Frog and the Sandspiders of Aridian (7 page)

8

Underground

In his mind he was still falling, but this was through soft white clouds, their cotton wool shapes gently brushing his body as he passed through them. Somewhere, a girl's voice was calling for him, pleading with him.

‘Frog! Frog! Frog! Breathe! For pity's sake, breathe!'

Another female voice reached into his senses.

‘Here, let me try,' she said and he felt hands lift him up. Without warning, there was a sharp blow to his back. He exhaled in surprise and his eyelids shot open as dry, coarse sand escaped from his throat. He coughed and rasped as he inhaled again, tears filling his eyes.

‘Here, drink this.' It was Nadiah's voice and he turned to see her offering him a leather water bottle, which he gratefully took. The water tasted sweet and refreshing as it washed away the dry sand from his mouth and throat. He splashed a handful across his face and wiped the gritty residue away with the back of his hand.

‘Better?' asked the other voice as he focussed his eyes in the soft crystal light. She was maybe eighteen or
nineteen, dressed in the same orange robes as Nadiah and with the same small black spider tattoo on her cheek. Her eyes were dark brown to match the wisp of hair that escaped from her hooded robe.

He took another drink and looked around. He was in a small cave, the walls and floor of which seemed to consist of sand. In the ceiling, only a couple of metres above them, was a trap door with small trickles of sand escaping from its edges. He stared at it for some time, trying to make sense of his surroundings, then he saw a third girl crouched at the entrance to a small tunnel. She was also in her late teens, in matching orange robes, with a striking black spider tattoo on her cheek.

‘What's going on? Where are we and where's Billy?' he asked Nadiah.

‘We have to move quickly. We are to take you to Sanctuary. Everything will be explained when we get there,' she replied.

‘I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on.'

‘We are in a network of secret underground tunnels,' explained Nadiah.

‘And where is Billy?' he repeated.

‘Everything that Billy has done and plans to do will be in vain if we do not get you out of here quickly and find our way to Sanctuary. If you care about him you will trust me until we are in a safe place to answer your questions,' she told him with a no-nonsense determination.

‘I've been kept in the dark,' he said. ‘And I don't like it at all. I do trust you, Nadiah, but if anything
happens to him I won't rest, even if I have to cross all of the Dimensions to get revenge.'

The look in Nadiah's eyes softened. ‘You must trust your friend to do what he feels is right. He is also here for a reason and he understands that he always has a choice. The longer we stay here the more danger he is in and the less time we have to get to Sanctuary where you will be told what is unfolding. Now, we must make haste.'

The tunnels were just high enough for them to run through with their heads lowered and their shoulders hunched. The girls led the way, carrying small crystals that illuminated the small chambers through which they were passing, each with trap doors in the ceilings and more tunnels that led off in other directions. Frog followed as instructed, but after quite some time he became impatient.

‘How much further?' he asked, as claustrophobia seeped into his concentration.

‘Nearly there,' replied Nadiah and Frog became aware that the floor of the tunnel was sloping beneath his feet and a cool draught of air chilled the sweat on his face. After another 10 metres the tunnel opened out onto a solid platform of rock. They were now standing on the edge of a circular shaft that housed a wooden lift cage and Frog could see that it was suspended by glistening, twisted ropes that reached up into darkness. The girls entered the cage and Frog tentatively followed.

‘How high are we?' he enquired as he tried to peer down between the shaft and the timber floor.

‘Don't worry,' said Nadiah and pulled a wooden lever.
The lift lurched downwards. ‘We've never had an accident. Besides, if you fell from this height you'd be dead from fright well before you hit the ground.'

‘And that's supposed to make me feel better?' he said as his hands tightened their grip around one of the wooden bars.

The cage bumped and creaked as it slowly made its progress down the shaft until, just as Frog thought that things couldn't get any more nerve-racking, they exited out into an open space. He looked over the side in alarm to see that they were now descending from the roof of a large cavern, still some 30 or 40 metres up, its galleries illuminated by clusters of the light-giving crystals. Below, orange robes busied themselves backwards and forwards and some glanced with curiosity towards the lift. It seemed that they focussed their gaze fleetingly on Frog in particular.

As they got closer, Frog could see that there was a group of about fifty figures practising moves and patterns, which looked like a cross between Tai Chi and Taekwondo. Frog watched with interest as it appeared to him that they were sparring with each other with such force that they should be making full contact, but somehow they managed to deflect the blows without actually touching their opponents.

