The Deptford Mice 1: The Dark Portal (26 page)

‘What would you do if you could have a place to settle, a home, dignity?’ Audrey continued.

Akkikuyu paused and wondered. It was a long time since she had contemplated such things. They had always seemed to be a luxury that she would never have. But now this mouse stirred all these old neglected dreams and she savoured them. Were they out of reach even now? Could she not repent all her wickedness and cast aside all her ambition? The seeds of a new life embedded themselves deep in the rat. If only she could find somewhere safe and peaceful. Slowly she nodded as the idea shone in her mind like a chink of light amongst the old spiteful shadows.

‘Mouselet,’ she said hurriedly. ‘You, me – run away. Leave dark places, hide and be happy in summer sunlight.’ She clutched Audrey’s paw in excitement and smiled nervously. Her heart became lighter, and many years of toil and misery seemed to fall from her shoulders. Akkikuyu looked young again. Yes, she would leave all this behind; her evil past would be a dim memory blotted out by joy; there would be those who could forgive her. She would have friends – someone to tell her worries and fears to, someone to confess her doubts to, someone to share special moments with. Madame Akkikuyu had never had any friends before: there had been many suitors when she was young, but none of them had lasted for more than an evening by the creek. A friend was something she really longed for. She could see that knowledge of dark powers was no substitute. This was her one last chance to decide.

A shadow fell on them.

Morgan stood in the small archway rubbing his claws together. Madame Akkikuyu stiffened and the eager hope left her eyes.

‘Found ’er then, did you witch?’ snarled Morgan, staring at Audrey. ‘What’s so special ’bout ’er then? Looks nowt from ’ere.’

Madame Akkikuyu bowed her shoulders. Suddenly she looked older and more weary than ever before. She knew now that there would never be any turning back for her. Croakily she said, ‘This mousey very special. Keep your claws off.’

Miserably she looked at Audrey. ‘Nice dream, mouselet. But you must see, paths do not turn back. Akkikuyu must follow hers, though she hate it, wherever it leads. And you I must deliver.’

‘Get on with it, witch!’ growled Morgan, pushing her out of the ante-room. ‘His Lordship’s waitin’ an’ ’e’s in a foul temper: the mine’s collapsed and summat’s wrong.’

The fortune-teller threw him a withering look and slowly led Audrey to the altar chamber of Jupiter.

‘Bah!’ spat the Cornish rat. ‘She’s barmy.’

Oswald crouched under some sacks on the adjoining wall. The ledge on which he trembled was far below the altar. He was too afraid to move from his hiding-place, although he was nearly fainting with heat and fatigue. Through a hole in one of the sacks he could see the altar of Jupiter clearly. The candles burned steadily, but beyond their pale flames all was dark. Oswald wondered if the rat lord was aware of him. Nothing had happened since the skull had jammed in the mine entrance – surely Jupiter must know about that?

Something moved in the corner of his eye. Oswald gulped in dismay: it was Audrey, and beside her walked an ugly rat woman. What was she doing on the altar ledge?

Without thinking Oswald stood up, scattering the sacks that had hidden him, and shouted up to Audrey.

* * *

Madame Akkikuyu urged Audrey on. ‘Pray it will be swift, mouselet,’ she whispered.

The bricks on the altar were scorching, and beneath them the water seethed and bubbled.

Audrey’s mind was filled by the dark portal. Never had she imagined a darkness so deep, a blackness so eternal. The most terrifying depths of night were locked in that pitch void.

A small voice that sounded vaguely familiar drifted up to her. But she was now enchanted by the spells that Jupiter had wound around his lair and could not answer.

Madame Akkikuyu stepped over the soft, warm wax that dripped from the candles, and like one drugged, Audrey did the same.

Together they stood before the black archway arid gazed into the louring darkness.

‘Most High Majesty,’ called the fortune-teller. ‘I have delivered what was promised.’

A distant echo rumbled out of the void as Jupiter approached. Two dim points of red flickered in the dark distance and advanced.

Audrey felt weak and giddy. She staggered backwards and would have fallen over the edge if Madame Akkikuyu’s arm had not flashed out and grabbed her.

‘My thanks, Akkikuyu.’ The soft, rich voice of Jupiter rumbled out of the darkness. ‘So this is the mouse who would upset my grand design and trample me underfoot,’ he laughed coldly.

