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Chapter 4 Axel and the three elves walked down the corridor leading to the catacombs. ‘I still don’t get it,’ Axel said for the fourteenth time. ‘Why hasn’t the Bane of Knowledge destroyed everything yet?’ ‘Because,’ Niggles said patiently, also for the fourteenth time, ‘the Bane of Knowledge feeds off fear. The disappearances haven’t caused enough panic to get the effect of the blind panic that it loves. We should use this time to find out the Bane of Knowledge’s weakness, and trap it.’ They arrived at the archives. Metal shelves lined the walls, covered with interesting things like hair, death masks, a rifle, and what looked like an elephant’s bone. Axel admired the objects, but the elves walked straight past everything. ‘Where are we going?’ Axel asked nervously, his eyes darting everywhere. ‘We ain’t gonna go anywhere,’ Balg said. ‘oe’re the leader, so lead on!’ ‘OK,’ Axel said. Then, they came to an intersection. Axel went right. Suddenly, he hit something with his foot. ‘OW!’ Axel cried, grabbing his foot. Balg laughed. Kelk, meanwhile, leant down to inspect the thing Axel had kicked. ‘It’s a lever!’ she said excitedly. ‘Let me,’ Balg muttered, shoving Kelk out of the way, and grabbing the lever. He pulled. Nothing. ‘A incy bit o elp ere?’ he said to Axel. Axel reached down and pulled. The lever gave way, and clicked. There was a silence. Nothing happened. Niggles groaned. ‘It’s a fake!’ he said. Just then, there was a rumble, and the entire corridor opened up under them. They fell, screaming, into the abyss. They fell for a terrifying 2 seconds, until Axel hit something soft. Niggles landed on top of him, Kelk landed on top of Niggles, and Balg landed on all of them. Axel shook off the three elves, and looked around. He seemed to have landed on a huge cushion of foam. Around him was a smaller collection of stuff. But it seemed, that this was more rare, exotic things. A huge snake skull. A tablet covered with runes. A sword that seemed to whisper. Axel tried to see through the dark, but he couldn’t see a thing. ‘Wait,’ Niggles said. Axel turned to see him close his eyes, stick his fingers in his ears, and concentrate hard. Slowly, he started to float into the air. Then, with a loud pop, Niggles’ head turned bright blue, and he fell on the ground. ‘What…how…huh?’ Axel stuttered, staring at the bright blue headed Niggles. ‘It’s a trick that all elves learn from youth,’ Niggles said. ‘All elves have luminescent heads.’ They walked through the shelves, and they saw more and more strange objects. A digeridoo. A fish mask. Two flipflops shaped like skulls. Suddenly, Niggle’s head’s light sputtered, and died. Balg bellowed out in pain, slipped and fell onto the ground, clutching at his foot. Axel leant down to inspect the foot, and found a purple shard in it. ‘Qualkinite,’ Kelk hissed in repulsion. The shard was small, but it seemed to be giving Balg great pain. He hissed through his teeth, and his eyes rolled back. ‘What’s Qualkinite?’ Axel asked. ‘Qualkinite is a rare, rare mineral,’ Kelk said. ‘It drains any magical creature’s powers, and touching it is worse. Can you pull it out?’ Axel grabbed hold of it. Suddenly, he felt sick, like he wanted to throw up. Then, the pain started. It racked his whole body, shaking it with fear. Through the pain, he managed to pull it out, and throw it onto the ground. Instantly, the pain stopped. ‘What…what just happened?’ Axel asked. ‘I forgot!’ Kelk cried. ‘You have a magic in you as well. The Qualkinite must have a similar hold on you too. I’m sorry.’ Niggles, who was standing next to Balg, pulled him to his feet. Then, Axel smacked his forehead in frustration. ‘What?’ Niggles asked. ‘I had a torch in my pocket this whole time, and I didn’t even use it!’ he exclaimed, digging his hand into his pocket, and pulling out the torch. He switched it on, and stared at the ground in front of them. It was littered with the Qualkinite shards. And in the center, was a leather case. Cracked Qualkinite lined the case. It was brown, and ancient. The case was ripped and torn, as if in fury. Balg, leaning against Niggles for support, gasped. ‘The tomb of the Bane of knowledge!’ he exclaimed. ‘This is what contained the Bane of Knowledge?’ Axel asked in amazement. ‘The Qualkinite kept it imprisoned,’ Kelk said, ‘but it must have failed under the fury of the Bane of Knowledge.’ Axel glimpsed something in the case, and moved forward. His shoes squeaked as he moved through the Qualkinite. He reached into the case, and pulled out…an old torn book. Axel made his way to the elves, and stared at the book. The title was, the diary of Terry Embapo. Everyone gasped, as the truth sunk in. The great capturer of the Bane of knowledge had his diary in here. ‘This as to ave useful knowledge on ow to trap the Bane of knowledge!’ Balg grinned excitedly. ‘Open it!’ Axel opened the book reverently. The pages were almost all ripped out, and the ones that remained were half filled. Axel read the parts he could. ‘the great battle…captured the Bane of Knowledge…buried safely…should not have done it…’ ‘what does that mean?’ Axel asked. ‘I dunno,’ Balg said. Then he froze. Staring at something behind Axel. Axel slowly turned around. And stared. A black shadow, with two, scarlet red eyes, stared at him out of the shadows. Tendrils of darkness coiled from the creature. ‘Peek-a-boo,’ it rasped.

‘But how did the Bane of Knowledge come to being, and why is it called that?’ Axel asked, feeling thoroughly confused. ‘Well,’ began Niggles, ‘it started like this. Long ago, before Australia was “discovered,”’ at the word discovered all three elves spat on the table, ‘a wiseman of a tribe brought to life a dark creature from the realm of madness. ‘It was like a shadow. It travelled faster then lightning. And it craved destruction. The last thing anybody saw who was trapped by the Bane of Knowledge was two, dark red eyes, containing nothing but anger. but the worst part was, the Bane of Knowledge consumed the human. Drained all that made them who they were. And they were turned into mindless slaves. ‘It was said to have a true form, more terrifying than anything else. Two, long, clawed hands. Tendrils of destruction trailing from its back. The snout of a dragon. An inhuman call, which echoed across the plain at night. ‘Finally, young men from every tribe in Australia came together to fight it. there was a great battle, and it was sealed in a chamber by the “wise” man who had called him into existence.’ Axel, who had been listening intently, suddenly realised niggles had left something out. ‘If the Bane of Knowledge was sealed, then how is it still around?’ he asked. Kelk took over the story from Niggles. ‘When the library was built, they dug down to make the archives of the library. They dug right into the chamber where the Bane of knowledge was trapped. In 1826, the Bane of knowledge was free again. Angrier than before, it caused mass panic in Sydney. ‘Finally, a young boy, with the spirit of the not-so-wise man, defeated it, and trapped it in an obsidian coffin. The young boy was your great-great-great grandfather. They put the coffin in the archives, in a secret room. And now it is free again, and its goal is to finalize the process it started centuries ago. To destroy the world.’ There was a deathly silence. And then the library doors flew open.

