by Alex Bell
At first, they grouped together on the snow, peering at the explorers. Then, finally, one of the dragons broke away from the others and came right up to Stella, rubbing itself around her legs and poking its steaming snout into her hands like an affectionate dog.
‘Perhaps they can sense you’re an ice princess?’ Shay said.
The dragons were too cold for the others to touch. When Cadi tried to stroke one the ice burned her hand, and Beanie had to heal it for her. Stella, though, found she was able to handle them with no difficulty at all. They crawled into her arms, nosed at her face, settled on her shoulders and poked their snouts into her pockets, getting rather a surprise when they found Buster in one of them.
The sun was rapidly setting so the explorers decided to make camp there for the night. The ice fumaroles provided a little shelter from the wind, and Cadi said that the presence of the dragons would help keep the witch wolves at bay.
As it went dark, they saw that the ice dragons had tiny glittering specks of light deep within their bodies, lit up like tiny stars. They put on quite a show for the explorers as they unloaded the bags from Nigel and Gus, wheeling and turning overhead like a display of fireworks. An orangey haze hung over the mountain from all the many jack-o’-lanterns lighting up its surface, giving a fiery glow to the darkness, and the pumpkin on Nigel’s back glowed brightly too. Stella was glad to see that Koa had returned and sat close to Shay’s side, gazing up at the dragons with her usual calm expression, seeming back to her normal self.
Finally, the dragons disappeared in to their ice towers for the night, and Shay produced the magic fort blanket from his bag. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Time for us to turn in as well. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to snuggling up in those cushions.’
Stella thought of the gilded ottomans and the velvet pouffes and the crackling fire, and couldn’t wait to settle into the magic fort for the night. They’d only glimpsed it for a minute before, and she was keen to have a proper poke around. Perhaps she might even be lucky enough to discover a jumping cactus if Munch had overlooked one in a corner somewhere.
‘Rattlesnake ragtime,’ Shay said loudly.
Everyone stared at the blanket in his hand but it stubbornly remained a manky old, boring blanket.
Shay frowned. ‘That was right, wasn’t it?’ he said. ‘Those were the words Munch said?’
‘Yes, they were,’ Beanie replied. ‘Perhaps you have to say it with more enthusiasm?’
‘It doesn’t matter how you say it,’ Cadi said. ‘As long as you say the correct words, the magic fort should appear.’
‘That’s not a magic fort blanket!’ Ethan said with a sneer. ‘That’s just a ratty old piece of rag! Munch swapped them and passed you a fake one. I told you he was a good-for-nothing rotter who was cheating us.’
‘Well, if you know so much, why did you let him cheat us in the first place?’ Shay demanded, stuffing the blanket back in his bag in frustration. ‘You could have spoken up at the time, when it might actually have done some good. Normally there’s no shutting you up.’
‘I didn’t say anything because there was no need to,’ Ethan said coolly. He reached into his cloak and produced an old blanket with a flourish. ‘This is the real magic fort blanket. I swiped it from Munch’s pocket when he was fussing around untying Nigel. Rattlesnake ragtime!’
Instantly, the blanket transformed and the magic fort popped up around them. It really was extremely big – easily large enough to encompass the explorers as well as all their animals, Gus included. It was clear that the fort had once belonged to someone from the Desert Jackal Explorers’ Club because the walls were covered with maps of various deserts, including the Scorpion Desert, Tarantula Desert and Scorching Sands Desert. There were also sand capes slung over chair backs, pith helmets on tables and safari hats hanging from hooks. Whoever had owned the fort before must have left in a terrible hurry. Stella remembered Munch telling them that a Desert Jackal Explorers’ Club expedition had passed by Witch Mountain recently, and that was how he’d come by the magic carpet and the camel. The magic fort must have been traded at the same time too. At least, Stella hoped it had been traded. She couldn’t help remembering what Ethan had said about scavenging from dead bodies and doomed expeditions.
One thing was different from the last time they’d seen the fort, however, and that was that there was an enormous pot of meaty stew bubbling away on a hook above the fire. Shay frowned at it and said, ‘That wasn’t there before, was it? Could there be someone living here?’
