Delivery to the Lost City Page 22

  “Wilmot!” she cried. “I couldn’t believe it when the Chief said you were in here. You’re alive!”

  “Only just,” he said. “Frogmaggog spat me out and he’s been holding me here ever since. It hasn’t been much fun.”

  “Oh boy,” said Ina. “You have no idea how annoying it is not to be able to take notes right now. What a story! SWALLOWED ALIVE: MY TALE OF TERROR BY WILMOT GRUNT. If we live through this, it’s going to be my next headline.”

  “That’s rather a big ‘if,’” said Aybek.

  Wilmot cleared his throat. “Ah, yes,” he said. “That’s the other thing. Aybek’s here.”

  Suzy folded her arms and gave Aybek her hardest stare.

  “We were expecting him,” she said. “Tenebrae told us everything.”

  “That feathered thug’s still alive, is he?” said Aybek. “Never mind, I’m sure it won’t last.” He turned a beatific smile on Ina. “And you must be The Book of Power’s new owner. What a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed but never quite took his eyes off her.

  Suzy took Ina by the hands. “Don’t trust anything he says or does,” she said. “He’s more dangerous than Tenebrae.”

  “I’m flattered that you think so,” said Aybek.

  “Don’t be,” Suzy shot back. “It wasn’t a compliment.”

  Another tremor ran up through the room, making the magic inside its ancient stones flare.

  “What’s happening down there?” asked Wilmot.

  “The city’s breaking apart,” said Suzy. “The floodwaters are rising, and the citizens are trying to storm the throne room. If we can’t save it now, Hydroborea’s finished.”

  “Then we need to hurry,” said Wilmot. He dashed over to the workbench and picked up the book. At the same time, Suzy produced the Gold Stamp Special delivery form from her satchel.

  “This means we’ve finally got everything we need in the same place,” said Wilmot. “Book, delivery form, and recipient. Do you have a pen, Ina?”

  “What sort of journalist would I be if I didn’t?” she said, pulling one from her pocket.

  “Excellent,” he said, exchanging an excited grin with Suzy. “Sign here, please.”

  Suzy proffered the form to Ina. Wilmot held his breath. At last, after so many dangers and disappointments, they were going to complete the first Gold Stamp Special delivery in living memory. The Express would be free to carry on working as normal, and the book would return every word it had stolen from the Ivory Tower. Everything was going to be all right.

  Except, when Ina’s pen was hovering just above the form, Aybek picked one of the glass bottles off his workbench and hurled it at the floor.

  It shattered, the black whirlwind exploded outward, and the room went dark. Ina yelped, and Wilmot dropped the book in his surprise as Aybek’s voice echoed through the blackness.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Master Grunt, but the time has come for me to take my leave. And my book.”

  “Aybek, wait,” said Wilmot. He reached blindly in the direction of Aybek’s voice, but a hard shove sent him reeling. He regained his footing and stooped to feel for the book, but his hands found only empty floor. “Book?” he called. “Where are you?”

  “I am over here,” the book replied from somewhere behind him. “I think I am being stolen again.”

  “You didn’t think I would let the greatest magical power in existence fall into anyone’s hands but my own, did you?” Aybek’s voice seemed to come from several directions at once now, no doubt due to more magic, which only added to Wilmot’s confusion.

  “The book’s useless to you, Aybek,” he replied. “Ina’s the only one who can open it.”

  “Which is why I’m taking her, too,” said Aybek. The piercing note of the kraken caller rang out. There was breaking of glass and a wet slithering sound, and Ina’s scream pierced the darkness.

  “Something’s got me!” she cried. “Help!”

  “Let her go, Aybek,” shouted Suzy. “Where are you even going to go? The city’s falling apart.”

  “It deserves to,” Aybek snapped back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Impossible Places are practically begging for strong leadership, and I’d hate to keep them waiting. Good-bye.”

  “Stop!”

  Wilmot turned, waving his hands in front of him and taking small, cautious steps in what he hoped was the direction of the door. Somewhere nearby he heard a thump, a rattle of pots and pans, and a whispered curse from Suzy.

  “Chief,” she said, “can you get a glow going?”

