Kitabı oku: «Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12», sayfa 12
21
THE CAVE
tephanie ran.
She glanced back but Bliss wasn’t there, and then a shadow fell across her and he dropped from the sky. She ran straight into him and stumbled back. His hand moved like an attacking snake, snatching the brooch from her grasp. She landed on the seat of her jeans.
She looked to the edge of the cliff, expecting to see Skulduggery swoop up to save her. He didn’t. Mr Bliss slipped the brooch into his jacket.
“You’re going to give it to him,” Stephanie said.
“I am.”
“Why?”
“He’s too powerful to fight.”
“But you’re stronger than anyone! If you all go after him—”
“I do not gamble, Miss Cain. If we went after him, we might beat him, or he might elude us and strike at us when we least expect it. It is far too unpredictable for my liking. War should be a delicate thing. It requires precision.”
Stephanie frowned. Those words. Those eyes, the palest blue…
“China betrayed us too,” she said, understanding. “It must run in the family.”
“My sister’s affairs, and her motivations, are her own.”
“Is she siding with Serpine as well?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Mr Bliss answered. “But then, I could be lying. That’s the thing about allies and enemies – you’re never quite sure which is which until the final move is made.”
Stephanie got to her feet as he walked to his car, powerless to get the brooch back.
“We’re going to stop him,” she called out.
“Do what you must,” Mr Bliss said without looking back. He got into his car and, without another glance at her, drove off down the dirt road away from the Martello tower, heading out of town. She watched the dust kick up in his wake then hurried down the narrow path to the bottom of the cliffs.
Please be all right, she repeated in her head. Please be all right please be all right.
When she finally reached the bottom of the path she looked over at the rocks, terrified that she might see him there. A fall like that would have smashed his bones to pieces. He wasn’t on the rocks, however, so she turned her attention to the sea, just as Skulduggery’s head broke the surface of the water.
“Skulduggery?” she called out, relief sweeping through her. “Are you all right?” He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he kept rising, rising straight up out of the sea until he was standing on the waves.
“I’m fine,” he said curtly, walking to her. Stephanie had seen such peculiarities over the past few days that she was mildly surprised when anything struck her as odd any more, but Skulduggery walking on water definitely struck her as odd. He bobbed up and down with the waves but kept his balance perfectly, and when he stepped off the water on to the path, the vapour rose from his suit and dropped back into the sea. His clothes, she noticed, were undamaged by the fall.
“So that’s why Serpine didn’t send anyone after us,” he said sourly. “He let us go so that we’d get the key, knowing he had someone on the inside to get the key from us. That’s just… that’s just cheating.”
“Do you know anyone who wouldn’t betray you?” Stephanie asked as they started walking back up the path.
“Hush now.”
“And thanks for letting me know that Mr Bliss and China were brother and sister, by the way.”
“You’re welcome.”
“If I’d have known that, I might have been able to warn you not to trust him.”
“I must admit, China’s treachery didn’t come as a surprise, but Mr Bliss… He never does anything without due consideration.”
“I suppose he thought Serpine was the winning side.”
“Maybe.”
“So what do we do now? We can’t let Serpine find the Sceptre; he’ll be unstoppable.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I suggest I go get my work clothes, let my reflection out of the mirror, and we follow him into the caves and get the Sceptre before he does.”
“That’s a very good plan. We’ll do that then.”
*
They arrived at Gordon’s estate to find a gleaming silver car parked outside and the front door once again lying in the hallway. Skulduggery led the way into the house, revolver in hand. Stephanie followed close behind, clad all in black. They gave the ground floor a cursory examination before moving downstairs into the cellar.
The key was in the lock and the door was revealed. A section of the floor was open, exposing stone steps descending into the earth. They followed these steps, sinking deeper into the gloom. They walked in near darkness for a few minutes until they came to the bottom, then walked through a narrow tunnel carved out of the rock. It was brighter down here, their way lit by dozens of small holes designed to catch the sunlight from above and cast it down into the depths.
They stepped out of the tunnel into a cave that split in two directions.
“Which way?” Stephanie whispered.
Skulduggery extended his arm and opened his hand. After a moment, he nodded. “A group of them, headed north.”
“Are you reading the air?” Stephanie asked, frowning.
