Dominoes

by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

  “Wot if it weren’t Yaark? Wot if it were Clebbster?”

  “It’s always Yaark. Obvious. Easy. Simple.”

  “But we ain’t easy nor simple neither,” objected John. “And I reckon we got a site more brains than a silly little star.”

  Chapter Two

  For some long hours the same smoke cloud hovered above them, casting a black shadow right over the city. The rest of the sky remained blue and sunny, but no sun rested on Peganda. Gradually the smoke turned to haze, and the haze snuffed out. The sky came back to bright blue without even any little white cloudy dots, and the sun gleamed golden across the broken houses.

  Watching carefully for the cloud fingers to completely disappear, the people began to hurry back through the open North Gate. But then they stood staring in amazement, wondering how they would ever find where their own homes had once stood. There were no roads, no streets, no visible clues even regarding the shops, taverns and theatres. Before them lay piles of dirty rubble as high as their shoulders.

  A woman pointed. “Is that our bed all broken up there?” But her husband shook his head. “No. Our bed was bigger than that.” And then a little boy ran over. “It is, it is, it is, look, there’s my teddy.”

  Gradually people started to push past the broken wood and tiles, searching for their old homes and furniture. Some found nothing, but most were eventually able to discover something, with pieces of china or wood or glass that showed they had once lived near there. Many people were thrilled to find these things from their past lives, but others were in tears. John, Alfie and Nathan started just inside the big open gateway, helping people haul up the broken wooden walls, leaning one against another making a square room. They sent children to collect nails and found several hammers, saws, screwdrivers and other tools amongst the heaps of rubbish. They couldn’t make real houses. That was far too difficult, and the planks and metal roofs were too broken up to use properly, but they managed to make ramshackle sheds where families could camp out for a little while.

  Although kitchens, beds, chairs and tables had all been broken, there were many sheets, blankets and pots and pans that were still useable, so everyone was able to collect some things to make their lives more comfortable. Rugs were pulled out in good condition from beneath the broken houses, and many were able to find their old clothes and books. Several carpenters offered to help with repairs, and even to make new walls safer, and doors fit properly so they could open and close. Many women set out with buckets and sponges, brooms and mops to help clean up everywhere, and most of the men were trying to build up their homes again. Children continued to run backwards and forwards collecting toys, nails, screws, and anything else they could find which they thought was worth saving.

  Rattle, bang, bang, bang. Then crash, thump, whoosh and bang, bang, bang.

  Gradually the people built their homes back as best they could, and laughed, looking at the dishevelled walls and the crooked roofs. Although it was hard work, very few complained, and Nathan was relieved to be able to help. He felt so sorry for the people of Peganda and wished he could do more. That evening, when almost everybody had a roof and four walls around them, if nothing else, he stood high on the top of the city wall, where he had climbed with the help of John and Alfie, first hopping onto their shoulders and then hauling himself further. The stones were wide and solid, and the surface right the way along the wall’s top was almost flat and easy to walk along. He called out to everyone, and they stopped working and cheered when he began to talk.

  “Do you know any proper builders?” he asked. “Tell them I will pay them to come and start building good solid homes, one by one. I’ll pay when each house is finished with proper bedrooms and kitchens and comfy living rooms. I know it may take a long time before all the houses of Peganda are finished, because there’s a lot of people and very few builders. But at least it will be a start.”

  “I’ll pay too,” called John. “I bin poor, fit fer nuffing all me life, but now I gotta fair bit o’ money from here and there. I can pay two builders fer ten houses each.”

  “And me,” called Alfie. “Twenty houses each for three builders.”

  “If I finds me money box,” called a man from the crowd, “reckon I can buy me own home, and another fer the nice guy next door.”

  “I’ll pay for my own,” called a woman.”

  “How many builders can we find?” asked Nathan.

  “Me,” “Me,” “Me,” and “Me,” called various people from the crowd, waving their hands in the air.

  “Fourteen builders,” Nathan smiled, counting the raised hands. “Good. Can you all start tomorrow? I know as builders you’ll want to build your own homes as well, but if you can do two at a time, then you’ll earn a lot more.”

