by Scott Monk
‘So it was you who broke into the palace. It was you who chased us through the city and from that church. And it was you who scared the horses from their stalls. We never saw you – only heard you – so it was easy to mistake you for a monster.’
‘If you had spotted me, then you too would have disappeared.’
His vivid blue eyes shone with a mixture of malice and cheek. ‘Oh, and thank you for returning this,’ he said, rolling the dead man’s ring across his knuckles. Michael removed his gauntlet, only to find the ring stolen. ‘I’ve been searching for this for some time now. A certain member of the Jewellers’ Guild was very crafty to pass it on to you, hoping it would lead you to me. Pity, like the thief who pawned it to him, he also lost his freedom. The last thing we want is for one to fall into the hands of our enemies.’ He turned and glowered at the sun harlequin.
‘Hey, goldie!’ Luke yelled out. ‘Who does this remind you of?’ He opened his jaw and rolled his head left to right like a carnival clown. ‘Anyone been busy putting ping-pong balls down your big, ugly mouth?’
The black harlequin shook his head. ‘Lady of Hearts, teach our guest some manners.’
A glass sphere shattered against Luke’s cage and released yellow gas. Against his will, he started sobbing.
‘Oh no, my lady,’ the black harlequin added. ‘Not tear gas. The noise is atrocious. How about something more cheerful.’
She lobbed a second globe. Blue vapour seeped from it and turned Luke into a giggling madman.
‘Stop it!’ Samantha screamed. ‘You’re poisoning him.’
‘Just like a rat,’ the black harlequin quipped.
He glanced up when the purple harlequin called out from a balcony. ‘Boss, take a look at this.’ He held both Michael and Samantha’s swords in his hands. They shuddered in his grip the further he moved away from the cages. Michael’s armour shook too. ‘It’s just like the boy’s jetpack.’
The Fireflies cupped their hands and vaulted their leader to the top level. ‘Interesting,’ he said, testing the swords himself. ‘Whose handiwork is this?’
‘What should I do with them?’ the purple harlequin asked. ‘They might fly back into the children’s hands.’
‘Chain them to a column. Make sure they have no chance of slipping out. Come dusk, it won’t be our problem.’
‘And this?’ he asked, holding out the conch.
The black harlequin dropped it on the boulder below and watched it shatter. ‘Their friend has his own problems.’ The triplets protested as he turned to the others in his troupe. ‘The rest of you, to the skysled. Time to make an appearance at the Queen’s party.’
‘Leave Oriana alone!’ Michael yelled. ‘She’s done nothing to you!’
The black harlequin laughed as the others started leaving behind him. ‘Don’t worry, Michael Bowman. Your little doll is quite safe. Why would I kidnap the Queen and bring the wrath of Pacifico upon us? A secret police cannot operate if it’s not a secret.’
‘Wark! Wark! Wark!’ the Vulture sang. ‘Be good little birdies, won’t you?’
‘Why are you even on this world?’ Michael pressed. ‘Pacifico is peaceful. It shouldn’t need people like you.’
‘But it does, as all cities do,’ the black harlequin said, descending to their level. ‘There are always secrets to uncover and secrets to protect. Your beloved Pacifico is not as perfect as it pretends.’
‘What secrets?’
‘You don’t want to know, little knight. No one does. If they did, then the nobles would think twice before accepting money from the government to produce their operas and plays.’
Samantha gripped the iron bars. ‘“Who suffers to let Pacifico live in peace?”’
‘What?’ Michael asked.
‘Remember what Cavalli said before they kidnapped him? He warned us that the city’s food, money and clothes came from someplace other than Pacifico.’
‘The Broken Isles!’
‘Clever children,’ the black harlequin said. ‘Now push yourselves. You’re putting the puzzle together.’
‘Something must be valuable here – something that you’re protecting at all costs,’ Samantha said.
‘In the warehouse,’ Luke said, between laughing fits, ‘I found drills and mining equipment.’
