Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle (10 page)

“How am I going to find a hundred conkers and do all that in—” began Alfie.

“Silence! Do you want me to make it one thousand?”

Alfie pressed his lips together.

“Very good. Then we will see you tomorrow at nine a.m. sharp.”

“You suicidal or summat?” breathed Jimmy as the headmistresses marched from the stage. “I can't believe you got a Hall of Penitence punishment on your first day! Sounds like she had it in for your ma, so I'd be careful if I were you. Don't bawl them out in public again. Still, good on yer,” he grinned.

Mr Ramdhay the music teacher began to play the piano and led the whole school in singing “Getting to Know You”
from
The King and I.
Alfie scowled at Edward who was still too busy sniggering at his conker trick to sing along.
Three enemies in one day,
Alfie thought. That had to be some kind of record.

 

“I'm never going to find a hundred conkers!” sighed Alfie during afternoon break. He flopped to the ground under the horse-chestnut trees and counted out the eleven he had managed to collect with the help of Robin and Jimmy.

“Yeah, you might be right there,” said Jimmy unhelpfully.

“Me and Maddie will help you look for more on the way home,” said Robin, more encouragingly. But Alfie knew it was unlikely; the kids of the village had pretty much picked the ground under the trees clean. Maybe he could climb up to pick and peel the unripe ones? He didn't like to think about what would happen if he failed in his punishment.

“Hey, Alfie,” called Madeleine, rushing over with Holly. “I found these this morning. Thought they might come in handy.” She tipped six conkers into Alfie's lap.

“You can have mine too,” said Holly with a smile, offering up eighteen. “We've got a tree in our garden.”

“Thanks, Holly!” said Alfie. “Well that's just over a third of them.”

“That's the spirit,” said Jimmy as the bell sounded and they headed to their classes. “If youmake it to fifty maybe they'll only half kill you tomorrow.”

Alfie was highly relieved when the school bell finally marked the end of his first day at Wyrmwald House. The twins helped him scour the ground for conkers on the way home.

“Hey, new kid!” someone shouted. Alfie turned to see a group of older students led by a dark-haired boy. “Billy Reynolds,” he introduced himself. “Way to wind up M and S on your first day!”

“Good of you to keep them off everyone else's backs,” said the tall, mousy girl behind him.

“Glad you got something positive out of my pain,” said Alfie.

“Yeah, well, thought you might like these.” Billy handed over a paper bag full of conkers. “There's forty-one in there. We've been collecting all afternoon. Loads of people donated.”

“That's brilliant, thanks!” said Alfie, touched by the gesture.

“No worries,” said Billy. “Maybe your masterpiece will hang next to my old football. Immortalized in the Hall of Penitence!”

 

“You're quiet tonight,” said his dad as they ate together in the Great Hall. “After dinner, how about helping me work out why water swirls the wrong way down the plugholes here?”

“Sorry, Dad,” said Alfie. “I've got a lot of homework and a test tomorrow. I'd better revise.” He had decided not to tell his dad that he had got into trouble on the first day of school.

“A test, already? Good, I'm glad they're keeping you on your toes. Anything I can help with?”

Alfie pulled the school handbook out of his bag and handed it over. His dad's face dropped as he flicked through it.

“It's OK, you're excused,” he laughed.

“Right, well I'm going to check out those plugholes,” said his dad, clapping his hands then rubbing them together. “Give me a shout if there's anything on maths or science.”

At half past nine, Alfie finally took a break, putting down the compass he had been using to painstakingly scratch his lines into each conker. He tried to stretch the cramp out of his hands, which felt as though they were turning into claws. “Fifty-nine,” he counted as he glued the one he had just finished to the board, almost completing the fifth row of ten. He hoped Amy was having a better time at Hillston High than he was at Wyrmwald House.

A gust of wind blew the shavings from his desk as Artan swept in through the window and landed on Alfie's bed.

“Mmph gu loh,” he mumbled before coughing something out on to the bed.

“What was that?” asked Alfie.