  “I’m already at full luminescence,” came the Chief’s voice. “It doesn’t seem to be making any difference.”

  My flashlight! thought Wilmot. He pulled it from his pocket and wound the key, but no light appeared.

  “It’s no good,” he said. “Whatever this spell is, it’s designed not to let any light through.”

  Suzy gave an exasperated groan. “Just when everything was going right for once. But how’s he even going to escape the city?”

  Wilmot stopped stumbling about long enough to realize he already knew the answer to Suzy’s question. “He’s heading for the H.E.C.,” he said. “He must be planning to seal himself inside and use the conch shell to make the kraken take him back to the surface.”

  “And once he’s there he’ll force Ina to open the book, and then he’ll be unstoppable,” said Suzy. “Which means we have to stop him before he leaves.”

  “That’s the stuff,” said the Chief. “Now, can anyone find the door?”

  They stumbled about, banging into the furniture and each other but getting nowhere. And then came a voice that made Suzy’s spirits leap.

  “Blimey, who turned out the lights?”

  “Fletch?” she said, scarcely daring to believe her ears. “Is that really you?”

  “It was the last time I checked,” said Fletch. “You got the Postmaster with you?”

  “Yes, I’m here!” said Wilmot. “But we can’t see a thing. Aybek cast some sort of darkness spell.”

  They heard Fletch sniff the air. “Smells like a good old-fashioned blackout spell to me. It’s thick but it’s easy to shift. Just use a fan and blow it away.”

  “We don’t have a fan,” said Suzy.

  Fletch tutted. “Looks like I’m sortin’ out everyone’s problems today,” he said. “Stonks? Open up the pressure valves and give us a blast of steam, will you?”

  There was a great hiss, and a wave of hot, moist, banana-scented air blew across the room. It carried the darkness with it, reducing it to scraps of gray fog and sweeping it out of the open door. Suzy blinked droplets of moisture from her eyelashes and saw Fletch standing outside the door to a storage cupboard, through which she could see the gleaming hulk of the Express. He stepped aside as Ursel and Stonker emerged, followed by Frederick, who was carrying a birdcage containing some sort of furry red worm.

  “Hello!” said Frederick. “Are you three all right?”

  “Apart from being dead, I’ve never felt better,” said the Chief. “What’s that in the cage?”

  “Oh, him?” Frederick frowned at the cage. “This is Maxwell. He’s here to fix the H.E.C.”

  “And this is my assistant, Professor Stupid,” said Maxwell. “His specialist subject is being absolutely horrible at everything.”

  Suzy leveled a questioning look at Frederick, who sighed.

  “It’s a long story,” he said.

  Before he could start to tell it, Suzy’s parents rushed out of the cupboard.

  “Is Suzy here? Is she all right?” They skidded to a halt in front of her, and for a moment, she just stared at them. All the words seemed to have evaporated from her head, and she had no idea what to say, let alone what to feel. Relieved, guilty, embarrassed, overjoyed … She was feeling them all at once, and they filled her up so completely she was afraid she might burst into tears in front of them.

  “Hello,” she said in a small voice. “Sorry.”

  “Oh, Suzy!” Her parents t
hrew themselves at her and gathered her up in their arms.

  “Thank goodness you’re safe,” said her dad.

  “We thought we’d never see you again,” said her mom.

  “Me too,” said Suzy, letting a few of her tears escape. Every one of them felt like a great weight being lifted from her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “We’re here now,” said her dad. “That’s all that matters.”

  The room trembled, shaking a few jars of ingredients off the shelves.

  “Actually, it’s not,” said Suzy. “The city is imploding. You both need to get out of here while you still can.”

  “We’re not going anywhere without you,” said her mother.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” said Suzy. “I promise. But Aybek’s here, he’s taken the book and a friend of ours, and we’ve got to get them back. It’s the only way to save everyone.”

  Stonker’s mustache bristled. “Aybek, you say? Here?”

  Her parents exchanged a quick, wordless look.

  “How can we help?” asked her dad.

  Suzy blinked. “You want to stay?”

  “Suzanne Smith,” said her mom. “We’ve been through an awful lot to get here, and we’re not going to just turn around and leave you behind, no matter what’s happening. So hurry up and tell us what you need before we change our minds.”

