Jack Shian and the King's Chalice Part 22

"It's iron!" yelped one.

They were scrabbling over each other, trying to get out of the way, and within seconds had disappeared.

"Amazin'!" exclaimed Ossian, advancing on the figure.

"You can't!" shouted Cosmo. "His sword is iron. He can come to you, not the other way round."

Sure enough, Ossian was halted several yards from the figure, whose blood-dripping sword hung from his hand, his face impa.s.sive. Ossian was blocked.

Rana sat up, sobbing. Boldly, Lizzie stepped towards the figure, despite Cosmo's urgent hiss to stay back. But unlike Ossian, she got to within a yard of the figure before she encountered an invisible wall. Realising that she would get no further, she simply looked up at the figure.

"Thank you."

He bowed his head slightly, but his face remained expressionless. He glided back to the boat, allowing Lizzie to run towards the cave.

"There they are!" she shouted in triumph.

Jack bounded after her, leaving Rana, wincing in pain, on the ground.

Jack and Lizzie reached the cave and ran joyfully towards the prisoners lying in its dim recess. Quickly removing their gags, the youngsters untied the prisoners. Even in the gloomy light, Jack could see the look of distress on his grandfather's face.

He looks so much older.

"Typical shoddy Hobshee," muttered Atholmor, feeling the corners of his mouth, which bled slightly. "Using a dirty human move like that. No finesse."

Doonya, on his knees, hugged Lizzie. The tiny Darrig, standing at his full height, scowled fiercely.

"Are you ... all right?" Grandpa's voice was little more than a whisper.

"Never mind us. How are you?" said Jack anxiously.

"I've been ... better ... We can't ... thank you enough."

"Yeah, nice one, Jack," said Petros, in an effort at nonchalance.

"It was the men in the boats who really helped," said Jack excitedly. "I called them with the horn Tamlina gave me. Come and see them."

Grandpa Sandy followed the others to the mouth of the cave with difficulty. The boat stood on the floor of the forest, the silent figures inside it, erect, impa.s.sive. The second and third boats had reached the water's edge now and started to skim over the ground as the first had done. Oobit, Radge and the others ran alongside.

"We need to get going," explained Cosmo. "We must get the Chalice."

Jack walked over to Rana and put his arm around her.

"Ouch!" she yelped. "My shoulder's sore, you idiot."

Jack had no time to respond. As if from nowhere, Konan had sprung up and grabbed the two of them, pinning them to his body with his huge left forearm. With his right arm he brandished his sceptre at Cosmo and the members of the Congress, who had all moved instinctively forward.

"Back off!" he shouted, his words still edged with pain. "Or I'll kill them both!"

"No!" shouted Doonya, moving forward. "Take me. Let them go."

"You'd think I'd fall for that trick?" sneered Konan. "They're my way out of here. Now stay back, or I'll snap their necks."

Rana whimpered as Doonya continued to advance slowly. Her shoulder felt as if it was burning. Jack searched his pocket frantically, and soon grasped the small wooden figure there. He whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Aximon! Say the words with me."

Rana looked blank for a moment. Then, remembering, she fished hurriedly in her own pocket and grasped the Aximon figure Petros had lent her.

"Salvus! Salvus! Salvus!"

Konan's grasp slackened, and Jack and Rana were able to wriggle free of his arm. As Konan's sceptre fell to the ground, Jack grasped it and flicked it up, shouting, "Uncle Doonya!"

Doonya caught the sceptre and aimed it straight at Konan, who stood limp, his eyes glazed. Jack hurled himself out of the way.

"Not death!" shouted a voice from behind.

Jack looked up to see Cosmo advancing, slowly and carefully.

"Not death, Pierre. The power of Gosol, remember."

Doonya stared hard at Konan. He wanted to exterminate the creature who had just threatened to kill his daughter, and yet ... and yet ...

"Does Gosol really want this creature to live?" he yelled.

"A hex, yes," said Cosmo, "but you must not kill him. It is not up to us to carry that out."

