Roland's Castle (18 page)

“What is on all these levels?”
Roland asked.

Botherworth answered, “Things,
stuff, gizmos, a few kingdoms and empires, some folk of various
types, kinds and descriptions, other bric-a-brac – and a few
monsters. Sort of stuff you put in the attic and forget about until
one day it comes out and gets you…,” and with they heard a sound,
like a combination of moaning, growling and roaring, followed by an
aggressive snort, coming from one of the levels they were
passing.

“Sounds like you’ve got some
clearing out to do,” Oliver said to Roland.

“First things first,” Roland
replied.

“We’ll soon be there! Won’t it be
wonderful! Yet another adventure!” Goodwill chirped up. Botherworth
looked at him accusingly, “Why are you so cheerful all the
time?”

“Many reasons,” Goodwill replied,
“The joy of each new day, the joy of wonderful companions, the joy
of each new adventure. The joy of joy itself!”

“Sounds awful.” Botherworth said,
“Can’t you take summink for it?

As the lift continued to rise they
emerged from the visible part of the shaft and were suddenly
drenched in blinding sunlight and surrounded by blue sky. Now it
was as if the lift were simply flying upwards through the air as
nothing was visible around it except for the shining spiral that
Roland had seen when the scuttler had fired its lightning bolt.

“That’s what the tower actually
looks like,” Roland said.

“It’s beautiful!” Oliver said.

“It is!” Savitri said “Powerful
looking to - and deadly, I hope!”

Outside the spiral, in the
distance, they could see black specks circling. They seemed to be
winged creatures and at first Roland thought they were birds, maybe
crows, but quickly the specks began to gather and get closer, still
circling but in an ever tighter circumference.

“They’ve seen us!” Botherworth
said, “Damn vermin!” and he grasped his brush.

As they watched one of the specks
broke off from the rest of the swarm and started flying straight
towards them.

As it got closer they could see
that it consisted of smoke – smoke that looked like it was from a
fire that had died and gone cold long ago, but whose destruction
still lingered as a cloak of dark and rage.

“It’s a big'un,” Botherworth said,
“Nasty bloomin’ thing.”

It was close enough now for them to
see that from it’s front stretched a long neck, at the end of which
was a tiny head with a hideous, shrivelled face. Alongside the neck
were many tentacles that seemed to change in number as they
wriggled and squirmed and grasped at the air in front of it.

It was a thing that had to fill any
watcher with horror, particularly those in its path.

It was only yards away now,
approaching quickly. Within a second it had seized the cage and
given it a mighty shake that threw all of its occupants off of
their feet. At the same time the creature let out a deep growl of
rage and divided into a thousand tentacles that invaded the cage
through the bars. It shook the lift again.

The first back on his feet was
Botherworth, who grabbed up his broom and started thrusting it
through the bars into the thing, “Shoo! Shoo! I told you lot
before! It’ll be traps and poison! Don’t make me get the
exterminator in!”

“You really think these things are
just vermin
?” Roland yelled at Botherworth.

Savitri and Roland drew their
swords and Oliver loaded his bow.

They quickly found that the
tentacles were vulnerable to weapons. Savitri and Roland went
around the lift cutting them off. The ends wriggled and died on the
floor as the stumps shrivelled back through the bars. Oliver shot
an arrow, then another. Both disappeared into the smoke but
obviously found some sort of target inside the creature as it
roared and flinched back, then retreated.

They had fought off one, but
looking out again they saw that the whole swarm was now flying
towards the cage.

“Stripe me! They’ve been breeding
up here!” Botherworth said.

Even Botherworth’s bravado couldn’t
dispel the dread that they felt watching the mass of creatures
approach them. The sky itself turned black as they blocked out the
sun.

“Stand by!” Roland said, realising
that they were all going to hit the cage at once and with great
force.

When the creatures hit it was as if
they hit all at once. There was tremendous bang and a jolt that
went through all of them like a body blow. The impact sent the
occupants of the lift flying against the bars. For a few moments
Roland was dazed. As he came to he could hear the swish of smoky
tentacles above his head. He looked up but there was nothing to
see. All was blackness. Nevertheless, he had the eerie sense that a
thousand eyes were watching, looking inwards through the bars.
There was now a stench in the lift, like that of old stale, dead
smoke combined with the smell of rotting flesh.

