Chapter 14

 

 

It was a quicker flight than Ben had anticipated, the great birds swift and sure and they were approaching the city within fifteen minutes. The Runcin building was at its northern edge, so Ben made Thom do a broad sweep around it so they could approach it directly.

 

The tall building was easily spotted, the huge red letters spelling out its name near its crown blazing in the night. As they neared he could see they were positioned just below the penthouse complex. There were a few lights on in its windows, but the top of the building was in darkness.

 

‘That’s the one,’ he said to Thom, raising his voice over a rising wind that was blustering about them.

 

Thom nodded and made a hand signal to Dale flying beside them. Then they guided the Rocs down toward it. As they neared Ben could see the surface of a pool glinting dimly on top of the building. They landed beside it and quickly dismounted. Mia swept over them some way above, ready to land if she was needed.

 

There was a pool house by the pool and Ben pointed at it.

 

‘We should be able to go in through there,’ he said. ‘They’ll be some stairs leading down to the floors below.’

 

The trio headed towards it, Thom and Dale with their crossbows at the ready. The door to the pool house was open and they quickly filed into the darkened interior. Ben spotted a lift door to one side and then another door in a corner.

 

He pointed it out to Thom and they all hurried over to it. It too was open and they began to file down some stairs to a small landing below.

 

‘This door should lead to the penthouse,’ Ben said, his heart thumping hard in his chest.

 

Thom put an ear to it listening for any sound beyond and then opened it. A hallway led away and Thom had only just stuck his head into it, when an arm shot out holding a pistol and cracked him over the head. Ben and Dale gasped as Thom fell senseless to the floor and then Mr Jones stepped into view. He levelled the large pistol at them.

 

‘Not another move or I’ll use this!’ he growled and aimed at Dale. ‘Drop your weapons, sonny!’

 

Dale did as he was asked and Mr Jones eyed Ben with a cold smile.

 

‘You’re expected boy! This way now.’

 

He backed down the hallway, keeping the pistol on them. They stepped past the unconscious Thom, Ben very worried about him. They reached the open doors and Mr Jones waved them through.

 

‘In you go!’ he ordered.

 

Ben and Dale stepped into the room and Ben’s eyes were drawn to a wall where a bank of television screens stood. They all showed various views of the building, but three were centred on the pool area. He knew in dismay that they had been spotted as soon as they had landed.

 

‘Ben!’ exclaimed his gran’s voice and he saw her stand up from a lounge.

 

‘Gran!’ he exclaimed, very happy to see her unharmed.

 

Then Alex Runcin stood up with her, one hand firmly grasping her arm and the other a pistol.

 

‘You let my gran go!’ Ben yelled, anger brimming inside him.

 

‘Not till I have what I want,’ Alex Runcin replied coldly. ‘My word, Ben, you are constantly full of surprises. It appears you have met some rather interesting friends with some remarkable pets. I can only imagine what people would pay to see them in a private zoo.’

 

‘Is everything just money to you!’ Alice snapped at him in disgust.

 

‘I thought it was till now,’ he replied bluntly. ‘Now Ben, let me see what allowed you to disappear so mysteriously from your house… and bring back these unusual folk.’

 

Ben’s mind whirled in dismay. Their plans were in tatters and Alex Runcin had him right where he wanted him. He reluctantly pulled the Silvyn out of a pocket. He held it up and watched the man’s eyes widen in anticipation.

 

‘So… what do you have there?’ he asked.

 

‘Mr Wallace called it a Silvyn,’ Ben replied. ‘It opens portals to other worlds.’

 

‘Fascinating! No wonder he went to so much trouble keeping it a secret. I can’t wait to see such worlds if those giant birds are any example.’

 

‘He just wants to find a world that can make him live forever!’ Alice said bitterly.

 

‘You’re mad!’ Ben said. ‘And the Silvyn won’t just take you to any worlds Mr Wallace went to, it doesn’t work like that. It opens portals at random, taking its owner to worlds it decides on.’

 

Alex Runcin shrugged.

 

‘Oh, that’s all right, Ben. You and I will be spending some time together till I know everything about it.’

 

‘You said we would be freed if Ben gave you what you wanted!’ Alice exclaimed.

 

Alex Runcin smiled darkly.

