The Serpent of Eridor Page 2

  Alex opened the cover of his father’s netbook. ‘Anyway, this is what brought me here.’

  Hoku leaned forward to have a closer look. ‘Why does the top look so odd?’

  ‘Cover or lid?’

  ‘Both.’

  ‘The lid is a solar panel, powering the machine. My parents were explorers, so they often went to places without electricity. Always had sun, though. The cover is waterproof, for when they ended up being caught in tropical storms.’ Alex clicked on his inbox. ‘This is the email that brought me here. It’s from my dad.’ He swung the screen round.

  Hoku read the first few lines, then glanced up. ‘You’re stuffed if you don’t find this Bailey person.’

  ‘Totally. Eridor’s not on any map or internet search. So either my parents got the name wrong – not likely, or spelled it wrong – equally unlikely – or there’s something weird about it.’

  ‘I go for weird.’ Hoku finished reading it. ‘And the bit about leaving the netbook?’

  Alex shrugged. ‘Ignored it. I wasn’t going to leave anything behind that might help me find them. Would you have a look at a file of my dad’s? I don’t understand much of it but I thought you might, being local. There’s a pile of information about Eridor, including a map which mentions the West Pole.’

  ‘Sure, but I’ll need to read it later as I’m working in ten minutes. Coming to help?’

  ‘OK. Better than being here with my brain going round in depressing circles.’

  ‘Correct.’ Hoku hitched himself out of the chair. ‘I need to get some kit. Bring the netbook. We can work on it as I sort my stuff out.’

  Leaving Skoodle sleeping in his waste-paper bin, Alex followed Hoku to his cabin. By the time Hoku had explained all about his diving kit and found a rash vest for Alex, it was time to leave.

  ‘We’ll come back here after supper and have a go at your dad’s file,’ said Hoku.

  They found a group of tourists waiting for them on the deck and pitched in to sort out their diving kit. Soon the boat had left the port far behind, skimming through tranquil turquoise waters past tiny green islands rimmed with sand.

  During the afternoon Alex began to feel almost chilled as he helped Hoku. The guests were in holiday mood, chatty and friendly. Yet Alex couldn’t shift the shadow from his mind that these people were having fun together as families. For him, that might never happen again.

  Alex learned fast from Hoku, deciding to dive with him at their first stop. By six o’clock it had clouded over.

  ‘Storm coming,’ said Hoku, glancing up at the sky.

  ‘Think so? Looks a bit grey, that’s all.’

  ‘Trust me. It’ll be a biggie. Better pack up and shower.’

  *

  As Alex rounded the corner on the way to his cabin, a tall man in black stepped out from a doorway, blocking his path. Alex had only a second to register that it was the man from the dock when a hand grabbed his throat, ramming his head against the wall. Stars filled Alex’s vision as iron fingers choked off his air supply. His heart thundered in his chest, pulse pounding in his ears. The man slammed Alex’s wrist against the wall. Alex’s back arched as pain shot through his arm. He clawed at the stranger’s hand. The cold blade of a knife pressed hard against his neck. Alex stopped fighting.

  Violet eyes glared at him. ‘Your parents had some information I want. I believe that your stupid trusting father would somehow have got it to you. I searched your cabin. It’s not there. Where is it?’

  The man loosened his grip slightly, giving Alex only just enough breath to reply.

  ‘I’ve got nothing,’ Alex choked out. ‘Leave me —’

  The vice-like fingers tightened around his windpipe, bruising his throat, not even allowing a grunt in reply. Alex couldn’t move enough to shake his head. His ribs ached as his diaphragm spasmed, tearing against the blockage, trying to haul in oxygen. Tiny stars appeared in his darkening vision.

  ‘I’ll come for it at midnight. If you don’t have it by then I’ll kill you. A swift slash through the ribs, body dumped overboard. By the time the boat turns around sharks will have eaten your blood-seeping carcass, whether you’d gone in alive or dead. Clear?’

  Sweat trickled down Alex’s face as his pupils dilated, his mind filled with the vision of the sharks’ feeding frenzy. The hand released him. Alex was aware of running footsteps as the man retreated, but even in his fury he didn’t have enough breath to follow him. He dragged in air, coughing, throat aching, head pounding. The stars disappeared as his vision cleared.