Jack saw his uncle tighten his grip on the sceptre, then he fired off a bolt, and Konan's body rose from the ground, completely limp. It floated back to a large oak tree, and slowly Konan's body was absorbed into its great trunk. Doonya let the sceptre drop. There was a moment of silence. Then he ran over to Rana and clasped her to his chest, sobbing.

The second and third boats arrived and came to rest by the first. Atholmor stepped forward and went to speak to the lead figure in the first boat. His words, however, had no effect. The figure stood, impa.s.sive, facing the front of his boat. Cosmo came forward.

"He can't hear you," he explained. "He's a ghost, a memory."

"But you spoke to him," pointed out Atholmor, "and he used a sword. An iron sword."

"It's Gosol you have to know how to use it. Look, there's no time for explanations now. We must go after Briannan."

He signalled to the leader of the first boat and the sound of chanting began again. The boats began to glide over the ground as before, and Cosmo waved to everyone to run alongside. Oobit and the others arrived at the cave, and collapsed, exhausted.

"I need a rest," gasped Radge. "Who says exercise is good for you?"

"You'll have plenty of time to rest dead if the Brashat get you," replied Cosmo curtly.

He turned and started jogging after the boats, which had already got some twenty yards in front.

"Can't we get a lift in the boats?" asked Petros. Cosmo didn't turn round or speak. "Didn't think so," muttered the youngster.

Henri stepped up to Rana and knelt down. Then, pressing his right palm against her injured shoulder and his left hand behind her back, he squeezed. The shoulder throbbed for a few moments, then the pain eased. She smiled at the Frenchman, who nodded curtly and stood up.

Jack found the running easier than expected. Despite the terror he had felt when seized by Konan, Jack's face now flushed with excitement. Within minutes, he and Petros had reached the hermit's cell, but it was deserted. The boats were still ahead of them. They followed the sound of chanting.

Petros and Jack were soon overtaken by the Claville and Cos-Howe boys, but the Congress members none of them in the first flush of youth were trailing. Grandpa, still limping badly, brought up the rear with the Darrig, who puffed and panted as he tried to keep up.

The Cos-Howe crew took a few minutes to reach the boats, which had halted as the forest thinned out. The chanting had stopped, and the bell in each boat was silent. Cosmo, marshalling his friends, explained what they must do. About a hundred yards away, across a clearing, was the ruined castle. A ramshackle affair, it looked ready to tumble down at any minute. Torches blazed from ruined windows, and the sound of raucous festivities carried across the clearing. Jack collapsed happily on the ground.

"What's the plan, then?" he asked, his face beaming with expectation.

Despite it being a clear crisp night, his palms were sweaty, and his heart raced. Petros, Rana and Lizzie arrived, falling in a heap.

"This isn't a game, you know," said Cosmo heatedly. "We couldn't afford to leave you at the cave there might be stray Brashat around. But this is about to get really serious. We'll have to attack the castle. We need the Congress members, but you kids will have to sit this one out."

"What d'you mean?" exclaimed Jack. "We've done all right so far. If I hadn't escaped and fetched you, and called the monks, the Congress would still be prisoners."

"Jack, I fetched you from behind that rock," said Cosmo quietly. "And the boats are our trump card. The Brashat won't be able to handle them. But it's dangerous. They're vicious. One of them already tried to kill you."

"But I got the better of him with the Aximon."

"Jack," Cosmo took him firmly by the shoulder, "you've not been trained for this. You're not armed. This isn't like kids fighting, don't you understand?"

"If you let us use sceptres we'd be OK," mumbled Jack.

"Jack, you know you're not old enough to use a sceptre."

"I'm nearly old enough," declared Petros.

"Not until you're fourteen," pointed out Cosmo. "But Ossian can use one."

"I'm better off wi' a club," said Ossian. "The others can stick wi' me."

At that moment the Congress members arrived, all of them panting heavily. Jack saw that Armina had joined them. As if to greet their arrival, a volley of arrows flew past, whistling into the trees behind. Jeering laughter and insults came from the castle.

"Get down!" ordered Cosmo, but the Congress members needed no encouragement. A second volley of arrows flew overhead, hitting no one, but accompanied, as before, by a torrent of abuse.

