The Angel's Command (40 page)

Four shots sounded out simultaneously. The sound was deafening—it sent echoes rebounding for miles in the high, clear mountain atmosphere. It was like the end of the world! The gunfire was preceded by an immense rumble which shook the very slopes. There was a noise like a great
kraaaaawwwkkk!
An entire section of the mountain peak fell away. Ligran Razan and the henchmen standing outside the cave vanished in a heavy white curtain, as did the entire mouth of the Razan stronghold, everyone inside it entombed in countless thousands of tons of ice, rock and snow.

Whipping wind and snow particles stung Ben's face as he lay flat, clinging to his faithful dog. The huge sledge was skimming down the mountainside faster than any arrow from a bow. Ben's and Ned's thoughts were blended in one almighty yell that would not issue from their mouths.
“Yeeeeeeeooooooowwwwww!”

Dominic's fingernails felt as if they were cracking as he clung to the door like a leech. The bear had both front paws flat across Karay, its claws clamped into the wood as it held itself and the girl down. Ben had Ned's collar between his teeth, and the dog lay with him, both trapped beneath Arnela's back. They hit a bank, plowing through it like lightning; then, covered in snow, the massive toboggan crested a small ice-clad outcrop and left the ground, sailing out into midair like a bird. The only sound was the wind. All of them, with their eyes tightly shut, knew they were no longer on solid ground. Whirling snowflakes and shrieking wind engulfed them for what seemed an age.

Then came a sickening bump that ripped the breath from their lungs. A bang! They were still rushing onward, though now touching the earth. A crash! Always moving down, hurtling forward. A ripping sound! A
thud!
A loud
swoosh!
A grating noise, followed by a final earsplitting . . .
bang!
Then there was blackness and enveloping silence.

27

IT WAS NIGHT. BEN KNEW THIS AS HIS eyes opened—he was facing a star-strewn sky and a half-moon of pure beaten silver. But his legs would not move. Panic overcame him. He sat up rigid and knocked the back of his head on a tree. Ben saw more stars then. When they dispersed, he sat up again, gingerly, and discovered that a heap of frozen snow had buried his legs from toes to thighs. Slowly, laboriously, he forced his numbed hands to dig himself free. His entire body was one great ache, and his hair was frozen stiff. Instantly another panicked thought flashed through his mind. Ned, where was Ned?

A reply came back promptly to Ben. “I think I've joined the angels, mate. Try not to grieve too much.”

Ben pulled his legs free. “Ned, where are you?”

“Right above your head, you great frosted lump. Look up!”

There was the faithful hound, draped over a fir branch three feet above his master's head. He wagged his tail carefully. “I'm coming down, get ready to catch me. One, two . . .”

The black Labrador landed in Ben's outstretched arms, knocking them both flat in the snow. They lay for a moment, exhausted.

“Maaaaah!”
A bleat rang out, followed by Arnela's voice. “Ajax the Less, stop nibbling my sleeves, they're ragged enough as it is. Be still!”

Ben and Ned struggled upright as the big goatherd woman came scrunching through the deep-packed snow with a young goat tucked under one arm. She waved to Ben and Ned. “Good evening! Have ye seen the other two and that old bear?”

Ben shook his head. “Not so far. We haven't even checked to see if we're in one piece yet, have we, Ned?”

The dog shook his head no. Arnela chuckled. “You've got the cleverest dog in the world there, Ben, he's worth all my goats put together. Well, here we are, still alive, no thanks to my foolishness. Just look at this mountain—it'll never be the same again. It's a good job the avalanche fell mainly to the left and we shot off to the right. I must've been mad, flying you all down the mountain and telling you to fire all the pistols like that. 'Twas sheer insanity!”

Ben ran to his big friend and hugged her. “You saved our lives, Arnela. Trouble like we were in calls for desperate measures. I dread to think what those Razan might've done to us if we'd been recaptured.”