A sharp jolt distracted him and he returned his attention to the thick ropes that guided their progress. As they neared the ground, two large stone counter weights rose up past them. He could see a series of pulleys feeding more ropes to a big water wheel, which was embedded in the cavern floor. Two more robed figures pulled at levers and the flow of water slowed,
bringing the momentum of the wheel to a halt as the cage bumped firmly onto the ground.

Frog's manners overcame his desire to push himself from the cage first and he stood back and allowed the girls to exit, thankful that they were quick and breathing a sigh of relief as his feet touched the smooth stone floor. Before he had a chance to relax, two tall figures, whose orange robes bore embroidered black spider symbols, approached them. The first one pushed back her hood to reveal the kind face of a woman that Frog guessed to be roughly his mother's age.

‘Welcome to Sanctuary my young friend. The council are waiting. Please follow us,' she said, turning.

They quickly crossed to a wooden door, which opened as they approached it. Both of the women stood back and allowed Frog to enter a brightly lit room. On a stone plinth in the centre of the room stood the Hour-glass in its cradle, the grains of sand rhythmically falling through its narrow tube. The difference now was that the Rune Stone was firmly seated on the top of the wooden cradle.

On either side of the Hourglass stood two more women in the familiar orange and black robes along with Cassaria, who smiled gently at him, the hood of ice-blue robes now cushioned her electric blue hair.

‘Cassaria!' he exclaimed. ‘What's happening? Where's Billy?'

Cassaria approached him and knelt before him on one knee, placing a hand on his shoulder.

‘Be calm, young Frog. Your friend has now found his part to play in the events that are unfolding. Billy has journeyed into danger in order to create a deception,
which it is hoped will buy us valuable time,' she answered. ‘He willingly agreed and understood the risk that is involved. He is not without guidance and the Magic of the Guardians is with him for his protection and to aid him through his mission.'

‘I don't understand why it's been kept a secret from me,' said Frog.

‘Until this moment, only Ameer, Billy, Nadiah and I were party to what I am about to reveal to you and to those who are trusted to be present here.'

Frog looked around him and saw that the door was now closed and only Nadiah and the two girls had entered with him.

‘Belzeera has been busy with her vile Magic,' continued Cassaria. ‘She already has spies within the ranks of Ameer's men and we are informed that she uses desert creatures to infiltrate our settlements and do her bidding. We must use our trust sparingly. Our enemies believe that this meeting is taking place at Arachnae and that the Hourglass and the Rune Stone will be there. They tried to take you as part of their plans, but we anticipated their actions and that is why we were prepared to rescue you and create a deception so that Billy could fulfil his role.'

‘And what is Billy's role?' asked Frog.

‘He has become you, dear Frog. In sound, manner and image and at this moment, the Dreden believe that the boy that they have captured for Belzeera is you.'

‘But how?' asked Frog, bewildered. ‘How can he be me?'

‘You should know by now that the Guardians possess
many forms of ancient Magic; one art is that of duplication and Billy was given such a potion that enabled him to become your double, your twin if you like, along with instructions on how to carry out his deceit and play his part.'

A light bulb lit up in Frog's head. ‘The teardrop! You used my teardrop; you've turned Billy into my clone.'

‘He is your double in every sense except for his mind. He still controls his own thoughts and memories,' explained Cassaria. ‘He still has his own free will.'

‘But how will we get him back? How will we return him to being Billy?'

‘Billy's teardrop, which I will use to change him back into his own image, but more importantly we must arrange for his rescue after he has had the opportunity to find out the extent of Belzeera's plans. We know that if she thinks that she has you in her possession, then she will focus her mind on obtaining the Rune Stone and the Hourglass. Until the time of confrontation, this must be the last and only time that they are to be in the same location as you. If she were to bring them together with one drop of your blood she would be free to release the monster that is Lord Maelstrom and then they will have the power to cross the Dimensions and control the past and the future.'

‘What is it that makes my blood so special and why do the Rune Stones react to it?'

‘That answer is hidden in the history of the Dimensions and only known by the Guardians of old. All we can do is play out our destinies and protect you with all the powers that we hold,' answered Cassaria. ‘Until Belzeera and Lord Maelstrom are eliminated,
you and the safety of the Dimensional worlds will be in peril. The Guardians now know that even the world that you call home, the Dimension that is Earth, is part of their planned conquest, now that Belzeera has learnt of its existence.'

