The
Virtual
Realm

Chapter 4

Small Steps

Diana was at the back of the group in the tunnel. They walked in single file, Eric at the front, just before Bobby and Uni, then Hank and Sheila, Thom then Presto. They stayed quiet, as no one seemed to be in the mood for chatting.

These tunnels were a lot darker. The supernatural light that had spread over everything was gone, much to her relief; it was difficult and unsettling enough in Ur without that dead, grey light. Instead, they used the light from Hank’s Bow to show the way.

The atmosphere was cool and felt as if this place hadn’t been disturbed for centuries; it was so still, it was almost like the air was frozen in place. The walls themselves were made on the same kind of stone as the Vault, grey and white, but she didn’t want to touch them, all the same. She could smell dust and the damp, earthy smell that was common in dungeons and any sound they made as they walked seemed to be swallowed up by the walls. But at least this tunnel was much wider than the last one, and there was no danger of anyone getting stuck!

They walked for about ten minutes, the tunnel sloping down all the time, leading them deeper underground. The Acrobat tried not to worry about how far they had gone, and how difficult it would be to get out, as well as how much time they had already spent in this awful city. How much time did they have left? How would they know, when no one had a watch, and no on could see the sky and the stars? She had asked Hank, but he hadn’t given her a very straight answer.

At last the tunnel started to widen out, and they paused. Ahead, the ground levelled off and they seemed to be at the start of another Crypt.

‘We haven’t met any bad guys yet,’ said Hank quietly, ‘but that’s no reason to get lazy.’ He gave Eric a sly glance that Diana noticed but, fortunately, the Cavalier didn’t. ‘We need to stick together, and keep our eyes open.’

He held up the Bow and arrow, filling the tunnel ahead with its golden light. Not much further on, the tunnel stopped being a tunnel altogether, as it opened out into a wider area, but it was difficult to see what was there, if anything, because of the low light levels. Hank wouldn’t have fired the arrow, as he didn’t want to risk drawing too much attention to them. After all, anything could be down here!

They moved on, guided by Hank, and moving cautiously. There was a more pronounced smell now, more damp and earthen, and the walls the Acrobat could see glinted in the flickering light, as if covered in a thin layer of slime.

Suddenly, she realised she could only see one wall, the one on her left, and she called out to Hank to stop.

‘We need to see where we are,’ she said. ‘Try a little more light.’

Hank frowned, obviously weighing up the dangers, then he pulled back on the Bow. It didn’t give much more light, but it was enough to see they were definitely no longer in the tunnel.

They were in a graveyard.

Diana couldn’t see across to the other side, it was too dark, but she could make out small stone coffins lined up in rows, and some larger mausoleums with higher roofs. There were too many to count, some large, some small, some plain, some ornate; but all of them were different. Beside her, Presto shifted nervously.

No one moved as they looked out, and they waited in awed and uncomfortable silence, the only noise was the gentle whines from Uni and she snuggled into Bobby’s legs for protection. Sheila put her arm around her brother, and Hank took a small step nearer Sheila, and was almost going to put his arm round her in turn. Diana smiled. She didn’t need to be told what was going on there!

They stood for a minute, then Thom looked up at Hank.

‘You need to get to the other side, I think,’ he said. ‘Past those.’

‘Great!’ muttered Presto. ‘I hate graveyards.’

Hank didn’t turn round, but stared ahead and nodded. From what she could see, he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea either.

‘Well,’ said Diana, ‘we knew it was a Crypt when we came in!’

‘That doesn’t make me feel much better,’ replied Presto with a thin smile.

Thom had already moved forward and the others moved too. Just to one side of her, Eric remained still staring at the tombs with a solemn expression that she had never seen before; he didn’t seem aware of anything else.

‘C’mon, Eric!’ she said. ‘Or do you wanna get left behind!’

The Acrobat had expected a quip or comeback, but the Cavalier just shrugged and followed her in silence.

She felt uneasy walking through the graveyard, and couldn’t help looking at the tombs and graves. Some were carefully carved with pictures of flowers or buildings, and most had some sort of effigy on them. There was more of that strange writing too, perhaps names and dates of those now long since forgotten.

Diana hurried on, not wanting to stop. The others were setting a good pace, obviously not wanting to spend a moment longer than they had to in this eerie place.

