Puddlebrain

Chapter Thirty Nine

Heartbeats held their breaths, slamming to a stop in the chests of the pair of intrepid explorers. Their hands found each other, hoping to gain some strength from one another. And failing.

Puddlebrain was retreating into herself, feeling just as she had when her sisters had been there and their powers hadn't. Billy, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly angry with himself. Where was his Gnomish pride? Where had his Gnomish arrogance and self-importance scampered off to? He was being dragged down by the witch's self-pity and it was affecting his judgement. He had felt his heart freeze and had been aware of his lungs being unwilling to work properly. He needed to stop this nonsense and stand up for himself.

As much as a Gnome could.

Voices from the emptiness should be afraid of him, not the other way around. He should lead the way. Take charge. He moved closer to the witch.

"Do something," he whispered.

"We would recommend not doing something," said the Multitude. It was heavy, as if it bore the weight of a hundred people speaking in one voice. "We recommend doing nothing. We recommend joining us."

"Joining you?" asked Puddlebrain. Her own voice was unsteady, quaking next to a behemoth such as that coming from the darkness.

"Just as your friends and neighbours did. Join us as your sisters did."

Puddlebrain didn't have time to react. She had no time to process what had just been said. Without thinking, she raised her hands and splayed her fingers, letting go of Billy and ignoring the sharp yelp he made. There was a flash that caused the gnome to shield his eyes and sudden light radiated from Puddlebrain's hands, filling the cavern and banishing the shadows.

In the centre of the floor, drawing spirals in the dust with her finger, was a girl.

"Hello there," said Puddlebrain. Billy lowered his arm as she snapped her fingers to release the illumination and allow it free reign to keep the darkness at bay.

The girl looked up, smiled, and returned to her doodling. She was small. Young. Her clothes were pale rags that struggled to hold themselves together. He skin was paler still and her hair was long, a dirty blonde, and looked as if it had never been brushed.

"Are you lost? Did you see who just spoke? Where are your parents?" Puddlebrain stepped forward towards the girl, but Billy laid a warning hand on her arm. He shook his head.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

The girl looked at them without speaking. Her face was blank, giving no sign that she had heard any of their questions. Billy and Puddlebrain looked at each other, frowning, then returned their gaze to the silent figure sitting on the cold stone floor. Finally, she rubbed her hand over the dust patters, erasing them. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet.

"We are the Multitude," she said.

"And what's that, exactly?" Billy was beginning to feel a little braver and more like his over confident self. Granted, he was speaking to a small girl, so there was no real threat. Even so, he was uneasy and his uneasiness stopped his confidence turning to arrogance.

"We are the Multitude."

"Thank you for clearing that up," Billy sneered.

"What are you doing?" Puddlebrain whispered. "Don't antagonise her!"

"Antagonise her? Even if she's not just the girl she appears, I'm fed up with being afraid. I'm a Gnome and that means something!"

"What does it mean?" the girl asked.