Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early Page A

ladder. In other words, there was no exit except the ladder they had come down and they were moving further and further away from it.
    Eventually, Will stopped walking.
    â€˜Hmm,’ he said, looking ahead.
    â€˜What is it? Oh …’ Arthur said as he strained to look past Will. The river split down two tunnels, one running to the left, the other to the right. Both led to further darkness.
    â€˜Which way?’ Ash asked when she saw the two tunnels.
    â€˜I don’t know,’ said Will. ‘I guess we just pick one.’ He wiggled his index finger between the two options. ‘Eeny, meeny, miny and that makes this one mo.’ He continued walking down the tunnel on the right. The others followed once more.
    Further along this second tunnel, the water started to lap over the top of the ledge, soaking their shoes. Arthur really hoped that reason for this was that the ledge was lower here and not that the water was rising. A minute later, Ash spoke up. ‘Will, I think we should go back. This is dangerous.’
    â€˜Are you joking, Ash? This has just gotten interesting. Haven’t you noticed the walls?’
    Arthur had noticed the walls but didn’t want to bring them up. In the first tunnel, the walls had been clearly built from bricks. But in this tunnel, there were no bricks. This tunnel was carved straight out of rock. Clinging to the wall as he walked along, Arthur had even felt some rough patches where the carving wasn’t as smooth. And now he noticed a few weird patterns carved into the rock – swirls and circles and strange letters that were part of no alphabet Arthur understood. But he did recognise them. He vaguely remembered them from the dream he’d had with the snake over a week ago. And that terrified him.
    â€˜Okay, I agree with Ash,’ said Arthur. ‘I really think we need to go back now.’
    â€˜Come on, guys,’ protested Will, ‘we don’t know what we’ll find if we keep going.’
    â€˜Please, Will,’ Ash pleaded, ‘let’s go back. The water’s over my ankles now.’
    â€˜It won’t flood that quickly.’
    Arthur had a sudden image of the place flooding very rapidly, of water rushing down the tunnels, of being trapped in this stone prison.
    â€˜ Will! ’ he said with as much urgency as he could muster. ‘We’re not going any further. End of.’ His voice echoed through the tunnel: ‘–ill, –ill, –ill, –ill,’ it said.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ said Will, ‘you’re right. We should go back.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ Arthur said, turning to go the way they’d just come. Then from across the river a glint caught his eye. He looked over and saw that the light from his phone was reflecting off something embedded halfway up the wall. He was already up to his ankles in murky water so he just stepped off the ledge into the river, soaking himself up to his shins.
    â€˜Arthur, what are you –’ started Will.
    â€˜Sshh,’ said Arthur as he waded across the river. The water was cool around his legs but he barely noticed it. All his attention was fixed on the thing stuck in the wall. It was circular, about twice the size of a two euro coin and made of bronze. There was a little loop at the top of the circle, which reminded Arthur of a pendant on a necklace. An image was embossed into the circle. It depicted a gnarled tree, three thick roots extending over the edge of the pendant and its branches intertwined over the top. There was something wrapped around the tree. At first Arthur thought it was a rope, but when he held the light closer he saw it was a snake. He reached out and touched the pendant. It fell straight into the palm of his hand, as if the old stone was barely holding it in place.
    Will and Ash stood behind him in the river, looking at the pendant he held.
    â€˜What is it?’ asked Ash.
    â€˜Look,’ Will