“Reading disturbances in the air, yes.”
“So do we go after them?”
Skulduggery thought on this. “They don’t know the exact location of the Sceptre any more than we do. They chose that path as simply the place to start their search.”
“So we should go the other way, hope we find it first?”
“If we can get it without Serpine even knowing we’re here, we can seal the tunnel behind us, trap him here while we alert the Elders.”
“Then why are we standing around looking pretty?”
They took the path to their left, moving quickly but quietly. The cave system soon proved itself to be enormous, but Skulduggery assured her he could find the way back without a problem. Here and there, the pinpricks of sunlight opened up to larger streams, which reflected off the rock walls and stabbed through the darkness. Strange plants and mushrooms grew, but Skulduggery warned her to stay away from them. Even the fungus was dangerous down here.
They had been walking for ten minutes when Stephanie saw something move ahead of them. She touched Skulduggery’s arm and pointed, and they stepped back into the shadows to watch.
The thing that lumbered into view was magnificent in its awfulness. Standing well over two metres tall, its chest was broad and its arms were long, the forearms hugely distorted by bulging muscles. Its hands were the size of dinner plates, tipped with claws built for ripping. Its face was dog-like in appearance, like a Dobermann, and it had a dirty brown mane that ran from the back of its skull and joined the long matted hair on its shoulders.
“What is it?” Stephanie whispered.
“That, my dear Valkyrie, is what we call a monster.”
She looked at Skulduggery. “You don’t know what it is, do you?”
“I told you what it is – it’s a horrible monster. Now shut up before it comes over here and eats us.” They watched it disappear into an adjoining cave.
“Let’s not go that way,” Stephanie said.
“Good plan,” Skulduggery agreed and they hurried forward.
Their path took them to the scene of a cave-in, so they doubled back and took another route, moving into a long tunnel. Things scuttled in the shadows beside them and fluttered in the shadows above, but as long as those things didn’t jump out and bite them, Stephanie was OK with it. Skulduggery crouched, picking something up off the ground. A dusty chocolate-bar wrapper, or as he put it, “A clue.”
Stephanie looked at him. “Gordon?”
“We’re on the right track.”
They set off again, scanning the ground for any further evidence that Gordon had passed this way. Unfortunately, less then five minutes later Skulduggery stopped again and turned, hand out, reading the air.
“We’re being followed,” he whispered.
Precisely the words Stephanie did not want to hear. She looked back the way they had come. The tunnel was long and straight, and despite the gloom she could see a fair distance. She saw no one behind them.
“Are you sure?” she asked quietly.
Skulduggery didn’t answer. He was holding both arms up – his left hand was reading the air, his right hand holding the gun.
“We should back away now,” he said. They started backwards. She could hear something now, something echoing up to them.
“We should back away a little faster,” he said.
They picked up their pace. Stephanie had to keep glancing at her feet to make sure she wasn’t about to trip over anything, but Skulduggery seemed able to move as confidently backwards as he did forwards.
She realised the sound she could hear was bounding footsteps. She realised this because they belonged to the dog-faced creature that was now galloping towards them at a terrible pace.
“OK,” Skulduggery said, “now I think we should run.”
They turned and ran. Skulduggery fired six shots in quick succession, each one of them finding their mark, each one of them hitting the creature but not slowing it. Skulduggery reloaded on the run, dropping the empty shells and slipping fresh bullets into the chambers, snapping the gun shut with a flick of the wrist. The tunnel widened, the mouth just ahead.
“Keep going,” Skulduggery ordered.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, glancing behind them. “Probably something really brave.”
He pulled up sharply and Stephanie shot past him, reaching the end of the tunnel and finding a vast cavern. Vines cascaded down from the darkness above, hanging over the yawning abyss before her.
She looked back just in time to see the beast collide with Skulduggery. The gun flew from his hand and he hit the ground hard and the creature closed its claws around his ankle. It stepped back and swung, lifting Skulduggery into the air and slamming him against the tunnel wall. He hit the ground with his shoulder but the creature wasn’t finished swinging, and Stephanie watched as Skulduggery was thrown against the other wall. The creature roared and yanked and Skulduggery was flung back, deeper into the tunnel, and the creature was left holding one skeletal leg.
