Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Alice had got to her feet and was walking towards me.
I drew the Starblade and held it aloft, looking up to meet Lenklewth’s eyes. ‘Get down and fight!’ I challenged him.
He gave the same booming, manic laugh I’d heard in the cellar when he’d beaten on the table with his fists. The vartek straightened its legs, rising up before us, and opened its jaws even wider.
Something hit my shoulder, and I fell sprawling onto my side, somehow managing to keep hold of the Starblade. As I struggled angrily to my feet, I saw that it was Alice who had pushed me.
But then I looked at the place where I’d been standing. The grey sand was bubbling and steaming under a globule of acid: the monster had spat it out so fast that I hadn’t seen it coming.
Once more Alice had saved my life. Now I had to do my bit: it was up to me to finish this mage off quickly and allow her to use her magic to help our army.
The vartek widened its jaws again, but this time Alice raised her hands high above her head. In response, the sand rose up in front of her, blossoming into a great grey cloud. Then she clapped her hands and the vortex of dust whirled towards the vartek.
The creature screamed as the grit flew into its eyes: it jerked backwards and twisted away from us. Lenklewth rocked sideways in his saddle and was almost unseated. Then Alice grabbed me by the arm and dragged me directly towards the vartek. For a moment I thought she was crazy, but she’d been more quick-witted than I.
We ran straight under its body: for the moment this was the safest place to be. The creature couldn’t spit at us if we were beneath it – though I saw that there were other dangers. I looked at the stick-thin legs. They were covered in fine hairs, and at the tip of each was a slimy green bead of moisture.
‘Keep away from its legs!’ I shouted. ‘They’re sticky with poison!’
We kept moving beneath the monster as it scuttled along, staying clear of each long row of legs. But then I realized that the vartek’s body was sinking down. I reached across and pulled Alice down onto her knees in order to protect her.
Lenklewth was clearly controlling the vartek; now he was trying to use its tremendous weight to crush us. As its bulk dropped towards us, I gripped the Starblade with both hands and stabbed upwards, gripping it tightly. I remembered what we’d learned in our last encounter with one of these battle-entities. The upper surface of the creature was covered with hard scales, but the underbelly was soft and vulnerable. The sword slid into its belly up to the hilt.
The vartek let out an unearthly wail and jerked upwards on its trembling legs, its whole body quivering. The sword was almost dragged out of my hands. As the blade came free of its belly, black blood gushed downwards onto the sand, splattering over my breeches.
‘The neck!’ Alice shouted, pointing.
She was right. That would be the vartek’s most vulnerable point: the arteries in the neck would carry blood to its brain. And this was where Lenklewth was seated.
As I got to my feet and ran forward, I saw the three broad brown leather straps holding the mage’s saddle in place. I stretched up onto my toes and whirled my sword overhead in an arc, cutting through them, hoping that Lenklewth might be sent tumbling off.
The straps parted. The tip of the Starblade had also cut into the vartek’s flesh, and I stabbed upwards into the neck again and again. Its screams became frantic, its whole body convulsing.
‘Tom!’ Alice cried out.
Her warning came just in time. One of the long thin tentacles came snaking towards me through the creature’s legs; the sharp bone at its tip suddenly swung up towards my neck. I lunged forward, and the Starblade cut right through it. The stump sprayed black blood as it withdrew between the many legs.
I started to renew my attack on the vartek’s neck, but it had straightened its legs again and was out of reach of my sword. It was still bleeding, but a creature that size must hold a lot of blood. I wondered how long it would take before its strength failed. And what was Lenklewth doing now? I couldn’t see whether he was still seated on the vartek. Even though I’d cut through the brown leather straps, the saddle hadn’t been dislodged.
All at once another tentacle snaked towards me, uncoiling like a whip. I barely had time to bring up my sword, but managed to deflect it. I was forced to parry it for a second time, until finally I was able to sever that one too.