  Suzy hugged them again, even harder. “We’re going to need backup,” she said. “Lots of backup.”

  26

  IN PURSUIT OF A GOOD BOOK

  The throne room was in chaos.

  At least it sounded as if it was in chaos, but it was too dark to actually see anything. Aybek’s blackout magic filled the room, bringing Suzy, Wilmot, Frederick, Stonker, and Ursel to an abrupt halt at the foot of the spiral stairs.

  The darkness rang with the sound of Watch Frogs running to and fro in confusion, while the desperate pleas of the crowd trapped on the grand boulevard outside the doors grew ever louder. There was also an erratic clicking noise, like a malfunctioning machine. It took Suzy a few seconds to realize it was the sound of Frogmaggog uselessly snapping his fingers.

  “When I find you, old man, I’m going to cut you into pieces so small, the sharks won’t even have to chew,” Frogmaggog thundered. “Give me back my book!”

  “Come and get it yourself,” came Aybek’s response, once again echoing from all directions at once. “But it sounds as if your people need you. Allow me to show them in.”

  Suzy heard a squeal of porcelain as Frogmaggog shifted in his bathtub. “Secure the doors. Somebody stop him!”

  But it was too late. The doors swung open with a distant creak, admitting a chill breeze that dispelled the blackout fog. The line of Watch Frogs that had been holding back the crowd outside came tumbling in, almost trampled underfoot by the stampede of terrified Hydroboreans who poured in through the mouth of the gateway.

  Suzy scanned the chaos and spotted Aybek almost immediately—he was the only figure moving against the flow of people, dragging Ina behind him through the gateway. Her arms were tied by a knot of kraken tentacles.

  “There he is!” Suzy said. “After him!”

  They started in pursuit, but a full-scale riot was already in progress as the Watch Frogs regrouped and attempted to turn back the incoming tide of refugees. The Hydroboreans defended themselves with whatever they had been able to salvage from their homes—pots and pans, a footstool, pillows. One elderly newt lady was even attacking Commander Kecker with a set of china plates, slinging them at him like Frisbees while he parried with his trident.

  Frogmaggog, meanwhile, leaned out of his bath and plucked one unfortunate soul after another off their feet with his long, sticky tongue, reeling them into his waiting mouth.

  “Aybek!” yelled Tenebrae, trapped in his cage high above the fighting. “Come back and let me out of here!”

  The prisoners from the Midtwist district had broken free of their guards and joined the fray. Suzy’s heart leaped when she saw Amlod fighting through the crowd in an attempt to reach Ina, but Aybek had already tossed her into the detention trailer of one of the abandoned S-Cargo Units and climbed into the driver’s seat. With a good-bye wave to Tenebrae, he gunned the engine and turned the vehicle away from the tower, scattering Hydroboreans as he went.

  “We’ll never catch him now,” Frederick whined.

  “Grrrrawr!” said Ursel.

  “She said to climb on,” said Stonker. “She’ll take care of the rest.”

  Suzy grinned at Ursel and vaulted up onto her back, settling between her shoulder blades and plunging her hands into her friend’s thick fur. “Come on, Wilmot,” she called.

  “Just a sec.” He dashed toward the fighting and retrieved something from the floor—a fallen kraken caller. He returned at a run, holding it aloft in triumph, and scrabbled up Ursel’s back behind Suzy. “Ready!”

  It was then that Suzy’s parents appeared at the bottom of the stairs, sweating and out of breath. Suzy’s mom approached Wilmot and held something out for him. His phone.

  “You were right,” she panted. “We managed to get a phone signal out through the rail tunnel and called for backup.”

  “We contacted everyone on the list you gave us,” said Suzy’s dad, resting his hands on his knees. “They’re on their way. And can I just say?” He gasped for breath. “Troll phone technology really needs to be more user-friendly.”

  “But it’s really good for your resting heart rate,” said Wilmot. “Thank you.”

  Suzy reached down and took her mom’s hand in both of hers. “Thanks, both of you,” she said. “I promise we’ll be back soon.”

  Her mom nodded. “Just promise to be careful as well.”

  “I will,” said Suzy. “You and dad should get back on the Express. It’s safer there.”

