Jackals in the Wild
Underland and the Forehidden Kingdom, Chapter 34
Underland and the Forehidden Kingdom is a serialised, young adult, fantasy novel about an overconfident bookworm who finds himself in a parallel world where words are weapons, ideologies form fortresses, and intelligence without integrity may just cost you everything. If you’re new here, you can start from the beginning or check out the index.
RECAP: The Millionth and Fifth arrive back in Loegria, the region corresponding to London back on Earth. Once there, Keon works with Dawit to devise a plan for them to free his dad from the Stronghold. Reaching the place where Keon first entered Underland, Asya starts to experience dizzy spells. She passes out, her Codex opening to the appendix where a message awaits from her brother, Aslan… “bring my flippin’ sister.”
An emerald haze of interlocking leaves filled the forest. It was hard to tell where one tree ended, and another began, the only break in the uniformity a patch of grass where golden pillars of light streamed through a gap in the canopy. Some feet away, Asya lay where she’d fallen, nestled beside a felled tree trunk atop a bed of dried leaves, her Codex open on the Appendix. Dawit eyed it with caution, jaw clenching with simmering adrenaline as though at any moment some terror would emerge from the pages. Avana knelt over Asya, dabbing gently at her forehead with a damp rag.
“Aslan?” said Shem.
“As in Narnia?” added Kai.
“Asya’s brother.”
“And you’re saying he’s done this before?” said Avana.
Keon nodded; arms folded tight. He chewed his bottom lip in thought, what little stubble he had tickling the other lip.
“When I was lost in France,” he replied.
“Wait, you were in France?! You never said you were in France!” Kai exclaimed.
“Shhh!” said Avana, turning her scrutiny back to Keon, “What else can you tell us?”
“He wasn’t alone,” said Keon, pacing, “Had two others with him, and they had my Mirror. He didn’t know I was eavesdropping through my Codex, but I think he does now. He’s baiting me.”
“How do you know?” asked Dawit.
“‘Cause that’s what he said to me last time...” he said, motioning to Asya’s open Codex, “‘fetch my flippin’ sister.’ He’s doing something to her Mirror. That’s why she’s like this.”
Kai stood incredulous, hands on hips.
“Well, it’s obviously a trap. We can all agree on that, right?”
“Aye. Th’question is, where are they plannin’ tae spring it?”
Keon shook his head, resorting back to pacing. Suddenly he slowed, remembering.
“It’s gotta be somewhere close,” he said, turning to the others, “He’s from East. Tower Hamlets. My Mirror was lingering near where I lived. Maybe it’s the same with Asya’s.”
“Are there any Moonlamp Strongholds in that area?” said Avana, turning to Shem.
He shook his head in disdain, huffing through his nostrils.
“There’s one. A big one. It would explain how they got here so fast, but that puts us too close to the Tower for my likin’.”
“Well, let’s think about this logically,” said Kai, stepping between them, “Asya set her Mirror free, right? It ain’t exactly gonna hang around near a Moonlamp Stronghold and it would avoid the Tower like the plague. Chances are it would head east, which means coming our way...”
“R-i-i-ight?” said Dawit, an eyebrow raised.
“So, we head west,” Kai continued, gesturing with both arms as though showing the way, “Chances are we’ll stumble across them sooner or later.”
“That’s good, but tis a wide net tae cast,” said Jonas.
“We could split up,” Keon offered.
Kai’s jaw dropped.
“Now? What are you, crazy?!”
“Nah, I’m serious! We split into three groups. Two go north-west, two go south-west and two head straight with Asya. The first group to spot them signals the rest.”
“How?” said Shem, stepping forward, “They’ll see smoke.”
“Not smoke,” Keon replied, head shaking, “Something audible. Like an animal call. I was thinking a fox.”
Keon scrambled to unsheathe his Codex, scribbled something on a fresh sheet, then yanked it out. He held up the page, ‘fox cry’ written across the centre.
Avana frowned, turning to Jonas.
“Would that work?”
“Cannae say a’ve ever tried it,” Jonas replied, “But if Master Wesley ‘ere thinks it’ll work, ah believe him.”
Keon smiled. That was the first time he’d heard Jonas call him Master Wesley since he’d revealed his identity. Truth be told, until that very moment, Keon had had a hard time believing it was really him.
“I know I’m field leader,” Keon continued, “But I’m not just gonna tell you guys to do something you ain’t sure about.”
“It’s alright, mate,” said Shem, nodding and holding up a palm to shush him, “We trust you.”
Keon looked to each of the Millionth and Fifth in turn, all of them nodding.
