Beast World

by George Ivanoff

  ‘What about the upper tiers?’ asked Lex.

  ‘Ah, yes.’ Lord Edwin deflated a little. ‘Well, those will have an even better view. The middle tier is reserved for the tigers of the royal court. And the top tier is, of course, for the royal family and the other lions.’

  ‘What’s this over here?’ asked Xandra, pointing to the north side of the building, which was much wider than the south side.

  ‘The north side includes a locomotive station,’ said Lord Edwin. ‘Three levels. The general public use the lower station. The nobility use the middle station. The Queen will arrive in the royal locomotive at the upper station, which leads directly onto the third-level platform.’

  ‘That’s it,’ said Xandra. ‘That’s where we’ll talk to her.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Lex, still frowning at the plans, ‘but what do we actually do? Come running up to meet her as she gets off the train?’

  ‘It may be best to wait until after she has made her speech,’ suggested Archie.

  ‘What will happen after the speech?’ asked Xandra.

  ‘The Queen will return to her carriage for morning tea,’ explained Lord Edwin. ‘Then she will tour the exhibits.’

  ‘Perfect!’ said Xandra. ‘As she is making her speech, we’ll sneak aboard her carriage and wait for her to come back.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Lex examined the plans. ‘We’ll need somewhere to hide when the train arrives. Somewhere close to the royal carriage.’

  ‘There.’ Lord Edwin tapped a spot on the plans. ‘Storeroom. Right near the tracks.’

  ‘Well, that settles it,’ concluded Xandra.

  ‘Not quite,’ said Archie. ‘I think we need to say thank you. Xandra and Lex … this is not your world. This is not your Queen. This is not your problem. And yet you are helping. So, from the bottom of my heart, I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude.’

  ‘Yes, indeed!’ said Tesla.

  ‘Quite,’ added Lord Edwin, grudgingly.

  Xandra blushed … then yawned.

  ‘Perhaps it is time you had some rest,’ suggested Lord Edwin. ‘All this kidnapping, escaping and planning must be rather wearisome. Your rooms are ready and …’ He paused for a moment, scowling. ‘… unlocked! We cannot do anything until dark. So go and sleep. In the meantime, I shall arrange for some clothing that is suitable for the job that awaits.’

  The four of them were dressed in black this time, faces covered, as they slunk through the night along the perimeter fence of Bird-Hide Park. While the others all wore pants, Xandra’s outfit included an ankle-length skirt to accommodate her exoskeleton.

  Tesla led the little group towards the break in the fence where the train tracks entered. The police rhino on guard had fallen asleep, sitting up against the fence. It wasn’t hard for them to sneak past him onto the rails.

  Under cover of darkness they followed the tracks up into the station. Proceeding through the lower station, they took a service stairway up to the third level, where the royal locomotive would arrive. Following the route the Queen herself would take, they stepped off the station into the Crystalline Palace.

  Xandra and Lex gasped.

  ‘My goodness,’ said Archie, ‘it is even more beautiful than I had imagined.’

  ‘It’s like being inside a work of art,’ whispered Xandra.

  As the twins walked along the platform, the ceiling gave way to a high arch of glass and steel. They reached the metre-high wrought-iron railing and looked down.

  Moonlight streamed in through the glass panels of the roof, bathing the enormous space in a soft glow. In the central area, they could see statues, fountains and mini gardens. On either side, the galleries were partitioned into separate areas for each exhibit. Some had curtains over them to conceal the displays, others proudly showed off technological and artistic wonders to the night.

  Xandra felt her attention drawn to the large fountain in the middle, water spurting up from a spire and flowing down over hemispheres of increasing size to a round pool. There was something about the shimmer of the water in the moonlight that caught her eye and held it. It made her think of home.

  ‘Should we be doing this?’ Lex asked in a low voice, as he sidled up to his sister. ‘Like Archie said, this isn’t our problem. Maybe we should be trying to find a way home?’