  “What about the rest of us?” said Stonker.

  “Help as many people as you can,” said Suzy. “And get ready.”

  Stonker stood to attention and tipped his hat. “We won’t disappoint you.”

  “Hang on,” said Frederick. “Take Maxwell. If anything goes wrong and you can’t get back to us, you’ll need him.” He opened the cage, took gentle hold of the little demon, and offered him to Suzy.

  “But what do I do with him?” she said.

  “Just point him at the H.E.C.’s engines and he’ll figure out the rest.”

  “Oh yes, let me do all the hard work,” said Maxwell. “You can all put your feet up, but not poor Maxwell.”

  “You don’t even have feet,” said Frederick.

  Maxwell stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at him.

  “Fine,” said Suzy. “He can ride in my pocket.” Maxwell performed a graceful swan dive straight into Suzy’s coat pocket.

  “It smells like old seaweed in here,” he said.

  “Tough luck.” She checked her watch. Only forty minutes remained before the book digested the contents of the Ivory Tower’s library. “Let’s go.”

  Ursel raised her head and gave a bellowing roar that cut through the noise of the throne room. The fighting stopped, every face turned to stare at them, and, with a grunt of satisfaction, Ursel plunged forward, fangs bared. Watch Frogs and civilians alike took one look at the enormous yellow beast bearing down on them and fought to get out of her way.

  Within a few seconds, Ursel was at full speed and the crowd parted around her like water.

  “There’s Amlod!” said Wilmot, pointing. Suzy looked and saw him off to one side, defending a group of Hydroborean children from a couple of Watch Frogs.

  “Keep fighting, Amlod!” shouted Suzy. “We’ll bring Ina back.”

  He waved at her, then tackled both the Watch Frogs around the waist while they were distracted by the sight of Ursel charging past. The children cheered.

  “Stop those outworlders!” roared Frogmaggog. “Don’t let them escape!”

  A few foolhardy Watch Frogs stepped into Ursel’s path, but she put her head down and surged forward. One
had the sense to jump clear, but the other two were knocked flying.

  “Idiots!” shouted Frogmaggog. “Must I do everything myself?” He heaved himself out of the bath and lumbered after them in pursuit.

  “Faster!” Suzy shouted.

  They were almost at the huge red entrance doors now. The crowd continued to scatter, giving them a clear run to the exit, but the doorway was narrow with no room to maneuver. Suzy looked over her shoulder and saw Frogmaggog open his mouth wide, his tongue coiling like a spring.

  “Look out!” she said.

  With a growl of effort, Ursel put on an extra burst of speed. They were suddenly in the gateway. Frogmaggog’s tongue shot toward them …

  … and missed, whistling a few inches over Wilmot’s head to strike the wall. Frogmaggog gave a yelp of pain and looked down at his foot. Through the crowd, Suzy glimpsed her parents, armed with tridents, jabbing at his ankle.

  “Go for it, Mom and Dad!” she shouted. Then Ursel was through the doorway, out of the giant stone frog’s head and onto the boulevard, where the endless crowd of displaced Hydroboreans still streamed toward the palace.

  “That was close!” said Wilmot.

  “That was brilliant!” said Suzy. “Now, keep your eyes open for Aybek. He can’t be far ahead of us.”

  “Rrrrunk!” agreed Ursel.

  The crowd parted for them, and Ursel ran on. All Suzy and Wilmot could do now was hang on.

  It’s a race now, thought Suzy. Between us and Aybek. She pressed her face into the deep fur of Ursel’s neck and tried not to panic. Because the fate of everything, and everyone, depended on the outcome.

  27

  THE TRAIN NOW ARRIVING

  The battle for the throne room raged on around Suzy’s parents, but before they could rejoin it, the shadow of Frogmaggog’s huge webbed foot fell over them. “You wretched outworlders are turning into an infestation,” he said, glowering down at them. “It’s time to put an end to you.”

  “Don’t you dare!” shouted Suzy’s mom as she and her husband brandished their tridents.

  He brought his foot down, but not before Frederick was able to cannon into both Suzy’s parents and knock them clear. The three of them rolled under the bathtub just as Frogmaggog’s heel struck the ground.