Frog lowered his head; his eyes stared at the flat, stone floor. In that last sentence, all that he had been through in Castellion – his underlying conviction that everything to do with the Slipstream was really just a series of dreams, his adventurous attitude that had shielded him from the reality of danger and death – was swept away. He now realised that he could wake up as the boy Chris in his own world and the threat could still be real. The evil could still exist and come to consume him and everyone that he loved and knew. As his mind struggled with these thoughts, however, the effects of the Slipstream worked into his psyche once again, adding maturity to his young years, taking him past what remained of his teens and giving him a ripe, adult mind. He still looked the same personable teenager, but as he raised his head there was a calculating, steely gaze in his eyes.

‘Tell me what needs to be done, in this world or the next,' he said.

9

The Camera Doesn't Lie

As the sand storm and the Dreden had descended on them, Ameer had pulled Billy down into the shelter of the spider's large shape. He had also given Billy a small glass vial.

‘This is it,' he said. ‘Drink it quickly and remember everything that I have told you. Moreover, know this, Billy; we will not desert you. I swear on Aridian's people, my people, that we will not forsake you.'

Billy stared at the vial. ‘Oh, what the hell! I wanted an adventure,' he said and brought it to his lips. He swallowed the dark blue liquid and felt it slide down his throat like warm treacle. ‘Mmmm! It tastes like chocolate,' he said, but before he could even lick his lips, his eyes rolled back and he fell into unconsciousness.

Ameer gently, but quickly, dragged Billy's comatose body out into the swirling sand storm and towards the Dreden voices that he could hear. He turned Billy over and pulled the turban cloth up to protect his sleeping face. As he did so, he could already see the Magic at work.

‘May the protection of the Guardians be with you,
brave Billy,' he said. Then he turned and disappeared back into the gloom to join his men in fighting off the attack.

The combination of voices and the throbbing in his head eventually brought Billy to his senses. He shifted slightly as people do when they first awake and immediately he realised that his hands and feet were tethered. He turned again and coarse leather cut into his wrists. He exhaled a gasp as the sharp pain brought him fully awake. His eyes wide open now, he took in the interior of a small cave.

‘Awake at last. That must have been quite a bump you got falling from that spider,' supposed a man who was rising from a group of other men seated around a small fire. ‘Still, it made our job easier, but it's a shame that it robbed me of the chance to kill more Aridian scum.' His hand clasped around Billy's jaw and he brought his face close enough for Billy to smell the man's stale and rancid breath. His skin was dark and leathery. His eyes were as black as coal and he wore long, lank hair to match. Billy boldly tried to pull himself away from the man's stare.

‘She said that you'd be a feisty one,' he laughed as he viciously tightened his grip and the metallic taste of blood ran along Billy's tongue, as it was caught between his teeth. He made no sound, but he could not stop the tears welling up in his eyes. Refusing to cry, he kicked out in defiance, his heel catching the man on the shin, and the sharp pain made him curse and release his grip.

‘Why, I'll slice off those troublesome feet of yours and then we'll see how you kick,' he said, drawing his long
curved sword, which Billy could see had a wickedly serrated blade, designed to cause maximum damage on its victims.

‘Stay that sword!' shouted another voice. ‘She will not be pleased with damaged goods and we will all suffer her anger for your spite.'

A taller man appeared and pushed the first roughly to one side.

‘If you want to practise your swordplay go and pick a fight with the Aridians instead of with a helpless trussed up boy,' he challenged. ‘Or maybe you would like to take your chances against me.'

‘You will not be a captain for long,' retorted the other. ‘You're too soft for the new world that she has promised us. We must fight with vengeance and show no mercy to our enemies.'

The second man drew his sword and straddled across Billy, almost protectively.

‘We all fight for what we believe is rightfully ours, but you enjoy the suffering too much; you relish the agony and pain you inflict on others too easily. I still fight with honour and for my kinsmen. She does not own me. I do this for my right, not for hers.'

The moment passed in tension as Billy waited for the clash of swords, but it did not come and he was glad to see the weapons finally sheathed by both parties and the first man reluctantly move away. As the murmur of conversation resumed, the tall man knelt before Billy and studied his features for a moment before he produced a small leather bottle.

