Quickly, they reached the edge of the wood. Rick stepped out into the greater brightness of the Scarlet Plain to find Favian hovering there, waiting for him. Rick looked to his left, over the undulating red distance. He saw the black towers of Kurodar’s fortress rising into the saffron sky. He saw the black shapes circling in the air above it.
“What are those flying things?” he asked.
“The creatures of the air,” said Favian in his strangely echoic voice. “The guardians of the fortress.”
“Like the spider-snake was the guardian of the plain?” Rick asked.
“Worse,” said Favian. “Much worse than the spider-snake. Much more powerful. Whatever happens, we can’t let them see us. I can outrun them, but you can’t. And if they catch you, you won’t survive.”
Rick took a deep breath, feeling the churn of fear beginning in his stomach. But before he could say anything else, Favian darted off in a sparkling streak. He was heading in the opposite direction, though—heading away from the fortress, back toward the hill on which Rick had first entered the Realm.
“Hey,” Rick shouted after him. “Shouldn’t we be going the other way . . . ?”
But Favian was already too far ahead to hear him. Rick jogged after him over the bright red earth.
He found Favian waiting for him again at the place where the spider-snake had torn its long crevasse into the ground. Panting, Rick pulled up at the edge of the chasm.
“This is what I thought. We can use the spider-snake’s tunnels,” said Favian. He seemed proud to have come up with the idea. “The way I figure it: they must have created the spider-snake in the fortress—that’s where all the energy is going. So the spider-snake would have had to dig its way here. That means the tunnel should take us right up to the fortress. See? That way we can approach from underground and the creatures of the air won’t see us.”
Rick eyed the dark pit below him. “Well, that’s—that’s very logical,” he said doubtfully. “And you’re sure there’re no mommy spider-snakes down there, right? No little baby spider-snakes or anything like that?”
To Rick’s dismay, Favian’s mouth fell open. “Well, I . . . I never thought of that.”
“You never thought of that?” said Rick.
“No, I mean . . . I’ve never seen any other spider-snakes . . .”
This was not encouraging. “Oh man,” he said. “I thought you’d know these things.”
“You did?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, you’re my trusty guide here, right? And with all your sparkling and flashing around and everything, I figured you had, like, super spiritual powers or something. I was hoping you were, like, all-knowing. Or at least a-lot-knowing.”
Favian frowned. “Well . . . I guess I’m somewhat-knowing . . . ,” he offered.
“Somewhat-knowing,” Rick muttered. “Great.”
He glanced up and off across the plain again toward the fortress in the distance. Those air creatures circling around looked small from here, but close-up they had to be monsters. He looked back at the pit again.
“Well, it’s the best idea we’ve got, I guess,” he said.
Favian swallowed hard. “I guess,” he said. He looked as worried as Rick felt.
Rick gathered his courage. “Let’s do it, then,” he said. “Time’s wasting.”
And he lowered himself to the earth and began to climb over the side of the trench.
He hung from the ledge a moment, then dropped. As he hit bottom, he was startled to find Favian already waiting for him there.
“Man!” he said. “You gotta stop jumping out at me like that.”
“Sorry,” said Favian. “That’s just what I’m like.”
And, as if to prove it, he flashed along the ditch until he came to rest about fifty yards away.
Rick jogged after him—and his heart sank as he caught up and saw where Favian was standing. There was a hole in the earth wall of the trench, an entrance into an underground tunnel. The entrance was draped with hanging strands of spiderweb. Beyond that, there was only blackness. It was pretty much the last place Rick wanted to go.
“Maybe we should flip a coin or something to see who goes in there first,” said Rick.
“No,” said Favian at once. “You better.”
“Me? Oh, hey, thanks.”
“I’m just not very brave, that’s all,” said the sparkling sprite with a little frown.
“Now you tell me,” said Rick. “All right. Well, here goes.”
He bowed his head and ducked into the tunnel.
Utter blackness wrapped itself around him like an enormous fist. The rough, stinging web grabbed at him, clung to him. An awful feeling. It seemed the strands of it went on clinging to his cheeks no matter how hard he swiped at his face to get rid of them. And the smell . . . He had forgotten about the spider-snake’s smell! It had nearly smothered him when the beast hauled him up on its web toward its mouth. The creature’s horrible stink still pervaded the darkness of the tunnel air.
He heard a short choking noise and turned to see that Favian had come in behind him. His shifting, sparkling, semitransparent features were wrinkled with disgust.
“Oh, that so stinks!” he said.
“Guess you didn’t think of that either,” said Rick.
“I may throw up.”
Rick wondered if Favian’s throw-up would sparkle, too. Whatever. The guy was not turning out to be the helpful spirit guide he’d hoped for.
“I don’t know how we’re ever going to see our way through here,” Rick said, peering into the tunnel’s blackness.
Favian brightened at that. “Oh, wait: Watch this!” he said, excited. He lifted his hand. The twinkling palm emitted a soft purple glow that dimly lit the earthen walls around them.
“I recharged from the portal point while you were gone,” he said. “If we don’t overuse it, I should have just enough energy to light our way there.”
