The Wrath of the Lizard Lord Page 9

  ‘We’re sinkin’!’ she screamed, gripping Dakkar’s shoulder.

  ‘I know,’ Dakkar said, smirking. ‘I thought you wanted us to.’

  ‘It’s beautiful!’ Mary gasped as she stared out at the silver fish that flashed past the Liberty.

  Something snake-like squirmed through the mud on the bottom, sending up a brown cloud of sediment. Small crayfish landed on the deck in front of the porthole, threatening with their pincers before the current dragged them away.

  Dakkar steered the Liberty round in a circle and then blew the water out of the ballasts. Soon they bobbed on the surface. Dakkar climbed out of the top hatch and sat on the upper deck. He raised his hand and waved to Gog, who waved back. Mary climbed up and popped her head out of the hatch.

  ‘It’s so quiet,’ Dakkar murmured. ‘If we were at sea now I’d feel relaxed, but here it seems like we’re waiting for the next thing to spring up and try to eat us.’

  ‘Can we get back to the bank now?’ Mary asked, glan­cing around.

  ‘You’re right,’ Dakkar replied, climbing inside the Liberty.

  When they were both back inside he pushed the lever to Full Ahead and eased the craft into shore. The Liberty nosed the bank gently, rocking slightly as she did. Dakkar threw her ropes to Gog, who tied them round a tree trunk.

  ‘We rest,’ Gog said, pointing at the fire that his men had lit.

  Dakkar grinned at the sight of freshly speared fish hanging on sticks over the flames.

  ‘Better than lizard,’ he muttered to Mary, who grinned back.

  They ate and slept around the fire, two men keeping guard. Dakkar stared out at the Liberty sitting on the water and wondered about Georgia. What brought her down here? Dakkar shook his head. He knew how impulsive she was – and what a fighter too. Judging by the dust and cobwebs in the Liberty, some months had passed since she had left for the tower.

  Dakkar began to doze but a deep splash snapped him to wakefulness. One of Gog’s guards had noticed the sound too and crouched near the water’s edge, spear at the ready. Dakkar rubbed his eyes and climbed to his feet. He crept to the riverbank.

  Something splashed again. Dakkar thought he had glimpsed a tree trunk or a branch drifting downstream, but the surface of the water lay clear apart from the weeds and broad lily leaves. He shook his head. Gog’s guard shrugged his huge shoulders and went back to sitting on some giant tree roots that snaked into the water.

  Dakkar went back to the fireside but sleep evaded him. He couldn’t escape the feeling that someone – or some­­­thing – was watching them.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Nakra

  Fronds of river weed swayed in front of Dakkar as he steered the Liberty downstream. Here, the water was green with algae and vegetation. He feared the propellers would become entangled in the thick strands of plant matter that grew like a forest from the river bed.

  ‘Why are we goin’ so slowly?’ Mary grumbled at his side. She had insisted on travelling with him rather than following with Gog and his tribesmen on the riverbank. It made sense but that didn’t stop Dakkar from wishing her on the bank with the others.

  ‘I have to be careful here,’ Dakkar said through gritted teeth. ‘I can barely see where I’m going. Do you want me to run her aground or hit a rock?’

  ‘What’s this do?’ she said, ignoring his reply and turning the crank handle above his head.

  ‘Leave it!’ Dakkar snapped, pulling her hand away. ‘If you must know, it’s called a friction wheel and it creates an electric charge. If you turn it twenty times and then press that red button, it sends an electric current through the water around the Liberty.’

  ‘Oh,’ Mary said blankly. ‘What’s a lectrick?’

  ‘Electric,’ Dakkar said, emphasising the E at the beginning of the word. ‘It’s . . . it’s like lightning.’

  ‘I was struck by lightnin’ when I was a baby,’ Mary said, giving a grin. ‘The two ladies with me died. I nearly did too but they say I came back to life. That’s why I’m so special, so my old mam says.’ Her voice trailed off.

  They both stared out of the window. Dakkar pictured Oginski lying in his bed. He’s getting better, he tried to tell himself. He’s not dead.

  ‘We’ll get back to Lyme all right,’ Dakkar said, and gave Mary a brief, brittle grin.