Arnela ruffled Ben's hair, loosening the ice from it. The little goat, Ajax the Less, maaaaahed piteously as the goatherd spoke to him like a spoiled child. “Huh, don't think I'm going to carry you around, stroking ye all night. Go on, off home, young rip, tell your mamma I won't be long.”

She turned to Ben and Ned. “You two go with him, the cave's just below this ridge. I had to dig my way into it. The stream and pool have gone, vanished somewhere, but my goats all survived by staying inside. Nothing's the same since we brought the mountain peak down. I'll search for the others, don't worry. Well, go on, you pair! Do something useful, light a fire, put some water on to boil, search about and find something to cook—that's if those goats haven't eaten everything. Ooh, that Pantyro, I'm going to have a word or two with him when I get time!”

Ben stood shivering in the cold, reluctant to desert Arnela. “Are you sure you'll be alright?”

She lifted him bodily until they were face-to-face. “Why shouldn't I be? Nobody knows this mountain the way I do. You'd only be in the way. I'll find them, go on, off with you!”

Without the pool and the pretty little waterfall, the cave was just a black hole in the snow. Ned ambled in, shouldering goats aside as he passed Ben a thought. “Arnela's already lit the lanterns, thank goodness. Whew, this place smells a bit goaty, though. What a mess!”

Ben took dry pine branches, moss and charcoal, stacking them in the rift that served as a fireplace. He listened to his dog complaining.

“Ahoy there, mate, that's my tail, not a midnight snack! Hmph! You goats, you've been living here like, like . . . animals!”

Ben lit the fire from a lantern, then winked at Ned. “At least animals are more civilised than the Razan. Chase some of the bigger goats out, Ned. It'll make a bit more room in here, and the fresh air will do them good!”

Behind the slate slabs that served as a larder, Ben found goat cheese, some eggs and a few hard barley cakes. He boiled six eggs in the water cauldron. Spreading the cheese on the barley cakes, he sat toasting them. Ned sat by his side, enjoying the warmth from the fire. After all they had been through, Ben's mind was like his body, numbed and exhausted. They ate some of the food, then sat together, eyelids drooping, heads nodding, not attempting to resist the temptation of sleep.

Then a voice roused them instantly. “Here, what's all this? No supper for me?”

Dominic staggered in and fell against Ned. He slumped there. “Never thought I'd see a nice warm fire again 'til I spotted this cave. I saw the light glimmering and made straight for it.”

Ben rubbed his eyes and blinked. “Welcome home, Dom, where did you get to? Arnela's out looking for you. Have you seen Karay or our bear in your travels?”

Ice water trickled out of Dominic's hair and ran down his cheeks. “No, Ben, I'm afraid not. First thing I knew when I came around was that I was upside down in a snow-drift. Water dripping up my nose woke me—it took me ages to get free. After that I just blundered about among some tiny trees. Then when I took stock of where I was, I realised I was somewhere in the foothills—the trees were so small because snow and ice from the avalanche had filled the valley. I was actually walking amongst treetops, not tiny trees! Can you believe it? Good job you lit the fire, or I might've wandered about until I collapsed and froze to death!”

Ben watched Dominic tearing ravenously into bread and toasted cheese. “Thank heaven
you're
alive, Dom!”

The facemaker nodded upward. “More than you can say for those Razan villains. Nobody up there could've survived the avalanche. Though if any did, they'd have been far worse off. Imagine being entombed alive in those caves, a living death!”

Ben stared into the glowing charcoal fire. “Don't forget that the tunnels ran downward, the debris would have showered into there and filled the caves in a flash. They'd have been slain in the wink of an eye. The Razan are gone forever, I'd bet my life on that.”

Dominic covered his eyes with his arm as he murmured, “And Adamo, too, if he was in there.”

