trogot's path from Cedar Wood Village.

There were thick rows of trees and bushes in front of them. Planted there to hide the Trogot Gate. It was difficult to make out exactly where they were.

“Please listen to me,” Petronella began. You all follow me to the other side of that wood. When we have worked out where we are, everyone can go back to the house they lived in before being caught by The Trogot. Did you hear me?”

“Yes,” they all shouted.

Petronella led the way. They went through to the other side only to see a wonderful green valley in front of them. At the bottom of the hill they were standing on, laid out in front of them in all its glory, was the village of Fort Willow. The group stood there together and looked down in awe. Some with tears in their eyes.

From the trees behind them other people came out. Who were they? Had they been living here, just outside Trogot Gate? Slowly, first one, then another, then more and more people started to recognise each other. An old woman came hurrying out towards Percy and his parents. It was his gran'ma. Percy hugged and kissed her until he could no more. He was happy now and didn't seem to need Petronella any more. She had to let him go. She understood that he could not love her as much as his own family. Percy saw the sadness in Petronella's eyes and rushed to her.

“Petronella cometh meet myn gran'ma.”

“Percy hath just telleth me how ye hath looketh after him. We thank ye so much,” the gran'ma said.“We be going back to Charis Cottage. We cannat waiteth to seeth our home again.”

“It be Petronella's cottage now. I liveth there with her when ye was all away,” Percy said to his gran'ma.

“In that case, we shall all be one big happy family. How doth that sound to ye, Petronella? We hath nowhere else to goeth,” said the gran'ma.

“It will be a pleasure for me to live with your lovely family,” Petronella said.

Petronella was not so sure about this. Having Percy was one thing. Living with his ma, pa and gran'ma was another. They were all nice people. No doubt. But Petronella had always lived on her own and liked her weird habits. For starters, what would they think of the snail bunker? Would it be safe for them there anyway? What about The Trogot?