  ‘We can’t just stand back and let that power-hungry tiger and mad tortoise get away with this. Archie has been kind to us from the moment we met. And Nikole …’ Xandra adjusted her skirt. ‘I’m walking because of her. We can’t abandon them.’ She sighed. ‘Besides. I still think … well, feel … I feel that the way home is here in the Crystalline Palace.’ She paused. ‘You see that fountain down there?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Does it look normal to you?’ asked Xandra. ‘Does the water seem … I dunno … weird?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Archie and Tesla joined them.

  ‘Never mind,’ said Xandra.

  ‘I have a display down there. Just a little space in the far bottom corner,’ whispered Tesla.

  ‘Exhibiting at the Great Exposition,’ said Archie, with obvious pride for his friend. ‘What a remarkable achievement.’

  ‘You really think so?’ Tesla still seemed uncertain.

  ‘Oh, Miss Tesla,’ said Archie. ‘Nikole. I am in awe of you.’

  Archibald Baxter Caractacus Dunlevy the llama and Nikole Tesla the coypu, gazed at one another, briefly caught in a special moment.

  BANG!

  The sound made them all start. Their heads whipped from side to side, searching for the source.

  ‘Be careful, you imbecile.’ The voice echoed from below.

  They all ducked down.

  ‘It’s Grimsby,’ whispered Xandra, recognising the voice. ‘What’s he doing here?’

  ‘This way.’ Although far below them, Grimsby’s voice carried clearly in the quiet, empty night. ‘And if you drop it again I’ll make sure you are on her Ladyship’s next menu.’

  Footsteps echoed through the night. They came closer.

  ‘They are right below us,’ hissed Tesla.

  Xandra and the others pressed their balaclava-covered faces to the ironwork of the railing and peered down.

  Two armadillos carrying a steam engine, followed Lord Grimsby. They passed beneath the platform and entered the first of the display areas to the left, where they proceeded to set up the engine.

  ‘Connect it to the piping and switch it on,’ instructed Grimsby. ‘Now stand back. I need to test the mechanisms. Nothing must go wrong at tomorrow’s opening.’

  The engine below sputtered to life, hissing and clanking, the sound echoing through the palace.

  Xandra saw Grimsby move to a set of levers, the armadillos watching him closely.

  ‘This one is for the barriers,’ he said, pulling the lever.

  There was an enormous jet of steam from below, followed by smaller hisses from copper piping threaded throughout the steel framework all around them. Xandra wondered at its purpose. As the steam pressure increased, the engine’s pistons moved and gears clanked.

  CLANG!

  CLANG!

  CLANG!

  CLANG!

  Steel barriers, like the walls of a jail cell, slid into place enclosing the top tier of the viewing area, across from the Queen’s platform.

  They heard Grimsby’s voice from below. ‘Excellent! The lions will be trapped together, their fate sealed.’ He pushed the lever back and the barriers retracted. The steam ebbed.

  ‘You will pull the lever when the Queen reaches the railing,’ he told the armadillos. ‘Once they are trapped you will pull the second lever.’

  The armadillos nodded.

  ‘Unfortunately, we cannot test it without causing damage,’ he said. ‘I must trust that the architect followed my instructions. The viewing area will collapse, taking with it the lions trapped in the top tier. While my fellow tigers should have enough time to escape.’

  Xandra felt her fury at Lord
Grimsby bubbling up again. She had to find a way to stop him … had to!

  The tiger laughed. It began as a low chuckle that rose in pitch and intensity until it hit an insane level, echoing through the empty palace.

  With a belching of smoke and a puff of steam, the locomotive ground to a halt at the upper station.

  Xandra opened the storeroom door a crack and peered out from where she and Archie were hidden. They had separated from the others in the early hours of the morning, spending their time shifting heavy boxes down to a storeroom on the second level so they would have the room to hide in this one. The work was made more difficult by the need for silence because, although Grimsby had gone, his armadillo accomplices had remained to guard the steam engine.

