The Bone Door, page 11
The temperature soared as he stepped within. Sweat pooled in the nape of his neck. The scent was strangely fresh, like a sea breeze, though there couldn’t be much air down here.
The wyrm’s body was the same blue-green as the water. And there was a lot of body. It dipped in and out of the surface. The parts he could see were covered with iridescent scales, and she was long and legless, like a giant snake. Her head was lizard-like, with two sharp curling horns and a mane of seaweed hair.
Just as Sunny had said, she was asleep. Her snores rumbled so deeply the water trembled, dust falling in showers across the cavern.
A tug at his arm. Little pointed insistently to a far corner.
There was a rock nest and nestled inside was one small golden egg, about the size of Hop’s hand. The wyrm’s thick body almost completely entwined it. She was sleeping so deeply, perhaps she would not wake if Hop was to sneak over and snatch it.
‘You want to steal it.’
‘I don’t!’ Hop said, spinning around. ‘I don’t want to steal it.’
‘Nobody said you did,’ Sunny said quietly.
‘What a grand idea!’ Storm said, but then lowered her voice at her brother’s shushing. ‘Far better than asking her nicely, which, let’s be honest, would end with us missing even more pieces. We could creep quietly up to the egg. Well . . . Sunny and I couldn’t, we have these noisy legs. And Amber couldn’t, she’s blind, and Bear couldn’t, being a coward and all. That leaves you – Hop.’
Sunny nodded. ‘And of all the ways to die, dragon attack is the most memorable.’
The cavern creaked and moaned with the wyrm’s snores. ‘But it’s stealing.’
Not just stealing. Stealing a child. And that thought was so abhorrent it made his skin crawl.
‘Don’t pretend you don’t want to,’ the Shadow-man said in his head. ‘I know all the terrible urges you feel.’
No. He didn’t. A fleeting thought controlled by fear – how much easier it would be to step between her body and slip the egg from the nest. ‘We can’t. She’s a living thing and you shouldn’t steal people’s babies. I’m going to ask her.’
‘Hop,’ Amber said sharply. ‘Are you sure about this?’
‘I know what you really are. Monster.’
The wyrm had given him no reason to fear it. She hadn’t attacked him or anything. If he assumed she would hurt him, he would be as bad as the twins had been with Bear. Throwing rocks at a cowering boy because they were scared. ‘Yes. I’m sure. You stay here.’
‘Fine. But please don’t get yourself eaten.’
‘I’ll try my best!’
Hop shuffled around the lake to the other bank, where the wyrm’s head was snoozing outside of the water. There wasn’t a lot of room on the winding paths, so he had to press his body to the wall, gripping the crumbling rock so he didn’t fall in.
‘You’re right,’ Skully said, ‘nobody should steal children from mothers, but I don’t know many who would willingly give up their offspring either.’
The wyrm still slept soundly as Hop reached her. Blasts of hot air sent his scarf fluttering behind him.
He was also very near the egg. So gold and shiny.
‘Tempting, isn’t it, Monster?’
No. He did not have to steal or sacrifice children to save his friends. He was not like those people with their offerings on the tree stumps.
Hop’s hand trembled as he reached towards her. No need to be afraid. This would go fine. It had to.
He tapped the wyrm on her head. ‘Sorry to wake you, but I’ve got something really important to ask.’
The wyrm snored.
He poked again. ‘Excuse me.’
The wyrm stirred. Her great body shifted, scales contracting as her head rose off the bank. Her seaweed mane sprayed Hop with warm water. Then her eyes fixed upon him.
They were ice-blue. The same shade as the Shadow-man’s.
Every word lodged in his throat.
‘You have entered my chamber.’ The wyrm’s voice rumbled with age, but there was a sultriness to it. A confidence. Hop understood her perfectly. It seems he did speak dragon. ‘You have woken me from my sssslumber.’ The ‘s’ sound dragged out, her forked tongue lashing against sharp teeth.
‘Yes,’ he said finally. ‘I did both those things.’
‘You therefore wisssh to be devoured.’
