been a while! sorry, cursed writers block attack. next bit, hope you like!
Chapter 10: Excavation
They dug and dug all day, and perhaps it would've been faster if Joe had waited until nighttime. Not only would it be considerably cooler, Shale would've been able to help. He was rapidly deteriorating in the sweltering heat of the desert, his silicon brain slowing and slowing as he hid in the shade of the coach. Beck stared at the troll and took pity on him.
"Don't you have something to cover him with? A tent or a sheet? The poor thing will turn to stone."she asked Joe.
"What do you care?"he yelled angrily."He's just a troll, he'll survive."Shale looked up at Joe.
"No...help?"he mumbled. Joe glared at Beck.
"Now look what you've started."
"Face it, we can't keep this up!"she yelled."It's far too hot out here, if you want us to dig, wait until night time."
"Maybe she's right, dear."Miss Smith said quietly, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. Joe scowled.
"Maybe? We have no idea how far we have to dig! You!"he pointed at Beck."Get Kata back out here. Maybe she can do something about the sand."
"I don't know how to control this thing!"BEck said, flourishing the bracelet.
"I do."Joe said, pointing threateningly at Brandon. Beck's eyes turned octarine, and Kata glared at Joe.
"You want me to get rid of the sand?"she said bitterly."Anything else?"
"Don't tempt me."Joe said. Miss Smith scowled jealously. Kata sighed.
"You will all have to stand well back." Joe scowled suspiciously.
"If you try anything..."
"Don't be stupid."Kata snapped."He's an assassin. If he wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. Besides, why bother trying anything? I want the same thing as you."Joe scowled then nodded. Kata watched as they backed away from her, and sighed.
"I will be rid of those fools soon, my love."she whispered to herself, and let octarine light gather around her hands.
She raised her hands above her head, and the sand started leaping into the air, and spinning wildly in an enormous cyclone. More and more sand was sucked into the whirlwind, and the kidnappers, Brandon and Gordo watching on in astonishment.
"Truly, there has not been a sorceress as powerful as her since she died."Gordo said quietly. Suddenly, the sand blocked their view of the woman, swirling around her.
"No!"Brandon whispered.
"Be silent."Joe said quietly.
Sure enough, after a few moments, the sandstorm moved away, heading for an empty patch of desert. In it's wake, stood the glowing woman, and an enormous pyramid. Beside the pyramid stood a building, that looked vaguely familiar to Brandon. The sand cyclone collapsed, leaving a large sand dune behind.
"The palace of Duman!"Gordo whispered."It had been lost with the pyramid!"Brandon hurried over to Kata, who had fallen to her knees.
"Beck?"he whispered, taking her shoulders. Kata looked up at him.
"Take them inside."she whispered."You must take the armband of him. If he figures out how to use it..."Brandon glanced back at their kidnappers, who were approaching with hungry looks on their faces.
"I will try."he said quietly."Please, let me see Beck."Kata's eyes dimmed, and Beck blinked.
"Did she do it?"she asked, feeling completely exhausted.
"Yes, love. She did it."
"Is that good or bad?"
"I'm not sure. Can you stand?"
"I don't know."Beck tried to struggle to her feet, but found her legs were weak as jelly. Brandon scooped her up, and found Joe grabbing the back of his neck.
"You stay close, boy."he turned back to glare at the overheated troll."Come on, Shale, we need you down there."Shale lumbered slowly to his feet and plodded forward.
"Where do you think we should start?"Joe asked Miss Smith.
"The palace. But we must be careful of booby traps." they slowly made their way over the sand, and soon there was stone underfoot.
Brandon shuddered suddenly. The moment he'd set foot on the stone, he'd seen the stone as it used to be, smooth and gold, with delicate paintings on the walls, flickering torches burning from brackets.
"There will be a temple or something inside where these can be removed."Joe muttered to himself."You, where would it be."he said, pointing to Gordo, who shrank away.
"Temples were often at the back of the buildings, and separate."
"We shall go around."
"No, they only had entrances from the inside."Gordo said. Joe glared suspiciously, then looked up at Miss Smith, who nodded.
"Very well. You three shall lead the way."Beck was watching Brandon's face.
"What happened?"she whispered as they made their way towards a large wooden door.
"I had a vision."he said, looking terrified."Of what this place used to look like."he shuddered, and Beck kissed his cheek gently.
"At least you don't have some thousand year old witch taking over your body with your knowledge."she said, smiling reassuringly. He grinned.
"I suppose."Joe ran his hand over the ancient wood.
"Shale? Open the door."the troll, who'd been standing gratefully in the surprisingly cool shade of the building, knuckled over and glanced at the door for a moment.
"What is dere's a booby trap?"he mumbled. Joe rolled his eyes.
"They will have no effect on you, they are designed to keep humans out."Miss Smith said impatiently.
Brandon stepped out of the doorway, standing beside Gordo, who was torn between terror and excitement, and Pizzaface, who was staring unblinkingly at Beck. Shale lifted his enormous fists and slammed them into the door. For an impressive moment, nothing happened. But when Shale hit them again, they exploded into a storm of splinters. From out of the darkness within came a whistling noise, and a large log covered in metal spikes swung from the roof and straight for the troll, who didn't move. The spikes shattered when they hit Shale, and the log snapped in two. Shale pulled the log out of the way and threw it aside.
"Shall we?"Joe said, breaking the horrified spell. Gordo was pushed forward, and Brandon behind him.
"We have to get out of this."Beck whispered."That could've been us!"
"Give it a little bit."Brandon murmured back, gripping her a little tighter."I can't fight them alone, and you're in no condition to help."
"Very well."so they cautiously entered the cold and dark depths of the palace.