Then a breeze that smelt musky – like the way pine trees smell when the wind rushes through them – sifted down into the volcano, moving faster and surer than any of the Midnights. Casper didn’t know which of the winds this was but he knew that it was magical because it carried a whisper in its wake: ‘The Midnights are a part of Morg – they are her selfishness brought to life – and so only a truly selfless act can rid Rumblestar of their presence.’
Casper’s pulse drummed, but the wind said no more. He glanced up at the griffins racing down towards him then he looked from the sword to the clock and suddenly Casper realised what he had to do.
‘Destroy the portal,’ he whispered. ‘My way home.’
For a second, Casper faltered. The cost of winning – of saving the Unmapped Kingdoms and the Faraway – was his freedom to leave . . . The truth spun inside him, sharp and sore. Would he ever find another way to return to his own world? He thought of his parents and their cosy turret in Little Wallops and his heart trembled. Could he really give up the chance to go home? But the Midnights were swooping closer now and only a truly selfish act would stop them, so without thinking, without assessing the risks, without giving so much as an ounce of thought to a to-do list, Casper plunged the sword into the clock face.
The glass smashed to smithereens, the clock chimed – a hollow sound like a ghost calling – and as the noise rung out the Midnights tearing towards him broke apart in the air until all that remained were hundreds of jet-black feathers tumbling down around Casper. They fell silently, eerily, as the clock continued to chime, then one by one they were swallowed by the lava and Casper was left blinking into the empty volcano.
The Midnights were gone! The familiar face had destroyed them! And the ogres on the lip of the crater were quelling the storm. Casper blinked again in shock and relief. He’d done it! Against all the odds, he’d beaten the Midnights!
But before he could dwell on what that meant for him, the roots of the tree began to wobble beneath him. The clock shook. The walls of the volcano quivered. And Casper ran, because it felt like this Smoking Chimney was about to blow . . . He raced up the steps two at a time as the lava sucked the mangled clock, his only way home, down into its clutches. He ran on, any joy he had felt a moment ago now spiralling into panic, but he was glad of the cape around him as the lava spat and sizzled against its fur.
Silver smoke filled the cavern and as the walls began to judder, the ogres backed away from the crater. Rocks tumbled, treasure fell and the whole volcano was filled with ash but still Casper ran, wrapped in his cape and holding his sword, even though he was a long way off from the crater and the way ahead was locked in smoke.
Then, amidst the haze and the heat and the groan of a volcano about to erupt, Casper heard Utterly’s voice.
For a second he was too stunned to breathe.
But there it was again.
‘Casper! Over here!’
And what Casper saw, through the blur of falling rocks and smoke, made his heart soar. A rope ladder dangling down from a hot air balloon which hadn’t left them after all but was risking one final journey – and leaning over its basket, a girl with wild blonde hair and a miniature dragon bouncing on her shoulder. His friends had come back to save him.
Casper swiped at the rope ladder but as he did so the step beneath him fell away and he stumbled against the side of the volcano. His cape held the worst of the heat back but the rocks were scorching and pain seared Casper’s palms. The smoke had thickened and he could no longer see the lava below him but he could hear it gulping and belching. The eruption was coming. Casper scanned the smoke for the ladder again, and when it did slip through the ash in front of him, he saw that Utterly was standing on the very last rung, holding out a hand towards him.
‘JUMP!’ she yelled.
The volcano groaned.
‘NOW!’
Casper glanced at the gap between him and Utterly. If he misjudged the leap he’d fall to his death. But Casper flung himself towards Utterly, trusting as she grabbed his hand that she wouldn’t let him go because, as Bristlebeard had said, friendships were sticky things.
Utterly yanked Casper up the ladder then, while Arlo nuzzled into Casper’s neck, she seized the microphone and yelled, ‘Let’s go, Zip!’
Zip shot upwards at the speed of light and as she burst out of the crater and flew as far away as she could, the volcano finally erupted. A bulging mass of ash and rocks and lava shot out of its crater, spewing into the sky and splurging down the sides of the volcano. But the most overwhelming thing was the noise – the roar of the earth’s core – which shook through every bone in the children’s bodies.