  She opened her mouth to say something but the Liberty lurched to one side, sending her tumbling into Dakkar and knocking him out of his seat. The two of them fell against the walls of the craft as she rolled on to her side. Dakkar threw himself back into the seat as the Liberty righted herself.

  ‘What was that?’ Mary said, staggering to her feet.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Dakkar replied, peering into the green soup that swirled before his porthole, ‘but there’s something out there.’

  A dim shape receded into the distance ahead of them. Even in the green mist, Dakkar could tell it was huge.

  ‘It must have swept past us,’ Mary said, her voice barely a whisper. ‘D’you think it was that Nakra thing that Gog talked about?’

  ‘Very possibly,’ Dakkar muttered, watching the huge shadow vanish.

  He brought the Liberty to the surface, where Gog and his tribesmen stood on the bank. Dakkar popped his head out of the top hatch. ‘Did you see anything?’ he called to the shore.

  Gog just pointed, his eyes wide. Dakkar followed his gaze and gave a muffled oath.

  The water further downstream boiled as something enormous slithered around in the river. He watched as what looked like a cross between a tree and a whale powered back towards the Liberty. Even from this distance, Dakkar could see it was a colossal crocodile.

  He slid back down into the Liberty, slamming the hatch behind him. ‘Why does everything here have to have so many teeth?’ he spat as he slammed the craft to Full Ahead and steered her towards the riverbank.

  ‘What is it?’ Mary said, pressing her nose to the porthole. ‘Oh my.’

  ‘We should move into the bank,’ Dakkar said. ‘Hide in the weeds.’

  But Mary had begun turning the crank handle. ‘Twenty times, you said?’ She grunted.

  ‘I don’t think that’ll work,’ Dakkar said, steering the Liberty through thick weed beds.

  A shoal of silver fish rattled against the hull of the Liberty as they tried to escape the oncoming Nakra. Dakkar could see its gaping mouth and armoured body as it wriggled through the water. He’d seen crocodiles in his homeland but this had a large bulbous nose and its jaw seemed longer. It was also ten times as big as any crocodile he’d seen before.

  ‘Well, hidin’ isn’t goin’ to help,’ Mary said, giving the wheel a last turn. ‘It’ll ram straight through our side.’

  ‘Wait until the very last moment then,’ Dakkar said, his voice hoarse.

  The water hummed with the power of Nakra surging through it. It seemed to fill the whole river now and Dakkar braced himself for the impact.

  Then Mary hit the red button and the green world outside turned electric blue. The Liberty rocked over as Nakra suddenly swerved aside and its belly scraped against the hull, shaking the whole craft. Nakra reared up out of the water then plunged back below, sending a blast of water against the side of the Liberty and washing her to the riverbank.

  Dakkar gripped the seat, trying to stop himself from being thrown around the cabin as they rocked back and forth in the wake. He just glimpsed the crocodile swimming away, its tail lashing at the water.

  ‘Did we kill it?’ Mary gasped, jumping over to the porthole.

  ‘I think we frightened it off for now,’ Dakkar said, catching his breath. ‘Let’s hope it keeps its distance.’

  The sound of splashing sent Mary reaching for the crank handle again but Dakkar grabbed her hand and pointed towards the porthole.

  Outside, the giants had taken to the water and were grabbing at the fish that lay dead on the surface.

  ‘I think you just provided dinner,’ Dakkar said, a grin cracking his face.

 
Mary grinned back and soon their laughter rang out through the Liberty until it brought Gog’s face to the porthole as he peered curiously at them.

  Dakkar climbed out and smiled as Gog held up a fistful of fish.

  ‘We eat well today,’ Gog said.

  They worked their way further down the river and paused to light a fire to cook the fish. The fish tasted good but their cheer from earlier had evaporated.

  ‘That crocodile swam this way,’ Mary said as they sat in a clearing by the riverside. Trees leaned over the clearing, catching the woodsmoke in their boughs. ‘It could try and get us again.’

  ‘Nakra a coward,’ Gog said, staring into the fire. ‘He lies in water, waiting.’

  ‘We need a few weapons,’ Dakkar said, sharpening a length of branch that he’d cut from a nearby tree with his machete. ‘I can use these instead of the Sea Arrows but they’ll only be effective at close range.’

  ‘Better than nothing,’ Mary said, dragging a fingertip over the point of the stick.

