The Vile (6) (The Underground Kingdom) Read online

  “Zenith, what are you doing?” she demanded, resisting his palpable exhortation.

  “I believe he wants us to say hello to the entire crew,” I pronounced.

  “Is that a good idea?” Thorn asked, nervously. “I’m not sure they’d be too happy to see us.”

  “Zenith seems to think it’ll be all right,” I soothed.

  “Maybe,” Trix griped, being dragged towards the cave mouth despite herself. “What if they attack us? We can’t fight them all off.”

  “Yes,” I partially agreed, “they might be a bit agitated, but I have an idea. Trix, did you bring your pipes?”

  “They’re in my backpack,” she answered. “Do you think I should send them all to sleep?”

  “Nothing quite so drastic,” I modified. “How about something light to calm them down a little, just in case.”

  “I can do that,” she volunteered. “Good plan. Okay, Zenith, I’m coming! Stop tugging!”

  Trix fumbled in her backpack and produced her magical set of pipes. I honestly couldn’t say whether it was the pipes themselves that were magical or Trix herself, but she could send people or animals into a somnolent state simply by playing. It was a common skill among the elves and a skill which was zealously guarded. Whenever I questioned Trix about the subject, she invariably told me that all she did was to play and then she’d refuse to say anything else, making me believe that it was a closely guarded secret among the elf clan.

  As we neared the cave entrance, Trix began playing a soft melody and I instantly found myself spiralling into a state of relaxation. Hell, I thought to myself, this beats drug therapy hands down. With Trix still using her pipes, we entered the cave and were greeted by the sight of about twenty wolves, all peacefully lounging around. Once we were spotted however, ears pricked up and heads swivelled around to watch us intently. Zenith unconcernedly faced the myriad of questioning eyes as if introducing two fairies and an elf to the pack was the most natural thing in the world, and his peaceful attitude seemed to reassure his shaggy companions because, after a few searching moments, they relaxed and accepted our presence.

  “This is a fairly amazing experience,” Trix whispered to me, as we surveyed the scene. She had returned her pipes to her backpack, because they didn’t seem to be needed anymore. “I never imagined I’d be in a situation like this.”

  “I didn’t either,” Thorn agreed in wonder. “I wonder if they’d let us pat them.”

  “I wouldn’t push your luck, if I was you,” I cautioned. “These are still wild animals when all’s said and done. Zenith’s girlfriend tolerated us, but I don’t know about the rest of them.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Trix said reluctantly. Then she pointed to the back of the cave. “What’s that over there?”

  I looked to where she pointed and, by straining my eyes through the gloom, I noticed a structure that appeared to be a derelict building.

  “It looks like a temple or something,” Thorn volunteered. “How strange.”

  “Let’s have a look,” Trix announced, eagerly. “We might find something interesting.”

  Giving the group of wolves a wide berth, we made our way towards the tumbled down piles of stone only to have Zenith whine at us and try to push Trix back towards the cave entrance.

  “What’s up with Zenith?” Thorn asked, perplexed. “It almost looks like he doesn’t want you to go near the ruins.”

  “I think you may be right,” Trix agreed, trying to sidestep Zenith to no avail. “I wonder why.”

  “He must think there’s some danger there,” I offered, pulling at my earlobe. I stared at the disordered array of scattered stones, searching for anything menacing. “This building must be ancient. You’d think even the ghosts would have left by now.”

  “Zenith obviously doesn’t think so,” Thorn announced, taking a step forwards only to be blocked by Zenith’s body. “He’s quite determined that we shouldn’t go any further.”

  I looked back to the other wolves. Every single one of them was on their feet and either growling or cringing. “The rest of them seemed to agree,” I proclaimed. “They appear to be terrified of the place. I think the smart thing to do would be to revise our exploration plans.”

  “I’m all for that,” Thorn assented, shivering. “Frankly, the place gives me the creeps.” She vigorously rubbed at her arms. “Can’t you feel it? There’s a really weird atmosphere.”