“I said, that's the lot,” said Artan, proudly nudging the little pile of conkers in front of him with his nose. “I could find you another hundred if you like?”

“No thanks,” said Alfie. “That's all I need. Besides,” he gave the bear a weary grin, “I'm almost conked out.” He nearly jumped out of his skin as Artan roared with laughter. The bear seemed to appreciate hearing puns just as much as making his own.

“Alfie?” called his dad's voice from the hallway.

“Quick, on the floor!” whispered Alfie. Artan slid on to the floor near the fireplace and assumed a frozen open-mouthed expression just as Alfie's dad entered the room.

“Were you laughing at something?”

“Just thinking about something funny that happened at school,” said Alfie quickly. He knew his dad would be thrilled by Artan, but would ban him outright from something as dangerous as going on flights with the bear.

“Glad you're enjoying it there,” smiled his dad. “But I'm surprised that they gave you so much homework on your first day. What is this anyway?” he started across the room towards the conker-covered board.

“Just an art project,” said Alfie quickly, snatching the board away before his dad saw the lines carved into the conkers. “I don't want anyone to see until it's finished.”

“Ah, I can understand that,” said his dad, tapping the side of his nose. “Top-secret stuff. Well, ready for bed and lights out in ten minutes. You don't want to be late and get into trouble in your first week.”

“Who, me? I'm planning on being a model student,” said Alfie, wearing his best innocent face.

“Hmm, you can start at home by keeping your room tidy,” said his dad, ruffling his hair. “Well, goodnight…” He stopped on his way out of the door, a puzzled expression crossing his face as Artan caught his eye. “I don't remember seeing him before.”

“Oh, yeah, I found him in one of the towers,” said Alfie. “Just seeing what he looked like in my room.”

“I didn't think that would be your kind of thing,” said his dad. “A fine beast though. Must have been a king among bears.”

“A wise man,” said Artan, rippling proudly as soon as the bedroom door clicked closed. “Knows what's what. A king among bears, that's me!”

It was two in the morning by the time Alfie glued the last conker to the board and began his second task, revising the school handbook for the test. He finally fell asleep around four, rules, regulations and conkers swimming through his mind.

 

The next morning, as he wearily dragged himself through the school gates nervously clutching his punishment, Alfie was very surprised to see that the other students were lining the route to the school doors. A rhythmic clap began when he appeared. Madeleine and Holly raced up to meet him as he entered the schoolyard.

“They've been waiting for you,” said Holly, as the clapping grew faster and louder. “Go on then, hold it up.” She pushed his arms up so that he was holding the conker-covered board high in the air. The playground rang with resounding applause and whistles. It seemed that getting the first punishment of the year had given him a legendary status at his new school. Alfie held his punishment proudly to his chest like a badge of honour and the students began to chant as he walked down the line towards the school doors.

“AL-FIE, AL-FIE, AL-FIE.”

Students patted him on the back and wished him luck as he passed – all except Edward, who didn't look at all happy that his trick to embarrass Alfie had backfired.

Alfie marched up the schools steps and into the cool halls. The jubilation he felt at his warm reception slowly turned to fear as he saw Murkle and Snitch waiting for him outside the Hall of Penitence.

“Quite the welcoming committee,” sneered Murkle as Alfie stopped in front of them.

“One might think you were enjoying your punishment,” said Snitch, glaring down at Alfie who shook his head hurriedly. “Well then, hand it over.”

Alfie held out the board and waited anxiously while Murkle and Snitch carefully examined his work.

“Shoddy workmanship,” sniffed Snitch.

“And the writing, awful,” said Murkle.

“Appalling,” agreed Snitch. “I have a good mind to ask you to do it again.”

Alfie stared dolefully at Murkle and Snitch as it dawned on him that they would never be satisfied with his work. He imagined a whole school year of punishments every single night, each one rejected the next morning by the two crazy headmistresses.

“However,” Snitch continued. “As we are in rather a good mood, we will accept this feeble attempt. Although it is hardly worth gracing the spot we have reserved for it.”