Zip careered on, away from the explosion, as Casper, Utterly and Arlo huddled down in the corner of her basket. Eventually, the volcano stopped roaring and a strange whistling sounded in its place. Stranger still though was that as this whistling rang out – deep and low like an owl’s hoot – the smoke and ash cleared away until just a river of lava was left, and the sky was once more blue.
Casper, Utterly and Arlo peeped over the edge of the hot air balloon. The ogres were standing round the crater of the largest volcano and it seemed the whistling was coming from them.
They can conjure winds with a chant, Casper thought, and they can blow volcanic eruptions clean away with a whistle. The Midnights have gone and their magic has returned to them.
The ogres grew quiet and Zip’s voice crackled through the microphone. ‘This is your captain speaking. I would like to congratulate all three of you on being the bravest individuals Rumblestar has ever known.’
Casper held on to the basket to steady himself. He, Utterly and Arlo had truly done it! They had rid Rumblestar of the Midnights and now the marvels would be restored, the links between kingdoms would remain and the weather in the Faraway would go back to normal! His parents would be safe! And for a moment Casper didn’t think about what that meant for him.
He looked across at Utterly. There didn’t seem words big enough to hold in everything they’d done. So, he simply said, ‘We did it.’
And Utterly laughed because she knew as well as Casper that there might not be certificates and trophies for this kind of thing, but there was a kingdom still standing.
‘But how?’ Utterly gasped. ‘I thought it was all over when the griffin batted Arlo away and dropped me hundreds of metres up in the sky. But Zip broke my fall – an unprogrammed emotional crisis overrode her homing device, she said. How did you stop the Midnights, Casper? I thought all was lost for you down in that volcano.’
‘So did I,’ Casper replied. Then he opened his cape and drew out the sword. Arlo fluttered onto the hilt and stroked the rubies. ‘The pendulum turned out to be a sword filled with phoenix magic, so I ran it into the clock and –’
‘– destroyed the Midnights, set off a volcano and blocked Morg’s portal into Rumblestar!’ Utterly grinned. ‘How’s that for completing a to-do list, Casper?’
Casper smiled, but then he looked out over the volcanoes and sighed. Because he’d blocked another portal, too. His way home. He told Utterly what the wind had whispered to him and as he spoke Arlo climbed up onto his shoulder and cuddled into his ear.
‘This isn’t the end,’ Utterly said. ‘We’ll find another way home for you. I promise.’
And on hearing the certainty in Utterly’s voice, Casper wondered whether she might be right. Rumblestar was full of unexpected things, after all.
The storm ogres were waving at the hot air balloon now. ‘Well-CHOMPING-done!’ they boomed. ‘Well-CHOMPING-done!’
Casper waved back. ‘Thank you for your help!’
‘You were incredible!’ Utterly cried as Arlo did a celebratory somersault in the air.
Casper turned to Utterly and whispered: ‘It would’ve been a lot less faff if the ogres had realised the pendulum was a sword; they could’ve stopped the Midnights just like that.’
‘Storm ogres struggle to say more than one word, Casper. Understanding t
hat a pendulum was a sword that could save a kingdom would be completely beyond them. And anyway, the Lofty Husks always say phoenix magic is unpredictable – I don’t think the ogres could have used the sword like you did, as they had no connection with that clock.’
Their conversation was interrupted by Zip sparking into life again. ‘The SkySoar9000 would like confirmation that you have no more battles planned before we begin our journey home.’
Utterly looked at Casper. ‘I’m sure any other Midnights around Rumblestar will have disappeared along with the ones in the volcano. Which means the snow trolls, sun scamps and even the drizzle hags should now be able to deliver their marvels, so unless you have any last-minute fights on your – what did you call it back in the canoe? Your agenda? – then we should get going.’
Casper tilted the microphone towards himself. ‘No more battles,’ he said sternly. ‘Definitely no more battles.’ He paused. ‘Thank you for coming back, Zip. You risked everything to rescue us – you’re the finest hot air balloon around.’