‘Impossible,’ Beanie said at once. ‘When a magic fort blanket reverts back to its blanket shape, it’s too small to contain people. Usually, any explorers or animals are automatically forced out but there was one recorded incident of a fort blanket’s magic malfunctioning and failing to eject the explorers before it collapsed back down.’
‘What happened to them?’ Cadi asked.
‘Oh, they were pulverised,’ Beanie said. ‘Completely. There was nothing left of them. When they got back into the fort, all they found was blobs of stuff—’
‘But that’s very rare, though, right?’ Stella said, cutting him off with a shudder.
‘Extremely,’ Beanie assured her. ‘In fact, you’re more likely to be killed by a spitting camel or a rampaging walrus than by a magic fort blanket.’
Everyone turned their heads to stare at Nigel and Gus, who both gazed back innocently.
‘That’s all very well,’ Shay said, shaking his head. ‘But if there’s no one here then how do you explain this?’ He pointed at the pot of cooking food.
‘I don’t know,’ Beanie said. ‘Perhaps it’s just part of the fort’s magic?’
‘But look here,’ Stella said, pointing to the table. ‘It’s been set out for us, almost as if someone knew we were coming.’
She was right. Part of the long table was covered in a jumble of maps and helmets but the rest of it had been cleared away to make room for five bowls and five spoons.
‘There’s even a table set for the fairies, look.’
Stella pointed at the tiny table that was perched on their big one. It had four chairs around it, along with four tiny bowls.
‘Speaking of the fairies, if we’re going to eat some of this stew then we’d better get a move on before they gobble it all,’ Shay said.
The explorers turned round only to find that the jungle fairies were already attacking the pot with spoons they’d produced from somewhere. The four of them were sitting on the edge of it with their legs dangling over the side, leaning forwards to dip their spoons in the stew and slurp at the contents.
‘For heaven’s sake!’ Ethan exclaimed, ushering them away. ‘Come on! Shoo! This food belongs to everyone – not just you!’ The magician batted them away with an exclamation of disgust. ‘Oh, gross, one of them had their feet dangled in the stew! I think it was Hermina! Hermina, don’t be so repugnant! None of us wants to eat food that’s had hairy fairy feet in it!’
The fairies ran guiltily back to their own table – one of them leaving stew footprints across the floor behind them – and immediately began putting on their bow ties and squabbling over their one top hat.
‘Oh, don’t make such a fuss,’ Cadi said, reaching for the ladle cheerfully. ‘Jungle fairy feet never hurt anyone. Bring the bowls over and I’ll serve it up.’
They ate their stew quickly, before the fairies could get back into the pot. It was one of the most delicious things Stella had ever tasted, and just the thing after a long day of exploring.
After the stew, the jungle fairies honoured their side of the deal by producing a plate of piranha cupcakes from somewhere (although the explorers would have allowed them to share the meal, even without this). Hermina obviously felt bad about the feet-in-stew incident because she made a special point of personally taking a cupcake to Ethan.
The magician sighed. ‘I hope you haven’t wiped your nose or anything horrid on this,’ he said.
‘Sometimes it’s
worth just accepting kindness where you find it, Prawn,’ Shay remarked from the end of the table.
It seemed to Stella that the wolf whisperer had been a little quieter than normal and, while the others were enjoying the cupcakes, she took the opportunity to quietly ask him if he was okay.
‘I’m just worried about the witch wolves,’ he told her. ‘Somehow I feel like … like maybe they might be able to hurt Koa.’ He glanced down at the shadow wolf, who lay quietly at his feet.
‘But how?’ Stella asked. ‘I mean, she’s a shadow wolf, isn’t she? So she doesn’t have any substance.’
‘No, but witch wolves are different too. Cadi said they were soul eaters, didn’t she? Well, some people think that a whisperer’s shadow animal is part of the whisperer’s soul given shape. I’ve never seen Koa cower before, ever. She’s afraid of the witch wolves and that terrifies me.’
‘Oh dear, I’m sorry,’ Stella said miserably. She reached her hand down to Koa, who sniffed at her fingers. ‘If it weren’t for me then you wouldn’t be here and Koa wouldn’t be anywhere near the witch wolves.’
