Chapter 2
Unanswerable Questions
The Magician looked frantically about him through the gloom of the caves, hoping against all reason that Dungeonmaster would reappear and explain.
Trust no one! One of your number has already been captured!
What did the old man mean? What was going on! (And why does he always have to disappear like that!).
Presto was barely paying attention to the voices calling to him from above, in fact he was barely paying attention to anything at all as his mind was racing. Captured? Who by? (Which one?) What did Dungeonmaster mean? (I dont understand). But as he looked around, he saw something that pulled his attention momentarily away from their Guide and his new riddle: There was another exit from the cave. Not far from where he was standing there was a low doorway cut into the stone of the cave wall.
He only had the low light of his crystal to light the cave, so it was difficult to see properly with all the long, dark shadows. But the more he looked, the more sure he became. It was the way the rock had been cut; it didnt seem to be natural. There were sharp angles with a neat precision, and it could only mean it had been made by intelligent creatures. He stared at it for a few seconds, trying to decide if he was imagining things.
No, he was sure. That was a doorway. He was certain.
Above him, the others were still calling down, their tone more frantic than before, and Presto realised hed not been replying to their questions.
Im ok, he called up. Im fine! Dont worry!
There where murmurs from above.
Well, what took you so long? called Eric in a sarcastic tone, and Presto braced himself for the next caustic comment. Did you get lost?
Presto frowned. That wasnt a very good joke. At least, it was not what hed expected Eric to say. Suddenly Presto thought of what Dungeonmaster had told him, and there was a cold unpleasant tickle down his spine. One of your number has already been captured.
But he could still make out their voices. All their voices, even Unis petulant bray. It made no sense.
He glanced back to the doorway carved into the rock.
Guys! Hey, guys, he called. I think Ive found another way to go. Come down and have a look!
There was a short pause.
What did you find? asked Hank.
Another tunnel, Presto replied. Man-made. Or something-made, at least.
There was a pause and the murmur of voices, then Hank called:
Ok, were on our way down.
There was the crunch of stones and one by one the rest of the kids appeared, sliding down the side of the stone slope, some more successfully than others, with Eric, predictably sliding down face first.
They all picked themselves up and dusted themselves off. For a few moments, everything seemed ok. (Normal). Too normal. Presto watched them all, his gaze moving restlessly from one to another; Hank, Sheila, Bobby, Diana, Eric. One of your number had already been captured.
Presto? Are you listening? asked the Ranger.
He hadnt heard a word the others had said, but he could guess what the Ranger wanted and pointed to the door.
Way to go, Presto! said Eric with a theatrical sigh. Another tunnel!
And here was I thinking you liked tunnels, replied Diana.
Ha ha, the Cavalier said flatly as the others laughed too, in the happy and relaxed way they all did when teasing the Cavalier.
There was nothing odd that Presto could instantly place, but he suddenly shivered. According to Dungeonmaster, one of them wasnt who they were supposed to be. But everything seemed fine.
None of the others noticed his discomfort, and they headed off towards the new tunnel.
Presto stared after them. What had Dungeonmaster meant? One of your number has already been captured But even I cannot be sure which one without proof.
How could one of them was already be captured! All of them were here. It didnt make any sense! When has Dungeonmaster ever made sense! (How can one of them be missing if theyre all here!)
He suddenly knew the answer: A double. A Doppelganger. It was obvious!
Presto gave an involuntary shudder. Hed heard about those creatures before. No one knew what they looked like when they were alone, but they were almost perfect mimics, able to assume the form of whoever they liked. They could look and talk like the person they were imitating, and no one would be any the wiser.
The kids had been resting in the clearing for a few days, and that would be plenty of time for a Doppelganger to spy on them, and learn enough background information to pass themselves off as one of his friends. It would have been simple to lure one of them away in the shadowy caves, and take their place.
Hey, Presto! You alright? It was Diana, the others were already a fair distance ahead. Come on!