  “Yes, I can feel it too,” I agreed. And I could. I wasn’t just humoring Thorn. There was something ……. unsettling and deeply disturbing tugging at my inner emotions. A deep feeling of dread – like watching a scene from a horror movie where you just knew something terrible was about to happen. “I think it’d be in our best interests to give this place a miss for now.”

  “Agreed,” Thorn said, turning around. “Anyway, we found Zenith. That’s the main thing. Let’s go home.”

  “But will Zenith come home with us?” I questioned, as we made our way back to the wolf pack.

  “Do you think he wants to stay here?” Trix asked in a distressed voice.

  “Probably,” I answered sympathetically. “For the meantime, anyway. The way he was drooling over his girlfriend shows that he had no immediate plans to leave her.” I paused reflectively. “I wonder how Tracey would feel about having two wolves in the house?”

  “You can’t be serious!” Thorn interjected. “Besides, what makes you think that Zenith’s girlfriend would want to come?”

  “True,” I admitted, with a straight face. “Females are notoriously fickle. As soon as they get what they want, they cast their male companions off without a care.”

  Thorn’s face was a picture. A flash of anger flitted across her face, and then a tentative smile broke through.

  “You’re joking, aren’t you?” she accused. “At least, I hope you are.”

  “Of course I was,” I confirmed. “I was just trying to fill in for Nix.”

  “That’s sweet,” she told me. “Nice try, but it’s not quite the same.” She sighed. “I know it sounds weird, but I really look forward to his horrible and condescending remarks. Life is so dull without him. Am I strange, or something?”

  “You miss him,” I comforted, putting an arm around her waist and drawing her to my side. “Nix is a good friend to us both and he makes us laugh, even if he is a world-class annoyance.”

  Chapter 4

  Once away from the baleful influence of those strange ruins, we sat down to decide what to do next. Zenith sat beside us too, almost as if he wanted to join in the conversation.

  “We have to tell the Council of Elders about this place,” Thorn suggested.

  “Even if the wolves won’t let us go there?” Trix enquired.

  “Good point,” Thorn grunted. “Should we be telling them anything if it’s so dangerous?”

  “We don’t know that,” I pointed out. “All we have to go on is a creepy feeling. That’s hardly a sufficient reason to persuade anyone.”

  “We also have Zenith’s reluctance to let us near the place,” Trix reminded us. “That should count for something, shouldn’t it?”

  “Most definitely,” I concurred. “Whenever he tells us not to do something, we’d be wise to listen.”

  “Speaking of Zenith,” Trix began, “do you really think he won’t come home with me?”

  “That’s up to him, sweetie,” I said, putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “You have to allow him some freedom. Don’t make him choose between you and his girlfriend. He’ll always be in your life and I’m positive he’ll come back to you sooner or later. Let him make up his own mind for now. If he decides to stay for the meantime, you can always come and visit.”

  “I suppose,” Trix sighed sadly, reaching over and ruffling Zenith’s fur. “You’re right, of course. I have to let him decide. I can’t force him to stay with me, much as I want to. He’d probably only run away again anyway. Besides,” she added, scratching Zenith vigorously behind the ears, “who am I to sta
nd in the way of true love? I know I’d like the same privilege if it ever happened to me.”

  “That’s my brave girl,” I praised, lightly touching my fingertips to her cheek. “As I said, you can visit any time.”

  “Yes,” she said in a low voice. “But, as already said, it just isn’t the same.”

  At that stage, we decided to leave. We left it to Zenith to decide what he was going to do and it was obviously an emotional decision for him as well as for Trix. He looked at his mistress and then back at the cave mouth, plainly pondering his options. His head swivelled back to Trix and he whined forlornly. Then he rubbed his head against her leg and she crouched down and embraced him fondly.

  “Do what you have to, my darling boy,” she whispered. “You’ll always be my baby, and your Mommy will always be here for you.”