Shay immediately gripped her hand and squeezed it tight. ‘Don’t be sorry, Sparky. I’m not. I wouldn’t be anywhere other than here with you. Witch Mountain is far too dangerous to face without friends by your side. This witch needs to be dealt with so that you don’t have to live in fear any more, and we can’t allow anything to happen to Felix either.’
Stella felt tears suddenly fill her eyes, and wasn’t sure whether it was because of Shay’s loyal words, or her fear and worry over Felix, or a combination of the two.
‘What would happen to you, though?’ she asked, blinking them away. ‘If Koa got hurt, I mean?’
Shay shook his head and brushed his long dark hair back with one hand. ‘To be completely honest, I don’t know. Koa’s just always been there. The two of us are linked. I know that if I’m in pain she feels it too, so I guess it would work the other way around as well.’ He gave Stella a quick smile and said, ‘Hopefully we won’t have to find out.’
When they had finished their food, Mustafah immediately fetched his drums and the others started up their chant of doom in the middle of the table.
‘They’re peculiar little things, aren’t they?’ Cadi said, sweeping back her mass of dreadlocks. ‘Do you think they get bored doing all that chanting and drumming all the time? Looks a bit repetitive.’ She snapped her fingers suddenly and said, ‘I wonder if they’d like some flags. They look like flag-wavers to me. Does anyone have any paper and colouring pencils by any chance?’
Beanie had brought some pencils in case they were able to fill in any of the blank spaces on the Witch Mountain map. He also had a sketchbook to draw any interesting things they might discover along the way, and had already filled several pages with the flying sharks and ice dragons. He tore a couple of sheets out for Cadi, who set about making four little flags. When she was finished she cut them out and stuck each one to a twig.
‘Let’s see what happens with this,’ she said, handing the first flag to Mustafah.
The jungle fairy took it from her cautiously, stared at it for a bit, then scratched at his head, looking puzzled.
‘You’re supposed to wave it,’ Cadi told him. ‘Like this, look.’ She took the flag from him and waved it back and forth. Mustafah’s eyes immediately lit up, and he practically snatched the flag from her and started waving it energetically, clearly delighted.
‘There, I knew they’d like them,’ Cadi said, looking pleased as the other fairies eagerly rushed forwards for their flags.
‘Oh, you’ve drawn the explorer club crests on them,’ Stella said, peering closer and seeing that the flag Hermina was waving over her head was illustrated with the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club crest.
‘I thought they could help me decide which club to join,’ Cadi replied. ‘Assuming any of them accept my application, of course.’
Ethan squinted at the fairies and then said, ‘There’s no such thing as a Space Alien Explorers’ Club.’
‘No, but there’s no point making an Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club flag, is there?’ Cadi asked. ‘Seeing as they don’t accept girl members.’
Ethan seemed rather put out about this and fairly snatched the sketchbook from Beanie so that he could make a flag of his own.
‘Is that supposed to be the Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club crest?’ Shay asked, peering at it once he was done.
‘Of course it is,’ Ethan snapped.
Shay grinned and said, ‘Well that squid looks more like a banana peel, if you ask me.’
‘Nobody is asking you,’ Ethan said, and then gave the flag to Mustafah who seemed even more thrilled with two flags than he had been with one, and bounded around with them in quite a frenzy.
‘Let’s have a poke around and explore,’ Ethan announced, pushing the sketchbook away. ‘I need to find some food for Nigel and we ought to take stock of what’s here.’
The others were only too willing to explore the magic fort. The table was set in a sort of kitchen area, with lots of cupboards, and they found these well stocked with tins of food and dried supplies. There was a brief kerfuffle when Ethan stuck his hand into a drawer and was immediately attacked by a jumping cactus, which was basically a ball of vicious barbs that stuck themselves firmly into his skin. Eventually, they were able to remove it, and Beanie provided a bit of healing magic and then offered Ethan a polar bear plaster from his pack. On the plus side, though, it turned out that jumping cactuses were food to camels. Nigel quickly ate the one that had jumped on Ethan, before wandering round the fort, poking his snout into corners, and picking up the other cactuses that Munch had failed to remove.