Zip coughed. ‘On the SkySoar9000 we do try to make your experience as memorable as possible. And on that note, feel free to open hatch one for some celebratory milkshakes.’
Utterly yanked the lever and drew out two glasses filled with purple liquid and a thimble full of brown goo.
‘Thunderberry shakes!’ she exclaimed. ‘My favourite! And a toffee tornado for Arlo!’
Casper took a sip, which was a refreshing burst of what tasted like blueberries, cookies, ice cream and, possibly, a sprig of mint. ‘Please could you fly us back to the castle, Zip?’ He was about to add ‘Via the safest and quickest route possible’ but instead he found himself saying ‘Via the most interesting route possible.’
Zip stayed up above the clouds for a while and Casper blinked in delight at the hidden world the eagles and the falcons owned, then the hot air balloon sank through the clouds and once again mountains spread out below them. Lakes sparkled, waterfalls rumbled and when the mountains ironed out forests appeared. And it was only when the light began to fade that Utterly, Casper and Arlo finished talking about all that had happened since they set off down the Witch’s Fingers.
They looked out over a lake surrounded by meadows which held the reflection of twilit clouds, then, as dusk came and night rolled in, the lake turned silver under the moonlight. Casper held his head up to the darkness. There weren’t any stars out yet so he was surprised to see that the night air glittered. It was the sort of shimmer you might miss if you only glanced at the sky for a second, but Casper now knew to look at the world more closely.
‘Moondust,’ Utterly whispered to him. ‘The very thing that is keeping the magic here in Rumblestar turning.’ Then she smiled. ‘It’s a good sign; it means the dragons are stirring. They’ll be getting ready to collect the marvels from the castle and transport them to the other kingdoms. Things are finally going back to normal.’
Casper stretched out his hand and let the moondust slip through his fingers. It felt soft and cool and full of magic and it shone all the brighter when the stars blinked through the dark. He’d seen stars back home, of course, but they were nothing like this. The sky here was so full of stars it seemed like the night itself was having to make way for them.
The balloon sailed on through the night and then, some time later, when the night was at its deepest, two silhouettes with jagged wings, long forked tails and spines full of ridges glided past the moon.
‘The dragons are here,’ Utterly said quietly.
She, Casper and Arlo watched as the sky filled with faraway silhouettes which soared and dipped and rolled through the moondust. And while Casper was thinking that the sky couldn’t be any more incredible if it tried, it let the last – and best – of its secrets into the night.
A moonbow.
A beam of brilliant white light arched over the whole kingdom. Even the stars weren’t as bright as the moonbow and as Casper looked at it he thought of Utterly’s sister climbing out onto the castle roof.
‘I would’ve wanted to go up onto the spire with you for this, Utterly,’ he said. ‘It’s soul-smashingly magical.’
Utterly’s eyes shone with tears. ‘Some people go their whole lives without realising how incredible our world is, but me and Mannerly, we knew it.’ She smiled. ‘Just as you do now.’
‘I’m glad I met you, Utterly. You and Arlo. And I’m glad we’ve seen and done all that we have – even if I’m so bruised I’m not sure I can sit down.’
‘It’s been a cracking adventure, hasn’t it?’
Casper snuggled into his frozen lightning cape. ‘It really has. And if I can’t ever find a way home, at least I’ll have you and Arlo.’
Utterly smiled. ‘You’ll always have us, Casper, wherever you go.’
Zip flew on through the night while they slept, then at sunrise she announced that they were nearing the castle. Casper and Utterly squinted through the morning light to see they were high above the Dusky Peaks now and that on their left was The Edge but straight ahead of them there were waterfalls pouring down from towering walls, and domes and spires beyond those.
‘Not a Midnight in sight,’ Utterly beamed.
They were a mile or so away from the castle still, but to Casper it looked different from how it had done the week before. It was as if something about the shape didn’t quite make sense.
