Chapter 13 is here! I am happy to say that this is the longest chapter so far (yes even longer than 'The Battle of Abhorsen's House') and shall reveal a tad more of the slowly unravelling plot! What shall happen? Well…I'm not gonna tell you. Read, damn it!
Chapter 13
Assault on the Mulldack's Citadel
Sweat ran freely from Z's brow, dripping from his chin and nose, the boy running a sleeve through his hair in the humidity. The troops were almost all through the porthole by now, only a few hundred left. The Mulldack's army could be spotted from the watch towers, armour glinting in the gaze of the sun's rays.
"Z, we should get going." Lirael turned to him, concerned. He frowned to her, but it was a frown of defiance as opposed to annoyance.
"Not yet. Not until every last soldier is through. I want to see them go."
"Why?"
"I just do, okay? We're going in on Flames and the last thing we need is to be shot down. I'm not taking any chances with this, they do their duty and I'll do mine."
Kiz, Ruby and Daz were already gone, into the Dark Lands, the great desert. Into the Mulldack's home world. It would not be long until they followed.
Z gestured to a Elf, summoning him. The little Officer scuttled forward, looking more than a little intimidated by Z's size.
"Yes sir?"
"The Bio-Bombs, are they primed?"
"Yes, they were set just five minutes ago."
"Thank you. Go through the porthole now." The Elf nodded, and hopped through the ethereal gateway without a backwards glance.
Z and Lirael waited until the last man. He told her to leave but she would not. Finally he conceded, and the two left, Z staring back across the courtyard for one last, lingering moment, before he stepped through into another dimension.
The porthole closed with a shower of golden sparks, raining to the ground like a thousand falling embers. No one was left behind. Barely thirty seconds later an army arrived. Before they knew what was happening the immense blasting detonation of the Bio-Bombs hit their ears. The sky was lit with a fantastic blue, a blue rinse, and there was silence. A pure, screaming silence.
Z toppled through the porthole, rolling to his feet and brushing the hair from his eyes. Lirael lay before him and he smiled as she struggled to stand.
"I'll never get used to that blasted thing."
"We've arrived."
The desert was almost unbelievable in scale. In every direction the sand stretched onwards, seemingly for an eternity. The scorching sun struck Lirael's forehead like a hammer blow, the heat almost driving her to her knees, sweat instantly forming from her long, matted hair.
All around them thousands of soldiers marched, forward, towards the Citadel, the sand they swept through piling to their left and right, leaving deep tracks in the barren landscape.
A small group awaited them, Samos at its head.
"You've arrived I see. Flames has been waiting for you." The colossal dragon reared its magnificent head, bending low and gazing deep into Z's eyes. This creature understood what it meant to wait, it was no dumb beast.
"We're here now. When do we go over?"
"When our army get close enough for an attack. Your assault relies on surprise, we can't have you flying in until the Mulldack's remaining forces are concentrated fully on the battle." Lirael stepped forward, nervously fondling her bell bandoleer.
"Who's coming with us?"
"You, Z, Ruby and Kiz will fly on Flames."
"Where's Daz?"
"Do not worry Z, your friend Daz is going into battle on a cargo-ship. It's a sort of battle tank, but with a flat top allowing for easy transportation of goods, or, in this case, troops. He's well protected."
Z nodded but he didn't feel safe. So many things could go wrong.
The sound of cannons in the distance roused him from his thoughts and Samos turned, pointing his small telescope in the direction of the booming cannon blasts.
"It's the Mulldack's army, they've seen us. There's still many thousands left to defend his palace and, although we have advantage in numbers, this will not be an easy fought battle. Go, now, while their attention is diverted."
Flames collapsed into the sand, nestling as low as he could to make the climb easier for his riders. They mounted, one by one, Ruby and Kiz smiling to their partners as they settled into their seats. Flames reared upwards and with a mighty flap of his immense wings and a push from his gargantuan legs, he took of, soaring high into the sky, skimming the bottom of the clouds, the sounds of wild screaming ringing in his ears.
Z spread his body wide in the saddle and pressed his face as close to Flames' neck as possible. Even so, the savage, brutal wind tore at his eyes, stinging like a hail of needles, his hair flying wildly, battering his face again and again as his stomach rose and fell, leaving him sick, sore and bedraggled. Lirael clung so tightly to his chest that it took physical effort to breath and she screamed in his ears like a lunatic, leaving them throbbing with pain.