Only Eric pause to look at the tombs every so often, an action that Diana found surprising. But he had been acting oddly since coming to Ur, odd even for a Cavalier. And just when she thought he was back to his usual, annoying and petulant self, too!

So she paused, and waited for him to catch up. They walked next to each other in silence for a while, but she could see he took an interest in what was around him. How he had changed; there had been a time when he ignored anything that didn’t glint like gold!

She was about to tell him so, but just at the last moment, she didn’t. There was a look on his face, so serious and responsible, a little like the one Hank often had or even Dungeonmaster (not that she would actually say that to his face!). She was sure that he would consider being like Hank an insult, and he had hated being compared their Guide, even when he had been the Dungeonmaster himself!

For once, she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t like Ur either, and she was worried. They were on a tight time limit; they still hadn’t a clue where the two parts of the Key were or even the Locked Portal itself. It seemed hopeless! But she still felt they had to keep going, they had to try. They had to get home.

Eric was still looking pensive. Diana smiled. They were friends and the simple, straightforward way they’d talked had always worked well before.

‘I know something’s up,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you talk to me? Tell me what’s wrong and maybe I can help.’

The Cavalier was visibly relieved, and maybe embarrassed too, so he quickly replied:

‘I don’t know, Diana, I’m not sure I can explain it.’ He paused, but she resisted the temptation to rush in and ask another question. ‘It sounds dumb. Something feels wrong, something feels…’

Eric suddenly crossed his arms, looking angry. Beside him was a large vaulted tomb, with writhing nymphs on the columns that seemed to be gathering flowers. The intricacy of the workmanship seemed so out of place, and only heightened her sense of apprehension.

‘It’s not danger just… as if something is watching us. I’ve only felt it once before; when I was Dungeonmaster.’

Again, Eric paused, and Diana knew better than to interrupt him now. He so very rarely talked about that day. She wasn’t sure why, it was so unlike him to boast. He had been one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful person in the Realm for a day, and that was something he should have boasted about endlessly. But he didn’t. In fact, this was the first time Diana had heard him mention it. Maybe it was something he wanted to forget, but the impression she got was that it hurt too much to remember.

She was on the verge of asking him all about it, but she stopped. Wasn’t she just the same? Didn’t it hurt when she remembered? It wasn’t just the pain of losing Kosar; it was more than that. Something much deeper, something much closer to her soul than her heart.

She had stood in the Temple of Light with the power to do almost anything. She could still remember the tremendous feeling of happiness as she’d opened the portal, to let her and her friends home at long last. Power had flowed through her in a way that nothing else had, and nothing else ever would. Then she had looked down as Sheila spoke, seeing him lying there, unconscious and dying in the Thief’s arms, it had all…

No! she thought, stopping the memory. There was more to think about at the moment, there were other things to focus on. She turned back to the young man next to her, forcing herself to concentrate on what he had said.

She looked at him, his face half hidden in shadow. There were times when this situation between them would have seemed ridiculous, or impossible. There were so many times (so, so many) when he’d been such a pain; so selfish and so irritating. Looking at him now was like looking at a total different person.

But then, was that such a surprise, after all that had happened to him recently? Since he’d opened the Box of Balefire, he’d had nothing but trouble!

They walked on in silence while she wondered, Eric seemed content to stop talking, but Diana felt there was more to say.

‘You still haven’t really told me what’s wrong,’ she said eventually.

He gave a little snort.

‘Can’t get anything past you, can I?’ Self-consciously, he reached up to touch the cut on his neck, a little dried blood flaking away. She wondered if it was still hurting.

‘I almost got my head chopped off,’ he said. ‘But there was something else at that time, something… something like magic. It… sorta… oh, I don’t know! I suppose it could have been anything, but…’ He trailed off. ‘I said it sounded dumb!’

‘It’s not dumb,’ she insisted, even though she wasn’t entirely sure of that statement herself.

He gave her a quizzical look, tinged with the sarcasm that she so easily recognised now; the one he was so good at! It was as if he was daring her to finish the sentence with a quip. How could she refuse?

‘It’s not dumb, it’s ridiculous!’

Eric gave a short laugh, and smiled. Diana was pleased with the reaction, she hated it when he moped around all the time! She smiled back.

Suddenly, she realised they were lagging a good way behind the others, who had been forced to stop and wait for them. Flashing him a bright grin, Diana sprinted off, with Eric stumbling along behind, probably cursing his armour yet again.