  ‘Little men have guns,’ Gog murmured, tearing at a piece of cooked fish. ‘We have sharp sticks.’

  ‘We can use their guns against them,’ Dakkar said, not quite believing his own words. ‘If we can get into Cryptos’s tower, we can take them by surprise.’

  ‘There, many Rohaga,’ Gog said. ‘They watch.’

  Dakkar thought for a moment, watching the flames flicker. ‘Gog,’ he said finally, ‘you said back at the cave that the Rohaga had taken your people.’

  ‘They work,’ Gog grunted, pointing a finger in the direction of the tower. ‘Stefan works them for long time. Digging, lifting, pulling and pushing. Until their life leaves them.’ He gave a huge sigh.

  ‘That’s terrible,’ Mary said, biting her lip.

  ‘My own son,’ Gog said sadly. ‘His mother, taken.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Gog,’ Dakkar said, looking down at the ground.

  ‘Do you know if they’re all right?’ Mary asked.

  Gog shrugged. ‘Gog want to save them but tribe depend on him,’ he said.

  Dakkar shook his head. At first glance, this giant seemed savage and stupid yet the more Dakkar got to know Gog, the more he admired him.

  ‘But don’t you see? We have friends inside the castle already,’ Dakkar said, clapping his hands. ‘Believe me, Gog. Your people will rise up if we cause enough confusion. I’ve seen it happen before.’

  Dakkar thought back to the Qualar, a strange race of undersea people enslaved by the last Count Cryptos. It was they who had brought down Cryptos by fighting his guards.

  ‘We will fight,’ Gog said, lifting his head. ‘Better to die than be slave.’

  Dakkar was about to reply when a metallic click silenced him.

  ‘Don’t move,’ said a voice from the riverbank.

  They turned to see their giant guard frozen with fear, a rifle pointed straight under his chin. The Cryptos guard holding the rifle looked like a child next to the quaking giant. Behind him four more guards levelled guns at Gog, Dakkar, Mary and the rest of the tribe who squatted around the fire.

  ‘Well, what do we have here?’ the guard grinned, pulling back the hammer on his rifle.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Teeth of a Dilemma

  Dakkar froze, his hands slightly raised. He glanced around, hoping to see one of Gog’s men concealed in the bushes, but they all sat around the fire, eyes wide and focused on the rifles.

  Two more guards sidled from concealment at the river’s edge. That’s seven, Dakkar thought. There’s eight of us but our rifles aren’t loaded. We don’t stand a chance.

  ‘What’s your business with these savages?’ the head guard snapped at Dakkar. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘They’re my friends,’ Dakkar sneered, folding his arms. ‘I’m on a sightseeing tour!’

  ‘Keep a civil tongue in your head, boy,’ the guard said, jostling the gun. ‘I’ve a mind to shoot you dead and take your carcass to my master. He’d be very interested.’

  ‘Fool,’ Dakkar growled back, lifting his chin. ‘Once your master knew who I was, he’d have your head for killing me!’

  The guard frowned but lowered his rifle slightly. ‘So who are you?’

  Dakkar didn’t reply. Instead he stared at the shadow that grew under the surface of the river behind the Cryptos guards.

  ‘You haven’t answered me,’ said the guard, taking a step forward.

  Two huge nostrils, followed by two yellow eyes, appeared above the water as Nakra slid towards the riverbank. Dakkar glanced at Gog, who gaped at the growing mass behind the Cryptos guards.

  ‘I think he’s wastin’ your time,’ said one of the other men.

  Dakkar’s mind whirled. Should I warn them? he thought. When Nakra comes on land, we’ll all be in trouble.

  The reptile’s head broke the water and its snout touched the sandy side of the river.

  ‘I won’t ask you again,’ the Cryptos guard said through gritted teeth.

  ‘Behind you,’ Dakkar said, pointing.

  ‘What?’ the guard snapped.

  ‘Nakra,’ Dakkar said, his eyes widening. ‘Behind you.’

