Wychetts and the Key to Magic

Chapter 21- Just a Matter of Time

  Edwin shivered. It was cold and dark, and it was getting colder and darker with every step he took. But actually taking steps wasn’t easy...

  His mouse senses were hardly any use at all down here. Here the darkness seemed impenetrable, and he could only see one pace ahead of him. The ground was steep and strewn with jagged, slime-coated rocks. He’d slipped a few times, and his left knee was cut and bleeding.

  And there was that smell, too. He’d first detected it a while back, but it was stronger down here, a gassy aroma that reminded him of compost heaps and… what was it? Cabbage? Vinegar? Bill’s aftershave?

  Fish, that was it. Compost heaps and fish. Not a pleasant combination, although mildly more appealing than Bill’s aftershave.

  He heard more rumbling, and felt the walls and ground shudder. The tremors were more frequent now, and Edwin knew that if he didn’t get out of these tunnels soon, he could be buried alive. So he pressed on, stumbling and fumbling his way through the slimy passage. He must be close to the Pit now, and nothing was going to stop him finding the Key.

  Suddenly Edwin heard a noise from behind him: a deep, rasping hiss that made him shudder.

  Edwin froze, and turned round slowly to peer into the shadows. “Hello?” he called. “Is anyone there?”

  There was no reply. Despite the coldness of the air, sweat trickled down Edwin’s forehead and into his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear the stinging liquid, and through his blurred vision he saw something flashing in the darkness.

  Lights. Two red lights.

  Edwin gasped, and his breath swirled from his gaping lips in wispy clouds of steam. He’d seen those lights before, when he’d been separated from Stubby and Moll.

  Edwin blinked again, and the lights sharpened into focus. No, he realised, they weren’t lights. They were eyes. Two red, beady eyes.

  Edwin stared at the eyes, all but hypnotised by their smouldering glow. And then he heard that deep, rasping hiss again.

  Jolted from his trance, Edwin turned to run; but his right foot slipped on a slimy rock, and he fell to land flat on his face. He tried to get up, but a clawed hand gripped his shoulder.

  Edwin tried to wriggle free from the monster’s grasp, but the claws dug deeper. And then there was another sound: not a sinister hiss, but a voice. A soft, feminine voice.

  “Edwin, it’s me.”

  For a moment Edwin thought it was his mother. He turned his head, and saw a face staring back at him.

  It wasn’t the face of his mother. It wasn’t even human.

  Edwin screamed.

  “It’s all right,” said the voice. “It’s only me. Moll.”

  Edwin’s scream softened to a relieved whimper as he recognised the mouse face smiling at him. “Moll, I thought you were lost.”

  “I was,” said Moll. “And so are you, by the looks of it. How did you get down here? And why were you running like that?”

  Edwin gazed back at Moll, and then remembered the red eyes.

  “There’s something down here,” he blurted, scrambling to his feet. “I think it’s some kind of monster.”

  “There’s no monster.” Moll’s voice was calm. “That’s just a silly story.”

  “But I saw it,” said Edwin, peering anxiously up the tunnel. “It had bright red eyes, and it hissed at me.”

  “We are deep underground,” said Moll. “It’s dark, and maybe your eyes played a trick on you. And gas seeps through the rocks and makes that hissing noise all the time. Can’t you smell it?”

  Edwin sniffed, and smelled that foul stink of compost heaps and fish. So that’s what it was: gas.

  Moll patted Edwin’s shoulder. “So tell me how you found your way down to the lower levels. And what happened to Stubby?”

  “He’s safe,” said Edwin, wiping his slimy hands on his waiter’s jacket. “But there was a rockfall, and he’s stuck back up the main drainage tunnel, along with Bryony, the rats and spiders.”

  “Then you will reach the Key first.” Moll nodded. “I’m glad. Now let’s get going. The Pit is just at the end of this tunnel.”

  Moll moved off down the tunnel. Edwin followed, thoughts of victory lightening his spirits. “Thanks so much for your help, Moll. I would never have got this far if it wasn’t for you. When we find the Key, the first thing I’m going to do with the magic is set you free.”

  “That’s nice,” said Moll. “But shouldn’t helping Bryony and her father be your priority?”

  “I’ll get round to helping them,” said Edwin. “But maybe I’ll let Bryony stew a while. Like a dumpling. Yeah, maybe I’ll turn her into a big fat dumpling.”

  “This isn’t a game.” Moll’s voice took on a stern edge. “You shouldn’t waste magic on things like that.”

  “It’s not a problem,” said Edwin. “Turning Bryony into a dumpling wouldn’t actually need much magic.”

  Moll shook her head. “Being a Guardian is a serious matter.”

  “I know that.” Edwin bristled slightly. “I just want to give Bryony a taste of her own medicine. Teach her to take the magic seriously.” He grinned at the prospect of putting one over Bryony. Then another thought struck him. “So what happened to you? Stubby thought you were a goner.”

  “I was ambushed by spiders,” revealed Moll, indicating that Edwin should keep his head down as they came to a low section of tunnel. “I managed to escape them, but…” Moll went quiet and then fell against the wall, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Edwin, laying a hand on Moll’s shoulder.

  “I’m just tired,” said Moll, after getting her breath back. “But don’t worry about me. We’ve made it. Look.”

  Edwin looked, and saw a dim light filtering up the tunnel. Lured by the glow, and forgetting about Moll’s discomfort, he scrambled his way down the tunnel. He slipped again, and went tumbling head first out of the tunnel to land on his back in a vast, circular area.

  The Pit. He’d made it!

  Edwin sat up, and gazed around in awe. After spending so much time in cramped and dingy tunnels, he felt dwarfed by the size of the Pit. High above he could see a disc of blue sky, from which rays of sunlight reached down to glint on something lying in the centre of the Pit. Something metal…

  At first, Edwin couldn’t be certain. It seemed way too big, about the length of a bus. And then he remembered that he’d been shrunk, whilst it had remained normal size.

  “The Key!” Edwin pointed, his voice shrill with euphoria. “Moll, we’ve found it!”

  The response was a soft groan, and Edwin turned to see Moll lying on the ground. Her eyes were clenched shut, and she was moaning softly.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked again, kneeling by Moll’s side. “Are you injured?” Edwin was no medical expert, but he was sure this looked more serious than a touch of fatigue.

  It seemed to take an enormous effort for Moll to reply. “The spiders. They bit me.”

  “I can help you,” said Edwin.

  “There’s no cure, ” croaked Moll. “The spider’s venom is fatal. It’s just a matter of time.”

  Edwin shook his head. “But I have the Key now.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” said a voice that wasn’t Moll’s.

  Edwin’s ginger head jerked round, and he saw something blocking his path to the Key. It was an animal with a long, reddish-brown body. He could only see one eye; one eye that stared at him with a look of dark triumph.

  “You thought you’d won,” said the creature, smiling to reveal his needle sharp teeth. “But you reckoned without Slinker!”