‘Any time you're ready!’ said Hank in mock rebuke. He glanced behind her, looking for the Cavalier.

‘D’ya recon he’s forgotten how to run?’ asked Bobby. ‘He’s sure taking his time!’

‘What are you all staring at me like that for,’ Eric demanded, as soon as he was close enough.

‘We thought you’d be interested in this,’ said Hank, pointing to the far wall. ‘Thom thinks we should go over there, there should be some steps.’

Eric favoured their guide with the disgruntled look he usually saved for Dungeonmaster, and Hank quickly moved off, before either of them started to argue. Despite Eric’s reservations, they did find a set of narrow, spiral stairs that curled upwards cut out of the rock, partially hidden behind one of the last tombs.

Thom sprang lightly forward and started to climb. Hank followed, as did the others, then Diana, with Eric still at the back.

The climb was hard going, though they had spent the previous who-knows how long running round the Realm. Even Diana, still the fittest by far, was getting out of breath. Ahead, she had lost sight of the others, as the steps wound round in a tight spiral, but she could hear Presto panting not far in front. She had the feeling they were being lead on to nowhere, and had almost convinced herself that the steps would end at a blank wall and they would have to go all the way back down! To keep her mind off that possibility, and worrying about what the time was, she started to think up amusing ways of teasing Eric about being last again.

At last, she heard Presto say something that sounded a lot like “thank goodness that’s over”, and she sped up. She was just able to hear Thom say apologetically:

‘Oh dear! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!’

Diana frowned, not sure what to make of that statement. Thom was a strange person. Her instincts were warning her that something wasn’t right about his attitude, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was. He’d been helpful (in his own unique way), he hadn’t attacked them, or hindered them. In fact, he’d put himself out to show them the way. Maybe it was just that he was awkward around others, having been on his own for so long. He was difficult company, and she could tell the others didn’t know what to make of him either!

She made an effort to speed up, to see what was ahead. It was much lighter at the top, and they were back in the cold grey light. The stairs opened out into another room, though it wasn’t much like any of the “rooms” before. The moist, earthy smell was much stronger, like in a greenhouse, and it was much hotter. It was no surprise to see a thick forest of tangled plants and branches at the far end. It was difficult to make out what was what, and the path through was almost overgrown.

The others were waiting at the top, a short distance away from the dark stairwell.

‘Maybe it’s a garden of remembrance,’ suggested Sheila.

‘It’s not like any garden I’ve ever seen,’ said Presto, ‘I think some of those things are moving!’

Diana looked more closely, and realised the Magician was right. As she watched, thin, barbed tendrils coiled lazily out from the greenery.

Behind her, Eric slowly staggered up the steps.

‘Need an elevator,’ he wheezed, leaning forward to catch his breath.

‘You’re just lazy,’ said Bobby. ‘We’re all ok!’

Eric murmured something that contained the word “armour”, but he seemed too tired to continue the argument.

‘Hey! What’s that?’ said Presto suddenly. ‘I saw something flash! There!’

Diana looked to were Presto was pointing. Through the sea of plants she could almost make out something shiny.

‘Is that the Key?’ Hank asked Thom, but he just shrugged, seemingly more interested in the plants nearby than having a conversation. It would be nice if he kept his mind on what was going on!

‘I think it’s the Key,’ said Sheila with surprising firmness. ‘It was shining like that in the picture.’

‘Picture?’ repeated Hank.

‘The one back in the…’

The last word was covered by a sharp hiss, as Thom backed away from one of the giant plants just as it seemed to take a swipe at him.

‘But how are we gonna get through, Hank?’ asked Sheila. ‘That’s the only way, unless you want to go back.’

‘We’re here now,’ said Diana. ‘We should find out what that thing is!’

Hank nodded, and fired an arrow. It did cut through the plants, but they quickly grew back, leaving no trace of anything having happened.

‘Try the Hat,’ he suggested to Presto.

He stepped forward, waving his hand over the Hat, but the instant it started to glow, all the plants moved towards it. He backed away, letting the magic die down. The plants retreated.

‘The Hat’s no use with this,’ the Magician replied. ‘Those things react to magic. And besides, we’d need a vat of weedkiller!’

‘What about fire?’ said Bobby.

