The Society of Dread (11 page)

‘When my work is done,’ Dr Pyre said, ‘the crelp can have these tunnels to live in forever. I, for one, will be finished with this world.’

The crelp gave a satisfied hiss and seethed
around the foot of the door. Suddenly the faceless man looked across the tunnel towards Theo and Chloe.

‘Come, my Fool,’ he said, ‘and your friend. Fate has brought you to me.’

‘What – what do you want us to do?’ Theo asked nervously.

‘I want you to come with me, to a place where few mortal men have ever set foot. You will serve me . . . as my canaries.’

Bewildered and afraid, Theo stepped into the dark.

T
he stairway down towards the Crypt was narrow, slippery and so dark Theo had to feel his way along the damp walls.

‘Why are we leading the way?’ Theo asked. ‘We don’t know where we’re going!’

‘Good question,’ muttered Chloe darkly.

At least the air is clean here,
Theo thought. He took a deep breath, but it was damp and chilled his heart.

Behind them the slurping of crelp guards and the heavy tread of Dr Pyre were magnified by the stone tunnels. With the far-off dripping of pools and the occasional shifting and settling of rocks, the cavern sounded full of restless, unhappy life.

‘Why does he want us as canaries?’ Theo asked Chloe. ‘Does he expect us to sing?’

‘Not exactly . . .’ Chloe started to reply.

‘You obviously know nothing of the mining industry.’ Dr Pyre’s voice echoed eerily down the passage, as if he were speaking from everywhere at once. ‘Miners take caged canaries with them as they work beneath the ground. If poisonous gases lurk nearby, the little birds will reveal that by dying first.’

‘Is there poison gas down here?’ Theo asked in alarm.

‘No,’ Dr Pyre answered, his words echoing all around. ‘But there are evil spirits – malign powers – which can prove just as deadly.’

Now Theo and Chloe emerged on to a metal platform built into the rock. The cave suddenly opened into a cathedral-like vault of extravagant limestone shapes.

‘Beautiful,’ Theo said quietly.

Dr Pyre stood beside him.

‘I chose you well, Fool,’ he muttered. ‘One of the most dangerous places on earth, and you admire its beauty.’

‘Why is it dangerous?’ Theo asked.

‘You are in the Crypt,’ the faceless man growled. ‘This is the secret that has given birth to all the other secrets.’

‘What – what do you mean?’

‘There is a crack in the world,’ Dr Pyre continued. ‘A crack beneath London. It is a way through to another realm – an underworld of creatures that do not belong in our age.’

Chloe was still standing as if frozen. Theo reached out a hand to grab her arm. She paid no attention.

‘This is where they all come through,’ the faceless man croaked. ‘The smoglodytes, the garghouls and worse. That is why I need my canaries.’

‘Oh, I see!’

Chloe’s voice suddenly rang out around the cavern. It was filled with an unexpected delight. Theo looked on in surprise as she turned to face him. By the eerie glow of Dr Pyre’s smouldering form, he saw her eyes were bright and she was smiling.

‘Thank goodness!’ Chloe cried.

‘Are – are you all right?’ Theo asked.

‘All right?’ Chloe laughed. ‘I’ve never been better.’

There is something fixed about her smile – like the grin on a portrait, or a waxwork,
thought Theo. He felt puzzled at first, but soon the happy feeling seemed to spread over him too.

Chloe took Theo by the arm and led him forwards.

‘It’s OK, Theo. I understand now,’ she said. ‘I thought this was a dangerous place. But now I’m here I can sense only . . . kindness.’

‘Kindness?’ Theo sighed with relief.

Dr Pyre loomed behind them. ‘Kindness,’ he muttered. ‘Ah yes, of course.’

Theo grinned back at Dr Pyre. Now he, too, was full of the happiness that Chloe felt.

‘You were wrong, sir!’ he said, grinning up at the faceless man. ‘There might have been monsters down here once, but now I can sense . . . friends!’

Theo span around with a gleeful abandon he had never felt before. Now it was all clear to him. Coming to this crypt had been his destiny. His
whole life had been leading up to this moment. Now he would be truly happy.

His eyes scanned the forest of stalagmites all around for signs of life. Suddenly he expected to see happy smoglodytes, kind garghouls, playful phantoms in the shadows.

‘They’re hiding,’ he laughed. ‘Shall we go and find them? Shall we make friends?’