 

‘I’ll be keeping you both around as my guests, Mrs Williams,’ he said. ‘I too want this kept a secret and I can’t have you free to cause future trouble. Now… if you will be so kind as to give me the Silvyn…’

 

Then quite suddenly two things happened almost simultaneously.

 

Mr Jones suddenly stiffened, his eyes growing wide in surprise. He then collapsed to the floor, a dart imbedded in a shoulder. Thom appeared at the door, his crossbow in his hand and a hand holding his bloodied head. Then the penthouse windows exploded in a shower of flying glass.

 

Through the shredded curtains a Roc appeared, half plunging inside the room. It was Sprite with Mia bent low over him. The big bird gave an angry shriek, its head dipping and snapping at Alex Runcin.

 

He backed away, letting Alice go and lifting his pistol toward the bird. But she suddenly picked up a coffee pot from the table and smacked him over the head with it. He dropped the gun and sagged unconscious to the floor.

 

Everyone was momentarily stunned by what had happened, but Thom got them moving again.

 

‘Back to the roof, Mia,’ he yelled. ‘All this commotion is going to attract attention.’

 

Mia backed Sprite out of the room and it leapt back into the night’s darkness and vanished. Ben hurried over to his gran and they hugged each other.

 

‘Are you all right, gran?’ he asked.

 

She nodded, her face quite pale at what she had just witnessed.

 

‘What’s going on, Ben? Who are these people… and that giant bird…?’

 

‘It’s all about Mr Wallace, gran,’ Ben replied. ‘I’ll explain later.’

 

‘What shall we do with these two, Ben?’ Thom asked. ‘I don’t think your problems will be over if we just leave them here.’

 

Ben was perplexed. He knew that was true, but hadn’t really thought about it beyond rescuing his gran.

 

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘But if we leave them here, they’ll cause me trouble again.’

 

Then Dale stepped up to him and quickly whispered something into his ear. Ben grinned broadly at what he had said and he willed the Silvyn to open up a portal.

 

‘Roll them inside the portal,’ he said.

 

‘Where does it go?’ Thom asked.

 

Dale grinned mischievously.

 

‘We’ll tell you later, uncle,’ he said.

 

They quickly rolled the two men into the portal and it winked out again. Then they all headed back to the rooftop. Mia was waiting for them and Ben opened a larger portal again back to Tarken. They got the Rocs through it and left themselves, Ben the last to go just as he heard sirens blaring in the streets below.

 

* * *

 

Ben thought his gran was taking all that had happened remarkable well. It wasn’t every day that you got to see giant birds and were transported to another world.

 

They were sitting in Thom’s kitchen and being fussed over by Glenda as they enjoyed a hot drink. Here Ben explained to his gran all that had happened over the past week or more. At the end she could only shake her head in wonder.

 

‘It’s like dream,’ she said. ‘Or rather like a science fiction story.’

 

Ben nodded with a grin.

 

‘Yeah… it is a lot like that.’

 

‘I didn’t know what to think when Alex Runcin told me about Mr Wallace and how old he was,’ she said. ‘It was all so… astonishing. But it seems it’s all true. And I think he would be very proud of you, Ben and your efforts to keep the Silvyn the vile man.’

 

‘You have a very brave grandson,’ Thom said, winking at him.

 

His gran smiled.

 

‘I know,’ she said, making Ben go a little red at all the fuss.

 

‘We should really thank Thom and Mia,’ he said. ‘If Thom hadn’t shot Mr Jones and then Sprite crashing through the windows, everything would have lost.’

 

‘I could see you were in trouble from the window where I had Sprite hovering,’ Mia said. ‘It seemed like the best thing to do.’

 

‘And I am glad that you did, Mia,’ Thom said. ‘Alex Runcin still had a weapon and he may well have shot me. But just where have you sent the pair of them, Ben? Or should I ask Dale as it seemed to be his suggestion.’

 

Ben and Dale grinned at each other.

 

‘They’re in the cell I was chucked into by the slavers,’ Ben said. ‘Dale told me that they were all locked up again since all the prisoners were freed. It seemed like the best place for them… until we decide what to do with them.’

 

Thom burst out laughing, seeing the humour in what they had done.

 

‘I can see the sense of that,’ he said. ‘And perhaps we can help there. It won’t be any skin off my nose if they stay here permanently. It’s the least we can do for all that you’ve done for us, Ben.’

