by Vashti Hardy
“Don’t blame her, it was my idea.” Arthur rubbed tears back with his fist.
Harriet’s confusion turned to anger. “Evidence?”
Arthur took the locket from his neck. His voice shook. “Parthena brought this back. Dad never took it off. We knew there was more to what happened right from the start. We wanted to bring honour back to our name by finding the truth out here, not just reaching South Polaris.”
“And you didn’t think to mention that to me?”
“We thought it would ruin our chances of coming along.”
She shook her head and paced in quick strides. “Going to the Victorious alone was incredibly stupid – you should’ve woken us and discussed it before you took it upon yourself. Now Eudora Vane is on to us and we’ve lost all element of surprise. This isn’t only about you two!”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Arthur said.
“That’s the problem – neither of you were.”
“I’m sorry! Tuyok’s dead, and it was my fault because he was trying to help us.” Guilt smothered him. He couldn’t breathe.
Harriet fell silent, then she huffed out a long breath. “Whoever shot Tuyok was a monster – it wasn’t your fault they pulled the trigger. They had a choice too.”
“They’re coming for us, Harriet, because we found the evidence – Eudora had a book on toxic plants, and a recipe for poison cakes, we took photographs.” Maudie passed her the camera.
“And you took my camera?” Harriet said.
“We’re sorry, truly,” Maudie said.
“I knew there had to be a reason for the tingling in my toes in the galley!” Felicity said.
Harriet shook her head angrily. She took her binoscope from her belt and looked across the snowy plain. “There’s no sign of them. They must have turned back, probably to get more weapons. We need to leave at once and cross the lake to the mountains – we’ll be less exposed there.”
“But we won’t see the cracks in the ice so well in the dark,” said Felicity.
“We don’t have a choice.” Harriet glared at Arthur and Maudie who both looked at their feet. Then she tutted and sighed. “I just wish you’d woken me – we could have come up with a plan.”
“I’m sorry,” Arthur said again.
“Maudie, I thought you’d at least know better.”
Arthur wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Was he really that foolish?
Felicity took them by the hand. “There’s nothing we can do for poor Tuyok except carry on and when the time comes, give that vile woman everything she deserves.”
“Let’s get packed up.” Harriet paused. “That’s if you both want to go on towards South Polaris? I need to go on, for the crew’s sake – but the thought-wolves could take you back to the Aurora. You’ll be safer in the forest with them. Of course, that’s if they even want to help out any more. If I don’t make it back within a moon-cycle and they’ve mended the ship, you can fly back to Lontown and present any evidence you have. It should be enough to prove your father’s innocence.”
Arthur shook his head. “No. We need to make it to South Polaris, for him.”
Harriet nodded. “I thought you would say that. But you must promise me, no more secrets.”
They nodded. Then they all grabbed their packs, plus food from the stores of the Violetta that Felicity thought was still safe to eat.
The thought-wolves listened quietly to Arthur’s thoughts explaining Tuyok’s fate. For a few agonizing moments, nothing was said, but then Kinapak, the wolf with grey rings around her eyes, spoke.
“Tuyok was always a wolf of great valour and generous in spirit. We will honour him by helping you as far as we can across the lake. This will give you a head start.”
Arthur’s heart nearly broke at this.
They moved slower across the frozen lake, stopping frequently for the wolves to sniff the air and listen to the groans of the ice. The lights coming from the Victorious became distant and the enormous mountain peaks loomed ever bigger beneath the night sky.
“Maybe they’re not coming straight after us?” Maudie said.
“We did catch her unprepared,” said Felicity.
“But you can bet she’ll be speeding now and will be off before daybreak,” said Harriet.
After a while, a pale blue glow seeped across the sky and the stars became less bright. The thought-wolves came to a stop, still some distance from the base of the mountains, which rose to unimaginable heights before them, as if the world simply ended at a massive stone wall.