“So, are we sticking to the same teams or what?” asked Kai, folding his arms.
“Nah, that won’t work,” said Keon, nibbling his finger in thought. He looked up at Avana, “Avana, can you carry Asya?”
She eyed Asya’s prone form up and down.
“She’s a bit unwieldly, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Alright. Shem, why don’t you go with her and you guys head west.”
Avana’s eyes shot up in protest, her lips moving silently. She snapped her mouth shut and withdrew her gaze back to Asya.
“Dawit, can you go north-west with Kai? I’ll go south-west with Mr. Kersey,” said Keon.
Kai stood for a moment, confused and unmoving.
“Wait, who’s Mr. Kersey?”
Keon’s head whipped from Kai to Jonas and back again.
“Jonas,” he said, pointing.
“Your last name’s ‘Kersey’, bro?” Kai snickered.
Jonas rolled his eyes.
Dawit and Shem had strapped Asya to Avana’s back like a rucksack. Her head, nestled on its side, rested by Avana’s neck, arms draped over her shoulders and legs crossed over her front. They’d used the straps of her harness to tie her limbs, leaving Avana’s hands free to fight if need be.
Avana moved at a brisk but effortless pace, the extra bodyweight making little difference to her stride. Shem shuffled to keep up, fishing for her attention. Chin held high, she strode forward, careful to avoid even a side glance. Despite her best efforts, his straw-coloured hair kept poking at her periphery. Finally, she acquiesced, chancing a look in his direction. His face practically clawed at the opportunity.
“No,” she said, turning sharply to face forward.
“What d’you mean, ‘no’?” he replied, brow bunching.
“I mean, no. We’re not doing this. Not now.”
“Doing what? I just wanted to talk!”
“That!” she skidded to a halt, jabbing a finger at him, “We’re not doing that! We have a job to do and we’re gonna stick to it.”
She stomped off, heaving Asya’s barely conscious form further up her back. For a moment, Shem could only watch the moment slip away. He shook it off. Dashing to catch up, he went to grab for her arm then thought better of it.
“Avana.”
He slid in front of her, nearly lost his balance, and held both arms up to halt her.
“Wait a second! Wait, wait, wait! Just…please…wait a second!”
She stopped in exasperation, wide almond eyes staring up at him. Conflicted. Confused.
“Listen. I don’t…” he began.
He put his hands on his hips, blew through his nostrils, and stared at the ground.
“What?” she said, muted.
“I don’t…share much…”
Unbeknownst to them, Asya raised a solitary eyebrow, eyes still shut.
Avana gaped up at Shem, her brows knit together like an unstable bridge.
“Like,” he continued, “I don’t like fish!”
What little patience she had left, and she followed right after it.
“This is why we shouldn’t talk…”
“Wait, wait, wait!” he said, darting in front of her again, “What I mean is…”
The rest of the words weren’t coherent, but they came accompanied by hand gestures, nonetheless.
“It scares the crap out me,” he managed, finally. He watched her eyes moving between his. “Like…to say how…what happened yesterday…”
“Nothing happened…” she murmured.
“I mean,” he said, index finger moving back and forth between them, “We kinda had a moment.”
“A moment?” she snapped, stepping towards him, “You mean when you grabbed me and smothered my face like a vacuum cleaner?”
Asya’s eyes snapped wide open then jammed shut again.
Shem shuffled in the grass, avoiding the two firecrackers staring back at him. He suddenly felt an itch on his back he couldn’t scratch, and no matter how much he loosened the shawl around his neck, it still felt like it was growing tighter. He cleared his throat.
“I mean…when you put it like that…”
“What did you think was gonna happen here? That you’d get me alone and just sweep me off my feet?” she said, arms flapping.
“Why are you bein’ like this? I’m just tryna talk to you…”
“Because this,” she said, index fingers swinging back and forth between them in an exaggerated, screw-faced mockery of his gesture, “Whatever this is, it’s a bad idea!”
“Why?” he said, his words spinning her back as she turned to leave.
“Why?” she echoed.
“Yeah, tell me why!”
“Shem! Nothing about this is healthy! How on earth would anything more than this be anything less than a disaster?!”
“WHA-D’YOU-MEAN?!”
“LOOK AT US! Look at what we’re doing right now!”
“What, we’re fighters! That’s all it means, Avana! We’re passionate. We ‘ave strong opinions…” he shrugged.
“No Shem,” she said, her voice softening. She took a step towards him. “No. It means we’re targets. We target each other.”
He didn’t have a comeback, and he was looking around desperately trying to find one.
