Venom and Song (55 page)

Flet Marshall Regis hadn't known about the Gnomes, of course, so she hadn't planned for their phase of the battle. But Migmar was as good with maps as he was with gadgets. Examining the map, he, Thorkber, Sarabell, and the other Gnome military commanders had found drainage pipes through which warriors of their stature might gain access to the fortress. Once inside, the Gnomes would be near an area with water where they could wipe free the ash that hindered their camouflage. And once invisible, Migmar promised to wreak havoc on the enemy in the most inventive ways.

Meanwhile, Grimwarden, Goldarrow, and Charlie would lead a team through a lava tube into the Vesper Crag underground. Regis had plotted a winding course through a bewildering network of tunnels to the catacombs where the Spider King kept his slave population. There were few guard posts noted in that area on the map, but the slaves worked in and among the Warspider breeding chambers.
That can't be good,
thought Tommy. But he knew Grimwarden, Goldarrow, and Mr. Charlie too well to worry about their success.

That left an arduous climb for the young lords over the spiny mountains to an old mine shaft and then through the narrow pass between two peaks into Vesper Crag. It had been carved from the living rock as an escape route for the Gwar, but according to notations on the map, it had mainly been used as a trade road with the Taladrim in the far east. The young lords would take that route and descend into the enemy's stronghold. Kiri Lee's raptor had gone down near one of the fortress's oddly tilting towers. If, by Ellos's hand, Kiri Lee was still alive, the young lords would put her in as secure a location as possible. Then they would go after the Spider King himself. Regis had identified what she believed were the most likely places to find him: a watchtower near the wall, a strategy-plotting chamber, and, finally, the Black Balcony in the high tower where the red light shone. A masterful plan, indeed.

Now if only they could carry it out.

“No guards yet
.” Kat's thought entered Tommy's mind as the young lords marched along the shadowy pass.
“I'm surprised he would leave the back door open like this.”

It's okay with me,
Tommy thought back.
Once we're discovered, we'll likely have more company than we'd ever want
.

“Jimmy?” Tommy whispered back over his shoulder. “Anything yet?”

“Nothin' at all,” said Jimmy. “I'm gettin' no foresight at all right now.”

That news did nothing to cheer Tommy or the others. Sheer walls of dark, reddish-orange stone rose up on either side of them. It was confining . . . smothering.
A trade
-
off,
Tommy thought. They had a secret way into the enemy fortress, but if the Spider King had any thought that they might come that way, he could bury them in this tight place. Flickers of lightning flashed in the narrow space of sky above them, coming from somewhere over the Lightning Fields beyond.

“Tommy,” Johnny whispered from behind. “Did you hear what Regis said about the Gwar armies and stuff . . . up in Canada?”

“Yeah,” Tommy replied. “I did, and I don't much like it.”

“What's he doing in Canada?” asked Autumn. “More slaves?”

“Nah,” said Jett. “It's got to be more than that. Sounds like an invasion force to me.”

“I was thinking the same,” said Tommy.

“Well, that's stupid,” said Jimmy. “We've got better weapons . . . guns, missiles. We've got nukes.”

“The Spider King is a lot of things,” said Kat. “But he's not stupid. He knows about Earth weapons.”

At last they emerged from the narrow pass to find three ramps, each leading over a hundred-foot fall to an arched gate at different levels on a massive cylindrical building. “Get back!” Tommy whispered urgently. They fell back against the mountain wall, hidden in shadow. The clash between Elves and Gwar was still far away . . . more than a mile to the front wall, Tommy estimated. But the top two gates here still had Gwar guards posted.

Okay, we've got to get over there,
thought Tommy to Kat, hoping she'd read his thoughts.
But we don't want to be seen yet
.

“Autumn,”
Kat thought back.
“She could race across, take out the sentries.”

Tommy nodded. She could.
But the bottom gate is unguarded. We'll go that way
. “Lords,” he whispered. “Bottom ramp. Stay low.”