‘It is as I saw in the crystal.’ The fortune-teller bowed low.

‘I see you now mouse,’ taunted the voice. ‘Here in the heart of my realm all powers succumb to mine. How did an insignificant creature such as you dare to challenge me?’ The voice quivered with impatience at her impertinence.

Audrey tossed her head defiantly. She wasn’t going to give Jupiter the satisfaction of watching her grovel.

‘I am Audrey Brown,’ she shouted proudly, ‘and I know nothing of spells, or dark magic: I place myself in the protection of the Green Mouse! Whatever you do to me I know that I shall be received by Him.’

Jupiter laughed. ‘Akkikuyu, leave us and make sure we are not disturbed. I will send for you when I have dispatched Miss Brown to meet her Green Mouse.’

The fortune-teller bowed again and then glanced quickly at Audrey. Then she lowered her eyes guiltily and hurriedly set off back to the ante-room.

Alone, Audrey faced the Lord of the Rats.

‘You have irritated me, Miss Brown – you and that white fool who seeks to hinder my plans. I shall deal with him in due course, but first, come up and serve me on this side of the candles.’

‘Never!’

‘But you must,’ murmured Jupiter. ‘My will is yours. Climb up, I command you.’

In horror Audrey saw her feet begin to move of their own accord. She shuffled nearer the portal and Jupiter chuckled to himself.

Oswald had made himself hoarse with shouting to Audrey. Now he clapped his paws over his eyes, and fell to his knees sobbing. He knew that Audrey was doomed and that he was powerless to save her. The awful sound of Jupiter’s mocking laughter filled the chamber. Oswald wept bitterly.

‘Oswald!’ whispered a weak voice close by.

‘Oswald!’ it repeated softly, only this time it seemed to be calling from far, far away.

Fearfully, expecting some trick of Jupiter’s, the white mouse peered through his paws.

Amidst the rising steam and shimmering heat-haze he could see a dim and vague shape. It glowed with a pale, watery green light. Very faintly, Oswald could make out the form of the Green Mouse.

The vision blurred suddenly and nearly went out. At the centre of Jupiter’s domain the powers of the Green Mouse were feeble.

‘The mousebrass, Oswald,’ called the ghostly figure. ‘She needs it now.’

A great hiss of steam engulfed the figure and the green light was extinguished. The Green Mouse had been banished from the chamber.

Oswald quickly removed the scarf from around his head and using it as a slingshot he whirled the mousebrass over his head several times and catapulted it though the air.

It shone and sparkled, spinning like a wheel of golden fire. With a loud ‘ching’ the charm clattered on the ledge just behind Audrey.

Her feet ceased their steady advance and she shook her head free of the unwholesome spells. ‘No!’ she yelled into the blackness. ‘You’ll have to come and get me yourself, you two-headed monster.’

Jupiter let out a thunderous cry of rage and frustration. ‘How dare you! I am Jupiter! Dark Lord of All. I am the Mighty One, the Evil One, the Father of Murders. Who are you? A petty mouse – beneath my contempt. Verily I shall come to you. Gladly shall I tear you to pieces.’ The force in his voice shook the whole chamber like an earthquake and mortar cracked and rattled down as he bellowed.

‘Behold the majesty of Jupiter and die!’

Audrey staggered back as the evil demon began to leave his lair for the first time. She screamed in terror.

Below, on his ledge, Oswald saw the great long claws appear from the darkness. A colossal fist covered with matted ginger fur followed it.

A horned shadow fell on Audrey as Jupiter brought his enormous head through the portal. Oswald’s mouth fell open in a silent scream of naked terror.

Out crawled Jupiter.

As the candlelight shone on the monster, Oswald found his voice and a howl of fright echoed around the chamber.

All the rumours, all the legends, and all the horror stories were wrong. But the reality of the dark god was much worse. Jupiter did not have two heads: his one, huge head was nightmarish enough.

The Most High Satanic Majesty was a monstrous cat!

So massive and bloated was he that he could barely squeeze himself through the archway. His hideous face was covered with repulsive warts, and everywhere poisonous boils poked through his ginger fur. A squat purple nose sat in the middle of his face and bulging rolls of fat hung heavily beneath his open mouth. Slowly he pulled his humped back under the arch.

