‘When on earth will we be able to sneak off?’ she whispered.
‘Soon,’ she replied. ‘Looks like we’re moving into the ballroom now.’
She was right. Brian Rowbottom was at the end of the room, trying in vain to get the attention of his merry and very noisy guests. He banged a metal jug on the table.
‘Lords and ladies, may I have your attention for a moment? I hope you have all enjoyed the fine banquet and entertainment. My wife and I would be glad if you would accompany us in the ballroom at 10 o’clock. After the first dance, the funfair will also be open.’ He paused for the applause, drunken hoots, whistles and banging of cups on the table.
‘You may also have noticed a wax seal next to your plate, which is holding a green ribbon in place. If you care to break the seal and pull this ribbon, you should find a small Christmas gift from our family. Merry Christmas to you all!’
There was more clapping before the guests began pulling ribbons. As the girls tugged on theirs, two small parcels fell on to the table with a thud, appearing from within the floral arrangement nearest to them. Alice opened hers to find a beautiful silver necklace with a horse pendant. Sarah’s was also a necklace, but with a silver shoe instead of a horse.
‘Wow!’ declared Sarah. ‘What a generous, thoughtful present.’
‘Lucinda must have chosen these,’ said Alice. ‘Look at mine.’ She showed Sarah the horse. ‘I feel awful now.’
‘Now isn’t the time,’ Sarah insisted. ‘We’ll have one dance, then go. That funfair is a stroke of luck, no one will notice what we’re doing, they’ll be too busy enjoying themselves.’
In the ballroom, they found Lucinda and thanked her for the gifts. She introduced them to two of her cousins, Oliver and Damian, so that they had a partner for the dance. As Lucinda dashed off, the four of them felt rather awkward.
‘Can you dance?’ Alice asked Damian.
‘Enough to get by at these awful events,’ he grinned. ‘Can you?’
‘No. I’m afraid I’m going to look an idiot.’
Sarah was quite happy dancing, and as the music began and the Rowbottoms took the floor, she and Oliver were among the first couples to join them. Alice followed grudgingly, led by Damian, and felt very much out of her depth. She looked across at Sarah and Oliver.
‘Don’t they make you sick!’ she said to Damian.
‘All these stuck-up toffs? Always!’ he laughed. Alice laughed too, though that wasn’t what she had meant. Suddenly she spied the plague doctor again, who seemed to be staring at her from a distance.
‘Who is that?’ she asked nervously. ‘Why would anyone choose to wear something as horrible as that?’
Damian grinned. ‘That’s our cousin, Hugh,’ he replied. ‘He’s always been a bit weird.’
Alice was slightly relieved. When the dance ended, she felt reluctant to make her excuses. The boys were funny and she had enjoyed their company – it was hard to believe they were related to Brian.
‘Perhaps we’ll see you at the fair!’ said Oliver.
‘Perhaps!’ replied Sarah, putting her bag over her shoulder. ‘We just need to look for a friend first.’
Alice was pulled by Sarah towards a group of people so that they could disappear into a crowd. Then they made their way around the outside of the ballroom to the doors leading outside. The dancing continued, but they could see Oliver and Damian sitting down looking fed up.
For a few minutes they wandered around the fair, trying to blend in. They had a ride on the big wheel so that Alice could study the South Tower. She was hoping to spot a glimmer of light in one of the windows, but it was in complete darkness.
Back on the ground, Alice suggested that Sarah should have a go at Hook-a-Duck, the nearest stall to the tower, so that she could keep the door in sight. She needed her route to the tower to be clear, but there were a few people milling around nearby.
‘Oh no!’ shrieked Sarah. ‘I’ve caught a frog instead of a duck!’
Alice rolled her eyes. The guests near the tower began to make their way towards them to see what the fuss was about. Her path was clear! ‘Well done, Sarah!’ she muttered. She wasn’t congratulating her on winning a family pass to the castle, though.
The people observing clapped politely, giving Alice the jitters. They reminded her of macabre puppets in their masks.
