The
Virtual
Realm

Chapter 5

 

Let it Come Down

 

 

Why hadn’t he learned! How could he have been so careless!

‘RUN!’ bellowed Hank.

All those Ratmen just sitting there waiting for them to appear; they were trapped in a dead end, even with the light of his Bow, some of them would still get close enough to attack. They had no option, they could only retreat!

Seeing the others ahead, running for their lives, Hank cursed himself again.

The Ratmen were following. He could hear the light snarls and the light sound of their feet as they scampered along the road in pursuit. They kept going, as fast as they could, not really caring where they went as long as they didn’t get trapped. They had to keep going. They had to run and keep running. He didn’t dare look back, he didn’t dare look to see how many there were…

Ahead, Diana was in the lead, then Bobby and the unicorn, Thom and Presto and Sheila. He ran on and on, hoping against all the odds that…

Where was Eric?

Hank swore, fortunately too out of breath to be heard. Why did it always have to be him! How many times had this happened? How many times had he been left behind. He was the slowest, he was the weakest, he was…

The Ranger forced himself to turn and look.

…walking behind?

The Cavalier was staggering along, waving at them, too out of breath to shout. But much more importantly than that, there were no Ratmen to be seen anywhere! The street behind was totally empty but for Eric.

‘Guys! Guys! Stop!’ Hank called out, sliding to a halt.

He turned as fast as he could and ran back to the Cavalier, feeling very confused. Just moments before they had been running for their lives!

‘Try… to… get… atten… tion… for…ages’ Eric wheezed. He flapped a limp hand behind him. ‘Gone.’

Hank had to smile.

‘Yes, they’ve gone,’ the Ranger admitted. ‘Sorry I didn’t notice you sooner.’

He took Eric’s arm, and helped him on, the others gathering around.

‘Damn can… hardly breath,’ Eric whispered. ‘Armour… must be… getting… heavier.’

‘Wh-what’s going on?’ gasped Sheila as she ran up to them. ‘Did I just imagine all those Ratmen-things?’

Hank shook his head.

‘No. I saw them too!’

‘And me!’ piped up Bobby. ‘Where’d they all go?’

Everyone looked at the breathless Cavalier. The cut on his neck had started to bleed again, making a mess on his armour.

‘Dunno,’ he said. ‘They… just seemed… to melt… away. Maybe… had something… better to do…’

At Eric’s other side, Diana took his other arm.

‘Just look at you,’ she said playfully, ‘You gonna blame the uniform again, Cavalier?’ He just scowled at her, though he must have known it was a set up for another joke at his expense. ‘We could swap if you like, Eric the Acrobat!’

Bobby gave a loud snigger and Uni joined in. Even Presto laughed.

But Hank wasn’t listening any more as, at the back of his mind, he knew something was wrong. Those Ratmen had had a huge advantage over them. They shouldn’t have just given up.

‘We can’t stop,’ he said suddenly, interrupting the laughter of his friends. ‘We have to keep going!’

Eric opened his mouth to argue (in what was probably just a reflex action) but he shut it again when he realised he agreed.

All this time, Thom had stood slightly apart from the group. The little creature didn’t seem out of breath at all! He was watching them all with a strange gleam in his eyes, as if confused. He was waiting for them to move.

They had to get out of this part of the city, those Ratmen could be back at any second! So, in spite of Eric’s condition, they all set out at a light jog, but the Cavalier lagged at the back, Presto and Diana beside him.

After about half an hour, they came to another open park, with yet another statue in it and Hank let them stop. It would be easy enough to see any Ratmen that appeared. He put Diana and Bobby on watch, and let the others rest. Presto and Eric slumped down on the ground, the Cavalier was obviously exhausted and the Magician wasn’t that much better. Hank tried not to think of what would happen if the Ratmen decided to attack at that particular instant. They were in very dangerous territory at the moment!

‘What are we gonna do now?’ asked Sheila at last. ‘We have one section of the Key, but what about the other?’

Hank shook his head, not knowing what to say, and turned to Thom in the hope of getting some information from the creature. So far, he hadn’t exactly “helpful”, in the usual sense of the word. But still they had one piece and they were all still alive. He glanced at the Cavalier. Well, some were more alive than others!

Thom was watching him with a blank expression.

‘Do you know where the other part is?’ the Ranger asked.