‘Go on,’ the black harlequin urged excitedly. ‘Say it. We’re mining the Broken Isles for –’
There was a moment of defeat until Michael saw the light reflect off the black harlequin’s mask. It was the same substance Lady Isabelle had found Guido holding while asleep in his study. ‘Gold,’ he whispered.
Michael staggered away from the bars, embarrassed at how ignorant he’d been. They’d been surrounded by it since arriving at the capital. The palace was furnished with it. Metalworkers made trinkets from it. Mansions and carriages were bought with it. Only one group seemed to miss out on it.
The black harlequin delighted in their shock. ‘So if the nobles are too lazy to work, and the rest of the Pacificans are unwilling to do manual labour, who do you then force to mine that very same gold?’
The question hit like a second punch. They all cowered from the answer.
Finally, Samantha broke the silence: ‘Slaves.’
The last of the harlequins vanished through an opening on the top level. A hover vehicle waited for them outside, kicking up dust and pebbles. Their leader tapped the hidden earpiece on the side of his gold mask, nodded and warned them to keep watch for ‘savages’.
‘It’s the Scorned, isn’t it?’ Michael said. ‘They’re your slaves. They’re the same natives you talked about earlier – the ones who think this mountain is haunted. They either work in your mines or flee to Pacifico. But that means –’
‘Yes?’
‘– the Broken Islands are their home and –’
‘And what?’
‘– you’ve conquered them.’
The black harlequin strolled along a broken edge, pleased with their insight. ‘Close, my boy. We harlequins haven’t conquered these islands for ourselves. No, it’s for Pacifico – your beloved city of peace.’
The triplets gripped the bars. ‘You’re lying!’ Michael said.
‘Let me fill you in on the blanks, shall I?’ the black harlequin said, retracing his steps. ‘Pacifico is like a hippopotamus in a small pond. It’s grown too big for its home and needs a bigger one with space to move and food to survive. Except another hippopotamus lives in that bigger pond and refuses to share it with the first hippopotamus. What do you think the first hippopotamus will do?’
‘Fight the second hippopotamus,’ Luke answered.
‘Which is the Scorned,’ Samantha added.
‘Correct,’ the black harlequin said. ‘Pacifico ran out of land years ago. It no longer had enough crops and fresh water to support itself, so it had to look elsewhere. It turned to the Broken Isles, which had plenty of space and resources – one of which, to our great delight, was gold. After centuries of war, the traditional owners – the Thirteen Tribes – were scattered and living in poverty. Many of their number had sought refuge in other outposts on this planet, leaving their homeland vulnerable. When the thirteen chiefs refused to yield to the government’s demands for colonisation, the government hired my friends and I to wage a secret war on these islands. To ensure that no one found out, we created the monster story to keep people away. As a result, now everyone stays fed; the Scorned threat is eliminated; and the flow of gold keeps the nobles happy and their mouths shut.’
‘But you couldn’t keep all the nobles quiet,’ Samantha said. ‘People like Isabelle and Cavalli – they threatened to expose you with their questions, so you made them disappear. Guido even convinced the Red Samurai to come here.’
‘And he too had to vanish. Imagine if all the other worlds found out about these islands. It would be disastrous. Tourists would boycott the city. Planets would ban all trade. The nobles would lose their riches and have to work again. It would set Pacifico back centuries. The e
ntire social system would collapse. Most of those rich fools have even forgotten where food comes from. Without their money, they’re helpless.’
The black harlequin tapped the side of his mask again as he received a new transmission. ‘Ah, time to bid farewell. Thank you for taking part in my conspiracy.’
‘Our part?’ she said. ‘We’ve done no such thing.’
‘Really? Then ask yourself: if I’ve known your true identities all along, why have you been allowed to continue your game of heroes?’
‘Because you were afraid we’d defeat you!’ Luke said.
‘And yet, here I am, standing as a free man – and you are locked in a prison.’
He walked towards the exit.
Michael tried stalling him. ‘It’s because we interrupted your plans, isn’t it? When we arrived in Pacifico unexpectedly, it gave people hope. They believed we really were from the Hall of Heroes. You couldn’t get rid of us straight away, because you knew they’d tear the city apart to find us. It’s the same reason why you can’t touch Oriana. Too many people adore her. But what’s going to stop them tearing apart these isles to find us now?’