The Magician gave a guilty start, and automatically moved forward, following them through the doorway into the tunnels beyond.
But his first thought was why Diana had called and not Sheila. Sheila was usually the one to notice if someone was left behind. Hank should have noticed too. Possibly even Eric, since he was much more alert these days. How about
(Stop it, Presto! This isnt helping!) But which one is it? (I dont know!) Neither do I! (Well, figure it out!) Yes, I will, I can, (Just do it quickly!)
And there was always the question of what had happened to the person that had been replaced! There was no way he could go back now, hed never be able to explain it, hed never persuade Hank to go back anyway with out an explanation. He had no idea where to look, he had no idea who he was looking for. And, besides, if the Doppelganger realised he knew well
Once more, Presto shuddered, suddenly a lot more worried. He had to do something. Quickly! He had to figure out who was who as fast as he could.
Obviously, talking to them would work, eventually, but the Doppelganger would quickly realise something was up when he started talking about school and home and shared memories. And it could get dangerous, or violent. He had to work out what was going on without raising any suspicions.
The only other way he could think of was the weapons.
He didnt really understand how the magic of their weapons worked, but he did know it was as if the weapons had been made for them, and them alone. He couldnt use the Bow or the Shield, even if he had wanted to, the Bow belonged to the Ranger, the Shield belonged to the Cavalier.
True, Vengers Lizardmen had used them in the Prison of Agony, but hed always assumed that that had been the Arch-Mages doing; that he could somehow manipulate the magic inside them. After all with those weapons, he was supposed to be invincible! Certainly, no one else should ever be able to use the weapons.
Thats it! Thats our plan? (Its the best I can do.) You dont even know if it will work! (Its the best plan I can think up!). Presto frowned, trying to remember Dungeonmasters sudden appearance earlier. Their Guide had appeared just after hed cast the spell to find his glasses. He had been using the Hat, and the Hat had worked, in a sense, at least it had glowed! (Perhaps its not so silly after all) And its the best plan I have.
Of course, it seemed simple. All he had to do was get them to us their weapons.
But somehow, he knew it was going to be easier said than done.
The tunnel they were walking along was long, and low and straight. The rest of the Young Ones were a long way ahead, and Presto had to start jogging to try and catch up. As he ran, for the fist time he looked around at where he was. The tunnel was smooth and easy to walk side-by-side, but fairly narrow, so they couldnt walk as a group. Bobby and Uni were side by side at the front, the Barbarian petted her from time to time, as she didnt like tunnels.
Hank was walking very close beside Sheila, no surprise there. Presto could tell they were still talking, but so quietly he couldnt hear what they were talking about. Diana walked just behind, looking enquiringly around. Finally, Eric sloped along at the back, also his usual position.
If he was gonna find out what Dungeonmasters riddle was about, he had to start right away. This is your chance. (Dont mess it up!) What am I gonna say? (Um its Eric. Just make it up as you go!)
Feeling giddy with nerves, Presto fell into step beside the Cavalier.
They walked in silence for a short while, with Presto growing more uneasy every second. The Cavalier seemed unperturbed by his presence, so eventually Presto had to speak.
Hey, Eric, he manage. Well done. A fantastic start!
The Cavalier flashed him a quick smile, but didnt reply.
Um (Quick. Think of something to say) this tunnels very dark. Oh, crap!
Eric looked at him, his eyebrow flicked up.
That would be because were underground, Presto he replied without a smile.
Yeah Presto trailed off. (This is harder than I thought!)
They walked on in silence, Presto slowly getting more embarrassed.
Look, Presto, said Eric at last. Its not that Im not enjoying this conversation. But did you want something specific, or are you just trying to annoy me?
Um Think fast! Um, I wondered about um I wondered about the riddle.
The riddle? Eric gave a huge scowl. What riddle! Mr Cryptic has really struck out this time! When he next spoke, he was mimicking Dungeonmasters voice. Do this, find that, find a Lance, find a tree, blah, blah, blah. Eric turned to Presto, the scowl still on his face. He doesnt know what hes talking about!