‘No!’ He held up his hands. ‘I’m not here to fight. I just want to talk. My name’s Hop. Do you have one?’
His skin prickled as her gaze passed over him. Those eyes seemed to be searching for something. Whatever she found seemed to convince her to not immediately eat him. ‘Sssome call me Caoránach. I am the mother of all monstersss and devilsss.’
‘Nice to meet you, Caoránach.’
‘You have come to the wrong placccce.’ She lowered her head, white teeth flashing. ‘Leave and take your many soulsss with you.’
He avoided glancing back at his friends, across the lake. ‘You really are very beautiful, Caoránach,’ he said, smiling brightly. ‘Your scales are such a fetching colour.’
‘Your human idealsss of beauty are irrelevant. Sssay why you have come, sssoul-bearer.’
‘Careful,’ Skully said. ‘Think about what you’re asking of her.’
He was asking her to give up her young. Flattery wouldn’t be enough.
‘For millennia I have ruled. I have feassssted. But there is a change in the air. I feel it in my bonesss. The ssscales are unbalanced. A great reckoning is coming. And it is sssouls like you who have brought it about. Why ssssshould I not kill you where you sssstand?’
Was this what Granny had talked about? The God-folk coming, to purge the world of all monsters. Including this one?
How must that feel, to be the mightiest monster in the land, unchallenged and fearless, and then suddenly to know something even greater than you approaches?
She was scared, and he knew fear. He could use this. ‘I can help you. The God-folk are coming because of what the people are doing to their . . .’ He couldn’t say the word ‘children’. His memory had taken those corpses and turned them into jam and shortbread. ‘Because of what the people are doing. But I can find a way to stop them.’ He wasn’t sure how, but that could be worked out later.
Her blue eyes glittered. ‘And what do you asssk in return?’
Hop took a step closer. ‘Give me your egg, please.’
She reared back, her body wrapping around the nest. ‘You come to ssssteal my young.’
‘I’m not stealing. I’m asking.’
‘And I am sssaying no.’
‘But I promise I’ll find a way to stop what they’re doing and—’
‘You would sssooner stop the tides,’ she hissed. ‘You would sssooner stop the sssun from rising and the planet from ssspinning. Do not make promises you cannot keep. Essspecially not with me, sssoul-bearer.’
The moon was still glowing on Hop’s arm, but he felt the weight of seconds pressing down upon him. ‘Please, I need that egg to save my friends.’
She looked behind her, at his friends standing by the entrance. ‘Friendsss? These are your friendsss? How ssssweet.’
Hop didn’t like the hungry way her eyes devoured them. ‘I promised them I’d get them to safety.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I care about them.’
Her head snapped back to him. A glint of teeth. ‘I will allow you to take the egg.’
His heart soared.
‘For a pricccce.’ Her mouth twisted into a mockery of a smile. ‘I will give you my young, for one of yoursss.’
‘I don’t have any young. I’m eleven.’
‘The young you have brought with you. I will have one of thosssse. I care not which.’
Hop’s body went cold. ‘My friends? I can’t—’
‘Take or leave it.’ Her tail hit the water, spraying the others at the far bank.
‘Hop!’ Amber called from across the lake. ‘What’s going on?’
‘She wants to swap it for one of you. We’ll find another way,’ Hop yelled.
‘We’re nearly out of time. We get the egg now and maybe make it to the door, or we don’t and we’re stuck here forever.’
‘I’m not going to sacrifice any of you,’ he said.
‘Use your head for once. This is just the first room. I’m going to bet the other missions will be harder. We need strong people. A weak link could doom us,’ Amber said.
The twins were both looking in the same direction – at Bear.
The boy stared down at the ground, shoulders slumped.
Hop’s heart ached. ‘You want to leave Bear here?’
Silence.
‘You sssseee?’ The wyrm’s mane swayed back and forth. ‘They underssssstand. Weakness is a disssssease.’
Only Little seemed to care; she tried to take Bear’s hands, but they drew together at his chest. His body appeared to be sinking in on itself. He believed so ardently that he was weak, and the others had just confirmed it.
