by Jenny Nimmo
"The boy is up at our place," Mr. Silk told Charlie. "And Tancred Torsson. We've never had so many visitors this early on a Sunday." He turned the SUV into an extremely muddy yard and pulled up before a dilapidated-looking house.
Charlie jumped out of the SUV straight into a deep puddle. He wished he'd remembered his boots but it was too late now Mr. Silk pointed to the side of the house where a narrow path led to the field at the back. "They're all in the gerbil house," he said. "Don't ask me why"
"OK." Charlie trudged through the mud toward a large shed where Gabriel spent a lot of his spare time, breeding gerbils. The words " SILK'S GERBILS " had been painted in red across the door. Charlie could hear a low murmur coming from inside the shed, but this stopped as soon as he tried the door, which was locked.
"Who is it?" asked Gabriel.
"Me," Charlie replied.
After a moment's squeaking and shuffling, Gabriel opened the door and Charlie stepped into the shed. He found Tancred and Lysander sitting on a bench beneath a shelf of gerbil cages. The bench was one of the few places where there wasn't a cage, for they lined every wall from floor to ceiling. There were white, black, brown, long-haired, short-haired, large, and small gerbils. The smell was strong.
Billy Raven sat cross-legged on the floor. He looked pleased with himself and when Charlie came in, he gave him an enormous grin.
"Billy you're out!" Charlie exclaimed. "How did you do it?"
"The Flames helped me. They broke the force field." Behind his smile, Charlie sensed that Billy was very nervous.
"Thing is, what now?" said Lysander. "Billy said you would know. That's why you're here, Charlie."
"He can't stay here for long," said Gabriel, bolting the door and squeezing in behind Charlie. "That de Grey woman is bound to guess where he's gone."
"I meant to snuff her out!" Tancred smashed his fist into his palm, and a strong breeze swept through the shed, lifting everyone's hair and sending the gerbils squeaking for cover.
Billy put his hands over his ears. "I can't think when they talk like that," he complained. "There are so many gerbils in here, they don't give me a minute's peace."
"What are they saying?" asked Gabriel. "I've always wanted to know"
Billy stared at him, his hands clamped tight over his ears. Lysander lifted one of Billy's hands and shouted, "Gabriel wants to know what the gerbils are saying."
"They say ‘Help! Whoops! Here we go again! Watch the kids! That's mine! Get off!'" Billy paused. "Boring stuff, really!"
"Not to me," Gabriel said.
Lysander held up his hand in a commanding manner. "Can we get back to the problem? It isn't going to be easy to find a safe place for Billy — a place where no one will think of looking. Obviously, all our houses will fall under suspicion because we're endowed. Unfortunately, the judge is away or I'd ask his advice."
Gabriel suggested that breakfast would help everyone think, and he left the gerbil house, promising to return with eggs, bacon, and toast.
Peering through a small window between the cages, Charlie watched Gabriel going into a door at the back of the house. "Why do we have to eat in here?" he said.
"To protect Gabriel's family," said Lysander. "They can't defend themselves against — whatever those people are going to send after Billy. And they will send something, believe me. But at least we're all endowed. We stand a chance."
Lysander's words were prophetic, for the morn ing light that had begun to filter through the small window was suddenly snuffed out, and they were plunged into a murky darkness. Even the gerbils fell silent as a soft tapping could be heard on the roof.
"What on earth . . . ," said Tancred.
The sound intensified until it became a loud drumming. It seemed as though millions of tiny hands were striking every surface of the shed, and it began to groan and shake under the assault.
Desperate to know what was going on outside, Charlie reached for the bolt on the door. He told himself that it might be unwise to open the door, but by then it was too late, and he found himself peeping out.
A swirling cloud of paper rushed toward Charlie, and briefly he caught sight of Gabriel emerging from the house and then being engulfed by the flying paper. He fell to the ground and a breakfast tray slipped out of his hands. It crashed onto the cobblestoned yard, sending food in all directions.
