PURE OF HEART (16 page)

“Dean,” Han called as he and Bravic ran into the chamber. “I have your sword. We didn’t know what happened to you when we found it.” Han rushed forward and hugged Dean.

“Thanks. Are there any more of those dead guys around?” Dean took the weapon.

“I think we killed them all. We didn’t see any coming here,” Bravic reported.

“Bravic, I’m in need of that spear you picked up earlier. Mine was boiled. I’ll explain later,” Oieda said.

“I thought it would come in handy.” Bravic grinned as he handed Oieda the spear.

“Where do we go now?” Oieda asked, and all three turned to look at Dean.

“I don’t know. Did anybody see any other exit from the chamber?”

“There’s no other exit. This is the only one. What is past this pool?” Bravic walked to the edge of the pool.

“Don’t think about a drink. It’s acid. It would burn your lips right off,” Dean warned.

“Wow!” Han ran to the edge of the pool. “Where do the pillars go?”

“There’s another chamber on the other side. There’s a big iron door at the end. That’s all I saw.” Dean groaned and tossed his hands up. “Just great . . . I’m going to have to jump over the acid pool again.”

“You can go first, too.” Han gulped.

The four then jumped from pillar to pillar across the pool. Han had the hardest time, for it was a rather large bound for an Elvana, but they were all soon on the other side. The stone floor ran ten feet from the pool to two towering, iron doors. Looking closely, they saw the doors had runes that ran across the seam.

“Can anyone read these?” Oieda peered at the runes. She gently placed her hand on the door and both huge doors swung silently inward.

“What’re you doing?” Dean whispered fiercely as he and Bravic dove on one side, and Han grabbed Oieda and jumped to the other side of the door.

“I just touched it.” Oieda’s hands went out.

“We could have thought about it for a second,” Bravic growled.

“I just lightly touched it.” Oieda glared.

Han patted her shoulder. “Now you see how I feel.”

“What’s done is done. Let’s see what’s in the room,” Dean peered around the door.

The room was an enormous, stonework chamber. Its ceiling disappeared high above into the darkness. On both sides of the room two rows of fallen pillars lay in broken sections, as if one had fallen into another and caused a chain reaction. At the far end a small staircase led to a marble dais. In the center of the platform was an elaborate, black, high-back chair.

“Creepville. This whole underground land of the dead is certifiably one hundred percent creepy.” Dean leaned back.

“What should we do?” Oieda asked.

“We have to go through. When I count to three, Bravic and I will run and hide behind the pillars on the left. You guys run behind the ones on the right.”

With a puzzled look on his face, Han asked, “Why are we going to do that?”

“It’s a trap. I guarantee it.”

“Then why would we all go in?” Bravic’s eyebrows knit together. “Won’t we all be caught in the trap?”

“Yeah. But that’s better than being split up and fighting whatever is in there.”

“One should go in.” Oieda stepped forward. “I’ll go.”

“No way.” Dean shook his head.

“It should be me.” Bravic unslung his axe. “You three wait here.”

“I said I was going first.” Oieda moved in front of the door.

Bravic strutted forward. “Listen, missy—”

Oieda’s nostrils flared. “What did you call me, mole?”

Bravic’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his axe; the veins on his neck stood out.

“Both of you are acting like babies.” Han darted between them. “I’ll sneak in.”

“Like you can do that now that everyone’s shouting in the doorway.” Dean rolled his eyes. “Everyone chill out. Look, this looks like the same deal as the other door. We go in, the doors slam shut. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”

“You’ve gone through a cursed hall a hundred times?” Oieda scoffed.

“Not gone through it. I’ve seen it in the movies.”

“Movies? Why do you always sound crazy?” Oieda tossed her head back and her ponytail danced back and forth.

“I don’t sound crazy.” Dean crossed his arms.

“You do sound crazy quite often,” Han said plainly. “He’s from the Heavens, and it’s very different there. Don’t ask him to explain, or he’ll just get frustrated and say ‘Oh, skip it,’” he whispered to Oieda.

