Chapter Eighteen
The entrance to Skeletor's lair – when travelling on foot at least – was little more than a gap in the giant stalagmites that covered the hulking mountain. There were two Skelcon guards posted on either side of the gap, but neither seemed particularly observant, after all it wasn't like He-Man or any of the Masters approached Snake Mountain very often.
Battle-Cat's giant paws were virtually silent as they moved between the huge chunks of rock, stalagmites and endless streams of syrupy lava. Now and then a Doomseeker would buzz overhead, but shadows deep enough to hide them both were easy enough to find in the rocky outcrops of the harsh landscape.
A small radio-communicator on He-Man's wrist beeped and Man-at-Arms voice came through urgently.
"He-Man, do you read me?"
"I read you, Duncan. A little too loud and clear," he whispered into the communicator.
A Doomseeker whirred overhead and paused, turning around in the air as if searching for the source of the noise.
He-Man and Battle-Cat withdrew into the shadow of a group huge stalagmites and ducked down. He-Man pressed a small button on the communicator to silence it and watched as the Doomseeker buzzed around for a few moments then flew on, whizzing over them in the direction of Snake Mountain.
"That was too close," Battle-Cat growled.
"You got that right," He-Man said, and turned the communicator back on. "Duncan, please repeat your last transmission."
"Are you ok He-Man? Are you alone?"
"I'm with 'Cat," He-Man said. "We're fine – we're currently at Snake Mountain."
"Do you need help? You need to find Jarik. We understand he has joined Skeletor's forces and is probably in Snake Mountain as we speak."
"Just as I feared," He-Man said. "If we are going to keep my secret safe, its probably best not to summon the Masters. I'll deal with this myself."
"As you wish," Man-at-Arms replied. "A few of us are going to head back to the battle-sight in the forest. We've had word that the Angorr is heading that way. I've been working on a multi-band communicator so that we can try to speak to it. It's a long story but Malaktha's research suggests that it isn't the threat that we first thought."
He-man frowned. "I'll have to take your word for that," he said doubtfully. "I'm going to head into Snake-Mountain and see what's going on. Somehow I doubt that a soldier as dedicated as Jarik would have joined the forces of evil willingly."
"Good luck," Man-at-Arms said. "And good journey."
"Good journey," He-man said, ending the transmission. He looked gravely at Battle-Cat and gestured towards the giant fortress. "Well, it looks like we don't have time for stealth anymore, old friend. How about we—"
His sentence was cut off by the sound of air being expelled and a giant Nanosteel net that dropped over them. He looked around and saw Tri-Klops holding a large pneumatic cannon.
"You really think this will stop me?" He-Man asked defiantly, gripping the net and pulling it apart. The net flexed but refused to tear at first.
"Not at all," Tri-Klops answered, smiling cruelly as he held up a small box with a single button on it. A wire ran from the bottom of the box to the net. "But all the while you are holding on to it, this might." He pressed the button and a surge of electrical energy tore down the wire, stunning He-Man and Battle-Cat. Sparks flew up from every part of the net that touched the heroic pair, and they both collapsed, unconscious.
He-Man had no idea how much time had passed but as he awoke, he realised he was in a cell inside Snake Mountain.
"Ah, you're awake," Tri-Klops said as He-Man raised his head to look around.
The cell was larger than he'd imagined it might have been, and the front was completely covered in bars from floor to ceiling. Beyond his cage, a large atrium showed more cells too dark to see inside. Tri=Klops was standing in the atrium, casually leaning against the wall as he spoke. He-man tried to move but found that his wrists and ankles were bound to the thick looking stone wall. He tested the chains and was sure he could break them with a bit of effort.
"You're probably wondering how much strength it would take to rip the chains that hold you from the wall?" Tri-Klops said. "Well, I daresay you'd find it easy enough. Even Nanosteel will only resist your impressive power for so long. That's why I bound your beast as well."
At the touch of a button, the wall to the next cell in front of He-Man slid away to reveal battle-Cat, still unconscious, chained to the wall.
"You will notice," Tri-Klops continued almost whimsically, "That the floor beneath him seems a little… precocious. One move from you, and the trapdoor opens. His chains will release and down he goes. There is nothing beneath him but air and, eventually, a lava pool."
He-Man immediately stopped his subtle pulling on the chains and sagged. "If you dare harm him…" he warned.
"I dare anything!"