"The Brashat never were any good at that," smirked Radge. "Let's get at them."

"We'll let the boats go in first," said Cosmo. "That'll confuse them. If they feel the iron coming, they may even run. But we have to get the Chalice. Henri, can you get behind the castle to stop them escaping? Take your boys and Radge and Tom, and one of the boats."

The leader of the second boat seemed to understand, for immediately it turned and skirted around the castle, taking a wide arc. Henri and the others ran alongside.

While they got into position, Cosmo outlined his plan of attack to a stern-faced Atholmor. Unused to being outranked, especially by someone so much younger than him, the Congress leader could only acknowledge Cosmo's authority at this time. Cosmo then turned and spoke quietly to Doonya. Doonya called his daughters over and put his arm protectively around them both.

Jack and Petros sat and watched the castle, eerily silent now; all the torches had been extinguished. Jack was wondering how on earth they would get the Brashat out and the Chalice back, when the chanting began again, louder than ever.

Gosol! Gosol! Gosol!

Then, clearly visible in the bright moonlight, the Brashat began to emerge. Thirty or forty of them, headed by Briannan, each wore a long dark green cloak. Forming a phalanx, they advanced, their outstretched hands free of weapons. Two old hags in black cloaks flew around at the rear, swooping and turning, cackling shrilly. Jack could see Hobshee scurrying around at the back. While some clung nervously to the coattails of the Brashat, others peeked fearfully from windows and doorways.

Briannan held the Cup high above his head as he walked proudly forward. Brightly polished now, it shone brilliantly. Rowan walked self-a.s.suredly just behind him.

The phalanx got to about twenty yards away and stopped.

"This is the night of Hallows' Eve, when all the witchies ride!" chanted Briannan triumphantly.

The chanting from the boats diminished slightly, but Cosmo stepped forward and shouted back, "This is the night of Hallows' Eve, the morn is Hallows' Day!"

Briannan paused, his face showing the first signs of doubt.

"Tonight is the night for all Shian," he proclaimed. "And tonight the Unseelie have the prize sought by so many for so long." He brandished the Cup again.

"You're a thief!" shouted Atholmor.

A thief's brief reward, thought Jack. Tamlina said that.

"But we have the Cup," Briannan shouted back. "The power over death even over Nature! You think your boats of ghosts can take it from us? The memories of holy men? Then Hallows' Eve or no, prepare to die."

Each Brashat now drew out a sceptre. The Hobshee, gaining confidence, brandished their clubs, howling in excitement. But as the phalanx moved forward, a different sound came from the forest behind Jack, a sound of drumming. No, not drumming, but something rhythmic and harsh, getting louder and louder. The Brashat halted, not ten yards from the boats, and the Hobshee began whimpering again. Everyone turned to look at the forest.

Then Jack saw them. Three mighty longships, a dragon's head at the prow of each, gliding through the forest. They dwarfed the other boats, and Jack could see the warriors lining the sides of these mighty ships.

Did I summon them too?!

Brandishing axes and swords, the warriors beat these noisily against round wooden shields. Some of the Brashat started to back away.

"Face them! Face them!" bellowed Briannan, sensing the unease in his ranks. "They're only ghosts!"

Then Grandpa Sandy stepped out and confronted Briannan.

"Only ghosts?" he roared, overcoming his pain. "This is the night of Hallows' Eve, when more than ghosties ride!"

Briannan, looking behind Grandpa, staggered back, still clutching the Cup. His face showed abject terror.

The next moment, the longships broke through the edge of the forest.

32.

The Hidden Commonwealth

It wasn't really a battle. As the longships crashed through the edge of the forest, the Brashat broke ranks and scattered. Leaping from the boats, warriors laid into the terrified Brashat and Hobshee, their swords and axes making mayhem. Jack saw several fall, hacked and bleeding. Briannan vainly ordered his followers to stand their ground, but it was already too late. In a matter of seconds, a longship had out-paced those who tried to head back to the castle. Behind it, Henri, Tom and Radge hexed the Brashat that were left there as they ran in terror. The two flying hags made off into the night, screaming obscenities.