“Can he explain how the four of us getting trapped in there is a good plan?” Oieda asked Han.

Dean held up a hand. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not standing right here.”

“She’s got a point,” Bravic muttered. “I don’t see how all of us getting trapped is going to help either.”

“Look. Say one guy goes in. Oieda.”

“I’m a girl.”

“Fine. One gal.”

“I want to be—” Bravic started to say.

“I don’t care who goes in,” Dean yelled. “It could be a monkey for all I care. Let’s pretend a monkey goes in.”

Han held up his hand.

“What?”

“Where do we get a monkey?”

Dean groaned. “Seriously. Everyone shut up, or I will go crazy. We send Han in.” Han’s mouth opened but closed with a clap as Dean glared at him. “Han goes in the room, and the door closes. It’s a trap. Now Han is on that side of the door, and the three of us are out here. The door opens. Han’s dead. What then?”

“I’m dead?” Han gulped.

“I’m just—” Dean shook his head. “You know what? Just trust me, okay? We’re all going to go in on three. Bravic and me to the left, Oieda and Han to the right. One. Two. Three.”

The four sprinted into the room and dashed behind the pillars. As Dean poked his head over one, he saw the door behind them slam closed.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Night,” a voice proclaimed from the dais at the beginning of the hall.

“You were right,” Han called out from behind his pillar.

Bravic groaned.

“At least we can fight it together.” Dean gave Bravic a wink.

Dean’s skin went cold, and he saw Bravic shiver. He peered over the column and saw a skeleton with a golden crown, dressed in long red robes, walk out and stand before the black chair on the dais.

“Those who come into my kingdom must pay me homage or be destroyed,” the skeleton declared.

“Do you want me to go?” Han called from the other pillar.

“Hello.” Dean stood up. “We’re just passing through. We’d gladly pay you any type of homage you want if you just point us to the nearest exit.”

“Who are you to walk before a king?”

“Your kingship.” Dean bowed low. “I humbly ask how to get out of—”

“Only those of royal birth may stand before King Lorious!”

Dean’s eyebrow rose up. He knew the name Lorious, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it.

“Do you know who stands before you, oh King Lorious?” Han asked as he darted out from behind the pillar. “Dean Theradine, son of Panadur Theradine, stands before you.”

“Lorious is the evil wizard guy Panadur killed,” Dean muttered.

A scream of rage filled the hall as a ball of fire streaked from Lorious’s hands.

“MOVE!” Dean grabbed Han and dove over the fallen pillar.

The spot where they had stood burst into flames.

“Panadur’s son?” Lorious bellowed.

Bravic slipped between two sections of the pillar and galloped for the other side. As he raced, another ball of fire streaked through the air at him. He dove over the pillar and the ball burst into flame on the stone.

“We almost had fried Dwarf. What’re we going to do?” Han pressed his back against the pillar.

“We have to fight him,” Oieda said.

“Now you sound crazy. It took Panadur, Carimus, and Volsur to kill this guy, and you want to do it with us four? I’m up for running away,” Dean said.

“There’s a door at the end of the chamber.” Han peered through the cracks in the stone.

“I’ll create a diversion. This guy hates me more than anything. I’ll meet you guys in the next room,” Dean instructed.

“No. We all go,” Bravic said sternly.

“We’re all going to go. But if I don’t get that human flamethrower distracted, we’re all going to die,” Dean said. “Besides, it was my plan that got us all into this.”

“We all agreed to go.” Oieda glared.

“Take this.” Bravic handed Dean the small shield.

“Son of Panadur, show yourself,” Lorious demanded.

“Show yourself first. I’m bashful,” Dean jeered.

As Dean peeked between the sections, he could see Lorious on the dais looking directly at the column.

Dean picked up a rock and tossed it toward the other end of the fallen pillar. Lorious thrust his arm forward; a burst of flames scorched the rock as another fireball erupted.

Dean scrambled over the pillar and sped across the floor. Lorious twisted both his hands and a fan of flames streaked from his fingertips. Instead of hurdling it, Dean fell on his stomach and the flames passed over his head. Once they ended, he hopped over the other pillar and crouched down.

