Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle (19 page)

“Hey, sewer breath!” he called, hurling a chair at it. “You want this?” he shook the talisman at them. A rumbling growl came from the creature's throats. Alfie backed towards the doors, hurling another chair. The dragon bellowed, its clawed feet crunching golden chairs into firewood as it lumbered towards him. “Well, you'll have to come and get it!” Alfie yelled as he turned and ran from the hall.

 

Reaching the courtyard, Alfie pulled the silver whistle from his pocket and blew it as hard as he could. Within seconds, Artan had swooped down from the tower and scooped him up on to his back.

“Quick, get us away from here, before it kills someone!” Alfie lay flat and grasped the bear's fur. Artan shot up into the sky just as the dragon burst through the castle doorway and launched itself after them.

“You want to be more careful picking your guests,” roared Artan as they rocketed into the air, the lights of the castle dwindling below as they soared over Lake Archelon. The moon reflected off the water, illuminating the dragon as it flashed past. Artan swooped downwards, almost skimming the lake as he dodged the tail that whipped towards them. Alfie hung on tight as the bear wheeled to the left. They gained a few precious seconds as the dragon flapped around, struggling to turn as quickly as the bear.

“Where to?” called Artan.

“The forest!” Alfie shouted. The dragon would be too big to follow – maybe Artan could lose it among the trees. They shot past the castle again and headed towards the village. Alfie saw his cousins racing down the hill with Jimmy and Holly, trying to follow their flight path. The adults were milling around on the drawbridge, still looking dazed. A clatter of breaking tiles came from behind them as the dragon landed briefly on the church spire, then launched itself in their direction.

“Look out!” he screamed as the dragon whistled through the air, wings flat to its sides as the spire crashed to the ground behind it. Artan dodged a second too slowly this time, and its great tail lashed against them. As they dropped from the sky, the bear wrapped himself around Alfie, softening his fall as they crashed into the village square.

Alfie leapt to his feet, grimacing as his ankle buckled under him. The dragon landed with a thump, claws clattering on the cobbles. It stomped a foot on to Artan's back – pinning the bear in place as he struggled to take flight.

The head with the sharpest snout dipped down to within two feet of Alfie. As its pupils narrowed to slivers of black in its yellow eyes, he knew that he was looking at Snitch.

“The talisman-key,” it snarled, extending one of its claws towards him.

“No,” said Alfie. He backed away, trying not to show the pain he felt as he put weight on his ankle.

“Wrong answer!” boomed the dragon, sending a searing blast of air from its nostrils. Alfie staggered back from the hot, sulphurous stench. “Idiot child! Did you really think that you could stand in the way of us taking it back whenever we wanted?” The dragon picked Artan up between two claws and dangled him in the air. Lizard-like frills unfolded with a snap around the two heads, vibrating threateningly as the beast examined the bear. “So old and dried out,” it observed.

“One little spark and …
Poof
!” cackled the fat scaly head that had Murkle's sly features.

“Put him down!” screamed Alfie as smoke began to curl from Snitch's nostrils. Glaring up at the dragon, he became aware of a whispering noise building up inside his head. His skin tingled and a warm sensation flowed through his veins.

The dragon had stopped toying with the bear. Both of its heads were turned to Alfie, their eyes wide and glittering.

“Look at his eyes,” the heads hissed to each other. “It's Orin's magic. It wasn't lost.
He
has it.”

Orin's magic! It was awake inside him, just like the day of the fire. But this was different from the school hall – he felt in control. He could almost understand it as it whispered to him, asking to be released. To be fed.

“We could take it,” hissed Murkle, eyes gleaming greedily. “Feed it on the humans, their electricity lines and power-stations. Then we could use it to rebuild the land for our brothers and sisters! Tall mountains, steaming volcanoes, lovely lakes of lava! The humans would farm their livestock, just for us. And the ones that won't…” Her forked tongue shot out and licked her lips greedily as she looked down at Alfie. He glared back. The whispering in his head was like the soft roar of a mighty waterfall.

“Or, we could create a new breed of dragons,” growled Snitch, baring her long fangs and sending out a snort of steam. Murkle's head snapped around to face her as she continued. “All the others ever did was fight. Why not leave the gateway sealed? Let them sleep for ever. We'll build our own army of dragons…”

“… with us as their rulers!” shrieked Murkle. “The world will be ours!”