As the paper swept into the gerbil house, Billy Raven sprang up, screaming, "It's the oaths!"
THE BATTLE OF OATHS AND SPIRITS
Charlie slammed the door of the gerbil house, hut several oaths were already in. They made straight for Billy and clung to every part of him. Billy screamed, whether in pain or fear, Charlie couldn't tell. But when he attempted to pull the papers off Billy he saw that each one had a glowing green edge that bit into his flesh the moment he touched it.
Tancred and Lysander were also plucking at the papers and they too were bitten by the vicious spirit, or whatever it was that possessed Florence de Grey's lethal oaths. Over and over, they would pull the papers away, only to have them zoom onto Billy again. They tried tearing the oaths, but each tiny piece would fly back and cling to Billy. They scrunched the paper into balls while it twisted in their hands, biting their fingers and burning their palms. But the crumpled paper always unfolded and returned to the attack .
"We'll have to get them out!" shouted Lysander, as Billy spun around, screaming and tearing at his hair.
"Open the door, Charlie, just a fraction," cried Tancred, "and I 'll blast them out."
"Suppose more come in," said Charlie breathlessly
"We'll have to chance it,"Tancred told him.
"There are twelve of them, 1 counted," said Lysander. "So, come on, let's try it."
Every oath that was torn away from Billy was subjected to a cold blast of air as it was thrust through the tiny gap that Charlie allowed. Charlie would then slam the door shut. This maneuver was not easy, as Tancred needed a lot of room to muster a strong blast, and when Charlie reached for the door, he had to keep well away from the storm boy's swinging arm.
Progress was painfully slow, but at last every oath had been banished, and the lour occupants of the gerbil house collapsed onto the bench, sale at least for a while. Their hands were covered in red welts, but Billy's face was worse than his hands. His pallor made the crimson streaks appear even more vivid. Burying his face in his hands, the small boy sank to the floor and began to sob.
"Come on, Billy" said Lysander, patting the small boy's shoulder. "We're OK now"
"We're not. We're not," cried Billy “nd it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault," Tancred declared. "You're right about one thing, though. We are certainly not OK. For a start, how are we going to get breakfast? I'm starving."
Lysander shot him a warning look as Billy's expression began to crumble again.
The oaths covered the window Squinting through a tiny gap between the papers, Charlie got a narrow view of the yard. There was no sign of Gabriel, but he could see four fried eggs, several slices of toast, and some delicious crispy bacon, all lying in the mud. It was really depressing. He was about to turn away when he caught sight of Gabriel's face looking out from the kitchen window Gabriel gave a thumbs-up sign and Charlie had a wild hope that a plan to rescue them had been devised.
A cloud of paper suddenly descended, dashing Charlie's hopes, as Gabriel's shocked face disappeared behind the clingy green-rimmed oaths. They covered the kitchen window like a crowd of squealing bats.
"Gabriel can't reach us," Charlie said gloomily "But maybe those poisonous oaths will wear out after a while. Maybe they'll go to sleep — or die!"
"They'll never die," Billy whispered.
/> "If storms can't do it, I don't know what can," said Tancred dismally.
A despondent silence settled on the four prisoners. Tancred's stomach rumbled, Billy wiped his tear-stained face with the back of his hand, and Charlie slumped to the floor, feeling helpless.
All at once, Lysander announced, "They will have to be killed!"
Everyone looked at him, and Charlie said, "How?"
"My ancestors," said Lysander. "They are more powerful than those contemptible oaths. But to reach them I will have to go outside."
Tancred leaped up. "You can't, Sander," he protested. "It would be suicide. There must be a thousand of those things out there. They'll eat you alive or . . . or batter you to death."
"No." The boy smiled. "My African ancestors will protect me." He stepped up to the door. "Tancred, you'll have to help. If those devils try to get in when I open the door, a blast of air at my back should do it. Are you ready?"