Rick nodded. He was about to ask: Won’t that drain you? Won’t that make you die more quickly? But he understood that, despite his fears, this strange little fellow was very eager to help him. And their time really was short. So all he said was: “Let’s go.”
The two started into the tunnel. Favian kept his hand upraised and the purple light from his palm picked a few feet of winding earthen corridor out of the darkness. They moved slowly, trying to duck beneath the hanging strands of web and spider goo, forced sometimes to stop and drag the horrible stuff off their necks and faces.
They moved on, crouching low. Rick’s hand automatically went to the hilt of his sword as he edged forward, squinting through the faltering light. Once or twice, he heard—or thought he heard—soft scrabbling noises just ahead of them, as if small creatures were running for cover as the two of them approached. He hoped they were running for cover, anyway. He hoped they weren’t gathering for an attack!
On and on the darkness went, a long way. The smell was thick as smoke, but Rick found if he kept breathing through his mouth, he could tolerate it—just barely. It occurred to him that Favian was no longer flashing ahead of him as he had before. Instead, the spirit moved slowly by his side, gliding over the surface of the dirt by inches, his twinkling shoulder always near Rick’s own. Rick cast a quick glance Favian’s way. He understood. He could see by the look on his face that the sprite was absolutely terrified.
The thought made him grip his sword more tightly. That made him feel better, as if Mariel’s strength were f lowing into him.
“We’ll be all right,” he told Favian, trying to sound encouraging.
“The thing is,” Favian said, his echoing voice trembling a little, “it just occurred to me: Lighting our way like this uses up my power. I’m getting weaker. If the creatures of the air attack, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get away . . .”
Rick licked his dry lips. He wished Favian would think of these things a little sooner. “Well, we just won’t show ourselves if it’s too dangerous, that’s all. I’m under orders not to tak
e any chances.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” said Favian. “You’re a hero, like Mariel said. But me . . .”
The look on the sprite’s face was so woeful that Rick tried to pump him up a little. “You’re doing great,” he said. “I mean, I’m scared, too, you know.”
“You are?” Favian said, surprised.
“Of course I am. I’d have to be stupid not to be scared. I’m terrified.”
“But you just keep going anyway.”
“Right. That’s the whole trick to it: just keep going anyway.”
Favian nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. “I want to be brave, I really do, but . . . when things happen, it’s like my body just takes over and I run away.”
“You were brave enough with the spider-snake,” said Rick. “You saved my life.”
That actually made Favian brighten a bit. “I did, didn’t I?” He shook his head. “I wish I could remember what I was like . . . you know—before. Before I came here. I was smart, I think. I mean, I think I was really smart . . .”
“I’ll bet that’s right,” said Rick, still trying to keep his friend’s spirits high. “Hey, I never would have thought of using the tunnels like this. So you’re still pretty smart in my book.”
“Sometimes I feel I can almost remember,” said Favian, sounding thoughtful and far away. “Who I was. Where I came from. I can see faces—faraway faces, all out of focus. Eyes and smiles of people . . . people who really cared about me. Liked me. Even loved me. I miss them so much, but . . . But it’s like looking through murky water, you know? I can’t see them clearly. And then . . . then I lose sight of them completely . . . I just can’t remember.”
They traveled on in silence, peering ahead through the soft purple glow from Favian’s hand.
But there was no silence in Rick’s mind. It was buzzing with questions. He wanted to know all about this place. Why was Kurodar building his fortress? What was in the Golden City? And Mariel—who was she? Did she remember any more than Favian about where she came from and what she had done before?
He opened his mouth to ask about her—but before he could say anything, Favian cut him off with a sudden gasp.
The spirit had stopped in his tracks. He stood frozen, staring. Rick followed his gaze and saw . . . well, he wasn’t sure what he saw because he only saw it for a second. For one second, it was caught in the purple glow emanating from Favian’s hand—and all Rick could really see was that it was horrible, more horrible than anything he had ever seen before.
They had come to a juncture. Another arm of the tunnel intersected with the main passage, going off into the darkness to the right. A few yards down that second passage, there was a niche in the earthen wall. And in that niche, there was . . . some sort of nightmare.
It was wrapped up in the dripping white webbing, like a fly waiting to be eaten by a spider. In the single glimpse Rick had of it, he could see that it was like a skeleton—a human skeleton and yet . . . it had eyes! It had eyes and the eyes were staring at Rick in helpless pain and terror as if it were still aware, still feeling, as if it were not a corpse but a living being trapped inside a corpse, trapped in the unbelievable agony of eternal decay. It was as if, Rick thought . . . as if it were dead and yet . . . not dead.
“What on earth is . . . ,” Rick began to say, as disgust rose in his throat.
“Don’t look at it!” Favian cried. “Don’t look! Come this way!”
And he flashed off down the main thoroughfare.
As the purple light from his palm faded, the horrendous vision in the niche vanished into the utter darkness. It was gone before Rick’s brain could fully take in what he had seen.