It snarled in confusion then snapped its head up, catching Stephanie’s scent.
“Run!” Skulduggery yelled from the tunnel as the creature dropped the leg and came straight for her. Stephanie spun on her heel but there was nowhere else to run, so she sprinted for the edge and leaped upwards.
Her hands clutched at the slippery vines, desperately searching for a good grip as she started to drop. Her fingers closed around a thick vine and her whole body snapped up again, her momentum taking her forward. She glanced at the vast darkness below, felt the chilled, stale air that wafted up from the emptiness. She twisted as she swung back, just in time to raise her legs to avoid the beast’s claws. It roared its displeasure at having being cheated out of its prey, swiping at her from the edge of the abyss. Her momentum took her away from it again.
Stephanie saw Skulduggery dragging himself along the tunnel floor and grabbing his limb, the shoe and sock still attached. He sat up, feeding the thighbone through his trouser leg until it met his hip, then twisted and tested it, bending it towards him. He snatched his gun from the ground beside him and got up, leaving the tunnel and moving up behind the creature as it continued to snarl and swipe at Stephanie. She was now just hanging there, swaying slightly on the vine, her heart no longer beating in her ears.
She kept eye contact, tried to keep its attention on her, but the closer Skulduggery crept, the harder it became, until one kicked pebble caused the creature to turn.
Skulduggery splayed his hand but nothing happened, and Stephanie remembered Mr Bliss saying that there were creatures in these caves who fed on magic. It looked like they’d just encountered one such creature.
“Damn,” was all Skulduggery said and he charged, firing point-blank into the creature’s chest and then cannoning into it, driving it back one step.
One more step and the creature would go over.
The beast slammed a huge fist down on to Skulduggery’s shoulders and he dropped to one knee but was up again, swinging a punch as high as he could, his fist barely grazing the creature’s chin. He ducked under another swipe, moving like a boxer, swinging the butt of the gun against its ribs, with little effect.
Stephanie frowned and glanced at the vine she was holding. Was she moving? She looked back across as Skulduggery grabbed a handful of mane with his left hand and jumped, straight up, bringing the butt of the gun down across the creature’s face.
The creature bellowed and took a step back and its foot found nothing but emptiness. Skulduggery pushed away from it as it balanced there for a single moment, but there was nothing it could do to save itself. Skulduggery stumbled backwards as the beast fell into the abyss with a terrified howl.
“Right then,” Skulduggery said as he dusted himself off. “That took care of that.”
“I think I’m moving,” Stephanie said as she felt herself being pulled gently up. Skulduggery stepped to the edge, his head jutting out slightly, curiously, then—
“Stephanie,” he said, “that’s not a vine.”
“What?” Stephanie said, staring at the thing she was holding. “Then what is it?”
“Stephanie, swing towards me,” he said, urgency in his voice. “Come on now, swing towards me. Hurry!”
She kicked out, starting the swing, forward and back, each arc bigger than the last, all the time being pulled gently upwards.
“Let go!” Skulduggery said, holding his arms out to catch her. She glanced below her as she swung, remembering the beast’s howl as it fell, wondering if it had hit the bottom yet. When she was at the peak of her next swing she released her grip and was in the air, falling forward, falling towards Skulduggery.
But the vine snapped out like a whip, wrapping itself around her wrist and yanking her back painfully. Skulduggery made a grab for her but missed, and Stephanie was speeding upwards.
“Help me!” she screamed, feeling like her arm was about to be yanked from its socket. She heard Skulduggery curse, but she was moving too fast and there was nothing she could do to stop herself being pulled up, and Skulduggery could only watch her vanish into the darkness above.
22
THE SCEPTRE OF THE ANCIENTS
tephanie was pulled up to a ledge then dragged over it. She tried tearing the tentacle from her wrist, but more slithered from the gloom, wrapping tightly around her arm. She reached back with her free hand and grabbed on to the ledge, but it was no use. Her fingers couldn’t take the strain and she had to let go, and she started sliding across the slimy rock.
There was something up ahead, a grey mass of flesh, a growth that had spread unchecked and unchallenged in this dark little corner. The tentacles were pulling her towards its centre, where a large mouth gaped hungrily, razor teeth dripping with viscous saliva.