  Alex reached around to the back of his head, wincing as he found a soft bruised lump. Holding his left arm across his chest, breathing hard and fast, Alex made it to his cabin. He found Skoodle awake, sitting up on his back paws.

  ‘Been assaulted,’ he told Skoodle, crouching next to him. ‘I’m angry, but I need to think. Why would a mad stranger want to kill me? He really meant it. How do I stay alive?’ He closed his eyes, his breathing and pulse slowing as his system righted itself. ‘Better go talk to Hoku.’ Putting Skoodle in his pocket he ran to Hoku’s cabin, mind racing.

  Hoku opened the door, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He stopped as soon as he saw Alex. ‘You look serious. What’s wrong?’

  ‘Someone attacked me.’

  Dumping the contents of Hoku’s bin on the floor, Alex placed Skoodle in it. He told Hoku all about what had happened as Hoku listened, frowning.

  ‘He meant trouble. My head’s splitting. My wrist’s really painful.’

  ‘Let me look at it. My cousin’s a doctor.’ Hoku prodded the swollen wrist and moved it up and down. ‘Think it’s OK. Still works. It’s pretty red and swollen, though. This guy is serious. Just give him the info.’

  Alex shook his head. ‘No way. Maybe hiding it cost my parents their lives, or at least their freedom. If I give in it was a wasted sacrifice. Where can I hide on this boat for the next thirty-six hours?’

  ‘Nowhere. Believe me, I know this boat inside out. It would be difficult even to hide Skoodle. You’ll need to stay with somebody 24/7.’ Hoku filled the handbasin with cold water.

  ‘That won’t work. All he needs is two seconds. One thrust of a blade… I’m gone.’

  ‘Stick your arm in this.’

  Alex plunged his slammed wrist into the chilly water. Picking up a jug of water and ice, Hoku dumped it in the basin on top of the red and swollen arm.

  ‘Sorry, but that’ll help.’ Hoku dropped the empty jug on to a table. ‘Anyway, the bottom line is that you’re not safe anywhere on this boat.’

  ‘That’s exactly it. I’ll have to get off the Coral. Now.’

  ‘The nearest land is one mile away. Straight down. Or are you intending to swim for ten hours to the nearest island?’

  ‘Nothing as stupid as that. I’m going to take a lifeboat.’

  ‘No way. That won’t be safe, either.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You know there’s a storm coming. The lifeboat might not survive it.’

  Alex frowned. ‘But isn’t bad weather what they’re built for?’

  ‘Look, they’ve not been properly maintained.’ Hoku began twisting his leather bracelet round his wrist. ‘They reassure the tourists, but no one ever checks them.’

  ‘Tough. There’s no other option. I’m dead if I stay.’

  ‘Or if you go. They might have holes… rusty equipment… no supplies.’ Hoku got up and started pacing the cabin, hands shoved into the back pockets of his jeans.

  ‘There’s no choice. I’ll have to risk it.’

  Hoku stopped and faced Alex. ‘You’re either very brave or really not thinking straight.’

  ‘Neither. It’s just that some chance of living is better than none. I’ll go tonight.’ Alex pulled his wrist out of the icy water and wrapped a towel round it. ‘Tomorrow morning, get the captain to put out a rescue call. Some boat should find me.’

  ‘Why tomorrow? Why not tonight?’

  ‘Because the Coral would be the c
losest boat. As she turned round she might find me. I’d have dumped myself in a whole heap of danger and gained nothing.’

  ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

  ‘He’ll need to see me escape. If I just disappear he might come after you to find out what you know.’

  Hoku shrugged. ‘Might anyway.’

  Alex shook his head. ‘No point. Once I’ve gone he can’t get the information, so killing or even hurting you would be an unnecessary risk. He’d do better to keep a low profile and see if he could find out which boat rescues me.’

  For a few minutes Hoku sat thinking. ‘OK. You’re right,’ he said finally. ‘It’s mad, but it’s the only answer.’

  ‘So this is my plan. I’ll hide near my cabin before midnight. When he arrives I’ll let him see me, then bolt for the lifeboat.’

  ‘I’ll help you get away.’

  ‘That’s really kind, but you could be killed. This is my fight. I can manage alone,’ Alex said, attempting to sound confident.

  ‘Yeah, right. Like you’ve managed so well alone this far. You’re completely wrong about your surfboard, then you go and get yourself assaulted. You need me, so I’m in.’

