Ben's breath caught in his throat suddenly. The entire crew of the Flying Dutchman, both the
living and the dead, came shuffling up to the bars and stared through them at him. Pale,
bloated faces of those who had drowned mingled with the fierce scarred and coarse-whiskered
features of those whom he had known and detested for their greed and cruelty. They leered
and grinned knowingly at the former crew lad. Suddenly they were wrenched aside, and he
found himself looking into the face of Captain Vanderdecken, leader of them all.
His face was as white as parchment, the thin lips blue from the cold, bared over yellowed
teeth like crooked gravestones. His salt-bleached hair, crusted with ice, stood out from his
head like an unholy halo. From under their black-pouched lids, Vanderdecken's wild eyes
shone insanely, boring into the boy's very heart.
The Dutchman poked a frostbitten, black-nailed finger at Ben. "So this is where ye've been
hiding, wretch! I'll always find ye, no matter where you hide! I'll soon have ye back aboard
my ship, and we'll spend eternity together, lad. Eternity!"
A litter drew up in front of the cell, borne by six burly Razan robbers, who stood stoically
with it on their shoulders. Maguda sat on the litter, watching the faces of the three drugged
captives. She took satisfaction at the sight. Each one's eyes were wide open, but unconscious
to anybody outside of their potion-induced nightmares. They stared straight ahead, seeing
everything that was locked into their personal fears and loathings.
Gizal came hobbling along, her stick tap-tapping the rock walls. She halted by the litter. "Is
thy magic working, O mother of spells and charms?"
Maguda nodded. "Aye, 'tis indeed, they are like butterflies pinned on thorns, seeing nought
else but that which they cannot stand. Methinks a few weeks of keeping them thus will bend
them to my will. They will sing, dance, sketch and plead to please me, 'tis always so."
Gizal bowed. "Truly thou art the greatest of all the Razan!"
Maguda tapped the litter with her foot. "Take me back to my throne, then go, tell others what
thou hast seen here today. Let it serve as a warning to all who would oppose me!"
The party moved off, with Gizal shuffling behind.
Arnela muttered to herself as she gazed up at what seemed to be a sheer wall of snow rearing
overhead. "Avalanche must've done this, 'tis not as I remember it. But never mind, Ned, I
know we're on the right track. That high crag near the peak is my marker—the Razan's lair is
up there. We'll have to go carefully, there might be hidden pitfalls in this sort of snow.
Avalanches can do that, y'know."
But the black Labrador was not listening. He was sprawled flat with both front paws covering
his eyes. A piteous whimper emanated from his trembling body, building up suddenly into a
mournful howl.
The big goatherd woman fell on her knees beside the dog, shaking him gently. "Ned, what is
it, boy? What's the matter with ye?"
Her words fell on deaf ears. Ben had somehow transmitted the anguish of his tortured mind to
the dog. All the horror and fear of the boy's nightmare were so powerful that Ned became a
captive to them. Vanderdecken and his ghastly crew were reaching out to him from behind a
grille of iron bars. He was in a cave, a prisoner, helpless to resist the captain and all hands,
living and dead, of the Flying Dutchman!
Arnela got her strong hands under Ned and lifted him, then cuddled him like a baby, shushing
him, lest his howls betray them to the foe.
"There there now, good boy. This isn't like you, Ned. What is it? What's upsetting you? Only
little puppies cry and yowl like that. You're supposed to be a big, sensible dog."
In his fevered vision, Ned saw Vanderdecken make a grab for him. Instinctively he bared his
teeth and bit at the phantom captain's hand.
Arnela was stroking the dog's muzzle when she felt the sudden change from cowering cur to
wild animal. The goatherd pulled her hand away just in time. Ned's teeth ripped through the
sleeve of her goat-hair tunic. Shock and anger overcame the big woman. She flung the dog
forcefully to the ground. "Ooh! You bad, ungrateful dog!"
Ned felt the heavy impact as he struck the patch of snow, which Arnela's feet had hardened. It
broke the spell for a short moment. In that instant he heard the angel's voice ringing out like a
peal of thunder.
" 'Tis thou who must show the way
When visions of evil arise.
Others may see what ye cannot,
So be guided by thine own eyes!"
Ned called out from his bewildered mind to the angel. "I don't understand, tell me what I
should do. Please!" Once more the heavenly being's voice spoke forth.
"Trust only what thine eyes can see,
When things are not as they seem.
Break free to the world of reality,
Escape thy master's false dream!"
The black Labrador's eyes snapped open. He understood the whole thing in a flash. Somehow,
some way, an evildoer had taken possession of Ben's mind. The force was so strong that Ben
could not avoid passing it on to him. Ned realised that he had to block the nightmare by
concentrating his thoughts upon other things. But first he had to make amends to his friend
Arnela. He nuzzled at her foot until she had to lift it slightly, then he thrust his chin under it
until she was standing with her foot upon his head. Ned's tail brushed a fan in the snow as he
wagged it back and forth.
Arnela sniffed, then a reluctant smile crossed her weather-beaten features. "Well well, sorry
already, are we?"
Ned withdrew his head and nodded sheepishly. She raised him up until his front paws rested
on her waist. Taking the dog's face in both hands, she looked into his soft dark eyes. "I don't
know what's going on in that doggy brain of yours, friend, but I'm sure you had a good reason
for what you did."
Ned nodded solemnly. He pawed at his friend and whined softly.
Arnela ruffled his ears fondly. "Then I'll say no more about it, Ned. You're a good dog!
Mayhap you were thinking of Ben and our other young friends. You were fretting and worried
about them, that's probably it."
Ned licked her hand and nodded again. She set his paws back down onto the snow. "Right,
then, we won't get them free by standing around here all night. Come on, let me go first, I can
probe the snow with my axe handle to make sure it's solid to walk on. Keep close behind, boy,
walk in my tracks."
Following Arnela up into the high mountainous regions, Ned kept his mind busy by sending
out messages to his master. He thought of inconsequential, cheery things, which he hoped
might snap Ben out of his frightening dream. "Aye aye, matey, it's me—your old pal Ned.
Remember that picnic we had in the jungle a few years back? Haha, that was a good one, we
were scoffing away when you suddenly noticed you were sitting on an anthill. Hohoho! I
never knew you were such a good dancer, jumping and leaping and smacking your own
behind. What a sight! Come on now, admit it, Ben, you didn't sit down for a week after that.
Never mind those bad old dreams, mate. Wake up, open your eyes! Talk to Karay and
Dominic, think of other things—anything! Hahaha, like me chasing that snobbish lady through
the fair on her horse. Hoho, the horse's big fat bottom wobbling all over the place and her
hanging on to her hat. What a dreadful hat that was, one of those creations with a dead stuffed