The Magic Lands (20 page)

"Yes," Mo confirmed, "but only
whilst she sleeps," he added quickly. "Then you are safe, but if
she awakens, there can be no escape. She will never let you
go.”

As they continued to walk along
the tunnel, travelling deeper into the catacombs, they passed
through many narrow passages that led them abruptly into huge
caverns, water dripping monotonously in the shadows.

"How will we know when she's
asleep?" Jack asked as they entered one such cave, a claustrophobic
presence that he hoped was just his imagination nagging at him.

"Ah!" exclaimed the badger,
turning to stare at the boy, his dark eyes glowing in the strange
light. "That is the difficult part of the problem. We cannot know.
We must place our trust in providence."

"Somehow I don't feel very
lucky in this place," quipped Jack.

“
Luck has nothing to do
with it, young Jack” countered Mo. “There are powers that you as
yet do not understand at work here. No luck, just faith. That is
all we need.”

Jack did not respond, but he
seemed to consider the badger‘s words carefully.

"So we could just bump into
this...woman or whatever she is?" Tom voiced, feeling more and more
afraid.

"No Tom, it’s not quite as bad
as that. When she was banished to this place she was bound by
powerful magic to the deepest regions of the caves. Only when we
reach the heart, through many long tunnels, will we find her
lair."

"And what if she’s awake?"

"Then," Mo said, sounding more
confident than any of them actually felt, "we will have to think of
something."

The horses died, less than a
mile from the oasis. Dredger could only look on as his valiant
steed submitted to death's silent command. Of course, the water had
been poisoned.

But the death of the horses did
achieve one thing at least. Incensed at the callous trap, and he
was in no doubt that it had been exactly that, he was able to shake
off the negative state of mind that had been progressively
undermining his resolve like some unconscious quicksand.

Geheimnis said very little and
as there was no way of knowing what he was thinking behind his
plain mask, Dredger had no idea if the man felt any grief at the
death of his steed.

"I am ready to walk," the
warrior stated, glancing grimly down at the dead animals.

Geheimnis appeared to regard
Dredger for a moment, his shadowy eyes surveying him silently. "And
what of the horses?" he asked evenly.

"What of them?"

"Shall we not bury them?"

Dredger paused, the man's
request taking him by surprise. "There is no time for such
sentiments," he said after a moment, his tone sharp. "Let us waste
no further time or energy." He kicked at the sand with his boot.
"The desert will do the work for us in time."

Geheimnis's mask now smiled at
him with a sarcastic leer. "Such a hard man," he sang, "such a
warrior. And yet he sheds a tear at his own reflection in a
poisoned pond. Why is that, Dredger my friend? Perhaps you are not
as strong as you believe. Could that be it? Could it be that you
are just a boy who plays at being a man?"

With a low growl, Dredger took
two steps toward the man and then stopped.

Geheimnis held out a long blade
toward him, his mask suddenly expressionless. "Do you seek
combat?"

The warrior smiled bitterly. "I
see that is what you want."

With a rasping chuckle, the
masked man lowered his sword. "You are mistaken, dear Dredger,
quite mistaken. To do battle with you now would not suit my
purpose." He paused, returning his weapon to its sheath. "I need
you alive for a little while longer."

Dredger didn't know
whether to teach this faceless fool a lesson there and then, or to
just laugh at his arrogance. Finally, he resolved to postpone their
confrontation.
He
would be
the one to choose the moment of combat.

"Shall we travel on now?"
Dredger asked aloud, mocking his companion with his manner. "Or do
you wish to remain to dig holes in the sand?"

Geheimnis nodded and bowed
theatrically. "Let us be on our way then. And perhaps when we reach
our goal, more than one score will be settled."

