Max Stone and the Lost Star of Zirdon (3 page)

‘Whoooah' he said out loud.

The more he held the stone to the light the more it pulsed in his hand. Outside, the clouds cleared a little, and rays of sunshine burst on to the lawn around the ancient apple tree.

‘That's it' he thought out loud, ‘it wants more light'. He hastily threw the map back into the box, tucked the box under his arm and made sure the penknife was secure in his pocket.

He dashed down the first flight of stairs and then the next, gathering speed as he went. By the time he reached the landing of the first floor he was taking two steps at a time. The stone felt warm and excited in his hand, the box and the map held secure under his arm. He paused for breath and looked at the stone and the blue light inside seemed to fade inside the gloom of the house. He darted outside.

He stood under the old apple tree and, as the light bounced off the stone, something changed. The small blue symbol grew warmer and brighter. It began to spin, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Soon it was spinning wildly.

All around him Max felt the winds begin to change. Where the sun's rays had begun to break through, now the sky turned dark and angry. Rain clouds took on a sinister look and swirled high overhead. The stone in his hand whirred with energy and a lively blue light filled his hand.

Max tried to throw the stone away but it was stuck fast. And, worse still, it began to lift up towards the sky, dragging his hand with it. He tried with all his strength to pull his hand back down but it was no use.

The stone, with his hand stuck to it, began to lift higher and higher, up towards the clouds that now spun into a tornado. There was simply no letting go.

The sky roared with angry thunder and the stone in his hand sought to go higher and higher.

‘This day can't get any worse' Max thought to himself, pulling down hard on the stone trying to stop it lifting him clear off the ground. He was wrong, for just then a bolt of blue energy shot from the stone into the very heart of the angry storm above.

A giant rift tore through the clouds and it seemed to crack the sky open. Max was terrified.

This rift yawed in the chaos of cloud and the stone pulled Max towards it.

It hummed and buzzed as if somehow connected with the electric energy of the storm. Max was up on his tippy toes. Another flash of blue light bolted from the stone into the centre of the rift. The tear in the sky opened out as if making a doorway, a doorway to another dimension in space.

Max couldn't let go. He trembled as the stone lifted him clean off the ground and high into the sky.

‘Nooooo' he roared into the wind, but it was no use.

The bolt of blue lightening that the stone sent from its core seemed to make the rift angrier and angrier. He felt the vibrations as the star symbol inside the stone spun frantically.

Max cried out loud once more in vain ‘Nooooo!' But it was no use. There was nothing he could do. He was being lifted up, closer and closer to this doorway in the sky.

Suddenly he felt the draw of the stone grow even more powerful; the energy from within shot another huge bolt of blue into the sky.

The stone, with him stuck to it, gathered speed and headed straight for the middle of the vortex. All around him the storm roared angrily, clouds swirling, and leaves swooshing from everywhere. Below, he heard trash cans fall over and spill out their contents. He saw his Gran's garden furniture swished off the ground and hurled over the hedge. He could hear the snapping of tree branches, maybe even whole trees themselves, as the wind wreaked havoc.

This was a real live tornado and Max Stone was caught in the eye of it. There was nothing he could do.

The pull on the stone grew stronger and Max, with the box still clutched under his arm, rose further up into the air. He glanced below to his Gran's house, a huge big old house that now looked like a tiny spec.

Higher and higher he rose, the stone now moving at a terrific speed, as they hurtled towards the gateway in the sky.

For a moment his flight upwards slowed slightly and he thought there was hope - hope he might safely return to the ground.

But his hope was short-lived as the stone gave one last enormous surge and he and the stone disappeared into the doorway to another dimension.

Max Stone disappeared out of this world and into the next.

CHAPTER THREE

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Max felt himself being hurled from the rift and he crashed heavily to the ground. Instinctively he protected the box and rolled over onto his shoulder in a tight ball. He tried to break his fall but he hurt his left ankle when he landed. It hurt like crazy.

Max looked around at where he was and it frightened him. He didn't recognise anything. This was a totally alien place. The sky burned of fire and where at home the sky was blue and you could see the sun, here it flared red and he could see planets dotted about. He was sure he had landed on some alien planet, nestled in a gathering of unknown stars.

The landscape too was different from home. It was scorched and burnt. He could see no trees, and no signs of life. All he could see were huge large rocks and boulders scattered about in large heaps.

‘Where am I?' he asked out loud. He picked himself up from the dusty ground, and brushed off the red coloured sand from his sweatshirt.

He winced as he put pressure on his leg. His foot really hurt. He still held the stone in his right hand - it was no longer stuck to him and he flung it angrily at the ground ‘Get away from me' he shouted at it, worried now at where he was and frightened that he was lost and alone.

On his palm the stone had left its mark, four blades in the star shape. There was a small diamond shaped crystal at the centre. He looked at the front of the box that he still clutched and the symbols matched exactly. He had second thoughts about throwing away the stone, thinking it might be of some use or value somehow. Besides, it was his only real connection to home and it seemed a little foolish to just throw it away.