Rick had no choice. He had to follow Favian or be left behind with that thing in the blackness. He hurried after the flashing spirit, hissing in a forced whisper, “Favian! Favian! Wait! Wait up! I can’t keep up with you if you . . .”
Favian stopped suddenly, forcing Rick to stop before he bumped into him. Favian spun around and faced Rick, so close they were eye-to-eye. “Don’t talk about it!” he said in a harsh whisper. “Don’t even think about it. It’s too awful!”
“But what—”
“Please!”
Rick suddenly understood. “That’s what happens, isn’t it? That’s what happens to you if your energy runs out completely.”
Favian flinched as if Rick had slapped him. “Don’t! Stop!”
But Rick couldn’t stop. He spoke his revelation as it came to him. “Your spirit gets trapped here. That’s what’ll happen to Mariel, too. And to me, too, if Kurodar and his bots get me.”
Favian stared at him, the terror plain on his face. Ever so slightly, he nodded.
Rick and Favian—the human and the sprite—stared at each other in the purple glow with wide, frightened eyes.
“I will get us out of here,” Rick whispered finally. “So help me, Favian. I will get us all out of here, or die trying.”
“No!” Favian said quickly. “You can’t die. You have to stop him: Kurodar. Whatever happens. He’ll turn the whole world into a MindWar. You have to stop him, Rick.”
And he was gone, flashing down the tunnel.
Rick followed reluctantly, afraid of being left behind. He found the spirit around a bend a few yards on. He was leaning wearily against the wall. The light from his hand was growing dim. His energy was clearly depleted. He just managed to gesture with his chin.
“There. There it is,” he said.
Rick followed the gesture and, with an incredible burst of relief, he saw a circle of light in the distance. An opening in the earth. They had come to the end of the spider-snake’s tunnel.
Rick could not wait to get out of this terrible place. Quickly, he checked the time on his palm. His stomach turned over. They’d been down here a long time, even longer than he’d thought. He watched as the lighted numbers ticked from 20:01 to 20:00 to 19:59.
“Oh no,” he said. “It’s really late. We’ll never get back to the portal point.”
“No, no, I thought of that,” said Favian quickly. “There’s one out there.”
Rick let out a loud sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
“It’s just hard to reach, that’s all.”
“How hard?”
Favian didn’t answer. He seemed too tired to answer.
“Well, we better haul it, then,” Rick said.
He strode quickly toward the opening.
Favian called after him weakly. “Rick, wait, be careful . . .”
But Rick didn’t slow down. He was so eager to get out of these tunnels. The darkness here—the stench—and the awful thing he had seen in the darkness—spurred him on even as the light—the beautiful light from the exit—poured over him and the delicious smell of fresh air reached him and drew him forward.
He heard Favian call out weakly behind him again, but he didn’t hesitate. As he stepped beneath the exit, he put his foot directly into the dirt of the tunnel wall and reached up for the opening with both hands.
Grunting, he pulled himself up into the open air. The sweetness of that air—the brightness of the light—what a wild pleasure it was! He drew in a deep, deep breath, climbed to his feet, and looked around him.
He was standing on scarlet ground a few yards from a broad silver moat. Across the moat, Kurodar’s black fortress loomed against the yellow sky. The fortress was enormous, dark and lowering, the crenellated walls running off to the left and the right for a great distance; the intermittent towers soaring into the orange mist above until they were almost out of sight. The great ominous front gate was drawn up and shut tight—and the way to it was blocked, in any case, by the moat, an expanse of silver running full around the fortress walls. The moat was made of the same mercury-like substance as the lake in the forest, but here it caught the darker colors of the walls and towers and so it seemed grimmer than the lake somehow, its shimmering movement more agitated and violent.
As Rick gazed into the silver depths of it, he saw a blac
k reflection move over its surface. He raised his eyes to the sky.
The creatures of the air were circling high above him—so high—miles up, it seemed—he didn’t think they would be able to see him, any more than the passengers in a jet plane could see the people on the earth below.
“Over there.”
Favian was suddenly standing beside him. His face sagging with exhaustion, his shoulders hunched, he just managed to lift his hand to point across the moat.
Rick looked and was immensely reassured to see the floating purple diamond of the portal point on the far side of the water just beneath the fortress walls.
“All right,” he said. “All right, that’s good. I can just swim across, get back to Real Life through that portal, then come back here and try to get inside the fortress.”
Favian shook his head weakly. “Too dangerous to swim. There are guardians of the water, too.”
“Then how do we get to it?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What?”
“I’ve never done it.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“I’m able to draw power from it, from this side of the moat, so I’ve never had to try to actually cross over,” Favian said. When he saw Rick staring at him, he added defensively, “I told you it would be hard.”
“You didn’t tell me it would be impossible!” Rick said. “If I can’t swim—and there’s no time for me to get back to the last portal point—what am I supposed to do?”
“Well . . . Mariel said she would help us when we got here.”
That gave Rick some hope. If Mariel said she’d do something, she’ll do it, he thought. Still, he glanced nervously at the numbers ticking down on his palm. “She better show up fast,” he said. “Where is she?”