“Give me the sword, Pinch,” Charlie rasped. “Don’t let this happen.”
Pinch shook his head. “I’m sorry, Charlie - but it’s already far too late.”
And then the Queen of Nightmares was on him and Charlie felt her strong arms wrap around his body like a winter shroud. He felt cold - numbingly cold - and his eyelids grew as heavy as a black hole that consumed even light itself. His lungs seized in his chest as he struggled to take one last gasp of air…
“It can’t end like this,” he said.
And then there was only darkness.
B
rooke ran to the empty spot in the Netherforge where Pinch’s portal had just slammed shut. “What are we going to do?” she cried. “Where did they go?”
“To the lair of the Fifth,” Theodore replied grimly. “And Charlie is unarmed.”
Violet picked up her axe and wiped the dirty blade clean on her trouser leg. “
He
may be, but I’m not. Theo, take us there. Now.”
Theodore shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. I’ve never been inside. Charlie’s the only one I know who can open portals to places he hasn’t even seen - well, him and the Headmaster, I guess - but I
can
portal us to the entrance of the lair. I’ve seen that.”
“Then do it.”
“And what do we do when we get there?” Brooke asked.
Violet shrugged. “Simple. We fight.”
We fight
.
The words cut through the air like a knife.
“OK, stand back,” Theodore said, raising his right hand.
Everyone did as he asked, narrowly getting out of the way of the portal he snapped open back to Earth - through it, they could see the burned-out landscape in front of the giant nautilus shell in Central Park.
“Let’s go,” Violet said, leaping into the open gateway, axe raised high. Brooke and Theodore followed.
Charlie awoke in the Slumber.
He lay on a bed of soft clover. Oversized honeybees buzzed lazily above him in the fragrant, jasmine-scented air. The blue sky was filled with candyfloss clouds that seemed eager to form themselves into recognisable shapes - Charlie spotted a fluffy bunny on the horizon, chased by what looked like a smiling hippopotamus.
What is this place?
he wondered as he got to his feet.
He expected his joints and muscles to ache from all the abuse they had suffered, but was surprised to
discover that he was remarkably pain-free. In fact, truth be told, he felt
great
- maybe never better. The air was warm and sweet and the music of songbirds filled the air. The gorgeous creatures flapped around on large, luminous wings the colour of fruit - cherry reds, bright oranges and even plum purples.
The place was absolutely delightful - but where
was
he?
Glancing around, he knew only that he was in a vast, hilly meadow full of clover and wild flowers. It seemed to go on for miles until finally ending at a treeline that marked the beginning of what looked to be a green and sunny forest. Beyond the trees were mountains - wide and grassy at the bottom, leading to smooth, rocky expanses higher up until finally giving way to snow-covered summits. In the centre of the mountain range was a pillar of white light, shimmering gloriously, reaching high into the sky like a finger pointing up to heaven.
The whole place was magnificent…and yet strangely familiar.
Charlie struggled to identify the odd feeling of
déjà vu
he was experiencing. He had been here before - he
knew
he had - and yet he was also certain that this was somewhere new.
But how could that be?
And then, like an electric shock, the answer came to him.
He was in the Nether.
Or at least some weird, alternate version of it.
The lush meadow where he stood was the 1
st
Ring, although in the Nether it was rocky and barren. The forest beyond was the 2
nd
Ring, although the trees here looked nothing like the spooky, skeletal monstrosities found in the shadow version of this world. The mountains were clearly the 3
rd
Ring and, beyond them, Charlie imagined he would find an ocean - the 4
th
Ring - but he was certain that here it would be warm and inviting - a stark contrast to the foul, chill expanse of water in that other place.
But the clincher was that wondrous spire of clean, white light that ascended into the heavens. In the Nether, it was a red and churning column that speared down through an alien sky, right into the Inner Circle.
“Charlie Benjamin!” a voice called out in a southern accent as thick as cream. “How you doin’, child?” Charlie turned to see Mama Rose cheerfully waving to him from the waist-high grass. He was thrilled to see her…and yet he knew that back on Earth, she lay comatose in the Nightmare Academy, her body rapidly disintegrating, her life force draining away. “I’m so glad you’re here!” she
exclaimed, walking towards him with a broad smile. And then he noticed other people in the meadow - youngsters, many of them from the Academy.
What was going on?
“Mama Rose…where are we?” Charlie asked, pushing his way through the clover to reach the cheerful woman.