“We must leave you here and return to our pack. This is as far as we can go, as the ice may be too unsafe for our size in the rising sun.”
“We understand, thank you,” Arthur said. He hugged Slartok and he knew that thoughts of Tuyok weighed heavily on them both.
“Thought-wolves have a saying, cub – until we will meet once again in tomorrow’s snow.”
The amber glow of the rising sun shone in the east. With a lump in his throat, Arthur watched the thought-wolves head back across the ice.
CHAPTER 25
THE ICE LAKE
The last stage of the frozen lake spread before them, bright and blue, veined with white cracks and fissures. They moved cautiously but swiftly, with Harriet leading them onwards, prodding the ice as they went.
Arthur and Maudie kept glancing over their shoulders.
“Don’t worry, there’s still no sign of them,” said Harriet.
“Which is strange, don’t you think?” said Felicity.
“I do, but all we can do is worry about ourselves and keep pushing forward. Maybe they’ve run into a technical problem.”
They carried on and after a morning’s walk they were almost at the base of the mountains. The sun was at its warmest and even though the temperatures were still freezing, the ice beneath their feet had more movement to it. It cracked and groaned as though it was alive and didn’t much want them there. Harriet took her compass from her belt to check the direction, while Maudie looked through her binoscope trying to find a tunnel entrance.
“I, for one, could do with a cup of tea. The sooner we get to the mountain and can start a fire, the better,” said Felicity.
“I can’t see anything that might be an opening.” Maudie tapped the binoscope against her leg.
“Give it to me,” Arthur said.
“Because you have magical eyes or something?” she tutted.
But she was right, of course. Arthur couldn’t see any openings either. He gave the binoscope to Harriet.
“There’s nothing obvious, but sometimes you’ve got to look beyond. See how those rocks over there are balanced curiously on top of one another?” She pointed and passed Arthur the binoscope.
He could see boulders piled up in one section against the sheer mountain face. “Yes,” he answered.
“How do you think they got there?”
Arthur thought about it. “An avalanche at some point in the past?”
“Exactly. Which means an entrance could be hidden. There! Look at the dark patch above the pile of rocks straight ahead. That might be an entrance.”
Arthur took several steps forward with the binoscope, watching the shadowed rocks, feeling as though he could almost reach out and touch them. He felt impatient to make progress. What if that small piece of hope lingering inside him was true – he knew the chances were small, but what if Dad had made it to the mountain?
An almighty crack sounded as the ice split. Arthur’s feet disappeared beneath him.
Ice cold stung every part of him and flashes of white and blue were all around. His whole body felt as though it was on fire; his hand and fingers wouldn’t move. A hundred things ran through his head at once, like if he kicked he might send himself further below, beneath the ice for ever. His backpack dragged him down, while the air in his iron arm made it lurch upward, but it wasn’t buoyant enough to pull him back to the surface. He tried not to panic or breathe, but his body gasped and snatched for air and water flooded into
his lungs and the pain was terrifying – then everything went dark.
The next thing he knew he was choking and spluttering, Maudie was crying, Harriet was soaked and Felicity was looking over him, pale as the ice itself.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Felicity put her hand to his cheek. Parthena landed beside him but stayed a little back, tilting her head with concern
Arthur couldn’t speak. Everything hurt. Maudie pounced on him, pulling him to her in a huge hug. “You’re breathing! Harriet was so quick – she saw the ice go beneath you and dived straight in.”
“We need to make a fire and get you warm and dry,” Harriet stuttered through chattering teeth and blue lips.
“And you too, Harriet. You’ll have to let someone else take the lead for a moment,” Felicity said.
Arthur felt dizzy, sick and freezing to the core.
Felicity and Maudie gathered the kit.
“Come on, this ice isn’t looking good and my feet are tingling a fair bit. We can’t wait. I’ll take the stick and check ahead. Can you walk, Arthur?” Felicity helped him up and put his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll take your weight, twinnie.”
