Blue Fire and Ice

by Alan Skinner

‘How can we be worse off?’ Brian said impatiently.

  Brian’s impatience made Reach feel even less sure of herself. ‘Before last night, Beadledom was losing only one or two buildings each night. Last night it lost four,’ she said in a low voice.

  Bell peered at the young Muddle and nodded. ‘The two buildings destroyed by the blue fire and the two warehouses we couldn’t save. Reach is right.’ Reach gave Bell a grateful smile. ‘At that rate,’ Bell continued, ‘all of Beadledom will be ashes before long.’

  ‘Perhaps you’re right. More coffee, Grunge? We won’t ask the Myrmidots just yet. We’ll see if we can find another way to fight whoever is doing this.’ Bligh cleared his throat. Very deliberately, he put the coffee pot on the table. When he spoke he seemed almost as hesitant as Reach. ‘But we have another problem. Word has spread of what happened to Crimson last night. It’s made some of the townsfolk uneasy. Some are having … second thoughts … about asking Muddles to help. As High Councillor I am obliged to listen to everyone’s opinions.’

  Crimson said nothing. It was Grunge who replied to Bligh. He gave a polite nod as if he understood.

  ‘If you think it best, we’ll leave. But I think you should tell the Beadles that if they’re worried about Crimson, they don’t have to be. Whatever happened to her, she has it covered.’ Grunge smiled at Crimson. ‘She’s always got everything covered, has Crimson.’

  Crimson raised her head. She looked at Grunge for a moment, then gave her friend a little smile.

  Bligh raised his hand to protest. ‘No, no, I don’t think that’s necessary.’ He looked at the half-eaten muffin in his hand. ‘Not

  just yet.’

  ‘Well then, I think we should discuss how we’re going to find out who’s setting the fires,’ said Grunge.

  Bell ran his hand over his face. ‘I don’t know where to start. My head isn’t working too well these days.’

  ‘If only we knew where the next fire will be ...’ mused Crimson.

  Brian couldn’t hide the impatience in his voice. ‘We’ve thought of that, naturally, Crimson. We’ve tried to find a pattern behind the location of the fires, but there isn’t one. We’ve gone over the places again and again.’

  ‘Brian’s right. There doesn’t seem to be any logic to it,’ confirmed Bell.

  ‘Another look won’t hurt. Let’s have a look at that map, Brian.’ Brian scowled at Grunge’s request, but in a few minutes the remains of breakfast were removed and the map was unrolled on the table.

  The sight of the map covered in blue dots shocked Crimson. She couldn’t imagine such destruction. ‘Another month or so and Beadledom would cease to exist,’ she thought to herself. But something wasn’t right...

  ‘There are so many dots! It’s horrible!’ Crimson exclaimed.

  ‘Between the blues fires and the extra ones it causes we lose two or three additional buildings each night,’ explained Brian.

  Six pairs of eyes stared at the blue dots on the map and tried to find a pattern. Nothing. The fires jumped all over Beadledom, as if whoever was responsible simply stuck a pin in a map to decide where to strike next.

  ‘Maybe it isn’t location. Maybe it’s the type of buildings?’ put in Reach. ‘You know, workshops or factories, then barns or shops?’

  ‘Hmm, good idea,’ said Bell. ‘Maybe that’s it!’ Brian wrote in the type of building that had been razed by the blue fire next to each blue dot.

  Bell shook his head. ‘No logic to it there, either.’ He flashed a smile at Reach. ‘But it was worth a try.’

  Crimson’s eyes flicked to and fro across the map. ‘There is one thing,’ she finally said. She looked up from the map and saw the others were staring at her. ‘At least the town’s safe. For now, at least. None of the fires have been in Beadleburg. A couple on the outskirts, but not right in town.’

  ‘They don’t want to risk getting caught,’ declared Bligh. ‘They’re staying in the countryside where there’s less chance of being seen.’

  ‘Not all the time, Bligh. There have been two fires in Mint.’ Grunge pointed to two dots on the eastern side of Beadledom next to the word ‘Mint’.

  ‘Yes, well ...’ started Bligh, who didn’t like to be contradicted. ‘Yes, well ...’

