Leapfrog, p.32
Leapfrog, page 32
part #5 of Bannister's Muster Series
He smiled. “Thank you. Will you send them back to where they were? It was a mistake when they got out. They should be back in the dungeons at the Tower of London in the year 1540. Under guard. They’ve eaten well and had their freedom for ages and now they can go back where they belong.”
Hexaconda lifted both arms, and there was a wailing scream as both the Darling brothers disappeared. “And that old fool?” she asked, pointing at William Octobr.
Nathan actually had no idea. It was Poppy who said, “Send him back to wherever he’s living so he can look after his little granddaughter. That’s Tansel. She’s here but she shouldn’t be anywhere near Clebbster and Wagster. And he can try and sort his horrid son out himself.”
“No, no,” cried the old man. “Give me back my eyes, and send me to modern London with my granddaughter and a bucket of money. For Tansel’s sake, if not my own.”
“Reward you?” demanded Alfie. “And give you money after all you’ve done? And then you leave us with your dreadful son to sort out?”
“Let him stay here with Clebbster,” suggested Nathan. “He can sort out the rest himself.”
“And the mob outside?” John reminded him.
Laksta and Hexaconda, now both women without scales or fangs, but both still tall, skinny and strangely shaped with a wind that seemed to pass through their bodies and blow in their hair, now ran to embrace each other. “Oh, my beautiful mother,” called Laksta, “when can we escape to Sparkan?” She smiled back at Nathan. “I dream of us both together swimming in that volcanic steam with the water bubbling around me. It is so exciting. I gaze up at the rising flames above the surface of the water, and when I wish, I can change back and talk to the dragons. Some are my friends.”
“That reminds me,” said Nathan, “I have to send more food up for the wolves.”
“I can do that,” interrupted Hexaconda. “I can create great pits of bones and meat by magic. I would love to make friends with the lava wolves, and that is how I can do it.”
Looking back at Laksta, Nathan said softly, “In your cottage at Pickles, you starved the wolves behind your walls. I was upset about that. Can you feed the wolves on Sparkan? Or will you starve them?”
She blushed, and the scales curled into deep red cones and fell from her forehead. “That was my father’s orders,” she said. “I am so sorry. I trapped your friend, but Papa made me do it. The wolves were from one of the meteors, and I hated myself for starving them. But my father congratulated me, and was kind to me only I when obeyed him.”
Clebbster sprawled unmoving in his chair. He could hardly move, though his broken fingers twitched. His face was burning with anger and his brilliant green eyes flashed like daggers. His ferocious temper was boiling and he could only splutter and not speak directly. Several times he began to speak, to swear at his wife and daughter, to insult those now staring down at him and tell them how much he loathed them, and explain what ghastly things he had planned for them in the future, and to scream out with magic that would kill them all. But with his long magical finger smashed, the magic could not work, and half his nose and cheek was caved inwards, which meant he could not talk. The broken ribs made breathing difficult for him and the broken arms and legs stopped him standing or even moving. The long finger on his right hand which extended to the floor when he stretched it out, and ended in a great black curl of fingernail with a sharp pointed end that could pierce anyone’s skin, was now laid gently in his lap. It was clear that it bent backwards several times, and part of the nail was broken off.
“We ortta find that bit,” John pointed with disgust. “Reckon tis poisonous. Gotta make him eat it.”
“Well, he eats spiders and slugs,” said Alice. “But even if we do find it, I don’t want to touch it.”
But Laksta bent and reached out for something near Clebbster’s feet. “This is what you want?” she asked, holding out her hand, palm open. There lay the long curling point of the black fingernail, and Poppy and Sam, peering over, both shivered and quickly moved away. But Laksta said, “If none of you want it, then I shall keep it, for it gives me some power over my father. He will grow another, but this holds both his secret snake venom, and his magical focus. I can call him from afar with this, and force him to leave me alone.”
“Yuck, keep it,” said Nathan.
“In the meantime,” Hexaconda said, looking at her daughter, “your father is listening to all we say, and should be sent to his bed until his bones mend and his magic returns. If that old man wishes to stay and cook for him then that is his choice, but my husband can live for many weeks without food so he can be left alone if necessary.” And lifting both her arms, she pointed at Clebbster. He rose like a floating leaf from his chair, and as he struggled, spat and growled, he was flown through the air and out of the room. “To bed,” she said as he disappeared.
“Tis time we was leaving, but wot about them thugs outside?” said John.
