“Where does the Zithium that runs everything on Laboria come from?” she asked, turning to Bolgobin with a smile.
“Er . . . ,” he hesitated. “I don’t suppose it matters. It comes from the two small islands to the north of us. As I said before, the Strangees work in the mines. Everybody is worried at the moment because the supplies of Zithium are disappearing. If we run out of it, all will be lost.”
They were entering the city now and, as Matilda drove through the shopping area, the cart’s engine sputtered and died. When Matilda pressed the starter button again and again, nothing happened.
Jumping out of the cart and lifting the bonnet, Bolgobin let out a cry. “Oh, no, no, NO!” he screamed. “The Zithium is drained of its power. I should have checked it before we left. We’ll have to send for another cart.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s a quarter to two. We’ll never make it back home in time.”
Matilda looked under the bonnet. The little ball of Zithium had lost its ruby-red glow and was now a dirty brown colour.
“Where do they take the used-up Zithium?” she asked.
“Questions, questions, questions?” shouted an agitated Bolgobin. “I don’t have time for them. I’m in real trouble now.” He reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a small cellular phone. He spoke quickly to someone to arrange for another cart to pick them up but, just as he finished, the sound of a loud siren blasted through the city.
Shoppers began running in all directions. The siren continued to scream its warning. Children were crying as their parents scooped them up and rushed along the street. People were tripping over each other as panic set in. It was chaos.
Bolgobin had a look of horror on his face. “Quickly,” he shouted, pushing Matilda towards the footpath, “Get into one of the shops. We have to get under cover.”
“What’s going on?” asked Matilda. “And please stop pushing me.”
“Don’t argue,” screamed Bolgobin. “Just follow me.” He grabbed her hand, dragging her through the crowd towards a shop door. They finally elbowed their way inside and Matilda and Peri stood at the window watching the confusion outside.
The sky turned a dark purple and a strange yellow light glowed for several seconds before arrows of what looked like lightning shot out of the sky. These arrows of light targeted people who had not been able to get under cover. They struck them wherever they stood and, to Matilda’s horror, turned them into . . . PIGS!
The terrible episode only lasted a few minutes but, when it was over and the sky had cleared again, a completely different scene confronted Matilda. Where there had been people rushing along the street moments before, now there were twenty or thirty pigs, squealing and grunting as they ran around in circles.
“I don’t believe this,” she whispered. “What do you think Peri?”
“A truly remarkable spell,” she replied in awe. “Whoever did this certainly knows their magic.”
“The witch!” shouted Bolgobin angrily. “That’s who did it. She hates us. She wants to destroy us and our way of life. She’s jealous of our wealth.”
“The Witch of Bivia?” asked Matilda. “She’s responsible for all of this?”
“Yes,” said Bolgobin. “And it happens all the time. We can’t relax. She’s evil!”
“Why doesn’t the Wizard use his magic to prevent it?” questioned Matilda.
“He doesn’t have the power,” explained Bolgobin, still red in the face. “But he says that one day he will develop a spell that will wipe her off the planet. He’s working very hard to protect us. We can’t wait for that day.”
In the distance they heard the sound of more sirens and soon the street was filled with ambulances. Reptors jumped out with nets and began running after the pigs, catching them and putting them in the backs of the vehicles. The street was soon clear of animals and the people began to move outside again.
“What happens to the pigs?” asked Matilda.
“Vaporised,” replied Bolgobin. “They’re no use to anybody now and we certainly couldn’t eat them. The Wizard’s cobra will have a busy day today.”
“Yuk!” said Matilda, picturing the scene in her mind.
“Here comes our replacement cart,” said Bolgobin, pointing to a vehicle moving towards them with a Reptor at the wheel. “We’ll be back at the cave soon and hear what the Wizard has to say.” He began trembling.
Chapter 16
Vaporised
Bolgobin stood in front of the Wizard and his Familiars. He was quivering like a bowl of jelly and looking at the floor. He was so scared that he thought he might wet himself.
