‘Dragonlore,’ she gasped, trying to jump and reach the book. ‘It’s too high up.’
‘Try this,’ said Archie, pulling out four larger books from a lower shelf and placing them on top of each other.
Holly stood on top of the pile and grabbed the spine of the book. She tried to pull it out. ‘It’s stuck,’ she said, only succeeding in tilting it at an angle.
‘It’s not a book, it’s a switch,’ said Archie.
A section of books had vanished, revealing a blank screen. The screen flickered and then a desert landscape appeared.
‘It’s the film,’ said Holly.
They watched as the camera moved across the scene. They heard Theo Leggett’s voice giving instructions to the cameraman. The shot zoomed in and found the two spiky dragons moving on the shimmering horizon, sending clouds of dust up as they fought.
‘That’s so cool,’ said Archie.
‘But where’s the actual film?’ said Holly.
A voice outside interrupted them. ‘Holly, Archie, come along now. It’s time to go home.’ It was Big Hair.
‘Come on, we’d better put everything back,’ said Archie.
‘But we haven’t found the film,’ protested Holly.
‘At least we know it’s in here somewhere,’ said Archie.
Holly pushed the false book back and replaced the other books as they had found them.
The desert disappeared and, once again, was replaced by the image of book spines.
Holly and Archie went back into the main building, where the others were standing in the hall.
‘I trust that you found a way to amuse yourselves in my stuffy old house,’ said Mr Buchanan.
‘We played hide-and-seek,’ said Holly.
‘It was fun,’ added Archie.
‘I’m glad it wasn’t too boring for you,’ replied the billionaire.
Chapter 20
Following the yellow van across town, Dirk found he was enjoying himself. As he leapt from roof to roof, he recited the opening lines from the voice-over that ran through The Big Zero.
‘In some stories,’ Dirk muttered, ‘the kind they like to tell you in Hollywood, the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose. Well, I live in the real Hollywood and I can tell you that in real life it ain’t like that. In my experience, the bad guys get their fair share of winning too.’
The van parked in a side street and the two long-haired men in flared trousers stepped out.
‘All I’m saying is that we got to give Buchanan something really good, Frank, man,’ said Hunter.
‘That’s what I’m talking about,’ replied Frank, slamming the car door shut. ‘It was a classic cover-up story – no pictures, no one remembers what happened. He’s the most reliable source we got.’
‘Reliable? I think we must have different dictionaries, man.’
‘You know what I mean, Hunter.’
The two men walked to the end of the road, where there was a bookshop called Unknown Worlds. Outside, a man in a mushroom hat strummed a guitar underneath some wind chimes. As Hunter and Frank entered the shop, Dirk caught a whiff of burning incense. Dirk knew the sort of place. Inside would be material on every conspiracy theory known to man. There would be books on angels, fairies, aliens and dragons and not one word of fact in any of them.
When they came out, Frank was carrying a large pile of books.
‘I don’t know why you waste your time on this, man,’ said Hunter. ‘When it comes to dragons, there’s only one book you need.’ He pulled out a battered copy of Dragonlore from his pocket and waved it in Frank’s face.
‘Yeah, but what about …’ Frank lowered his voice, ‘the Turning Stone, man. Imagine the sort of money Buchanan would pay for that! We could move out of our mums’ houses, and set up the business properly, man. A proper office, rather than the back room of a laundrette.’
‘We got to give him something solid,’ said Hunter.
Frank stopped. ‘Well, you know what I think? I think Minertia had it. I think she buried it with the rest of her treasure.’
‘Hidden treasure. Man, I worry about you sometimes. How are we going to ever get taken seriously with you going on about hidden treasure and alien cats?’
‘I believe what I believe, man. Find Minertia’s treasure, you find the Turning Stone, man.’
Hunter picked up the top book from the pile that Frank was carrying. ‘And you’re going to find it in Men are from Mars, Dragons are from Pluto, man? You’re hopping down mad alley in crazy town, Frank.’
The two men reached the car and Hunter opened the door so Frank could climb in with his books.
