Andrew and the Quest of Orion's Belt (Rise of the Fallen) Page 11

  Chapter Ten

  Rhapsody

  Back in the city of Nookpot, there was tension building. The slaves who had seen what their masters had done to Andrew were growing angry. They were loyal to Andrew after what he had done to save them, and they feared what might happen to them if the mines collapsed a second time.

  The hooded man who had changed Andrew's fate from one of being hanged, to banishment in the desert of Drysin, surveyed all this with keen eyes, watching the slaves as they were herded back to their endless life of dust and coal. He could see the fear, and resentment on their faces. He could feel the tension building, like a storm working its way over the east mountains.

  He moved purposely over to Krot and the Sontar Captain, murmuring something in a hushed whisper. Glancing around warily, he handed them each a purse filled with gold and precious stones. “It’s a deal then?”

  The Sontar Captain hissed, and nodded. “It issss.”

  Krot laughed. “Yes. It’s a deal. Ivory, get over here.”

  Ivory peered out from behind an old barrel, and glared at Krot. She followed his gaze back to the hooded man. Her face filled with distress. She stood where she was, frozen in place by something she inertly knew.

  “Are you deaf, Ivory?” Krot shouted. “Hurry up and get over here!”

  Ivory shook her head, and made a move to run, but a Sontar soldier blocked her way, and brought her back.

  Krot gave her a sticky smile, as the Sontar dragged her to him. "What's the rush, Ivory? You have such an exciting life ahead of you. Look who've I've sold you to.”

  Ivory shrank away from the man. He was dark and reeked with the smell of pigs.

  “Krot?" she cried. "You're selling me?"

  "Yes. Ivory."

  "But why?”

  Krot placed his arms on his hips, and scowled. “I'm selling you because you keep on bringing stragglers into the gardens. After this last boy, you've ruined me, Ivory, ruined me."

  Ivory’s eyes filled with tears. “But you promised you’d never sell me.”

  “I had no choice, Ivory. It's just business."

  "I thought you were different." Ivory's eyes filled with tears. She lashed out at Krot, wanting to tear his hair out.

  "Get her off me!" Krot howled. "Get her off!"

  Sontar's yanked her off Krot and tossed her onto the ground before her new master.

  "Don't take it personally," Krot gloated. "You never should have trusted me. Never trust someone whose name is Krot. Trust no one, Ivory! Ever."

  "Krot," Ivory cried as the dark man grabbed her and jerked her away from Krot. "If you let him take me now, I'll hate you forever, Krot. Forever!"

  "Good, you keep on doing that, and you'll live a long full life," Krot called after her.

  “Hate, and forever are a powerful words,” the hooded man whispered, tightening his grip around Ivory's arm. “Perhaps you wouldn't use them if you knew how much trouble those words have caused.”

  "I'll use whatever words I choose, in anyway I want!" Ivory protested.

  "Your choice," the man replied, yanking her along with him through the rows of departing slaves. He suddenly stopped, scanned the crowd of slaves then jerked round, and paused before two the slaves who were standing in line waiting to be shoved back into the prison camp.

  “These two will do,” the hooded man said, motioning for a Sontar guard to help him.

  The Sontar was about to unshackle the boys, but he stopped, as if remembering something. “The captain has changed hisss mind. He wantsss more for them.”

  “More?”

  “Yessss.”

  “How much more?”

  “Twice the amount you paid.”

  “But I have already paid double what they are worth.”

  “He wants more.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  The Sontar turned away. “Very well then, if you do not wisssssh to pay.”

  “Wait, I will pay,” the man stepped over to the Sontar, and reached within his cloak, drawing out a sword. Before the Sontar could react, the man sank the blade into the Sontar’s chest. The Sontar let out a low gurgling gasp, and fell back, dead, at the man’s feet. The man held the sword, dripping with green blood, over the body, looking at the other Sontars who were now eyeing him with vengeance.

  The man faced the two slaves the now dead Sontar had refused him. "Stand very still!" he commanded, bringing his blade down on their chains. Sparks shot into the air, as metal hit metal, and the chains fell loose at their feet.

  “Quickly,” the man shouted, straightening to his full height and motioning to the two freed slaves. “Talic, Freddie, yes I know who you are---if you desire your freedom and your life, follow me---all of you.” He let go of Ivory, and cut through the hoards of Sontars who were coming at them at all angles.