Slowly and dramatically, Thom turned to point at one of the buildings on the horizon. One of the biggest. One of the most impressive. And, of course, one of the furthest!

‘That is the Palace,’ he said. ‘The Key should be in there.’

It looked so far away and seemed to be right at the edge, as far away as possible from where they currently were. There was the question of time. He wished he knew what time it was, he hated not knowing how much time was left before Ur vanished once more. It was so dangerous, they had to get the Key, find the Portal and get home.

He closed his eyes. For a moment, he wished he’d never let them come here. He let the silence last for another, blissful, minute.

‘We can’t stay here,’ he said. ‘We should get going.’

With varying degrees of reluctance, the group stood up and moved off, heading towards the Palace. It was a difficult place to miss, it towered above the other buildings nearby and was the most prominent building of the cityscape.

But getting to it was a different matter.

It was easy enough to start off with as they walked through the style of streets they were used to, but they soon came to an older section, perhaps the oldest part of the city. The houses were small and cramped; the streets were narrow and invariably stopped suddenly at a dead end. They must have walked twice as far as necessary with all the backtracking. Thom wasn’t much help. He said he’d rarely been in this part.

And all the time, Hank was expecting more Ratmen to appear.

It was getting harder to concentrate, the more time they wasted. They deserved to get back this time. They had done so much, endured so much that he really felt they’d earned it, especially after helping the Fairie Dragons get home then destroying the mirror to ensure their safety. At that thought, he took a glance at the Cavalier, and his eye was drawn to the cut on Eric’s neck. Eric was mooching along, looking tired and generally miserable, and Hank was just about to speed up to talk to him when Sheila appeared at his side.

He felt a beautiful, warm glow through his chest when he saw her smile the pure, wondrous, special smile that she only ever gave to him. He smiled back. They didn’t need to speak and just walked side by side. Behind, he noticed Presto and Diana looking at them, but he didn’t care.

Getting home, getting away from this place and all its responsibilities had much more meaning now. They could stop pretending they didn’t care about each other. Everything could change.

Ignoring the others, and any worries or fears about what they would say, he slipped his arm round the Thief’s shoulders and pulled her closer, letting her lean against him. That she loved him as he loved her was almost too wonderful to be true.

All the time, they were heading towards the Palace, though in a roundabout kind of way. And at last their effort was rewarded. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, they rounded a corner and found themselves out of the claustrophobic maze of tiny streets and on to a long, wide boulevard.

‘All-riiiight!’ said Bobby, pointing. ‘Look!’

At the far end was the distinctive shape of the Palace, with nothing standing it their way.

‘Thank goodness that’s over,’ said Presto. ‘I was beginning to fell like a lab rat!’

‘You’d never pass for one of them,’ said Eric. ‘No whiskers.’

The two of them smiled at the lame joke, and Hank did too. Eric was obviously feeling better if he was back to teasing Presto!

‘Well, come on!’ said Hank ‘Let’s go!’

They walked with more purpose again, and there was a more buoyant mood amongst the kids. The road was wider and freer than before. And they were definitely heading in the right direction!

He didn’t pay much attention to the boulevard, except to keep a sharp eye out for Ratmen. He did notice more dead trees outside the doors, and the narrow, fluted columns of the windows. The road itself was made of smooth, flawless stone, with hardly a chip or scratch or scuffmark, almost as if it had not been made to walk on. But Thom didn’t seem bothered, and Hank tried to reassure himself that Thom knew what he was doing.

It took ten minutes to reach the outside of the Palace, awe and apprehension growing in equal measure as they went.

It was soon obvious that the Palace was huge. It was tall and grey, with an ornate frontage similar to the Crypt, except with abstract carvings; swirls and arches rather than figures and gargoyles. There was a great set of double doors at the front, made of silver that had tarnished with age.

They all stopped of their own accord outside the entrance, and Hank knew they were all wondering what sort of magical trap and devices were hidden inside.

‘It is not going to eat you,’ said Thom after the extended silence. ‘Go on then!’

Surprised at the comment, Hank nevertheless moved forward, signalling to the others to follow. At the doors, he and Eric pushed them open and they swung in perfect silence.

‘That’s never a good sign,’ muttered the Cavalier to no one in particular.

Hank ignored him, but he couldn’t help agreeing.