Ben was forced to agree with his friend. “Aye, our mission failed, even though we rid the comte of the curse of Razan. Though I remember Maguda telling me that Adamo was already dead. She said it in a strange way—I can't recall her exact words. Perhaps tomorrow, when I'm not so tired, it'll come back to me.”

 
Both boys and the dog had fallen asleep in front of the fire. Ben's mind was free of everything. It was like being unconscious, a merciful blackness. Most of the goats curled up around them, wanting to be close to the warmth. It was quiet and peaceful inside the cave. Outside, the night was still, amidst the devastation wrought by the avalanche.

It was in the hour before dawn that Arnela returned. The goats began bleating as the giant figure of their mistress ducked into the cave entrance. Ned leapt up and ran to greet her. His bark wakened Ben and Dominic, and both boys began firing anxious questions at the big woman.

“Where's Karay, did you find her?”

“She's not injured . . . or dead?”

The goats began bleating furiously. They hurried to the back of the cave and continued with their din.

Arnela lifted both arms and roared, “Silence! All of you!”

Everybody, dog, boys and goats, went quiet. Arnela continued in a normal voice. “No, Karay is not dead or injured. I never found her . . . he did.” The bear shambled in on its hind legs carrying the girl. He placed her gently on the ground between the two boys. Bleating aloud with terror, the goats fled the cave.

Arnela warmed her hands at the fire. “I discovered the bear roaming around carrying the girl. He would not let me near her. So I got it to follow me, and here we are. That's all I can tell you.”

Ben echoed Ned's thought. “Except to say that we're all alive and together again!”

 
Morning light filtered into the cave onto a curious scene. The goats huddled in the entrance, fearing to enter lest the bear devour them. Karay, unharmed, sat up drinking herbal tea and gazing affectionately at the sleeping bear. Steam rose from his fur as he lay close to her. The girl stroked him gently. “He stayed with me, carried me and protected me. But why?”

Dominic scratched his head. “Who can say? Perhaps it was because you showed him kindness. It was you who would not leave him in that cell, Karay. You insisted from the first moment you set eyes on him that you would rescue him. He looks like a good creature. Can I stroke him?”

Karay smiled. “Go on, he won't bite you.”

Dominic patted the beast's head gingerly. The bear seemed peaceful enough. Encouraged by this, Dominic scratched behind the bear's collar, the way he would with Ned. He was thrown aside as the bear sat bolt upright, pawing at the metal collar that circled his neck.

Karay spoke soothingly to him, placing her cheek against the bear's huge paw. “Hush now, my poor friend, did he hurt you? Well, I'm sure Dominic didn't mean to, did you, Dom?”

The creature turned his great sad liquid eyes toward Dominic, who stared into them for a moment. He gasped. “Ben, Arnela, get those lanterns and bring them closer to its face—there's something strange about this animal!”

Karay hugged her bear protectively. “Don't hurt him or frighten him. I'll never speak to any of you again if you do!”

Ben reassured her. “I promise we won't. Let Dominic take a look at him—your bear is safe with us, pal.”

Plucking up his courage, Dominic sat as close to the bear as he could. Arnela and Ben held the lanterns close while Karay hovered behind the bear, anxiety in her voice.

“What is it, Dominic, what d'you see? Oh, please tell me!”

The Facemaker of Sabada blinked as he gazed deep into the bear's eyes. He blinked again but could not stop the tears that coursed down his face as he sobbed, “It's a man! A man imprisoned in a bear's hide!”

The bear nodded its head, as far as the spiked collar would allow, and gave a long, anguished groan.

Ned was invading Ben's thoughts. “Well, don't sit there gaping, get the poor wretch out!”

Arnela drew her sharp, hook-bladed knife. “I'll free him from that filthy skin!”

Karay held out her hand to the goatherd. “No, friend, I will. Give me the blade. See if you can find soft cloth, or moss, then soak it in warm water. Oh, and have you got anything that'll cut through his collar?”

Karay came around and took the bear's face in both hands. “Be quite still, trust me, I won't harm you.”