“Shem, look at me,” said Avana, her head weaving to catch his attention. When he relented, she held his gaze. “Tell me you’ve thought this through.”
As his lips moved to reply, a heart-wrenching cry echoed through the forest.
The howl of a fox.
“So,” said Jonas with a smile, his arm swinging on an overhanging branch as he stepped over a root. Everything in this stretch of the forest was so tightly interlocked, like a latticework of wood, you could barely move without, hunching, squatting or hopping over branches, bent trunks or roots protruding from the undergrowth.
Keon grinned, shaking his head.
“I still can’t believe it’s you, man.”
“How d’ye think ah felt? Ah had no idea ‘twas gonna be ye. ‘N’ obviously ah couldnae say a word.”
“So, you can now?”
Jonas cocked his head to one side, squinting.
“Tis nae that simple. There’s a reason Wellworn commanded me t’keep silent.”
“What’s that?” said Keon.
“Y’know…ah dinnae have th’foggiest.”
Keon doubled over, cradling his stomach. He almost forgot they were meant to be keeping a low profile.
“Tis fine when ah’m wi’ th’group, but…let’s just say it helped wi’ mah special breed o’ torchbearin’.”
Keon’s chin dipped in thought.
“Then I’ll learn. To sign I mean.”
Jonas turned to him, eyes wide.
“Would ye?”
“Yeah,” Keon shrugged, “I mean, you need an interpreter, right?”
Jonas’ bright, cobalt eyes narrowed with a smile beneath his mask. He patted Keon on the back.
“See? Telled ye ye’r a good bairn.”
“A good, what?”
“Nevermind.”
“So, what does this mean…like…back home?”
“Whit does what mean?”
Keon scooted in front of him.
“Like, do we get to go on Underland missions during school hours or something?”
Jonas covered Keon’s face with his giant, spider-like palm.
“It means ye keep yer hooter oot o’ trouble ‘n’ oot mah office! Dinnae even think aboot it!”
Keon chuckled again, skipping over a felled log to catch up.
“I’m glad you’re here, sir.”
“Me too laddie. But enough o’ that ‘sir’ business. It feels weird now.”
“That’s what I mean!” chuckled Keon, arms out in emphasis, “I don’t even know what to call you!”
Jonas stopped, placing a hand on Keon’s shoulder.
“Look…‘ere ah ain’t yer ‘sir’ ‘n’ ah sure as heck ain’t yer only teacher. At th’ King’s Table, we’re equals, Keon. We’re brothers. So ye call me Jonas, aricht?”
Keon smiled. Nodded.
For a stretch, neither of them spoke, the only sound the gentle crunch of dried moss and leaves beneath their feet as they walked. The hum of the forest tickled the ears, and for the first time, Keon was aware of life droning amidst the trees. He couldn’t tell why, but it filled him with a sense of hope.
“Mr. Ker—Jonas…” it still tasted alien to his tongue, “Do you know what happened to her? Zahara? Like, I mean—in school—did she ever…”
“Keon—she didnae even know ‘twas me.”
Keon’s chin fell.
“Right. Course…But could you find out if you wanted to?”
Jonas drew to a halt, his shoulders stretching with a deep intake of breath. His height seemed to flare a further two inches, those spiky brown tufts of hair almost receding into the treetops.
“Keon…” he began.
A sharp, blood-curdling cry cut through the air, bounding through the trees.
The signal.
Their eyes met, they turned due north, and scarpered into the forest.
Kai and Dawit squatted beneath a giant plume of elderberry, the only bush nearby capable of hiding Kai’s wild hair. It wasn’t ideal, located in a basin at the foot of a steep incline, but everywhere else the forest was too spaced out to hide. Ironically, the crowns of the trees bent towards one another, crowding the canopy. What little light could penetrate through barely bathed the forest floor. Dawit stared with trepidation through the branches. This was taking too long. The two exchanged glances, then a rustle of green drew their attention to the left. Kai’s shoulders relaxed as Shem, then Avana stepped out into the open. Kai emerged from the bush, arms out in protest.
“Finally! Where did you guys get to?”
Avana took a not-so-subtle step away from Shem, eyes darting.
“What? Nowhere.”
“Nothing,” said Shem.
Befuddlement bent Kai’s brow, but before it could fill with thought, Shem stepped over to their hiding spot, crouching beside Dawit.
“What you got?”
Kai grabbed his shoulder.
“What? Nothing! What you got?”
“Huh? Mate, what you on?”
“Nothing!”
“What is going on?” hissed Avana, approaching from the rear.