  ‘The community meeting house was a great shame,’ said Bell sadly. ‘Been there ever since Mint was founded. But Bligh could still be right. Mint’s much smaller than Beadleburg. And quieter. Wouldn’t be too hard for someone to sneak in unseen at night.’

  For the next hour they pored over the map, trying to discover a pattern to the fires. It was in vain.

  ‘It’s no use,’ said Bell, finally admitting defeat. ‘If there is some logic to where the fires are set, I can’t see it. We’ll just have to stick to the patrols and hope we stumble across the arsonists as they set the fire.’ Reach could see the sadness in his face. ‘It’s painful to see so much hard work go up in flames. People’s homes, their livelihood. Gone in minutes.’

  ‘If we lose many more food stores, it will be very tough on Beadledom come winter,’ said Bligh. ‘We can replace the buildings in a couple of weeks but it takes a whole year to grow the crops again.’

  Bell nodded wearily. ‘And the history can never be replaced. It’s being erased night after night.’ Tiredness and sadness were weighing more heavily on Bell each day. He stood, staring at the map, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. ‘Erased ...’ he repeated.

  Grunge’s eyes narrowed in thought as he studied the Beadle fire-fighter. ‘What is it, Bell?’ he asked.

  ‘Nothing, Grunge.’ Bell lifted his head and gave a weary smile.

  Grunge sensed that something was nagging at Bell, something the fire-fighter wasn’t saying.

  ‘Why did you say, “erased”, Bell?’ Grunge prompted as considerately as he could.

  ‘Just a thought, Grunge. A foolish thought. It’s just that so many of the buildings that have been set on fire were old buildings. Some of the oldest in Beadledom.’

  ‘Actually, not just many. All of them,’ said Brian in his usual officious tone.

  Bell and Grunge looked sharply at Brian. ‘Are you sure?’ said Grunge.

  ‘Perfectly. Of course, we have lost many new buildings but they all caught alight from the heat of the blue fire.’

  Grunge’s forehead creased. ‘So only old buildings were deliberately set alight? Do you know how old, Brian?’

  It was Bell who answered. ‘Many of the buildings were among the oldest in Beadledom. Old Worsted’s Mill here -’ he pointed to a blue dot on the map – ‘that was the oldest known building in Beadledom. More than 450 years ago that was built. It was one of the first to go. And the stables at Crest Farm here, they were nearly as old.’ Bell checked the dates next to the blue dots. ‘Yup. That was the fourth one to go. They were nigh on 440 years old. Older, some people reckon.’

  Bell looked at the buildings. ‘Not a new one among ’em, ’ he said softly. He looked at Grunge, a new excitement in his eyes.

  ‘Can you write in the age of each building next to it?’ asked Grunge.

  Bell nodded. ‘Here, Brian, this workshop. That was the original bakery, wasn’t it? That must’ve been three hundred years old?’

  Brian still didn’t see what Bell and Grunge were getting excited about but he was proud of his knowledge of Beadledom. The town Factotum should know everything about the land and its buildings. ‘Three hundred and sixty, give or take a few years. There aren’t precise records until about two hundred years ago, but we have a pretty good idea when each was built.’

  ‘And Till’s barn? That farm has been in Till’s family for generations!’

  ‘Almost as old as the mill. Maybe 420 years old, it was.’

  One by one, they entered the age for each building that had been destroyed by the blue fire. When they finished, Grunge looked at Bell. Bell smiled back at the Muddle, a smile filled with admiration.

  ‘There’s not a building destroyed which was less than three hundred years
old,’ said Bell. ‘We couldn’t see it before with all those blue dots!’

  ‘By the hills!’ exclaimed Bligh. ‘You’re right! And look at the ages. The buildings were destroyed by age! Starting with the oldest!’

  ‘It’s not quite in order,’ said Reach, studying the map intently. She wished she was smarter like Grunge. Why couldn’t she have seen what he had noticed? ‘Look, this building was 390 years old but it was burned before this one -’ she pointed to where Brian had written “De Vere Manor” – ‘and that one was four hundred years old.’

  Brian couldn’t keep a trace of optimism out of his voice. ‘We may be a few years out in our estimates. As I said, we don’t have precise records until about two hundred years ago. The manor house may have been slightly older than we thought.’

  ‘I think we’ve found it, Grunge,’ said Bell with a new look of determination on his face.