  ‘And if I say “No?”’

  ‘Tough. You’re stuck with me.’

  During the evening the weather howled into a storm, as Hoku had foretold. By late evening typhoon winds tore at the ship, rattling anchor chains. Salt water crashed over the decks, dragging anything loose to disappear into watery depths.

  By 11.30 p.m. Alex stood wedged inside a narrow cleaning cupboard at the end of his corridor, netbook in his rucksack, Skoodle in his top pocket. Sweat dripping down the back of his neck, he kept watch through a tiny crack in the panelling.

  A few minutes before midnight the stranger strode down the corridor. As soon as the footsteps had passed him, Alex crashed the cupboard door open. As the stranger swung round, Alex bolted, aware of footsteps thundering after him. Eighteen needle-like claws pierced his skin as Skoodle clung on through his shirt.

  Heart banging, Alex sprinted up the stairs. As he pulled open the door to the outside deck wind slammed into his body, shoving him backwards. Alex forced his way into the storm, eyes screwed up against the driving rain which soaked him to the skin in seconds. Glancing back over his shoulder, Alex saw the man following. Head down, shoulders hunched, Alex pushed on.

  A crash momentarily swung his attention behind him. The man lay sprawled on the deck. A shadow slid back under a table. Alex instinctively understood. Hoku. Tripwire. A leaving present of a few vital seconds. He felt a wave of gratitude at Hoku’s loyalty.

  Nearby a lifeboat groaned on its metal davits, like a grotesque cradle rocking in the belly of the storm. Alex stumbled towards it through torrents of water and wrenched up the corner of the tarpaulin. He tumbled into the boat and heaved on the launch mechanism. The lifeboat crashed on to angry seething waters, sending Alex sprawling.

  Breathing hard and fast, he reached down to check Skoodle. He could feel the tiny heart hammering against the furry chest wall. Scrambling on to his knees, Alex fumbled for the loose edge of the tarpaulin. Finding it, he ripped back the corner and stuck his head through the hole. Rain pounded his skin, assaulting his eyeballs, as he stared straight into the face of the storm. He no longer felt fear, only triumph that he had escaped assassination.

  The stranger stood alone on deck, watching, body motionless, apparently unmoved by the downpour. Alex raised a clenched fist above his head then retreated under the tarpaulin, securing the loose corner with stiff cold fingers.

  ‘At least we’re not dead yet, Skoodle. Now we must wait for this boat to survive the storm. If it can.’

  CHAPTER 3

  Lightning ripped through the black underbelly of tempest-laden clouds. The skies unleashed a fresh torrent of rain, whipping the sea into a frenzy. The boat bucked like a deranged bronco. Head-splitting crashes of thunder blasted through the electric air, pounding his brain. Terrified, Alex hung on to the sides, hands in a vice-like grip welding him to the boat.

  With every heave of the waves, Alex’s body was wrenched sideways, hauling on his anchored arms. His muscles were stretched to the limit as rods of agony shafted into his wrists and shoulders.

  Furious with the fates, he jammed his feet harder between the slats. ‘I’m not giving up,’ he yelled at the storm-ridden night. ‘Whatever the pain, I’m holding on.’

  After what felt like a lifetime the storm began to settle: the thunder less monstrous, the rain subsiding. Alex waited until the wind damped down before loosening his grip.

  After checking on Skoodle Alex crawled forward to find the emergency box, hoping it would have blankets, drinks and food. He found a torch, flashing its beam around the tented interior. No holes in the canvas so far. The boat wasn’t big, but would do for two. He pulled a blanket around his aching body and tried to settle on the hard boat base. Reluctantly, lying awake in the darkness, he switched off the torch to conserve batteries.

  ‘Nothing more I can do, Skoodle. The wind and tide will decide what happens to us.’

  Exhaustion carried him into an uncomfortable, broken sleep at some time during the restless hours that followed.

  When Alex woke the storm had settled. The only noise reaching his storm-shocked ears was the quiet lapping of a gentle sea, now more of a kitten than the raging tiger of last night. The boat lay totally still. Alex’s tired brain worked out that he must have been washed up on land somewhere. He felt his shirt pocket and found Skoodle asleep, breathing rhythmically. Muscles aching as if he’d been run over, Alex lifted the edge of the tarpaulin and looked out.