Presto nodded slowly. Eric had said as much earlier.
Yes, persisted the Magician. He is a bit confusing, remember when Presto stopped suddenly. This was far too obvious!
Eric had scowled at Presto.
Of course theyre confusing. Thats why theyre called riddles yknow, Presto.
The Magician gave a weak smile. This was going wrong. Maybe he should try speaking to someone else!
He walked beside Eric for a little longer, before speeding up, intending to talk to one of the others.
Diana was in front of them. Presto liked Diana, she was easy to talk too, and it should be easy to get talking to her. (It should be!) Once again, he fell into step beside her. Unlike Eric, she gave him a little grin as he appeared at her side.
Are you ok Presto? Diana asked.
He stared at her, suddenly worried. What had he done wrong? How did she know?
Wh I mean, Im fine, he spluttered.
Its just you seem a little distracted.
Oh, thats all! he said with a sigh. Im fine! Really!
Walking along tunnels, looking for a way home. What is there not to be happy about, she said.
Presto gave Diana a smile, and she smiled back.
There had been something missing in that smile for a long time. Since Turad.
But today there was something a bit brighter (maybe shinier is a better word) about her smile.
Under other circumstances he would have been pleased. But not today. The fact that there was something odd today just made everything more suspicious!
Her Javelin was tucked into her belt as usual, if he glanced down he could just make out a small bit of it sticking out at the top. His plan had been to get them using their weapons, but so far hed not had any success. He frowned, then almost walked straight into Hank.
They had stopped!
He hadnt been paying much attention to anything else, but it was obvious why theyd stopped as the tunnel had turned into a vast, echoing cave.
They were close to one wall, and nearby there seemed to be a deep ravine. As he squinted into the shadows, he was fairly sure there was a flickering light, like that of a fire, somewhere ahead. But there was no path, as the floor of the cave was strewn with rough rocks, and they would have to walk very carefully if they were to go on.
He looked around slowly, a heavy, sinking feeling inside him. This was all going wrong. Hed seen Dungeonmaster ages ago and hed made absolutely no progress in finding out what was going on. All he had managed to do was annoy Eric and get even more suspicious!
Why hadnt he tried to get them to use their weapons? That had been his plan, but somehow it just didnt seem to work. It should be easy!
Presto?
He gave a start, and realised everyone was staring at him. They seemed to be expecting him to say something as well!
Presto? Are you ok? It was Diana. And are you listening?
Presto nodded, aware that there was a blank expression on his face.
So, what do you think it is?
He stared at her. Oh, crap! (What were they talking about?)
Then he heard something, a distant, high-pitched squeak, and a faint rustling from high up in the shadows. Was that what they were talking about?
Hes got no idea! snapped Eric. There could be anything over there!
Huh? managed Presto, unfortunately out loud, but fortunately, no one was listening to him.
Well have to go and look, said Hank. And we dont seem to be any nearer finding the Lance.
Oh, yeah, drawled the Cavalier sarcastically. The Lance!
The bitter, angry tone wasnt what the Magician had expected, and he didnt like it.
What are we going to do now, Hank? asked Bobby.
Keep going, was the reply. Theres not much else we can do!
How can we be sure this is the way were supposed to go? asked the Barbarian.
Hank shrugged, and it was Sheila who answered her brother.
He did say it wouldnt be easy to find, she said.
But it could be anywhere! the Barbarian said plaintively. How are we gonna find it under the whole of the mountains?
There was no good reply to that, and nobody attempted one.
We had better keep going, said Sheila. An now were here we shouldnt turn back.
The others all seemed to agree.
Come on then, said Hank. Lets see what we can find.
He had tried to sound enthusiastic, but he hadnt quite pulled it off. The Magician stared at him, unsure as to what to say. Then he had a great idea. It was a chance to get Hank to use the Bow!