‘Even if we did get it alight, which would be tough enough, we’d all suffocate,’ replied Hank with a frown.

The Acrobat looked round at the others. The less-than-agile Presto would be easy pickings for a hungry plant, Eric was too out of breath, and probably too slow, to get through, even if he could be persuaded to try. Shelia was quick and she had the Cloak, but the plants could sense magic, it seemed and she would be vulnerable. Bobby would want to stop and squish everything with the Club, and Uni would probably have to be carried. She even had her doubts about Hank, he would be in his “I’m the leader, I have to protect everyone and do everything myself” mood. She had no doubt that Thom would simply refuse. There was only one thing to do.

‘Why don’t I try and get through,’ said Diana suddenly.

Hank smiled at her, grateful she’d spoken.

‘Do you think you can?’

She nodded.

‘I’m sure I can avoid them. I can see what’s ahead, maybe find a safer passage.’

‘Are you sure?’ This time, Hank’s voice was lower, and much more serious. In spite of her light tone, Diana knew this was not going to be easy.

‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I know what I’m doing!’

He knew he better than to ask her again. He would have been worried, and made an excellent attempt at hiding it. But she knew him better than that!

She handed him the Javelin from her belt.

‘You’d better keep this until I get back.’ She grinned. ‘Don’t look so worried!’

Without waiting for his reply, she moved forward.

In front of her was the tangle of green, but there was some sort of order, and also a pathway of some kind. From just a cursory glance there were at least ten different kinds of plant, some were tall and thick, like cacti with no spikes, some were just a mess of thin tendrils, and some were like trees with dark round leave. As she moved closer, the smell became sweeter, and much stronger, and she rubbed her nose gently with the back of her hand, fighting the urge to sneeze.

There was a path, made of the same marble as before, and there was soggy earth on either side for the plants. But it was slippery underfoot, as the path was covered in a thin later of yellow dust (that was probably pollen, judging but the smell) and it was wet. Without the lure of magic nearby, the plants seemed sluggish, moving only very slightly.

She was close, and could see the path lead off to the right. She could even make out another small statue not far ahead. The plants still hadn’t moved, and she guessed they weren’t aware of her presence, just yet at any rate; but touching them would be a bad idea. She’d been caught by plants before, and it wasn’t pleasant!

For a moment, Diana wished she’d kept the Javelin, but she knew that it would only have attracted more attention. She was just going to have to do this the old-fashioned Earth way: Very carefully.

Her body tense, she stepped over the closest tendril. It didn’t even twitch. She had to duck down quickly, and bend left, using the floor for support. She was ok. It was gonna work!

Over the next twenty minutes she moved deeper into the plants’ domain, moving carefully and only stopping to check the path ahead. She passed the statue, and then another and a small, empty fountain. In some ways, it was easier than she’d thought, the plants didn’t grow as thickly as she’d first assumed. But in other ways, it was harder, there was much more of this garden than it looked from the stairwell and she was getting tired. Though she moved slowly, her muscles were working as hard as if she was running a marathon! She was also finding it harder and harder to keep her balance, the path became wetter and sticky with pollen, but she was getting covered in the horrible stuff too! She had already wobbled once, coming within a fraction of her shoulder brushing against a thick, spiny branch.

So deep inside, the air was heavier and more oppressive than before, and she had to struggle for breath. But another feeling had grown as she’d made her way through the undergrowth. What was it Eric had said? He’d felt “evil”? This place felt evil too, as if something cunning was lying in wait for her, just around the corner. All it would take was on small scare, or lapse of concentration, and she would slip!

The only thing that made her feel better was the glittering light not far in front of her. Presto and Sheila had been right. There definitely was something here.

Every step (slow and painful though it was) took her closer to her goal, and the closer she got, the clearer she could see. There was an alcove at the back, free of plants, and a pedestal inside. And something on that pedestal glowed.

The Acrobat took her time now; easing her was past every branch and tendril seemed more difficult than before. She was tired and hot, perspiration all over her body from the exertion; she was sore, and she was so very close to her goal. There could be no mistakes. But she focused her mind on the task, not thinking about the reward, only thinking about the movements she was making. She twisted and crawled and manoeuvred herself past the final few plants, drawing on all her stamina and experience as an athlete. It would only take one mistake.

