Warblegrub and the Forbidden Planet (20 page)

He was wondering desperately where the end of the road was when, with startling suddenness, the drizzle ceased and the fog lifted. Blinded by sunlight, he stopped in his tracks. When he shaded his eyes, he saw, not the ruined city but an enormous black lake in the middle of which was a huge domed building. Made of dark stone, it was covered in intricate pale carvings of weird ape-like creatures with more than the usual number of heads and limbs, and was a complete contrast to the surrounding dereliction.

Unaware that the crows watching him from the roofs and balconies had fallen silent, he started across the causeway, and though the lake was filled with a foul-smelling, oily black liquid, he was drawn by the faint green light emanating from the entrance.