Tommy went first, trying to keep the massive stone ramps between him and the guards above. His bow rattled against his overloaded quiver a little as he hit the ramp. Tommy pulled up, but there was no response from the Gwar. One at a time, the others followed. Autumn came last of all, just a blur.

They stood on either side of the arched gate and wondered what they'd find on the other side of the door. “I'm gettin' something,” said Jimmy. “Ten guards, four at a table, four drinking by a big barrel, two are coming out. They'll kill you if—”

Tommy didn't hesitate a moment. “Jett,” he said, “Autumn and Kat.”

Jett Green, former star halfback for the Greenville Raiders, kicked open the door, crushing one Gwar against the inside wall. The other Gwar stood in shock for a half second too long. Jett planted a crushing punch to the bridge of his nose and finished the falling Gwar with a blow of his hammer.

Autumn raced past Jett, axes flying, and dispatched the Gwar at the table before they could stand up. Kat wasn't as fast as Autumn. No one was. But she was very strong. She threw herself into a slide and kicked the legs out from under one of the Gwar at the barrel, throwing a crushing chop into his throat to finish him. She put her dagger in the eye of another. And by that time, Jett had slammed one of the remaining two Gwar into the wall. Autumn took down the last one. In all, the battle lasted seven seconds.

“Stairs,” said Johnny.

“Good,” said Tommy, rushing over. “Jett, rear guard.”

“Got it.”

It was a steep downward-spiraling staircase, and before long, they found themselves in darkness. “A little light please, Johnny.”

Johnny opened his palm and a lick of fire appeared. Two minutes of descent later, they emerged from the building into a courtyard at the base of the mountains. It was bordered on one side by other stone buildings and somewhat surrounded by dark trees. But the stone of the courtyard and even the limbs of the trees were strewn with carnage.

“Oh, my gosh!” gasped Kat.

Dead raptors and Warflies littered the area. But that was not all. Bodies of Elf and Gwar, badly disfigured or contorted, lay motionless in pools of their own blood. Tommy averted his eyes a moment, fearing for Kiri Lee. Then he steeled himself and said, “Spread out. The fighting is still far ahead, but stay low. Anyone could be watching from any of these towers.”

The search was grim and grueling. The Warflies were huge. Some had scarlet raptors still in their clutches as they crashed to the ground. Tommy recognized some of the other raptor riders among the dead. Come to think of it, Tommy wasn't sure what happened to Ethon Beleron, either. Aviator casualties were very high. Tommy had been a part of the decision to let Kiri Lee lead the air attack. He wished he hadn't. The young lords would be far weaker without her, and they would have lost a dear friend.

“Here!” cried Jimmy. “I found her . . . ahhh, NO!”

The lords raced to his side. There between a thick tree trunk and the base of a narrow turret, Kiri Lee lay facedown upon her raptor. The massive creature was dead.

“She's breathing!” Jett said, his fingers at her neck.

“Turn her over,” said Tommy, “GENTLY, and be careful of her neck.”

“Don't you think I know?” asked Jett. He lay her on her back and cradled her head in his hands. She groaned softly.

“Kiri Lee,” said Jimmy. “Kiri Lee, it's Jimmy. We've come t' help yu.”

But Kiri Lee did not respond. Her cheek and forehead were terribly bruised, with gashes and cuts—probably from crashing through the tree's limbs.

“Look at her stomach,” cried Autumn. Her tunic had come untucked from her breeches in the fall, and they could see beneath the leather armor that Kiri Lee's skin was an ugly dark blue with patches of purple shot through with fingers of red.

“She's bleeding internally, I think,” said Johnny. “I saw something like this on a medical show. They pulled a guy out of a car wreck, looked like that.”

“What happened to the guy?” asked Autumn.

Johnny wouldn't answer.

“Awww, no,” muttered Jimmy. “No, not Kiri Lee.”

“Uh-UHG!” Jett went suddenly rigid. His face became taut, almost stretched.

“Jett!” Tommy yelled.

The muscles rippled in Jett's bare arms; veins appeared and throbbed. His neck flared and thickened.

“Look!” gasped Kat.