Skeletor's shrill cry echoed in the cell and he stepped forward into the light.
"Skeletor!"
"You were expecting someone else in Snake Mountain?" he sneered. "Come now, surely all those muscles haven't pushed the brains right out of that thick skull of yours?"
"Let Battle-cat go! This is between you and me."
"No, no, no," Skeletor said, laughing. "You are both here as my guests. You will watch as I complete the initiation of my newest recruit." He banged his staff on the floor and Beast-man stepped into view, dragging an old looking man behind him. The first thing He-Man noticed was the blue-grey metallic arm that was attached at the shoulder.
The thick chain that Beast-Man pulled was attached to a metal collar around the man's neck, and sturdy looking metallic cuffs bound his wrists. His body was covered in bruises and burns, but he looked far from beaten. His eyes were still alert, and he wore a defiant expression.
"You know him as Jarik, former soldier of the Royal Guard," Skeletor said. "But once he kneels before his new master, he will be known as Arm-Or, master of hand-to-hand combat."
"I told you…" Jarik said in ragged gasps. "I will help you defeat the Angorr, for the good of Eternia but I will never kneel before you."
"Oh, but you will," Skeletor said, nodding to Beast-man, who attached the chain to a metal hook in the floor, and drew his whip. He flexed the whip a few times as he walked back and forth, like a beast stalking his prey.
"Jarik, are you ok?" He-man asked.
Jarik nodded in reply. "Do your worst," he said, looking over his shoulder to Beast-Man.
"You harm him, Skeletor, and you'll pay!"
Skeletor waved his hand at He-Man dismissively. "You are in no position to make threats, He-Man," he said calmly, and turned his attention to Jarik who strained against his restraints.
"Are you ready to kneel now, Jarik? Cast aside those who abandoned you and left you for dead?"
"I will not kneel. I offered you my assistance in defeating a common enemy and—"
With a small nod from Skeletor, Beast-Man lifted his whip, drew it around his head and brought the lash down on Jarik's back. A fierce red welt appeared almost immediately where the whip had struck.
"Stop this right now, Skeletor! Let him go." He-man said, his voice cracking with rage. "Or I'll—"
"You'll do nothing!" Skeletor said, nodding at Beast-man again who unleashed two more cracks of the whip.
He-man strained at the chains, and Tri-Klops stepped forward, brandishing the controller for the trapdoor.
Another crack of Beast-man's whip rang out, and Jarik remained silent, tense and unflinching. His muscles were bunched and his breathing was heavy and sharp, but he remained defiant.
Several more strikes cracked across Jarik's back before Skeletor ordered Beast-man to stand down.
"Your defiance and determination are impressive," Skeletor said, approaching Jarik who stood on shaking legs. "But it is futile. You can stand no longer. Give up."
Jarik adjusted his stance and stood as tall as he could manage. He looked Skeletor square in the eye and grunted. "Be careful I don't withdraw my offer of assistance," he said.
"Hmm…" Skeletor paced back and forth thoughtfully. "You are proving yourself to be a very durable warrior," he said. "Beast-man can't break this misplaced morality of yours, but perhaps some-one else can."
He turned away and beckoned to the shadows. "Evil-Lyn, perhaps a mind-melding spell will convince him to join us."
A slender woman wearing a purple leotard and headdress stepped forward, smirking. "You waste your time Skeletor. What use is he to you if he will not join us willingly?"
"Listen to her Skeletor!" He-Man implored the evil lord. "Let him go."
For the first time since the incident at the Dimensional Gate when he was tricked into thinking he had killed a villager, He-Man felt dread run through his veins. If Evil-Lyn performed a mind-control spell, his secret – which he was relieved had not been revealed – would be a secret no longer.
"I will be re-paid for my efforts in saving his life," Skeletor said. "I had wanted to do this politely, but now it seems he will have to submit to my will, even if he doesn't want to."
"You have gone too far this time, Skeletor. Stop this right now."
"It's ok, He-Man," Jarik said, nodding respectfully at the heroic warrior. "She'll not break me any more than Beast-Man could."
"We'll see about that," Evil-Lyn said, stepping forward and placing her hands on Jarik's temples. "Now," she said in an almost soothing voice. "Let's see what we have in here. What is it that makes your will so strong?"
Her eyes glowed white as she started her spell, and He-Man looked on, helpless to stop it.