“The knife will stop them,” said Nathan. “But I doubt it can stop Brewster and Wagster. They’re too strong for the knife alone. But will Brewster attack?”
“I haven’t seen him for ages,” said Poppy. “But he was turning into our friend. He was really nice and helpful. But not Wagster.”
“Come on then,” said Nathan. “I’m not going to hide. Let’s go out and face them all.” Turning back to Laksta and Hexaconda, he smiled, thanking them. “You’ve been so kind,” he said, “and it must have been so hard to do all that against your own father, especially when he’s such an evil wizard. I’d be terrified. My father’s so sweet and quiet. And if you ever want help, I’ll try and do it.”
They bowed, their long hair swinging down over their faces as they bowed down from their great height. Laksta said, “If you ever need us, just call as you did today. But come and visit us sometimes, for we shall be in the lakes of Lashtang.”
“I was always frightened of those snakes,” admitted Poppy.
“Many are poisonous. Some are angry. But if I tell them you are friends, they will never hurt you.”
Both women stood together, and then they began to twirl, faster and faster until they were just a blur. Then, quite suddenly, they were not there at all. They had completely disappeared.
‘That’s it,” said Alfie. “Let’s go.”
“We could take Tansel with us,” suggested Alice, but Alfie shook his head.
“That would be kidnapping. Her grandfather loves her and he’ll look after her.” He shot old man William a dirty look, but the old man stared down and would not meet his eyes.
Nathan led them all downstairs again. One by one they hurried down and approached the outside door. Clutching their knives, they were ready for trouble, but when they pulled open the door and ran out into the street, they saw no bully-gangs there, and almost no one at all taking any notice of them. A few passers-by walked along without even bothering to turn their heads. But there was one person who watched them.
Brewster sat on a low wall with someone’s garden beyond. He was swinging his little gold shoed feet, bent at his bony knees which seemed to stick out from his tight trousers.
“Well, my friends,” he said, “what a lovely surprise. Doodywobbles and wobbly dangles, a very nice surprise it is too.”
Nathan scowled. “You knew perfectly well that we were here.”
“Did I?” asked Brewster as if he couldn’t remember. “Ah well, perhaps I did. I do know most things of course.”
“Do you know your father is evil and cruel?” demanded Poppy.
“Of course I do, Poppsy-woppsy,” he replied, a big grin almost splitting his face. “But daddy-kins is daddy-kins and too old to teach otherwise. Meanwhile, diddly-poo and spooky- pish, tis time for a spritely dish.”
It was almost night and the sun was going down behind the rooftops and the peaks of the chimneys. “I’m going home,” said Nathan. “And that means all of us. What have you done with Wagster?”
Brewster pointed upwards, and they all stared into the sky. There floated the huge striped balloon, and peering over the edge was Wagster, looking almost lonely. “All’s well that doesn’t end badly,” sang Brewster. “Hippity-hop and scrub with a mop, my sister’s a sop and mummy’s the top. Daddy’s a pop and can stay in bed for a month. I shall bring him dinner if he doesn’t swear at me.”
“Dunno why you bothers,” decided John.
“Morning swill will make him ill, evening dinner will be the winner,” sang Brewster. “Not a master cook, I’m not, but he’ll get some soup in a pot.”
Alfie, Alice and Sam turned away, but Poppy smiled and Peter asked, “So you don’t blame your sister or your mother? But you don’t blame him either?”
And Nathan said, “You ought to run off to Sparkan with the others.”
“Brewsty-woosty doesn’t run, Brewsty-woosty caught a plum, be it good or be it bad, Brewsty-woosty’s never dumb.”
“Just crazy.” But Poppy was still grinning.
A long rope was thrown down from the balloon, and Brewster caught it. Immediately he was hauled upwards. As he rose cheerfully into the darkening sky, he waved and called out, “By-by, Pidgeon pie. Look after your little selves. Bumble-Bee Head and Poppsy-wopsy be good and be careful. See you soon.”
And he was gone into the clouds.
For a moment they all stood in silence, staring upwards, but then they started to walk. It was getting darker, and they wanted to be outside the main gates and call the sky-train as quickly as possible.
But there was another most unexpected interruption. As they reached the shadows of the city wall, and hurried towards the gates before they were locked for the night, they realised that suddenly all the streets were empty. Usually this was a busy time of day for everyone knew the gates were closed at the end of dusk, and people were rushing to get out before they shut, and also rushing to get back in if they’d been out of the city for the day. Yet they could see no one at all.