She shrugged. “No idea, but I
like
it. Don’t you?” She breathed in deeply and smiled as soon as the fragrant air hit her lungs. “Wow! It sure is marvellous here. In fact, I don’t ever want to leave.”
“Yeah,” Charlie replied. “I know it’s nice and all that, but back on Earth, you’re unconscious. And your body is, well…it looks like it’s
dying
.”
Mama Rose glanced skyward, her expression as serene as a swan’s. “Let it. I don’t ever want to go back there, Charlie. I truly don’t.”
This place is a trap!
Charlie suddenly realised.
It’s beautiful on purpose - designed to lower your defences and make you so comfortable that you don’t ever want to try and find a way out!
Which opened the door to a really big question: Was
there a way out?
“Have you seen the Headmaster?” Charlie asked.
Mama Rose nodded. “She and Rex and Tabitha were
all just here. But they…they wanted to
leave
, if you can imagine such a thing!” She laughed then - great rolling gales of laughter, as if the very notion of wanting to leave such a wonderful place was beyond comprehension.
“Where did they go?”
Mama Rose turned and pointed to the spire of white light that Charlie knew must lead to this world’s version of the Inner Circle.
“The centre,” she said. “They flew there on birds.” As if to demonstrate how this was possible, Mama Rose whistled pleasantly and, moments later, a lemon-yellow songbird descended from the sky and landed at her feet, chirping sweetly - it was almost twice as big as she was. “See? Just like this one here.”
“Yeah. I see. Thanks.” Charlie walked towards the bird, which immediately lowered a wing to the ground so that he could climb up on to its back. Its feathers were soft and downy.
“Oh, Charlie,
must
you?” Mama Rose gently scolded. “Why can’t you just stay here and relax, like the rest of us…” She gestured to the other students from the Academy. They were running happily through the meadow. “We can have
such fun
together!”
Charlie smiled. “I know…but I have to go. I have to
try and help us. Take care, Mama Rose…”
With that, the songbird flapped its wings and rose high into the air with Charlie securely tucked away on its back. He hadn’t communicated what he wanted to do - he’d only
thought
it - but the creature seemed to understand just the same. It banked, cutting a path through the warm air, and then headed straight towards the beam of light in the very centre of this odd and dangerously inviting place.
The buildings around Central Park were in ruins.
Golems had ravaged most of the structures, reducing them to heaps of concrete and steel. The sky was filled with a thick, choking smoke.
“They’ve destroyed the city!” Theodore yelled, looking around in dismay. He and the others stood at the edge of the park, some distance from the entrance to the massive nautilus shell. “The place is decimated.”
“And
empty
,” Brooke added. “I haven’t seen a single person.”
Violet nodded. “Me neither. They’ve all run off - or been portalled out by Nethermancers from the Division. The city is in the hands of the monsters now.”
The thought seemed to incense Theodore. “Man! I
can’t believe everyone just took off running. Whatever happened to staying and fighting?”
“How?” Brooke replied. “We’ve seen what these -
crooooak!
- Golems can do. Heck, the military attacked them and it was like the soldiers weren’t even there!”
“Well, if there’s no way to fight them, then what are we going to do about these two?” Violet gestured to two giant Fire and Water Golems that were stationed on either side of the shell’s entrance to protect it from invaders. “I mean, if we can’t get past them, then this is all over before it even begins.”
Brooke seemed baffled. “When
what
is all over? I’m still not even clear what the plan is.”
“The
plan
,” Violet said, “is to fight our way into the lair, find Charlie and help him. But first we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to get past these two Golems.”
“Let
me
take care of that,” Theodore said with a chuckle. “It’s easy peasy mac and cheesy - trust me.”
Then, to Brooke’s astonishment, he ran straight at the massive creatures.
“What’s he doing?” Brooke gasped, turning to Violet.
“No idea…”
Theodore raced towards the monsters as fast as
his spindly legs could carry him. “Hey! Look at me, you big goons! Down here!” The gargantuan beasts swivelled their heads in Theodore’s direction. “That’s right, you overgrown matchstick and you big bottle of water! I’m Theodore Dagget! Come and get me, you morons!”
They did.
Moving with surprising swiftness, the Water Golem surfed straight at Theodore on a wave of its own creation while the Fire Golem leaped towards him, leaving behind molten slag with every footstep.
“I can’t watch,” Brooke said, shutting her eyes tightly.
At the last possible second, Theodore swerved to the left and ran straight between the legs of the Fire Golem. The Water Golem corrected its course, chasing him.