She had to reach over the last one at full stretch, taking most of her weight on one arm and leg as she slowly moved herself between to spiked branches. This is the last one, just one more, don’t lose it now. Don’t lose it.

It was over. She’d done it! She was through!

For a few seconds, Diana knelt on the ground catching her breath and letting her body rest, then she glanced back to try and see the others. It surprised her how far she’d gone, she could just make out the occasional glimpse of Eric’s yellow armour in the distance. How the rest were ever gonna make it through, she didn’t know!

The alcove was completely clear of any plants. Relieved, Diana pushed herself up and quickly walked over to the Plinth. On it was a plain, crystal box, and inside the box was a piece of the Key, shining with a pure pale gold light.

‘Thank goodness!’ she whispered.

After wiping her hands free of the pollen, she carefully lifted up the box and gave it a little shake. It was heavier than she’d thought and the Key inside rattled around with a light tinging noise. She turned the box over a number of times, but couldn’t see any way of getting it open.

As she stood there looking at it, she shivered, suddenly aware of a breeze. She moved to the back and saw a narrow opening in the far wall. Inhaling, she recognised the smell of dust from before. It led back outside again!

Pleased at their good luck, she grinned for a moment, then remembered about the others. Those plants were gonna have them for lunch!

Holding the box tightly, she stepped back, to look round, hoping to see another way out. But as she moved the plants moved too… away from her.

With a frown, she held the box out, hardly able to believe it would be that simple. The plants nearby recoiled, almost cowering. Still unsure, she took a tentative step forward, wondering if this was some sort of clever trap.

But the plants definitely pulled away, letting her pass with ease all the way back to the others. The look of surprise on Hank’s face as she appeared made her laugh out loud. She waved, but only Presto and Bobby waved back. Thom just stared incredulously at her.

‘Look!’ she said excitedly. ‘I found it!’ They huddled round the box in her hand, Hank giving her shoulders a quick squeeze and he grinned at her, handing her back the Javelin. ‘And there’s a way out at the back too.’

‘Just as well,’ muttered Eric sourly.

‘But how do we get it out?’ asked Bobby, staring at the Key.

‘How about we smash it,’ said Eric, sarcastically.

‘And how do we get past the plants?’ asked Sheila. ‘Will it work for all of us?’

Diana looked down at the box and Key in her hands. It was powerful, that was for sure! Presto peered at it.

‘Must be too powerful for those things to even think about attacking,’ he said.

‘But plants don’t think,’ said Eric.

‘Must mean you’re a plant,’ she quipped back instantly.

The others laughed.

‘They just react to magic,’ said Presto. ‘If it’s too strong they retreat.’

Everyone looked at Hank. He looked back at Diana.

‘If we keep together it’ll work,’ she said. She saw Hank nod.

‘You had better not delay,’ said Thom suddenly. ‘The chime will be soon.’

‘Chime?’ asked Hank.

‘Midnight,’ he said. ‘Half-way.’

Diana saw a flicker of anger cross the Ranger’s face. It crossed her mind then, to wonder what else the creature had forgotten to tell them. Why hadn’t Thom mentioned it before?

‘Why didn’t you say that before?’ demanded Eric.

Thom ignored him and Hank tactfully didn’t let the awkward silence last.

‘Thom’s right, we’ve gotta go. Lead on, Diana.’

‘Everyone, say close together,’ she said. ‘And that includes you, Eric!’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ muttered the Cavalier, but he took a step closer to Sheila and Hank anyway.

Huddled together close to the box, they walked slowly forward. The plants never threatened them, or even came close. She was relived, after all the trouble she’d had getting through in the first place. Had anything gone wrong, it would have been almost impossible to get free. She wanted to go faster, as the plants were making her increasingly uneasy. It was almost as if she was being watched; though plants didn’t couldn’t “see”, in the back of her mind was a pair of glowing, red eyes.

It took about five minutes to get to the alcove, and she pointed out the opening at the back.

Hank cautiously drew an arrow and stepped forward, taking the lead again. He signalled them to move forward, through a narrow crack in the wall. Outside, they crossed a dead garden to reach a set of half-open, wrought gates that swung on rusty hinges. One by one, they passed through, and gathered at the other side of the walls. They were in a small alleyway, at a dead end. Diana smiled. At least they knew which way to go first!

And they had done it, they had passed safely though the Crypt and found the first section of the Key! She opened her mouth to speak, when there was a slight scuffing noise from above made her turn to look behind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hank turning at the same time, than someone screamed.