 

‘You would have to watch them closely Thom,’ Ben cautioned. ‘Alex Runcin is used to people doing what he wants. They’ll not be easy prisoners.’

 

‘Don’t you fret, Ben,’ Thom replied and a hint of ice crept into his voice. ‘He’ll be minded very well.’

 

They went to bed after that, very tired after the past couple of days events. Ben slept quite late and didn’t rise till almost midday. But when he went down to the kitchen to find everyone else up as well, he got some slightly sad news. Mia and Dale were to leave for their village in the north.

 

‘We’ve been gone way too long for a simple Grawl hunt,’ Mia explained. ‘Our folk will be starting to worry about us. But come home with us, both of you. My folk will be very interested in the news we will bring and will definitely want to meet you.’

 

‘What do you think, gran?’ Ben asked. ‘Think you could stand flying on a Roc.’

 

He watched his gran’s eyes grow wide.

 

‘Well… I don’t see why not,’ she said, though she sounded just a little nervous. ‘I may be a grandmother, but I’m not too old for a bit of adventure.’

 

Thom and Glenda were sad to see them go of course, but knew they had their own world to go home to. They walked with them to a Roc landing platform where Sprite and the Roc Dale had used were waiting. It belonged to a friend of Thom’s and he said Dale could keep it as long as he wanted.

 

‘You’re a valued friend, Ben,’ Thom said. ‘Come back and see us sometime. And don’t worry about Alex Runcin. He’ll be well watched.’

 

‘Thanks, Thom,’ Ben replied and they shook hands.

 

Then they all mounted the birds, Alice riding with Dale who saw she was well secured in the saddle. Then with a final wave to Thom and Glenda, the big birds leapt into the air and began to wing away.

 

* * *

 

A few days later Ben and his gran were settled in their lounge room having just finished dinner. On leaving Relmak, they hadn’t flown far before landing again. Ben then opened a portal back to the hill where he had first met Mia. Taking the birds through, it had saved them three days of flying.

 

They had then spent a couple of days with them in their forest home, meeting their folks. They had fished and swum in the lake and Ben had been given some flying lessons. On the last day he had flown a Roc solo, which had been simply amazing.

 

And now they were home again, the dinner table cleared except for a single object, the Silvyn. Ben had brought out Mr Wallace’s letter and his gran read it twice before saying anything.

 

‘It’s absolutely remarkable,’ she said. ‘What an astonishing life he must have led. I wonder how many worlds it took him to?’

 

‘It must have been a lot in nearly a hundred and fifty years.’

 

‘Yes… I imagine he did see a good many,’ his gran agreed and then her tone grew serious. ‘But you know you will have to keep this a secret, Ben. You won’t be able to tell anyone, even your friends. There are other people out there just as unpleasant as Alex Runcin.’

 

Ben nodded.

 

‘I know,’ he replied, suddenly feeling an enormous weight settle on his shoulders. The Silvyn was an amazing, powerful artefact, but with it came a duty to use it wisely and keep it safe from unscrupulous hands.

 

‘And if it does open another portal for you… just remember to leave me a note to say you’ve gone!’ his gran ended with a smile.

 

‘I will,’ Ben promised.

 

They moved to the lounge room and turned on the television. The news was just starting and the lead story caught their attention very sharply. It was a report on the disappearance of Alex Runcin.

 

“Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Alex Runcin, owner and CEO of Runcin Limited, as well as his driver, a Mr John Jones. Police reports indicate that a burglary may have taken place in his penthouse, perhaps discovered by the pair. Police fear violence was involved as some windows were broken.”

 

Ben and Aunt Alice shared a look, but said nothing as the news reporter went on.

 

“Police first feared that they may have fallen to their deaths through the broken windows, but no bodies have yet been discovered. Mr Runcin’s disappearance is also causing concern in the business world as he controlled his company very tightly and there appears to be no ready deputy to fill his shoes at this time. He was not married and his parents are deceased. There is talk of a cousin somewhere, but no details are available as yet.

 

“And in other news…”

 

As the voice droned on Ben’s thoughts turned again to the Silvyn. Its secret was safe it seemed and so was his involvement with Alex Runcin. But he had to wonder when it would open a portal again and invite him to step through.

 

And what kind of world would be waiting on the other side?