“No!” Violet shouted, suddenly realising what Theodore’s plan was.
The Water and Fire Golems collided, creating a massive explosion of steam that destroyed both beasts instantly.
“Theodore!” Violet screamed, knowing that her friend could never have survived such a cataclysm. “THEO!”
“What?” a voice said calmly from behind her. Violet spun round to see Theodore stepping out of a portal. He smiled. “Don’t get so hysterical. Just before they hit each
other, I summoned a portal and escaped into the Nether. I’m not
stupid
. Geez.”
Violet stared at Theodore, then punched him in the arm so hard that he dropped to the ground. “Don’t you…EVER…scare me like that again!”
“Uh, OK,” Theodore replied, massaging what he knew was going to be a massive bruise. “As long as you don’t ever
punch
me like that again.”
“OK, what’s next?” Brooke asked, walking up to the newly unprotected entrance to the lair. “What do we do now?”
“Now we go inside,” Violet replied, “and kill everything that gets in our way.” Saying that, the young Banisher strode into the lair of the Queen of Nightmares.
Hang in there, Charlie
, she thought.
The cavalry is on its way.
I
n the heart of the giant nautilus shell, the Queen of Nightmares gently stroked Charlie Benjamin’s cheek. He lay on the floor, comatose. Already his skin was beginning to grow cold.
“You have done well, Edward,” she said, turning to Pinch. Her purple cat-eyes fixed on the brilliantly glowing sword in his hand. “Why did you bring that wretched thing with you?”
Pinch shrugged. “I…I didn’t mean to. Things were just happening so fast and, before I knew it, it was in my hand and then we were
here
.”
“Well, open a portal and get rid of it. Throw it into the well at the Netherforge. It makes me…uncomfortable.”
Pinch held her gaze a moment then looked away. “I understand why you feel that way, but…”
“But
what
?”
Pinch raised the blade and cast his eyes lovingly along its razor-sharp edge. “It’s just so beautiful and, when it’s in my hands, I feel so
powerful
.”
The Queen of Nightmares suddenly lowered her head and growled. The sound was so deep and frightening - so
unlike
her - that Pinch actually stumbled backwards.
“Powerful?” she hissed. “Don’t be a fool, Edward! You have drunk from me twice and, once you cast away that revolting sword, I will allow you to drink from me a third time - a
final
time - and then your monstrous form will return and become permanent.
That
is true power. It comes from who you are - not from some ridiculous trinket, like the one you now hold.”
Pinch swallowed nervously. “If it’s so ridiculous…why are you afraid of it?”
She shot him a ferocious look that said, more clearly than words, that killing him would be a pure pleasure - if such a thing were possible while he still held the sword. “Get rid of it,” she said finally. “Right now. Right this
second
.”
Pinch considered. “No. I think…I think I’ll wait a bit.”
The jewel-like eyes of the Queen of Nightmares drew down to angry slits. “In that case, Edward - we are going to have a problem.”
As Charlie flew through the Slumber on the back of the lemon-yelloe songbird, he marvelled at how like - and utterly
un
like - this place was from the Nether. The layout was the same, but the specifics were all different.
He crested the snow-capped mountains of the 3
rd
Ring - from this height, they looked like scoops of vanilla ice cream. And then he was swooping down and skimming over the ocean of the 4
th
Ring, which was as clear and as blue as the one in the Nether had been murky and grey. Sea animals leaped and dived cheerfully in the waves, seeming to follow him, chasing after each other in some kind of friendly game.
Moments later, he left the ocean behind and then sailed out over the crystals of the 5
th
Ring. Unlike the horrible mustard colour of the ones in the Nether, these were clear as diamonds and they all seemed to point in the same direction - towards the glorious column of light that surrounded the Inner Circle. It sparkled and shimmered enticingly, beckoning Charlie forward.
Soon he was through it and soaring over the Inner Circle itself. Back in the Nether, the four palaces of the Named were dark and gothic, each one perfectly reflecting the evil of its owner - but here they were as light as
the homes of the gods on Mount Olympus, with crystalline domes and pillars of gleaming white marble.
But that wasn’t even the most surprising thing.
High in the sky, in the very centre of the statuary-filled courtyard that all the palaces shared, a pearly platform seemed to float in the air - although, as Charlie neared it, he realised that it was actually held aloft by arching bridges that led to it from each of the four castles.
Hovering in the middle of the platform was an enormous shadowy being, towering and translucent.