  ‘Brian,’ said Grunge ‘just one more thing. Can you put dots showing other old buildings, ones around three hundred years old?’

  Brian nodded. ‘Of course. But I’ll have to get another colour.’ He paused, on the brink of making an important decision. ‘Will yellow be OK?’

  ‘For now, use the red ones, Brian. You can replace them with whatever colour you like later,’ said Bligh impatiently. ‘But ... not purple. I don’t like purple.’

  Brian set to work and in a few minutes another dozen dots appeared on the map. Next to each, he wrote its name, age and the letters NBF (‘Not Blue Fire,’ he explained to the others.)

  ‘Of course, I need to go and check the town records to make sure I haven’t forgotten any, but I’m pretty sure I have them all here. And if we’re right, then the next fire …’ Brian’s finger flitted over the map, ‘…will be here.’ His finger stopped at one of the new dots.

  Bell looked at the dot and what Brian had written next to it. ‘But that’s … How could anyone …?’ His voice trailed off in disbelief.

  Crimson peered at the map. The dot next to Brian’s finger was right in the centre of the town. Brian must have made a mistake. The River Flow ran through the middle of Beadleburg and the dot was in the middle of the river. She looked at Bligh, who had a worried look on his face.

  ‘In the middle of the river? What is it? What’s next?’

  Bligh’s voice was strained. ‘That’s Brindle Island.’ He looked at the Muddles. ‘Our hospital. Our hospital is on Brindle Island.’

  Reach looked horrified. ‘No one would … all those people…’

  ‘Maybe it’s not the next one,’ said Crimson. ‘So far, no one has been hurt by the fires. Check the dates again, Brian. Are you sure this is the oldest building left?’

  Brian nodded, his face white. ‘Even if the dates aren’t exactly right, there’s no building within twenty years of that one. No, the hospital must be next.’

  ‘Then we have to catch whoever is doing this before they can do it.’ Bell’s voice was hard. ‘We know where they’re going to strike. We can stop them, now. We’ll be waiting this time. We’ll be ready.’

  ‘What if they burn two buildings like they did last night? Brian, which is the next oldest building left?’ said Grunge.

  Brian scanned the map. ‘Here.’ He pointed to a dot to the west. ‘Otter’s Dairy. It’s about two hours by bus from here.’

  ‘I think you’re right, Grunge,’ said Bell. ‘We’ll have to send the fire truck to the dairy, just in case.’

  ‘Why not send the Muddles’ fire cart? Why send Beadleburg’s?’ asked Bligh. ‘We’ll should have our best one here ... just in case.’

  ‘No,’ answered Bell. ‘Our job is to catch whoever it is before they start the fire. It’d be a five- or six-hour journey in the fire cart. The truck can get back here much quicker if we need it.’

  ‘We’ll have to evacuate the hospital,’ announced Bligh.

  ‘If we do that, we’ll tip off whoever we’re trying to catch. We have to assume they can see what we’re doing. They knew we had come to help, and we hadn’t spoken to anyone. If we tip them off, then there’ll be no point evacuating. Yet we can’t risk the patients.’ Grunge pondered the problem.

  ‘If we don’t catch the fire-starter, who knows what lives will be at risk later?’ added Bell.

  ‘Tell us about the hospital,’ said Grunge. ‘How do you get to it if it’s on an island in the middle of the river?’

  ‘Best if you see for yourself,’ said Bligh. ‘It’s just a short walk from here.’

  Brian rolled up the map and followed the others out. Calamity, seeing everyone go for a stroll, was not going to be left out and trotted after Brian.

  ‘He looks like he might scratch behind my ears,’ she thought. She gave Brian her best smile.

  Brian glanced down at the smiling puppy.

  ‘I’ll bet you’re as much trouble as the others,’ he muttered. ‘Silly Muddle pup!’

  Calamity’s smile vanished. This one wasn’t friendly at all. She gave a dismissive sniff and ran ahead to the others. Crimson felt Calamity’s nose against the back of her leg.

  ‘Hello, Calamity. Want a scratch?’ She bent down and gave the puppy a quick scratch behind the ears.

  ‘Well, it wasn’t much, but it was better than that grumpy Beadle managed,’ Calamity decided.