  In an instant, the streets of Nookpot became chaos. Slaves suddenly began to break away from their captors, Sontars hissed, whips cracked, and screams cut through the air.

  “After them!” the Sontar captain commanded, pointing to the fleeing fugitives. “Quickly, before they escape.”

  “Over here,” the hooded man called, darting down an alleyway, to an old building with a door on which was written in red paint, in a savage scrawl, Danger, do not enter!

  The man ignored the warning and kicked the door open. His hood fell to his shoulders, revealing the face of an old man with a long, brilliantly orange beard, kind eyes, and pointed ears. “Get in,” the man called to them. “Hurry!”

  They slipped in behind the man, swiftly closing the door behind them. The room was dark. It smelled of bats and mothballs and something else unpleasant---like spoiled egg gunk that had been ruminating in a pan of dishwater for many months.

  “Ugh,” Talic murmured, pinching his nose shut. “It smells awful in here!”

  “Hush,” the old man commanded, pressing his back behind the door, holding his sword high in case anything happened to burst through.

  They all waited in silence, listening to the sounds of the Sontars outside, until the noise gradually faded.

  “Good,” the old man breathed. “They've gone.”

  Freddie peered through the window, scanning the empty street. “Are you sure?”

  “Shhh, yes...but wait,” the man whispered. “Do you hear that?"

  "What?" Talic asked.

  "That," the man said, holding up a finger. "There it is again."

  “I don't hear anything,” Freddie said. “And I don't see anything.”

  “Up there!” the man whispered, pointing to the ceiling, where hundreds of dark forms clung, like lumpy black almonds swaying in the wind.

  “What are they?” Ivory asked.

  “Shh,” the man whispered. “I believe they are Frabbles. They live in the rafters of houses of people who invite darkness, filling their dreams with nightmares. Don't disturb them. Just move quietly towards the door. No quick movements, no loud sounds---please!”

  The old man opened the door, and beckoned them to follow. A shaft of sunlight shone into the dark room, causing one of the Frabbles to let out a high-pitched shriek. As if on cue, the one shriek turned into two, then three, until the whole ceiling of startled Frabbles awakened from their sleep, screaming and howling. Their luminescent purple eyes all flickered open, like flames in the darkness. They looked hungry, and ready to devour the intruders, without hesitation.

  “Run!” the old man cried, slipping through the door with the children behind him. He slammed the door shut just as one of the Frabbles dove at them, crushing its leaf-like wings in the door.

  “Watch out!” the man cried, pulling Freddie away from the closed door, just as a Frabble speared the wood with its dark horn, sending splinters flying everywhere.

  “Run!” the man shouted again, as the window by the door broke with a crash. Hundreds of creatures poured out like black water. Everyone ran down the alleyway, down the clammy streets with the Frabbles diving after them,
before, behind in front, swooping screeching.

  "Come!" the old man said, becoming for the others to follow him, disappearing down a bend in the road.

  Ivory, Talic, and Freddie followed behind the man, only to come to abrupt stop at the edge of town, near the Salmagundi River.

  “Jump!” the old man cried, leaping into the water and disappearing into it with a loud splash. The children hesitated at the water’s edge. The water smelled of foul rags and sour fruit-fly food. Strange unidentified objects floated in it, like corncobs in a barrel full of smoldering chicken slop. The river was dark and oily. Green bubbles floated on its surface, like it was so rotten it had turned fizzy. It looked like every kind of impurity had been dumped into it. It was a river not just anyone would go jumping into, even if their life depended on it.

  They looked behind them and saw the dark cloud of screaming Frabbles coming after them, and having no other choice, they bravely jumped into the murky water.

  The foul water surged around them as the dark cloud of Frabbles surged over them and passed over them and out of sight.

  Freddy came up sputtering. “Ugg!"

  “Disgusting!” Talic spat, wiping a gooey blob of moss off his nose.

  “Is it safe?” Ivory gasped.

  "Yes," the old man answered, swimming with ease to the other side of the river.

  Soon all were resting on the bank, their bodies dripping with brown water and their clothes reeking of rot.

  “What is that?” Talic exclaimed, picking a slimy orange-red glob out of his hair. “Look, its got a piece of my hair in its mouth.”