Inside the Palace, it was very still. They were in a vast entrance hall and they each took a moment to look round in awe. Like everywhere in Ur, it seemed, the interior decoration was perfect; beautifully proportioned, with statues, carefully constructed arches, columns and alcoves. There was a huge mosaic on the floor that seem to be the size of a football field, with painted slabs, showing a strange, abstract design that had a vaguely Celtic feel to it. The colours seemed fresh, as if it had just been laid a few days before. High above, a few stained glass windows let a rainbow light into the hall, giving it a much brighter feel than the city outside.

The statues that lined the walls Hank took to be past Kings and Queens as they all wore crowns and had their own, small alcove. There was a single row of columns down the centre, each one carved into a different figure; some were male, some female, and some were of animals, but all were beautiful. They were so intricate and accurate that it seemed as though they could spring to life at any moment. He couldn’t help stopping to stare.

It had been a long time since they’d been anywhere so beautiful and so tranquil. He’d enjoyed staying at Rhamoud’s travelling palace, he’d liked the Keep at Tardos, but this was altogether a different place; mystical, mysterious, and magnificent.

‘Just like the mansion back home, huh, Cavalier,’ whispered Diana.

Eric just nodded absentmindedly. Diana looked annoyed that he didn’t make a better response.

But for all the beauty, there was no clue as to where they other part of the Key could be. He could see three main exits from the hall, not counting the silver doors, and there were a few doors half-hidden behind statues. So many choices, and no hints or riddles to help them.

Again, he resisted the temptation to split up. They couldn’t risk it, this place was too big and they would never be able to find each other again if they did. He could see the look on Diana’s face, and he knew what she was going to say.

‘We can’t stand around any more,’ he said decisively, trying not to catch Diana’s eye. ‘We’re going that way.’

He pointed straight ahead, and was relieved that Thom didn’t disagree.

‘But why are yo…’ started Presto. But he stopped when he saw the look on Hank’s face.

With a determined frown, Hank strode forward. He would have expected Eric to voice his disagreement and dissatisfaction, but the Cavalier only followed silently.

If he’d thought the alleyways before were bad, it soon became clear that this Palace was a thousand times worse! At least before they had been able to see where they were headed!

They wandered around, looking in rooms and going down random corridors without any real progress or any real sense of where they were supposed to be going. Hank knew time was passing, and it felt like the opportunity was slipping away with every footstep.

They were going round in circles; well, Hank wished they were, so that then they would at least have some idea of where they were. But they never seemed to pass the same section twice, all the statues and murals and painting were always different.

‘It’s like being trapped in a museum,’ muttered Presto at one point. ‘An infinite one!’

The Ranger knew the others were getting nervous and frustrated. Uni was whining softly, and Eric had started to grumble to himself. There had to be a way, but Thom seemed totally uninterested in helping them at the moment. He just prowled after them, looking at the statues and paintings as they did, and not offering any help when prompted. Hank tried not to scowl at the creature, knowing it wasn’t his fault. He’d guided them this far, but there seemed to be only so much he could do.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of searching, Sheila stopped at one of the statues, gazing up at it with a quizzical look on her face.

‘That’s the Knight,’ she said as he walked up to her. There was a strange tone in her voice, soft and sad. ‘He was in the picture.’

‘Picture?’

‘The one from before, remember’ she said, sounding a touch exasperated. ‘I think it’s a clue.’

Hank noticed Thom give a little snort. But this statue did seem a touch newer than most of the others, and more lifelike. And even though he didn’t understand what Sheila was talking about, he was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. She looked at the statue intently.

‘He’s pointing at something,’ she said. ‘I’m sure he is.’

Without waiting to hear what the others had to say, she walked off down the corridor. Bemused by her actions, though not as scornful at Thom, Bobby, Presto and Diana all looked at him. He shrugged.

‘Look over here, guys,’ she called suddenly. ‘A door.’

‘Great, another one!’ said Eric flatly. ‘It’s not like we haven’t seen any of those today!’

The door in question was quite plain and unassuming, not even something the Ranger would have noticed unless it was pointed out. Sheila had tried the handle by the time they caught up with her, and behind it was a set of spiral steps, that led down.

This discovery seemed like progress. These were the first stairs they’d found in the Palace, and they had been down steps to find the other piece of the Key. Though it wasn’t much, it was at least something! Well, that’s what he told himself, anyway.