It was then that Alice used her magic again. With the forefinger of her left hand she pointed upwards at its throat. It was as if a long, thin, invisible blade had extended into the flesh of the vartek. As she moved her hand, a gash in the creature’s neck began to widen. The rivulet of blood became a steady stream, and then a torrent which gushed out with each slow pump of the beast’s heart.
She turned and headed back to the creature’s underbelly, where I’d made the other cut, and repeated the action. Now the vartek was haemorrhaging from two places. Black viscous blood was pouring onto the ground beneath it.
Distracted by this, I failed to see the third tentacle uncoiling beneath its body. But this time I wasn’t the target . . . it snaked towards Alice.
Before I could call out a warning, she spotted it and stepped aside. The sharp bone-tip passed within an inch of her eyes. But at that moment the creature scuttled sideways, and before Alice could move away, one of its legs brushed against her arm.
She cried out and flinched, looking down in dismay; her arm was smeared with green poison. She gave a groan of pain and bit her lip. I saw that the skin was already starting to blister.
TOM WARD
I PUSHED MY sword back into its scabbard and, without thinking, scooped up a handful of the grey dust. Then I gripped her hand, extended her arm and let it fall onto the blistering flesh.
I hoped that it would soak up some of the slimy green poison. She was shaking, her eyes wide with pain and fear. I carefully blew off the dust and looked at the damage. Some grains remained stuck to her arm, which was caked with blood, so I carefully wiped it clean with my cloak.
Now I could see the swollen dark blue veins beneath the greenish skin and wondered how much poison had got into her system.
I saw that Alice’s eyes were rolling up into her head, and the fingers of her right hand were scrabbling towards the pocket at the hip of her long green dress. Knowing that this was where she kept her herbs, I reached across to retrieve the pouch – but before I could do so, the beast above us started to collapse.
I sensed its bulk descending ever closer and, gripping Alice’s hand tightly, pulled her along towards its head. The vartek’s lower body was already in spasm, each thump reverberating through the ground. The only way out, avoiding its poisonous legs, was by the head.
But I thought we would never reach safety in time. Alice was whimpering with pain as I dragged her forwards. We could have died there, crushed beneath the gargantuan vartek. For one terrible moment I thought we had no hope of escape.
However, in its death throes, the right row of legs collapsed and the creature twisted onto its side so that the left legs were raised up in the air. I quickly changed direction and passed beneath them, pulling Alice to safety with just seconds to spare; almost immediately it twisted back onto its belly, raising a great cloud of grey dust.
Supporting Alice with one hand, I retrieved the pouch from the pocket of her dress and held it out to her. She fumbled awkwardly with it, so I undid the drawstring, opened the neck and pulled out an assortment of herbs and leaves. I held them out in the palm of my hand – I had no idea which one might be able to help her.
Alice hesitated; then, with a shaking hand, she selected a small piece of leaf. It was pale green with yellow spots and lighter white areas that looked like mould. She put the leaf in her mouth, pushing it under her tongue.
‘Is there anything else here that can help?’ I asked.
I glanced back at the dying vartek. I could hear the cracking of bones and gurgle of liquids. The muscles, now relaxing in death, could no longer
bear the creature’s weight. Its internal organs were being crushed as the vast body settled down on the sand, the legs still twitching.
But where was Lenklewth? I wondered. The saddle was now empty.
I turned back to Alice; she hadn’t replied, so I repeated my question.
She shook her head, so I shoved everything back into the pouch and handed it over. No sooner had she pushed it back into her pocket than her legs buckled beneath her. I only just managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
Alice was unconscious, breathing heavily. I carefully stretched her out on her side so that she wouldn’t swallow her tongue. I saw that she was really struggling for breath now. I was desperate with worry, but there was nothing more that I could do. How virulent was the poison? I wondered if she could use her magic to fight off its effects. Maybe she was too weak now? Maybe she was dying?
A lump came into my throat. We’d been apart for so long and I’d missed her. How cruel it would be if I were to lose her again now!