Despite this Z kept alert. He gazed down on the battlefield below, watching their own troops, like ants from this height, advance on the Mulldack's force and his heart thudding faster and faster whenever a cannon shot exploded in a mass of flame and smoke, thinking to himself that Daz could have been caught in the explosion. He forced himself to think of the mission ahead, drowning out thoughts of his friends suffering horrific deaths.
With a jerk that lurched Z's stomach, Lirael wailing madly in his ears, her throat hoarse with terror, Flames dipped slightly downwards and the Mulldack's Citadel loomed before them. It was a colossus, strikingly dark, its towers seemingly rising so high as to puncture a hole in the clouds.
Flames took them down, flying as to conceal himself to the best of his ability. When they got low enough to see the lower levels of the pit the Citadel was built in that Z ordered Flames to land. Lirael's voice sounded behind him, over the rushing wind that blasted the ear drums.
"Z, are you crazy? Are you trying to get us killed? Our orders were to fly to the palace itself, not land in the pit, what the hell are you trying to pull?"
Z turned to face her, indignation flashing on his features.
"Do you see? Lirael, Kiz, Ruby, do you see those crystals?" They looked below and saw. Under the Citadel hundreds of Dark Warriors were digging, uprooting huge black crystals that seemed to be shedding seeds. Seeds that grew into…
"Oh my God!" Kiz's eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Ruby, both staring at each other in amazement.
"Those crystals…they make more Dark Warriors! All this time we've been wondering why there are so many of them and this is why, they're making more, increasing numbers all the time!"
Z nodded.
"We have to stop them. I know this isn't to plan but we have no choice. We land. Now."
Flames heard and drove his wings upwards, shooting himself into a hurtling dive.
The battle raged below, the enemy spilling into the pit, thousands upon thousands fighting their way down the spiralling slope to the Citadel itself. The Mulldack knew victory was impossible, Samos had brought an army vastly superior in numbers and, although his Dark Warriors would not go down easily, it was only a matter of time before they destroyed his remaining forces.
The Mulldack paced his room in fury, rage boiling and bubbling to the surface in terrible outbreaks of violence. He screamed, a terrifying roar that rattled the bones, and kicked a nearby desk so hard it was sent flying, splinters of wood cascading to the floor. A Dark Warrior of the highest rank stood before him, quivering with fear, barely able to stand straight before his master.
It had been a trap. A trap all along, and it had worked! The Mulldack could barely believe he had been tricked. Hundreds of thousands of his warriors destroyed by Bio-Bombs. He needed a plan.
"Why did you not anticipate this General?" The Mulldack spoke in calm, cold tones. Deceptively so.
"It was not possible master, we had no idea that -"
"I do not care for your excuses. A scout should have been sent. There is no excuse for this incompetence!"
"Master, please, the situation is far from lost!" The Mulldack stopped pacing and turned to face his General, fixing him with eyes that shone to the very soul.
"Then what do you propose we do?"
"We are not defeated, we still have many troops left. I say we pull back all troops from this battle now, and all from the attack on Mickey's Palace, and order them to Disney Creek to meet with any survivors there. We can make a last stand, Mickey's army isn't huge and once you get hold of the second part of the Crystal Element you will be powerful enough to destroy him yourself."
The Mulldack's eyes closed for several seconds, lost in thought, before he harpooned the General with his icy gaze and smiled.
"It is a good plan of action. Put it into operation, leave a few thousand troops to make Samos think he's had an easy battle and evacuate the rest through the main porthole. Do the same with the army at Disney World. This battle may be lost, but the war is far from over."
The Dark Warrior left, breathing an immense sigh of relief. He had escaped with his life. Just. In the throne room the Mulldack turned to his balcony and threw open the doors for the first time. He took a breath of the pure fresh air and licked his lips. He was strong enough now to end this war, and end it he would.
Casting a hand before him he summoned a porthole, the rip in space shining with an almost heavenly light. And, with a quick glance down at the battlefield below, he stepped from his world into another.
Ruby and Kiz proceeded towards the nearest Dark Warriors. They were we easy targets, their concentration taken by the hard labour of farming the crystals. With an almost inaudible clink of metal, they drew their weapons.