‘Ooh, yes,’ Chloe cried back, breaking into a skipping run. For a moment it struck Theo as odd – he had never seen Chloe skip before. But the misgiving soon vanished. It was going to be wonderful to meet his new friends. He could sense them waiting for him just ahead.

They tripped eagerly down the stairway, towards the welcoming darkness below.

‘No!’

Dr Pyre’s roar seemed to shake the cavern. With a swift gesture he blocked the path ahead with a wall of flame. Dr Pyre grabbed each of them with a biting, claw-like hand on the shoulder.

‘Stay,’ he growled.

Theo blinked in the sudden glare. ‘Why did you do that?’ he cried. Dr Pyre peered silently beyond the crackling wall of flame.

‘There is no happiness here,’ the man whispered at last. ‘Step slowly forwards.’

Dr Pyre waved a hand and the wall of flames disappeared. He held up his other hand like a glowing torch. Just ahead, where Theo and Chloe had been about to run, was a concealed pit. With a gesture, Dr Pyre illuminated its depths. Deadly pointed stalagmites could be glimpsed far below.

All the happy feeling drained out of Theo. He sank to his knees. Chloe gave a short cry and slumped next to him.

‘Ah, my canaries,’ growled Dr Pyre finally. ‘You have served your purpose well.’

In his faint, red glow, Theo and Chloe clutched each other. Theo peered anxiously into Chloe’s eyes to check that his friend had come back to her usual self. She gave him a slight nod.

‘The attack comes differently every time,’ Dr Pyre said. ‘From the evil powers that lurk down
here. Sometimes through illusion, sometimes through fear, the dark forces seek to catch mortals unaware. This time, through the realm of hopes and desires they have come, invading your hearts and stealing away your minds!’ He surveyed Theo and Chloe with his deep, liquid eyes.

‘If I had not brought two weaker minds with me, as an early warning, then I may well have been deceived. I could have stepped into the trap.’

With his fiery hand he revealed a way around the pit. He pushed past Theo and Chloe, leaving them to struggle after him.

‘The attack has failed,’ Dr Pyre said. ‘We may proceed. From now on, I shall lead the way.’

Theo stumbled on. He felt a great emptiness inside. But his mind was his own again. Chloe patted him on the arm and gave him an abashed smile.

‘Forces of darkness,’ she said. ‘They get you every time.’

Theo smiled, then felt the crelp tug at his ankles with those familiar thorny tendrils.

* * *

Dr Pyre led them into the heart of the Crypt, down a ringing iron stairway bolted into the rock. Far below, tiny lights were winking through a ghostly mist.

As they descended further, Theo could make out the shape of an enormous gateway rising from the cavern floor below. It was like a great prison wall stretching across the centre of the cave, barbed with spikes and glittering with warning lights.

‘This is it, my dear Fool,’ Dr Pyre said. ‘The secret at the heart of the crypt.’

Dr Pyre peered through the mists and cast one or two flares down into the gloom, but they revealed nothing.

‘This is where the crack in the world is hidden, known to a select few as the Chasm. This is where it all comes from – the nightmares, the shadows, the things we do not understand. Like the crelp,’ he added significantly. ‘In ancient times, the alchemists built this great gateway to hold back the horrors. Some have the gift of opening it.’

‘But now it is closed,’ the crelp hissed. ‘Something is wrong – our kind come – coming through no more!’

‘Indeed,’ Dr Pyre said. ‘Something has barred the way, and that must be rectified. We will descend. My canaries will remain here.’

Theo and Chloe were left on the last iron platform before the descent to the great gate. One thorny, immense old crelp was left to guard them. It sat a long way up the steps above them, silent, almost as if sleeping.

Dr Pyre disappeared down the stairs, into the mists, followed by the other crelp. Chloe nudged Theo.

‘Time we were going,’ she whispered.

Theo wondered if he could defeat that hideous, sprawling crelp. He began to summon his power.

‘Well?’ Chloe urged.

‘Yes,’ came a clear, soft voice.

In a blur of motion a black shape dropped from the ceiling, and drove a broken stalactite clear through the centre of the crelp guard. The creature
stiffened, thrashed its tendrils wildly, then became still. Theo looked on, wide-eyed.

Tristus had came to their rescue.

As Theo gazed in delight and relief, the garghoul fell to one knee, then collapsed face down on the floor.

‘T
ristus!’

The garghoul began to rise up from the floor of the platform. Theo could see that the creature’s stony skin was scored and scratched with terrible marks. One of his claws was broken and one of his wings was horribly ripped, flapping at an awkward angle. A chip had splintered away from one of his horns.