  Ivory’s hand went to her hair, where numerous slime blobs clung. Her eyes grew big. She pulled more of the blobs away from her scalp---each nasty blob took with it a piece of her hair.

  “Look,” Talic gasped. He bent over, and pointed to a bald spot where the nasty goobers had snipped his hair to the scalp.

  "You'll lose more than your hair if you sit there all day!" the old man exclaimed. “We must go. The slave masters will be looking for us.” He strode ahead, his long black cape trailing behind him.

  The others followed, feeling wet and stinky. The smell of the river clung to them like a ghost. As their clothes dried their skin started to burn and itch, but no one dared complained, because it felt so nice to be leaving the town of Nookpot and its simmering, sooty, slimy assortment of people behind. They traveled far out, past the borders of Nookpot and into a hot, dry, desolate land where sand dunes and craggy mountains were the only thing that could be seen. The sun had just started to set just as the old man brought them to a stop at the bottom of a towering sand dune that rose far above them like a frozen wave.

  “Where are we?” Talic wondered. “And where are you taking us?”

  “Hmmm,” the man said, stroking his curly orange beard. After a few minutes, he stood up straight and clapped his hands. In a loud, commanding voice he said, “From sand, to heat to glass, open, the sandy pass!”

  The earth rumbled, and the sand grew hot, so hot that it caused everyone's feet to burn and blister. Steam, and heat rose from the towering sand dune. Sand filtered around them boiling and bubbling, until the tower of sand melted like wax, turning into a beautiful glass structure. The building steamed with heat, and shone under the light of the descending sun.

  Their guide clapped his hands again and the glass doors of the magnificent building opened with a rumble.

  “Come. Follow!” their guide said, walking forward, and ducked under some stray sand that was trickling from above over the door.

  Freddie, Talic, and Ivory followed him, wide-eyed and astonished. Steam and heat hit their faces as they stepped through the doors into an open hallway made of clear glass. They could hear the glass floors and walls crackle and pop from the warmth of their feet.

  On the glass walls were rows of flaming blue torches that never went out. Their cold light burned and illuminated the sparkling halls of glass like a room made out of pure ice.

  The man took them through the cold hall and into a great-pillared room, with many magnificent red rugs hugging the floor. The room was slightly warmer than the halls, but it was still freezing. Steamy vapor came from their mouths and noses as they breathed. There was clear glass furniture gracing the room in majesty. In the farthest corner of the room, there was a grand fireplace, with a blue flame flickering up in it.

  “What is this place?” Ivory wondered.

  “This is Lightlim,” their guide murmured, his rust-colored eyes filled with sadness. “Lightlim was once a place built for great things. A place of beauty and light. It was a place of truth, where mere sand was made into glass treasures. Where sand, once formed, could be molded into things of beauty that could reflect light. Now, it's nothing but a place of fractured dreams. No one wants glass anymore. The people do not want light, nor objects that reflect it. We must be quick here, if we are to save your friend, Andrew.”

  Freddie folded his arms, and looked around the room, confused and fascinated at the same time. “What are we doing here, and who are you?"

  "The man stood tall. His orange beard and white hair was illuminated by sparkling glass walls that gave off their own inner light. "I brought you here to save you. And to save your friend Andrew."

  "Save Andrew? You know where he is?"

  "Yes."

  "But why would you do that?"

  "Because I am Rhapsody Rumble, grand elf of Levwood forest. I save things. I save lost causes. And you and your friend seemed pretty lost."

  "I don't know," Freddie mused. "You don't look all that found to me. And what about all those other slaves, aren't they just as lost as us? Why didn't you try to save them if you're such a great finder?" "They will be saved too, eventually."

  "Really," Freddie wondered. "How?"

  "When your friend Andrew frees them. He will save them. And you will too, all of you will. When the sand is melted away, and the glass reflects the light inside you."

  Freddie now looked very confused. "I don't understand."