The bruising on Kiri Lee's forehead and cheeks faded from the ugly dark colors to lighter shades and then was gone. The gashes and cuts clotted and scabbed, and then melted away as the young lords watched.

“You're healing her,” Johnny blurted out. “But so fast?”

But Jett didn't respond. He seemed in great pain, leaning back and gritting his teeth, but never letting go of Kiri Lee. The massive patch of discolored skin on her stomach rapidly returned to its normal tone.

“Kiri Lee?” tried Jimmy tentatively. “Kiri Lee?”

Her breathing rate increased. Her chest rose higher as she breathed more deeply, and then she opened her eyes. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Huh?” Jimmy frowned. “Jimmy.”

Jett slumped backward, but Tommy was there to keep him from hitting the ground hard.

“Is Jett okay?” asked Kat.

“I think he's asleep,” said Tommy. “He's snoring.”

Kiri Lee surprised them all by sitting up. “What are you doing here? Oh no.” She rubbed her head. “I remember, my raptor, my poor raptor.” She brushed her hand through the creature's feathers and looked up to Jimmy. “Jimmy,” she said. “I was falling . . . seemed like forever”—she turned to Kat—“and I heard you call my name.”

“Well, it was Jett who healed yu,” said Jimmy.

“I was hurt bad?” she asked.

He nodded.

A black blur swept down from above. There came a howling roar. Thick, grooved, and gnarled, a massive hand of branches closed around Kiri Lee's waist. She screamed and fought.

In a flash, Tommy put arrows into both of its wide yellow eyes. Autumn went to work with her axes at the Cragon's base, but another Cragon swept at her.

Rrrrwwwwaah!

Autumn rolled away and raced to safety. More trees around them began to move.

Kat ran to Jett. “Jett, wake up!” she yelled, shaking his shoulders. “Get up! We need to go!”

“What?” he mumbled. “C'mon, Ma . . .”

Then Kat screamed her thought to him:
“JETT GREEN, GET UP THIS INSTANT! ”

Jett's eyes snapped open, and he slowly stood up. “I'm tired,” he said.

“No time!” Then Kat yelled to Tommy, “That building . . . the one with the black flags . . . that's got to be the stronghold.”

“Got it!” he yelled back. “Go! We'll catch up!” Kat helped Jett get to cover.

The Cragons closed in, as one still held tight to Kiri Lee. Tommy nocked another arrow and pulled the bowstring back beyond his ear, so far he was afraid the bow might snap. Tommy released it. The arrow disappeared between the creature's already impaled eyes.

Rrrrww—
its breath cut off, the creature released Kiri Lee and then fell backward. Twigs and leaves shot skyward with the impact, the ground shaking underfoot.

“Let's go!” Tommy yelled to her.

“What?” Kiri Lee exclaimed.

Autumn, Jimmy, and Johnny looked up. “Aren't we going to stay and fight?” asked Johnny.

“We're not,” said Tommy. “But you are, Stove Top.”

Tommy motioned for the others to follow, and he led them through a gauntlet of rooty feet and grasping long hands. “Across there,” he said to Autumn, Jimmy, and Kiri Lee. “Kat and Jett are there beneath that arch. I'll be right there.”

He kept walking but turned back for a moment. “We'll wait at the first cross tunnel,” Tommy called back, but before he rounded the corner, he glared at his friend. “Burn 'em, Johnny,” he said, “to ashes.”

Johnny Briarman thought of his parents and his aunt on Earth, all they'd been through, and were going through. He thought of Nelly.

There were eleven Cragon trees advancing on Johnny. Eleven hulking beasts against one thirteen-year-old boy. But Johnny faced them. And fire was in his hands.

37
A Stirring Revolt

“I THINK we're getting closer,” Grimwarden said, raising the torch higher. This narrow tunnel was completely dark. But as the three walked on, a soft red light began to emerge ahead. Along with the stifling heat and the acrid smell, a low pulsing sound resonated in their ears. Goldarrow thought that if she were here for any length of time, the sound would give her a headache. Before long, the tunnel spit them out into a massive cavern, even hotter than the tunnel, and cast in a lurid red light.