Liquid Diamond (17 page)

“
They’re a type of snake. They’re blind. They have wings and they’re attracted to the heat from the glow of the spark bugs. So when the Acquittals feel the heat, they know there's food to be had and they come for you. They spit a blinding acid and wait for you to succumb to it. When there's no fight left in you, they start eating you, just like you would eat any meat, ripping and tearing. Sooner or later there's just nothing left,” replied Catalyst.

“
Well I can see why you didn't want to tell me, but what I don't see is why you would bring me here!” snapped Natalia.

“
It's the only way to Ghost Mountain. We have to go through here. I can't just carry you up that cliff,” replied Catalyst.

Pulling her glasses from her pocket Natalia slipped them on.

“
Those won't help you here, Natalia. There's no Cockatrice,” said Catalyst.

Be that as it may, they'll cover my eyes from any acid flying through the air, said Natalia.

“
These change everything in here. Catalyst, with these on you’re not so bad looking,” laughed Natalia getting Catalyst back for the gust of stinky wind.

Red faced and not knowing what to say, Catalyst just stood there, gob smacked!

On hearing an eerie screech from down the hall, Natalia’s uneasy feeling returned.

“
I knew as soon as you said Gallows that this place was nothing but trouble waiting to happen!” said Natalia as she looked him right in his red eye.

“
It's never bothered me all that much. I've been here many times before and I do know this place, so it should be okay,” replied Catalyst. He was growing tired of her complaining.

“
Should
be okay?” demanded Natalia.

“
It will be, trust me, it'll be fine, I promise,” replied Catalyst.

Grabbing Catalyst and pushing him up against the wall, Natalia looked him in the eye once again.

“
Let me tell you something about Russian girls, Catalyst. One more thing we don't like and won't stand for is a promise made and a promise broken, so if you can't keep your promise, don't make it,” said Natalia.

Looking at Natalia and remembering his lie from before, Catalyst could feel trouble coming.

“
Okay, what I mean is we'll get through this,” said Catalyst as honestly as he could.

“
That's better. Now let's just keep moving,” said Natalia. She let Catalyst lead the way and followed closely behind.

“
Duck!” yelled Catalyst, pulling Natalia to the ground as a hand reached through a viewing window trying to grab them.

“
Whew! That was close, but exciting,” said Natalia, smiling.

“
I know, but let's be careful. They may be locked up, but I still want to get to the end of this place alive,” said Catalyst.

“
Mmm,” agreed Natalia, still smiling at the near miss.

Taking Natalia by the hand, Catalyst walked a straight line down the centre of the hall until they reached the part of the hall wide enough for only one person at a time to pass through.

“
Natalia, wait here and watch me go through this and then do exactly what I do, okay? Because you have to cross this Narrow in three seconds or less, so don't be late,” said Catalyst.

“
Three seconds or less, why?” asked Natalia, having got to the point where trouble just seemed to be her new way of life.

“
It's one of the traps used to stop the prisoners in this section from escaping should they get into the hall or get loose from a guard. Just do it in three,” replied Catalyst, turning to the Narrow.

Walking through the Narrow as fast as he could, Natalia watched as the walls slammed behind him. Not knowing whether or not Catalyst made it through, Natalia breathed a sigh of relief as she saw him standing there when the walls opened back up.

“
See! Nothing to it. Now it’s your turn – three, Natalia,” said Catalyst.

“
Three, three, three,” repeated Natalia to herself as she got ready to cross, and with a run, Natalia darted through the Narrow in less than two seconds. She turned to watch the walls close behind her just as Catalyst threw a fist-sized rock in between them so Natalia could see what missed her. The walls slammed shut leaving nothing but a bunch of rubble falling to the floor as they opened back up.

“
So why did you run?” asked Catalyst being a smart mouth.

“
That thing's a death trap!” said Natalia not having heard Catalyst’s smart question.

“
Yes it is for those that don't know it's there,” said Catalyst carelessly.

Continuing their walk and rounding the curve in the wall, Natalia began to feel at ease seeing a guard posted at the first security door.

“
Can you open the door, please?” asked Catalyst.

“
So, you’re back again, huh? No shackles, I see. I thought for sure the next time I saw you, you’d be more of a permanent guest of our cosy little home here,” growled the seven-foot Basajaunak.

“
Not this time,” replied Catalyst sarcastically as the guard towered over him, doing nothing about opening the door.

“
Hey you know that stuff they give you here every now and again for doing this and doing that – you know, your pay? How about earning it? Open the door,” demanded Catalyst making Natalia’s face turn red from embarrassment.

“
Are you trying to make me look stupid, Krusnik?” demanded the guard.

“
How can I? You've already got that covered,” replied Catalyst.

“
Oh why can't you just shut up, Catalyst,” yelled Natalia, smacking him in the arm twice.

The guard and Catalyst laughed for having gotten that one over Natalia.

“
Natalia this is Keft. He's first guard of the Gallows. No one comes and no one goes with out him knowing about it. Keft, this is Natalia my friend,” said Catalyst.

Smacking Catalyst’s arm once again for scaring her like that, Natalia held out her hand to the huge Basajaunak.

“
Hello, it's nice to meet you,” said Natalia shaking his hand.

“
It's nice to meet you as well, young lady. Any friend of Catalyst’s is a friend of mine. You’re Human?” asked Keft.

