Chaos Storm (The Flight of the Griffin Book 2) (23 page)

'Did you see anyone guarding the bridge?' asked Tad.

'There could be. There's a lot of people coming and going, an' a lot bunched round the entrance.'

'The pitmen'll be there, that's where they check the passes.' Tad shivered from the cold and looked up into the rain. 'Don't like it much up here, too many crazy people, it's safer in the drains.' Casting a look at Elisop who was humming to himself, he led them across the narrow lane and leaned over the wall to get a better look at the river. Even in the low light that the windows from the bridge offered they could see thundering water foaming white around the bridge supports. A cloud of spray rose to the base of the bridge, and the noise as they walked closer was deafening.

'I wouldn't want to live on there,' said Pardigan, raising his voice to be heard. He was gazing up at the first of the buildings on the bridge. 'I'd be lying in bed at night wondering when I was going to be swept away!'

They moved further along, approaching the roadway and the milling throng of people that were trying to cross back over to Mayhem. It was like a human river, all piled against the dam of a security check by several pitmen at the entrance to the bridge.

'How do we get down underneath?' asked Quint, and Tad pointed to a gateway close to the first building. Worryingly, it looked extremely close to the pitmen.

'There are several routes down, but from here we should head to those stairs. We have to get through the gate then down the steps to the underside, but there's a lot more people about than when I last tried to do it.' The wind ruffled Tad's hair and he wiped the rain from his face. 'We won't get down there without them seeing.' He glanced across at the two closest pitmen standing at the bridge entrance. They were checking passes held up by the moving mass of people. After the violence of the pit, the crowd was restless, and the pitmen were making sure people kept moving by bullying and pushing them on. The people were cold and tired, and their tempers increasingly short, several arguments were happening at the same time.

'We need a distraction, and I suppose it may as well be me,' said Mahra, 'just be ready.' She crouched down next to Nella. 'Take care of my friends. I'll meet you on the other side.' She pulled back from the wall and let go of Nella's hand, the little girl looked distraught.

'Aint yer coming with us?'

'Don't worry; I'll be there. I'm part cat, and cats hate water. But I'm also part bird, so I can fly across.' She gave Nella a big smile, and then turning towards the bridge and the crowd, she fell forward reaching out with her hands that had already become the soft paws of a sleek black panther as they touched the wet cobbles. Nella clapped her hands and squealed in delight causing both Tad and Quint to turn and say 'shhhh,' but silence wasn't necessary, the panther had already reached the bridge.

The effect Mahra's arrival had on the crowd was dramatic. The first person to notice her approach was a middle-aged man, helping his aged friend home after a day's entertainment at the pit. He saw the large yellow eyes staring out of the darkness, squinted his eyes to get confirmation they weren't lying to him, and then the blood drained from his face and his eyes opened wide. Letting out a shriek, he threw his aged friend towards the beast and tried to push his way through the crowd, past the pitman onto the bridge. The pitman, still unaware of the panther's presence, tried to stop him to check his hastily proffered pass.

'I need to get through; it's an emergency…. please, let me through now.'

The man angrily shook his pass in the official's face, desperately trying to get through. But now as he fought to get away from the danger, others also began to see what was approaching, and screams and cries of panic filled the air as a now panicked crowd tried to flee. The two pitmen rapidly losing control of the situation turned, in time to see the panther trot forward and let out a roar.

'
Brother of Chaos, look at that monster!
' cried the first. Raising his club, he tried to back away, but several people in the crowd shoved him forward. Then the panther leapt and the bridge lived up to the names of its city as Bedlam and Mayhem ensued.

Swinging their clubs wildly, the pitmen blew their whistles and screamed for help, finally succeeding in bringing two colleagues running down the street.

'Now,' hissed Quint, as he judged all attention was on Mahra. He pushed the others towards the gate that a now visible Pardigan was holding open beckoning urgently for them to come. Arriving with a slide in the mud, Quint shoved Elisop through, took a glance to where the sounds on the bridge had become very loud, and headed down the steps with Pardigan right behind him.

Back on the bridge, Mahra had been waiting for the sound of the gate to close and with a last swipe of her claws at her closest assailant; she turned and headed back towards the river. Leaping up on the wall, she turned to regard her pursuers as the four pitmen crept closer.

'I don't know where it came from, but we have to get it for the pit,' hissed the first pitman to arrive. The others joined him, spreading out. 'Looks powerful strong, get a net or something…' He glanced behind to see if someone was bringing a net, then looked back just in time to see the panther leap at him. His eyes opened wide in fear, and his hands came up in a futile attempt to defend himself, a shrill scream coming unbidden from deep inside,
'Yiieeehhh,'
and he staggered back into the others. If he hadn't instantly closed his eyes anticipating the hit of the panther, he would have seen it change into an owl and glide harmlessly over his head and pass around the now silent, staring crowd.

The owl rose up and was quickly lost from sight in the falling rain and then she flew back past the bridge and over the river. The pitman, feeling no teeth, claws or weight upon him, opened his eyes and was helped up by the others, he glanced fearfully about and seeing no panther, fell back to his knees, sobbing in relief. Several of the onlookers dashed to the wall and stared over the edge, but both the owl and the panther had disappeared.