  “And the new houses should be better and safer than the old ones,” called another woman. “Those old houses were ugly and always collapsed. Just like me mum..”

  “I’ll build you a palace, Maudie,” called one of the builders. “But it will take over a week.”

  “Only a week?” squeaked Maudie. “You’re a great builder, Tazztow.”

  “So I am,” Tazztow called back. “Come on all of you. I’ll start taking orders. Ten of you to begin with.” And he pulled out a notebook and little pencil from his pocket.

  Nathan looked back at Alfie and John. “I’ll stay here and help for a few more days,” he said. “But then I’m off to Sparkan. Are you coming?”

  “Sure am,” grinned John.

  “Me too,” said Alfie.

  “And I’ve thought of the perfect way to get there,” Nathan told them. Climbing down from the top of the wall was easier than getting up, for Nathan sat on the high stones, took a deep breath, and jumped.

  “Tis strange,” John remarked, looking up to the clear blue sky, “that Yaark ain’t knocked down the wall and all. Just them houses inside.”

  “I think he thought the wall would keep everyone trapped in the ruins,” decided Nathan, “so they couldn’t run away, and could all be killed.”

  “He doesn’t know how clever and determined humans really are,” snorted Alfie.

  One week later, when they were all exhausted, they could look over the growing city and feel extremely satisfied with themselves. Most of the streets were still in ruins, but from the centre outwards, great houses were springing up, more beautiful than the slums before. People played music and danced in the streets every evening, delighted with the improvements and the fast building, for as the fourteen different builders took on a job, so at least fifty men and women came to help. There was still an enormous amount to do, but now no one doubted that in a few months Peganda would rise again with solid safe houses and comfortable rooms for every citizen.

  Meanwhile the creatures from the plains had been asked to gather food of every kind and bring it to the folk inside the walls, making friends at the same time. Four large black hairy spiders came through the marshy grasslands hoisting a little cart behind them, full of lettuces, radishes, cucumbers and cobwebs. The people of Peganda felt rather embarrassed thanking the spiders and offered to pay for the fresh food.

  One spider shook her head. “Money’s no use to me,” she said in a high squeaky voice. “I have nothing to buy and no pockets to keep coins in.”

  A very large tortoise pushed a wheelbarrow overflowing with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blackcurrants, with a few gooseberries snuggled up in the middle. Behind him came three smaller tortoises balancing buckets of cream on their shells.

  Then along came all the other little insects and creatures who had lost their homes and their families years before when Yaark changed them all one day, and since they had suffered too, they sympathised with the people of Peganda. “It ain’t right,” said a big white moth, dropping the spinach leaves he’d brought. “I got turned into a moth, but me wife got turned into a lizard what eats moths. We don’t talk no more.”

  “You’re lucky,” called a little field mouse, who had only manag
ed to bring a very small potato. “My two pretty little baby daughters got turned into great big hungry badgers. I had to leave home.”

  Helping to stock up all the donated food in a barn which still stood outside the city walls, Nathan turned to John and Alfie. “The people are managing very well now,” he said. “I’m thinking of leaving for Sparkan tomorrow.”

  “But how will we get there?” asked Alfie staring up into the sky. At certain times of day the Sky Island of Sparkan could be seen as a tiny red speck up beyond the clouds.

  “The easiest way,” Nathan explained, “is to use my Knife of Clarr to call Hermes. Then Hermes can either call the ladder, or perhaps carry us himself in two journeys. Me and John first and then you Alfie, because you’re the biggest.”

  Both Alfie and John nodded vigorously. “The sooner the better.”

  “Tonight,” John suggested.

  Later that evening, standing together in the small room they had taken for sleeping in one of the new houses, Nathan drew out the shining Knife of Clarr, ready to call on the goose Hermes, who was the envoy of Clarr and would hear the call, wherever he was. The knife blade was shining brightly as Nathan clutched the beautifully carved hilt but before he could open his mouth to make the call, suddenly the knife blade sparkled like a firework, and Hermes swooped straight through the open window.