  Xandra and Archie had finished just in time, as workers began to arrive at dawn, followed soon after by the crowds attending the opening. They had been in the storeroom ever since, waiting for the Queen to arrive, and hoping that Tesla and Lex had managed to achieve their objective as well.

  Now, with the locomotive here, the station was clear of workers. Xandra scanned the area and spotted Lady Mimsy, tucked away to one side of the platform where the queen would deliver her opening address. She reclined lazily in a chair held aloft on poles by four armadillos, puffing and straining under the weight. She was wrapped in scarves and shawls of blue and red. A diamond necklace glittered around her scrawny neck and a jewel encrusted tiara rested on her head.

  The carriage doors hissed open, bringing Xandra’s attention back to where it should be. Two bison in red uniforms with tall fluffy black hats marched out. They carried swords, drawn and held across their chests. They stepped to one side and stood at attention.

  ‘The royal guards,’ whispered Archie.

  Grimsby and a lion emerged next. Dressed in a black suit, the lion had a scar over one closed eye and a monocle in the other. On his head was a simple silver crown, surrounded by the scraggly tufts of his grey-streaked, ginger mane.

  ‘Prince Albert,’ Archie continued his commentary.

  Grimsby and Prince Albert took up positions on either side of the door and waited.

  The Queen was carried out. She stood on a circular dais, paws holding the railing that surrounded her. Horizontal poles attached to the top of the railing allowed four uniformed bison, swords on their belts, to hold the dais aloft, a few centimetres from the floor.

  Victoria was dressed in an elaborate, floor-length gown of orange and yellow with a red-lined cloak.

  Xandra thought she appeared regal and commanding, not at all weak like Grimsby had claimed.

  ‘She is not actually standing,’ explained Archie. ‘Attached to the platform beneath her dress is a metal support with a seat that she is strapped into.’

  ‘Wouldn’t an ambulator be better?’ asked Xandra.

  ‘The Queen refuses to show weakness in public,’ whispered Archie. ‘Most people don’t even know of her … her condition. She prefers to keep it that way. The only reason I know is because Lord Edwin told me.’

  ‘A disability doesn’t have to be a weakness,’ insisted Xandra, voice rising.

  Archie put a hoof to his lips.

  Victoria wore a long chiffon scarf on her head, which trailed down her back, and atop that, a gold crown with curved struts that peaked in the centre around a blood-red ruby. Xandra thought it looked weighty, cumbersome and uncomfortable.

  Albert took his place to her right, and Grimsby fell into line, two paces behind. The guards followed at a respectful distance. They all walked on a red carpet, leading from the station and along the platform, to the railing that overlooked the crowds gathered below. They all ignored Lady Mimsy, except for Grimsby, who shot her an annoyed glance. Xandra thought he seemed surprised to see her there.

  As the royal party moved forward, Xandra and Archie saw two armadillos slip into the locomotive’s engine car. Each of them carried a cudgel.

  ‘They must be taking control of the train,’ whispered Xandra.

  ‘What do we do?’ asked Archie.

  ‘We’ve got to make sure the Queen doesn’t get back on that train.’

  As Queen Victoria approached the railing, a cheer went up from the crowd below. She raised a paw and waved. The cheering increased. As she lowered her paw, the crowds hushed.

  ‘Ladies and Gentlecreatures,’ she began. ‘It is with great …’

  She stopped.

  The sound of steam and pistons and cogs filled the air.

  Victoria turned to Albert. ‘What the devil –’

  CLANG!

  The first of the barriers slid into place in the top tier of the viewing area, beginning to lock the lions in. The Queen looked shocked.

  CLANG!

  The second barrier was in place. There were roars of surprise and alarm from the gathered lions. And from below, gasps and confused mutterings from the crowd.

  CLANG!

  The third barrier. The lions were now getting to their feet. Below them, the tigers swiftly left the platform. And further down, the sounds of unrest increased.

  CLANG! CLUNK! CRASH!