Kiz approached silently, until she was standing directly behind the closest warrior and, in a display of patient skill, slammed a star blade through its skull. She let the body fall, its partner turning to look as it heard the dull thud of the corpse on the rock, only to have its head sliced clean of, Ruby brandishing her bloodstained sword in the sunlight.
The two silent assailants proceeded along the face of the black crystal, dropping from a ledge to the next level and killing, almost without a sound, the three Dark Warriors digging the next patch of crystal. They continued in this way, like deadly assassins, until three levels worth of the crystal mines had been cleared of danger, summoning Z and Lirael from their hiding place. The friends spoke in hushed whispers, careful not to alert the attention of the workers on the next level down.
"Z, do you think three levels will really be enough? These mines go down way below the Citadel, there are hundreds of platforms and thousands of workers."
"We have no choice but to try. I only brought enough explosives to cover this expanse, no more."
Lirael glanced into the depths of the mine, a group of Dark Warriors were running up from below.
"We don't have long, there's a small troop of them heading this way, Z, set the explosives!"
It didn't take long. Z moved quickly, from level to level, planting four packs of sticky explosives on each and connecting them to a handheld trigger. One button and boom; the whole place goes up.
In another minute they were ready, sheltered in an incline of rock.
"Shall I hit the button?"
"Yes."
"Sure?"
"Yes!"
"Really sure?"
"Yes, god dammit, just hit the god damned button already!"
Z hit the god damned button already.
The explosion pierced Z's brain. There was a blast so loud he felt his mind had been flushed and he'd never get it back. His head rung, numb with shock, pain and disbelief. How could anything be that loud? The explosion was still ringing, his ears sore and bloody with agony. Next to him Ruby and Kiz were clutching their heads, their screaming muffled by the mighty echo, Lirael burying her face in his chest, nails clawing his wrists.
Above them the rock shattered, bringing shards crashing to their feet. Z screamed something, he knew it was "Move!" But he couldn't hear it, all he could do was open and close his mouth in a silence so deep there was no escape, his words enveloped in a sound so loud it rattled his heart. He grabbed Lirael by the arm, flinging her from under the incline and running after her, Kiz and Ruby at his heels. The incline collapsed behind them, billowing clouds of thick, pungent dust rising to obscure their vision.
Z collapsed to the floor, pulling his comrades with him and there they lay, utterly surrounded by the terrible scream of a thousand tonnes of rock grinding and crumbling to the ground.
Then sound returned, proper sound, speech and footsteps and…screams. It was with them in a rush of speed, appearing before they knew it, leaving them lying in a groaning, cursing heap of pain and fear.
Kiz stood first, taking in the surroundings.
"We're alive."
Z shook his head, rising to his feet.
"Just."
The landscape was obscured with immense clouds of dust. The entire mine had caved in almost totally, every ounce of the black crystal buried under hundreds of tonnes of rock. Those sticky explosives had been a tad more powerful than anticipated.
"Looks like its over. No more of that crystal to worry about. Mission accomplished."
"Not quite, we still have to get into the Citadel itself."
"Flames is waiting, lets go."
But only three of them stood up.
"Lirael?" Z reached down to the girl, lying on her side, eyes tight shut with pain.
"Lirael? What's wrong?"
Her eyes opened a crack, staring up at Z and she smiled slightly, her lightly positive demeanour cut off by a groan of pain.
"My leg…"
Z cleared a small pile of rubble, fanning away the drifting clouds of dust and slowly lifted her legs onto his knees. Her right shin was bleeding, a slow trickle of deep red blood pooling in her shoes. A small chunk of rock had fractured the leg and, although it was nothing serious, she would not walk until healed.
"I…can't move…"
"Don't worry, its not serious, its just a little blood. We'll carry you back to Flames, everything is going to be fine."
But everything was not going to be fine. Ruby alerted them to the fact that a gang of brutal looking Dark Warriors were racing down into the pit. They would never be able to carry Lirael away in time.
"Leave me here. It dosen't matter, you've got to stop the Mulldack." Z shook his head, disgusted at the thought.
"No, I'm not leaving you here to die!"
"You don't have any other choice, I know you can't get me to Flames in time."
"NO! I got you into this mess and I'll get you out. I promised you. I will not leave you here!"
The Dark Warriors were close now. They did not have long left.