  "In time, you will." Rhapsody said, walking slowly up to a glass wall so smooth and polished that it reflected his old face in it like a mirror. He stood for a long moment looking at it. Then, without warning, he jumped through it. The glass cracked and shattered around him, revealing a glistening doorway to a room filled with treasure, swords, and items of great worth. Rhapsody rummaged through the shelves, tiptoeing on his pointed green shoes, searching. “Ah ha, I found it,” he laughed, holding up a beautiful staff. The staff was very curious. It was made of pure glass. It was long and smooth, with another piece of glass twisting round it like a vine. “Feels good in my hands,” Rhapsody said, running his fingers over the smooth glass. “I wonder if I'll be out of practice? It seems like it was only yesterday when I put it away. I thought I'd never use it again. But I thought I'd never do lots of things that I'm doing now.” Rhapsody picked up a silver belt and glass sword, and buckled them around his waist, discarding his old one. “Children,” he said, “come, and choose your weapons. You will need them in the dark days ahead. These weapons are all made of glass that will never shatter or break.”

  They all slowly ventured into the room, looking around them at the glass treasures in awe. Stooping down, both Freddie and Talic chose swords whose blades were made out of pure glass. Ivory, however, chose a dwarf’s sword, and a bow fitted with a quiver of glass arrows.

  “Come,” Rhapsody said, vapor rising into the room as he spoke. “The night is upon us. I have two horses waiting. As soon as we get outside, silence will be our best ally. Do not even think. For even thoughts have vapors that can be seen at night. So keep your thoughts to yourself.”

  They quietly followed Rhapsody down the long cold hallway, out a different door than the door they had entered Lightlim. Once the door closed behind them, Rhapsody clapped his hands, and the glass structure melted into a heap of towering sand like it had been before.

  All grew very quiet. The night wa
s dark. The sand steamed with heat. It felt as if they had been marooned on an island where nothing living lingered. They were surrounded by hundreds of sand dunes outlined by the moon, their giant forms illuminated like prostrate bodies of potbellied giants

  Talic stepped blindly ahead, and stumbled into a small cactus. He yelped and hopped on one foot.

  Rhapsody glanced behind him at Talic. “Quiet!”

  The sound of a low purring, Drarrararara, of the Lizicks filled the air, echoing off the dunes, causing the sand to shift with the vibrations.

  “What was that?” Freddie drew his sword and looked around in apprehension.

  “It's the Lizicks” Rhapsody answered.

  “W-what are Lizicks?” Talic wondered, peering around him in fear.

  Rhapsody smiled. “Oh, just things that could grasp you with their long tongues and gobble you up. And that’s not the worst part. After they’ve eaten you, it would take a week for you to digest. So all that time you would be sitting in their stomach in the dark.”

  Talic did not look amused. “Ewe, that’s disgusting.”

  Rhapsody walked on ahead, disappearing behind a sand dune, only to reappear with two beautiful horses by his side.

  Rhapsody motioned to one of the horses. “This is my horse, Zephyr. Freddie will ride on her with me.”

  “Wow,” Freddie murmured, patting Zephyr’s nose. “She’s beautiful.” The horse had a long white tail and mane, and a gray body, with a white star on her nose. It was a strong horse, with great rippling muscles. It was a horse that looked like it could go many miles without getting tired.

  “And this,” Rhapsody said, patting the other horse, “is Flags. Ivory and Talic will ride on him.” Flags looked like a tough warhorse. It had a brown body, with peppery black legs, and long, pointed white ears.

  They mounted their horses and started forward through the dark night. Even though the going was rough, the horses trotted down the sandy slopes with ease. Rhapsody's horse seemed to know where it was going, and Flags followed behind her with trusting feet.

  The air smelled salty and dry. A cool breeze stirred through the sand, tossing it up at random. They went on quietly, for some time, listening to the steady clip clop of the horses’ feet and a strange, “trrrrrarararrrraarararaddddprrrrrrrrrrrrd” noise that steadily grew louder.

  Freddie brought his horse to a stop, and looked around anxiously.

  “He's here,” Rhapsody murmured. “Your friend is very near, I can feel it. Ah, there, see?" Rhapsody pointed to a mass of orange glowing shapes, beneath a towering sand dune. The gathering of orange creatures twisted and moved in a congested circle around a lone figure. Loud drumbeats filled the air. The creatures’ orange eyes glowed like small lamps in the dark. Their blue tongues slurped out at the figure trying to snag their pray. But, the figure stood strong amid the creatures, wielding a brilliant sword, its blade growing brighter as they approached.

  "Andrew!" Talic suddenly cried out, waving at his friend. "Andrew!"