Alfie tried to stay calm, but his heart was beating faster and faster. An immense feeling of power had filled his body. He felt stronger than he had ever felt before.

“So how do we get it?”

“Like this!” Snitch's head shot towards Alfie. Her jaws snapped shut on nothing but air as he rolled aside. Electricity crackled through his veins. If the magic fed on energy, he wondered, could he use it to draw out the dragon's strength, like Orin had used it to absorb Agrodonn's magic? He dodged Snitch's jaws again, fury building as he concentrated on the magic inside him. He had no choice – he had to use it.

The dragon lurched forward again and Alfie let go, imagining the full force of the magic bursting out of him, tearing into the creature. Immediately he knew that something was wrong. A massive electrical charge shot through his chest, throwing him to the ground. The dragon was completely unharmed and let out a deep rasping laugh from both of its throats as Alfie groaned from the pain of hitting the cobbles so hard. Before he could clamber to his feet, a claw jabbed down on to his chest, pinning him back to the ground. He cried out in pain as the tip of a talon slowly pierced his skin.

“Alfie!” yelled Robin, racing across the cobbles, closely followed by Madeleine.

“Get your claws off him!” screamed Madeleine, picking up stones and hurling them at the dragon with all her might. Murkle and Snitch's lips drew back into terrifying grins, revealing razor-sharp teeth as they ignored the stones bouncing harmlessly off their armoured body.

“Remove the key first,” Snitch growled as Murkle's teeth snapped within inches of Alfie's face. A claw hooked under the talisman as Alfie wriggled helplessly on the cobbles. The cord snapped and it flew across the square. Alfie stared into Snitch's gaping maw as she prepared to swallow him whole. Suddenly, the air between them was filled with black feathered wings and snapping beaks.

Alfie staggered to his feet and stared up in awe as hundreds of ravens flocked down into the square, heading straight for the dragon like tiny warplanes. The dragon snapped both sets of jaws, sending feathers flying as the birds pecked at its eyes, ears and wings. For every bird it caught, ten took its place. The moon and stars were blotted from view as the swirling cloud of ravens descended on the dragon like an oily black tornado. The beast screeched and took to the air, sending jets of flame into the swarm, which parted and regrouped like a shoal of fish as it continued its attack.

“Quick, Alfie!” said Robin, pulling him to his feet. “Let's go while it's busy.”

“I can't!” Alfie looked up at the ball of feathers surrounding the dragon and knew that Caspian was in there somewhere, saving his life. “I've got to stop it. The talisman, quick, help me find it!”

They spread out to search the cobbles. The charred bodies of ravens began to rain down around them as the battle raged overhead.

“Here!” called Madeleine suddenly. “Is this it?”

“Yes!” Alfie grabbed the talisman and checked that the lens was still intact.
The lens!
Emily had said that it could focus energy. Could it focus the magic too? He leapt aside and a jet of flame scorched the cobbles as he fastened the talisman around his neck.

“What now?” asked Robin, helping a dazed Artan float away from the flaming ravens that were dropping from the sky.

Alfie knelt down on the ground and closed his eyes, shutting out the noise of the battle as he focused, calming his mind and beating heart as the voice in his head became clear. Suddenly he knew what to do. He had used the magic too violently before. This time he listened to it and guided it, directing the build-up of energy towards the talisman. A warmth spread across the centre of his chest.

Opening his eyes, he stood up. His ankle gave him no pain now. He felt calm and alert rather than seething with raw power.

“What are you going to do?” asked Madeleine.

“Shh! Let him concentrate,” whispered Robin.

The ground was covered in the corpses of ravens that had fought to protect him. The survivors withdrew and swooped away. Alfie prayed that Caspian wasn't among the dead.

The dragon span furiously in the air, spitting flames after the retreating birds. One of Murkle's eyes was closed and the creature's wings were in tatters from the hundreds of beaks that had torn at them. It steadied itself in the air and caught sight of Alfie standing below. Both mouths screeched in unison, sending out a fiery blast that turned the weathervane on the village hall into a molten stream of metal.