Her free hand found a large stone and she grabbed it, holding the sharp edge as she would a dagger, and brought it down hard. The stone cut through the tentacles and she pulled her arm free and was up, running, but more tentacles flexed and shot out. They found her legs and Stephanie hit the ground. She tried to kick out but they tightened.
There were tentacles everywhere.
The thing, whatever it was, beat with a sickly pulse as it dragged her closer. She couldn’t see any eyes. All it had was its tentacles and that mouth… Which meant it operated by its sense of touch.
Stephanie forced herself to stop struggling. Fighting against every instinct within her, she relaxed her body, and although the speed at which she was moving didn’t change, she felt its grip on her loosen slightly. The other tentacles stopped their approach, but they were already too close. They’d be on her in an instant if she tried to pull away.
Stephanie lobbed the stone and it hit a tentacle and bounced away. Sensing another victim nearby, the remaining tentacles slithered after it, searching blindly through the shadows. Stephanie took a deep breath and reached for her ankles, waited until the grip was loosened further, and then grabbed the tentacles and ripped them away.
She got up, but instead of running away, she ran forward, towards the thing with the mouth. She leaped on to it, over its gaping maw, and her boot almost slipped on its wet, quivering flesh. She jumped, her hands catching the ledge overhead. She hauled herself up as the tentacles snapped and coiled below, their movements becoming more and more frenzied as the thing searched for its missing prey.
Stephanie didn’t stop to rest. She got to her feet and hurried from the ledge into the gloom of the passage beyond. She fought off the sudden fear that she’d be lost down in these caves forever. It won’t be forever, she chided herself. If one of the monsters doesn’t find me and kill me, I’ll die of thirst anyway within a few days.
Stephanie couldn’t quite believe she’d just thought that.
Pushing all fears and doubts and pessimistic – though probably realistic – thoughts to the back of her mind, she slowed her pace and concentrated on finding a way back to Skulduggery. And then she saw a light.
She crept forward until she came to a balcony of rock, overlooking a small cavern. She peeked down to see a half-dozen Hollow Men, one of them holding a lantern. Mr Bliss didn’t appear to have accompanied this little expedition. Serpine was there, however, standing in front of a small boulder, its surface flat like a table. On this boulder was a wooden chest with a large lock. Her heart lurched. He’d found it.
She looked down. It wasn’t that far to the cavern floor. A couple of metres. She didn’t have a choice. She had to try.
The Hollow Men had their backs to her, so Stephanie eased herself over the edge without being noticed and dropped to the cavern floor. The light from the lantern didn’t reach this far and the shadows enveloped her so that when one of the Hollow Men turned, its empty gaze passed right over the spot where she crouched. She waited until it had turned back before moving again.
The darkness along the edges of this cavern was so absolute, and her clothes so black, that she could creep up next to her enemies without being seen. She moved achingly slowly, taking only the barest of breaths. She was sure Serpine would hear her heart thundering against her ribcage, but he was preoccupied with the chest.
He tapped the lock with a skinless finger of his red right hand, and the mechanism rusted and snapped in an instant. He smiled as he pulled on his glove, opened the chest and lifted the Sceptre of the Ancients from within.
It was real. The ultimate weapon, the weapon with which the Ancients defeated their gods – it was real. The years hadn’t dimmed its golden beauty, and it seemed to hum for a moment, acclimatising itself to its new owner. The ultimate weapon, in the hands of Serpine.
“At last,” she heard him whisper.
A strange singing filled the chamber, and Stephanie realised it was coming from the black crystal in the Sceptre. Serpine turned as Skulduggery Pleasant stormed into the cavern.
Skulduggery waved his hand and the Hollow Men flew back off their feet. He crashed into Serpine and the Sceptre clattered to the ground. Serpine threw a punch and Skulduggery ducked under it and moved in close, his hand snaking up to Serpine’s shoulder and his hip twisting into him. Serpine pitched over and hit the ground hard.
Stephanie crept through the murk, heading for the Sceptre. The Hollow Men were starting to get up, clumping back to fight at the centre of the cavern.
Skulduggery clicked his fingers and Serpine was too close to dodge the fireball. It hit him square in the chest and enveloped him completely. The Hollow Men froze as their master wheeled about, engulfed in flame. His foot hit the Sceptre and it skidded to the edge of the light…
… and closer to Stephanie.
