Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost by Darren Shan

Author:Darren Shan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Home of the Damned Ltd
Published: 2022-07-26T00:00:00+00:00

16

I’m counting silently to myself. Thirty seconds... a minute... two minutes... three...

“How long will it take?” Kojo asks, studying the liquid in the moat as intently as I am.

“The blooder told me it could be with me in a matter of minutes if I called,” I reply, “but that was obviously based on the assumption that I’d call from somewhere within the Merge. I don’t know if the message will carry from here. If the moat isn’t connected to the rivers of blood, or if there are obstacles between the Crypt and the Merge...”

“It’s a narrow body of blood,” Kojo notes, frowning at the moat. “I know the blooder can change its shape, but can it stretch itself that thinly?”

“Yes,” I say, “but I’ve no idea what the link between the moat and the rivers of blood might be like, if one exists at all. It could be the width of a river or a mere trickle the thickness of a vein. If it’s that thin...”

Again I stop on a gloomy note, unable to convince myself that there’s genuine cause for optimism, and return to my silent count.

Another two minutes tick away. Three more. I start to lose hope.

“If the blooder doesn’t show,” Kojo says, “perhaps we can convince the old fella to take us with him to the Merge, and you can try again over there.”

“I don’t think Old Man Reap will risk letting me set foot outside the Crypt,” I sigh. “Orlan and Argate know how I zizzed for help when I was Adil’s prisoner during the Tourney, when I tricked him into letting me return to the Born, and they’ll no doubt pipe up if I even suggest a move to anywhere else. But maybe I can try to think of a way to –”

The blood in front of us ripples slightly as lips move just beneath the surface and a soft voice says, “Hello again, Archie.”

My throat tightens and my heart beats rapidly. For a moment I feel light-headed, and I’m worried I’m going to faint and topple forward into the moat.

Then the dizziness passes and the muscles in my throat ease, and I smile as I reply just as softly as Kusheetcha, “Hello.”

“My apologies for the delay in announcing myself,” the blooder says. “I arrived a few minutes ago, but wished to assess the situation before speaking. I knew you wouldn’t call me for a trivial matter, and was disturbed that you were doing it from within the Crypt.”

“I didn’t know if you’d hear me from here,” I whisper.

“I heard,” Kusheetcha says. “A blooder filled the moat when they were building this shelter. A border of blood, linked to the rivers, was required to keep the Crypt anchored to the Merge. Without that connection, the Crypt would have been ripped apart when the first realm fell.

“I’ve been circling the room, studying the lay of things,” the blooder continues. “I assume that those in shackles are your allies, and the others are your enemies?”

“You’re spot on,” I sigh.

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