He opened the wooden box and put the stone inside. His eye caught the map and he took it out. It made no sense to him with the alien symbols, and the strange names. He just couldn't make any sense of it. On the map there were areas where there were no markings and he guessed that if this was a map of this planet then he was probably in one of these.

But where?

Right in the centre of the map stood the ‘City of Elgonze' and just to the north was the house of Mar-Hoc-Seia. Clearly, he was nowhere near the large Zagger Zee River marked on the top left. If he was, surely there would have been some life-trees or something. Just then a strange-looking bird screeched high in the sky. Max looked up and saw instantly that this was no bird. This looked more like a flying dinosaur, a pterodactyl. Its large beak was sharp and pointed and its wings were not of feathers but of thick leathery brown skin. At the end of the flying creature's wings were sharp-looking talons that glinted even from so far away. It squawked noisily as it flew overhead and began to circle around where Max stood.

All of a sudden Max Stone felt helpless, standing out in the middle of this barren place. He felt like dinner.

In the distance he spied a cluster of large rocks just off to his right. Perhaps he could find cover in there.

Max clutched the box tightly under his left arm and set off. He now knew that he would really need the map. If he could find anything familiar on the map, he might be able to get to some water or shelter. As he stood up, a sharp burst of pain reminded him he had fallen badly on his ankle and he gingerly limped forward.

Overhead the creature screeched as it watched its dinner go on the move.

Max gritted his teeth and hobbled towards the cluster of rocks. Small lizard-like creatures, marked in bold blues and yellows, skitted off into the sand as he disturbed them. One looked very like one of the creatures he had seen on the table in the attic.

As he got closer to the pile of rocks, the creature above him squawked and screeched louder and angrier. It circled lower and lower until Max could feel the wind of its giant wings flapping overhead. He caught a close up view of its sharp talons, and it spurred him to run as fast as he could. His leg ached painfully but Max had to keep trying. He was just a few short steps away from shelter.

The creature swooped, its talons catching Max by the hood on his sweatshirt. It lifted him off the ground for a frightening few seconds and he heard the material of his hood rip.

He crashed clumsily to the ground. He hurt his leg even more but he didn't care, it was far better than ending up as dinner for some prehistoric monster.

He scrambled into the pile of stones, breathing heavily and sweating. A large flat stone lay over two boulders, making a sort of little cave and he huddled inside. His breath came in short sharp bursts, and overhead the creature flapped about crying a harsh call.

Max was safe, for now.

He rolled up the leg of his jeans and carefully rolled down his sock to look at his sore ankle. It had swollen out painfully and already took on the multi-colour of a good bruise. He circled his foot, moving it very slowly. There was nothing broken and he sighed in relief. The creature had done him a bit of a favour because his hood hung from his sweatshirt by a thread. He tore it off and tied it tightly around his ankle to give it some support.

He looked once more at the box and at the symbol on the front. The shape in his right hand matched it perfectly. It wasn't sore to touch, but it looked to him as though it might last forever.

He opened up the box and took out the map, searching for any clues that might help him. He felt his tummy rumble and he wished now he had taken a bowl of his Gran's soup, instead of just the small slice of brown bread.

He was also thirsty, his throat burning from the heat of the desert. His leg burned with the pain and knew he just had to cool it down.

High overhead the creature circled, keeping an eye on its tasty meal, ready to swoop if he left the safety of the rocks and stones.

Max turned his attention back to the map where he once more looked at the City of Elgonze. It was drawn as a magnificent looking city with high towers reaching into the alien sky. He noted again Mar-Hoc-Seia's house, so carefully marked in his Granddad's hand writing. The Zagger Zee River flowed through jagged mountains, but he was nowhere near here, for all that surrounded him was a flat barren landscape.

Max thought he must have been to the south-west of the City of Elgonze, since the map here was blank. He really needed to move north, towards shelter and water, but how on earth would he do it?

And that was just it, this wasn't earth, and who knew what lay ahead of him if he did make Elgonze or the Zagger Zee River for that matter?

‘And how am I even going to go looking?' he asked himself, not really wanting to know the answer, for he knew already. His leg was so sore and swollen that any amount of walking would be impossible. Besides, even if he could walk, how would he get past the creature that waited to tear him into shreds?

Just then, a distant noise caught his attention.

It sounded like the clashing of blades and the roar of a fight. He stood up, careful to keep himself out of sight from the terror that circled him above and looked out across the landscape. There he saw a truly amazing sight.

Two mighty warriors clashed. One was nearly eight foot tall, a huge green lizard creature with reptile skin and a jaw full of razor sharp teeth. The lizard man swung two curved blades at his attacker, who was even more amazing to see. He sat on top of a giant sabre-tooth tiger. This warrior was just a boy, older than Max but still too young-looking to be fighting such a foul beast. The young alien warrior had near perfect-looking brown skin, a high forehead that formed up into a peak and behind this flowed his long blood-red hair. His face was covered with tattoos. The young warrior was dressed in a black tunic and held a single sharp blade.