“You fool! You clumsy oaf!” shouted the Wizard, going red in the face. “Do you realise that you could have caused our guests to be turned into PIGS! What would Maximilian have done to us then? He would have destroyed everything. I should have you vaporised.”
The cobra hissed.
“Yes,” the Wizard paused. “It’s fortunate for you that our visitors like you so much. Otherwise you would be gone. Ph-ph-t,” he snapped his fingers. “A puff of steam. As it is, I don’t want to upset our friends any more, so you make sure nothing like this happens again. Do . . . you . . . understand?”
“Y-y-yes, Sire,” stammered Bolgobin, bowing his head.
“Now, get out of my sight,” said the Wizard with a wave of his arm.
Bolgobin scurried out of the chamber.
The Wizard spoke to a Reptor by the door. “Bring in the pigs,” he ordered.
Guards entered the chamber, each holding a wriggling, squealing pig. They formed a line in front of the Wizard’s throne. Hermalkin, the cobra, was swaying backwards and forwards with a smile on his face. The first guard stepped forward and held his pig out in front of him. The cobra lunged forward and a stream of venom shot out of its fangs hitting the pig in the face. With a hiss of steam the pig disappeared. This continued until all of the pigs had vanished into thin air. The guards marched out of the chamber.
“Well done, my pet,” said the Wizard, patting the snake on its hood. “Apart from that stupid Bolgobin, things appear to be going well. We have the fairy’s wand stored away in the workshop so Maximilian has been outwitted, and the people are becoming furious with that pest of a Witch. We’ll soon be able to move to the final stage of the plan. We’ll dine with our little friends again shortly and keep them happy. Yes, I feel well pleased.”
“It’s a shame you can’t use the fairy’s wand yourself. That would solve all of our problems,” growled Gwodlyn the tiger.
“Yes, indeed it would,” said the Wizard. “But Maximilian is too smart for that. The fairy is the only one who can operate it. Still, as long as it’s out of her hands she can’t do anything to cause us a problem.”
The tiger purred and the cobra rubbed itself against the Wizard’s robe.
Chapter 17
A Warning Followed By Dinner
When Matilda and Peri returned to their room they noticed a small piece of paper jammed under the door. Before entering the room Matilda opened up the note and read it. It had been typed on a computer and said –
“Be careful of everything you do and say. You are being watched and listened to.”
It was signed, “A Friend.”
Matilda showed the note to Peri. “I told you so,” the little fairy whispered into her ear.
“Sh-sh-sh. Just follow my lead,” replied Matilda, holding a finger to her lips as she opened the door.
“What a great day,” she shouted as she threw herself down on the bed. Peri flew across to the bedside table. “It was a shame about those people being turned into pigs. That Witch of Bivia must be a nasty kettle of fish. But I suppose the Wizard will fix her up before long.”
“I only wish I had my wand,” moaned Peri. “Then I could do the job for him.”
“Yes,” said Matilda, “I wonder whether they’ve found it yet. Oh well, the Wizard will let us know as soon as they do. Meanwhile, let’s enjoy ourselves.” And she went over to the fr
idge to choose a chocolate. “Turn on the television, Peri, and see what’s happening.”
Peri flew over to the wall and pressed the power button below the wide-screen monitor. Immediately a picture of the Wizard in the Throne Room appeared.
“Citizens of Laboria,” he was saying, “once again today, twenty eight of our valued friends have been turned into pigs by that evil tyrant, the Witch of Bivia. But you shall not have to suffer much longer for I have almost developed a new spell which will allow us to invade her wicked empire and cast her and her people into the sea. However, to achieve this I need your loyal support. You must keep producing to make our glorious empire the most prosperous nation in our mystic world and, when the time comes, join me in destroying this monster. For the moment be alert, not alarmed; I shall always protect you. And remember, ‘The secret to happiness is wealth. Produce, produce, produce.”
The Wizard faded from the screen and was replaced by a picture of the Zithium display in the foyer. Then the Wizard’s speech was repeated so that nobody could miss seeing it.