  Sunlight cascaded into the boat. Brilliant white sand ran for miles, flanked on one side by calm, azure seas, on the other by lush jungle. Emerald leaves framed a mass of jewel-coloured flowers: ruby hibiscus, slender yellow lilies like slivers of sunlight, sapphire orchids with their hearts slashed by deep burnt-orange stamens. It was like looking into an exploding rainbow.

  Alex whooped, punching the air. He got out of the boat and wandered a short way beside the sea, loving the sensation of the sand beneath his feet, the sun on his face and the light breeze in his hair.

  ‘We’ll have to explore the jungle for more fresh water,’ he told the still-sleeping Skoodle as he walked back to the boat. ‘Assuming we don’t get eaten before we find food.’

  Unable to haul the boat away from the water’s edge, Alex tied the bow rope to a nearby palm with a couple of knots. Grabbing a hunting knife from the emergency box, he headed down a wide path into the muggy interior of the jungle. The strong perfume of orchids blended with the heavy musty scent of damp earth and trodden leaves. Many animal tracks showed in the dirt – some hoofed, others of large cats. None were human.

  After twenty minutes Alex arrived in a clearing about twice the size of a football pitch. Hundreds of brightly-coloured birds flew above his head, swooping across the clearing and landing in the surrounding trees. Feeling tired, hot and thirsty, Alex sat down on a grassy mound. This is a pretty hostile place, he thought.

  I disagree, a voice replied. It’s very homely, as well as ace-superbly beautiful.

  With a shock, Alex registered that he hadn’t spoken out loud. In a double whammy he realised that the other voice hadn’t been aloud, either. It had come from inside his head. Alex looked around the glade, puzzled. Why doesn’t the voice sound like me? he asked himself.

  Why should it? It’s not you replying.

  I’ve never used ‘ace-superbly’.

  Because I’ve just made it up.

  So if this voice is someone else, not me, where are you? In my head?

  Yeah, right. That would be a bit crowded. Actually, thinking about it, maybe not. I’m up here. In a tree on the other side of the clearing.

  Alex looked up into the thick emerald canopy of trees which was pierced by shafts of bright sunlight. A small brown monkey, fur tipped with red, was perched in a tree some distance away. It seems to be waving at me, thought Alex.


  What do you means ‘seems’? Not impressed? OK, watch this.

  The monkey swung itself upside down, suspended by its tail.

  But you’re a monkey.

  Oddly enough, I know that.

  So how do we understand each other?

  Thought transference. Mind broadcasting. Don’t you use it in your bit of the jungle?

  I don’t have one. I’ve just arrived. In a boat.

  Keeko, came a deeper voice, also female. Who are you talking to?

  Don’t know. Who are you?

  Alex.

  Bizarre what parents call their children, said the new voice. Cruel, really.

  Where are you, Ikara?

  On the way from Tariq’s clearing.

  A minute later the creature emerged out of the undergrowth.

  ‘You’re a snake,’ said Alex, stepping back.

  ‘Wow. That’s brilliant. And can you name this green stuff I’m lying on or that blue expanse above me?’ asked Ikara.

  ‘Sorry. Stupid to state the obvious, but I’ve never seen a snake so close up before.’

  ‘It’s the jungle. Get used to it.’

  A vivid picture of the reptile house at Regent’s Park Zoo flashed into Alex’s mind: rows of clear-fronted cages, trapping an astonishing variety of snakes. Yet none looked like this version: four metres long from nose tip to tail, shimmering green and gold. He hoped that pictures wouldn’t transfer.

  ‘Pictures don’t transfer,’ said Ikara. ‘But trapping animals in cages doesn’t sound good.’

  ‘No, I guess not.’

  Sleepily, Skoodle poked his head above the edge of Alex’s pocket. Alex took him out and put him on his palm.

  ‘Lunch,’ said Ikara, her green eyes locked on to Skoodle.

  Putting a protective hand in front of him, Alex said, ‘Pet. Special kind of friend. Not for eating.’

  ‘Hello, small animal,’ said Ikara, sliding closer.

  Crisis. Play dead, said a new voice in Alex’s mind.

  Skoodle rolled on to his back, legs sticking stiffly in the air, not breathing.

  ‘No use,’ hissed Ikara. ‘I know you’re alive. You moved.’