“
Run
, Alfie!” screamed Madeleine as it dropped towards him.

Alfie didn't move. He stared up into the eyes of the creature as it hurtled down through the night sky. With his mind fully focused on the talisman, he calmly took a deep breath and released the magic that begged to be free. It was as though he had released a ravenous beast from its leash as it flowed through him, exhilarated at being used. A beam of blinding white light shone out from the talisman as the magic poured out through his chest, channelled by the lens. Alfie felt invincible, as though he could do anything or have anything he wanted.
And why shouldn't you?
whispered a little voice at the back of his mind.
I can make your greatest dreams a reality…

The dragon swooped down, terrible jaws gaping. The beam tore into it. A roar of pain filled the night as the light ripped through the creature's chest. Alfie closed his eyes instinctively before it crashed into him, and he heard a dull thump as something landed on either side of where he stood.

Alfie struggled against the dizziness he felt as the magic rushed back inside him, flowing back through the talisman to whatever secret place inside him it called home. It felt content, almost purring like a cat that had just been fed. Something about the sensation repulsed him and he had to fight hard against the sick feeling rising from his stomach.

Robin was shouting something. Madeleine whooped with delight.

“You did it!”

Alfie opened his eyes. Lying on the cobbles, dazed and bloodied, were Murkle and Snitch, back in their most recent human form.

 

“There they are,” shouted a pompous voice. “I demand you arrest them at once!”

Lord Snoddington was marching across the village square with Inspector Wainwright and his officers in tow. Alfie thought he was one of the targets of his rage until the policemen dragged Murkle and Snitch to their feet. A bruised Edward and Hugo looked on from behind Lord Snoddington as he shouted, “The last person to lay a hand on a Snoddington swung from the gallows!”

The rest of the villagers had wandered down the hill from the castle and were standing dumbstruck in the village square, staring at the fallen spire and dead ravens.

“Alfie!” called his dad as he rushed over, followed by the Merryweathers. “What happened? I remember hearing shouting in the Great Hall, and then we saw fireworks down here. Lord Snoddington's son said that he was attacked by your head teachers. Did they hurt you too?”

“They'll have me to answer to if they did!” added Granny. “I just wish I could clear my head – I feel as though I've been asleep for a week. For some reason I keep thinking about my old headmasters – they were almost as bad as those two.” She nodded towards the headmistress as they struggled and swore at the policemen that held them.

Snitch managed to get one of her arms free and made a grab for Alfie. She pulled her hand back with a yelp. Aunt Grace had given it a bone-crunching thwack with Uncle Herb's pipe, creating a little shower of red-hot tobacco embers. Snitch looked at her bruised and burnt knuckles in horror as the officers handcuffed her to Murkle and led them both across the square to the police station. Alfie gave a wry smile as he realized that they no longer had a scrap of power left.

“Could someone explain what went on here?” asked Uncle Herb as he refilled his pipe. “One minute we're watching a play, then there's all this noise, and now we're in the square surrounded by these poor dead birds.”

Alfie didn't answer. He had just spotted a familiar cloaked figure striding stiffly towards them.

“Caspian!” he called, running towards him. “Are you OK?”

“Just a knock,” replied the solicitor, wincing as Alfie grabbed his arm.

“We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you and the other ravens,” said Alfie. “You saved us. I don't know how to thank you!”

“Why would you need to do that?” said Caspian, raising an eyebrow. “I was merely guarding an asset our firm has been tasked with protecting.”

“Me?”

“Saving your life was simply a side effect of ensuring continued containment of the magic that you carry.”

Alfie could hardly believe that even after all the bloodshed, Caspian still sounded so utterly practical and indifferent. “Did you see what happened? The magic made Murkle and Snitch human again.”

“They were never human to begin with,” said Caspian. “The dragon had found a change magic that allowed it to alter its appearance. It had maintained a human guise for such long periods of time that it reverted to that form when your magic absorbed its own.”

“So they can never turn back?” asked Alfie. Caspian shook his head.

“A magical creature, trapped in two separate bodies for a human lifetime. I almost pity them.”

Lord Snoddington had taken it upon himself to start ordering people around and was clearing a path through the square by kicking the raven corpses into a pile. He stopped and backed away slowly as Caspian's furious black eyes burned into him.