Chapter 2 Axel lay awake in bed. Dinner had been a quiet business, with scraping spoons and forks. He had read for the rest of the time, and now he was supposed to be sleeping. But he wasn’t. Suddenly, Axel felt a rustling at his sleeve! He jerked up, and grabbed at…a strip of old parchment. As he looked, words started appearing in the moonlight. ‘Human. Time is short. The bane of knowledge is free. And it wants revenge. Your ancestors used to be great. I just hope you are to. Come to the Mitchell library. More will be explained later. What are you doing, just lying there? Get up! The world and all in it are depending on you!’ Axel sat in the moonlight, contemplating his decisions. ‘Well, if this is true, and I don’t go, then we’ll all die apparently,’ he muttered. ‘If it’s false, and I go, then what is there to lose?’ Axel jumped out of bed, and ran to the window, and threw it open. He climbed onto the gutter, and slid down. Soon, he was at the ground, and he was running toward something that would change his life. Forever. He knew the path to the library well, and he knew the quickest shortcuts there. Soon, he was at the library. It looked different in the dark. The Mitchell library cast a deep shadow over everything around it. a shadow so deep, it seemed to be a dark void. Axel sneaked up the stairs, and came to the door. He knew it must be locked, but he tried it anyway. Instead of opening, the door melted away into nothing. He stepped through into the Mitchell Vestibule, and the door reappeared, putting him into complete darkness. Or almost complete. A light was coming from the reading room, through the archway. Voices also came through; voices he didn’t understand. Then suddenly, the voices snapped into focus, and he could hear what they said. ‘E won’t come,’ a deep male voice said. ‘The big uman brute. All of em are like at. Brainless.’ ‘Oh, he will Balg,’ said a higher male voice. ‘we’ve been sending him to many mind warps for him to not come. ‘I agree with Niggles,’ said a female voice, ‘the boy will come. In fact, he’s here now. Axel, come down please.’ Axel stepped into the light, and slowly walked past the bookshelves to the stairway. The rail cast a shadow that made Axel feel like he was in bars. Then, he looked toward the light, and his jaw dropped so far it could have fitted an adult human. The light he had seen had come from a candle in what looked like a human’s skull. But that wasn’t what made Axel gape. There were three figures on the table…the ones that had been talking. They were small, and bent over. Their hands were small, but their fingers and arms were long and thin. One of the little creatures had a long red beard, straight red hair, and bushy eyebrows. Another had a very droopy, long moustache, droopy, drawn eyes, and a hat with a bobble on the top the size of his head. The final one had blue eyes, a pink dress, and long, curly hair. ‘Well, what you doing, boy?’ the red head said, his voice indicating he was Balg. ‘The world is at stake, and oe stand ere looking like the idiot you are. Come on en, the Bane of knowledge is still out ere! Get going!’ Then, to the one in the pink dress, ‘e’s stupider an e looks, Kelk. Oe sure this is e one? I say we kill im.’ At that, Axel fainted.

The Golden Diamond of Ember Jungle Prologue A long time ago, there lived a man. The people called him the golden blacksmith, because of his great ability to forge things with great skill. And with this great ability, the man forged a golden diamond. It was said that with the diamond, one could control time itself. With this power, the golden blacksmith quickly rose to power, and became the emperor. He was a kind emperor though, and always cared for the poor. The golden blacksmith rid the land of all evil. Still, no-one, no matter how powerful, could totally rid the land of evil. There was a man named Helfingon, and he wanted the power that the golden diamond would give him. One day, while the emperor slept, he crept through the window of his room, and killed him in his sleep. He then went off with the diamond. The entire kingdom fell into chaos. The emperor was buried, and the throne was fought for. Helfingon however, was never seen again. It was said that the diamond’s power was too much for him, and it pulverized him. The diamond was lost, and was never seen again. Until now. Chapter 1 Fred Haddy Rema Teller Yug Quilver Smith was lying in his bed, in Danner. He had woken up, and was staring at the ceiling. He was 12 years old. His face was round, and his eyes were like green jewels sparkling in a black ocean of skin. He wasn’t a people person, so he didn’t make many friends. The kids mostly ignored him. The only thing interesting about him was his older brother, 29-year-old Paul Zafen Camy Relwo Taj Renda Smith. Paul was the first mate in the ship Valiant. Paul had sailed the 2378 seas with his captain, Captain Ryhander. He had battled sea monsters, discovered the hidden Isles of Tandek, and seen most of the world. Now, because of Captain Ryhander, Paul, and lots of other explorers, what used to be the unknown world was now mostly known. But there were still places that were not explored yet, like the Ember Jungle. The explorers had mapped the coastline, but the rest of the island was completely unmapped. Fred heard the sound of hooves on cobbles, and looked out of his window to see 5 men on horseback ride into the town. He had been lying on his bed, and it was early morning. He groaned sleepily, and went back to his bed, then jerked upright again when he remembered what day it was. It was the day his brother was leaving for an expedition to the Ember Jungle! Fred leapt out of bed, tripped on his blanket, crashed through his door, tumbled down the stairs, and landed in a crumpled heap in front of Paul. Paul was tall, strong, muscular, and everything an explorer could be. He was wearing a backpack, and all sorts of things hung from his belt, such as a telescope, a compass, a sword, and a fireswitch. He was also holding a plate of reva buns. ‘Hey little bro,’ Paul said, chewing on a bun, ‘falling down the stairs again?’ Instead of answering, Fred jumped up, snatched a reva bun, and bit into it. The small ball of sugar in the middle instantly popped, showering his mouth with sugar. ‘gou bealing hoday, wight?’ Fred asked, with his mouth full. He swallowed, and said, ‘You leaving today, right?’ ‘That’s right bro,’ Paul said, ‘to the Ember Jungle.’ ‘I’ll miss you,’ Fred said sadly, ‘but you’ll come back as soon as you can, right?’ ‘Right,’ Paul said, throwing the plate into the air to prevent Fred from snatching another rava bun, and catching it expertly, ‘say though, what if…’ He trailed off. Fred whisper-shouted, ‘What!’ ‘What if you came with us?’ Paul asked, ‘we need a new crewmember, and you could learn some good skills. You’re old enough now, and I’ve asked mum and dad about it. They’ve agreed that you can go. You might even become famous!’ Fred’s mouth had steadily been dropping wider and wider until it touched the floor. ‘Mum and dad said I could go?’ He asked. His parents had always been the ones to tell him to ‘stay safe’ and ‘don’t do anything stupid’. And they had said he could go? Paul nodded his head. ‘Of course, I want to go!’ Fred blurted. ‘Then you’d better start packing,’ Paul said, and Fred ran back up the stairs with the biggest smile the world had ever seen. Chapter 2 Fred rushed up the stairs, running back into his room. He hoisted up his backpack from the floor (his room was a hog house) and rushed around, deciding what he wanted to take. He grabbed his models of famous explorers, waterskin, compass, small dagger that he had gotten as a gift from Paul, two books, a tortoise shell, and last of all, his toy pig, Onk. He shoved the mess down the backpack, and ran back down the stairs. ‘So, I’m really going?’ Fred asked, hopping up onto the kitchen counter, and drumming his fingers on the wood. ‘Yes,’ his dad said, sounding resigned. His mum was standing near the door, looking sad. ‘Come on, you’ve got a long journey now. Just…stay safe, and send us a letter when you get there.’ Fred pumped his fist in victory, then ran off to see where Paul had gone off to. He found him leaning against the wall, watching as the venducks swam in the Carmen River, their long necks, long wings, and stubby beaks showing clearly in the sunlight. Paul noticed Fred and turned around with a smile. ‘You ready to set off on an adventure?’ he asked. ‘Yes!’ Fred cried, ‘but can I take Harrier?’ ‘Fine,’ Paul said, ‘but be quick.’ He rushed around to an old shack surrounded by trees. He walked in. Small bones lined the ground. ‘Harrier,’ Fred called softly. An answering shriek cut through the air like a knife, and a golden-brown blur raced past him, and alighted on a branch in an old oak. It was a hawk. His wings stretched out he looked a magnificent sight. He was tall and menacing, and his beak was curved and deadly. His talons gripped the branch with a death grip, and were as sharp as knifes. And in Fred’s mind, he was the most beautiful hawk he’d ever seen. Harrier hopped down to Fred’s shoulder, gripping on just enough so he wouldn’t fall off. Fred met Harrier one day, when a lightning bolt struck a tree where a nest of hawks was. All the chicks died, except Harrier. Later on, Fred went to see what the tree looked like, saw Harrier, and fed him small pieces of rabbit and mouse to keep it alive. From then on, they were fast friends. ‘We’re going on an adventure Harrier,’ Fred said. ‘We’re going to the Ember Jungle.’ Harrier shrieked into Fred’s face. ‘Are you coming?’ Fred said. Harrier shrieked another time. ‘I’ll take that as a yes,’ Fred said. They heard something, and rushed around the house to see a huge coach, decorated in black and red, pull up, pulled by two horses that were puffing and panting. The driver, a big man with more fat than muscle nodded to Paul, and he nodded back. They got in the coach, and Fred was finally on his way to his first (and possibly last) adventure. They waved goodbye to their parents, who were soon just specks on the horizon. Harrier flew overhead as they rode over hills, through valleys, around forests, and under tunnels, until they were on a straight road to the capital, Halvington. Soon they were in the city. Chapter 3 Fred was instantly enveloped in exotic smells, loud noises, and extraordinary sights. The buildings seemed to stretch into the sky, and the people were wearing fancy clothes, such as tail coats, and corsets. They rode through all this. The people cheered when they saw Paul in the coach. They ran after the coach, which made its way to the docks. When they got to the docks, they saw Valiant in all its glory, red sails flapping, green sides blazing out, the words, Valiant scrawled in fancy silver writing on the sides. All the crew was assembled in front of the gangplank. There was Silver Jack, his silver coat made entirely of bullets, his guns in his holsters. He was the best shooter in all the islands of Tandek. Next was Massie Karn, tall and forbidding. Her sword skills were spectacular. There were also the Lemoroy triplets, Nate 1, Nate 2 and Nate 3. They were identical in their cheeky grins, childlike faces, and knack for causing trouble. However, they knew how to get out of any tricky situation (since they’d been in a lot of them), and were handy if you were held at gunpoint, dropped into a sea writhing with sharks, or attacked by a 1 veep tall, three headed, rampaging dagger-mouse. Gary Crunch stood near the front, his huge hands waving at the crowd. His famous 50 kg hammer was slung over his back. Leena Ramble was fidgeting nervously. She didn’t fight with anything but a long stick. Shirly Slice’n’dice was closest to the gangplank. It was rumoured that she had 100 blades with her at always. But the daggers you could see were strapped on her belt, running down her arms and legs, on her back, and in her hands. Dr Barry held his medical bag tightly. He was the ship’s doctor, and had saved all their lives in the past. Fred’s brother Paul went to stand beside the Lemoroy triplets. He was first mate in the ship Valiant, and a good one at that. Finally, there was Captain Ryhander, both legs chopped off in a swordfight and replaced by wooden ones, both hands eaten by a Sharkopus and replaced by metal hooks, one eye gored out by a dagger-mouse. Paul chatted with Captain Ryhander for a bit, then they came over to Fred. ‘So, you’re the new recruit?’ Captain Ryhander asked. ‘Yessir, I’m the new recruit,’ Fred said. Captain Ryhander had a laugh at this. ‘We’ll make an explorer of you yet,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘welcome to the crew.’ Suddenly, a voice bellowed out. It said, ‘Hello citizens of Halvington. It is I, the Emperor. We are here today, to see the crew of the Valiant set off on their quest to map the unknown world, and bring back any precious things that they find from there. If they make it back alive, I will give them 4000 gold grambles. Now it is time to set off. Go, Valiant! Make us proud!’ With that, the crew all leaped up the gangplank, hoisted up the sails, and they were off, to new discoveries, and a deadly adventure. Chapter 4 Fred vomited off the side of the ship. It had only been 2 days, and he was sick as a dog. Harrier looked at him in a disapproving way, then flapped off. Paul was guiding the ship through the passageway of Varn, while Captain Ryhander peered into the mist. ‘Lotta deadly creeps down here,’ someone said. Fred, startled, turned around to see Massie standing right next to him. He leapt back in surprise. ‘Sharkopus, ballian gramhookers,’ continued Massie, as if Fred hadn’t made a noise, ‘you better be careful in these parts.’ She walked off, still muttering. ‘She does that sometimes,’ Nate 1 said, hanging upside-down off the mast. ‘Yup,’ said Nate 2, juggling swords. ‘Definitely,’ Nate 3 said, hanging off the side of the ship with only the strength of his pinky. Suddenly, there was an eerie sound from the port side. It was like a wail and a howl combined. Nate 1 stiffened, Nate 2 dropped a sword, and Nate 3 nearly fell off the ship. He hoisted himself up, as Captain Ryhander started speaking. ‘Crunch, get to starboard, and have your axe at the ready. Fred, get up into the crow’s nest to scout around us. Nates, to the front of the ship. Paul, Jack, to portside. Shirly, Massie, go to the back. Leena, take the wheel. Doc, down to the inside. Get ready to start pumping water. There are only two creatures that make that kind of noise, and neither of them are friendly.’ The crew obeyed quickly and efficiently, each running (or in Nate 1’s case swinging) to their posts. Fred climbed unsteadily to the crow’s nest, and leaned out, using a looking glass in the crow’s nest. What he saw made him shiver. A creature was rising up from the depths. ‘It’s coming in from portside!’ he yelled, as the creature finally showed itself. It was massive. A bulbous head sat on 8 tentacles, each tipped with a huge shark head. It was blue-black, and covered with green wavy lines. The sharkopus loomed over the ship, and slammed down. The crew scattered, as one of the huge tentacles wreaked havoc on the deck. Gary brought his hammer down on the tentacle, and it split, showering him in green blood. The sharkopus let out a wail-howl, and wrapped its tentacles around the ship. Valiant groaned. The tentacle Gary had hammered grew itself back, and grabbed him with the shark head. Gary’s face went white with the pain of the shark head biting his chest. A well-aimed shot from Jack caused the tentacle to let go of Gary, and he lay on the deck. Soon Shirly and Jack were down too. Harrier flew around the beast’s head, screeching and clawing at the fat mass Fred looked around the crow’s nest, and saw a bag of throwing daggers. He picked one up, and threw it right into the sharkopus’ bulbous head. Everyone froze. The sharkopus swivelled around to look directly at Fred. It released his hold on the boat, and started rising from the water to Fred. Fred desperately started throwing knives in the creature’s face, but the monster climbed on. Fred, in a desperate act, leaped off the crow’s nest. He landed in a still intact hammock, and fell on the deck with a crack. The sharkopus turned around, and suddenly stopped. It fell down on the deck to reveal Captain Ryhander, with his hooks dripping with green blood. It was dead. Chapter 5 The crew pulled the throwing daggers from the dead sharkopus’ bulbous head until there were none left. ‘Can’t waste the knifes,’ Leena had said. Dr Barry had treated Gary’s wounds, which were, ‘Scandalously bad!’ He pulled two teeth from Gary’s side, cleaned the wound, and wrapped it up. Dr Barry’s verdict was, ‘Three days of rest.’ Gary had harrumphed, then gone down to lie down. Fred was treated for a sprained ankle, Jack for a broken leg, and Shirly for a severe slash down her arm, but nobody else had gotten seriously hurt. They sailed for a week, and came to an outpost called Mern, where ships frequently went to fix up, and get some rest from sailing. When they arrived, some men at the Mern dock pulled them in. they went up to the inn, the Lumpy Gramhooker, and Fred had his first taste of rum. Fred decided to explore the outpost. It was sort of like a town, but no town Fred had ever seen. The entire place stank of fish, and the houses were on huge metal poles. He found out that the houses were like that because the place was often flooded. How the ships withstood it, he didn’t know. He played around with some other kids for a while playing bungy ball (a game where the ball was attached to a rope, that one of the someone held. Everybody would make a ring around the person in the middle, and the game would begin. The person was meant to swing the ball around his head. The ring of people had to jump over, duck under, or dodge the ball. When a person was hit, he was the ball holder). Fred walked back to the Lumpy Gramhooker, feeling very happy and tired. and came in to see Paul talking with a small tubby man, a head shorter than Paul was. Paul noticed Fred, and waved him over. ‘This is an old friend of mine, Rudrick Fezle. Rud, this is my brother, Fred Haddy Rema Teller Yug Quilver Smith,’ he said, gesturing at Rudrick and then at Fred. ‘Hello young lad!’ Rudrick yelled boisterously, ‘I see you’ve followed your older brother’s footsteps into explorer hood. But I tell you, it’s a hard path to go down. I sure wouldn’t try!’ He then laughed heartily. ‘Yes,’ Fred said, ‘I want to be an explorer, and I don’t care about any challenges. (This was a lie)’ Rudrick had another laugh at that, and walked off to get more rum. Fred walked back to his bunk in the inn, and lay down. He was soon snoring away. Chapter 6 The next day, they set off again. Valiant flew over the water. They travelled for a while, going through the Ballian Ocean. Fred stood on the crow’s nest, looking out to the horizon. Harrier flew around his head, occasionally screeching loudly to keep Fred from dropping off. They sailed for a week, meeting a huge whale on the way. Fred enjoyed the days at sea. He was used to the movement of the ship now, and he enjoyed the nights, were they told stories about their adventures over a fire. Soon afterwards, they neared the end of the known maps. ‘We’re here at last mates,’ Captain Ryhander bellowed, ‘the edge of the known world. Are we going to back out now?’ ‘No!’ bellowed the crew. ‘Are we going to tun back?’ Captain Ryhander shouted. ‘No!’ shouted the crew. ‘Will we go on?’ Captain Ryhander yelled. ‘Yes!’ yelled the crew. Then, they started moving again. Little did they know that not all of them would come back alive. Fred climbed up to the crow’s nest as they cut through the water. He could see for miles around. The sky was blue, and the ocean like a pane of glass. The sails billowed out from under him. It was just him, Harrier, the sky, and the big blue ocean. He looked down, and saw the crew milling about underneath him, doing their jobs efficiently and quickly. The entire scene felt wonderful. It felt like he had been caged in the little village of Danner, and now was free. Harrier screeched, and Fred jerked back into reality to see a land mass up ahead. ‘Land ahoy!’ he shouted down. There was great excitement in the air, as the crew all crowded to the prow of the boat. Fred climbed (and tumbled) down to the deck. Soon, it was in sight. It looked magnificent. There were trees as tall as the mystic things in books called skyscrapers, and as thick as houses. A beach stretched for kilometres around. It was calm and felt like the perfect home. This was the Ember Jungle. Then, a terrifying shriek cut the air, and Fred fell back in terror. He wasn’t the only one. The Lemoroy triplets fell, one on top of each other from the rigging. Shirly drew 8 daggers, each between her fingers. Dr Barry turned white. Jack drew his guns. There was a long silence. Then, Paul shouted, ‘lower the anchor! We’re close enough!’ Gary thundered over to the anchor, and tossed it overboard. There was a muffled clunk as it hit the ground. ‘Lower the row boats,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘we’re getting off this boat and onto that land.’ ‘No disrespect Captain,’ Paul said, ‘but that would be extremely unwise. Whatever that was, it sounds deadly.’ ‘That’s why I intend to get on the land,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘so I can battle the beast face to face.’ ‘Aye,’ shouted the crew. With that, they left Valiant, and rowed to the shore. The beach cool under their feet, as they walked up. Fred took out his dagger. He noticed others taking out weapons too. Harrier perched on his shoulder as they entered the forest, and Captain Ryhander took the lead, macheting through the forest. The shriek sounded again, and they headed towards it. Shirly stayed behind, to watch the ship. She lit a fire, and placed a piece of wood on top of it. The piece of wood was covered in sap. Instantly, the thing exploded, showering the people with sand. Everybody looked back at Shirly. She shrugged, and they set of again. After an hour of walking, they came to a clearing. The shriek came, and Fred pushed aside some leaves to find a kitten perched on a stick. ‘Aw,’ Fred said. The kitten mewled, and licked itself on the paw. Fred reached out to pick the kitten up, and Leena cried, ‘Don’t!’ but it was too late. Fred grabbed the kitten with his right hand, and a huge mouth closed over his hand. Two grotesque eyeballs stared up at him. The creature was oval shaped, with small tubby legs, and one long hand perched on the top of its head. Fred realised that the ‘kitten on a stick’ was a tongue. Then, the burning began. Fred screamed. Chapter 7 The creature shrieked, while keeping its mouth shut. Paul ran to Fred’s side, and started to hack at the little thing’s head, while Harrier clawed at its head. Fred continued screaming, and tried to jerk his hand away, but the creature was jerked with him. It screeched louder, and the hand grabbed his face and dragged him back. Paul, giving up on slashing it, prised his knife under the mouth of the small beast, far away from Fred’s hand, and gave a jerk up. Fred yanked his hand out, and Gary smashed the creature. Fred’s hand was burnt, red and blistered. Dr Barry cooled the acid burn (for that was what it was) with water, cleaned it of any leftover acid, and wrapped it. ‘This land is dangerous captain,’ Massie said, ‘we should turn back now!’ ‘Aye,’ Jack said. ‘We came here to map the land, and we’re going to map the land!’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘But anyone too chicken can go back to the safe little ship, and stay there. You got that?’ Just then, a scream came from the ship’s direction. Fred froze. That sounded like Leena! ‘Come on!’ Fred yelled, and trying (but mostly failing) to ignore the pain in his hand, he dashed to the ship, with the rest of the crew in tow. When they reached Valiant, they were greeted with a terrible sight. Three giant wormy things were surrounding the ship. They had no eyes, and their mouths were circular and had sharp teeth sticking out of them. Their bodies were a pale shade of pink, and covered in a clear kind of slime. ‘Ballian gramhookers!’ Massie, Nate 1, Nate 2, and Nate 3 all yelled at the same time. Leena was struggling with another of the creatures on the sand of the beach. The ballian gramhooker had its mouth latched on her leg, and was slowly becoming a red colour. Shirly was digging dagger after dagger in its body, and the creature was bleeding so much, it looked like a waterfall. Gary rushed it, and slammed his hammer on its body. It shrieked, as it exploded. the ballian gramhookers stopped their assault at once. All 4 (now 3) dove into the sand, and tunnelled away. ‘Supplies!’ Captain Ryhander bellowed. ‘Aye,’ Massie bellowed back. She swam out to the ship, and took a quick look around. She came back looking grim. ‘All supplies gone, except for the chicken and three pigeons (she lifted up a startled looking chicken and a cage full of pigeons) and the ships in no condition to sail,’ she said, ‘we’re stranded here, on this island.’ There was a long silence. ‘We’re stuck here with no idea about what lives here, with no food, no water, and no supplies except the ones we had on us, and two of us are injured! How could this possibly get worse?’ Paul asked. Then, the floor opened up underneath them, and, screaming, they plunged down into the abyss. Chapter 8 They fell down for a short while, then came to a sort of slope. They landed, and instantly started sliding down the slope. Fred screamed louder as they sped sideways and his hand was slammed against the wall. Massie let go of the chicken, and it attempted to fly – something that was as likely to happen as a hippopotamus learning how to sing. It landed on its chest, and started shooting out eggs like cannonballs. Fred and the others were soon covered in eggshell and egg yolk. Silver Jack attempted to attach a grappling hook on one of his guns, and shot it, but all he managed to do was give Nate 3 a chance to do water skiing on land, as he grabbed it and slid on his yolky shoes. Gary (who was in the front of the sliding pack) slammed his hammer on the ground, and stopped for a brief moment, before Captain Ryhander, Paul, Leena, and Shirly slammed into him. The chicken finally stopped laying eggs, and landed in the hole Garry’s hammer had made, stopping abruptly. Dr Barry slid at the back, the only one not covered with egg as he slid precariously on his medical bag. He caught up to the chicken, and grabbed it out of the hole. Finally, they slid to a stop at the bottom of the slope. Covered in egg, they stumbled onto the dirt floor. Shirly groaned, and lay on the ground panting, her leg covered in blood. Dr Barry rushed to her side, and started wrapping the wound with the remaining supplies he had in his medical bag, and using Leena’s stick to support her up. ‘Well, that was…unexpected,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘but still, we’ve been in worse situations than this! And besides, we can eat the chicken and the pigeons.’ The chicken gave Captain Ryhander a reproachful look, and pecked the ground. ‘Anyway,’ Nate 2 said, ‘there’s no way we’re getting up that!’ he gestured at the tunnel they had just flew down. It was smoother than silk, and almost vertical. ‘Since we cannot go back up,’ Nate 1 said, ‘We’ll have to go forward!’ Nate 3 interrupted. Suddenly, the light filtering in from the tunnel vanished. Torches puffed into existence along a large hallway. The hallway was littered with old leaves. There were shelves on the walls, which were covered in odd objects, such as a skull that looked suspiciously like a human’s, a half a door, three tiny bugs stuck on pieces of paper, and a floating object in the middle of a green bottle. They walked along it, seeing more and more objects as they went. A teapot, a chess set with all the pieces missing, a boat with a hole in the bottom. After a long walk, they finally came to a huge room. There were more of the shelves in it. The room had a musty smell to it, and looked like no one had lived there for years. There was a circular table in the middle of the room, with stone chairs sitting around it. Out of nowhere, a voice rasped out. It was the oldest voice Fred had ever heard, a voice that foretold ancient secrets long forgotten, but also a voice edged with evil. ‘WHO DARES,’ it wheezed, ‘WHO DARES,’ it rasped, ‘WHO DARES,’ It shouted, ‘TO TRESPASS IN THE DOMAIN OF THE LAST OF THE WISE AND ANCIENT RACE OF GYRA!?!’ Chapter 9 Fred cowered on the ground. Shirly looked like she wanted to, but couldn’t. Paul groaned. All three Nates yelled, ‘US!’ Massie grimaced. Dr Barry fainted. Garry hefted his hammer. Leena tried to brandish her stick, before realizing that it was under Shirly. Jack dropped his guns. But Captain Ryhander smiled, then quickly covered it up with a frown. A woman walked out of the shadows. She was old. Actually, old didn’t really capture it. She was prehistoric. Her hands were rough and scarred. A vortex of hidden secrets and wonders were hidden behind her blind eyes. She was wearing a long cloak, and no shoes. She held a staff in her left hand. But the strangest thing about her was the aura of power she gave out. It pulsed through the air like a wave. ‘I asked,’ she croaked, ‘who. Are. You?’ ‘We’re explorers,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘and we’re here to…’ ‘WE KNOW WHY YOU’RE HERE!’ the woman screeched suddenly with a clear and ringing voice, ‘YOU’RE HERE TO STEAL THE GOLDEN DIAMOND THAT THE GYRA PEOPLE WERE TO GUARD! THE GREAT WIZARD HELFINGON PASSED DOWN THE DIAMOND FOR GENERATIONS! WE WILL GUARD IT TILL THE END OF TIME, WE PROMISED, AND WE, I, GRELFANDOR, WILL KEEP THE PROMISE UNTIL THE END OF TIME!!!’ ‘We’re not,’ Paul shouted, as Captain Ryhander gave some kind of noise between a groan and a whoop, ‘We just want to map this place!’ ‘LIES AND POPPYCOCK!’ Grelfandor bellowed as more old and power radiating men and women crept out of their hiding places, ‘WE WILL NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP OUR TREASURE! NEVER! I WILL GIVE YOU A WARNING NEVER TO COME BACK AGAIN! IF YOU COME BACK…’ she paused dramatically, ‘YOU WILL DIE!’ ‘WE-HA,’ shouted the men and women, all waving their staffs menacingly. ‘GET THE BIRD!’ the Grelfandor shrieked. A man stepped up, and waved his staff. Harrier, who, sensing the danger, was trying to fly away, was dragged through the air toward the man. ‘good,’ Grelfandor rasped, grabbing the bird from the air. She spoke a string of words unintelligible to the ear, and Harrier was lifted into the air, screeching franticly. Fred screamed, ‘Harrier!’ and leaped toward him, but an old man sliced his staff through the air, and Fred flew back, slamming against the wall. Fred watched, pinned to the wall by invisible hands, as Harrier was lifted higher and higher, screeching all the while. Finally, when Harrier was her highest, Grelfandor brought down her hand, and the bird that had shared so many memories with Fred was slammed down against the ground. Bones cracked as Harrier hit the ground. She lay there, unmoving. ‘Harrier!’ Fred screamed again, tears falling from his eyes as the force let go of him, and he fell on the ground, wheezing, choking, and sobbing. ‘LET THIS BE A WARNING TO ALL WHO DARE ENTER THIS CAVERN,’ Grelfandor said, ‘NOW GET OUT!’ She slammed her staff into the ground, and a sound wave blasted towards them, shoving them all out of the tunnel, and all the way out onto the beach. Fred pounded the beach, crying like his life depended on it. ‘There, there, little bro, everything’s going to be all right,’ Paul said, patting Fred on the back. Fred cried and cried, until there were no tears left to cry. Then, abruptly, he stood up, and ran toward the hole. ‘What are you doing?’ Paul said, catching Fred around the waist. Fred snarled and struggled to get free. ‘SHE KILLED HARRIER!’ Fred bellowed, ‘I’LL KILL HER!’ ‘Now wait, you two!’ Captain Ryhander yelled, ‘Fred, stop trying to go down there, and Paul, stop stopping him. We’ll need a plan.’ There was a maniacal look in his eyes as he stared around. ‘Wait,’ Fred said. Now he had been stopped by Captain Ryhander and Paul, he remembered he had told his mother that he was going to send his mother a letter. He looked around, and saw two rocks. He couldn’t use paper, as it had all been sunk when the ship did, but he could scratch his message on a rock with another one. He had done it before, when sending notes to Paul in the Tandek Isles. Fred thought what he was going to write on the rock. He finally settled for this. Dear mother, Hi mum. Don’t panic, but we’re stuck in the Ember Jungle with practically nothing. Harrier’s died. I just can’t believe it. we have decided to continue on. I feel that it is to honour Harrier. I hope you are doing well. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Love, Fred. P.S. I definitely am not planning murder. Promise. Paul says hi. There was no lie in this, as it was Captain Ryhander who was planning the murder. He attached the rock to one of the pigeons, and it flapped away. He hoped it would find his mother. ‘So,’ Fred said, panting slightly, ‘what’s the plan?’ Chapter 10 Captain Ryhander told the plan to everyone, and they all agreed it was a good one. Fred and the others instantly set to work, getting vines, branches, and a certain tree sap. They also collected a wide wood board from the ship. Then, they put their plan into action. Jack attached the end of his grappling hook to the mouth of the tunnel, and they slid down. Before they slid down, they poured the sap around the entryway. Fred and the Nates grabbed the branches, and formed them into a Y position, using the vines to hold the branches together. They grabbed a few more vines, and wrapped them each around the wood board. Then, they connected the ends of the vines to the tips of the branches on the Y. They, wrapped more vines to stones and the other end around their waists, and went down the tunnel, each holding a bucket and a fireswitch. They walked down the path, going past the strange items again. Soon they popped out of the passageway into the dimly lit room. Figures were slumped around the area, some snoring, others whispering in their sleep. Fred and the others wasted no time. They ran around the entire area, splashing sap on all the walls. Massie came to another doorway, and splashed the sap around the doorway. Just as they were finishing splashing the doorways, Captain Ryhander peeled off from the rest and rushed to the table. ‘What are you doing Captain?’ Massie asked. Captain Ryhander gave no reply, but instead started feeling around the table, finally pressing down on the top. It gave a click, and the entire side of the table popped out to reveal a shining emerald. It shone so bright in the cavern, that the entire place was filled with blinding golden light. Captain Ryhander grabbed it but before he could hide it, the Gyra people started stirring from the light. A man with one eye woke first. ‘E’s got e diamond!’ he roared, ‘lets get im!’ instantly everybody in the cavern woke. The one-eyed man pointed his staff at Captain Ryhander, but before he could wave it, he rolled to one side. The power sent from the staff made a deep cavity in the wall. ‘Run!’Captain Ryhander yelled. They ran towards the exit, fireswitches in hand, and they set fire to the doorway as they went. A series of explosions resounded. Just then, Grelfandor dived through the collapsing doorway. ‘That is MY diamond, you stupid people,’ Grelfandor growled, ‘I’ve killed millions to guard that diamond, to keep it safe, and look what you’ve done. Killed my people, stolen my emerald, and you think that you will just be able to waltz away freely? Well, you’re wrong.’ Grelfandor made an eerie noise with her throat, something Fred had heard before. Instantly, 10 ballian gramhookers burst out of the ground and circled. ‘I think I’ll let my babies do my work,’ she sneered. Instantly the ballian gramhookers attacked. Gary slammed his hammer down, but the creature he was trying to smash opened its mouth and swallowed the hammer. Gary hefted the hammer, and struggled to pull it out of the mouth of the monster. Fred ran at one of the ballian gramhookers, but it easily batted him to the ground. It reared up above him, and was about to dive at him when Captain Ryhander hooked the beast and threw him against the wall. It fell down dead. Meanwhile, Paul and Massie were back-to-back, fighting two ballian gramhookers each. Swords in hand, they cleaved the monsters apart. There were now 5 more ballian gramhookers left. Nate 1, 2, and 3 were hopping around a two more, diving randomly at them to slash. Nate 2 had somehow gotten a chain, and was whipping it around his head. Shirly was sprawled over Dr Barry, defending weakly against a 7th, digging daggers into its flesh. It screeched, and fell over, 17 daggers plunged into its body. Jack shot down 2 more ballian gramhookers, and they fell over Fred. Leena wrestled with the final ballian gramhooker, but was thrown off into the wall. Jack shot the final one, and it lay dead. ‘No!’ Grelfandor said, ‘I guarded that diamond too long to lose! If I can’t get it, no one can!’ she raised her staff over her head, and the ceiling started shaking. Rocks fell down, and peppered their skin. Fred groaned. They were all going to die. Chapter 11 The entire tunnel rumbled as the crew ran away from a cackling Grelfandor. Jack grabbed Shirly as they ran. They ran past the shelves, past everything, to the slingshot. Everybody went to the inside of the slingshot except Jack and Gary. They pulled the slingshot back. ‘Ready?’ Gary yelled, ‘OK, see you on the other side!’ they launched the slingshot, and the crew shot up. Gary and Jack grabbed the gun, and retracted the line. As they were going up, a huge rock came down right in front of them. ‘No!’ Fred yelled. They popped out of the hole, and flew through the air into the sand. ‘We need to go back for Jack and Gary Captain!’ Paul said franticly, gesturing at the hole. ‘We don’t need to do anything,’ Captain Ryhander said. He was staring at the emerald in his hand as he said this. There was a maniacal calmness in his voice, that punctuated the terror. ‘Captain?’ Massie asked. ‘Shut up, you stupid woman!’ Captain Ryhander shouted. His voice dropped again. ‘Finally, I have it. I’ve sought for you long enough, and I won’t let you get away again. These crew will have to die. They can’t tell the others.’ All of a sudden, Captain Ryhander flung out his hand with the diamond in it, and the Nates went flying into trees, each with a sickening crack. ‘For years,’ Massie went flying into the air, and landed in a tree, ‘I’ve waited patiently,’ Shirly sunk down into the sand and was buried under, ‘for this chance!’ he slammed his hand into the ground, and Dr Barry was flung into the ocean. ‘This is power beyond our reckoning!’ Captain Ryhander boomed. But something strange was happening to the captain. He was slowly glowing brighter and brighter with a gold light, and his body seemed to shrivel. Another wave, and Leena was flung so high into the air, she became a pinprick in the sky. ‘Wait!’ Captain Ryhander suddenly yelled, ‘wait, no, I’m your friend, remember? Remember? No! don – AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Captain Ryhander glowed so brightly that Fred was temporarily blinded. When he could see again, there was nothing left of Captain Ryhander except for a pile of ashes. ‘Is he…’ Fred trailed off as he stared around. Death reigned on the beach. ‘We’re the last ones left.’ Paul said. ‘We should bury them,’ Fred whispered. They buried the bodies in the jungle. When they were finished, Fred put a piece of wood on the top of the burial ground. It read, ‘here lie the brave crew of the Valiant.’ The two brothers built a raft. It took a day, but they made it in the end. They got on the raft, and floated away, knowing they left all the brave members of the Valiant, killed by the treachery of their captain, behind, knowing they would never forget this. Epilogue A boy and a young man washed up on the shore of Danner. They were clinging onto a long piece of wood. As they lay there, on the shore, more pieces of wood washed up. They lay there for a long time. Finally, the young man stirred. ‘Fred?’ he whispered, ‘are we back? Are we really back?’ The boy coughed, and sat up. ‘I think we are,’ he said. ‘We’re home!’ the two boys (one a young man) shouted at the same time. The two stood up, and ran, ran past the familiar cave on the coast, past the forest, and through the cobbled streets of Danner. They rushed up to a house, and banged on the door. A woman opened the door. She opened her mouth, but stopped mid-way. ‘Terry,’ she yelled, ‘Terry, they’re back! THEY’RE BACK!!!!’