"Z, listen!" Kiz stepped forward and gripped him by the shoulders. "Ruby and I will stay here and guard Lirael. Those Dark Warriors won't stand a chance against the two of us and our army isn't far behind. Lirael will be safe, but you have to leave us. Both of us."
Z turned to Ruby who nodded in reassurance.
"Go."
"But…I can't go alone. The Mulldack could be waiting, I need you!"
"Z, you have no choice. If you want to see Lirael alive it's the only way."
"Do you really think I can do it alone?"
"There's no one I'd rather have go in your place. Hurry."
Z turned and ran. He did not look back, it would only make his decision harder. He slid his pistols from their holsters and climbed the rubble ahead, making his way over the massive piles, his forehead dripping with sweat in the sweltering heat.
Flames was waiting. He did not look surprised that only Z returned. It was as if he knew what had happened.
"Come on Flames, its just you and me now. Lets do this."
Daz gripped his rifle tightly. He was travelling aboard a hover ship of some kind, a floating platform that transported troops. Soldiers ran around the ship, some he recognised, some he didn't. He sat in good company, Jak and Ratchet behind him and Donald and Goofy on either side, dangling their legs from the craft.
"How long until we engage?"
"A few minutes. No more." Daz's stomach tightened another notch. He was terrified by now. Everyone was, although the more experienced didn't show it. Jak turned and addressed him in gruff tones.
"This your first time in conflict?"
"Yes. I've never been to war before."
"Let me tell you now, it ain't pretty. I hope you have a strong stomach."
Screams and war cries broke out ahead of them, explosions littered the landscape. A cannon blast came within twenty feet, blowing out the brains of a nearby soldier. Daz almost threw up.
Before he knew what had happened he was submerged in the thick of it. Screams of pain, of the wounded and the dying scorched the heat hazed air, blood splashed and the sound of bullets hitting flesh - a dull, sickening thud, rang through his mind. He fired his gun blindly, barely knowing at whom he was shooting, striding onwards until his finger clicked on the trigger and he stooped to load a second clip into his rifle, fingers trembling with fear as he fumbled with the tiny metal piece.
A Dark Warrior got close, striking out with an axe, blocked quickly by Goofy's blade and repelled with skill and pace. Daz muttered a thank you, but it was lost amongst the horrific cacophony of battle. He felt as if he would go mad, the last shreds of his humanity hanging by a thread. He prayed the battle would end, that he would be free of the striking, nauseating heat and the sounds and sights of war.
He staggered onwards, fighting for his life, and collapsed onto Jak's shoulders. Something was whispered in his ear that he heard, clearly, like the clean ring of a bell, despite the swirl of blasting sound.
"They're retreating."
Flames soared above the Citadel, his fire red scales flashing through colossal clouds of smoke, rising constantly, making his way to the highest tower. Z gripped his saddle, his strength increased immensely through fear and adrenaline.
Something whizzed past his head. In his efforts to concentrate on keeping balance Z barely noticed. Then it came again and he realized the truth. They were being shot at.
"Flames, down! Go down we're being attacked!" The dragon swooped, charging through clouds, bullets zinging around them.
Z turned his head, catching a glimpse of a small mechanical device, pumping massive wings up and down. A Dark Warrior sat at the helm, manning a cannon turret.
"Flames, we have to land, take me to a balcony, hurry!"
Hails of bullets sped past, one nicking Z's hand, a small red scar slashed on the palm. Z gasped in pain, hugging his arms tight around the saddle, no longer able to grip with his left.
Flames dived still lower, heading for the main tower and to a balcony facing them. In seconds the hole in the tower's side grew from small to huge as the mighty dragon maxed his speed, casting back his tail and pulling his head and shoulders down in a straight line, perfecting his aerodynamics.
As always he waited until the last possible second before the awesome creature turned in flight, mere metres from the balcony. Z dived, pushing his legs hard against the saddle and flying forwards, landing with a thud onto the cold marble floor. He was safe. Flames beat his wings hard and soared into the distance, chasing the mechanical plane with jets of fire.
Z drew his pistols, gasping and cursing as his left gun rubbed into the cut on his hand. Nothing could be done, he would have to bare the pain. He stepped forwards, the room being nothing more than a harmless bedroom. The silence was unnerving. Now he was truly alone.