“I dunno!” Shem shrugged.
Kai shook his head.
“I got nothin’,”
“Well, ‘ow long you been ‘ere?” said Shem.
“How long have you been here?” Kai countered.
“Mate! We just got ‘ere!”
“Guys…” said Dawit.
Two short, shrill whistles signalled the arrival of Keon and Jonas, materialising from the trees to their left, almost in silence. Without stepping fully out into the open, they followed the treeline until they met the others by the bush.
“Who found them?” said Keon.
Shem turned to Kai and Dawit.
“What? Don’t look at us! We followed your signal,” said Kai.
“Guys…”
“What blinkin’ signal?” said Shem.
A howl of terrified horror sliced through the air then plunged swiftly into nothingness, its skeletal remains echoing through the trees. Another howl, this time closer, echoed from the opposite end of the forest. Then another, tearing the gaze of the Millionth and Fifth to the right.
Movement to the left drew their eyes to a burning wad of parchment that rolled down the incline into the clearing beyond the bushes. Flames clawed across its surface, enshrouding it completely. Suddenly it flared with light, the howl of a fox erupting from its embers.
“Flip me,” said Shem.
A figure appeared at the top of the incline. Then another, and another, the last of them hauling something across their broad shoulder. Three more slunk through the trees ahead of them. Their faces were wrapped, heads covered with white hoods revealing only piercing eyes. White gambesons covered short-sleeved, crimson tunics that swished around baggytrousers. Dark green leather books, bound to their chests with chains, glistened with the same golden crest; an ancient lamp hanging from the tip of a crescent moon.
“String it up!” came a voice from underbrush.
The Moonlamp with the heap dropped it to the ground, grabbed a length of rope attached to the end of it and flung it over a branch. With two great yanks, he heaved the heap off the ground, the dull skin of emaciated arms the last thing to leave the ground, entangled with lengths of matted, black hair.
Keon would’ve leapt from his perch in the bushes, if not for the heavy hand of Jonas on his shoulder. The masked Torchbearer met his conflicted face and shook his head.
Asya’s Mirror hung limp from the tree, its ankles bound by the rope wrapped around torn, dirty robes. Aslan stepped out from the trees opposite them, swaggering into the open, his hood flung back as he looked up at the Mirror. There was no hiding. He wanted Keon to see, and Keon knew it.
“There’s one missing,” said Aslan.
“We’ve checked,” came an answer from atop the incline, “Wherever they are, they ain’t here.”
“How?!” Avana hissed through clenched teeth.
Keon’s lip quivered in a grimace.
“I learn from my enemies,” said Aslan, smug, chin pointing at Avana.
“He eavesdropped on us,” said Keon, “Through Asya…he knew the whole damn time!”
“And it was a good plan too. Clever,” Aslan held up another smouldering ball of paper and rolled it onto the grass. It flashed with a strangled yelp. “I’ll have to remember that for next time.”
The Millionth and Fifth drew closer together, backs facing inwards, eyes covering all sides. They were hopelessly surrounded. All ways of escape cut off. And the Moonlamps had the high ground.
“I know what you’re thinkin’ and it ain’t gonna work. There’s no getting out of this,” said Aslan, pacing slowly. He held up a deep red apple, sliced a sliver off with a flick of his origami sword and popped it in his mouth, “But at least this time you’ve done what I asked. So,” he pointed the paper scimitar in their direction, “hand her over.”
“NO!” Keon screamed, fists clenched and scarcely restrained.
“It’s r-e-e-eally simple, bro. Hand her over and we don’t have beef. But keep going and there’s gonna be consequences.”
Keon shrugged.
“What else is new?” he spat, “All actions have consequences in Underland, including yours. So, if you want her, you’re gonna have to come get her!”
“You ‘eard the man!” said Shem.
“I take it this isn’t going to a vote,” Kai mumbled.
“Brother, seriously?”
“Avana, you gonna be ok?” said Keon.
She glanced over her shoulder at Shem. He nodded.
“I’ve got your back.”
The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile.
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Aslan shrugged, taking a final bite out of the apple. He tossed it over his shoulder, stretched out his arms and strode towards them.
The Millionth and Fifth forged.
Shem a staff.
Avana a spear.
Swords for Kai and Dawit.
Jonas spun twin blades over his hands.
And Keon forged the one he’d memorised—Zahara’s yatagan.
The Moonlamps charged towards them, their cries of war resounding through the air.
What a sneaky move, Aslan, and an excellent trap. But Asya is awake. I wonder how much she knows about what's going on, and what she'll do when the fight starts.