Why dont we get more light, said Presto suddenly, staring at Hank.
Good idea! You should try the Hat, the Ranger replied. He gave Presto a friendly, reassuring smile.
Now Presto was stuck. He wanted to say that hed meant light from the Bow, but he didnt dare say that! It would look too suspicious!
Slowly, he pulled the Hat off his head and started to wave his hand over it.
Abracadabra, show us the way; let us have light to turn night into day!
But he knew something was going to go wrong, his mind was too distracted. The magic just didnt feel right and when his Hat made a sharp hissing noise he flinched and closed his eyes, holding it away at arms length. Without any more warning the Hat shuddered and something exploded out of it. Even with his eyes closed, he knew whatever the Hat had produced, it was very bright.
Ow!
Argh!
My eyes!
Pres-to!
That hurt!
Mee-ug!
He opened his eyes slightly. It was still dark, and the others were all blinking hard, as if their eyes were sore.
Thanks Presto! said Eric sharply. Now we can see even less!
Ignore him, Presto, said Diana. He wouldnt know what to do even if he could see properly!
It was a good try, said Hank, rubbing his eyes.
Great! Just great!
We had better just go towards the light over there, the Ranger continued, pointing at the pale, flickering glow ahead that Presto had noticed earlier. The crystals should give us enough light to see with.
None of the others disagreed, though Eric cast a dark look in the Magicians direction. Even though Presto wanted to say something, he didnt. Instead, he stared into the gloom feeling even worse than before.
Im having a terrible day, he muttered as everyone started to move away.
The Acrobat must have heard him, and she suddenly put her arm round his shoulders, just as Eric breezed past them.
Are you sure youre ok, Presto, she asked.
Was he being paranoid, or was she being more friendly than usual? Certainly, she didnt seem that interested in him at the moment as, instead of looking at him for an answer she just looked ahead to Hank, Sheila and Eric.
Im fine, he muttered.
Youre acting very oddly.
Am I? He was tempted to add and so are you!, but he didnt.
So, youre sure?
At that moment, he desperately wanted to tell her everything. He wanted someone to talk to, and confide in, and help! But Dungeonmasters warning was ringing in his ears, and he forced himself to nod.
Everythings fine.
The Acrobat seemed satisfied with that answer and walked off after the others, leaving Presto more miserable than before.
Aware that his unusual behaviour had been noticed, as least by someone, Presto quickly followed the others, trying to appear his usual, happy self.
But inside, he wanted to scream in his frustration. They all seemed either completely normal, or entirely suspicious, depending on how you looked at it! He hated all this suspicion!
Logically, Hank would be the obvious choice for the Doppelganger to copy; he was the leader, and could lead them anywhere he wanted. They all trusted him. Hank hadnt wanted to use the bow for more light, and hed looked at Presto instead. And we al know how well that worked out! Neither Eric nor Diana had given him any really big reason to feel suspicious; well, they had, but then they could both be having weird days at the same time.
It could have been Bobby, as the Barbarian seemed quieter than usual, just trudging along next to Uni. Presto had never spent much time talking to Bobby. It wasnt that he didnt like him, but it was more that they had so very little in common, apart from being stuck in the Realm together. And then there was Sheila; shed been a little preoccupied since theyd left the clearing, and she was often deep in conversation with Hank. That suddenly looked very suspicious. Was she, in fact, digging for information from their leader?
This is impossible! (I agree!) But theres got to be something I can do to figure it out. (The weapons, you should try harder) But theyre gonna figure out what Im up to! Remember Hank. (Still the best plan I have!) Oh great!
The group picked their way slowly over the rock and uneven ground with no accidents, Bobby carried Uni for most of the way as the unicorn was having trouble with the stones and was slowing them all down. As they walked, it became clear that the faint light ahead was a fiery torch. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was at the end other cave, and the only way forward was over a bridge that spanned the ravine. And the worse news was that the bridge itself was just a thin ridge of rock carved out of the stone of the mountain.