  “My illustrious lord,” he said to Nathan, landing with a wing flapping whoosh, and a snap of his large beak. “I bring bad news. Your illustrious sister the Empola Poppy, has been arrested by order of the English king, accused of heresy. She is in gaol and in great danger.”

  Hermes sat down in a flop with all his feathers in a windy tangle, and it was clear he was most upset. Nathan stood staring and shaking, his mouth open in horror.

  Clearly he had very little idea what this meant, and had never heard of heresy, but the thought of his little sister locked in gaol was bad enough. He had seen medieval prisons already and they were cold, dark and horribly uncomfortable with just a straw bed and one thin blanket. Sometimes you had to share with everyone else, most of whom were violent criminals, and the guards were always mean. You didn’t even get proper food except stale black bread and dirty water.

  While Nathan was clenching his fists, desperately wondering what was the best thing to do, Alfie and John stood shocked and furious. “Oh, no,” cried Alfie. “Can Alice help? We had a good judge and the solicitor Percy Weeks when we proved her house was hers, and not the barons.”

  “Pr’aps her uncle and aunt could help.”

  “We’ll help,” said Nathan at once, and he turned to Hermes again. “I have to go and see her at once. Hermes, you have to go and tell the news to Granny and the empress and empling. I bet at least one of them will want to come and rescue Poppy.”

  “I reckons all o’ them,” said John. “Them must know wot a risk it is. They knows wot happens to heretics.”

  “Well, I don’t know,” said Nathan at once. “How long would they keep her in prison if we can’t rescue her at once?”

  “It ain’t just being locked up is the problem,” John explained. “Tis a lot worse than that.” Nathan had never seen him look so worried. “Ain’t no one got sympathy fer heretics,” John added.

  Nathan looked to Alfie, who had gone white. “Heretics are burned alive,” Alfie whispered, as if unable to speak aloud. “Tied to a stake over a bonfire and burned. Nothing could be worse.”

  It sounded crazy. “People do that? In your time?” Nathan demanded. “That’s the most cruel and wicked thing I’ve ever heard. Even the Hazlet twins don’t do that.”

  “King Henry IV started that about a hundred years ago,” said Alfie, still white and whispering. “There were folk who didn’t follow the true church. They believed in a Lollard church, so the king hated them and had them all burned.”

  Nathan thought he was going to be sick. He couldn’t imagine anything so dreadful. “Well, no one will touch Poppy,” he said, almost shouting. “She doesn’t follow any church and she isn’t interested in that sort of thing, so someone must have tricked her. I’ll rescue her today. Peter can help me pick the lock on the prison door.” He protested as he collapsed on the old broken chair beside him. “How could anyone accuse her of heresy. I bet she’s never even read the Bible.”

  “That may be the problem,” murmured Alfie.

  John, arms outstretched pointed at Hermes. “Go get all o’ them from the cottage up north, ‘specially Nat’s mum and dad and granny. We gotta go over and fix it right now.”

  “The illustrious mother and grandmother,” said Hermes to Nathan, “can open doors with magic, my lord. And as soon as they hear this appalling news, they will fly immediately.”

  “Yes, yes,” said Nathan, “hurry, fast as you can. But call the ladder for us first. I can’t wait.”

  He could hardly believe what was happening. Heresy? That was crazy and cruel. Burning people? That was the most wicked thing he’d ever heard. And poor Poppy? She was brave, but this would be too hard even for her. She must be terrified and in tears.

  Already the ladder had started to appear as Hermes, his feathers still all in a ruffle, flew out of the window and headed into the sky towards the cottage in the west. The ladder was looking very tired. Alfie gave it a little push. “Hello ladder,” he said. “This is really serious. We have to get to medieval London very, very quickly. Can you give us a whoosh?”

  With a creak the ladder bent over. “I’ve been working all morning,” it said. “But I’ll try.”

  All three climbed onto the first steps, but the ladder kept groaning. John was getting angry. “This be right proper important,” he said. “You likes Poppy the Empola, don’t you?”