There was something familiar about it…
It took Charlie a moment to recognise what it was, before he suddenly realised that it was actually
the Fifth
- the Queen of Nightmares herself - or at least the version that she chose to present here in the Slumber. The very existence of the shadow creature seemed impossible given the brightness of the sun - and yet there she was, framed by a shimmering oval of light directly behind her. At her feet were three small dots. Even from this far away, Charlie knew who they were: Rex, Tabitha and the Headmaster.
He imagined the songbird drifting down to drop him off next to them and, to his amazement, that’s exactly what it did. It swooped through the air and then came to a smooth stop on the platform, quickly lowering a wing
to allow Charlie to get down and join his friends.
They seemed unsurprised to see him.
“Mr Benjamin,” the Headmaster said with a sleepy smile. “I assumed you would join us sooner or later.”
“How long have you been here?” Charlie asked. “And how do we get out?”
“We don’t, kid,” Rex replied lazily. “Heck, when we first got here, we thought the same as you - that there
had
to be a way out. But, you know what? After you spend a little time here in the Slumber, you realise that there ain’t a way out and, even if there
was
, why would you ever want to leave? It’s so…peaceable here.”
Charlie turned to Tabitha. “You don’t feel this way too, do you?”
The Nethermancer grinned and stretched out on the platform, moaning pleasantly. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s nice here, Charlie. You’ll see. You just have to give it some time. It
grows
on you.”
It grows on you.
More like
feeds
on you
, Charlie thought darkly.
On your willpower, on your desire to escape it and, finally, on your life…
“Why fight it, Mr Benjamin?” the Headmaster said, her brightly coloured dress fluttering in the sweet breeze. “I’ve tried and…it’s no use. No use at all.”
“But, back on Earth—”
“Back on Earth, my body is a crippled husk,” she interrupted. “Here I’m in no pain, I’m never hungry and nothing is ever expected of me.” She sighed contentedly. “Here I can be…happy.”
Charlie shook his head. “Not for much longer. Your body is dying. Pretty soon it will be dead and so will you.”
The Headmaster shrugged. “So be it.”
So be it.
It horrified Charlie to realise that the Headmaster was lost to him - to everyone really, including herself. She was the strongest of them all, but her time in the Slumber had broken her, just like the Chasm Wyrm in the Nether had broken
him
, if only briefly. The Slumber was like a deep and pleasantly warm ocean that lulled you out, away from shore, and by the time you realised you’d swum past the point of no return, it was too late.
You drowned with a smile on your face.
“Charlie Benjamin…”
Charlie turned to see the dazzling shadow image of the Queen of Nightmares looking down at him. She was grinning.
“Listen to your teachers. They are wise. They care for you.”
Charlie shook his head. “They’ve been too long in this
horrible place. You’ve corrupted their minds. But not
mine. I’m getting out.”
“There is no way out.”
“That’s a lie. The only way to keep people from trying to escape is to make them
not want to.
That’s the reason you made it so nice in here - because if people wanted to leave, they might eventually figure out
how
.”
“You are smart, Charlie Benjamin. But that will not help you. No one has ever escaped the Slumber. Join your friends. Enjoy the time you have with them before you die.”
Charlie walked defiantly towards her. “I could say the same thing to you. Edward Pinch has the Sword of Sacrifice. How long before he slays you with it?”
For just the briefest of moments, Charlie saw a look of fear flash across her face.
“Edward Pinch has already disposed of the sword,” she said. “He has thrown it into the well of the Netherforge. It has returned to the Core.”
“That’s a lie.”
Again there was that brief flash of fear, and Charlie knew he was getting to her.
“You dare to question me?” the shadow form of the Queen of Nightmares thundered.
“I know Pinch. And I know that he wants power more
than anything else. The sword gives him that.”
“So do I. When he drinks from me, he becomes transformed.”
Charlie shrugged. “See, and that’s exactly the problem - what you give to him, you can also take
away
from him. But no one can take the sword away.”
“You could,” she replied mockingly. “If you were out of the Slumber.”
Charlie smiled slyly. “So you admit he still has it.”
Fury erupted over the shadowy face of the Queen of Nightmares. Then, like an ocean wave erasing footprints on the sand, her look of rage was replaced by an unreadable expression of calm - but Charlie knew that, underneath, there lurked a terrible anger.
He had wounded her.
“Play as many games as you like, Charlie Benjamin. You will perish playing them - but not before I have drained your life force to fuel my destruction of your world.”