“I’ll take Harriet’s equipment and help her.” Maudie paused. “But where’s your compass? And the binoscope?”
They froze and looked at Harriet.
“I had it in my hand – I lost it beneath,” she said.
Arthur felt hollow. He’d lost them the one piece of navigational equipment that could help them find their way under the mountain, and Harriet’s binoscope.
“The binoscope we can do without as I still have my uniscope,” Maudie said. “But how will we find our way without the compass? The way-finder needs a horizon and stars, so that’ll be absolutely useless under the mountain.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do now, best not dwell on it. Let’s get you both out of those wet things, or not having a compass will be the least of our worries,” said Felicity.
Each step felt as though they were stepping on glass. They’d seen what could happen if they put a foot wrong. Sometimes the ice would moan beneath them and they would freeze, shuddering with cold, too scared to move forward. But Felicity led them onwards prodding the ice before them as they went, pausing, reading the ice with her great feet until eventually they reached the edge of the mountain.
Arthur had never been so pleased to walk on rock again. Felicity located the small opening, and they climbed through.
Inside, it opened into a cave. It was too dark to see how big it was, but the echo of Felicity’s voice travelled a long way. They unloaded their equipment not far from the entrance where they still had a little light. Felicity’s backpack was like a magic bag and she soon had all manner of things laid out on the rocky floor. She lit a fire with some dry shrubs she’d brought from the forest.
Maudie helped Harriet and Arthur out of their wet clothes and wrapped them in blankets by the fire. She silently made a makeshift line tied between rocks to dry their clothes over the fire. She took off Arthur’s arm for him to dry off, removing the page folded inside and carefully adding it to the line. She rubbed the arm with a cloth by the fire, and then she said she wanted to keep an eye on the entrance in case the Vane crew arrived. She placed herself by the opening, and took the arm for further oiling and polishing.
Soon Felicity handed out tea and dried marsh cakes.
“Felicity, I can’t believe you fit all this in your bag,” Arthur said.
“Of course, dearie – I don’t go anywhere without tea.”
The warm, honeyed drink was the best thing Arthur had ever drunk. Parthena flew into the cave and nestled by his feet to warm them. The feeling in his toes and fingers slowly returned, and Arthur was soon sleeping, with Harriet fast asleep beside him.
When he next woke, the tunnel had darkened. Maudie and Felicity were now dozing by the fire.
“It’s the short night again, Arthur,” Harriet whispered. “You’ve had a good sleep, and I haven’t been awake long.”
But she still looked pale.
“Perhaps you should rest some more,” he said.
She passed him a handful of dried fruit and seeds to nibble on and a canister of water. “I’ll let you into a secret, Arthur. I’m not very good at sitting still for too long.”
“I’d noticed.”
They both smiled.
“Maudie and Felicity did a good job of sorting the equipment and drying the clothes, and the oilskin lining of your bag managed to keep the contents pretty dry.” She handed him his explorer’s journal.
Arthur flicked through the pages that now had damp marks around the edges, but the writing was intact.
“I’ve taken a quick look ahead and the cavern opens out even more. There’s a good chance the cave system goes straight through the mountain. These appear to be the ancient volcanic chambers and lava tubes I had hoped we’d find here.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“It’s all right, the thermal activity seems minimal, I don’t think there’s a threat.”
Maudie’s eyes flickered open. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks,” he said.
She nodded, but there was a strange tightness to her expression. She flipped over to face away.
“What’s the matter? I said I’m all right.”
Maudie sat up. “I’m angry with you, Arthur. In fact, I’m flipping furious.”
“What?”
“I’ll check the entrance,” said Harriet, leaving them.
Felicity snored.
Maudie’s whisper was quiet but fierce. “It’s always about you and what you want.”
“What the clinking cogs are you going on about?”
“You nearly died on that lake.”
“I didn’t exactly fall in on purpose.”