Their steel blades met and clanged, the lizard creature screaming something that Max couldn't understand. The young warrior took careful aim with his blade. The sabre-toothed tiger, with a huge mane of green and orange, roared loudly filling the sky with its battle cry.

‘RRRROOOAAARRR!!

It swatted its giant claw at the lizard man and snapped its ferocious jaws around his left hand. But the lizard creature fought back; this was no ordinary enemy. Its two blades swirled and swung, flashing in the red light of this alien planet. But still the warrior boy and his tiger had the advantage. They pushed the lizard creature backwards. This was not good news for Max for the reptile alien took his steps backwards and towards the boulders Max hid in.

Max closed up the box and tucked it under his arms and crouched low, trying to make himself as small as possible. As they fought outside they moved closer and closer to Max.

The sounds of battle came even closer and Max dared to peek outside. He could see them much clearer and they made a terrifying sight.

He saw the lizard man looking to the sky wondering what had the flying creature screeching so angrily.

It seemed to be warning the fighting pair away from the boulders as though it owned something in there. Somehow the lizard man seemed to know this. And then Max's blood turned to ice as the lizard warrior stared in his direction, sniffing the air with its huge alien nostrils, its long forked tongue flicking back and forth, searching for some sign.

‘Ruurrrarrrgh'
a guttural cackle came from its throat and Max knew he was done for. It sent shivers down his spine. The young warrior and his tiger took advantage of the lizard's distraction and then moved in.

Max could see the focus on the young warrior's face. His eyes were most unusual, deep brown pupils that were surrounded by a flaming red circles. His blade made contact, making a cut under the lizard creature's neck. It turned and screamed a throaty cry at the young warrior as sickening yellow liquid oozed from its wound. Max thought it looked like phlegm.

The Lizard lost no time and swung both blades at the young warrior's face, but it was a dodge. In mid-air and just as the young warrior was about to parry the strike, the lizard creature changed direction. It hit the warrior and his Fight-Cat, his sabre tooth tiger, full square on their jaws with the hilts of his swords. Max was sure the warrior would fall and he wanted to cry out to him to be careful.

The lizard creature seized the opportunity and turned and ran full speed in Max's direction, screeching and roaring as it ran. Its nostrils flared with the scent of its prey, its forked tongue flickering like lightening. Above, the flying creature swooped low daring to make an attack to deflect the lizard man away from its prize.

The young warrior soon recovered, a thin line of blood trickling from his lip where the handle of the heavy sword had made contact. His Fight-Cat shook off the blow and they race forward.

As the warrior and his sabre-tooth tiger gained ground on the lizard man, his intelligent eyes scanned the boulders to see what had held the interest of these two monsters. He spotted Max looking out from his shelter and their eyes locked for a moment. The young alien warrior looked at Max, not in horror or in amazement as you might expect, but almost as if he knew him. His strangely coloured eyes held Max for a moment, the flame red circles burning furiously around the deep brown centres and then he broke gaze and urged his tiger on. It bound forward on its enormous claws leaping twelve feet in the air, landing on the back of the lizard creature, scratching and dragging it to the ground.

The lizard fought on; it desperately wanted to reach the group of rocks and the prize it had sensed.

It had come close enough to have Max in its sight and it went wild trying to reach him. The lizard man made another frantic lunge, this time just a few short feet away from Max. Up close, this creature was terrifying. Its nostrils flared violently and its massive jaws hung open, snapping and snarling. Saliva dripped from its rows of huge teeth and the stench was sickening. Its forked tongue flickered, tasting the air. Max could smell its rotten breath and the yellow ooze that bled from its injury under its neck was vile and disgusting. It howled and shrieked in frustration. Being so close to Max, it desperately wanted to reach him more than his own life was worth.

Max sensed that it was not just him the creature wanted and he held the box carefully to his chest.

But the creature couldn't move any further, it was pinned by the young warrior and his giant Fight-Cat. The warrior reached down from his mount and swung the handle of his blade hard against the lizard creature's skull. Max heard a sickening thump,
CRUUUUNCHH
, as the handle met with the reptilian skull.

The creature was dazed.

The young alien warrior held out his hand to Max.

‘Come' he said, roughly.

Max hesitated.

‘Stay and you will die' he said, leaving Max with no choice.

Max took the offered hand and was hoisted high onto the back of the enormous sabre-tooth tiger. Max saw the young warrior look at the symbol on the box under his arm and for a brief moment looked as though he might say something. But the lizard man was getting up and starting to move in their direction.

‘
HeeeAAAH
' the warrior shouted loudly at his Fight-Cat. The brave warrior, the sabre-toothed tiger and Max bound off in what Max hoped was the direction of safety.