  As it slid down, the final barrier hit an obstruction of steel struts concealed under the curtains. Diverted off its railings, it crashed at an awkward angle, failing to block the doors in the back wall. Xandra let out a sigh of relief. Lex and Tesla had been successful. With one of the barriers diverted, the way was clear for the lions to escape. She saw them begin to make their way off the viewing platform.

  But the sound of steam and machinery increased, pistons and cogs straining to burst from their casing. The hissing steam seemed to come from all around. The building shuddered.

  That’s not good, thought Xandra.

  ‘Do you feel that?’ asked Archie.

  Xandra could see Grimsby attempting to lead Queen Victoria and Prince Albert back to the locomotive. But at the Queen’s command, the bison kept her dais where it was. She looked out across the divide for the lions in the viewing area, which was filling with steam and smoke. The uproar and tumult of the crowd filtered up from the ground level.

  Grimsby appeared shaken, probably concerned that the lions had escaped his trap. He glared at Lady Mimsy, as if he expected her to do something. But she ignored him, taking out an umbrella that had been tucked at the back of her chair. She unfolded it and held it over herself.

  Lex and Tesla came running up the service stairs at the far corner of the station. Xandra and Archie broke cover and ran to join them.

  ‘Grimsby’s got control of the train,’ hissed Xandra. ‘Instead of meeting the Queen there, we need to stop her from getting on.’

  ‘We have more problems,’ gasped Tesla. ‘The pipes. They are interwoven through the entire structure.’

  Xandra gazed around at the copper piping she had noticed earlier. It was threaded through support struts, along the metal framework and across all the railings. She reached out and touched the nearest pipe, pulling her hand back quickly. ‘It’s hot.’

  CRACK!

  Xandra saw fractures appearing the glass roof. ‘Is Grimsby trying to destroy the whole building?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ answered Tesla. ‘I’ve examined the structure. Just the viewing area will collapse. The rest of it is just for show. To cause panic, I assume.’

  SMASH!

  One of the glass panels shattered, dropping shards down onto the station.

  CRACK! SMASH!

  Another broken panel rained glass down onto the crowds below. Panic took hold. Screams filled the air as animals began to stampede.

  CRACK! SMASH! CRACK!

  More glass.

  ‘But there’s something else,’ said Tesla. ‘While examining the pipes and structure, I discovered an enormous furnace in one of the display areas.’

  ‘So?’ Xandra couldn’t see the significance.

  ‘It’s linked to a series of boilers and mechanics in the adjoining areas.’ Tesla seemed concerned. ‘I did not have the time to work out what it is all for … but that fu
rnace is large enough to produce extraordinary amounts of power. A team of armadillos have been stoking it since early this morning.’

  ‘You think Grimsby has something else planned?’ asked Lex.

  ‘It is possible,’ said Tesla.

  CRASH!

  With an ear-splitting screech of metal, the entire viewing area began to collapse. Through all the dust and debris they could barely see what was happening. What Xandra could see was Grimsby leading the royal couple to the locomotive.

  ‘We’ve got to stop them.’ Xandra ran forward, pulling off her balaclava. The others followed, removing their face coverings as well, the need for stealth gone. The guards moved into position ahead of their Queen, swords extended.

  Xandra noticed Queen Victoria’s mouth drop open as she saw two human beings running towards her, accompanied by a llama and a coypu.

  ‘We are astonished,’ she said, as they came to a stop before her and the royal party.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ said Archie and Tesla together, both dropping to one knee.

  ‘Get out of the way,’ growled Grimsby. ‘We need to get Her Highness out of here before the whole place collapses. The architect shall pay dearly for his incompetence.’

  ‘But he was following your orders,’ Lex shouted, stabbing a finger at Grimsby.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ pleaded Xandra. It seemed inconceivable to her that a queen would take the word of some ordinary kid over that of her High Chancellor … but she had to try. ‘Don’t get on that train. It is under Lord Grimsby’s control. He intends to steal your throne and feed you to Lady Mimsy.’