There was a weird and unnatural silence. Homes near the wall were closed up and curtains pulled. There was not even the flickering light of candles. The shops had shut early, and there were no children playing in the streets, or neighbours calling out goodnight to each other. For a moment Nathan stopped, looking around. Both puzzled and worried. But then everyone hurried on again, and rounded the last corner before the gates.
They understood at once.
There, sitting directly in front of the open gates, with no one daring to be nearby, sat a huge tiger. Its coat was brilliant even in the last shadows of the fading day. It sat on its haunches, staring at them as they huddled together, not wanting to walk closer. Its ears were alert and its great golden and black eyes seemed to be fixed on Nathan.
Poppy whispered, “It isn’t Gilden. Much too big. And it looks nasty.”
The fur in rich tangerine and deep black seemed thicker than other tigers, its paws, claws enormous, were like boulders, and its face already seemed like a snarl.
‘We saw this before,” Alfie whispered back. “I remember because there’s not many tigers in Lashtang. I mean, there’s Gilden, but he said as how he was rare.”
“And this definitely isn’t Gilden,” said Poppy again. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and she had a horrible idea of who he was,
“Quite right,” said a deep voice out of the shadows. “You have seen me once before, but that was when I was simply a wanderer. That was Gilden’s father. But I am myself now, and you know me very well indeed.”
“You can’t be,” muttered Nathan.
“I don’t understand”, said Sam, trembling. “You say it’s you but it’s not you.”
“Reckon tis a lie.” John stamped one foot, and glared ahead. “You’s trapped in a big glass pot and you can’t get out. You’s dying. You’s in Granny’s sugar. You’s on the meteor where you come from and has to go back. You ain’t here.”
The tiger yawned. “What fools you all are, and so easily tricked,” it said. “Even those of you who claim such power and skill, such intelligence and knowledge. You are all fools. Even the great Clebbster who calls himself emperor of all Lashtang. Even the absurd Messina who wishes to be empress. Even the parrot-brain Passleram who thinks himself so mighty. None of them know and all of them are fools.”
“You can’t be him.” Nathan fisted both hands.
But the tiger, without moving, stared back. “I shall tell you a story,” it said. “I was tired. After the capture by your vile relations, I was tired. I wished for a rest with my friends, those of whom still lived. I do not forgive you for causing the death of the others, and you will pay for that. But I was not reliant on them, and will not miss them. But I wished for a rest that did not involved the wretched need for constant observance and alarm.
“So I therefore created an image of myself. I called one of the jelly-oxen and with magic, made it appear as a small blue star in my own image. I sent it to the village home of the fool Clebbster, and he captured it. Then, just as I had hoped, your foolish relations discovered it, poor voiceless thing, and took it away. It ate some of the sugar, but this made it ill for it no longer had a stomach. Now it is truly starving to death in that absurd glass prison.
“Meanwhile I have been making a new home for myself, and with my three star friends, have rested well and am now ready and prepared for a new life as Emperor Yark of Lashtang. I am stronger, I have willing friends. I have a new plan. And because all you fools are unprepared, still believing that I have been captured, you will be much easier to slaughter. You will all be gone soon, and I shall rule Lashtang for a hundred years and more.”
Nathan spluttered, “I don’t believe it.”
“And now,” continued the tiger, “I shall rope and bind you all, imprison you in fishing nets so the residents of Peganda can see you dragged away to your deaths, and I shall laugh as you sob and cry out in pain.”
And then Peter lifted his lute, and began to play.
What happened when Peter played his Lute? What is Yaark up to? And will Clebbster be free to roam again?
But most importantly will the Octobr’s get their throne back?
All this and more in the final Bannister’s Muster book, ‘Hide & Seek’. Get it now and Join Nathan’s next adventure.
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed reading this instalment of Nathan’s adventures. I would love to hear your thoughts on anything to do with Nathan and his friends.
You can contact me through either the Bannister’s Muster website at https://bannistersmuster.com. or the Bannister’s Muster facebook page.
If you could leave a review on Amazon, that would be wonderful and so very helpful.
See you soon in the next instalment…
Also by Barbara Gaskell Denvil
Bannister’s Muster
Book One: Snap
Book Two: Snakes & Ladders
Book Three: Blind Man’s Buff
Book Four: Dominoes
Book Five: Leapfrog
Book Six: Hide & Seek (Coming soon)
Also available in Audio and soon to be Spanish editions too
For more info, please go to https://bannisters muster.com
Barbara Gaskell Denvil, Leapfrog