How could anyone ever be ready for such a drastic move? Once Lysander's mind was made up, however, he never hesitated. Before Charlie had time to collect his thoughts, the door was open and Lysander was out. Tancred brought his upheld arm swinging down in an arc toward the oaths that were attempting to dart inside. One got in before the door was slammed shut, but as the malicious thing shot toward Billy, Tancred caught it and, with Charlie's help, dispatched it through the door with another blast of air.
"Ouch! Those things are getting stronger," said Tancred, examining his hands. "Look! The cuts are deeper."
Charlie stared at the cuts lacerating Tancred's fingers. They were badly in need of a bandage.
"Here. I've got a hanky" Billy pulled an exceptionally white handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to Tancred. "Florence said I must always have a handkerchief handy I suppose she was right."
Charlie bound Tancred's hand, but blood began to seep through the hanky and Billy moaned, "Oh, no. I hope you won't bleed to death."
'"Course I won't, silly" Tancred hid his hand behind him. "Think of Sander! He's far worse off than I am."
"Sander!" cried Charlie.
All three boys leaped to the window. A moment ago it had been covered in paper, but now it was clear and the horrified onlookers saw that the oaths had gathered into a vast army intent on attacking the motionless figure in their midst.
The yard was so dark it was as though an early dusk had fallen. But they could see that Lysander had buried his face in his hands, while the green-edged leaves of paper swarmed around him, striking and cutting wherever they could. The mass of paper emitted an angry buzz that grew louder and louder until Billy Raven could stand it no longer.
"They're going to kill him," Billy cried.
"Shh!" hissed Charlie. "Listen."
Very faint at first but getting stronger every second, the sound of drums came rolling through the air.
"Lysander's ancestors are coming," said Charlie.
A smile lit Tancred's face. "Hear that, Billy?"
Billy nodded. Once before he'd seen Lysander's spirit ancestors do battle. He knew that now they stood a chance.
When the sound of drums reverberated in the yard, the oaths appeared to lose their energy Some fluttered away from the group, as if they were confused. The sky became inky black, and Charlie wondered if the ancestors were bringing night with them to emphasize their radiance.
The drumrolls increased, and the spectators pressed closer to the window, waiting for the spirits to appear. More of the oaths were losing their locus. They floated away from Lysander and drifted aimlessly into the sky
A golden mist crept through the dark, and Lysander lifted his head as the last of the oaths broke off their assault and hovered uncertainly above him. Eerie forms began to take shape in the mist: tall figures, robed in white, their hands concealed, until on a sudden drumroll, every figure pulled out a gleaming weapon. Spears, swords, and axes were held aloft, and a mysterious hum rippled through the air.
When the oaths sensed that they were facing death, they attacked their enemy with a savage fury But time and again the papers were slashed. The shiny green borders would flare briefly and then fade as the oaths turned to sheets of ash. Some of them, attempting to escape, sailed up into the dark sky But spirits can fly too, and every escape was cut short with a bright sword or a gleaming spear.
"It's a bit like fireworks, isn't it?" said Billy in a voice of wonder.
Charlie and Tancred had to agree.
No one could have said for sure how long the battle raged, for time seemed to hold its breath until the radiant mist began to fade and the last tall figure vanished.
It was the silence that convinced Charlie they were safe. The drumming had stopped and the angry buzz of paper had died. Lysander jumped into the air with a triumphant shout. "They're dead and gone, you guys. Come on out!"
Charlie opened the shed door a little warily The leaden clouds had gone and he looked up into a morning sky streaked with blue and gold.
"Come on!" Lysander beckoned.
They expected his face to be covered in wounds, but he appeared to be completely unmarked. Their own cuts too had faded; even the marks on Billy's face had shrunk to the size of tiny threads that were quickly disappearing.
"Powerful medicine," said Tancred, giving Charlie a shove from behind.
As Charlie lurched into the open, he saw that the yard was littered with ash. It must have been an inch thick and it slithered softly underfoot.