  Zenith licked her hand in farewell and, with many a backward look, he trotted back into the cave with Trix looking dejectedly at his retreating form.

  “He’ll be fine, honey,” I reassured her. “We’re proud of you. You’re doing the right thing.”

  “I know,” she said. “But it still hurts. I suppose all mothers feel this way when their children leave the nest.”

  “The difference is that this child will probably be back,” I told her. “Give him some time. I can’t imagine that he’ll stay away for long. Wolves are very loyal, you know.”

  “But he has a new family now,” Trix complained. “He might be loyal to them.”

  “Perhaps,” I agreed, “but you’ll always be his mother. He’s never going to forget that.”

  “They grow up so fast,” she replied, half mockingly. She sighed despondently, and then squared her shoulders. “Nevertheless, what’s done is done. Let’s go home.”

  We made preparations to depart, and, with a final look at the cave entrance, we took to the air.

  As we were flying along, Thorn enquired, “If the wolves are so terrified of those ruins, then I wonder why they stay in the cave. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Interesting question,” I pondered. “I’ve been wondering the same myself, but I think it’s because they’re being very clever. If they won’t go near the ruins, it’s a solid bet that no other animal will either, so they’re protected against any predators that happen to come along. Ingenious, really.”

  “I suppose it is, when you put it that way,” Thorn replied. “I wonder how they’ll react if the Council of Elders decide to go exploring the ruins?”

  “I have the distinct feeling that nobody should go anywhere near that place,” I solemnly commented. “We’ll have to emphasise that to the Council.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Trix chimed in.

  “Mine too,” Thorn agreed.

  Chapter 5

  We alighted back at the settlement to be welcomed by Tracey. From there, we trooped off to see the Council of Elders who immediately bade us enter.

  “Well, what have you found this time?” one of the Elders said, smilingly. “Whenever we see you it’s because you’ve discovered something momentous.”

  “Not every time,” Thorn disputed.

  “Most times, then,” the Elder qualified, smiling even more.

  “I’ll accept that,” Thorn grinned.

  “And what have you done now that requires our attention?” another Elder questioned.

  “I’ll briefly outline what happened, if I may?” I began.

  “The floor is yours,” I was assured.

  I described our adventure to the Elders, from the time Zenith had run away to when we’d arrived back home, emphasising the unseen danger of the ruins. After I’d finished, the Elders looked at me gravely.

  “Making friends with a pack of wolves is unusual, to say the least,” an Elder commented, with some amusement, “but that’s exactly the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from you and your companions, Stephen.”

  “And was there anything to distinguished these ruins?” another Elder asked me. “Do you think they were cogdommina, or relics of another civilisation?”

  “It was a bit too dark to see anything much,” I explained, “and Zenith wouldn’t allow us to get close enough to do any real exploring.”

  “So, you have no idea of who might have built it?” one of the Elders enquired in a disappointed voice.

  “There was one thing,” I announced thoughtfully. “On one of the columns, nearest to us, I saw a symbol, engraved on the stone.”

  “What did it look like?” I was asked.

  “It was a circle,” I said, drawing it in the air with my hand, “with a sort of lightning bolt running through it.”

  My words produced an instant and amazing transformation in the Elders’ demeanor. They all migrated from calm interest to agitated concern, almost panic.

  “A circle with a lightning bolt?” one of them demanded in a tight voice. “Are you quite sure about that?”

  “The back of the cave was in semi-darkness, remember,” I explained, baffled by their change of mood, “but yes, I’m certain of it. Why? Does it mean something to you?”

  Silence greeted my question. The Elders glanced at each other worriedly until finally, after clearing his throat, my question was answered by a very hesitant Elder.