“
I am,” replied Natalia, waiting for the shoe to drop on her new friendship.

“
Well I don't have anything against you for being Human, but you be careful around most others, you hear,” said Keft.

“
I've learned that lesson already,” said Natalia.

“
Well that's sad, but it's good that you know information like that. It'll keep you safe,” said Keft.

“
So, everything is all right then, Catalyst?” asked Keft.

“
We're on a mission from the King,” replied Catalyst, taking the time to explain everything to him.

Not knowing anything about the Elf’s departure from the Gallows, Keft had nothing to say about their Elf problem.

“
Well under the circumstances you'll receive no problems from my guards then,” said Keft, pulling a horn off the wall and blowing the all clear for Natalia and Catalyst to pass through unhindered.

All at once there came howling and screaming from the other side of the door. It sounded as though everyone on the other side was being tortured.

“
Don't let that bother you too much, Natalia. They always get angry like that when they think someone is free to leave. The horn I just blew is usually the sign for my guards to let a prisoner pass that's finished serving their sentence. Give me a second, will you? If you people don't shut up – I mean it – if you make one more noise today you'll not be eating for two weeks and no water for three days. Sorry about that, Natalia. Sometimes you’ve got to remind them where they are,” said Keft.

“
Poor guards,” said Natalia, smiling.

“
No, that's the prisoners,” laughed Keft. “Not to worry
–
you’re safe enough,” he continued.

“
Seems I've heard that before,” said Natalia, looking at Catalyst.

“
Been causing trouble again have you Krusnik?” asked Keft.

“
Not really, trouble just seems to be where I go,” replied Catalyst.

“
Yeah, just seems to be where you go, but not to worry though, Natalia, you’re in good hands with this one. He's a fine upstanding fellow and I'm sure you'll be just fine in your journey,” said Keft.

“
See, not everyone distrusts me, Natalia,” said Catalyst.

“
I never said I trusted you, but I do believe in you,” said Keft as he opened the door for them to go through.

“
More of a hint really,” continued Keft with his hand up, showing them the way.

“
Now that's one big Basajaunak,” said Natalia on the other side of the door.

“
Yes he is and completely decent as well. Kind of ironic though if you think about where he works,” said Catalyst, looking around him.

“
You know, Catalyst, I would think in a place like this you’d see more guards,” said Natalia.

“
There's one at the end of each section of hall. That way they’re also at the beginning of the next one, just like Keft,” replied Catalyst making complete sense to Natalia.

“
Well let's go,” said Catalyst.

“
Just one minute – I have to fix my shoe,” replied Natalia leaning up against the wall while she fixed it. And just like that, Natalia hit a hidden switch, fell sideways through the wall and was now stuck on the other side.

“
Are you ready yet?” asked Catalyst.

There was no reply. Catalyst turned round and saw that Natalia had simply vanished. He banged on the door and started yelling for help.

Keft! Keft! Help! But it was to no avail. Keft must have left or thought Catalyst’s calls for help was one of the prisoners yelling out and with the door so thick and solid, Catalyst could only assume that his pounding faded before it reached the other side. With no key to open the door Catalyst was on his own, at least until he found the guard at the end of the hall, but even then getting him to leave his post would be impossible.

She landed on her butt with one shoe in her hand. Looking over the rim of her glasses, Natalia could barely see anything because the room was so dimly lit. She noticed her glasses magnified what little light was in the room and gave it a silver hue.

She stood up and pounded on the wall where she had fallen through as she called out for Catalyst. Listening closely for a reply, she heard nothing at all from the other side.

“
How am I going to get out of here?”
mumbled Natalia to herself as she walked around the room pushing on the walls and bricks hoping for some kind of switch, lever or button
–
anything that would open the way out.

She could find nothing, so she figured out that pushing everything and anything was not going to work. Even with her glasses on it was still hard to see unless she moved in closely.

“
All right, Natalia, you’re Russian, you’re smart and most important of all you’re a girl! You can think your way out of this,” said Natalia proudly.

Standing back and taking a really good slow look around, Natalia realized the light in the room was coming from a lone crystal that sat in a vessel that hung off the side of the single pillar in the middle of the room.

“
Well, Natalia, that's one step closer,” she said to herself as she picked up the crystal and walked from wall to wall studying each one for a release of some kind
–
a misplaced brick, a hole that looked out of place, anything at all that looked as though it didn't belong.

Catalyst started to panic. How was he ever going to find Natalia? He felt the wall, scoured the floor looking for a trap door, a switch, something, anything, but Catalyst found nothing that would tell him what had happened.

With only one way to go, he headed for the end of the hall to see if the guard there would help him. The next door was five minutes away so Catalyst started running down the hall and around the bend and found himself sliding across the floor, then flipping head over heels, then slamming into the wall.

Shaking his head, Catalyst stood up and took a look around.

“
Oh great! Those weren’t here last time,” said Catalyst as he stood looking at forty feet of metal rollers that lay across the hall behind him with at least two more sets that lay in front of him.

Seeing no way to walk across them, at least not without getting hurt, and no way to jump over them, it was just too far for him. “I need to find something to slide on,” thought Catalyst.

Having looked at, pushed and prodded the four walls that surrounded her and finding nothing, Natalia turned to the only place she hadn't looked – the pillar. And there it was, a set of barely visible carvings that with her glasses on and the glow that filled the faded chiselled markings, was lit up like a Christmas tree.