"You did it, Sander!" cried Tancred.
The Silks' backdoor opened, and with a loud yelp, Gabriel rushed out to join the others. The four boys ran around the yard, kicking the ash into dusty clouds and rocking with laughter. Charlie's relief was so enormous that he couldn't breathe properly and his laughter was mixed with short bursts of hiccups.
The hiccups stopped when he noticed Billy standing alone in the door of the gerbil house. He was smiling, but his big red eyes looked almost as frightened as they had when the oaths were flying at him.
"What is it, Billy?" said Charlie.
Gradually the laughter stopped, and Charlie and the others walked over to the small white-haired boy
"You're OK now, Billy" said Tancred, but even as he said it, he and everyone else realized that this wasn't true.
"Where am I going to go now?" Billy raised his troubled gaze to the four older boys.
His question was answered temporarily by Mrs. Silk, who called them all in for breakfast.
There was a great excitement in the Silk household. Gabriel's three sisters kept up a barrage of near-hysterical chatter all through the big and delicious breakfast. What was the flying paper all about? Who burned it? Who was drumming? The battle in the yard had been obscured by a thick mist, and no one in the house could see what had happened. They only knew that it was too dangerous to venture out.
Mr. Silk, who'd been writing frantically in a large notebook, eventually flung down his work and shouted, "Quiet, girls! A man can't think!"
"But what WAS it?" persisted April, the smallest girl.
"It was a phenomenon that must on no account be talked about," said her father. "Even to your best friends."
"Is it something to do with Gabriel's oddness?" asked Mai, the middle sister.
"I've told you before, don't call it my oddness!" shouted Gabriel. He didn't get on too well with Mai.
Charlie wondered how Mrs. Silk managed to keep on doling out perfectly cooked breakfasts and pouring cups of tea that were always exactly the right shade of brown. She darted about the kitchen, humming softly and smiling to herself, and Charlie decided it must be relief that made her look so happy. It can't have been easy having furious oaths and ancient spirits battling in her backyard.
> Tancred, who wolfed down his breakfast in record time, asked what was going to happen to the food in the yard.
Mrs. Silk looked up in surprise and June, the oldest of Gabriel's sisters, said, "You don't want to eat it, do you?"
Tancred's friends waited anxiously for his reply, but before he could open his mouth, Mr. Silk said firmly, "The hens will deal with it."
The chickens had run for cover as soon as the oaths appeared, but now they could be glimpsed through the window, happily scratching through the ash. Gabriel remembered his gerbils, and he rushed out to make sure they'd recovered from the attack on then house. He came back saying that all was well except that Rita, his favorite, had unexpectedly given birth to more babies than he could count at a glance.
Lysander needed to get home. He gave a cheerful wave and rushed off, saying, "See you later, guys!"
Charlie always felt safe when Lysander was around. Now he was gone, just when they were most in need of his company and advice. Tancred was a powerful ally of course, but the stormy boy was a little unpredictable. A decision had to be made about Billy The Silks' house wouldn't be safe from Florence or the Bloors for much longer.
The telephone rang in the hall and Mrs. Silk went to answer it. "Charlie, it's your mom."
Charlie ran out into the hall and picked up the receiver. "Hello, Mom!"
"Charlie, what's going on?" said the distant voice. "Is Gabriel in trouble? Are you coming back for —"
"Hold on, Mom," Charlie said firmly. "I'm OK. But Billy's in a bit of trouble and we're trying to sort it out. He's run away"
"Run away?" Charlie's message had done nothing to reassure his mother. "But, Charlie . . ."
"I may not be back for a while. I don't know how long this will take."
"How long what will take?"
"Just tell Uncle Paton what's happened, will you, Mom? And please don't worry I'm OK. Really"
As Charlie replaced the receiver he noticed a white moth sitting on his sleeve. It spread its wings, revealing the sparkling silver tips.