“Panadur told me you were a lousy shot; that’s how he killed you so easily. He did you justice—you really stink.”

“I see your plan now, son of Panadur,” Lorious spat. “You try to distract me so your friends can run free. How terribly noble of you. But I think it will end differently.”

Lorious began chanting and held his hands above his head. He clapped his hands together and Bravic, Han, and Oieda screamed in pain. With a wave of his hand, a steel cage appeared and hung in the air above the dais. Lorious closed his hand; the three disappeared and immediately reappeared inside the cage.

“Yes, young Theradine, it will be quite different,” the skeleton said smugly.

“Let them go, worm bait. If you want me, you can fight me.” Dean ran to stand in the middle of the floor.

“Did Panadur not tell you anything of me?” Lorious asked.

Dean shrugged. “You want to know the truth? I fell asleep during that stupid story,” he admitted.

Han laughed.

Lorious stomped forward. “Let me tell you something. I don’t fight—let alone fight fair.” He tossed a small cube at the foot of the stairs.

Dean jumped back as the cube hissed and smoked. As the smoke touched the floor, the tiles seemed to melt into liquid. A wide pool formed and the cube sank into the floor. The hall shook, slowly at first, but growing more violent as something rose from the pool. The black liquid continued to grow until the pool was over ten feet around. A creature rose out of the pool. Six-inch black horns thrust out all over its dark red body. Its head was shaped like a wolf with coal black cat eyes. Its arms were grossly large and twisted, ending in bird-like talons. Its legs resembled the hind legs of a large cat. Once its whole body appeared, the tiles solidified, leaving it on solid ground. Its vicious horned head rose nearly as high as that of two grown men. Its black cat eyes lowered to Dean.

“Dean, run,” Oieda screamed from the cage.

The beast sprang forward. Dean fell flat on his stomach. Snarling, it flew over him and slammed into the large doors, which groaned at the impact. Dean got to his feet and raised his sword that suddenly seemed pitifully small against this beast.

“Come and get me,” Dean taunted as he jumped on top of the pillar and over its side.

The beast howled and leapt after its prey. As it landed, Dean ran for the doors again.

“I’m over here, ugly,” Dean sneered.

The beast snarled and, with two great loping strides, sprang at him. Dean ducked low. The shield snapped open. Dean rolled to the side but the creature’s talons ripped across his back and cut through his leather jacket. Again, the creature crashed into the doors and they cracked from the impact.

Dean rose and jumped backward. He whipped his jacket off and held it out to the side. “Toro! Toro!” he called out and waved his coat.

The creature spun around and ran at Dean. Dean dodged the talons, but the creature’s arm slammed into him and knocked him down. He landed hard on his back. The creature stopped and reared up over him; its talons flashed in the light and its eyes burned with hate. Suddenly, an arrow, an axe, and a spear slammed into the creature’s back. Dean scrambled beneath its legs and slashed it across its stomach with his sword. As the creature turned, Dean was already running backward to the doors.

“Come on, break the dumb door,” Dean snarled.

As he reached the door, Dean turned just in time to see the creature fly through the air at him. He dove forward as he thrust his sword up; he heard the beast howl in pain and the door smash into bits. Dean vaulted to his feet, raced through the broken door, past the creature.

“Here demon-kitty. I’m over here and all juicy,” he cried as he leapt out to the first pillar.

The beast rose to its feet and ran after him. The creature lunged forward. Dean pushed sideways and leapt two pillars away. His legs stretched out and his sneakers caught the edge of the pillar. One foot slipped, and Dean started to fall back. His stomach muscles burned as he struggled to stand and not fall to a grisly death.

The beast screeched in agony. Its whole body crashed down into the pool and a wave of acid rose away from it.

“Crud,” Dean screamed as the wave crested the tops of the pillars.

He sprang from pillar to pillar as he raced the wave back toward the broken doors. Dean threw himself toward the edge of the pool. He landed in a heap on the stone. Rising, he could hear the screams of the creature and the hissing of the acid.