He moved quickly, opening the door a crack and peering out, looking left and right and studying the corridor before he felt sure he was safe. He kept his guns close, pointing ahead, eyes darting from side to side. He needed to go up, there had to be a staircase somewhere. Z could barely believe he was inside the Mulldack's Citadel. He checked five rooms, but all were empty. The place seemed deserted, but then, that had been the plan, right? They had meant to catch the Mulldack unawares, his attention diverted. Z was lucky really, on a normal day this place would likely have been crawling with guards.
It was another few minutes before he found the stairs. A massive, spiralling staircase that seemed both imposing and beautiful. He scaled it quickly and kept going before he was out of breath, the startling heat halting his tracks. Z sat upon the marble floor, his back to the wall, and rested, breathing heavily. No more than a minute had passed before a shuffling sound alerted Z's attention and he sprang to his feet, flattening himself behind the nearest door. A second later it opened.
A Dark Warrior shuffled through the doorway. He was about Z's size and carried no visible weapons. Perfect.
In an instant Z had him, holding one gun to his head, another to his back. The warrior stopped in his tracks, his entire body went rigid.
"Who are you?"
"The names Z. Where are you headed?"
"Downstairs, to the porthole. I'm getting out of here."
"Oh no your not. You sir are showing me the way to the Mulldack. I know he's on the top floor. Take me to him."
The warrior paused, considering his options.
"No. He'll kill me."
"I'll kill you."
"I'd rather you shoot me now than face the Mulldack's wrath."
"What if I told you I'm here to kill him? Take me to him and you'll be free forever."
Another pause. This time a resolute shake of the head.
"You'll never kill him. He's to strong."
"But…I thought he needed the Crystal Element to regain his old body?"
"He does, but he found another source of power. He can walk again, kill again. Even in his depleted form he is strong enough to slaughter you."
"You don't know me. I will kill him, now move!"
This time the warrior complied, taking the steps two at a time. Maybe, just maybe, this boy spoke the truth. He was his only hope.
The stairs came to an end. A set of double doors, elegant wooden carvings etched into both, stood before them.
"This is it. The highest point in the Citadel. Most troops are gone but there are likely some guards left."
Z nodded and pushed the warrior forwards. He opened the doors, revealing a long, dark corridor, oil lamps set at intervals along the wall and towering marble pillars stretching in rows to the end. It was silent. Silent and empty. Z could taste the coppery tang of fear on his lips. His heartbeat quickened and he tightened his grip on the dual pistols, despite the pain.
Each step along the corridor seemed another step towards death.
Then the silence was broken, a Dark Warrior appearing from a side door, draped in darkness. Z tensed, glancing between his captive and the guard. The soldier before them stepped into the light, revealing a large laser cannon cradled in his arms. It was a few seconds before he recognised Z and when he did he barely managed to shout a cry for help before Z put three shots into his skull.
In the space of five seconds the corridor erupted into total pandemonium. Dark Warriors appeared from every side door, groups of them crouching in the corridor and blasting away mercilessly with all manner of guns.
Z fired of a few shots before diving behind the nearest pillar. The clattering of high speed weaponry filled his ears and a barrage of lasers and bullets cascaded towards him, ripping apart the pillar, hundreds of shards of marble fell to the ground with a sound like the crack of a thousand plates.
Z waited in silence, his captive making a dash for the wooden doors. He was shot in the back six times. The other Dark Warriors must have thought him a traitor. Z turned on the spot, crouched to his knees and poked both guns from the refuge of the pillar. He fired once, twice, three times, the screams of dead and injured warriors hurtling through the corridor. A corridor that had, in seconds, become a war zone.
The clattering commenced once more, the troops firing as one. Z flattened himself against the pillar and watched as a cascade of bullets sped past him, smashing into the floor and pock-marking the wall with tiny bullet holes. Plaster shattered, marble splintered and oil lamps burst open, glass pouring onto the floor and oil with it, reflecting the light of the lasers that scorched the walls.
The shooting stopped. Z plucked a Concusser grenade from his belt, he had been sure to stock up before he left the fortress, and primed it. Then he ran.
He ran out into the open, tossed the grenade and fired his guns, bullets hurtled past him, so fast he could barely register they had been there at all. Then he reached the next pillar and dived behind it, slamming himself to safety and holding his ears.
BOOM.