“Very impressive,” commented Matilda. “I told you the Wizard would look after things.”
“Yes,” said Peri. “Very impressive indeed.”
“I think I’ll get cleaned up for dinner,” said Matilda, heading for the bathroom. “You could do with a wash yourself,” she added with a cheeky smile. Peri poked her tongue out at her.
In his private chambers, the Wizard and his Familiars were again watching Matilda and Peri in their room.
“Well, they seem happy enough,” commented the Wizard.
“Yes-s-s,” agreed the cobra. “they s-s-seem to think very highly of you, S-S-Sire.”
“We’ll let them keep thinking that until the final moment,” the Wizard grinned. “Now we should go down to the dining room for the next performance.”
The dining room was packed with people when Matilda and Peri arrived. They joined the Wizard at the table on the stage.
“I believe you had an exciting day,” the Wizard said as Matilda sat down.
“Yes, it was a bit unusual,” said Matilda. “But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, didn’t we Peri?” The little fairy nodded. She was worried by the way the cobra was staring at her with its emerald green eyes.
“And did you learn anything?” asked the Wizard.
“Oh yes, Bolgobin showed us the city and that fantastic Amusement Park. He was a lovely guide,” said Matilda, careful not to mention that he had told her many other things about Laboria.
“That’s wonderful,” exclaimed the Wizard, clapping his hands together. “Oh, and by the way, there is no need for you to worry about the accident with the Zithium carts this morning.”
“Thank you, Sire,” Matilda replied, happy that the Wizard had been fooled, “that's very kind of you. It was quite embarrassing after Bolgobin was so kind in allowing me to drive.”
“Not at all,” enthused the Wizard. “Carts can be repaired and your well-being is my only concern.”
“Overacting,” thought Matilda but took advantage of the Wizard's mood. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with the coded message. “Sire, I have a message that I can't understand. It's in some sort of strange code. I was wondering if you could help me with it.” She handed the note to the Wizard. He looked at it and his face turned dark.
“Where did you get this?” he asked abruptly.
“From a scroll Maximilian gave me,” replied Matilda innocently. “Why? Is there something wrong?”
“No, no, no,” said the Wizard, recovering quickly and forcing a smile onto his face. “It’s just strange to see such a . . . er . . . complicated message. Leave it with me and I’ll study it tonight to see if I can decipher it. Is that satisfactory to you?”
“Certainly,” said Matilda. “I’d really appreciate any help you could give me.”
The Wizard tucked the message into a pocket in his cloak.
From Matilda’s shoulder, Peri leaned over and said, “By the way, Sire, have your Reptors had any luck in locating my wand?”
“Oh, dear, I meant to tell you earlier. Unfortunately they haven’t been able to find it – but I’ve told them they are not to return to the cave until they do. I’m sure they will be able to hand it over to you soon. Now let’s eat.”
When the meal was finished and the Wizard had departed with his Familiars, Matilda and Peri made their way out to the lift. As soon as they were on their own, Peri whispered, “Why did you give him that message? It could be important, and now we’ll never see it again.”
Matilda turned her eyes up at the little fairy. “Don’t worry, I made a copy of it when I was in the bathroom. I was hoping they wouldn’t be so rude as to have a camera in there.”
“But I still don’t understand why you gave him a copy,” insisted Peri.
“I wanted to test his reaction. You saw the way he looked. He must know what it says – and it must be important. I think we are starting to see the real Wizard now, and I don’t particularly like what I see. We’ll find somebody else to help us with the code and, when we do, we may have to obey Maximilian and vamoose.”
“I think you’ve forgotten one important fact,” said Peri sadly. “I can’t recall the Story Mat without my wand.”
“Uh, oh!” cried Matilda. “That’s the end of that plan. We’ll have to concentrate on getting your wand back. But I have no idea where to start. If hundreds of Reptors can’t find it, how can we?”
“Do you really believe that they’re trying to find it?” asked Peri.