“I’ll find the way out. Trust me.”
“There is no escape! The Slumber is sealed tight! Your portals do not work here!”
Charlie knew that much was true. He was in the Slumber in mind only - not in body - so there was no way to physically escape through any portal he knew of.
Unless…unless there was some
other
kind of portal.
He looked past the shadowy presence of the Queen of Nightmares to the radiant oval just behind her. It looked so familiar. In fact, he thought it looked just like—
A portal
.
“Step aside,” Charlie said.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because I think that’s a portal behind you - a portal back to my body - and I’m going to step through it and then I’m going to kill you.”
The Queen of Nightmares laughed, but Charlie detected a note of hysteria. “Go ahead and try, Charlie Benjamin.”
Summoning his courage, Charlie walked forward. “You know what I think? I think you have no way to protect that portal. This isn’t really you - it’s just the shadow version of you.”
“We are connected. We affect one another. My strength is her strength, and hers is mine.”
“I think you’re powerless. You’re like the Wizard in
The Wizard of Oz
- all bark and no bite - telling everyone to ‘ignore the man behind the curtain’. You’re not the Fifth, you’re just her shadow, and to walk right through you and into that portal, all a person
needs is the simple belief that they
can
.”
Charlie stepped right up to her.
Suddenly, the Queen of Nightmares roared and swiped at him with a massive, shadowy hand. The open palm hit him with the force of a truck and knocked him backwards on to one of the bridges that led to the platform.
“It doesn’t require belief, boy!” she shrieked. “It requires fighting!”
Charlie staggered to his feet.
“OK then…let’s fight.”
Violet, Theodore and Brooke battled their way through the Queen of Nightmares’ lair. The shimmering, organic hallways - which had been so carefully crafted by the Shellweavers - were now black and slick with monster blood.
Violet’s axe flashed against the incoming tide of creatures as Theodore and Brooke summoned portals underneath the ones that approached from behind. The two Nethermancers were like gunslingers in a shoot-out - fast, accurate and very deadly.
“Above you!” Theodore shouted, glancing over his shoulder to see a flock of Netherbats swooping towards
Violet. But before the Banisher even had a
chance
to respond, Brooke opened a portal in front of them and the bats sailed harmlessly through it and into the Nether.
“Dang, Brooke!” Theodore exclaimed as he opened a portal around a leaping Dangeroo. He quickly snapped it closed, slicing the monster in half. “You’re like a portal-making machine now!”
She laughed. “I may look like a frog, but my portals are as pretty as a princess.”
“You got
that
right!”
They advanced steadily, slaying every creature that swarmed their way - Netherstalkers, Hags, even Darklings. Soon they were within sight of the throne room.
“Almost there,” Violet said, covered in black ichor, chest heaving. “Charlie should be close…”
Inside the throne room, the Queen of Nightmares heard Charlie’s friends approach. “They are stubborn creatures,” she growled. “Like you, Edward.”
“What would you have me do, my lady?”
“Destroy the sword.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then destroy
them
.”
Pinch found her answer curious. “Why don’t you just touch them and put them into the Slumber? The more humans you have there, the stronger you will become.”
“I could, but I won’t - because I want to see them die. Or, to be more exact, because I want to see
you
kill them.”
“After all I’ve done for you, you’re still not sure where my loyalties lie?”
She shook her head. “If you were truly loyal, you would rid yourself of that hideous weapon.”
“This weapon is the only thing keeping me alive! Without it, eventually I’ll do something you don’t approve of - like Barakkas, Slagguron and Tyrannus - and then you will destroy me.”
She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “I can’t do to you what I did to them. I created them to begin with, you see - which allowed me to
un
create them. With you…I have no such power.”
The fight outside the throne room drew closer…and it didn’t sound like the creatures of the Nether were winning. The cackling of Hags was abruptly turned into a spurting gurgle; the song of the Silvertongues was silenced by the snicker of an axe blade.
“Destroy the sword before they arrive,” the Queen of Nightmares hissed, “and I will let you drink from me. You cannot be transformed while you hold it. You cannot be
made
magnificent
.” She leaned down to whisper in Pinch’s ear. The Sword of Sacrifice vibrated angrily in his hand, centimetres from her vulnerable body, desperate to taste her alien flesh. “We are family now, Edward. Here we stand, at the moment of our greatest triumph. Open a portal to the Netherforge and drop the sword into the Core. Let me
transform
you. I will let you drink until you have had your fill. I will give you enough blood to become…astonishing.”