Fred’s challenges are listed in order of least to most dangerous. 1, losing all food provisions. 2, meeting a creature that looks cute, but actually wants to melt your arm off using acids. 3, acid bogs. 4, woelers. 5, a stampede of mouthers. 6, sharkopus. 7, booby traps. 8, gigatomic kile frendels. 9, (actually if I tell you this, it will totally spoil the story). 10, the last of the ancient Gyra people. As they cut through the water, Fred stood on the crow’s nest of Valiant. He could see for miles around. The sky was blue, and the ocean like a pane of glass. The sails billowed out from under him. It was just him, Harrier, the sky, and the big blue ocean. He looked down, and saw the crew milling about underneath him, doing their jobs efficiently and quickly. The entire scene felt wonderful. It felt like he had been caged in the little village of Danner, and now was free. Harrier screeched, and Fred jerked back into reality to see a land mass up ahead. ‘Land ahoy!’ he shouted down. There was great excitement in the air, as the crew all crowded to the prow of the boat. Fred climbed (and tumbled) down to the deck. Soon, the Ember Jungle was in sight. It looked magnificent. The trees were tall as the mystic things in books called skyscrapers, and as thick as houses. It was calm and felt like the perfect home. Then, a terrifying shriek cut the air, and Fred fell back in terror.

Fred rushed around to an old shack surrounded by trees. He walked in. Small bones lined the ground. ‘Harrier,’ Fred called softly. An answering shriek cut through the air like a knife, and a golden-brown blur raced past him, and alighted on a branch in an old oak. It was a hawk. His wings stretched out he looked a magnificent sight. He was tall and menacing, and his beak was curved and deadly. His talons gripped the branch with a death grip, and were as sharp as knifes. And in Fred’s mind, he was the most beautiful hawk he’d ever seen. Harrier hopped down to Fred’s shoulder, gripping on just enough so he wouldn’t fall off. Fred had met Harrier one day, because a lightning bolt had struck a tree where a nest of hawks was. Everyone had died, except Harrier. Later on, Fred went to see what the tree looked like, seen Harrier, and fed it small pieces of rabbit and mouse. From then on, they were fast friends. now I skipped forward to when the expedition starts When they got to the docks, they saw Valiant in all its glory, red sails flapping, green sides blazing out, the words, Valiant scrawled in fancy silver writing on the sides. All the crew was assembled in front of the gangplank. There was Silver Jack, his silver coat gleaming, his guns in his holsters. He was the best shooter in all the islands of Tandek. Next was Massie Karn, tall and forbidding. Her sword skills were some of the best in the known world. There were also the Lemoroy triplets, Nate 1, Nate 2 and Nate 3. They were identical in their cheeky grins, childlike faces, and knack for causing trouble. However, they knew how to get out of any tricky situation (since they’d been in a lot of them), and were handy if you were held at gunpoint, dropped into a sea writhing with sharks, or attacked by a 1 veep tall, three headed, rampaging dagger-mouse. Gary Crunch stood near the front, his huge hands waving at the crowd. His famous 100 kg hammer was slung over his back. Leena Ramble was fidgeting nervously. She didn’t fight with anything but her bare hands, which she did well. Shirly slice’n’dice was closest to the gangplank. It was rumoured that she had 100 blades with her at always. But the daggers you could see were strapped on her belt, running down her arms and legs, on her back, and in her hands. Fred’s brother Paul went to stand beside the Lemoroy triplets. He was first mate in the ship Valiant, and a good one at that. Finally, there was Captain Ryhander, both legs chopped off in a swordfight and replaced by wooden ones, both hands eaten by a Sharkopus and replaced by metal hooks, one eye gored out by a dagger-mouse. Paul chatted with Captain Ryhander for a bit, then they came over to Fred. ‘So, you’re the new recruit?’ Captain Ryhander asked. ‘Yessir, I’m the new recruit,’ Fred said. Captain Ryhander had a laugh at this. ‘We’ll make an explorer of you yet,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘welcome to the crew.’ Suddenly, a voice bellowed out. It said, ‘Hello citizens of Halvington. It is I, the Emperor. We are here today, to see the crew of the Valiant set off on their quest to Ember Jungle. If they make it back alive, I will give them 4000 gold grambles. Now it is time to set off. Go, Valiant! Make us proud!’ With that, the crew all leaped up the gangplank, hoisted up the sails, and they were off, to new discovery’s, and a deadly adventure.