The answer came swiftly. ‘Your deaths.’
The threat echoed throughout the entire library. All three pressed their faces against the bars and checked the chains suspending their cages.
‘Don’t insult me,’ his voice carried down to them. ‘I’m much more inventive than that. The monster has been such a good and faithful pet, but its demise is at hand. Secrets cannot last forever. For years to come, parents will tell their children how the Gold Knight and his two companions slew the ugly beast. With a fatal blow they ran their swords through its invisible heart, but its huge frame crushed them underneath.’
‘You’re crazy!’ Samantha shouted.
‘In the next few weeks, the good citizens of Pacifico will mourn their champions and hold a state funeral. Among the crowd, a rumour will start. It’ll move rapidly from the taverns, into the homes and up to the palace before finally reaching the Queen’s ear. People will say that the Scorned controlled the monster, that their age-old enemy had ordered the Gold Knight’s death. The nobles will demand action. The Queen will have no choice but to send her new marine captain to investigate. Within a week, there will be no word, but lo! What’s that drifting on the horizon? An empty boat covered in spears. It’s an act of war! The Broken Isles are ours!’
‘You’re risking war over a lie?’
‘You’d be amazed, young one, how many wars are fought over just that.’
The lights powered down, leaving King Amadeo’s Ghost in complete darkness. Metal chains stopped clinking as the triplets paused in their cages, straining to hear the harlequin leave.
‘What are you going to do with us?’ Michael shouted. ‘Answer me! What are you going to do with us?’ He shook the cage door and bars, but it was hopeless. For such a vast hall, he felt increasingly claustrophobic.
‘Nothing,’ the black harlequin said from far away. ‘That’s for your new masters to decide.’
‘You’re selling us as slaves?’
Again, silence.
‘Who are you?’ Michael demanded. ‘Who’s behind that mask?’
A voice startled him. It whispered in his ear – not from above but only half a metre away. It had no solid form, but definitely belonged to the black harlequin. ‘You should already know. I have a hundred different names on a thousand different worlds. And, yes, one of them is Earth.’
25
‘Look on the bright side,’ Luke said. ‘At least we know who the monster is.’
Ten minutes later, Michael finally prised a screaming Samantha from the bars. ‘The bright side is I’m not in the same cage as him!’
No one spoke for a long time. The triplets withdrew into themselves until a weak voice crossed the blackness. ‘Mikey?’
‘What?’
‘Thanks.’
‘For what?’
‘Trying to rescue me. I thought –’
‘That we wouldn’t?’
‘Don’t be so stupid,’ Samantha snapped. ‘Who else was going to tell you you’re an idiot for flying off on your own?’
‘You shouldn’t have called me fat,’ Luke said.
‘Well, you are. Get over it.’
‘Sam!’ Michael said.
She huffed and pouted until the quiet overpowered them. ‘Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’m just tired of you never listening to me.’
‘Because you treat me like I’m dumb,’ Luke replied.
‘Only because you never take anything seriously.’
‘What, and be dull like you? No thanks.’
‘I am not dull!’
‘Oh yeah? Do you know what the other kids at school call you?’
‘What?’
‘The Drill Bit – because you’re skinny, twisted and boring.’
The insult lingered. When Michael heard sobbing, he moved towards his sister, only to be shrugged away.
Hours seeped by like the dripping from the roof. Bats returned to their roosts in the cavern below and the winds scoured the shafts. As Samantha and Luke accepted defeat, a metal thunk! startled them.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
Thunk! An edge of marble crumbled across from them.
‘What’s that noise?’
‘I’m not giving up,’ Michael answered as his gauntlet boomeranged back to his fist. He tore it off his hand and threw it a third time. Thunk!
‘Can someone tell me what’s going on,’ Luke said.
‘I’m trying to hit that lever. It’s connected to the chain that’s holding up this cage. If I can knock its locking mechanism, we’ll drop to the ground and the door’ll smash open.’