By now she had the key ready and a torch in her left hand, hidden under her cloak. ‘I’ll go first,’ she whispered to Sarah. ‘Wait here, then follow me when you see I’m in.’ She pulled up her hood and slipped away, keeping to the shadows against the wall of the castle. The windows were much higher up than she had imagined, way above her head; that ruled out one escape route. If she tried to jump from one of those, she’d probably break her ankle.
The lock was rusty. Alice had to fiddle with the key for what seemed like an age until the door opened.
Soon she was joined by Sarah. .
‘Anyone follow us?’ she asked, appearing from behind the door.
‘No. Ooh, it stinks in here, all fusty and spooky.’
‘It smells burnt, that’s all,’ whispered Alice. ‘Have your torch ready in case this one dies.’
She rushed up the spiral stone steps to the first floor, Sarah running after her. There were four doors. The first door opened when she turned the handle. When she called out, the only reply was an echo. She did the same at the next door and the next. Nothing.
‘On to the next floor.’
They carried on up the stairs, Sarah letting out a scream as she ran through a cobweb.
‘Shhh! I know. I don’t like it either. I’m glad you came with me,’ admitted Alice.
Four more doors. This time Sarah opened them. They waited and listened. Suddenly they heard a scratching sound.
‘Theo?’ called Alice.
Sarah drew a sharp breath and grabbed Alice’s arm as something ran over her feet. Alice shone the torch at the floor to see a rat scampering down the steps.
‘I take it that wasn’t him,’ said Sarah, trying to make a joke of it, although she was shaking like a leaf.
The twelfth door was locked. Shining her torch on the bunch of keys, Alice searched frantically for one labelled ‘3 – 4.’ When Sarah opened the door, Alice pushed past her and stepped in to an elegant room with a four-poster bed and tapestries covering the walls. There was no sign of life other than the disapproving faces of bearded men, who were frowning upon her from their paintings. She called Theo but there was no response.
Alice was clearly panicking. ‘He’s not here, is he?’ she ranted, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her. ‘He flippin’ well isn’t here, Grandad got it wrong.’
She banged on the door with her fists and sank to the floor in tears. ‘I’ve blown it,’ she sobbed. ‘I can’t find him and I don’t know where else to look.’
‘We’ve done our best,’ insisted Sarah. She shone her torch up the steps and peered up to the fourth floor. ‘There aren’t any doors up there, it’s been destroyed by fire. It’s just one big, stone room.’
Alice let out a moan.
‘Pull yourself together,’ ordered Sarah. ‘We could do without your wings making an appearance.’
Alice nodded and lifted her mask to wipe her face. Then she froze. ‘Did you hear that?’
‘What?’
Alice turned around and put her ear to the door she had been leaning against. She could hear a dull thudding sound. She knocked three times. There was a pause, then three muffled knocks could just be made out coming from inside.
‘That must be him!’
She flung the door open and dashed back into the room. ‘Theo?’ called Alice cautiously.
‘If that skanky rat appears again, I won’t be...’ Sarah’s protest was interrupted by knocking. It was coming from the panelled wall at the far side of the room. A hidden room? The girls thumped all the panels with the palm of their hand, desperately trying to find a way of opening up the wall. Eventually Alice
stood up, breathless, and looked around again. ‘You can wipe that smug look off your face!’ she snapped at the small oil painting above them, before lashing out at it with her torch. Click. Then came a grating sound as the partition wall slid open just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. The girls peered inside.
An elderly man was lying on the floor at their feet, where he must have fallen in his efforts to make himself heard. Alice stepped over him to get in to the room and crouched down beside him.
‘You must be Theo,’ she said, squeezing his hand. ‘I’m John Parker’s grandaughter.’ He smiled and closed his eyes. ‘We’ve come to get you. Don’t give up now!’ she begged him. ‘Are you hurt? Can we sit you up?’
Theo looked at her and nodded feebly. They lifted him carefully into a sitting position so that his back rested against a cupboard, though he couldn’t help but let out a shout. He was clearly suffering, but he raised his hand to signal he was alright. Realising that this tiny room had no windows, so no one would see their torches, Alice positioned both of them on top of the cupboard so they could see what they were doing.