Chapter 1 Casper walked home from school feeling miserable. He was 12, and he knew he shouldn’t be so miserable. After all, it was just a speech. But he was. He had never liked public talks, even when he wasn’t doing them. They made him feel very nervous. ‘Hey Casper!’ yelled a voice behind him, ‘scared of a simple speech about Mars?’ It was Tommy, or Tommy Terror (as everybody called him behind his back), the school bully. ‘Hey, Tommy,’ Casper said, while groaning under his breath, ‘and no, I’m not scared.’ Casper knew that everybody knew he was afraid of speeches. One time, he was doing a presentation about bugs, and in the middle of it, had gotten so panicked that he leapt out of the window. He turned around, and groaned again as Tommy was joined by Nick, his sidekick. ‘That’s pathetic you know,’ Tommy said, ‘being afraid of speeches.’ He looked like he was about to say more, but Nick jumped in, and said, ‘Yeah! What he said.’ ‘Shut up, Nick,’ Tommy growled, staring at Nick so hard he was boring holes into him. Nick shut his mouth. ‘Let’s see what’s in the bag, shall we?’ Casper didn’t want to show his bag’s contents to Tommy, but he had no choice. He handed over the bag. Hopefully, he wouldn’t see the secret pocket where he kept all his snacks and money. Tommy tipped the bag over, and shook it, spilling the contents. All Casper’s books, and school stuff. Thankfully, the ten dollar note stayed put, and the Mars bar. Tommy looked disappointed, then started feeling around the bag. Just as Casper was thinking he wouldn’t find the catch, Tommy said, ‘What’s this?’ with a triumphant shout, he pulled out the Mars bar and the ten dollar note! ‘Give those back,’ Casper said. He didn’t realize he had said it, until it was too late. ‘What did you say?’ Tommy asked, with an edge to his voice. Casper, realizing he couldn’t turn back what was muttered, ‘I said, give those back.’ ‘You know, Casper,’ said Tommy, ‘I’ve got a better idea. How bout I put you in the bin where you belong, and keep these. THAT, is a MUCH better idea.’ Before Casper could run, Tommy grabbed Casper by the armpits, dragged him to the nearest bin, threw him in, and walked off, calling, ‘So long, sucker! Thanks for the Mars bar. No, Nick, you can’t have half.’ Casper didn’t answer, partly because there was no point, and partly because he realized, this bin was not a bin. It was much more than that. It was a time machine. Chapter 2 The bin was bigger in the inside than out. As he looked, he saw the red words “Time Twister 3000”. He couldn’t believe this was a time machine! Was he hallucinating? He pinched himself, and found he wasn’t, because it hurt. He decided to have a look around. There were lots of buttons, switches, panels, and for some reason, a power-board. In the centre of all of them, there was one huge button, and one big switch. The button said “Time Travel, and the switch said “Nuclear Level”. The nuclear level was currently at 0. Casper realized he really wanted to time-travel. It would be great to stop Tommy from coming to his school. Also, he had always wanted to go to the Middle Ages. Casper decided to have a go at it. ‘OK,’ he said, ‘in three, two, one, zero.’ Casper hit the button as hard as he could. Nothing happened. Suddenly, everything lit up in a very bright pink. ‘Time destination?’ asked a droning female voice. ‘The medieval period in Europe,’ Casper said, hoping, but also not hoping that it would work. ‘Turn nuclear level to three, start the turbo drive, and press time twist button,’ the female voice said. The buttons and switches each lit up blue in turn. Casper did as the voice said, and the bin blasted up into the air. Suddenly, Casper felt himself zoom into something. A window opened up, and he saw a whirling storm of colours. The time twister bolstered forward, straight for the heart of the tornado of colours. As it passed through, Casper saw a bright flash of blinding light, and knew no more. Chapter 3 Casper awoke on the ground, with a bin lying next to him. The bin slowly faded away. What had just happened? Then he remembered everything, got up, and stared around in shock. ‘Where am I?’ Casper muttered, as he looked through the forest, ‘is this the Middle Ages, or is this just some kind of mean trick?’ He walked through the forest… and came face to face with a bear. Casper cried out, stumbling back in shock. He felt its breath on his cheeks, and knew that THIS. WAS. REAL. The bear was huge! It was a dark brown colour, and had shaggy brown fur. As he looked up at the bear, he noticed a boy and a girl were sitting on the bear. The boy was tall, with green eyes, and a blonde fringe. He was also wearing a page’s uniform. His sister was similar, but was wearing a dress instead of a page’s uniform, and had blue eyes. ‘What are you doing in Lord Ambergur’s forest?’ he said, in a loud British accent, ‘you’ll be imprisoned for trespass.’ ‘Lord Hamburger?’ Casper asked, amused. ‘No!’ said the boisterous boy, ‘his name is pronounced like this. Am, Bur, Gur. You get that?’ ‘But that sounds a lot like hamburger to me,’ Casper said. ‘It does,’ the boy agreed, ‘but what is this hamburger thing? Is it some kind of exotic creature?’ ‘It’s,’ Casper said, before realizing that he couldn’t explain it to him without telling him that he was from the future. He decided to tell the two siblings. ‘The hamburger isn’t a creature, it’s a food and I’m from the future,’ he said. The boy stared at him for a second, then started to speak. ‘Whether you’re from the future or not, you’re not gonna live without my help. So I’m Brandon and my sister here,’ he pointed at the girl, who smiled shyly, ‘is Narcisa.’ Casper smiled awkwardly. ‘My name’s Casper,’ he said. Then, he realized they were looking at him expectantly. ‘What?’ Casper asked. ‘Well, what are you waiting for,’ Brandon said impatiently, ‘get on Zadie!’ Casper looked around for a second, before realizing that the bear was Zadie. He clambered on with some difficulty, and flopped down between Narcisa and Brandon. Then, they set off. Chapter 4 It was comfortable, riding on a bear. The movement was very rocking, and Casper was just feeling like there was nothing on his mind, when a question popped in his head. ‘Why are you riding a bear, not a horse?’ he asked. ‘We have come to check on her, because she’s our pet’ Narcisa said, patting Zadie’s back. ‘Like a dancing bear?’ Casper asked. ‘NO!!!!’ both Narcisa and Brandon yelled at the same time, startling Casper so much that he nearly fell off Zadie, ‘our mum stopped dad from killing her, and tamed her as a cub. We have to take her on regular walks.’ ‘Oh,’ said Casper. Soon, they came across an actual road and there, Zadie stopped, and stayed. There were two horses waiting patiently behind a crop of trees. ‘So Zadie isn’t coming?’ Casper asked, looking back at the bear. ‘She’d be killed if she came,’ Brandon said, ‘bears are supposed to be raving, fierce, bloodthirsty things. You can ride on my horse.’ Brandon and Narcisa both mounted easily, using the stirrups to pull themselves up. ‘Now it’s your turn,’ Brandon, ‘just use the stirrup to pull yourself up, and sit on the back of the saddle.’ Casper tried without success to get on the horse. It was just too tall, and he was on the short side. In the end, Brandon pulled him up by the hand. Then, they rode off, leaving Zadie in the forest. As they went through the road, they passed some houses along the way. ‘Hey, Dax,’ Brandon called out, looking at a man who was pounding a sword into shape, ‘how’s the business going?’ ‘Great,’ Dax replied, ‘and who have you got there, clinging onto your back?’ ‘This is Casper,’ Brandon said, ‘we found him in the forest. I’m going to see if he can stay in the castle.’ ‘Good luck then!’ Then they rode on, towards a castle looming up ahead. Chapter 5 The castle came closer and closer as they rode towards it. Casper saw that it was bigger than he thought it was. It seemed like the walls stretched on forever. They came to a moat, and Brandon yelled up at a figure on the wall, who in turn yelled down to someone on the other side of the wall. Soon a drawbridge came down, and they rode across to a pair of opening doors. Then they rode into the castle. It looked magnificent. The keep was in the centre, surrounded by another wall. Around the walls sat houses, which were probably the servant’s quarters. Casper could see dog kennels, and stables, and people milling about the area. They rode to the stables, and Brandon and Narcisa both leapt off gracefully. Casper tried to get off the same way they had, but his foot got stuck in the stirrup, and he tumbled off, landing in a heap on the ground. The siblings laughed as Casper got up blushing bright red, and unharnessed the horses. Then they walked through a gate to the keep. When they got to the keep, they climbed up the stairs to the entrance of the keep. Brandon had a talk with the man guarding the door, and they got in. There was a small room, and another door. ‘Can you get my father?’ Brandon asked another man near the door. He nodded, and walked through it. After about 10 minutes, he returned with a tall intimidating man, with Narcisa’s eyes, and Brandon’s hair. ‘What do you want? I’m busy,’ he said, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. Then he noticed Casper. ‘Who’s that?’ he asked, with a sharp edge to his voice. ‘This is Casper,’ Brandon said, accidentally gesturing to the space next to Casper, ‘Narcisa and I found him in the forest when we were walking You-Know-Who. Can he stay with us? Be my personal servant or bodyguard? Since you’re the Lord of this area, I’m sure you can make an exception.’ Casper’s mouth dropped open as he realized that Brandon’s father was Lord Amburger! Brandon’s father gave a deep sigh. ‘Fine,’ he said, ‘he’ll be your personal bodyguard. But if he causes any trouble, then he’s out of here. Do you understand?’ The kids all gave woops, and ran out. ‘You’re staying!’ Narcisa said, and they raced through the courtyard. Chapter 6 Casper watched as the sun set over the forest. It was beautiful. The trees were lit, as if they were made of gold. ‘Nice, isn’t it,’ Narcisa, ‘Brandon sometimes comes to watch it with me, but ever since he became a squire, he can’t get away very often.’ They had run around for a while, playing tag, until Narcisa had to go off for lessons, and Brandon had to go off for his Squire duties. Then, Casper went to look at the dogs. He had always been a dog person. The keeper let him exercise them, and he ran around the castle, until he and the dogs were all worn out. Then, he took them back to the kennels. After that, Narcisa came up to him, and asked him to come and see something. And this was where they were. ‘It’s stunning,’ Casper agreed. A bird flew at his head, screeching like a banshee, and he dove to the ground. ‘Don’t worry,’ Narcisa giggled, ‘It’s just a screech owl.’ ‘Let’s go back now,’ Casper said, getting up. They walked back to the castle. Casper lay on a pallet (a mattress stuffed with straw) next to Brandon’s bed. It was comfy, but not what he’d expected. The smell was slightly stale. He would have liked to sleep outside, near the dogs, but as a body-guard, he had to stay near Brandon. He rolled over, and watched the stars out of the window. They seemed to be winking at him. Soon, his eyes fluttered, and he fell into a deep sleep. Chapter 7 The next day, Casper awoke, and realized that Brandon was shaking him. ‘Wake up,’ he said, ‘we’re going on a hunt.’ ‘Whaa?’ asked Casper, sitting up and yawning. ‘I’m finally old enough to go on a hunt, but I can’t go unless you come with me. You’re my body-guard you know.’ Casper got up, and went after Brandon, who was racing down the stairs they had gone up the night before. Soon, the two boys were ready. Brandon had given Casper one of his daggers, and they mounted a horse. This time, Casper was able to get onto the horse without any help. After that, they waited for a while, while the others got loaded with quivers, and prepared the dogs. Soon, they were off. The boys rode next to Brandon’s father. ‘Is your father Lord Amburger?’ Casper asked Brandon as they rode into the forest. ‘Yeah,’ said Brandon, looking uncomfortable. ‘That means you’re an important person, doesn’t it?’ Casper asked. ‘Yeah,’ Brandon said, looking more uncomfortable,’ It means I’ll inherit the land my father owns when he dies. But anyway, who are your parents?’ ‘My father is a minister, but my mother died when I was 3,’ Casper said quietly. ‘That’s horrible,’ Brandon said, ‘sorry for asking.’ ‘It’s fine,’ Casper said, ‘I barely remember her anyway.’ But in truth, there was a void inside him that could never be filled. Soon, a hunter saw a stag, and the horses increased their pace from a trot, to a canter. The dogs were let loose, and the hunt began. The dogs bayed as they ran after the stag, which had also increased its pace. The hunters chased the stag, and shot some arrows at it, until they came to a clearing. They then surrounded it. The stag snorted, and scraped its foot against the ground. Suddenly, the dogs ran forward and tackled the stag! It bucked and reared, but the hounds were too many, and the stag was already wounded. Soon, it was overcome. A man ran forward, and stabbed it in the neck. The stag kicked once, and then lay still. The men cheered, and blew their horns in victory. Soon, the stag was slung over the back of a horse, and they went back, tired, hungry, and victorious. Chapter 8 After the hunt, the boys went and told Narcisa all that had happened. Then, they went to the feast. They had boars head (which tasted like pork), salmon, bear (which had a taste Casper couldn’t place), and finally, cakes with honey (which tasted like cakes with honey). Minstrels played music, and traders talked with Lord Amburger. Eventually, the people started leaving, and Casper got up with Narcisa. Brandon had got stuck in a chat with a trader about life in the castle, so he said he would come to their room later. The two kids walked up the stairs, and waited there for Brandon. After a while, he came and said, ‘Father told me that Lord Dickson declared war on him, because he wouldn’t give him a piece of land. We need to prepare for battle. Now, I need to stick close to Casper.’ ‘What does the war mean?’ Casper asked, looking worried. ‘It means the people in father’s area will come for shelter in the keep, and that the men will get ready to fight,’ said Narcisa, ‘but we don’t have to worry. Dickson won’t break through the walls. The children sat worrying, until, one by one, they fell asleep. A week passed by, as the men got ready for war, and collected food, and the women and children came to the castle. Then, the war began. The castle was put under siege, and the men got into position. Casper watched as the soldiers dumped buckets of super-heated water on the attackers. The fighting continued through the night. Casper lay awake for a while, then fell into a troubled sleep. Suddenly, he was woken up. At first, he thought it was the sound of the war. Then he realized that there was a struggle near his pallet. He turned his head, and saw a man wrestling with Brandon. The man got the upper hand, and knocked Brandon out. Then, he stuffed him into a sack, and hurried down the steps. Casper waited a beat, then followed after him. Chapter 9 Casper followed the man as he hurried out the door of the keep. He was sure that he had seen the man before. Then, he realized it was the trader talking to Brandon the day before the war preparations. The trader walked casually to the wall, then crept through a door in the wall. Casper followed. When they came out the other side, Casper saw that the door looked exactly like the wall around it. The trader was walking quickly away, so he ran after him. When the man got to the edge of the forest, there was a party of men waiting. They all gave silent cheers. Casper ducked down before the men could see him, crawled through the grass and looked up. The trader was exchanging Brandon for a bag. By the noise it made, Casper guessed that it was money, and lots of it. Suddenly, Casper had an idea. Then, he ran into the forest. He walked through the grass and leaves, and found the place where he had seen Zadie last. ‘Zadie,’ he called softly. There was no reply. ‘Zadie? Zadie!’ Casper called again. Soon he grew desperate, and started speaking louder. ‘Zadie! Zadie!’ Finally, when Casper thought there was no hope left, a huge shape lumbered out of the trees. It was Zadie! ‘Come on girl,’ said Casper, ‘Brandon’s in trouble, and we need to go quickly!’ At the sound of Brandon’s name, Zadie followed Casper. When they reached the spot where Brandon was, and Zadie saw Brandon tied up and gagged, she roared so loud it shock the trees, and charged. As the men looked up, Zadie reached the first one, and swatted him off. She slammed into the next, and shook the one after him. Casper ran and untied Brandon. ‘What’s happening?’ he asked, looking scared. ‘You’ve been kidnapped,’ Casper said, ‘but you’re safe now. Go back to the castle. There’s a secret entrance in the wall.’ Suddenly, Casper felt himself fading away. He knew then that his job here was done. That he had been brought here for a purpose, and now it was complete. And he returned to his own time.

‘Where am I?’ Casper muttered, as he looked through the forest, ‘is this virtual reality?’ he jumped out of the time bin, and walked through the forest… and came face to face with a bear. Casper cried out, stumbling back in shock. He felt it’s breath on his cheeks, and knew this wasn’t virtual reality. This. Was. Real. The bear was huge! It was a dark brown colour, and had shaggy brown fur. As he looked up at the bear, he noticed a boy and a girl were sitting on the bear. The boy was tall, with green eyes, and a blonde fringe. He was also wearing a page’s uniform. his sister was similar, but was wearing a dress instead of a page’s uniform. ‘What are you doing in lord Ambergur’s forest?’ he said, in a loud British accent, ‘you’ll be executed for trespass.’ ‘Lord hamburger?’ Casper asked, amused. ‘No!’ said the boisterous boy, ‘he’s name is pronounced like this. Am, Bur, Gur. You get that?’ ‘But that sounds a lot like hamburger to me,’ Casper said. ‘It does,’ the boy agreed, ‘but what is this hamburger thingy? Is it some kind of exotic creature? ‘It’s,’ Casper said, before realizing that he couldn’t explain it to him without telling him that he was from the future. He decided to tell him. ‘The hamburger isn’t a creature, it’s a food, and I’m from the future,’ he said. The boy stared at him for a second, then started to speak. ‘Whether you’re from the future or somewhere else, I want to be your friend. I’m Brandon, and my sister here,’ he pointed at the girl, who smiled shyly, ‘is Narcisa.’ Casper smiled awkwardly. ‘My names Casper,’ he said. Then, he realized they were looking at him expectantly. ‘What?’ Casper asked. ‘Well, what are you waiting for,’ Brandon said impatiently, ‘get on Zadie!’ Casper looked around for a second, before realizing that Zadie was the bear. He clambered on with some difficulty, and flopped down between Narcisa and Brandon. Then, they set off. It was comfortable, riding on a bear. The movement was very rocking, and Casper was about to go to sleep, when a question popped in his head. ‘Why are you riding a bear, not a horse?’ he asked, ‘I thought bears were extinct here.’ ‘They are,’ Narcisa agreed, patting Zadie’s back, ‘but she’s a pet.’ ‘Like a dancing bear?’ Casper asked, looking around at the trees. ‘NO!!!!’ both Narcisa and Brandon yelled at the same time, startling Casper so much that he nearly fell off Zadie, ‘our mum stopped dad from killing baby Zadie, and tamed her as a cub.’ ‘Oh,’ said Casper, wondering whether there was a whole sleuth of bears in the forest that Wikipedia didn’t know about.