Audrey stepped back as far as she could, her arms flailing in the air as she balanced precariously on the edge of the altar. But as she did so her feet touched something cold. She glanced down, and there before her she saw her gleaming mousebrass. With one movement she swept it up and held it tightly to herself.

Jupiter’s iron claws dug into the bricks as he hauled himself forward.

‘Yes,’ he gloated. ‘All these years, all this time I have lain hidden and secret from my subjects. Think of it – a cat worshipped as a god by rats!’

Audrey covered her face to shield herself from the stench of his dreadful jaws. And then Jupiter lowered his head.

Audrey saw a rush of red as his gaping mouth descended towards her. Grasping the mousebrass she instinctively flung up her arms.

The anti-cat charm sparked and flashed, then blazed out like a green beacon in the altar chamber.

Jupiter reeled back. The green light seared his eyes and blinded him. He shook his huge head and roared. His claws shot out and he pounced on Audrey.

From out of nowhere a small furry bolt fell towards the mouse on the altar. It swooped down and snatched Audrey out of Jupiter’s reach and into the air. Held tightly in Orfeo’s grip she soared higher, the mousebrass still shining brightly in her fingers.

Jupiter heaved himself out of the portal completely and grasped the narrow ledge. He screwed up his face and breathed in deeply. Suddenly he breathed out a shooting stream of fire. One rumour at least was true.

Orfeo dived to avoid the flames, but singed one of his ears.

‘Oho! Old master puss!’ he cried. ‘Not that time – try again.’

Audrey stared at the giant beast squatting awkwardly on the altar. And then she noticed something else. A small figure was advancing determinedly towards the bloated horror with a sword in his paw. Another fiery blast scorched the wall as Orfeo spiralled high out of the way. And then Jupiter hissed as something pricked his side: Thomas Triton had stormed angrily into the altar chamber. Piccadilly had found the small passage that he and Albert Brown had first discovered. Grimly they had marched up it and looked upon the terrible scene unfolding before their eyes. Now Thomas stabbed and swiped at the monstrous cat with his small sharp sword. Jupiter’s flesh was tough and there was too much of it for the thrusts of Thomas to harm him, but the jabs infuriated him.

The corpulent monster’s tail flicked dangerously near.

Gwen Brown rushed out of the passage brandishing her rapier and drove it deep into him.

‘Get back! ‘Thomas ordered her. Arthur pulled his mother back along the ledge. It needed both him and Piccadilly to hold her.

A rush of leathery wings startled them as Eldritch landed behind them. With a quick smile at Twit, he brushed past them and flew into the chamber. Beating his wings in Jupiter’s face he called to Thomas, who was desperately dodging the thick ginger tail.

‘Ho, seafarer!’ hailed Eldritch. ‘Hold up your paw.’ He plummeted down and caught hold of Thomas. Then up they flew and circled around Jupiter’s head, where the midshipmouse’s sword deftly pricked and stung the angry cat.

Meanwhile Orfeo flitted down with Audrey and she ran to her mother’s arms. From the ante-room came Morgan and Madame Akkikuyu, eager to see what all the noise was about. The fortune-teller shrieked when she saw the mountainous cat lashing out on the altar. So this was the Mighty One: her hope and future lay in the claws of a cat. She shook uncontrollably and began to gibber idiotically.

Morgan was confused. He ran over to the huge creature and stared up at it, his beady eyes blinking in astonishment.

‘My Lord!’ he cried. ‘Is that you, oh Dark One?’ The Cornish rat felt cheated and betrayed. Jupiter’s reply was instant. His tail felt like a tree trunk on top of Morgan. With a wail he scrabbled at the ledge, but the ginger mass knocked him in the stomach, bowling him over and flicking him out over the precipice. Into the gulf Morgan fell, calling for mercy until he crashed into the water and was sucked under.

This was too much for Madame Akkikuyu. Her mind could not take the enormity of the horror in front of her and it snapped. She fell silent and ran from the chamber, waving her arms about madly. Twit ran on to the ledge and cheered Thomas on, as Eldritch fluttered before Jupiter’s malignant face. Thomas sliced into one of the pulsating boils, and a gush of thick, yellow poison spurted out.