  A couple of hundred metres downriver from Brindle Island an old stone bridge arched across. Although it slowed through the town, following the flat plain that the ancient Beadles had carved out of the hillside, the River Flow was still strong. The group stood on the bridge, gazing across the wide river to the island and the hospital.

  It was not a large island, a circle of land no more than a hundred metres across. The hospital had been built slightly off-centre on the island. Made of brick and timber, it occupied most of the island, except for a small area at its southern edge, in which was left to grow a small grove of elms and oaks. A grassy area with benches was set within the grove so that staff and patients could sit in the open air to eat lunch, rest or take in the fresh air and sunshine.

  The hospital spanned the River Flow, one part on an island in the middle of the river and the other part on the northern bank. The two buildings were joined by a long arch over the water. The arch was made of the same brick and timber as the part of the hospital on the island but the part of the hospital on the northern bank was clearly newer than the rest. The sparkling blue of the river, the green of the grove and the rich red and brown of the hospital created a haven of peace and serenity.

  ‘It’s so lovely!’ exclaimed Reach.

  The Beadles nodded their agreement. They were proud of their hospital. It was a beautiful, restful place where Beadles could get well.

  ‘The island was named after a Beadle called Brindle,’ explained Bligh. ‘Nearly 350 years ago he built a small house on the island to look after Beadles who fell ill. Other Beadles were afraid of those who were sick; they didn’t want to catch whatever ailed them. Some Beadles even wanted to send them away or build a colony near the High Mountains and send them there. But Brindle said they were still part of us and it was our job not just to look after them, but to keep them as part of us. So, he started the hospital on the island where the sick could be separated, but still part of us. Brindle had four daughters and he and his daughters spent their lives looking after other Beadles.’

  The Muddles felt horrified. They couldn’t imagine banishing a Muddle who was unfortunate enough to become ill.

  ‘The building on the bank looks newer,’ Grunge remarked.

  ‘It is,’ said Bligh. ‘That’s less than two hundred years old. It was added later when the town grew.’

  ‘And the arch connecting them? Was that built then?’ said Crimson.

  ‘The arch connects time as well as place.’ The Muddles looked at Bell, not sure what he meant.

  ‘Time?’ said Reach.

  Bell smiled. ‘I just like to think of it that way, Reach. The arch used to be the bridge that connected Brindle Island with the town. When they built the ar
ch, they kept a lot of the old bridge and just covered it over. The arch is part of the old Beadleburg and part of the new Beadleburg.’ He pointed to a small plaque that had been placed in the wall of the arch. ‘If you stand on the bank near the new building, you can read that plaque. It tells you when it was finished and it bears the name of the Factotum who oversaw the construction. The name belongs to Brian’s great-great-great-great-grandfather.’

  Brian’s chest puffed with pride.

  ‘Whoever it is,’ said Grunge, ‘they won’t burn the new building. They’ll only want to destroy the old one. For now, at least.’

  ‘It will still be in danger,’ added Crimson. ‘The heat from the blue fire could set it alight. But I think Grunge is right. They won’t set fire to the new building.’

  ‘We can protect the new building; we can have everything ready.’ Bell looked at the hospital. ‘I reckon if we put barrels of water in the roof of the new building, on each side, we can empty them down the walls from those windows in the attic. We can build an extra pump and hide hoses in the roof, facing the arch. If the arch starts to burn, we’ll be able to spray water down from above. Brian, you’d better have someone look at Crimson’s pump and see if another can be made by tonight.’

  ‘At least with that covered arch we can evacuate the patients from the old building to the new building without anyone seeing,’ said Reach.

  ‘Patients?’ said Bligh raising his eyebrows. ‘There aren’t any patients in the old building! Didn’t I mention that? All the patients were moved to the new building. There’s only the administration offices in the old building now.’

  The Muddles felt a wave of relief.

  ‘And Brindle’s Daughters, of course,’ added Bligh.

  The Muddles were puzzled. ‘Brindle’s Daughters?’ said Crimson. ‘But Brindle lived over three hundred years ago. His daughters can’t still be alive!’

  Brian looked at Crimson with some disdain, but Bell laughed. ‘Not his real daughters,’ he said. ‘Brindle’s Daughters is what we call those, both men and women, who choose to care for the sick. They live in the hospital. The upper level of the old building is their living quarters.’