Dirk’s mind was racing. He knew the Turning Stone was real. It was said that whoever possessed it would have power over all dragonkind. So was Frank’s theory so crazy? It made sense that Minertia would have had it. That would explain why Vainclaw and Karnataka were desperate to get their hands on Minertia’s treasure. Karnataka’s words came back to him. ‘If you knew what I know, knowing you, you’d be looking for it too …’ and, ‘If you knew what I know, you wouldn’t help me find it.’ Of course! Karnataka knew about the Turning Stone and he knew that Dirk wouldn’t trust him with something so powerful any more than he would trust Vainclaw with it.
‘Hey, Hunter, that cat’s looking at me.’
A tabby cat was scratching itself against a nearby wall.
‘Don’t act wacko, man,’ said Hunter.
‘It’s got alien eyes, man, alien eyes,’ said Frank, slamming the door shut.
‘You know, you got to get past the cat thing,’ said Hunter, getting into the driver’s seat. ‘It’s holding you back, man.’
When Holly and Archie arrived back at the house, they ran upstairs to Holly’s room, shut the door and went out on to the balcony.
‘Dirk?’ said Holly.
‘I’m blended on the roof above you,’ said Dirk. ‘We need to be quick. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. What news?’
‘It’s in the round building surrounded by scaffolding,’ said Holly. ‘There are cameras all around but none inside. We guess Buchanan doesn’t want anyone seeing what happens in there.’
‘Any indication that he suspects you?’ asked Dirk.
‘No. He let us run around wherever we wanted,’ said Holly. ‘If he knew about you and me, he’d be more cautious, wouldn’t he?’
‘Unless he wanted you to find the film,’ said Dirk.
‘But it was you that discovered he had the film, not us,’ said Archie.
‘True, but still be careful, both of you,’ said Dirk. ‘We shouldn’t meet again. It’s too risky.’
‘I’ve got the book for you,’ said Archie, pulling out the history of Sands Mansion.
‘Hold it up,’ said Dirk.
Archie did so and Dirk’s red tail dropped into view, wrapped itself around the book and took it. ‘Thanks,’ he said.
‘Will you go and get it tonight?’ said Holly.
‘No. I’ll need time to study the book and work out a way around the cameras,’ said Dirk. ‘My guess is that a man like Buchanan won’t go public with this straight away. Besides, something else has come up. I’m going to be out of town for a couple of days.’
‘Isn’t that a bit of a gamble?’ said Archie.
‘Maybe, but my gut tells me that anyone as wealthy as Buchanan is going to want to keep a secret like this to himself for a while.’
‘Where are you going?’ asked Archie.
‘I’m going underground,’ said Dirk.
Chapter 21
Just outside the city, in a quiet spot, Dirk came to a standstill on a suitable rock and politely asked it to take him down. The rock, being rock, obliged unquestioningly.
He travelled for a while in darkness and then the orange glow of earthlight filled the sphere of shifting stone, making it possible to read the book Archie had given him. Past the lithosphere tunnel it grew lighter and the heat became uncomfortable. The pages of the book turned brown as the hea
t cooked them. As Dirk turned the last page, the whole book crumbled to ash. Still, he had read enough.
Eventually, Dirk felt the rock beneath him pull away. He braced himself, remembering how hot the banks of the Outer Core had been the last time he visited. As he felt himself tumble down, he curled up into a ball, protecting his soft underbelly from the scorching pebbles by the fiery lake that hissed and bubbled angrily. He sprang to his feet and headed along the beach.
The Outer Core wasn’t exactly a popular tourist retreat and for some time Dirk walked without seeing a soul. Eventually he found the wingless Firedrake sitting by the lakeside, using a long-handled ladle to fill a line of flasks with the contents of the lake. The Firedrake had tough skin, with rows of tiny holes on its back. A pair of crudely fashioned sunglasses, made from the same black metal as the ladle and flasks, rested on his upturned nose.
‘Shute Hobcraft,’ said Dirk.
‘Dirk Dilly, dude,’ replied the Firedrake, looking up. ‘Watch this.’