It was only a short set of stairs, and the soon came out in a dark tunnel. Heading towards the wider end, they passed more doorways and more steps. At last they rounded a corner and came to a set of metals bars, like a prison cell, that blocked the way forward, with a narrow gate just off-centre. There was a sign on it that Thom translated as “Treasury”.

‘That sounds hopeful,’ said Diana brightly. ‘If there was something worth hiding, this is the best place!’

Hank nodded.

‘And the best guarded,’ added Presto darkly.

Bobby stepped forwards to open the gates with a swing of the Club, but Hank held up his hand to stop him. He gave the gate a tentative shove and it opened. He could tell Bobby was disappointed, and he gave the Barbarian a grin.

‘Hey,’ he said ‘It’ll be your turn next time!’

Beyond the gates was another wide room carved out of rock, more like a cave except for the neat, arched doors, and not what he expected a Treasury to be like at all!

It wasn’t a large as the entrance hall, or as well decorated, just dusty and old, and looked as it some of the walls and roof had crumbed away over time. Scattered around were some old crates down one side, and lining the walls were six more large statues, all of armoured women, and covered in cobwebs. It felt lifeless, but Hank was still on edge, thinking about what Presto had said. There could be anything waiting for them.

Looking back later, Hank tried to figure out what he should have done differently, but there was nothing obvious to alert him to danger. As they looked around, wondering which way to go, Diana suddenly said:

‘It’s glowing!’

They turned to look at the box she held out, and sure enough the Key inside was pulsing with light. Even Thom was staring at it. At that moment, Hank was tempted to go with Eric’s sarcastic suggestion and break it.

As they looked, there was a painfully deep chime that suddenly rang out through the room. It was like the noise from the Rocks of Resonance, but much, much louder.

‘Midnight,’ whispered Sheila. She turned to look at him, her green eyes wide and anxious.

They were halfway through. It they turned back now, they would be sure of getting out. If not… there would be no guarantees.

Hank suddenly felt very alone, though he was with his four closest friends and the girl he loved. It was his responsibility to get them all out, and to keep them all safe. The call of home was almost overwhelming. But it was so dangerous. They had no idea what was ahead.

He hesitated, knowing that if he led, they would follow. They could go on; they could go back.

The decision was made. They had no choice. They were going to go…

He was facing the way they’d come, and in spite of his introspection, he was watching out for Ratmen. Sure enough, just at that moment there was the slightest hint of movement from behind the gate, and Hank knew what it was.

They could have run, but this was their best defensive position, as the opening of the Treasury was narrow, and relatively easy to block with energy arrows.

He pulled an arrow, stepping slightly back to get a better angle for the shot. Around him, the others all followed his lead; Bobby lifted the Club, Diana and Eric lifted their weapons too, taking a defensive stance beside him. Presto’s Hat began to glow, and Sheila scooped the unicorn into her arms and flicked up the hood of her Cloak.

For a few seconds, they waited.

There was more movement from the tunnel, the glint of swords and the flash of white teeth. The Ratmen stopped out side the gate. He could only see about ten clearly, but he was sure that there must be a whole sea of them waiting behind.

‘Hank?’ whispered Diana uneasily.

He pulled the arrow further back, making it glow more brightly. Yes, there were more Ratmen, a lot more filling the tunnel they’d come down. And at the back, he was sure he saw something else, something bigger,more powerful and more menacing…

‘Hank!’ cried Presto. ‘The statues!’

The Magician’s tone made him turn to look. Close by, the six identical statues had started to move, lifting the swords they carried and stepping down gracefully from their pedestals. The cobwebs were gone and they were in full colour, as if they’d suddenly stepped out of a black and white film into real life. Their eyes glowed with a fierce, bright light.

He looked down at his Bow. Before, the plants had reated to magic; why had he thought it would be different here! His heart sank. They were trapped; they couldn’t go on, and they couldn’t go back either.

They had to fight!

He loosed the arrow, hoping to frighten the Rat-creatures, but they didn’t back away this time. Bobby brought the Club crashing to the floor, making everything shake. The statues wobbled by didn’t fall, and the Ratmen only paused.

But worse than that, there was an ominous creaking sound from the walls, light bits of dust trickling down in front of them. Bobby glanced up at him sheepishly.