Alfie looked up in surprise. “Thank you, miss,” he stammered, starting to inch away from them. “Can I go now?”

“You may go,” said Murkle.

“But remember,” hissed Snitch as she glared down at him. “We will be watching you.”

Alfie dashed off to his first class, slightly disappointed that he didn't get to see the Hall of Penitence first-hand, but relieved that his punishment was over. If that was Murkle and Snitch in a good mood, he never wanted to see them furious.

 

The following weeks passed rather quietly compared to Alfie's first day at Wyrmwald House. He had been very busy with homework but had still managed to share a few more flights with Artan since the trip to London. Fortunately, they hadn't seen any trace of the creatures that had attacked them during the summer holidays. Alfie was starting to believe Robin could be right – maybe they had flown too close to an eagle's nest.

October was a hectic time. Lessons and rehearsals for the school play were in full swing, preparations for winter were underway at the Merryweather farm and the twins' birthday was drawing close. Alfie had to make excuses to avoid them for a few days so that he could finish working on their present. On the morning of their birthday, he presented each of them with his handmade gift over breakfast in the farmhouse kitchen. A first edition of
The Terrific Trio
, a comic he had drawn featuring their recent adventures – or rather the adventures of the Boy Genius,
Dynamo Girl and the Timeslip Kid.

“Look at this, Herb, they're flying over London on a bearskin rug!” laughed Aunt Grace, reading the comics over Robin and Madeleine's shoulders. “You certainly have your dad's imagination, Alfie.”

“And your Mum's talent,” added his dad, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “This artwork is brilliant!”

“Why don't you give them your presents, Dad?” said Alfie.

His dad looked a little embarrassed as he handed two clumsily wrapped packages to the twins.

“I hope you like them. I put them together myself.”

Alfie beamed proudly to see the twins' faces light up as they opened their presents. Robin had a pair of brass goggles that looked like a cross between a microscope and binoculars with lots of adjustable lenses. His eyes suddenly appeared far too large for his head as he tried them on and began carefully examining his bacon and eggs.

Alfie helped Madeleine buckle her present around her waist. It was a belt with lots of little pouches containing string, fishing hooks, glow sticks, a first-aid kit, water-purification tablets, a small torch and a pocket-sized survival manual.

“It's an adventurer's utility belt. I, er, thought you might find it useful?”

“I love it, Uncle Will!” said Madeleine, happily investigating the pockets.

“Now you both look just like you've fallen straight out of Alfie's comic,” laughed Granny as the twins admired their unique presents.

“OK, Mum, now what did you and Dad get us?” Madeleine asked cheekily.

“Follow me!” said Uncle Herb. Alfie followed the twins as they raced out of the kitchen after their father, stopping when they reached the oak trees that supported their tree house. Alfie had been kept so busy on the farm over the last few weeks that he hadn't noticed a large tarpaulin draped over the tree house. By the puzzled looks on the twins' faces they hadn't noticed either. Two ropes hung down from it and Uncle Herb instructed Robin and Madeleine to take one each.

“OK, now on the count of three… One, two, three, pull!”

The twins pulled on the ropes and the tarpaulin fell away to reveal a completely renovated tree house sitting high among the bird nests in the entwined branches of the two oak trees. There were now two structures linked by rope ladders. The original one had been given a fresh coat of paint and all of the rotten boards and broken windowpanes had been replaced.

Uncle Herb had even built a lookout tower near the top of the trees and fitted solar panels to power a socket and small heater in each room. The rope bridges in-between were strung with outdoor lanterns to light the way in the dark. The twins yelled in delight and scrambled up through the branches to explore their new hideaway. Alfie followed hot on their heels. Even though he had his own castle, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of the tree house.

 

That afternoon, Alfie was pleased to see that nearly everyone in their class had turned up for Madeleine and Robin's party in the barn. The tree house was the subject of much envy. All of the twins' friends demanded to be invited for a sleepover. Alfie was glad that he was automatically top of the list. Holly and Jimmy were the first of the others to receive an invitation to stay at what Madeleine had named Oaktree Lodge.