The explosion rattled Z's body, his bones shuddered from the immense power he had unleashed, but he could not stop. He ducked from behind the pillar, the echo of the blast ringing in his ears, and fired his guns into the smoke and flames before him. He heard screams and the thud of bodies. A scatter of bullets ripped through the smoke, catching Z on the shoulder. He dropped to his knees, gasping in pain and clutching the wound, but was relieved to see it was just a scar, the cut was shallow, slashed by a passing bullet.
He ignored the vicious sting of pain and moved quickly through the smoke, checking the corpses of the warriors. The thud of running feet caught his attention and he squeezed his body into a small niche in the wall, originally carved for a statue.
Two Dark Warriors came running, alerted by the explosion. They stopped dead as they saw the carnage before them, pillars shattered, walls scorched, smoke spiralling to the ceiling and corpses littering the floor. They approached and Z caught a glimpse of them from the corner of his eye. He spun from his hiding place and, before the warriors even had time to react, put two rounds into both of them.
Z skipped past their bodies, running full pelt through the corridor, despite his body protesting at every step. He had to reach the Mulldack, and quickly. He crouched low and peered round the next corner. The coast was clear.
In seconds Z found the Mulldack's room. You could tell it was his, the doors were pure black marble, encrusted with the dark crystal they had seen and a slew of deep blue diamonds. Z was tempted to prise one from the door, it would be worth a fortune, but he resisted. It was time. This was it. He pushed back the doors and stepped into the room.
Gunfire erupted and Z threw himself backwards, narrowly missing the barrage that came tearing past him, slamming with force into the wall beyond. Z swore, wiping the sweat from his brow and pressing himself behind the open doors. He slowly began to peer around, only to whip back into hiding as a second hail of bullets shot past.
"Who are you?" Z shouted into the room, barely daring to put so much as a toe beyond his cover.
"I'm a guard."
Z rolled his eyes.
"Your comrades are dead." There was a pause.
"Who killed them?"
"I did. The rest of the army are fighting below. Your alone, there's no hope." Z prayed feverishly that the Mulldack wasn't hiding somewhere inside his throne room. From what he had seen it had looked empty enough.
"Will you surrender?"
"No. I'm here for a reason."
"You won't be here much longer." Z reached a single hand around the door and began to fire. A cascade of bullets answered him, smashing into the door and chipping the beautiful marble. Then he heard a click. It was what Z had been waiting for, the click of a gun that was out of ammo.
The warrior scrambled to reload, but he was to late. Before his hand had even closed around a second clip he felt an intense burning consume his body and fell to the floor with a hollow thud.
Z twirled his pistols, holstering one but keeping the second at his side. Just in case. He traversed the room with care, studying every inch thoroughly. He had been right. The Mulldack was gone, he had most likely left through a pothole. Z felt partly relief, but also an intense anger. He had hoped to finish this war here, but now the Mulldack had gone, he could be anywhere. Had his efforts to reach the room been worthless?
He scanned the rows of computers, his heart leaping at the sight of a small circular disk, poking out the slot of a large, black drive. It could be nothing, but he had to try. Carefully Z pushed the disk fully into its slot, the computer humming as it booted the data.
A holographic image appeared from a small glass window on the drive, beaming down onto a silver image container below. A hologram of the Mulldack appeared, dressed in a long black cloak, his features obscured. Z fiddled with a knob on the side of the drive and the hologram began to speak.
"This is your master. You will obey this message or face my wrath." Z smirked. Somehow he doubted that.
"General: Move all troops from the battlefield. You will proceed to retreat and evacuate the field. All warriors will move through the nearest porthole to Disney Creek. There I shall be waiting. I repeat: move all troops to Disney Creek immediately."
The hologram waned and the drive stopped humming, the last faint lines extinguishing themselves.
Z frowned. Disney Creek…why? Then the realisation hit home. The Mulldack was planning a last ditch effort. He was gathering all remaining troops, from both battlefields, his own and the attack on Mickey's Palace, and assembling them at Disney Creek to meet with any survivors of the Bio-Bombs! Once he had them there he could concentrate his full force on a final attack, with the Mulldack himself leading the way. That was where he had gone, he had taken a porthole to Disney Creek and Z had been to late to stop him.
He had to get this information back to Samos, it was their only hope. Z moved quickly now, tapping a small red button on the drive which proceeded to eject the disk. He turned and walked to the room's balcony while slotting the precious disk into his holster.
