The Serpent of Eridor (7 page)

‘We'd better go and release him,' said Alex, attempting to rise. A bolt of pain shot through his left shoulder. Wincing, he stood up. ‘How did he get captured?'

‘How should I know?' Keeko leapt on to Alex's uninjured shoulder, landing on her good leg. ‘I didn't stop to ask. I shot straight back down to rescue you.'

‘Thank the stars you did. Ikara, can you stay on guard while we go for Zorrin?'

‘No problem. My head still aches from his fist. If he starts to come round I'll give him another blast of agony.'

Alex grinned at her. She'd burned pity for breakfast, ripped up compassion. He got the point, though. Sympathy wasn't on the list of combat necessities. Impatiently he shoved his fringe out of the way, finding his blond hair thick with clots. He wiped the blood from his hand on to his jeans then headed for the door, pausing to scoop up a shaking Skoodle.

‘You're amazing,' said Alex. ‘That was so brave.'

The little hamster squared his shoulders, chin rising upwards. ‘Correct. Leonine courage. If I had nine lives like cats, I'd be one down from heart failure.'

‘We didn't fail. Still got nine. Maybe.'

Trying to avoid getting more blood on Skoodle, Alex placed him in his pocket. ‘Were the crocodiles still asleep when you came in?' he asked Keeko.

‘Flat out. Still, be careful.'

‘Or the terrible jaws will snap,' said Skoodle. ‘Flesh will rip: yours, a scream of agony… yours again, then death by being torn limb from limb in a bloodbath.'

‘And where will you be during the body-rippage?'

‘With Keeko, on a wall light. But upset, of course.'

‘It's great to know that you'll be safe.'

‘I'll shout advice.'

‘Helpful.'

Alex opened the door a crack as Skoodle put his paws over his eyes. Outside on the steps lay an unconscious crocodile, head lolling. The body of a second curled round the central pillar, tail out of sight. The rhythm of drawing in clear air and pumping out foul breath remained unbroken.

Hesitating only long enough to be sure that they weren't moving, Alex slid past the snout of the closest crocodile, pulling the door closed behind him. He ran upstairs, Keeko swinging between wall brackets ahead of him. Four spirals round the central marble pillar gave them sight of another dark wooden door, slightly ajar.

‘In there,' murmured Keeko.

She landed on Alex's shoulder. Wincing, Alex pushed the door fully open and walked in.

The dark, damp room was like a dungeon. The sombre walls were bare: neither pictures nor tapestries relieved the gloomy expanse. No rugs covered the hard floor. The stone fireplace was empty of both heat and light. A black panther lay crumpled on the far side, unconscious.

On a low stool sat a man almost identical to the wizard downstairs, both in face and clothes. Yet this one was paler, with dark shadows under his eyes. He smiled wearily as they entered. ‘Welcome, Alex and Skoodle. Keeko said you would come. You must have defeated Karlan to get here.'

‘Are you really Zorrin?' asked Skoodle.

The tired lines round his eyes deepened in amusement. ‘I am.' He indicated a large rip on his sleeve. ‘Your friend tore a hole in my shirt with her teeth to check if my brand was real. Luckily she missed my skin, despite her haste.'

The wizard pulled aside the torn folds. Emblazoned across his forearm was a golden eagle, the light radiating from it powerful enough to illuminate the room.

‘Told you,' said Keeko, triumphantly.

‘But if you're Zorrin, and such a powerful wizard, how did you get caught?' asked Skoodle. ‘Not impressive, really.'

Zorrin frowned. ‘I was tricked into believing that my sister was in mortal danger. Karlan, an evil master was here, waiting for me. He couldn't kill me, but was able to trap me.'

‘Are the other evil wizards still here?' Skoodle asked, sliding back into Alex's pocket.

‘No. They left Karlan to guard me.' Zorrin grinned. ‘I don't think Karlan expected to be defeated, especially by so tiny a gang.'