Mo and the boys made their way
along yet another meandering passageway. As they went, Tom had been
deliberating on the problems that would face them somewhere deep
within the caverns. But even after much thought he had no idea what
they should do. If they were just going to trust to luck he had
grave doubts about their success. No such thing as luck, Uncle Ira
had often told him. Everything is in the balance, that much is
true. But there is purpose in all things. No event is random.

No, there was no point in
crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. No such thing as
luck, his mind informed him once again.

After a little more
consideration, he decided he would pray instead.

THE WAY THROUGH

Overhead in a hazy sky a white
dove flew and Dredger wondered how the creature could survive in
such a climate.

"I see you have noticed the
messenger," Geheimnis said as they walked methodically across the
dunes, sand sucking at their boots. The oasis now lay many miles
behind them.

"Messenger?" queried
Dredger.

The masked man let his gaze
find the sky and stared upward at the circling bird. "The Wolf has
eyes even here."

The warrior had to confess, at
least to himself, that the idea had not even occurred to him,
although he realised now how out of place the dove really was up
there above a barren desert. "Perhaps you are right," he
begrudgingly conceded.

Geheimnis' mask smiled back at
him. "Sly Wolf," he sang, "but perhaps not sly enough."

Dredger found the man's manner
increasingly irritating, the longer they travelled together the
more the masked man grated on him. But he could tolerate much when
it suited him and for the moment he thought it advisable to humour
his companion.

"You have sharp eyes," he
allowed. Geheimnis bowed slightly and they continued on, the sand
simmering with the heat.

Dredger began to brood over the
task ahead, his confidence very gradually dwindling,

as if sapped by the desert
itself. He became aware, the knowledge shocking him with

its intensity, that he might
not be equipped either physically or mentally for the ordeal that
he had undertaken so lightly. When he had first had the vision of
the Second Beast, he had felt strong and self-assured but now,
trekking relentlessly through this bleached, forgotten land, he was
not so certain. Perhaps the hooded foe was too powerful, as the
Wolf had been before. Dredger licked his cracked lips and
considered taking a mouthful of water from his provisions, but he
knew it would be better to conserve as much as possible. There was
no way of knowing how much further they would have to journey. He
had lost all sense of direction and time meant less than ever in
this endless sea of sand. When he had parted from Mo and the two
boys he recalled it had been with the belief that it would take him
a relatively short time to reach his goal, but now he had doubts,
very real doubts that weighed upon his mind. Had he underestimated
the distance? And for that matter, could distance be judged in a
place such as this? He only had Geheimnis' word that they were even
heading in the right direction. Was this just one more mistake to
add to those he had already made? His head felt hot and his brain
was weary, his thoughts erratic.

I must not
fail.
The warrior concentrated on this vow. But when
would the desert end? He glanced at his companion, but of course
the man's mask revealed nothing. It still held that same taunting
smile that he had come to hate so much.
I
must not fail!
he told himself again but with every
step that he took, so his fortitude seemed to crumble along with
the disintegrating sand. This truly was a lonely, forsaken place, a
place where he could conceivably die. But what of those who
depended on him?

Dredger gritted his teeth,
balling his hands into fists and laboured on across the Sea of
Tears.

"I'm really tired," Jack
complained, slowing his pace. Not far ahead the passage separated,
branching into three smaller tunnels. As far as they could tell,
the middle way went straight on but those to either side turned
away almost immediately, disappearing into darkness. Pausing, Mo
contemplated the choice of paths and sniffed the air. "Which way
now?" Jack said in a subdued voice.

The badger wrinkled his nose.
"One of these three, I imagine." Jack shook his head with
frustration but before he could speak Mo added, "what do you think,
Tom?"

Tom scratched his head and
considered each path in turn. "Don't you know?"

The animal gave an arch look.
"I think it is for you to decide."

"Let's keep to the central
passage then," Tom replied, "I don't really like the look of the
other two."

"Good enough," Mo grunted and
stepped forward into the gloomy corridor. Grey rock enshrouded them
now, crowding in upon them, the cave walls hard granite, uneven and
jagged. The strange light that illuminated the tunnels gave the
entire place an eerie, ethereal appearance.