As well as a kitchen and living-room area, the fort also had its own sleeping quarters, containing a neat row of narrow beds, all hung with mosquito nets.
‘All right, there’s definitely someone here,’ Ethan said, staring. ‘Look, there’s exactly five beds made up and they’ve even put four matchboxes out with hankies in for the jungle fairies to sleep in.’
As well as the made-up beds, there were also five pairs of slippers neatly set out, all bearing the crest of the Desert Jackal Explorers’ Club. It certainly looked as if there was someone in the fort with them, but they had seen no sign of anyone, and the fort only consisted of the two rooms.
‘Hello?’ Stella called, gazing round. ‘Is there anyone here?’
Nobody answered her.
‘Maybe they’re hiding?’ Cadi suggested. ‘Perhaps they’re shy?’
‘Well, we’re going to have to root them out, whoever they are,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m not sleeping here if there’s some unknown person lurking about. We might all be murdered in our beds. Garrotted, most likely.’
‘I don’t think that’s their plan,’ Stella said. ‘So far all they’ve done is cook us dinner and make us up somewhere to sleep.’
They traipsed back into the living area, where five steaming mugs of hot chocolate stood on the table.
‘This is ridiculous!’ Ethan exclaimed. ‘It’s like we keep just missing them, but where do they keep scooting off to?’
‘Aha!’ Beanie exclaimed from the corner. ‘I think I’ve found them!’ He turned round with a genie bottle clutched in his hands. ‘There’s bound to be a genie in this,’ he said. ‘They’re extremely popular at the Desert Jackal Explorers’ Club, aren’t they?’
The others came over and peered at the bottle, which was dark gold in colour and had a variety of jewels and gems studded around the base.
‘Well, give it a rub,’ Shay suggested. ‘Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?’
Since none of them had had any contact with a genie before, no one was quite sure how to proceed. Beanie tried rubbing the bottle, as suggested, but this had no effect, so he removed the lid and peered inside instead.
‘He’s in there!’ he exclaimed. ‘The genie’s in there! I can see him!’
The others all squeezed against each other in their attempt to c
atch a glimpse. Stella gasped in delight at the sight of a tiny marbled bathroom contained within the genie bottle, complete with a claw-footed bathtub, in which a genie was soaking himself while a bright yellow rubber duck bobbed on the surface.
‘Um … hello?’ Beanie said. ‘Mister Genie?’
At the sound of Beanie’s voice, the genie gave a great start, splashing around and slopping soapy water onto his marble floor. The next moment, pale blue smoke poured from the top of the genie bottle and a full-size genie stood dripping wet before them. He had blue skin and an incredibly twisty black moustache that the president of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club would certainly approve of. He wore a rather grand turban, curled-toe slippers and a bathrobe emblazoned with the crest of the Desert Jackal Explorers’ Club. Stella could clearly see the rubber duck sticking out of one pocket.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Hello. We didn’t mean to—’
‘No, no, don’t tell me.’ The genie held up one hand. ‘It’s the little marshmallows. I knew I’d forgotten something that you explorers absolutely must have. I knew it would be something terribly important that couldn’t wait even a single instant. I knew I wouldn’t be able to have my bath in peace. Really, I don’t know how I could ever have been so optimistic as to run a bath in the first place. I ought to have just gone outside and rolled around in the sand.’
‘We’re on Witch Mountain,’ Beanie said. ‘There’s no sand outside. Only snow.’
‘Rolled around in the snow then,’ the genie snapped. ‘If we’re in the Icelands then no wonder it’s so miserably cold all the time. That’s why I wanted to have a bath – to warm myself up.’ He marched over to the kitchen and started banging around in the cupboards.
‘We’re terribly sorry to have disturbed you,’ Stella said, going after him. ‘We were just curious about who was doing the cooking and things, that’s all. We didn’t mean to interrupt your bath.’
‘Would you like rattlesnake marshmallows or scorpion ones?’ the genie asked.
‘Oh dear, are those the only choices?’ Stella replied. She tried to peer over the genie’s shoulder into the cupboard. ‘You don’t have any unicorn ones, I suppose?’
