The King's Key by Cameron Stelzer

unclaimed trinkets with us.’
    Hurriedly, the Pie Rats stuffed their backpacks full with silverware. Plates and saucers proved the easiest things to pack. Horace found a pile of knives and forks under a serving bowl and managed to squeeze in an entire dinner set.
    â€˜Pies always taste better with silver service …’ he mused, proceeding into the passage.
    While the others filed after Horace, Whisker lingered in the cave, staring longingly at four silver side plates he’d scrounged from a puddle. Their dull, tarnished surfaces reminded him of the humble tin plates he’d eaten off as a child. He ran his finger over an engraved edge. Happy memories of dinnertime conversations filled his mind.
    â€˜Four plates,’ he said to himself, finally stowing the items. ‘One for each member of my family.’ With a yearning sigh, he fastened his bag and crept into the darkness.
    The tunnel moved steadily upwards, opening out into a small cave before resuming its twisting path towards the surface. The roof of the passage lowered and the Pie Rats found themselves crawling on their paws and knees through puddles of mud. Their bulging backpacks scraped on low rocks, forcing them onto their stomachs.
    â€˜What is it with this island and mud?’ Ruby complained, sliding out of a sloppy brown bog.
    â€˜Well …’ Horace began.
    â€˜Light ahead!’ Eaton exclaimed.
    Sure enough, a speck of light glowed ahead of them. As they slithered forward, it grew larger and brighter.
    The Pie Rats’ eyes stung as they tumbled into the misty sunlight. The dull murmur of the waterfall echoed from far below. They were high up on the mountainside, on the opposite side of the river. Mountain plants lay all around them and the entrance to the passage was no more than a fern-covered crack between two large rocks. Whisker wondered if they could even find it again.
    â€˜The rain has finally cleared,’ Horace yawned, stretching his mud-covered arms above his head.
    â€˜For now,’ Mr Tribble said cautiously. ‘But we won’t know if it’s coming or going with all this mist around.’
    â€˜Is there a direction we can take?’ the Captain asked. ‘I can’t see my paws in front of my face.’
    Mr Tribble took out a compass.
    â€˜The main track to the citadel cuts inland to avoid the falls,’ he said. ‘It should be due west of here.’
    â€˜West it is,’ the Captain said decisively. ‘Scissor swords at the ready. We’re going cross-country.’
    The Pie Rats hacked and slashed their way through the dense jungle undergrowth. Ruby led the way with Smudge flying blindly above her.
    â€˜Stupid mud,’ she grunted, flicking ferns out of the way. ‘Stupid mist.’
    â€˜Stupid tour guide,’ Horace muttered, copping a fern in the face.
    They reached a spot where the mist wasn’t so thick. Eaton suddenly stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air.
    â€˜What is it?’ the Captain whispered, staring into the wispy haze.
    â€˜E-e-eyes,’ Eaton gasped. ‘D-d-dozens of eyes …W-w-watching us.’
    The Pie Rats froze.
    â€˜Stay together,’ the Captain hissed, raising his sword. ‘Strike first, think later, understood?’
    The crew understood and huddled together in the mist, swords ready, awaiting the ambush. Nothing stirred. Whisker began to wonder what was out there. Marmosets? Two-toed sloths? Or something worse? Did they have weapons … or poison darts?
    â€˜Look,’ Horace whispered.
    The mist slowly parted and the trees grew clearer. Staring down at them were huge black eyeballs.
    â€˜D-d-drop bears,’ Horace choked. ‘We’re d-d-done for!’
    Whisker felt his tail coil around his leg. Fearlessly, Ruby took a step towards the trees.
    â€˜No, Ruby,’ the Captain pleaded.
    Ruby stopped as the mist closed in. She turned to face Horace and gave him a horrified look.