“It'll have to be next weekend though,” announced Robin as Holly and Jimmy groaned with disappointment. “There are few things we have to do first.” He winked at Alfie and Madeleine. “Tell you later,” he whispered.

Granny had set up targets on hay bales and gave the children archery lessons with Madeleine and Robin's old longbows. Alfie was in awe of her skills; she had even competed professionally for a while. She had been training the twins for a few years and they had already won several competitions. At the end of the lesson, the twins put on a demonstration. Their favourite trick was to shoot arrows through apples balanced on the head of their dad's favourite scarecrow.

“Remind us never to upset your cousins,” whispered Jimmy as the proud twins rejoined the group with their skewered apples. “Or your gran.”

 

“Why didn't you want Holly and Jimmy to stay tonight?” Alfie asked as the twins finally waved goodbye to the last of the party guests. “It would have been fun to have a sleepover.”

“Don't you know what tonight is?” asked Robin. “It's a new moon.”

“Of course! Oh, that's perfect!” cried Madeleine. “Alfie, the rustlers will be out tonight. We can stay in the tree house and keep watch for them.”

“You still want to do that?” asked Alfie in surprise. “After what happened to Mrs Emmett?”

“Yes,” said Robin, firmly. “
Especially
after what happened to Mrs Emmett. She was awful, but we owe it to her to find out exactly who did that to her. We'll be safe if we just stay in the tree house. We can take pictures and pass them on to the police.”

Alfie felt very proud of his cousins at that moment. They were prepared to lie in wait for dangerous criminals. All for a woman that had earned them a telling-off for nearly every week of their lives.

“We should ask Artan if he wants to join us,” he said with a smile. “He could help scout the area. I'm sure he'd enjoy the adventure.”

“Brilliant plan!” said Robin. “I hadn't even thought of that.”

 

That night, Alfie sat in the tree house with his cousins, laying careful plans. Granny and his dad were staying over after the party and it seemed an age before the lights in the farmhouse kitchen finally went out as the adults headed up to bed.

“Right, let's set up.”

He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and climbed up to the lookout, followed by the twins. The lanterns hanging through the branches of the trees looked beautiful in the darkness, but Robin switched them off to make the trees less conspicuous.

Robin set his telescope and camera in front of the window that faced the cattle shed. Alfie blew a few blasts on the whistle to summon Artan. The bear had told him that the whistle would work from anywhere, but he still wasn't sure how that was possible from a mile away. He realized he needn't have worried when there was a loud
floomph
from the roof. Artan's large fuzzy head appeared upside-down in one of the windows. “Halloo, young ones. May I join you in your sylvan abode?”

“He means the tree house,” said Robin, unable to resist translating. Alfie pulled Artan through the window and helped him prop himself up over a stool. The bear lay with his head on his front paws as Alfie told him about the stake-out.

“No one steals from my friends,” he roared. “We'll hunt them down! We'll chase them into the—”

“Shushhhh!” Alfie clamped his hands around the bear's snout and pointed towards the farmhouse. “You'll wake everyone up.”

“Sorry!” whispered Artan as quietly as he could manage, which was still quite loud.

Robin had figured out that the animals were always taken between two and four o'clock. To kill time he had brought a board game he had made himself: Minotaur's Labyrinth. Alfie chose to play as the minotaur while Robin and Madeleine played as Greek heroes. Artan had taken up a lookout position on the roof. Alfie enjoyed hearing the occasional contented
moo
from the cattle shed as they played several games, swapping the role of the minotaur each time.

“Well that was rubbish,” said Madeleine, flipping the board as she lost for the third time in a row. “This is why computer games got invented.”

Robin's watch beeped to let them know it was two o'clock.

Alfie was starting to feel cramped in the lookout. “Just popping upstairs for a bit.” He clambered outside before Robin could protest, hoisting himself up on to the roof. He lay down on Artan's furry back, resting his chin on the bear's head. “See anything yet?”