“But you weren’t looking properly or thinking. You had your eye on what you wanted. Like when you dashed off alone in the forest, and when you decided to go to the Victorious. You were only thinking of yourself and how you wanted to do things.”
“What do you mean? You want to find out the truth as much as I do.”
“Yes, but not at the risk of everything. Making a stupid decision cost poor Tuyok his life.”
“You know I feel terrible about Tuyok.” Arthur looked away, his chest tight.
“Do you know why I came on this expedition?”
“To find out what really happened and to clear the Brightstorm name, of course.”
She shook her head and drew a long breath. “I came because I know what it means to you, Arty. I knew you would do this anyway, whatever I said, and I couldn’t bear to lose the only family I’ve got left in this world. You’re so relentless in your need for the truth, I had no choice.”
“Don’t be silly, of course you wanted to.”
“I do want the truth, but not at any cost. My legacy to Mum and Dad’s memory is to stay alive and show that some good came of them. To restore the Brightstorm name to greatness by making my mark on the world. You’ve been hanging on to this thought that somehow he might have survived, but we both know that was a fool’s hope. It’s been over a year; you’ve seen what it’s like here, and it’s not even the depths of winter.”
Harriet glanced over her shoulder at them.
Arthur felt dreadful – he’d been so wrapped up in himself he hadn’t even thought to consider what Maudie wanted. He’d just assumed – they were twins after all. But as he thought back he realized there had been times she had tried to tell him, he just hadn’t wanted to hear her. After a long silence, Arthur crawled across and hugged her. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, part of me loves what we’re doing too. But it’s always been on your terms, and you need to consider others more.” She stood up, straightened her oilskin jacket and brushed down her trousers. “Let me help you with your arm. Your shoulder probably needs balm where it rubs and I need to oil the hinges again or they’ll seize, and it needs a polish.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Maud.”
“Or me you.” She paused. “And one more thing.”
“Anything.”
“Can you stop this habit of falling into dangerous things? It’s not good for my nerves!”
They laughed and Felicity suddenly snored so loudly she woke herself. She looked around flustered. “Something occurring, twinnies?” Harriet, what are you doing keeping watch – you should be resting.”
“I’m fine, Miss Wiggety. Arthur and I have both slept and I’m keen we keep our advantage over the Vane crew.”
“So what next?” said Arthur.
Harriet re-joined them. “If the inside of this mountain is an enormous system of ancient lava tubes and caverns, I’m sure there’s a good chance we could make it all the way through.”
Arthur sighed. “Except now we don’t have a compass, and as Maudie said, the way-finder is useless without stars and a horizon to guide us.”
“We could get lost and go around in circles for days,” Felicity said.
Arthur thought for a moment. There was always a way. “If we could choose the routes going in the most southerly direction, we would stand a better chance of finding a way out to the other side. We don’t have a compass, but what if we could make one.” Arthur looked at Maudie.
Maudie drifted into the thoughtful faraway look she always got when she was engineering, because the seeing was happening in her brain. She drummed her fingers on the stone floor. After a moment she said, “If only we had a pin and some water.”
“We will likely find pools in the chambers leading off here, if that helps?” said Harriet.
Maudie nodded. “But we still need an iron pointer.” Their thoughts collided. They all looked at Arthur’s iron arm.
“Genius,” they said together.
CHAPTER 26
UNDER THE
MOUNTAIN
They couldn’t wait to pack up and find the first cavern with a water pool to try out the idea. First, they made a longer lasting torch-fire, using special sap which Harriet had brought, spread on to wrapped up strips of clothes they’d sacrificed. Harriet took charge of marking their way by arranging small stones into the shape of arrows at the entrances so that they would be able to find the way back. They made their way through several tunnels before they entered a huge cavern. It took Arthur’s breath away. Great stalagmites rose from the floor and enormous stalactites loomed above. Thousands of tiny blue lights illuminated the cave ceiling – it was like entering a magical underground world.