‘You know it makes sense. The wheat must be separated from the chaff.’
He’s already wasted so much time. Bear had to be comforted at the boulder, and again in the darkness before the cavern. How many lives will it cost? He is the weak link.
Hop realized, with a start, that those thoughts were not the Shadow-man’s, but his own.
‘It’s okay,’ Bear said, though he didn’t raise his head. ‘I know what I’m wo-wo-worth.’
‘Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.’
Hop had made promises to everyone. He’d promised Little he would reunite her with her daddy. Promised he’d get the twins out so they’d never go hungry again. Promised he would never abandon Bear or Amber.
He had made so many promises.
Caoránach was right. He shouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. Maybe the Shadow-man was right too, and Dolores. Perhaps he was a person capable of terrible things.
He turned to Caoránach. ‘You can have him.’
‘Which one?’
‘The big one.’ He pointed across the water.
As she turned, her body loosened around the nest.
Hop leaped across her long, slithery back and landed with a thunk in the nest. He snatched the egg and stuffed it beneath his shirt.
‘Run!’ he screamed, climbing back over the nest. ‘RUN, BEAR!’
Caoránach’s head snapped back to Hop. Her eyes flew to her empty nest. ‘Thief! Sssstealer of children! Hunter! Dessstroyer!’
He sprinted across the bank, rushing for the wall.
Caoránach’s tail ploughed into him, sweeping him off his feet. He slammed into something hard. Tremors sparked down his body. Then he was falling through space, spinning over and over.
He clutched the egg to his chest and thought of his father.
The water hit him like a blade of ice. His entire body throbbed as he plummeted down into the depths of the lake.
He tried to move but he wasn’t sure how. He had no idea how to swim. He hadn’t forgotten. He had never learned.
The lake bed was glowing; a constant blue-green haze of light surrounded him. And it was strangely warm. For a moment, Hop almost felt peaceful.
A thunderous noise echoed above.
His lungs burned for air.
A yank on his scarf.
He turned, forcing his aching legs to kick.
Bear appeared beside him, paddling in the water. Bear, who had hyperventilated at the thought of entering this cavern, had dived into the water for him.
The larger boy grasped hold of his scarf and swam up, dragging Hop with him. Hop tried to kick, but he was so tired he barely shifted. The scarf tightened around his neck. Hop tried to wave his arm, to get Bear to stop before he ended up strangling him, but he was too weak to move.
A large form slammed into the water, sending them tumbling sideways, spinning out of control.
Hop’s leg caught in something, almost yanking his knee out of the socket. As he struggled to free himself, he realized what it was – seaweed hair. Connected to a spiked head, and a great gnashing mouth.
Caoránach’s sharp teeth nipped at him as he grasped desperately at his leg, trying to unravel the knotted seaweed mess.
A sharp jab of pain.
Then blood in the water. So much blood. Everything turned red.
Caoránach reared up suddenly, as if distracted. The motion let Hop shimmy his leg loose. He was free. But Bear was nowhere to be found.
Darkness edged around his vision. His lungs screamed for air he could not give them.
The egg was warm against his chest, pumping a fast heartbeat to Hop’s slowing one.
Hands upon him, lifting his head. A glimpse of gleaming amber orbs where eyes should be. Their foreheads met, then her lips were on his.
Amber released a breath, pushing it into his lungs. A tiny thing, but he took it, was unable not to.
It bought him seconds. Seconds where Amber’s hands fell slackly from his face, and her head tilted back. Seconds where the water moved strangely. Swirling and dancing and then pushed away as if by a great unseen force. Hop and Amber crashed to the lake bed, suddenly absent of water. He gasped for precious air while she lay still in his arms. Breathing. But barely.
The others were there too, dotted around him and drenched to the bone.
They were inside a bubble of air at the bottom of the lake. Water continued to flow beside, behind and above them. But it did not breach their perfect bubble.
Bear and Sunny were both standing, though the former was hacking up water. Hop slung Amber’s arm over his shoulder, her head slumping on to her chest.
‘What is this? And where’s Little?’ Hop asked.