The trip over the river was slow, wet and extremely treacherous, and they weren't the only ones under the bridge. It was apparently quite a popular way to cross the river with several people coming in from the other side and one man dropping down from a grating in the wall. Stepping up onto the latticework of supports, Pardigan and Quint hurried Elisop along through the maze of wood and metal that formed the underside of the main structure. It wasn't a clear path. They began clambering over metal supports, across narrow girders and carefully placed wooden planks, and on several occasions they were passed and overtaken by people, each saying nothing in greeting, obviously all more used to the experience and vastly more comfortable with the terrifying drop to the rushing waters beneath. It may not be as congested as the road above, but with only slippery girders to hold onto as the mighty river thundered close beneath, it was busy enough that there was a constant danger of losing their footing or being accidentally nudged off as someone tried to pass.

'Can we go home soon, Quint?' shouted Pardigan over the noise. 'I think I'm ready to be a fisherman or just a trader!'

Quint smiled at his friend then grabbed Elisop as the little spy slipped. Regaining his feet, Elisop turned his frightened face to Quint, nodded his thanks and kept going.

'Can you see the other side?' yelled Quint. The noise from below them was deafening as the water clashed against the bridge supports. He was shielding his eyes from the spray, squinting between the beams. They were over half way, but the far bank could just be made out, still about thirty paces away.

'Yes, I can see it,' shouted back Pardigan without looking, 'but I'll not place-shift across and let you do this all alone. Come on, we're nearly there.' As the two friends herded Elisop on, Pardigan looked back to see if the three children were still behind them. Nella gave a wave and the two boys were grinning happily. Pardigan shook his head, amazed at how calm they were and concentrated on balancing across a particularly treacherous looking beam.

The far bank, when they did finally reach it, was a welcome sight. Mahra was standing there to help them from the bridge onto the muddy bank where they made their way, slipping and sliding wearily towards a crumbling stone stairway.

'We're through the worst, come on, this way,' said Tad pushing through to the front. With Nipper holding his hand, he led them up and into the lower city.

The citizens of the twin cities accepted that Bedlam was where the more affluent amongst them resided, such as those in the merchant class and of course those who had somehow gained the Queen's favour - Mayhem, by comparison, seemed to celebrate in its muck and filth. It was where the less affluent and therefore less desirable citizens of the twin cities lived and was just a little more… primitive.

'Where are we?' whispered Quint as they reached the top of the steps and gained their first sight of the lower city. Wooden planks had been thrown down at the side of the street as a walkway beside the mud, muck and manure that had been churned up in the street by the thousands of residents, their horses and carts. They followed each other, gazing about in wonder. The buildings lining either side were crudely built from rough-sawn wood, appearing less constructed than thrown together. The residents had obviously scavenged materials from wherever they could get them and erected the best shelter they were capable of with the aim of keeping the rain and cold out rather than as monuments to architecture, each building appearing to be a work in progress. The city was full of people, shouting, singing in accompaniment to numerous instruments - they all appeared to be drinking. In several of the buildings, the sounds of fighting, breaking furniture and smashing glass added to the growing unease of the little group, forcing them to quicken their pace as fast as possible along the muddy walkway.

They had successfully navigated three streets when a bearded man staggered from a doorway and blocked their path. They came to a sudden halt. He stared at them with bleary eyes, then turned away, dropped to his knees and vomited noisily into the mud. The noise drew the attention of a skinny mongrel. It had been sniffing experimentally at a pile of garbage close by, but it managed to make its way over through the mud, tail wagging where it lapped up the offered feast with relish.

'Oh, Source, that's so disgusting,' muttered Mahra. She clutched Nella's hand and tried to pull her away, but the little girl looked up wondering what was wrong. 'We have to get away from here. I'm really feeling quite ill. It didn't help that the air was heavy with a mixture of smoke and bad smells. The residents obviously used the main street as an open sewer, piles of garbage leaned against every building, and there was a greasy, quite revolting smell of what might possibly be cooking food. As they shuffled on, past the prostrate drunk, they tried to stay on the planks while they gazed in lurid fascination at the life going on inside each building, where candles and smoky oil lamps cast low flickering glimpses of the occupants. No thought had been given to lighting the muddy streets. As the little group picked their way along the boards the lack of illumination made it treacherous and slippery, and soon all of them were coated past their knees in mud and dung. They huddled beneath their cloaks, miserable, avoiding people whenever they could, following the dancing figure of Elisop as he picked his way through the maze of streets and buildings.

He finally came to a halt and waited for them to gather around him. 'Salutations Mayhem,' piped up Elisop. A flash of lightning flickered as if on cue, illuminating the street and driving rain. They had stopped beneath a metal overhang that offered scant yet welcome shelter and Elisop was once again playing the part of jolly guide. The filthy miserable group that stood around him simply shuffled their feet in the mud hoping he would move on again soon.

'The buildings of the lower city are, as I'm sure you've noticed, made of wood, and from time to time they all burn down,' lectured Elisop. 'The citizens of the lower city tend to keep this in mind and build their… hovels,' he looked around in distaste, 'in a very low-cost temporary fashion. However, there is one building in the lower city that isn't made of wood,' he clapped his hands to get their attention and indicated that they should look around the corner of the building, 'that one!'

They shuffled round to see that out of the mud and squalor of Mayhem, a colossal shadowed structure rose up into the black rain-filled night. The brickwork stretching up into the darkness where its towers pierced the clouds with a dull unnatural red glow. No light showed from its many darkened windows, and only a single lantern hung outside the small entranceway. It creaked ominously in the chill breeze. Above the door, crouched low as if about to pounce, was a large stone bat. Its wings were stretched wide, and its teeth were bared as if ready to jump down and rip the flesh from anyone that dared approach.

'Welcome to the Chaos temple,' said Elisop, staring up, the smile slowly dropping from his face.

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