Hank fired as fast as he could towards the gate, making a wall of arrows to try and keep them back.

The others didn’t need to be told what to do. Diana moved quickly towards the nearest statue-woman; it was well over three times the size of her but she still didn’t hesitate. But these stone creatures weren’t like the other ones they’d faced, like the ones in the Valley of the Gnomes. These moved quickly and skilfully, intent on attacking them.

He turned away from the Rats to fire at the closest one of the statues. The energy arrow didn’t hold it, or slow it down. He fired repeatedly at it, hoping it would break eventually; each time the arrows hit slight cracks appeared, but that was all.

Eric and Diana dived out of its way just as Bobby hit the ground again, causing everything to shake and more dust to fall. But the statues didn’t stop and neither did the Ratmen.

Disorientated from the earthquake, Hank looked back to the gate, and started firing once again. The Rats were pushing against the energy bars, draining the energy somehow, and one by one the arrows were dissolving. It was almost as if they were eating them!

Just beside the wall, Hank could hear Presto saying a spell, then the Magician held his Hat out at one of the statues. A thunderous boom filled the cavern, and the statue exploded in a cloud of dust and stones.

There were five left…

Coughing from the dust, Hank turned back to see if the Ratmen had retreated. They were perhaps stunned, or surprised, but the scraping, gnawing sounds were still there. They were still working their way through the energy-bars! He fired another volley, then another, but there seemed to be more Rats than before.

The statues had turned to the Magician, swinging their swords. He ducked down behind Eric’s Shield as the sword of the nearest one came crashing down, bringing the Cavalier to his knees with the force. Eric looked white as he held the Shield up, his eyes screwed shut with the effort.

Diana and Bobby rushed over and together they hit it, one leg each. The legs shattered and the torso hit the ground with a thump, sending more stones and dust into the air, and a few huge chunks of stone crashing to the ground.

There were four left…

It was getting harder to see, and the ground was now very uneven and dangerous with all the strewn debris. Hank shouted out a warning to be careful, but he wasn’t sure anyone heard him.

Leaving the Ratmen for a few seconds, he turned and fired at the statues again, hoping to get their attention away from the others. It only partially worked, as just two of them turned back to face him, while the other two kept going towards Diana and Bobby.

‘Bobby, move!’ shouted Diana, lifting the Javelin. But the Barbarian was too cocky, and instead of retreating to join her, he ran forward to meet the statue full on, ignoring the other one. Diana ran too, and just moment before the statues sword connected with the Club, she tried to block the sword blow from behind, from the statue Bobby had ignored.

It only partially worked. The Javelin snapped, absorbing a lot of the force of the blow, but the Barbarian was knocked sideways into the wall.

‘BOBBY!’ squealed the invisible Thief from close by, but she didn’t remove the hood. Hank knew she would be dashing to her brother’s side, to help him up.

But directly in front of him, a statue was lifting its sword to strike at him. He dived out of the way, the sword splintering through the ground just inches from his leg. He fired a volley at one single point on the statue, the wrist of its sword arm, and it began to crack. As it pulled the sword out of the ground, the stone snapped suddenly and handless statue tottered backwards before toppling over and smashing on the ground.

There were three left…

Before he could feel relief, Presto called out, pointing.

‘The gate!’

With a curse, the Ranger spun round. Those nasty little creatures were still gnawing at the bars, and there was a definite hole where they were beginning to break through.

He fired again, aware of the other statue close by deciding that the Ratmen needed his attention first. There was a flicker of white and orange as the unicorn darted out of the Thief’s arms towards the Barbarian.

Sheila…he wished he could see her, and be sure she was ok.

The other two statues were closing in on Bobby, but Presto was getting closer all the time and Diana dashed across the debris to grab the two halves of the Javelin before joining him.

Hank heard an odd-sounding screech, and suddenly remembered Thom. He looked but there was too much, dust and stones to make out much. The creature was unarmed and if he had any sense he would have taken cover. The last thing Hank needed at the moment was more to worry about!

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a statue moving towards him, followed by a flash of yellow. Though the Statue was fast, Eric was faster.

Eric slithered to an unsteady halt just beside him, and the Ranger saw the Cavalier brace himself as the sword came swooping round. He looked more exhausted than before, sweat covering his face and the Shield held less high.

‘Arrows,’ Eric gasped, not looking at Hank but at the gate beyond.