Savitri found her tinder box and
managed to strike a light. The moment she did so a smoky tentacle
struck it from her hand, the flame dying as the box hit the floor.
For a second they had all caught a glimpse of what was around them
– a million tentacles, feeling, grasping, seeking. It had been less
scary with the lights off.

“Oh my goodness! Things aren’t
going very well, are they?” Goodwill said

“Aren’t they?” Botherworth said
sarcastically.

As they spoke there was a deep
groaning sound and they were thrown on their feet once more as the
lift was tipped sideways. They rolled down against the bars before
being flung back the other way.

“They’re trying to break the lift
shaft,” Botherworth explained.

The metallic creaking and groaning
went on as they continued to be thrown around.

Several times they were flung as
high as the roof, only to be pulled down again to the floor. Roland
felt his arm break and the sound of shattering bones was coming
from the others. They were all crying out in pain. It was obvious
that none of them were going to be in any fit state to continue
with the quest, even if they got out of this alive, which itself
seemed impossible.

Just as those bleak thoughts
invaded his mind Roland noticed that the smoke was stirring, as if
it were wavering and having some disagreement with itself, as if
parts of it wanted to flee and other parts wished to stay. It was
as if it sensed some enemy was about to descend upon it. Then, like
a shawl being pulled off, the Sh’Mordra were simply gone, as if
they had been brushed away by a great hand. Once more Roland and
his companions felt pure, sweet sunlight. It was miraculous and
Roland felt the full
force
of joy.

As he bathed in the fresh light
Roland heard a voice, coming not from outside but from inside him.
He recognised it as his mother’s. It said but one word, hushed as
if from a cloudlike dream, and full of love. “
Roland.”

He fell unconscious.

He awoke to find himself amidst the
others on the floor of the lift, which had now come to a halt. They
were all waking up as if from a deep sleep. For a few moments
Roland couldn’t recall where he was but then remembered the attack
by the Sh’Mordra. He remembered that his arm had been broken and
felt a sense of panic. He felt his arm. Now it was perfectly
alright. He looked around at the others. As they stood up it was
clear that their injuries had also been healed.

“What happened?” Savitri asked.

“We had some help,” Roland said,
“Is everyone alright?”

“I think so,” Oliver said, “As
alright as we can be…”

“It was quite a trip one way and
another, wasn’t it?” Brother Goodwill commented.

“You noticed that, did you?”
Botherworth said.

“It isn’t over yet,” Roland
said.

The lift had stopped in a shaft,
like the one they had passed through before emerging into the sky.
Blocking the lift was a solid wooden door.

“We’re here, I suppose,” Roland
said.

The First Plain of the sky? Oliver
asked.

Roland shrugged.

“So what exactly is it?” Oliver
pressed, “We are not just going to step out onto clouds are we?
Presumably this plain is between the earth and the sky, or above
the sky, with another sky and more clouds above it?”

“Wherever you go is clouds,”
Botherworth said dismally, “Clouds above, clouds below.”

“Ah! But some of them are nice
bright shiny clouds!” Brother Goodwill said perkily.

“’Ere we go,” Botherworth said,
shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

“if we can walk on it, how does the
sun shine through it?” Oliver asked, still concerned and
puzzled.

“I don’t think my mother helped us
just to let us set foot onto thin mist,” Roland said,

“Anyway, we will have to see —
let’s go be
adventurers
!” And he turned to Botherworth, “If
you would be so kind as to unlock the door,
Mister
Botherworth”

Botherworth unlocked the door and
they stepped through.

Before them was a landscape that
looked as if it had been dug by a million giant moles working
together with a million giant rabbits. There were hollows and
mounds and after that yet more hollows and mounds, all much higher
and deeper than a man is tall. The mounds consisted of rocks and
rubble and other stuff that had obviously been dug out of the
hollows. It was a daunting landscape and one that would require
strength and energy to cross.

“It looks like a giant Arraranx has
been at work,” Botherworth said.

“What’s one of those?” Oliver
asked.

