Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 61 (faytwi-ir): The tunnellers

'Sleech, what made you decide to have a festival?' Tyro said, angrily. 'I knew it was a very bad idea. Now look what you've done!'

'Great Tyro, the Festival was not my idea,' Sleech said, 'it was, it was ...' he paused, trying to work out whose idea it could have been. 'It was that scientist.' Sleech pointed at the cage. 'That inventor, Pritch. And his partner, Pring. They have betrayed Bartyronis with this display. They brought the Grabbler children here and trained them to mock us with their so-called "Impossibles". But ... but we knew this would happen. Because ... we monitored Pritch's dreams long ago. Yes ...we could tell that he was having treacherous thoughts, unlike almost every other citizen of Bartyronis. He even had bad thoughts about me. So we decided to trap him. Yes. Our plan has worked. We have found him out, along with all his accomplices. A brilliant strategy, Great Tyro!'

'Sleech, is she going to hurt me,' said Tyro, still behind the throne.

Sleech ignored this plea, which didn't quite fit with the story he had just worked out.

'Guardians,' Sleech ordered, 'seize this Grabbler and her machine. Put her in the cage with the others!'

Some of the Guardians rushed forwards towards Karema, who was standing by the box from which she had emerged. Quickly, she opened the door and shut herself inside.

'Very well,' said Sleech, 'we have her now. Carry the box away to the cellar!'

The box was surrounded by six big, strong Guardians. Two of them tried to tip the box up so the others could carry it. They pushed against the top of the box, but despite the fact that it only contained a single person, and looked like a fairly light container, they could not shift it. Other Guardians came and joined them, heaving and pushing until sweat was running down them.

'What's wrong with you people?' said Sleech. 'Never mind, just pull her out and chain her up!'

One of the Guardians went to the door, and clearly, thinking that it would be locked or bolted, pulled hard on it. It opened easily. The Guardian looked inside and seemed confused.

'Just pull her out!' shouted Sleech.

The man reached inside, but clearly could not reach the woman. He stepped into the small box. 'Pull her out!' Sleech repeated. Then, impatiently, he turned to another Guardian. 'Go and get them both,' he said, 'she must have somehow crammed him into a corner, and he can't move past her.'

The second Guardian went to the door and looked inside. He turned to Sleech. 'I can't ...'

Sleech interrupted him. 'Just grab hold of them and pull them out!'

The Guardian reached into the box, but then seemed to get pulled inside. There were now three people in a space that seemed hardly big enough for one. People in the audience laughed. One by one, Guardians were sent to the box to retrieve the previous one. The same thing happened each time. They opened the door, stepped inside the tiny space, and the door closed behind them. From the cage above, the sound of the Grabblers could be heard counting - 'que, fay, nay, ept, tag, sag, dak, gell, twil...'.

'Quiet, prisoners!' Sleech shouted. By now, all but half a dozen of the Guardians in the hall had entered the box. As each new one entered, and the Seren-ilian counting continued, people laughed. A few people started to join in with the counting, some in their own numbers, but some seemed to have picked up the pattern of the Seren-ilian numbers and followed those. The laughter got louder.

'What's happening?' Tyro said. 'Where are all my Guardians?

'Great Leader, I will investigate,' Sleech said. He moved cautiously towards the box. He opened the door. He stepped inside.