“Short answer? No,” replied Matilda. “Maybe our mysterious ‘Friend’ can help – whoever he or she is. We’ll go back to our room and put our thinking caps on. There has to be a way to find out what’s really going on here.”
She pushed the button for the lift.
Chapter 18
A Visit To The Roof
“Did you notice that Bolgobin wasn’t in the dining room?” asked Matilda as they approached their room.
“Yes, I did,” answered Peri. “I hope he’s all right. The Wizard seemed to believe that he wasn't responsible for the damage to the carts but Bolgobin was obviously terrified about not getting us back to the cave on time. I wonder if he's been punished for that.”
At that moment, Matilda spotted a second piece of paper jammed under their door. “Another message,” she said. “I wonder if it’s from our friend again.” She bent down and picked up the note. Opening it, she read –
“It is important that you meet me tonight. There is much to explain. Come to the roof at midnight.”
Once again it was typed on a computer and was signed, “A Friend”.
She showed it to Peri. “Interesting,” ventured the little fairy. “Of course we’ll go?”
“You betcha,” said Matilda eagerly as she put the note in her pocket and reached for the door handle.
They watched television while they waited for the hours to pass by. There were all sorts of channels to choose from – cartoons, lifestyle shows, documentaries, comedy, nature shows and oodles more. Everything was happy, happy, happy, except when the Wizard appeared at the end of each episode with his spiteful rant about the evils of the Witch of Bivia, finishing with a speech about the greatness of Laboria and an appeal for loyalty and hard work to help destroy the enemy.
At last it was ten o’clock. “Time for sleep,” said Matilda pretending to yawn. She went to the bedside table and made up Peri’s bunk. After cleaning her teeth and slipping her nightgown over her clothes while she was in the bathroom, Matilda climbed into bed and turned out the light.
“Night, night, sleep tight,” she whispered to Peri and then pretended to fall into a deep sleep. She waited for half an hour until she was reasonably sure that whoever was watching them had given up for the night, then climbed out of bed and took off her nightgown. Lifting Peri onto her shoulder she squeezed out of the door. They crept across to the lift and pressed the button. When the doors opened, they stepped in
side and, before the lift could speak, Matilda said, “The roof please.”
“Oh, I can’t take you to the roof, I’m sorry. It’s out of bounds for visitors,” replied the voice.
“Oh, no,” thought Matilda. “What are we going to do now?” However, she said, “Where are you allowed to take us?”
“I can take you to the entertainment room, one floor below the roof,” the voice informed them.
“Okay,” said Matilda, “that will have to do, although we were looking forward to some fresh air.”
“Entertainment room coming up,” stated the voice, ignoring Matilda’s comment.
When the doors opened they saw Reptors and officials everywhere. They were playing pool, watching television, dealing cards or just sitting around reading. There seemed to be plenty of choices for entertainment.
“What do we do now?” asked Peri.
“When in Rome . . . ,” said Matilda and moved over to a pool table. “Anyone for a game?” she shouted.
A Reptor looked up and smiled. “I’ll take you on,” he said, “for a small wager of course.”
“Think fast again,” thought Matilda, and said, “I don’t have any money on me at the moment but I can guarantee you’ll get it in the morning when I see the Wizard – that’s if you beat me.”
“The Wizard’s money is good enough for me. You can sign the I.O.U. right now if you like,” said the Reptor, grinning.
“Let’s see how good you are first,” replied Matilda, putting chalk on the end of the cue.
Of course the Reptor won easily and Matilda signed an I.O.U. on a piece of paper.
“Congratulations,” she said as she handed it over. “I should have known you were good when you wanted to bet money on the game. No harm done, and thanks for playing.”
“No, thank you,” replied the Reptor. “I’ve never made easier money.”
Just as he was about to walk away, Matilda grabbed his arm. “My friend and I could sure do with some fresh air before bedtime. Is there any way to get up to the roof?”
“Visitors aren’t supposed to go up there,” said the Reptor doubtfully. Then, seeing Matilda’s sad look, said, “But I can’t see any harm as long as you don’t stay up there too long.”