"Is there likely to be anything
else down here?" asked Tom, imagining a pair of bright eyes peering
at him from the shadows.

"I would think it doubtful,"
returned Mo, snuffling along in front of the boys. "By

nature this is a place of magic
and only those with great need or purpose would venture here. I
think we shall encounter but one creature within these caves."

"I have to admit," Tom began
reluctantly, "I'm getting pretty scared."

"And what is fear?" the badger
said, moving closer to the boy, "just your heart and soul telling
you that they are there within you. Only the damned are not afraid,
for they have become one with the darkness."

"Can we rest soon?" asked Jack,
trying hard not to whine.

Mo did not answer him, instead
addressing his words to Tom. "Do you want to rest?"

After a few moments of
consideration, the boy shook his head. "I think we should go on.
Can you manage a bit further, Jack?"

"I'll try," Jack said with a
grim nod.

The tunnel meandered ever
deeper, far into the earth and shadows merged and moved on the
walls like dancing ghosts.

"A game, a puzzle, a test," Mo
intoned, leading them on. "All part, part of the whole."

"Riddles again," Jack muttered,
his fists now clenched tight, nails digging into his skin.

The badger showed his teeth and
gave a low, sonorous chuckle.

Geheimnis was humming, a high
fragmented tune that broke the silence of the desert land.

With obvious exasperation,
Dredger glared at him. "Do you have to do that?"

"Why do you ask?" the masked
man responded casually.

"Because," Dredger said loudly,
"I do not like it!"

"Oh I see," nodded the other
man, "you do not like it."

Dredger was fast becoming
infuriated. "That is my meaning, so stop making that infernal
sound."

Geheimnis' mask smiled back at
him and immediately the melody began once more.

His temples aching, Dredger was
quite certain that he would not be able to put up with the fool's
galling behaviour for much longer. He realised dismally that the
high temperature and the way the sand just stretched on and on, was
having an increasingly adverse effect on him. His body complained
of fatigue and his mind seemed to boil under the administration of
the relentless heat.

"Perhaps you are just not fit
for such a journey," Geheimnis chuckled between humming, his words
biting hard at the warrior's heart.

"Perhaps," retorted Dredger,
hot temper rising and surging through his brain, "your masked face
would sing a better song if it was accompanied by my fist!" No
response was made and Dredger was pleased to think that the threat
had served its purpose. But just when he was satisfied that his
remarks had put an end to it, the humming began again. "I think,"
he growled, "that before I destroy the Second Beast, you too shall
feel my blade."

A grinning countenance
was turned toward him. "The Second Beast?" the masked man repeated.
"And what might this
Second Beast
be?"

Dredger hesitated. It had been
foolish of him to utter the name in his anger. "You do not know?"
he questioned coolly.

"There is but one Beast,"
Geheimnis crooned.

"So it seems that you do not
know so much after all," Dredger said, content that at last his
superior companion was seen to be fallible.

The other man bowed. "Perhaps
it is you, my friend, who does not know all there is to know," he
breathed.

With suppressed anger, Dredger
turned away. "I tire of your empty words. I know what I must do and
you will not stand in my way."

"Quite so," Geheimnis trilled.
"You must walk your own road and find what you will."

They trod down on the yellow
sand, their boots sending the tiny grains running a billion
different ways. The Sea of Tears ran deep and long and travellers
who came there found their hearts crushed beneath its eternal power
of melancholy and futility. So many who had ventured there in past
times had lost their minds and perhaps even their souls beneath its
deadly influence. Now it was Dredger who faced the insidious way of
the desert dunes.

He brushed away the sweat from
his forehead and took his last mouthful of water, the flask finally
empty. If they did not reach the end of this wasteland soon, he
realised with a numb sense of dread, he too would become another
victim of the sand.