‘Here, drink this. It is only warm cave water, but I'll warrant that you'll not refuse to swallow it.' He placed
it on Billy's lips and the young boy drank gratefully and deeply.

‘No need for such cruelty,' said the man as he inspected and loosened the bindings on Billy's wrists and legs.

‘Thank you,' said Billy gratefully.

‘Don't thank me for showing kindness,' he replied. ‘The vile witch has an unpleasant use for you, I'm sure of that. She made it very plain how valuable you were to her plans. I'm just making sure that I carry out my orders without giving her reason to inflict her rage on myself. But believe this, if you cause trouble or try to escape I'll turn your keeping over to him.' He nodded back towards the first man. ‘As long as you're kept alive he'll not worry about what condition he delivers you in.'

‘Thanks for the advice,' said Billy. ‘What's your name?'

‘Baron,' the man replied.

‘Where are you taking me?'

‘To her, in her fortress, two days' ride from here.'

‘I take it that you're talking about Belzeera,' said Billy.

‘The very same.' ‘What has she told you about me?' asked Billy.

‘You ask a lot of questions for one who has no options.'

‘Like most evil witches she tells lies. I'd just like to make sure that you know the truth about me,' said Billy.

‘All I know is that you are responsible for her brother's false imprisonment and you are the
bargaining point that will give her the Rune Stone that will free him. In return for helping, she will give us the power to reclaim and rule Aridian. Then she will be on her way, back to where she came from.'

‘That's a pretty impressive lie,' said Billy. ‘Anyway, how do you know that you've got the right boy?'

‘She has shown us your image. Every man in our hunting party had it burned into his mind by one of her unpleasant spells. Besides, this leaves me in no doubt that you are the one called Frog,' he said as he lifted Billy's bound hands and indicated to the shortened little finger on his left hand.

Billy stared at it in horror.

‘What's the matter?' asked Baron. ‘It looks like a fairly old wound. What troubles you?'

‘It … It … It …' stammered Billy as panic rose in his chest. ‘It still brings back bad memories,' he finished, hoping that the explanation was good enough.

‘Huh! When you lose an arm, like my brother Dre, that's when you need to complain.' He stood up. ‘I think that we've talked enough. Keep the water bottle, but use it wisely. Once we're on our way, we won't be stopping for a refill.' Abruptly, he turned and left Billy to clutch at the bottle and stare at his finger. By a morbid curiosity, he was intrigued with the stump and examined it in more detail. Then, he pulled back the sleeve of his robe and examined his arm. No scar! He'd had an accident on his skateboard the previous year, which had resulted in six stitches in his arm, but now there was no sign of the injury. His mind was racing with frustration; he desperately wanted to see himself, to see his reflection in anything so that he could
confirm the full extent of the transformation. He looked around him. There was nothing and then he remembered; when he had changed from his combats, he had checked his pockets and retrieved his mobile phone. He had rolled it into the waistband of his robes. He felt for a bump in the material; yes, it was still there. He could use the camera facility to take a picture of himself.

He hooked his thumbs into the waistband, but it was no good; whichever way he turned, he could not retrieve the phone. He brought his knees up and tried to jiggle the illusive phone out, but he was interrupted by a sharp voice.

‘What are you up to?'

Billy froze as Baron rose from the group and came towards him.

‘I warned you; if you try to escape I'll have no sympathy for you.'

‘I'm not trying to escape,' said Billy hastily. ‘I need to go to the toilet.'

Baron looked at him suspiciously. ‘If you're wasting my time –'

‘Honestly,' implored Billy. ‘I need to go. Now!'

‘Right,' he said untying Billy's feet and pulling him up. ‘Over here.' And he led Billy to a corner of the cave.

‘I can't do it here. Not in front of everyone.'

‘There's no room for shyness. Just turn your back. No one can see,' said Baron impatiently.

‘You don't understand. I need to – you know – sit down,' pleaded Billy.

Baron breathed out through clenched teeth. ‘Right, I will let you have your privacy, but one false move and
I'll cut off your legs myself and to hell with the consequences.'

He escorted Billy out into the night, to a small alcove just outside the cave entrance, where he undid the binding on Billy's wrists and handed him a small bundle of dry leaf-like material.

‘That's all I have. You'd better make the most of it. If it's not enough then you'll have to tear some material from your robes. I will be the other side of this rock and if you so much as stick your nose out without permission then I'll cut that off as well.'