  “You’ve stumbled upon a frightening passage in our history,” he began in a low voice. “It’s something we’ve tried to hide from everybody because it was so horrific.” He stopped, fortified himself, and then continued. “A long time ago, about ten generations or so, a race of beings appeared. We called them ‘The Vile’. They appeared from nowhere and swept through the tunnels, killing and looting everything they could find. They almost destroyed the One and every other race into the bargain. The Vile were merciless killing machines. At that stage, we had no army and little training in battle and so were easy prey. There were rumors of them using demons, blood sacrifices and the blackest of black magic.”

  “So, how did you defeat them in the end?” I asked, enthralled by the story.

  “We didn’t,” the elder shrugged. “Just as it seemed that our species was about to be exterminated, The Vile disappeared and haven’t been seen since. Until now, that is,” he added with a shudder. He nodded at Thorn. “Our warrior tradition began at that time. If The Vile ever came back again, we wanted to be ready.”

  “Surely you don’t think The Vile are still around?” Thorn exclaimed. “Not after all this time?”

  “Who can tell?” the Elder said. “We know next to nothing about them. Our records show they preferred death to capture and, after they disappeared, there were so few Ones left alive that we didn’t have the time or personnel to investigate any further. After a few more generations I think we deluded ourselves into believing the whole episode had been a nightmare – a myth to scare our children with – and the written records of the events were hidden from everyone except the Elders. Apparently, our ancestors didn’t want the general populace to panic unnecessarily.”

  “Well, I’m beginning to panic,” Tracey announced. “Are you saying The Vile still could be around? Were they really as bad as you’ve said?”

  “Judging from the records, they were worse,” an Elder announced. “They were pitiless, bloodthirsty beasts who delighted in torture and massacre. No one was safe, not even the children.”

  Tracey gasped in horror and pulled Trix protectively to her side.

  “You’re only supposing,” Thorn accused. “There’s not the slightest shred of proof that they exist today.”

  “True,” the Elders admitted, “but those ruins bring back terrible memories. Can we afford to be complacent?”

  “So, what do you propose to do?” I asked.

  “That’s where you and your companions come in,” the Elder answered grimly. “You seem to have a genius for uncovering things, and I wonder if we can once again impose on you to find out the truth and settle our fears. Would you be willing?”

  I glanced around at my companions for their answers. Thorn, of course, nodded assent, as did
Trix. Tracey was more reticent but she finally reluctantly agreed.

  “That seems to settle it,” I announced. “However, I’d like to see these records of yours. I want to find out everything I can before we go looking.”

  “Very well,” the Elders acquiesced.

  “We’ll recruit Nix as well,” I proposed. “He’s handy to have on hand in case there’s a fight.”

  “Do whatever you think is best,” I was told. “But I warn you to be extremely cautious. The Vile, if they still exist, are not to be taken lightly. They were the stuff of nightmares.”

  “We’ll be careful,” I promised.

  Chapter 6

  After being permitted to read the hidden records of The Vile invasion, we returned home, a very sombre group indeed.

  “If we can believe only half of what we’ve just read, those Vile must have been the most ghastly people imaginable,” Tracey proclaimed. “I’ve never come across anything so gruesome in the whole of my life. They were monsters!”

  “They certainly wouldn’t be awarded any Good Conduct medals,” I said, wryly. “Looting, arson, murder, rape ...... they did it all, and then some. We can only hope they truly are all gone. I wonder how they got to be that way?”

  “Who cares?” Thorn announced. “They were psychopaths, every last one of them, and no one’s happier than I am that they’re not around anymore.”

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Trix cautioned. “There may still be a few running around.”

  “It’s possible,” I admitted, “although not very likely after all this time, but stranger things have happened.”

  “Let’s fetch Nix,” Thorn suggested, “and get this show on the road.”

  “Always supposing that he wants to come with us,” Trix stated.

  “Oh, he’ll come,” Thorn asserted confidently. “He wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this. And besides, he’s probably been polishing up his sarcastic remarks about me for the last month or so. If he doesn’t get to use them, he goes all sulky and pouts.”