(And it has no rails) Why do they build them like that? (Maybe railings havent been invented in this world!) Probably not. (So if were ever stuck for cash and need a great, new invention, that would be a sure-fire hit!)
The kids stopped by the start of the bridge, and Hank leaned forward to look down into the ravine.
Dont tell me, murmured Eric.
I cant see the bottom! said Hank.
I told you NOT to tell me! the Cavalier snapped. It would have been SO much easier if I didnt know!
Diana snorted a little laugh.
Cavalier logic! The worst kind!
Lets get going, said Presto, feeling suddenly uncomfortable standing there. He felt exposed, and the more they talked about crossing, the more nervous he was getting!
Prestos right, said Diana. We should get going!
So without hesitation, and with her head held high, the Acrobat walked out onto the bridge.
Everyone watched as she strolled casually across, as easily as if she was crossing the street. Then she turned, and held her hands up with a flourish.
Easy, she said. Even Eric could do it!
Before any of the others could move, the Cavalier, obviously goaded into action by Diana, stepped forward. He too walked with his head held high, trying to copy the Acrobat, but he wasnt nearly as confident, and couldnt disguise the fact that he was hating every second of the crossing.
The uncomfortable feeling was growing steadily inside Presto. He glanced up. Did something just move up there?
Um, did anyone else see that?
Hank, Sheila, Bobby and Uni all glanced up too.
What is it? asked Sheila in a whisper.
Better not wait to find out! said Hank, taking her arm. Get going!
Bobby! Sheila turned to her brother. You next.
The Barbarian almost argued, but must have noticed the stern look on his sisters face. He picked up the unicorn and walked slowly out over the bridge. Sheila watched nervously all the time.
Sheila went next, keeping her eyes firmly fixed ahead.
She was just under half way when Presto heard something close by, a soft peep or whistle. Hank heard it too, and both boys instantly looked up.
In the dark shadows above, there seemed to be something moving, swooping down towards them, and more specifically, Sheila, exposed out on the bridge.
Sheila! cried Hank. Look out!
The Thief sprinted forward, she seemed to be reaching for her Cloak, but she staggered very close to the edge before she could pull it up and had to right herself.
Then his attention was distracted away from her by Hank, giving him a shove towards the bridge.
Presto, go!
The Magician glanced upwards just as something bat-like, with small pointed teeth flashed past, its wings sending a gust of wind to buffet them.
Go! Hank told him, giving him a shove. Quick!
Presto was forced to run on, he wanted to slow down and make sure he didnt trip over the hem of his robe, but the wind-noises behind were getting closer. He also wanted to turn round and see if Hank was using the Bow to firing arrows at their attackers, but he didnt dare. Presto could hear Hanks footsteps just behind him.
Above him, there was the whoosh of wings and another high-pitched peep.
Run! shouted the Ranger.
Suddenly, something swooped down from his right, a huge black shape. Presto had the fleeting impression of thick leathery wings and the smell of blood. Instinctively, he ducked down, just in time as whatever it was missed his shoulders by micrometers.
Run! someone shouted. Therere more of them!
Stumbling, Presto somehow managed not to trip up and fall, but ran on the last few feet to the other side of the bridge. The others had found a good hiding place, a small tunnel entrance very close by, and Presto headed for that, with Hank close behind.
Then, unexpectedly, there was a chorus of shrill high-pitched screams, followed a moment later by the tremendous crash of breaking rock.
Presto was aware that something else was there with them; whatever had attacking them was now in full retreat! Thats not good! He glanced up for a moment, to see a huge dark shadow looming somewhere above.
There was virtually no time to do anything except try and run, but suddenly something struck Presto across his chest, knocking the breath out of him and knocking him clean off his feet. The next instant a shower of rock cascaded down in front of him. Then there was a sharp pain in his head, and nothing more.
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