Shute picked up one of the flasks, opened it and poured its scalding contents into his mouth. He crouched down, with a look of concentration on his face, and suddenly a jet of steam shot from a hole on the lower part of his back with such force that it propelled him forward. Dirk dodged out of the way as the Firedrake whizzed past him, spinning over and landing upside down on the beach in fits of giggles.
‘What a rush, dude. Help me up, will you, Dirk?’
Dirk pulled Shute to his feet.
‘Still taking your job seriously, then,’ said Dirk.
‘Hey, I can’t help it if I make work fun,’ said Shute.
Shute Hobcraft’s job was to check how hot the Outer Core was. The slightest drop in temperature meant that there was a dragon in it, and that a banished dragon was trying to escape from the Inner Core. If this happened, Shute would alert the authorities, who would catch the escapee.
‘I’ve come to ask you about Minertia,’ said Dirk.
‘Oh yeah, dude, she was one big dragon.’
‘You were the last one to see her before she was sent down. Any idea what she did with her treasure?’ asked Dirk.
‘You’re not the first to ask me,’ said Shute. ‘Every so often, some gold-greedy dragon comes asking about it. The last time it was a Mountain Dragon, like yourself, and a Sea Dragon. I forget their names.’
‘Jegsy and Flotsam?’ asked Dirk.
‘That was them,’ said Shute. ‘They seemed like bad sorts to me, dude, but I didn’t think looting was your bag, Dirk.’
‘It’s not. I don’t care about the gold,’ said Dirk.
‘Well, I can’t help. I’ve no idea what she did with it.’ Shute downed the contents of the flask. Steam shot from all of the holes on his back. ‘Woo hoo, that’s hot,’ he said.
‘Did she say anything to you at all?’
‘She was more of a thinker than a speaker. She could read your mind, you know,’ said Shute. ‘I was wondering why she didn’t try to make a run for it, because she only had three Drakes holding her down and, like I say, she was a fair-sized dragon. She turned to me and I heard her speak in my head: “I helped define these laws. I will not break them.” Then she jumped straight in, not a second thought. It was pretty mad to watch.’
‘That’s all she said?’ said Dirk.
‘Sorry, dude.’
‘Rats!’ said Dirk, wondering what to do next.
‘You could go and ask her, I guess,’ said Shute.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Dirk.
‘I mean, if I really wanted to know something like that I’d swim down to the Inner Core and ask her. She wouldn’t tell you if you were a gold-digger but she might if you had good intentions … providing she’s still alive.’
‘You’re crazy. Swim down through that?’ said Dirk, stepping back from the lake. ‘I’d die.’
‘Die, dude?’ said Shute. ‘No way, this is the life force. Sure, it’s hot. I’m not saying it won’t sting a little but it won’t kill you. It’s where we all start life, isn’t it?’ Shute threw an empty flask into the lake. As it hit the surface, red boiling liquid splashed back and the flask sank, sending black smoke up.
Dirk walked to the edge of the lake and looked in. He tried to think of an option that didn’t involve having to swim through it. He could simply walk away and hope that Vainclaw had no better luck finding the Turning Stone. But Vainclaw wouldn’t give up so easily, and if he found it, then what? Ultimate war. And if Shute was right that Minertia could read minds, then she would know he didn’t want it for himself. He looked at the scorching lake with grim determination.
‘Hey, dude, you’re going to do it, aren’t you? That’s what I like about you, dude. You’re a thrill-seeker like me,’ said Shute gleefully. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t call the Dragnet on you. I’ll allow for two heat dips, one when you go down, another when you come back up.’
Dirk dipped a claw into the lava. It wasn’t too bad.
He tried a paw.
‘Grearrghouch!’ he screeched. ‘Rats in grass skirts, that’s hot!’
‘The trick is to just jump straight in,’ said Shute.
‘See you round, Shute,’ said Dirk, gritting his teeth and wading into the lake.
The scorching liquid surrounded him, scalding the skin on his legs. Dirk took a deep breath and dived in, fully submerging his body. The agony was unspeakable. He would have screamed but to open his mouth would only have increased the pain. He felt his soft underbelly blister and harden. He swam down, feeling like he was being deep-fried. Crispy-fried dragon, he thought.