‘What’s happened to the castle?’ he said slowly. ‘The roof is all higgledy-piggledy and the bridges seem to be moving, but I can’t see Slumbergrot or any other giants thrashing around.’
Utterly frowned. ‘You’re right. It does look different. And what’s that noise?’
It was a roar of sorts and the closer they flew to the castle, the louder it became. But Zip showed no sign of slowing. As they drew closer they could make out fire-red flags rippling from the tower tops and banners strewn down the castle walls, and then Casper and Utterly understood why the castle had looked a different shape. There were people – men, women, children and grandparents who definitely should have known better – huddled on the roof of the castle, bouncing up and down on the bridges, leaning out of the windows and waving from the ramparts. And the sound – the glorious, heart-warming, thundering sound they had heard – was applause.
Rumblestar was welcoming them home.
‘But . . .’ Utterly turned to Casper. ‘We stole a canoe, stayed out after curfew and nearly died about twelve times—’
‘But we also stopped the Midnights and saved Rumblestar,’ interrupted Casper with a smile.
Utterly and Casper laughed in disbelief. They were the most unlikely sort of heroes but they were heroes nonetheless.
Zip flew on towards the castle and to Casper and Utterly’s surprise, a paper aeroplane dropped into her basket and landed at Utterly’s feet. Just as Utterly was making to open it, another one dropped at Casper’s feet. Then another. And another. And another. Until the basket was suddenly filled with hundreds of paper aeroplanes scattered around them both. Utterly and Casper tore them open.
Keep going, Utterly and Casper! And Arlo, too!
We’re thinking of you all the time!
We love you, Utterly! We miss you!
We’re so proud of you and Casper.
And Mannerly would be, too!
The messages went on and on. Each one was different but every single one was signed from the same two people. Utterly’s mum and dad. And though it made a part of Casper sad to think his own parents were so very far away and he still didn’t know how to reach them, he was happy for Utterly because this was what she needed: a hundred paper aeroplanes telling her she was loved.
Casper grinned. ‘Looks like the final curses the Midnights put on the castle have, at last, been broken.’
Zip dropped over the wall and Utterly and Casper climbed down the rope ladder into the throng of people, but it wasn’t being hoisted up onto shoulders, high-fived by Utterly’s classmates or having their hands shaken by the Lofty Husks that Casper and Utterly rem
embered most that day. It was the words Utterly’s mum said as she tore through the crowds to find them.
‘Utterly,’ she said, clasping her daughter’s hands. ‘Your dad and I have been so worried about you!’
‘I wanted to make you proud,’ Utterly mumbled. ‘After everything that happened.’
Her mother hung her head. ‘I’m sorry if your going in the first place was because we ever made you feel anything less than perfect to us. You are a wonderful, wonderful daughter – nothing that happened in the past can change that – and you are loved more than you will ever know.’
Tears rolled down Utterly’s cheeks and she fell into her mother’s arms. She was loved and she knew it now in the deepest parts of her, the parts that before had been filled with pain.
Utterly’s mum turned to Casper, too. ‘Both of you have been magnificent! When the last of the Midnights vanished last night, the snow trolls, sun scamps and drizzle hags came to deliver their marvels and they told us about your journey in The Beyond. But I think what makes you two real warriors is the strength that lies inside you. You are brave, and you are loyal, and you have learnt, in only a few days, what most people take a lifetime to realise: that kingdoms are built on kindness – and that friends, when they work together, can bring evil to its knees.’
And at that, Casper’s heart soared. Until now, he had always assumed that the only things worth knowing were written in textbooks, but perhaps the truest, most important things in life couldn’t be taught at school. Because at the end of the day, it had taken an adventure with a furious girl and an oversensitive dragon for him to learn that courage and friendship weren’t things that simply happened to other people. He was brave and he was loyal, and those two discoveries felt like things worth knowing.
There was more whooping and cheering and hugging inside the castle, and though it felt good, Casper found himself thinking about home and how much he missed his parents. Even the prospect of a celebratory feast couldn’t shift the longing inside him.
Rumblestar Page 20