“You don’t want to know… You really
don’t want to know…,” Botherworth said.

“Look, you’re always trying to put
us off doing things,” Oliver told him, “Perhaps its time for a more
positive attitude, eh? Look at Brother Goodwill—” and the brother
smiled.

Botherworth responded, “It’s
looking at him so joyful that makes me miserable….” He turned to
Roland, “Anyway, I suppose I really ought to wish you ‘good luck’
on your quest. You’re certainly going to need it! Now, I got things
to do so if you’ll excuse me…”

“And where are you off to?” Roland
asked.

“Downstairs, where my job is, where
I’ve got things to do - when I am not being pestered by kids and
other nuisances…”

“What!” Gasped Oliver, “Aren’t you
afraid of those black cloud things! After what we’ve just been
through!”

But Botherworth just brandished his
broom defiantly, “Next time I’ll bring a dust pan as well!”

“You’re coming with us,” Roland
said.

“Oh no I’m not,” said Botherworth.
I said I’d come to the top of the tower and that’s all! I left the
kettle on downstairs and it’s time for my tea so if you’ll excuse
me…”

“The lift may only be fit for one
more journey – and you’re not taking it without us. You’re coming
with us to make sure you don’t.”

“Oh no…!” Botherworth insisted “I’m
not moving! I know what’s out there!”

“Great! In that case you will be
our guide!”

“Well, err… I don’t
really
know that much,
actually
…”

“You either come with us or stay
here,” Roland told him, “because I will lock the door and take the
key,” and he grabbed the key, with Botherworth still attached, “I
am sure we can find a way to get it off the chain!”

“Do you want to stay alone here,
possibly with a giant Arraranx?” Oliver asked.

“Rrrrrr!” Savitri said loudly,
having crept up behind Botherworth. He jumped slightly.

Roland took the key — together with
the attached caretaker — to the door, which he locked, “There. Now
no one can use it but us.”

Savitri and Oliver both grabbed
Botherworth by the shoulders and started to move him in a
positive
direction.

“This is the way,” said Oliver.

“Alight, alright, I’ll come,” said
Botherworth, realising he had no choice, “just don’t expect me to
be happy about it.”

“I don’t think we’d
ever
expect that of you!” Oliver said. The others all laughed.

The struggle to climb up and down
the mounds and in and out of the hollows nearly knocked the
cheerfulness out of all of them. Their pace became slower as they
stumbled more and began to curse every step. It was also a
depressing landscape, with not a tree or a flower or any kind of
living creature, despite the appearance that it had been made by
animals. It was as if nature had made a mess of it and then got fed
up with the state it had created and deserted it, presumably to go
off and ruin somewhere else. It was a depressing idea and they all
thought something like it but all kept it to themselves – even
Botherworth.

“Does it ever end?” Oliver asked,
after a couple of hours.

“One can only hope,” Roland
said.

“And have faith,” Brother Goodwill
said, “It really isn't that bad! For an absolutely awful place it
is rather pleasant, as absolutely awful places go!”

“Name a more awful, awful place,”
Botherworth challenged.

“Errmmm,” said Goodwill, who just
couldn’t think of one.

“I knew it!” Botherworth said, as
triumphantly as he dismally could, “He doesn’t know how awful
things can really get!”

"Worse than this?" Roland
asked.

“Much worse!” Botherworth said.

“Then you think Goodwill is right –
you think there are more awful, awful places, so therefore this
place isn’t that bad in comparison!”

“I didn’t say that!”

“It is a logical deduction from
what you said!”

Botherworth grumbled under his
breath, “Youngsters and their tricks. I’ll show ‘em!”

Proving Botherworth wrong cheered
them all up – everyone except Botherworth, of course, but even he
seemed to get a bit of grit after the discussion - presumably from
irritation.

Their cheerfulness, and
Botherworth’s grit, were nearly used up completely by the time they
reached the top of the last, and by far the largest, of the mounds.
Once at the top they found that they were looking across at a
neighbouring hill with a village on it. This village looked a most
strange affair, consisting of a single street that went straight up
to the top of the hill and straight down the other side. The houses
along it were built as two continuous rows facing each other across
the street, all the way up and all the way down.