“Were they … like you?” asked Alfie.

“Part human? No, these were not shape-shifters, but they were the best of the bravest of birds. When Ashford summoned me they answered my call, ready to die in battle or earn a tale to tell.”

“Is Ashford hurt?” asked Alfie, humbled by the sacrifice of the ravens.

“His pride hurts more than his body. For one such as him to be subjugated is rare indeed. He'll feel the sting for some time.” A slight smirk flashed across Caspian's face as if he took some slight pleasure in this. It vanished as quickly as it appeared and he flicked back his cape. “Now, to knit together the frayed ends in these people's minds before they unravel completely.”

Alfie helped him as he herded together the people milling around the square and led them back up the hill to the castle.

“What are you going to tell them?” he asked, running to keep up with the solicitor's long strides.

“I'm going to help them put together a version of events that they are happy to believe,” said Caspian. “The minds of most adults are not as flexible and resilient as yours. Theirs have been manipulated and played with and are desperate to latch on to something solid to fill the gaps. I will simply facilitate their choice of memory and repair the damage done.”

Everyone flocked back into the Great Hall. Alfie was amazed to see that the chairs were undamaged and everything was back exactly where it had been. It was as if nothing had happened. People breathed sighs of relief, settling happily back into their seats, as things seemed slightly more normal at last. Ashford was leaning against the stage, nonchalantly. He winked as Alfie caught his eye.

“Mr Bone?” said Robin, as they were ushered to their previous positions at the back of the hall. “Do we have to be here for this? We've already spent two weeks being unable to believe the truth. I don't want Alfie to be the only one who remembers what happened this time.”

“Who will he talk to if we forget this?” said Madeleine. “I hate knowing that Murkle and Snitch stole our memories and turned us against him. I'm just starting to remember some of the things we forgot. Don't make us lose this too.”

Caspian turned to Alfie. “They have seen some of the power of the magic that you guard.” His voice had taken on a very serious tone. “The more people that know, the more dangerous life could be for you. Can you trust them with so powerful a secret?”

Alfie looked at his cousins as they stared defiantly at the solicitor. He smiled. “Completely.”

Alfie could hear Caspian begin to address the audience in a soothing, authoritative voice as they left the hall. He led his cousins out on to the drawbridge where they sat dangling their legs down over the moat. Madeleine and Robin both seemed to be avoiding looking at him. Their eyes were fixed downwards, watching the water rushing below their feet.

“We're so sorry!” Madeleine burst out suddenly.

“We should have believed you—”

Alfie cut Robin off before he could finish. “You don't need to apologize.”

“But you must have felt so alone,” said Madeleine, blinking back what might have been a tear. “I feel like we abandoned you.”

“They did something to your heads – there was nothing either of you could do about it. If they hadn't done that I know you'd have been there for me, all the way.”

“Always,” said Robin, his face deadly serious.

“At least they can't mess with us ever again,” said Madeleine. After a moment of silence, she added quietly, “That thing you did to them – was that Orin's magic?”

Alfie nodded. “It was weird – like it was alive. While I was using it, I…” he paused and looked down at his shoes dangling over the rushing water below. Robin and Madeleine waited patiently for him to finish. “I felt so good – like I should be using it all the time, letting it out to feed and then using it to create anything I want.” He looked up from his feet. Madeleine and Robin were watching him in silence.

“But I wouldn't,” he added quickly. “It seemed so satisfied and pleased with itself after it fed on their power. I felt sick. I wanted it out of me. I never want to use it again.”

“If that's how it made you feel,” said Robin at last, “then I think Orin was right to give it to you.”

“Exactly,” added Madeleine. “If Murkle and Snitch had taken it from you, there's no way they would have held themselves back from feeding it and using it to create every terrible thing they wanted. It makes sense that it should be guarded by someone who doesn't want to use it.” She gave Alfie a squeeze. “Come on, cheer up! It's not every day you get to play King Arthur
and
slay a real dragon!”

“You've got a point there.” Alfie smiled as he climbed to his feet. “Now let's go.” He set off down the hill towards the village, turning to call back. “I need your help with something very important.”