  The ladder had turned pale grey with some steps broken. “Ah, yes indeed,” it said in a faint voice.

  “Well,” Nathan shouted, “people want to kill her. She’s in prison. I’ve got to help, quick as possible.”

  “Sad, sad,” sighed the ladder, and some small spiky thorns fell off the sides onto Alfie’s head. “Poor little empola. I hope she has a sword.”

  Although Nathan had no idea whether she did or not, he yelled, “No. She’s locked up and the guards want to burn her.”

  “What a pity,” mumbled the ladder.

  Nathan felt like kicking it, but he was frightened that might make it even slower, or it might throw them all off, so he said, very clearly, “The Empress is on her way. I’m sure she’d be most upset to hear the ladder didn’t care about her daughter and didn’t want to help.”

  The ladder paused with another squeaky creak, and a few soggy splodges felt down from above, making the thorns wet, and landing in a puddle on Alfie’s head. “Tis no good crying,” shouted John. “Give us a whoosh. Now!”

  “Pooh,” sighed the ladder. “No one has any sympathy for me. I work all day. I work all night. Whoosh here and whoosh there. It’s not many who even bother to say thank you.”

  “Oh please,” begged Nathan, almost bursting into tears.

  With a deep breath and a great heave, the ladder shivered again and suddenly gave a whizz. All the steps rushed upwards, carrying Nathan, John and Alfie with them, and finally throwing them off under a large leafy tree in Bishopsgate in front of the grand Parry house. John scrambled up, rubbing his backside, and Nathan hopped up, waving his thank you to the disappearing ladder. Alfie had already run up the steps and was banging on the door.

  The steward came to answer, but right behind him came Alice, Peter, Sam and Mouse with her three kittens, who were now quite grown-up.

  Alfie ran into Alice’s arms, Nathan hurried into the main hall, when much to his own embarrassment, he really did burst into tears. “It’s too horrible,” he wept. “My sister isn’t what they say. How did this happen? What must we do?”

  Jumping up and down in anger and frustration, Peter cried out, “I’ll pick the dungeon’s lock. I’ll open that cell door. Poppy can go straight to Lashtang and they’ll never find her again.”

  Sam
was cuddling Mouse and was weeping into her fur. She didn’t seem to mind and purred happily.

  “Well, let’s get moving,” said John. “There ain’t no time to waste.”

  “Do we wait for Granny and the empress?’ asked Alfie. “Or do we start without them?”

  “I’ve already been to the bishop’s palace where Poppy is being kept as a prisoner,” said Alice quickly. “But they wouldn’t let me in, and the bishop’s guards threatened to accuse me of heresy too unless I went away. I came back to explain to Peter, and we went back there together to see if we could find a back door in, but every door was guarded. It’s all terrible and I have no idea why they arrested poor darling Poppy. Nobody explained. The guards just turned up this morning, banging on the door, and dragged Poppy away. She was kicking and screaming, but they just marched off with her.”

  “Does all heretics get took to the Bishop’s Palace?” demanded John.

  Alice nodded. “This accusation comes under ecclesiastical law,” she said, “And the bishops get to say who’s guilty and who’s innocent. But it’s a long time since many poor souls have been burned. Perhaps they’ll just let Poppy go.”

  It was a bright sunny day and the sunshine beamed in golden brilliance through the long windows, and it seemed absolute madness to Nathan to see a bright happy day outside, when the most dangerous tragedy was happening inside. “Where’s this palace where they’re keeping Poppy?” he demanded.

  “Winchester Palace,” Peter said. “Southwark, south of the river, not a long walk if we take a boat instead of the Bridge.”

  “If we all go,” said Alfie, stepping forwards, “then they’ll have to let us in. Let’s go.” Nathan was wearing Lashtang clothes, and so was John, but these were very plain and covered in dust and splinters, for they had been helping the people of Peganda, but Nathan refused to waste time by going to change. “I’ll pretend to be Lord of Portsmouth,” said Alfie. “And Alice is my lady. Perhaps that’ll make them take us seriously.”