‘Thank you,’ mumbled Theo. He looked pale and weak, his hair was matted and his clothes dirty. Alice wasn’t sure if he’d always had a beard or if this one had grown in the last six weeks. She showed him the fruit and pineapple juice that they had brought with them. ‘Would you like these?’ she asked. ‘We need you to be strong enough to walk out of here with us.’
‘There’s a party going on outside,’ added Sarah. ‘Don’t worry, we’ve brought you a costume.’ She handed it over before wandering back out to the landing.
Theo perked up at the sight of the fruit. He took the banana and fumbled with it, trying to peel it. Alice helped him. He savoured the first mouthful as if he had never tasted one before. Then he wolfed down the rest and reached for the grapes, followed by the pineapple juice. Leaning his head back, he let out a long sigh of relief.
‘I’ve hardly had any fruit since I’ve been here,’ he said quietly. ‘They’ve kept me as weak as possible, apart from when they needed me.’
‘That’s exactly what Imogen predicted. Now, I’m afraid we’ve got to hurry, the others are waiting for us. Here’s your costume.’ When she pulled it out of Sarah’s bag, they realised it was a jester’s outfit, comprising a tunic, hat, and tights with one red leg and one yellow.
‘Oh, no!’ moaned Theo. ‘Haven’t I been punished enough already? Is this Imogen’s idea of a joke?’
Alice laughed. ‘Well, you’ll certainly blend in, there are a few jesters here tonight. Let us know if you need some help,’ she said, stepping out of the room to let him get changed.
She crashed into Sarah, who was rushing back through the main bedroom.
‘I thought I heard a noise,’ she whispered. They both peered out of the bottom corner of the window.
‘Oh my life, I did! Someone just left the tower, look!’
A lone, hooded figure was quickening his pace away from the tower towards the funfair.
‘Well, I doubt he knew we were in here,’ said Alice, flustered.
‘He must have guessed someone was in here. Let’s just go,’ pleaded Sarah anxiously.
Alice stared after the figure in the shadows. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at the tower. Alice gasped – she could recognise that profile even in the darkness. That long white beak was unmistakable.
Theo emerged from his room pulling on his three-point jester’s hat and mask. The girls couldn’t even raise a smile.
‘Someone’s onto us,’ blurted out Sarah.
‘It’s Brian’s nephew, Hugh,’ said Alice.
Theo suddenly looked afraid. ‘We need to move. NOW!’
They closed the secret panel. Alice locked the outer door behind them and they began the awkward descent, trying to help the frail old man down the narrow spiral steps. Alice went first, supporting him by the arm, while Sarah followed gripping the back of his tunic in case he fell. With every step, the bells on Theo’s hat jingled merrily.
Alice sniffed the air. ‘Can you smell something?’ she whispered.
‘It’s probably me. I haven’t had a bath in weeks,’ replied Theo.
‘No, not that, a burning smell.’
‘It stinks of fire damage upstairs,’ said Sarah.
Mysteriously, the smell became stronger as they descended, then as the staircase twisted down to the first floor, they were suddenly met by smoke. Further down they could make out a bright flickering light.
‘Turn back,’ croaked Theo, ‘it’s been torched again!’
They managed to turn on the steps and headed back up.
‘What next?’ screeched Sarah, terrified. ‘Fourth floor upwards is burnt out!’
Alice didn’t answer, paralysed by fear.
‘The stone steps are still OK,’ said Theo. ‘We need to get on to the roof, it’s the only option. The door leading back into the main building is on the ground floor as well.’
They scrambled up the steps as fast as they could. Perhaps it was the adrenaline giving Theo a boost, but this time around, in spite of being in pain himself, he was dragging Alice who was struggling. He was right, the steps were fine and they left the charred upper floors behind them to reach the seventh floor. Here, they found a wrought-iron ladder leading to a trapdoor in the ceiling.
Alice had to let Sarah climb up first and push it open; she felt too weak. When she lifted her head, she saw Sarah shining the torch down the ladder. She could barely find the rungs with her feet, and Theo helped her up. Sarah grabbed her arm, and as soon as Alice was out on the flat roof, she flopped down on the snow-covered asphalt.