I sensed a movement behind me and turned to see Lenklewth. At last my enemy had showed himself. He was standing beside the vartek’s huge head.
The mage wore a coat of mail which flared out over his hips, almost brushing the sand; it extended up to encase his neck, but his head was bare.
Why? I wondered. Why would he face me bare-headed when he had been wearing a metal helmet? Had it been dislodged when the vartek collapsed? That combination of body armour and helmet would have made him almost invulnerable.
Then I knew. He had removed it deliberately. Lenklewth wanted me to go for his head. He would be prepared for it. Beneath my cloak I was just wearing my lambskin jacket. I was totally exposed to his blades.
Then the mage spoke to me. ‘Nothing survives that poison,’ he gloated. ‘The little human witch is dying. In moments you will join her!’
His words were designed to prod me into some reckless move. No doubt he assumed that his ruse had succeeded, because I ran at him fast, the Starblade already in my hand. He drew his two sabres from their scabbards, and with a confident smile readied himself to meet my attack.
I stopped short of him, just out of reach of his blades. Then I spun like Grimalkin; I spun as she had once taught me; I whirled the dance of death – first to the right with the clock, then widdershins.
I felt strong and fast – back to my former self. But how long would that last?
As I reversed direction, I brought my sword across in a horizontal arc – not aiming for his head, as he expected; with all my force, gripping the hilt with both hands, I struck his shoulder.
Grimalkin had told me something of the power of the Starblade. The mage would be wasting his time using magic against me; it would nullify his most powerful spells. Although rusty in appearance, it kept its edge, never needed sharpening and could not break.
Now I learned something else: it could pierce the strongest armour.
Lenklewth’s armour was first rate, but the Starblade sliced through it like butter, deep into the flesh of his shoulder. He cried out in pain and dropped one of the sabres. He brought his remaining weapon up in time to block my next blow, but the third got through his defences, slicing another piece of armour away from his chest.
The blade felt light and responsive – a far different weapon than the first time we’d fought.
I was forcing him back towards the dying vartek. My fifth blow tore another piece from his side. Now blood was oozing from his cuts, forming red rivulets that streamed down the long coat of chain mail to splatter onto the sand.
I knew I had to finish him before my strength failed. Alice might yet recover. She still might be able to use her magic to help our retreating army. But first I had to kill this mage. Only when he was out of the way would Alice be able to act without hindrance.
I was still whirling and spinning, driving Lenklewth backwards, when the huge vartek stirred behind him. It opened its jaws wide, as if to spit poison again; instead, a great sigh erupted from its throat. I could see its eyes twitching behind the pink lids which were covered with brown, wart-like protuberances. No doubt these offered some protection when the vartek burrowed into the earth. The creature suddenly opened its left eye and raised its head. I think Lenklewth sensed the danger, because he glanced back over his shoulder, presenting me with the opportunity to slice away more of his mail.
My blow never reached its target. The vartek lunged forward and seized the mage in its long jaws, gripping his upper torso. I heard his bones crack. He opened his mouth to scream, but then it tossed him into the air, caught him, and swallowed him whole. In a second he was gone.
I stepped backwards in alarm, but the huge creature closed its eyes again and gave another great sigh, its acidic breath washing over me. It settled down and continued the slow process of dying.
I stared at it for a few moments, my whole body shaking. Then I took a deep breath, sheathed my sword and walked back to where Alice lay.
She was still breathing deeply. I wondered if she was dying, sinking ever deeper into a coma from which she would never awaken. I sat down and stared at her while a number of emotions churned within me.
Despite all she had done, despite my feelings of bitterness, I still loved Alice. Tears came into my eyes as I watched her. I realized that I still felt jealous: her explanation of how Pan had demanded that she form an alliance with Lukrasta had not convinced me.
Then I remembered why Alice had brought us to this space between worlds. It had been to lure Lenklewth here so that I could kill him, thus freeing her to save our army. By now, our cavalry might have escaped over the river, but the infantry would be easy prey for the Kobalos horsemen and varteki.