The Ranger fired again at the gate, willing the arrows to be as big and strong as possible. But he was getting more tired as well, his arms were aching and the arrows were getting smaller. Very soon he wouldn’t be able to pull arrows at all!

With a ringing clang the sword of the statue connected with the Shield, and Eric staggered back, slipping on the loose stones. The Ranger rolled, out of the way of both the Cavalier and the sword, and managed to keep on firing at the Ratmen.

There was another crashing noise from close by, and Hank risked a fleeting glance to see what caused it. The Magician had annihilated another statue, and it crashed backwards against one of the walls. But it had cost him a great deal of effort, Diana and Bobby were helping him to stand.

There were two left…

The other statue had been knocked back too, but not destroyed. Instead, it smashed into the crates at the far side. The scraps of wood flew everywhere.

There was a yelp of fright from the far side of the cave; a cry he recognised and that send a stab of cold fear straight through him. Sheila!

Hank was firing arrows as quickly as he could, but the Ratmen were still coming. Soon the force of numbers would break down his arrow gate. For every arrow he fired, two collapsed and fizzled out. It was only going to take a few more minutes! Assuming he survived another few minutes. Where was Sheila?

‘Sheila!’ called Eric. He was the closest, and he turned and ran, lifting the glowing Shield as he did so. ‘Sheila, where are you!’

‘Shei-la!’ cried Bobby from behind.

‘I’m stuck!’ squealed the Thief, pulling back her Cloak. ‘Over here!’

She seemed to be trapped under parts of the shattered crates, and the Ranger desperately wanted to rush to he side. But he still wasn’t firing arrows fast enough to hold the Ratmen back. He had to stay, he had to keep them back until Sheila was free.

And then they had to get out of there!

Eric was kneeling beside Sheila, heaving the wood off. But the rescue hadn’t gone unnoticed by the two remaining statue-women, and one started moving in their direction.

‘Get outta there!’ he called. ‘NOW!’

With a grunt, Eric heaved the last part of the crate off the Thief and yanked her to her feet. The ground in front of them was covered in loose stones and rocks. They were moving too slowly, and the statue was getting closer!

‘Bobby! Don’t!’ called Diana urgently.

But the Barbarian was desperate to help his sister and swung the Club at the ground regardless. A rain of grey dust came from the ceiling, making it even more difficult to see. Everyone staggered, and Sheila fell forwards, out of the protection of Eric’s Shield. The Cavalier stayed standing, but only just. The statue wobbled too, but kept moving.

Hank turned and fired a volley at it, but that didn’t stop the statue. It was almost on them, and Sheila was still unprotected.

He was too far away.

So was Bobby. And Diana. And Presto.

His heart screamed at him to move, but the excited yowls and snarls from the Ratmen made him turn. There were only a few arrows left holding them back!

As he forced himself to fire at the gate again, Diana threw the Javelin with all her might, striking the attacking statue on its neck. A jagged crack spread across sideways, effectively severing the head from the body. The statue slowed in its advance towards Sheila, its walk more ponderous and wobbly. Thick cracks spread down its body.

It was going to collapse! But it was still moving in the direction of the Cavalier and the Thief.

He watched it happening, knowing full well exactly what was about to go wrong, but he couldn’t get over there to help. The statue started to disintegrate, shedding stone as it fell.

‘SHEILA!’

Hank saw the Cavalier grab Sheila by the waist and pulled her back, just out of the way of the largest chunk of falling stone. But he pulled too hard and she kept moving, sliding backwards to the crates and the far wall.

Eric turned to follow, but turned too slowly as the other pieces of the statue-woman dropped nearby. One caught a glancing blow on the top of his shoulder, ripping his Shield off his arm. Hank wasn’t sure where the next one hit, but the next instant, Eric just dropped limply to the ground, rocks still falling around him.

Someone screamed.

Though terrified for his friend, Hank’s only thought was of Sheila. He could no longer see Sheila; she had disappeared through the dust.

The Ratmen were almost through. He had to fire.

Oh my God, where is she? Sheila!

‘HANK!’ cried Diana. ‘LOOK OUT!’

He’d forgotten… There was still one more statue!

Something slammed into his back and arm, knocking his Bow out of his hand and he pitched forward.

 

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End of Part I

= = =

Chapter 4

Part II

Point of No Return Part I 

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