‘It’s a thirty-metre drop! We’ll smash open!’
‘It’s better than waiting for those slave traders.’
Again and again he tried, unable to even see the lever. He hit the marble walls, punched a bookcase and even bashed the chain, but not once did he find his target. In the end, he tore off his helmet and chucked it into a corner of the cage. ‘If only we had some light.’
‘My utility belt,’ Luke said. ‘It’s on top of the cage.’
Michael and Samantha cheered him as he ran from one side to the other like a wrestler bouncing off the ring ropes. Soon, the cage seesawed dangerously and threatened to spin. With one more jolt, his utility belt, jetpack and earpiece slid from the roof but fell past his outstretched hands.
‘No!’
‘Don’t panic,’ Michael said.
The gear plummeted towards the pool but bungeed straight back up. Just like the gold armour and pirate hat, the star ranger’s costume also boomeranged. The jetpack was too thick to squeeze through the bars but not the earpiece and utility belt. Luke fished through all the pouches and found his shoulder flashlight, but it needed recharging. Unable to find any matches, he grabbed the second best thing – a flare gun.
PPPHHHFFFFFFF!
Red fire flashed and blinded them. Once their eyes adjusted, Michael renewed throwing his gauntlets.
‘Give me your other one,’ she said, also aiming for the lever’s locking mechanism. Just one hit would bash it free. But it was harder than it looked. It was like throwing pebbles at a pin. ‘Hurry! The flare’s running out!’
‘And I’ve only got two more left,’ Luke said. He desperately scouted the storeys below and above, before firing nowhere near the lever.
PPPHHHFFFFFFF!
‘What are you doing? We need light over here!’
The flare exploded against an archway before sinking into the black mire.
‘Luke! Stop wasting them! We won’t be able to see.’
He ignored her. With the last flare, he took aim at the same spot and squeezed the trigger.
PPPHHHFFFFFF!
‘Luke!’
It blazed towards a pillar then roared into a fireball. When the flame shrank, light burned from a fixed oil lamp.
Michael and Samantha lo
oked at each other. ‘Genius!’ they shouted.
‘Not so dumb, eh?’ he said, striking a pose.
The flame was the most precious thing they’d seen. They renewed their attacks on the lever but only managed a glancing blow. Soon, the time between thunks slowed as their muscles tired. Michael slumped against the bars, his armour scraping down the metal. Samantha lay on the floor opposite him, rolling a cramp from her shoulder. Only Luke kept up his enthusiasm. He scrummaged through his utility belt’s pouches, hoping to find another hidden treasure. Chewing gum? No. Spoon? No. Mosquito repellent? No. Dr Quadvark’s Guide to Poisonous Berries? No. A replacement inflatable six-man raft? No. Pepper spray? No. Handcuffs? No. The toy robot he’d won at Rajan’s party? No.
He jumped to his feet when he fished out a small tool kit. ‘Hey! A lock pick!’
He worked his cage’s keyhole with the two strips of metal as his siblings egged him on. They flopped down again, though, when they realised he lacked one vital skill. ‘A lock pick’s useless if you’ve never used one before,’ he said.
The oil lamp burned lower as they drew their coat, jacket and cloak around themselves. They shared lemony rations and drank dripping water.
‘How did the harlequins catch you, anyway?’ Michael asked.
Luke paused after emptying the last item from his pouches – that silly tin of sardines from the Now-Or-Never Wagon. ‘The red harlequin ambushed me in these underground tunnels,’ he said. ‘She hit me with her knock-out gas. The next thing I remember is waking up here.’
‘What were you doing underground?’
‘Chasing someone, I think. It’s hard to remember. Everything’s still a bit hazy. I thought it was the monster but – wait! Yes! That’s it. There was this man. He’d stolen food from the palace and carried it in this sack –’
His brother and sister looked at each other. ‘The lame footman!’
‘Yeah! But how do you know?’
‘When we were searching for you, he just appeared out of a grate in a Scorned community,’ she said. ‘When he saw us, he knew he’d been busted.’