The garghoul’s eyes burnt a pale blue. ‘You must flee,’ Tristus said. ‘I tried to keep you away from this peril, but it seems destiny is stronger than the will of an asraghoul.’

‘What happened?’

‘I followed the crelp – I found your friend and tried to keep her from harm.’ He nodded politely towards Chloe, who gave a slight bow in return.

‘I tracked their evil to here – the gateway. They
were pouring out of this place. There was a battle – I managed to kill all of the ones in this crypt, then close the doorway with an ancient asraghoul word of command.’

At that moment, wild screeching sounds echoed up from the mists below. It seemed the crelp had discovered their fallen comrades.

‘I . . . I was too injured, too weak to leave this place,’ Tristus said, slowly clambering up on to two feet. ‘I was forced to enter my stone dream to recover my strength. But now that you have arrived down here, it seems my work is not done.’

‘You have to get away with us,’ Theo said. ‘You’re too hurt to – to take on Dr Pyre.’

At the mention of this name, Tristus looked grim.

‘There are things here that you do not understand, Theo,’ he said. ‘Now leave quickly.’

With a grimace, the garghoul rose into the air awkwardly, with one broken wing.

‘Tristus!’ Theo cried. ‘Don’t –’

‘I’m telling you to go. Now!’ Tristus snapped. Then he swooped away below.

‘Tristus!’

Theo ran to the edge of the platform and looked down towards the gateway. The mists had cleared a little. Everywhere, crelp were flitting in rage and distress, thrashing their tentacles around.

‘Slaughter! Slaughter!’ they whined among the bodies of their kind.

Dr Pyre was approaching the gateway. Despite his evident injuries, Tristus made an elegant landing, coming to earth between the faceless man and the gate.

Theo strained his eyes and ears to witness the encounter.

‘Come on,’ Chloe said. But neither of them moved, transfixed by the scene far below. Tristus folded his arms and addressed Dr Pyre in his clear, beautiful voice.

‘I know the Aftertime is a disaster,’ Tristus said calmly. ‘But is this really all there is left . . . madness?’

Dr Pyre roared. ‘You!’

‘Kill it, kill it!’ screeched the crelp.

‘No!’ Dr Pyre said, unleashing a ring of fire to keep the maddened crelp at bay. Theo watched, spellbound. He knew that garghouls did not choose to speak to many humans. Tristus and Dr Pyre must have been enemies from way back. Perhaps garghouls communicated with those they fought in battle, as well as with their close allies.

A terrible silence followed, as the two extraordinary beings faced each other. Finally the garghoul broke the silence.

‘You’re dying,’ Tristus said. ‘I can help you.’

For a moment, neither one moved or spoke. Then, with one swift motion, Dr Pyre reached out and planted his glowing hand between the garghoul’s curved horns.

Fwoom!

Tristus reeled backwards, smoke pluming from his head, lost in a shower of flaming stars. One word from Dr Pyre rang out across the cavern.

‘Traitor!’

The crelp slithered and bubbled around the
fallen garghoul in a wild frenzy. Tristus began to struggle to his feet.

‘Secure him!’ Dr Pyre cried.

Theo tried to see what was going on, but the vapours now obscured his view. For now, Dr Pyre and his slaves had no thought for their previous captives. Chloe tugged at Theo’s arm.

‘Come on! Tristus has given us our chance!’

Theo gave Chloe an imploring look. ‘I – I can’t!’ he blurted out. ‘I can’t just leave him!’

‘He told us to go!’ Chloe grabbed Theo’s arm and managed to push him back towards the steps.

‘Listen,’ she cried. ‘A garghoul can’t be killed!
We
can! Come on – we have to take this chance – it’s what your friend wants!’

Theo began to back away, but his eyes were fixed on the mists below, where the struggle still went on.

Why
traitor
?

‘There’s nothing you can do!’ Chloe shouted. ‘We have to get away – and warn the world. But we’ll be back – I promise!’

She raced up the stairway. With tears in his eyes, Theo followed her.

The proud garghoul lay stretched out before the gateway, eyes closed, his stony body smoking. The tentacles of the crelp wove around him in an almost solid mass, until he had no hope of struggling free.

‘Take him to the Furnace, to be caged,’ Dr Pyre said. He turned around to watch, as the crelp lifted their burden.

‘Wait!’