‘Forget that, we need to go! Now. Like now now or we die now now!’ Storm yelled. ‘Can this weird bubble move or—’
At her words, her brother stepped forward, and the bubble moved.
‘Uh. Yeah. Like that,’ Storm said.
Hop dragged Amber to her feet; if they didn’t keep within the bubble they’d be sucked back into the watery depths. Amber wouldn’t survive that.
Hop staggered along, Sunny leading the way as the bubble carved a perfect path through the water.
‘Where did this bubble come from? Skully, did you see anything?’ Hop asked.
‘No. If I had arms I would shrug.’
The bubble approached the far bank, and with a bit of climbing they managed to scramble on to solid ground.
Behind him, Caoránach thrashed against the rocks as she tried to reach them. In her rage, she seemed to have dislodged more rocks from her chamber. The archway they entered through was littered with them. They could still squeeze through, but her? Probably not. Hopefully not.
‘You cannot esssscape me, sssstealer of children!’ Dust rained down. ‘You are plague! Hunter! Killer! Ssssoul-stealer.’
Hop scrambled through the archway, cradling the egg with one hand and dragging Amber with the other.
‘It issss in your nature! Darkness callssss to you. You cannot esssscape it!’
Only when Hop could no longer hear her cries did he stop running.
He laid Amber against the wall. Her breaths were shallow.
Small hands appeared at her cheeks, rubbing warmth into them. Little.
‘You’re so fast,’ he said. ‘And quick and clever, do you know that? You’re a survivor.’
Her face scrunched up happily.
‘What was that bubble thing?’ Storm asked.
‘I’m not sure, but it saved our lives,’ Hop said.
‘Did you see anything, Sunny? Brother? Helloooo?’ Storm waved her hand in front of Sunny. He stood completely still, his head hanging listlessly. ‘We need to get out of here before—’
Sunny’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and staring. They flicked over everyone – Storm before him, Bear trembling as he cleaned his glasses, Little and Amber on the floor –then finally they fixed upon Hop.
Sunny’s face never betrayed much emotion, but the way he looked at Hop was so strange it made him shiver. An upturn of the lips, something unnatural moving behind his eyes. He did not look like Sunny.
‘Are you o—’
Sunny leaped upon Hop, smashing him to the ground. His hand slammed into Hop’s throat, instantly winding him. His fingers dug into the flesh and squeezed.
Hop kicked, but it was like trying to move ten Bears at once. Sunny was impossibly strong for a boy with only one arm who was smaller than Hop.
‘Traitor,’ he spat, lips curling back from his teeth. ‘Traitor. Trai—’ Sunny was wrenched back, his one hand still grasping madly for Hop’s neck.
Amber’s legs were wrapped around his waist and Storm’s arm around his throat. The three of them hit the floor, but Sunny was still writhing and screaming, foaming at the mouth with every ‘Traitor!’
Bear rushed to Hop. ‘Are you okay?’
Amber had pinned Sunny to the ground and was muttering in his ear as he raged.
Storm staggered back, watching her twin in horror. She looked so odd stripped of all her toothless smiles. ‘What’s wrong with my brother?’
Sunny’s body went slack. The last ‘Traitor!’ died on his lips.
Storm tore Amber off him. His eyes were closed, his limbs lifeless. ‘What have you done? You’ve hurt him!’
‘I hurt him ?’ Amber spluttered. ‘What class of eejit are you? He tried to kill Hop!’
Hop touched his tender neck. If it wasn’t for the stinging pain, he wouldn’t believe that had happened.
‘Sunny?’ Storm shook him.
‘Relax,’ Amber said. ‘I only knocked him out. Though he deserves worse. Gods, are you all off your fecking rockers?’
Sunny mumbled incomprehensibly, his legs twitching.
‘Here, sit.’ Storm helped him up.
Amber pounced protectively before Hop. ‘Think very carefully about what you do next.’
Sunny blinked groggily as he stared at them – Storm almost weeping, Little with her face buried in quivering hands, Bear kneeling beside Hop, and Amber breathless and vengeful.
And last of all, Hop.