Perched on the top of the wall, as if waiting for them, were Ratmen. As she watched more of them seemed to be coming out of the nearby doors, crawling over the top of wall railings and through the windows.

For a heartbeat, none of the kids moved.

‘RUN!’

= = =

The tombs of the once great and glorious held no fear for him. Venger knew the ignorant superstitions of humans; he had been quick to note the children’s dislike of the Hall of Bones, despite the fact that it contained only good spirits. They were uneasy in the dark under the city, and as he followed them, he could feel their fear, even from so far behind.

He continued to shadow them, watching the group talk, stop and start; thinking how absurdly easy it would be to pick them off one by one, starting at the back with the fool of a Cavalier!

By the time they had reached the spiral stairs, he was sorely tempted to do just that. But close by, somewhere above him, he could feel the gentle thrum of pure magic, and knew the Key was calling out.

So he let them climb the stairs unharmed, and continued to follow.

They were so intent on the plants at the top, that he was able to stand in the deep shadow of the stairwell unnoticed.

They were fascinating creatures, these children. He didn’t understand what drove them on, they urges and impulses that they had, but it was clear that would do anything to get back to their homeworld. Such drive. Such confidence. Such passion and such fire in the hearts of each one of them. No matter what the problem or setback, somehow they would overcome it.

He scowled as the Acrobat moved forward, so confident even though she had no comprehension of what lay ahead. Those plant were all lethal, one touch and she would be dead before she realised what had happened. How she had survived without even the Javelin as an aid, he did not know.

There had been two occasions when he had been sorely tempted to intervene to tip a branch, or make her slip; how amusing it would have been to watchthe Acrobat die in an instant, andthen be ripped apart and devoured; the reaction of her friends would have been most interesting.

Yet he had marvelled at her skill and precision. The strain of such a dangerous exercise was enormous for such a mortal creature, but she did not fail. And only when she had returned with the Key did the anger start to build significantly.

Though she had lost that day in Turad, she’d had no idea how much trouble the defeat of the Demon had caused him. The city was rich and powerful, and situated in a vital part of the Realm. Even though they were enemies of a sort, for a long time he had been able to use the Demon to his advantage.

Now, that was gone. The city was under the benevolent rule of the Prince and the King; and those two fools were obdurate in their opposition. His hold over the lands beyond had begun to slip. The supplies had started to dwindle, he had to send more and more Orcs to replace the ones killed in the many skirmishes. And it would only get worse as the King grew in confidence and skill.

The Acrobat had no idea what she had done!

But that was not the only time she had disrupted his plans.

The Crystal of Kronos had been almost impossible to locate, and equallydifficult to retrieve. The time, energy and magic he’d expended to find it was more than with any other object in the Realm; constructing the deadly Maze of Darkness seemed effortless in comparison.

He had no doubt who it was that had infected the human he’d retrieved with it. The Acrobat, with her innocent eyes and despicably kind heart was the instigator of his rebellion. The way the pilot had looked at her as he stepped into the plane should have warned him!

Now the groupwas gone, and the foliage had grown back to cover their path. But as his anger had grown, so had his radiant power, and they shrank back at his approach, valuing their pitiful existence over annihilation at his eager hand. He reached the alcove, and paused, sensing unusual movement ahead.

They were here again.

Wererats! A whole host of Wererats!

Cautiously, so as not to be seen, the Arch-Mage moved forward. Through the gates he could see the children, not yet aware of the creatures.

Covered by shadow, he moved closer, when a scream cut through the still air. He saw the Ranger hesitate, looking around in desperation.

‘RUN!’

The willingness of the Ranger to retreat came as a surprise, but the children turned at the command, tearing down the street, as the Wererats flowed like water after them.

One of the creatures saw him, but instead of attacking, it paused. Others noticed, and turned as well. One after another, the Wererats turned back, leaving the children to run.

Whispers spread quickly through the unruly mob of Rats. They were casting nervous glances at each other, afraid. And he would use that to his best advantage!

Yes, they were very afraid. They were absolutely terrified of him, and of his power. They cowered in front of him, their willingness to serve obvious from their demeanour.

How fortunate for him. And how unfortunate for those children!

= = =

Chapter 3

Chapter 5

The Point of No Return

= = =