‘Small but fierce,' said Skoodle.

Alex sat on the cold, hard floor. ‘That was Karlan? When he attacked me on the boat he looked totally different, not identical to you.'

‘Transmorphing is child's play to him. It stopped you being suspicious, didn't it?'

‘Yes,' said Alex, feeling slightly better that he hadn't been so very stupid. ‘It was almost fatal for us.'

‘It's very weird here,' said Skoodle. ‘At home people always look pretty much the same week after week.'

The stool creaked slightly as Zorrin shifted. ‘I can explain more about Karlan later, but perhaps for now you would be kind enough to release me and Myth.' He pointed at the sleeping panther.

‘Of course. How?' Alex asked.

‘There's a brown leather pouch in Karlan's right-hand trouser pocket containing powder which can break the hex that binds us.'

Alex closed his eyes, head drooping. Back past the crocodiles. When would this nightmare end?

‘OK, Wiz,' said Skoodle. ‘Crocodile hopping is our speciality. Consider us gone.' He gazed at Alex. ‘My ride looks a bit tired, though. Perhaps a small bite would pump up the adrenaline.' He bared his teeth.

‘Bite me and die,' said Alex, pulling his hand out of reach. ‘Or maybe I'll pull your ears off and feed them to the crocs.'

‘Finally, fighting talk. Crocodile row, here we come. Although, thinking about it, I'll wait up here. No need for us both to go.' Skoodle started to climb out of Alex's pocket.

‘I'm not doing this alone,' said Alex, pushing him back in. ‘Anyway, another couple of meetings and you may get to like the scaly ones.'

‘Not fantastically likely, but I'll consider it on the way down to my next near-death experience.'

‘I'll stay here. Guard Zorrin,' said Keeko, loping closer to Zorrin's stool and sitting cross-legged on the floor.

‘Fine by us.' Alex set off with his hand loosely over his pocket, trapping Skoodle.

‘That translates into shotgun the cushy job,' muttered Skoodle under his breath as they reached the first step.

‘It's uncool to be harsh.'

‘Not for a rodent.'

Footsteps echoing against the stone walls in an eerie drumbeat Alex retraced his steps downstairs, hoping that the crocodiles would still be asleep.

‘From saviour to errand boy,' said Skoodle, resting his chin on Alex's pocket edge. ‘Next Zorrin'll want tea: one sugar; white; two biscuits.'

‘Don't even go there,' replied Alex. ‘He might have had a tougher time than us.' For a second he reflected. So far today they'd endured the death of Tariq, nearly been eaten alive and almost died fighting a powerful wizard. He added, ‘Probably.'

The room downstairs was as they had left it. Ikara remained loosely coiled around the unconscious wizard. As Alex rummaged in Karlan's clothes Skoodle explained what had happened upstairs – giving a graphic description of how heroic he had been in spurring Alex into action, risking death or body-maiming.

Alex snorted. ‘Zip the lip or I'll throw you to Ikara for lunch.'

‘Wouldn't eat him now that I've got used to him. I'm a carnivore, not a friendivore.'

As Alex grabbed the powder bag Karlan stirred, his eyelids fluttering half open. Ikara tightened her body. With a grunt, as air was forced out of him, the wizard lapsed back into unconsciousness.

‘Practical demonstration of how to tame a wizard. Hurry up,' said Ikara. ‘Being down here with this wizard is seriously unpleasant.'

‘So is killing snakes, playing dodge with crocodiles and belting around rescuing wizards,' said Skoodle.

Ikara sighed. ‘Accepted. Just go.'

They arrived upstairs to find Zorrin squealing and grunting at Keeko, the only recognisable sound being ‘Gelforth'. Alex raised his eyebrows questioningly at Keeko. Zorrin didn't look mad, but you could never really be sure. Not with wizards.

‘Simian tongue,' Zorrin said. Then, as Alex looked blank, he added, ‘Monkey language.'