‘Alice, are you alright? Did you inhale too much smoke?’ asked Sarah, with fear in her voice. Alice stretched out her arm towards her bag but it was too late. Sarah spotted some movement in Alice’s cloak and knew what was coming. ‘NO! Not now, PLEASE!’
‘Sorry,’ groaned Alice, getting into a kneeling position. She pulled her cloak to one side and remembered to her relief that Freya had designed her dress with a low back. Just as well. Within seconds, her immense wings were quivering in the icy breeze, as high as the turrets around them.
‘Oh...dear...’ said Theo gravely. ‘Were you hoping to fly out of here? I can’t, my wings are too small.’
Alice shook her head.
‘No, that wasn’t the plan,’ replied Sarah, sitting down next to him. ‘They’re waiting for us in rowing boats down there.’
When Alice eventually got to her feet, she peered out from behind a turret to look down at the river. They were so high up, it was impossible to make out anything on the water apart from the reflection of the moon. Smoke was beginning to pour out of the tower now, and a fire engine’s siren could be heard in the distance. She took out her mobile, then threw it down in temper. No signal. ‘Is your phone working, Sarah?’ she asked.
Sarah pulled a face and showed her the screen. ‘Network not available’.
‘We could try signalling to them with a torch,’ suggested Theo. ‘Do you know Morse Code?’
‘No,’ Alice replied. But she rested her torch between two turrets and began to flash it on and off. She paused and looked down at the river. Still nothing but darkness and smoke. ‘I should spray my wings,’ she decided. ‘If we’ve no option but to wait for the fire brigade, I need to get rid of them.’
‘Don’t be too hasty,’ said Theo. ‘At least you’ve got a second chance of escape. I can’t see us being rescued from up here.’
‘Don’t say that,’ pleaded Alice. ‘This is all my fault. If I hadn’t agreed to find you, you would still be safe in that room.’
‘Believe me, I’d rather be up here. I’m very grateful to you.’
Alice got up and walked to the other side of the roof, shivering. She looked down into the courtyard. She could see that the guests had been ushered away from the fair and back towards the ballroom, where a crowd had gathered to see the tower on fire. Surely they’d had en
ough entertainment for one evening? She shone a light at her feet so that she didn’t trip over one of the many objects cluttering the roof.
‘What’s all this?’ she wondered. ‘Fireworks?’ She followed an array of wires along an enormous quantity of rockets until she came to a digital timer that read ‘7.46.’ It was counting down by the second.
‘No!’ She looked at her watch. 10.52pm. ‘There’s a whole display of fireworks over here, due to go off at 11 o’clock! We need to move!’
Theo got up to examine it. ‘I daren’t risk meddling with that. And we can rule out going back in there,’ he said, nodding towards the trapdoor. ‘There’s too much smoke already. All we can do is sit facing the wall on the far side.’
Sarah covered her face with her hands. Alice went to join her. She could see tears running down Sarah’s cheeks in the torchlight and put her arm around her.
‘If only my grandson could see me now,’ sighed Theo. ‘An escaped prisoner sitting on the roof of a castle in a jester’s outfit, waiting for a firework display. He’d find it funny.’
‘Sounds like a weirdo,’ muttered Alice.
‘You’re right there!’ he chuckled. They sat in silence for a moment. The sound of breaking glass told them that the heat from the fire was smashing more windows.
Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘I wonder which it will be,’ she said, full of melancholy. ‘Fire, fireworks or hypothermia that will finish us off.’
A smile crept across Theo’s face. ‘None of those!’ he said, getting up on his feet and pointing to the sky behind the girls. They turned around to see where he was pointing. Something large and white was flying towards them through the smoke.
‘What on earth is that?’ wailed Sarah.
‘It’s Guinevere!’ shrieked Alice, clapping her hands. ‘Unbelievable! I didn’t know unicorns could fly!’
‘They can’t. Unless they’re Finwip unicorns,’ explained Theo. ‘Their wings only emerge if they sense strong emotions in the people they’re close to.’
Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the new adventure series for children) Page 12