  The crocodile filled the bank behind them now, like a wall of teeth and muscle. One of the rearmost guards turned and screamed, firing his rifle into the hide of Nakra. The reptile angled its head and clamped its teeth around the man’s ribcage. Dakkar glimpsed the spurt of red blood and heard the crunch of bone before he averted his gaze. The other Cryptos guards realised the danger they were in now and fired at the crocodile’s head. It hissed and flinched back as each shot found its mark. Then it powered forward, sending river water spraying across the clearing. Its tail lashed across the open space, knocking the guards off their feet, sweeping the fire and the fish into the bushes. Dakkar hurled himself at Mary, pushing her out of the clearing and into the undergrowth. Some of Gog’s men managed to leap over the huge tail but others fell, getting clipped as it swung back again.

  Two of the Cryptos guards lay groaning, their legs broken. The other four fumbled for powder and bullets, shuffling away from the approaching Nakra. It slammed its clawed foot down on one of the stricken men, making him scream out loud. The other had managed to load his rifle again and fired into the crocodile’s underbelly.

  Nakra gave another hiss and turned, snapping at him. The crunch of the crocodile’s closing jaws cut the man’s scream short.

  The remaining four Cryptos guards had reloaded but looked from Gog and his tribesmen to Nakra, uncertain on whom to fire.

  Gog hurled his spear over the heads of the men, sending it straight into the open mouth of the reptile. Reassured that Nakra was the main threat at the moment, the Cryptos guards unleashed another volley at the croco­dile. The bullets thudded into the reptile’s thick skin.

  Gog’s tribesmen hurled their spears; some hit their target but others clattered off the tough hide. Gog’s men grabbed stones and some smouldering branches that had been scattered from the fire. They flung them at Nakra, bombarding it while the Cryptos guards reloaded their rifles.

  Once more the bullets found their target and Nakra had had enough as, slowly, the huge crocodile began to drag its bleeding body back to the river.

  ‘Reload, men!’ the leader of the Cryptos Guard shouted. ‘Get these savages before they get us!’

  But Gog had anticipated what would happen. He grabbed the leader by an arm and a leg and threw him across the clearing. With a yell of terror, the man hurtled towards the retreating Nakra. The creature leapt up, grabbing the screaming man by the leg, then slid into the water. The surface of the river bubbled and frothed red for a moment and then all went quiet.

  The remaining three guards looked at each other then dropped their guns and ran into the bushes, pursued by Gog’s men.

  ‘They go back and warn others,’ Gog said solemnly. ‘They must die.’

  Dakkar shook his head. ‘We could take them prisoner,’ he said.

  ‘And leave them tied up out here?�
� Mary said, her hands on her hips. ‘That would be worse than murder.’

  ‘We could take them with us, question them,’ Dakkar said, trying to blot out the sounds from the jungle as the giants caught up with the guards.

  ‘They would kill us,’ Gog said simply, and walked down to the riverbank.

  Dakkar followed. The Liberty bobbed to the side of the bank, moored to the thick trunk of a tree that leaned out over the river. Blood stained the water and tiny fish darted through the red clouds, finding nourishment where they could. Dakkar shivered.

  ‘Will Nakra leave us alone now?’ he wondered aloud.

  Gog nodded.

  ‘I don’t like this land, Gog,’ Dakkar said. ‘Every day is a fight for survival. So much killing and death.’

  Gog shrugged. ‘Nakra only hunt food. Land fine until little men came along. They kill for no reason.’

  ‘When we get rid of Cryptos, then it will be fine again,’ Dakkar said, trying to reassure Gog.

  ‘No.’ Gog shook his shaggy head. ‘Men know now. They come again and again.’

  A grim silence hung over the rest of the journey. Gog and his warriors picked their way through the undergrowth while Dakkar and Mary sat in the Liberty, drifting along the surface with the current.

  The thick vegetation along the riverbanks denied Dakkar any chance to take in his surroundings other than the vines and tree trunks, creepers and broad, leathery leaves. Life teemed all around them. Lazy, droning flies buzzed through the green canopy above them and tiny lizards leapt from branch to branch. Distant roars echoed across the treetops but sounded far enough away not to pose an immediate threat.

  Soon another sound mingled with the strange hoots and cries of the jungle creatures. A distant booming and swishing of waves.

  ‘The sea?’ Mary said, frowning.

  ‘I hadn’t really thought about it,’ Dakkar said, half laughing. ‘Of course rivers run into seas but how can there be a sea down here?’