Finally my thoughts turned to my own predicament. Without Alice there was no way I could escape this place.
After a while I sat cross-legged on the sand beside her. The vartek was totally silent now. The only sound I could hear was Alice’s slow, steady breathing. She was no longer struggling for air. That was something.
So much had happened in a short space of time. I felt exhausted. Part of me wanted to give up, to close my eyes and never open them again.
All I could do was sit there, close to despair.
TOM WARD
SUDDENLY ALICE OPENED her eyes very wide and began to choke. Full of concern, I reached towards her, but she got to her knees and vomited a thin green liquid into the sand.
I knelt beside her and put my arm round her shoulders in reassurance. At last the spasm passed and she stared at me, breathing heavily, her arms crossed over her stomach. Her brow was pale and slick with sweat.
‘That hurt,’ she said at last. ‘Twisted my insides something rotten, it did. But I’m rid of it now.’
‘Are you going to be all right?’ I asked.
Alice nodded. ‘I just need a few minutes to get my breath. I used my magic to draw the poison out of my blood and into my stomach while I kept the leaf under my tongue. It’s a special leaf, an emetic that makes you vomit: I swallowed it to make myself sick. I’m a bit shaky, but it’ll pass. I need some rest, but I’ve got something to do first. You dealt with Lenklewth?’
I nodded. ‘The vartek finished him off. Now they’re both dead.’
‘Dangerous creatures, varteki. The Kobalos use torture to train them. Got its revenge, it did. It serves him right!’ Alice exclaimed.
I helped Alice to her feet and she took a couple of shaky steps forward, as if checking that her legs were strong enough to bear her weight. ‘First we need to get your horse back,’ she said, giving a thin, high whistle. She had to whistle twice more before the horse came into view, trotting towards us.
‘More magic?’ I asked with a smile.
Alice nodded. ‘It only took the tiniest bit – but now I’ve got to do something much bigger. I hope I’ve got the strength for it . . . We ride that way,’ she said, pointing off into the distance.
We rode for almost an hour, Alice once more seated behind me. All I could see was grey, featurele
ss sand, a vast plain of it. I began to grow anxious. Alice had brought us here very quickly; why was it taking her so long to get us back to our world? Had she drained her magic? Was she no longer strong enough to do it?
Eventually it began to snow; within minutes the snowflakes were whirling down in a fury. Then I had a brief feeling of nausea and heard the sound from the horse’s hooves change. The soft sand had given way to rock and loose stones. It had no covering of snow. Steam was rising from the ground and I could smell sulphur.
Alice had succeeded. We were crossing the Fittzanda Fissure, that unstable area that marked the old boundary between the Kobalos and human lands. Moments later the ground began to shake – nothing more than a few trembles, but it was a warning of danger; the Earth’s crust was very thin here, and not far beneath was molten rock.
Soon we began to pass bodies, some already coated with snow. Many wore the blue uniform of Polyznia. Some were covered in blood, clearly dead from their wounds; others bore no mark to show what had killed them. They could have died of exposure and exhaustion.
A terrible thought entered my mind. What if Jenny had fallen off her horse? What if she was lying out here somewhere, dead or wounded?
In some places dead horses and riders lay together. The lancers had paid a heavy price for their action. But I counted at least as many Kobalos corpses, along with their long-haired horses. It was clear that an advance party of the enemy had clashed with our infantry and cavalry.
The snow was lighter now, little more than sleet, and the visibility was improving. Ahead I could now see the uniforms of our infantry, amongst them the blue of Polyznia, the red of Wayaland and the green and grey of Shallotte – hundreds of them, retreating in the same direction as us. They were no longer in orderly ranks; just a mass of men desperate to reach the river before the enemy caught them.
I looked back over my shoulder and saw the main Kobalos army in fast pursuit. Grimalkin’s tactic had been to delay them with a series of cavalry charges. But that would also have cost lives and couldn’t continue for long; the last of our lancers would now have crossed the river, leaving the poor stragglers to their fate.