‘Fairly sane explanation. I had assumed that you were one toad's gizzard short of a potion,' said Skoodle. ‘How many languages do you speak?'

‘About thirty.'

‘How about Hamster?'

‘Unfortunately not. But willing to learn. Got the powder?'

Alex held the pouch up.

‘Fantastic. The pattern you need to trace with it is extremely precise. If the lines are not perfect the spell won't break.'

Following instructions, Alex began to sprinkle dust on the floor, starting at the door. As it touched down, the powder changed from sparkling red to bright yellow.

‘Get it right,' sighed Skoodle as Alex redid a crescent for the third time. ‘Lucky there's bags of it. Or bag of it, I mean.'

Alex scraped some bright yellow powder into a line. ‘I don't see you doing any of the crawling around.'

‘Not hero material, me. You do the rescuing. I'll advise, map read, eat, organise – that sort of thing.'

‘The easy bits?'

‘No, the intellectual stuff,' replied Skoodle. ‘I'm not built for the physical business. You're the athletic one. I'm the brains. Life fact.'

Too tired to argue, Alex finished tracing a thin line circling Zorrin's chair then extended it around the panther.

‘Now a few grains on to my feet,' instructed Zorrin.

As soon as the first few atoms of powder touched Zorrin the whole line roared into flame. Gigantic red tongues of fire exploded up to the ceiling. Wizard and panther were engulfed in an inferno.

‘Beat it out,' yelled Skoodle. ‘Use your shirt.'

Alex dumped Skoodle on the floor and started tugging at his shirt.

Zorrin called out, ‘Ignore the fire. Get back.'

Halting, Alex stepped away. The wizard sat calmly in the centre of the intense blaze. Myth slept on. Neither made any attempt to save themselves.

After a few seconds the flames extinguished, leaving the room filled with dense red smoke. The black panther yawned and rose, trotting over to sit at Zorrin's feet.

Zorrin scratched the cat behind his ears. ‘Good to see you awake, Myth.'

‘And you,' came a deep and resonant voice. Myth stretched his front legs out and settled down to lie at Zorrin's feet.

‘What happened?' asked Skoodle.

‘The Chi Llang spell combusted. Spectacular, but – as you see – the victims remain unharmed. Quick, stand back.'

There was a loud crack. Gale-force wind whipped up from the floor below Zorrin, slamming Alex, Keeko and Skoodle against the wall. Alex forced his eyes to stay open despite the stinging wind, determined to see what was happening. Zorrin's hair swirled wildly above his head as if he were standing in a tornado. Myth's fur, tail and ears were blowing straight up.

The roof yawned open. Through the chasm Alex could see swirling blue and gold mist. The thick red smoke whirled up through the gap. With a crash, the fissure in the ceiling closed.

As the wind died, Skoodle slid towards the floor. Keeko caught him inches above the hard tiles.

‘That was a blast,' said Skoodle.

‘Totally,' replied a field mouse from nearby. It staggered across the room to hide near the fireplace. A whole family of cockroaches had been peppered against the walls: dead on contact, they were now like black ink blots.

Brushing the last traces of smoking yellow powder from his robes, Zorrin stretched stiffly. ‘Tell me, why have you come?'

Alex told him about his parents' email, then Keeko related the story of Virida and the sapphire. Meanwhile Skoodle was muttering to himself at the speed of machine gun fire. Alex caught the words ‘Uncle Toomba', ‘disaster' and ‘hurricane'.

Zorrin shook his head as he stood up. ‘There'll be bad times up ahead: possibly wholesale death and destruction. Heroes will emerge: undoubtedly we'll need them. But for the moment we must deal with Karlan. Let's go down to Ikara.'

Alex handed the brown pouch to Zorrin. ‘What are you going to do with him?'

Zorrin's face became serious. ‘He must be permanently imprisoned. Undoubtedly he'd have killed me if he could.'