“Nothing but bats.” Artan rippled a little as he sighed and turned his head towards the shadowy shape of the forest at the foot of the hills. “I remember when those trees spread for miles, across most of this farmland,” he said wistfully. “I don't remember much, but I know that I was happy there.”

Alfie rolled on to his back and looked up through the branches at the night sky as a warm breeze rustled the leaves around him. It still amazed him that he could see so many stars in the countryside.

“Psssst! Alfie!” hissed Robin from below. “Eyes right.”

Alfie looked and saw headlights bobbing across a lane between fields about half a mile away. He zoomed in with his binoculars and described what he could see to his cousins.

“It's an old army-style jeep pulling a horse trailer. There's only one man in it. He's wearing a flat cap, so I can't see his face.”

“OK, false alarm,” Robin replied. “It's just Jimmy's dad. He went to pick up some horses from the Lake District after the party.”

Alfie watched Mr Feeney unload two horses then spend a while getting them settled in their new stable before heading into the house. Ten minutes later the lights went out, everything was still once again.

It was now half past three in the morning. Alfie was trying to decide whether or not he needed the toilet enough to make the climb down the tree. He had just about motivated himself when a huge dark shadow swooped down towards the Feeney Farm. He froze. Artan growled softly as it landed silently on top of the stables, paused for a moment, then took off and glided to the roofs of several other outbuildings. Slowly, Alfie reached down, his eyes fixed on the creature as he rapped gently on the side of the lookout.

“What is that?” whispered back Madeleine. “I can't see to photograph it through the branches.”

Alfie strained to see through his binoculars but it was too dark. A minute later it was in the air again, sailing within a hundred yards of the trees. He could barely make out its shape, but it was easily as big as an elephant, with bat-like wings thesize of two hang-gliders. It landed silently on the roof of the barn where the sheep and goats were kept, folded its wings and settled there. What was it? He lay flat and perfectly still, praying it wouldn't come anywhere near the trees.

“Hold on,” whispered Artan. “We're going for a closer look.” Alfie's stomach lurched, but before he could stop him, Artan had slid silently from the tree house, gliding low to the ground. As they drew close to the outbuildings, he flew upwards and landed silently on the steeply pitched roof of the bale shed. They both peered over the ridge at the creature, which seemed to be sniffing around on the roof of the barn, scenting the animals asleep below.

Alfie could just make out the silhouette of its spiny back against the starry night sky. A long whip-like tail snaked up from the roof, slowly swishing from side to side in the same way as Galileo's when he was getting ready to pounce. At the moment it seemed too distracted by the food below to take notice of anything else. It began scratching at the plastic sheeting Uncle Herb had used to patch a hole in the roof. Soon it had torn away the plastic and was dipping its head down into the barn.

Alfie tried to push himself up a little higher with his toes, but only succeeded in dislodging one of the roof tiles. He desperately tried to hold on to it with the tip of his trainer, but it was made of heavy slate and slid away from him, clattering down the roof before getting caught on the moss. It was the loudest sound he had heard in his entire life.

When he could finally bear to open his eyes, the creature was still and alert, scanning the farmyard for the source of the noise. Alfie lay low, holding his breath as it turned towards the bale shed, then paused as if it knew he was there. Its tail began to swish again and caught the plastic sheeting it had torn up, knocking it down into the barn. The stillness was instantly broken by a goat bleating, and within seconds the whole barn was alive with baaing sheep and goats.

The creature stomped its frustration on the barn roof. Spreading its massive wings, it glared directly over at where Alfie hovered on Artan's back. There was a deep snort and two balls of flame emerged from its nostrils as it reared up on its back legs. Alfie stared, frozen in terror as the beast was lit up in its entirety, bat-like wings held high against the sky. Flames glinted in its greenish coppery scales as it raised two enormous heads. Alfie stared in disbelief. The rustler and the creatures that had attacked them in the sky were the same thing: the giant two-headed dragon right in front of him.