As soon as he was out of sight, Billy unravelled his robes and retrieved the phone. He crouched down as low as he could and shielded the screen as he switched it on. The display lit up with its colourful menu and he checked its status. The battery level was good and everything looked normal except for two things: the time was stuck on 17.45 and there were no reception bars.

‘Typical! Where's a network when you need them?' he muttered.

He scrolled through the menu and set the camera function, turning the lens to himself. He took two pictures and saved them in rapid succession.

‘Hurry up,' shouted Baron. ‘I'm not waiting for much longer.'

‘You'll have to give me a couple of minutes,' Billy shouted back. ‘Unless you want to wipe my bottom for me!'

That should delay him
he thought as he scrolled to his picture file and clicked to retrieve the last image. He had to use all of his effort to contain a loud gasp, for
there on the screen was the face of Frog staring back at him. He realised quickly how easy it was to use his friend's new name, but to know that he now looked exactly like him was very freaky. He looked at the image and prodded his own face curiously, lost in fascination.

‘Enough!' shouted Baron impatiently. ‘Come out now or I'll drag you out.'

‘Just finishing,' replied Billy as he switched off the phone and tucked it into one of his socks. The lump didn't look very obvious in the pale light and as long as he wasn't searched he didn't think that it would be noticed.

As soon as Billy emerged, Baron led him back into the cave and rebound his hands.

‘I won't tie your legs as it will be easier to move you around,' he said. ‘But a word of warning – if you try to run you'll quickly realise that there is nowhere to hide. We are in the middle of open desert and there is no other shelter for miles. So save your energy and you will avoid any punishment. Now get some rest; we leave at dawn.'

Despite his best efforts to keep awake, Billy fell into a restless sleep until the sounds of conversation and movement awoke him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Baron approached.

‘Take a drink,' he said.

Billy did as he was told.

‘You will ride with me. Three things to remember: keep your face well covered, hold on to your water bottle and only do what I tell you. Now, follow me.'

He led Billy out into the now-reddening horizon,
which announced the arrival of the two burning suns. The other men had disappeared around the large rocky outcrop and Billy was encouraged with a shove to follow them.

As he turned the corner he nearly froze with shock at the sight of four ferocious, giant, black scorpions that stood together; their enormous claws and the wicked stings on their tails filled him with dread. One looked straight at him, its nightmare head clearly displaying two front eyes and six smaller ones: three on either side, giving it panoramic vision.

Billy was in two minds as to whether he should run. He didn't care where; he just wanted to get as far away as possible from the terrible creatures. As if in anticipation, however, Baron grabbed him and pulled him towards one of the giant insects. Billy tried to resist with all his might and in the end, it took four of the men to manhandle him up onto the scorpion, but not before one of them had given him a painful punch in the ribs, which momentarily took his breath away. By the time he had recovered, he was placed firmly in a rough saddle with Baron seated behind him.

‘Unfortunately some of my clansmen do not possess the same patience as I.' Baron's voice sounded almost apologetic to Billy. ‘I take it that you don't like our pets?' he said.

‘I don't even like them when they're a normal size; they give me the creeps,' confirmed Billy.

‘You'd better get used to them; you're going to spend a lot of time in their company for the next two days,' said Baron and pulled out a whip, cracking it over the scorpion's head.

The ride was bumpy and uneven as the creature scuttled across the sand with astonishing speed, holding its great claws out in front of it as though they were ready to slice into the very sky itself. The rush of air as they moved forwards gave welcome relief and somehow cooled the effect of the burning sun on Billy's robes. He thought back to the moment when he resisted the offer of the costume, but now, as all but his eyes peered out from his turbaned head and masked face, he appreciated Ameer's persistence.

There was no conversation and Billy was glad of the opportunity to gather his thoughts and reflect on what had happened to him since he had crept up on his friend in the garden back home. For all his bravado, he was wondering how this adventure would end and how he would return to his family who he dearly loved. He was even missing his young sister.

The shout of ‘Hawk!' brought him out of his thoughts. One of the men was pointing to the silhouette of a bird hovering high above them and another man quickly produced a crossbow. With practised ease, he loaded an arrow and fired it at the target. Billy watched in horror as the arrow appeared to pass through the bird. Its shape buckled and it plummeted earthwards. There was a shout of triumph from the bowman and Billy recognised that the voice belonged to the man who had been so cruel to him earlier.