It was too much. He turned around and tried to swim back up but he felt disorientated. He no longer knew which way was up. The more he swam the hotter he got. Even through his eyelids, the light was as intense as the heat. It was like swimming through the sun. I’m going to die, he thought. Shute was wrong. This is going to kill me.
His limbs gave up. He stopped moving. He was too tired. He had no energy. So this is how it ends, he thought. My life ends where it began, in the fire of the Outer Core. Dirk felt strangely calmed by this idea.
Then a voice that was not his own grew inside his head, saying, IT IS NOT YOUR TIME TO DIE YET, and something grabbed him. He was too weak to fight it as it hauled him out of the liquid fire.
At last, he gasped for breath but his lungs were only filled with stale, hot, dry air.
‘I think he’s dead,’ he heard a voice say.
Chapter 22
Dirk opened his eyes to see an upside-down Sea Dragon peering at him.
‘Oh no, hang on, he’s alive,’ she said.
Dirk felt so hot that he would have peeled off his own skin to cool down. He had a headache of epic proportions and he was exhausted.
‘How many claws am I holding up?’ said the Sea Dragon.
‘Three,’ said Dirk.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Dirk Dilly.’
‘What’s your favourite food?’
‘Baked beans,’ replied Dirk.
‘Yep, he’s OK,’ she said, moving back.
‘Where am I?’ asked Dirk.
‘A human would call it hell,’ said a male Shade-Hugger, stepping into view, lowering his brown head to get a closer look at him. ‘We dragons are more clinical in our descriptions. Welcome to the Inner Core, friend.’ There was something familiar about his face – something in the eyes.
Dirk took in his surroundings. The solid surface he stood on was translucent like frosted glass and full of huge holes. Below, the Outer Core bubbled and hissed angrily. Above and all around were more interlinking chambers, creating a matrix of interconnected caves that resembled a giant beehive.
‘Here, have some water,’ said the Shade-Hugger, offering Dirk a black metal flask. Dirk noticed that both his and the Sea Dragon’s skin were covered in severe burn marks.
He took the flask and unscrewed the top but as soon as air hit the water it turned to steam.
The Shade-Hugger and Sea Dragon laughed.
‘The trick is to knock it back quickly,’ said the Sea Dragon, handing him another.
This time Dirk managed to feel a couple of droplets on his tongue before it vaporised.
‘Who are you?’ he said.
‘This is Almaz Bartosz,’ said the Shade-Hugger, introducing the Sea Dragon. ‘My name is Elsinor Cuddlums.’
‘You’re Karny’s brother,’ said Dirk.
‘You know Karnataka?’ said Elsinor.
‘Yeah, he’s an old friend. He’s mentioned you. You were the one who attacked a Romanian village,’ said Dirk.
‘That’s what I was convicted of, certainly,’ he said, with a bitter laugh. ‘I’ve never even been to Romania. There are many guilty dragons down here but we who are innocent stick together.’
‘What’s your story?’ Dirk asked Almaz.
‘Another Sea Dragon called Salt Sheasby accused me of being a Kinghorn,’ she replied, ‘just so she could steal my seaweed farm. If I ever see her again, I’ll tear her apart.’
‘And what about you, Mountain Dragon?’ said Elsinor. ‘Are you guilty of your crime?’
HE HAS NOT BEEN BANISHED. HE CAME HERE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL.
Dirk felt the words in his head. He turned round. At first all he could make out were two yellow circles, even brighter than everything else. Then the circles vanished and reappeared in what Dirk realised was a blink. The two enormous eyes were set into a dragon’s face, bigger than any he had ever seen. He didn’t need to ask her name. He recognised the voice. It hadn’t changed in the thousand years since the last time he had heard it at the conference in the Himalayas.
‘Minertia,’ he said, bowing his head. It was her voice he had heard in the liquid fire.
‘Minertia found you in the Outer Core,’ said Elsinor. ‘She told us where you were and we hauled you in.’
YOU COME SEEKING THE TURNING STONE. Minertia spoke in Dirk’s head but he could tell the others could hear too.
The Case of the Stolen Film Page 9