Skulduggery splayed his hand and Serpine hit the far wall and collapsed to the floor. Skulduggery put out the flames with a casual wave. Serpine lay where he was, his clothes smouldering, his flesh charred and horribly burnt.
“It’s over,” Skulduggery said. “This is where your past catches up to you. This is where you die.”
And then, impossibly, a laugh, and Serpine sat up.
“That,” he said, “hurt.”
And as Stephanie watched, the burnt flesh started to heal itself and hair regrew along the blistered scalp, leaving not even a scar.
Serpine gathered purple vapour in his palm and threw it at Skulduggery, knocking him back. The vapour became a thin, snaking tendril that darted into the shadows, wrapping around the Sceptre and yanking it into Serpine’s hand just as Stephanie reached for it. Skulduggery recovered, but he was too late to do anything. The sorcerer got to his feet, holding the Sceptre, and smiled.
“I’m in two minds,” Serpine said as Stephanie moved, unseen, behind him. “Should I use this to destroy you, to reduce your worthless bones to ash, or should I just leave you down here in the darkness? Leaving you here would be more satisfying in the long term, I admit, but what can I say? I crave instant satisfaction. I’m shallow like that.”
Stephanie lunged, slamming her shoulder into Serpine’s back just as the Sceptre’s crystal flashed. Black lightning zigzagged through the air, missing Skulduggery by centimetres and turning the rock behind him to dust. Serpine turned and grabbed her. Stephanie punched him with all of her strength but he just snarled, and then Skulduggery was there and the air rippled. Serpine went sliding across the cavern floor, but he was still clutching the Sceptre.
Skulduggery waved at the Hollow Men and they hurtled backwards, then Stephanie felt a gloved hand close around her wrist and she was dragged out of the cavern. Skulduggery sprinted so fast she just allowed herself to be carried along in his wake.
He knew exactly where he was going, and within minutes they were at the stone steps, hurrying up out of the caves. They reached the cellar and the key flew from the lock into his hand. The floor groaned and rumbled and closed up.
“Will that hold him?” Stephanie asked.
“He’s got the Sceptre,” Skulduggery said. “Nothing will hold him.” As if to prove his point, the floor started to crack.
“Move!” Skulduggery shouted. They bolted up the stairs and Stephanie glanced back just as the floor vanished in a soft whump of dust and air.
They plunged out of the house into the bright sunlight, the Hollow Men right behind. Stephanie was three steps from the yellow car when one of the Hollow Men grabbed her.
Stephanie lashed out. Her fingers tore into its face and she ripped downwards and a blast of foul air escaped. The Hollow Man stumbled back, clutching at its head. Its entire body deflated, until it was nothing more than papery skin being trodden on by its brethren.
Another lunged at her and Skulduggery tackled it, rammed an elbow into the side of its neck and flipped it over his shoulder. There was movement to their right and Tanith Low ran towards them, her sword clearing its scabbard. She came in fast, the blade twirling and glinting in the sun, sending pieces of Hollow Men fluttering into the air like confetti.
Black lightning streaked from the doorway and the Canary Car crumbled to nothing. Serpine stalked out of the house. Stephanie felt heat flare beside her face as Skulduggery started hurling fireballs. Serpine waved the first one away and dodged back to avoid the others.
Stephanie was only aware of the other car when it screeched to a stop behind her. The door opened and Tanith sheathed her sword, pushed Stephanie into the car and jumped in after her, and the car was moving again.
Stephanie sat up in time to see Skulduggery hurl one last ball of fire and then turn and dive straight through the open window. He landed on top of her as the car swerved and she felt his elbow against her head. The car swerved again and they separated. Trees zipped past outside and she knew they were out of Serpine’s line of fire.
They passed the huge gates that led out of Gordon’s estate and Skulduggery righted himself. “Well,” he said, “that was bracing.”
A familiar voice came from the front seat. “One of these days I won’t be around to get you out of trouble, you know.”
Stephanie turned her head, saw the man in the bow tie behind the wheel and beside him, in the passenger seat, China Sorrows, poised and perfect.
“I don’t know what you’d do without me, Skulduggery,” China said. “I really don’t.”