Sweeping the curtains aside he strode into the open air, taking a deep breath and surveying the battle field below. Their army had won, that much was obvious, but it wasn't a surprise to Z. Not now that he knew most of the army whose job it was to protect the Citadel had, in fact, been evacuated to Disney Creek.
Z knew he must get back to ground level, but how? Flames was nowhere to be seen and he couldn't risk going back through the Citadel. He would undoubtedly become lost and it would take to long to escape. By that time it would already be to late. Then he spotted it.
In the distance, a small, bird-like aircraft was flying towards him, golden and green in colour. A Paperwing! It had to be. Z breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed forward against the balcony. He wanted nothing more than for this to be over, but he knew it was not. Not by a long way.
There was an explosion below, a great, shuddering explosion that shook the tower to the foundations. Then the floor began to tilt.
"What the hell…" Z frowned in bewilderment. Surely it was just his imagination, playing tricks on him? Perhaps he had become over heated? He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled a small silver coin from his pocket.
Z stepped back inside the room and let it drop to the floor. There was a soft clink as it hit…and began to slide. Z's eyes opened wide with horror. The coin slid across the marble surface. Another lurch. The floor tilted once again, more obviously this time and the coin began to pick up speed.
Not good. Z turned in an instant and ran back to the balcony. He had barely gone three paces before his stomach lurched and the floor slid almost from under him. He struggled forwards, pushing his legs onwards. The room had turned in an instant from a flat surface to a merciless slide and it took all Z's effort to make progress on the slick surface.
He reached the balcony's entrance and tore at the curtains, fighting his way to the top and finally surging forwards to grip the railing. Z looked behind him, horrified at what he saw. The entire tower was falling backwards, the explosives tearing open its base and driving it down. In seconds it would crumple and the tower would collapse, taking him with it.
Z renewed his grip on the railing, the tower tilting back further. He was now almost dangling from it, if he let go he would fall into a long and deadly slide. The doors to the Mulldack's throne room had fallen open as the room tilted and Z would speed right through them, into the corridor beyond, sending his body on a one way collision course with the corridors wall. He would smash straight into it, legs first. Death would come as a blessing.
Sweat began to trickle down his shirt, Z's arms felt as if they would be torn from their sockets, burning pain surged through his body and Z gritted his teeth against it. His legs were scrambling across the floor, searching for a foothold. A colossal grinding noise rose to his ears and Z knew the end had come. The tower would collapse and he would fall to his death. A flash of green and gold crossed his vision. Could it be…?
A great swooping sounded from above and the Paperwing soared below him, hovering in position.
"Z! Let go!"
He knew that voice. Z glanced below him, struggling to see and caught a glance of Kiz and Ruby. So they were safe! Lirael must be alright. He let go.
It was an awful, gut-wrenching sensation. The world seemed to go out of focus and Z felt the wind billowing around him and the terrible feeling of free fall. For a moment he was terrified. What if they had positioned the Paperwing slightly of course? He would fall to his death. Then everything was a blur and he hit the Paperwing. He was safe.
"Z? Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm alright."
Already the Paperwing was moving. Z propped himself on his elbows and turned to watch as the tallest tower of the Citadel collapsed inwards in an immense explosion of rubble and dust. The palace was destroyed and Z shuddered to think he could have been inside it.
"Sorry it took us so long." Z shook his head. It didn't matter now.
"Is Lirael okay?"
"Yeah. We only had to fight a small group of warriors before the army arrived."
"Is Daz…"
"He's okay to. What happened to you by the way? There's blood on your clothes and your shoulder is bleeding."
"Dark Warriors. There were some guards left, but the Mulldack was gone. He's disappeared along with most of his army." Z reached inside his pocket and produced the disk, its surface glittering in the blazing hot sun.
"Here. it's a disk, it holds the Mulldack's plans. Take it to Samos, he'll know what to do." And with that Z handed it to Kiz and slid onto his back, closing his eyes.
"He's passed out."
"We'd better do as he says."
Kiz nodded. She could feel the end drawing nearer. Soon, she knew, this war would come to its climax. One way, or another.
Phew. That was one loooongg chapter, but now the war draws to a close. I am pleased to announce drum roll that the next instalment of DD shall be the 'final battle chapter' Hoorah! Prepare for action and lots of it! Also next week the location of the second half of the Crystal Element shall be revealed along with many other secrets. Don't miss the most exciting chapter yet! So, until next time, R&R!
Z