In silence they followed Zorrin and Myth down the stairs. Wizard and panther stepped over a sleeping crocodile as if it were a low scaly wall. Zorrin opened the oak door and froze. Before them Ikara lay motionless, loosely coiled on the rug. The wizard had gone.

‘See to Ikara,' Zorrin shouted. Sprinting across the room, he wrenched aside the heavy curtains and flung the sofa aside. ‘No one's here. It's not a trap.'

Alex dropped to his knees beside Ikara. Her eyes were staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Keeko covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

‘Is she dead?' Alex asked as Zorrin knelt beside him. Skoodle scrambled down to sit hunched next to the still head.

Zorrin ran his hand over the green and gold scales. ‘No. She's deeply unconscious, but alive.' He jerked the brown leather pouch out of his pocket and sprinkled a line of Chi Llang powder down Ikara's back.

Flames ignited, travelling down her full length, vanishing in an instant. As the smoke cleared, a faint rhythmical movement started in her upper body.

‘She's breathing,' Alex shouted.

Keeko stopped sobbing and flung her arms around the glistening green neck.

A befuddled voice floated up from the floor. ‘I'm very, very sorry.'

‘What happened?' Keeko asked, stroking her scales.

‘I ate something from the table. After you left. So hungry. Must have been enchanted. Probably why he wanted us to eat. Such a stupid snake.'

Pearly white tears fell from her eyes. Sobs sent waves down her body, like ripples down a whip.

‘Not really. You couldn't have known,' said Zorrin. ‘Not all food offered by wizards is enchanted.' He rose. ‘Karlan will be far away by now but we'd better leave for my home, Ravenscraig, immediately. He or one of the others may return.'

He turned towards the door and snapped his fingers, the sound reverberating unnaturally loudly like a small thunderclap in the still air. The crocodiles woke and started lumbering forward.

‘Slam the door,' Keeko screamed at Alex.

‘Please don't,' said Zorrin. ‘I need them.'

As he spoke three crocodiles trundled in, all aggression gone. Zorrin held up his hand. They halted, heavy heads swaying from side to side, teeth sheathed.

Zorrin looked at them as if he were a conjuror with a newly de-hatted rabbit. ‘The crocodiles will get us home.'

‘Blast,' said Skoodle. ‘How about a horse or two instead?'

‘These will be quicker.'

Zorrin held his hand over the head of the closest crocodile and murmured,
‘Argentaro volam.'

The tip of the crocodile's nose turned metallic grey. The wave of colour travelled down his body until an entirely silver reptile shimmered at Zorrin's feet.

‘Like it?' he asked Ikara, who was wiping snake snot on to the corner of the tablecloth.

‘Impressive.' She dropped the glistening cloth. ‘But is it useful?'

Zorrin nodded, then repeated the spell with the other two crocodiles. ‘Next… something to ride in.' Holding his hand over the middle of a crocodile he said,
‘Galeni contrapsione.'

A mist rose from the centre of each of the three beasts' backs, gradually forming into padded armchairs balanced on small wooden platforms, covered by glass domes.

Zorrin looked at Alex. ‘Want your chair a little bigger?'

‘No, thanks. It's great as it is,' said Alex, so stunned at the transformation that he would have absent-mindedly refused anything, even chocolate.

‘Ever travelled by crocodile before?' Zorrin asked.

‘Never,' Alex replied. ‘Should be pretty cool.'

‘It's a little bumpy when we're on the land, but fabulous in the air.'

‘Sorry. I must have misheard,' said Skoodle. ‘I could've sworn you said “The air.”'

‘I did.'

‘Wouldn't a crocodile fly like a rock?' Alex asked.

‘Good theory. Wickedly inaccurate.'

‘This must be a Cinderella-pumpkin sort of spell,' said Skoodle. ‘Although enchanted coaches generally don't have teeth, if I remember the story correctly.'

Alex threw a glance of regret at his wedged hunting knife. ‘Any chance you could release that for me, Zorrin?'