WYCHETTS AND THE THUNDERSTONE
The fifth book in the Wychetts series
by William Holley
Text and cover image copyright © 2014 William Holley
All Rights Reserved
More books available in the Wychetts series:
Wychetts
Wychetts and the Key to Magic
Wychetts and the Farm of Fear
Wychetts and the Tome of Terror
Coming soon:
Wychetts and the Dungeon of Dreams
Wychetts and the Moon of Magister
Find out more at www.wychetts.com
Contents
Previously
Prologue
Chapter 1- The Customer is Always Right
Chapter 2- I Win Again
Chapter 3- A Drink Problem
Chapter 4- Hardly Equipped to Go Snorkelling
Chapter 5- An Invasion!
Chapter 6- Consumer Rights
Chapter 7- His Highness
Chapter 8- A Drop of Rain Won’t Hurt You
Chapter 9- The Loosest Possible Definition of ‘Safe’
Chapter 10- Tea and Rock Cakes
Chapter 11- A Twang of Toad Vomit
Chapter 12- Welcome Aboard
Chapter 13- The Boy Must Go
Chapter 14- The Bubble Bursts
Chapter 15- Less Life Than a Damp Dishcloth
Chapter 16- No Respect for the Elderly
Chapter 17- Something Resembling a Plan
Chapter 18- Pure Ultimate Power
Chapter 19- Admiring the Scenery
Chapter 20- Sitting Ducks
Chapter 21- Just for the Tourists
Chapter 22- The Power of Asgard
Chapter 23- I Don’t Need Rescuing
Chapter 24- A Very Complicated Manoeuvre
Chapter 25- You Lied to Me
Chapter 26- Now for the Tricky Part
Chapter 27- Gotcha!
Chapter 28- About the Boy
Chapter 29- An Alternative Arrangement
Chapter 30- You Have Proven Yourself the Stronger
Previously
Wychetts (pronounced “Witch-etts”) is an old timber framed cottage that contains an amazing magic power…
Centuries ago, the Wise Ones governed the Realm of Magic, and built Wychetts as a repository for their wisdom. But the forces of darkness plotted against them, and seized the cottage in a bid to use its magic for evil. Five hundred years passed since the last of the Wise Ones were vanquished by the Shadow Clan, then Bryony and her new stepbrother Edwin arrived to unwittingly awaken the ancient power and become the new Guardians of Wychetts!
At first the children wanted to use the magic of the Wise Ones to rid themselves of each other and go back to their old lives; but when the Shadow Clan returned to claim Wychetts’ power, Bryony and Edwin had to work together to save the cottage and the whole of civilisation from destruction (not to mention a worldwide shortage of ice-cream).
Since that fateful day the young Guardians have experienced a series of incredible adventures, guided by Inglenook, Keeper of the Ancient Wisdom. A wooden face carved into the fireplace in the living room, Inglenook controls the flow of Wychetts’ power and can communicate with the children through a magic key when they are away from the cottage.
Bryony and Edwin also rely on the quick-witted mouse Stubby to make it through their magical adventures. And as they discover more about their powers, the children face their own different challenges…
Eager to use Wychetts’ magic for good, Edwin learns that brandishing the power of the Wise Ones carries huge responsibilities, but can he step up to become a worthy Guardian?
Meanwhile, after an initial period of doubt, Bryony has become more self-assured in the use of magic. But she is haunted by foreboding about her absent mother: a scribbled note discovered in her old stuffed toy; an overheard whisper from plotting enemies; a vision of her own darkest fears conjured by an ancient field demon; the same mysterious words that even Inglenook cannot explain…
It has now been three weeks since Bryony and Edwin retrieved the stolen Tome Terriblis from a vengeful young witch, just in time to stop the power of the antique spell book causing irreversible damage to the elemental balance. But the violent storms have mysteriously continued, bringing floods and devastation across much of the world…
Prologue
He had trusted them.
They were his kin, his faithful subjects. They were his blood.
But his blood was now cold, his heart empty of the love once felt for his people.
For he had been betrayed, dragged from his throne and cast into the water by those he had believed most loyal.
The treacherous mob had jeered as he fell, the hefty stones lashed to his neck dragging him to the bottom of the dark abyss.
They thought him dead…
But he had survived.
And he survived still, thousands of years later, prowling his murky dominion for those who came to steal from him.
He had lost his kingdom, his trust…
But he would never lose his treasure.
Chapter 1- The Customer is Always Right
Still raining.
Bill Platt smiled to himself as he parked his posh company car outside the small, red brick cottage.
Everyone else was cursing the weather, but Bill and his new employers knew that rain was good.
Rain was good, because when it rained people realised how important gutters and down-pipes were. And Bill sold gutters and down-pipes, all crafted from attractive weather resistant plastic.
It had been an excellent first two weeks for Bill with Gutterly Great Gutters and Drainpipes Limited. He’d made ten sales, and earned more than six thousand pounds for the company.
The only minor quibble was that he hadn’t been paid yet. He’d been told that due to an administrative issue his wages hadn’t been processed. It turned out his surname had been entered into the company database as ‘SPLATT’ instead of ‘PLATT’.
But Bill didn’t mind. Everybody knew that only proper companies had administrative issues, and as the Accounts Secretary had pointed out, it was an easy mistake to have made.
A flash lit up the sky, accompanied by a growl of thunder. The downpour intensified, the splattering raindrops distorting the world beyond the windscreen into a blur of coloured globules.
Bill knew this one was a long shot. The Sales Team had received a customer enquiry and given him the address. It was way out of town, much further afield than he would normally go, and he’d never have found the place if it wasn’t for his posh company satnav guiding the way. Even then it had been a hazardous trip, an obstacle course of fallen trees and flooded roads that would have deterred less committed travellers. But Bill had been spurred on by the chance of further success; just one more sale would put him top of the sales chart, and on track to win the coveted Salesman of the Month plastic pipe shaped trophy.
Bill retrieved his posh company briefcase from the front passenger seat, then braced himself against the driving rain as he left the car and scurried towards the cottage.
It was an old building, and a quick glance at the roof revealed cast-iron gutters: prone to cracking, and expensive to replace like for like. A good reason to install a more modern and durable water channelling arrangement.
His posh company satnav had shown a little stream running past the cottage garden, but after three weeks of rain the stream was more of a river, its brown waters churning ominously close to the side of the house.
Given the perilous position of the cottage, Bill thought gutters and down-pipes would be the least concern to its owner. But he reminded himself that he was here to do a job
, and that coveted Salesman of the Month plastic pipe shaped trophy wasn’t going to win itself.
Bill reached the door and pulled the dangling bell cord.
There was another flash of lightning, followed by the inevitable rumble of thunder. Bill turned up his jacket collar, keeping his head bowed to avoid the seething elements.
As he stood waiting for the door to open, Bill checked the time on his posh company smart phone. It was getting late, and he’d promised Jane he’d be home in time for supper. She might get cross with him, but he couldn’t wait to see her face when he brought home the Salesman of the Month plastic pipe shaped trophy…
He was about to pull the bell cord again when the cottage door opened.
“Good afternoon.” A small, grey haired old lady smiled at Bill. She wore thick-rimmed tortoise shell glasses, a fawn coloured cardigan, and a pair of pink fluffy slippers.
“Hello, Madam.” Bill did his best to appear business-like whilst getting soaked to the skin. “I’m Bill Platt from Gutterly Great Gutters and Drainpipes Limited. I understand you contacted the Sales Team with regard to…”
“My blockage.” The old woman nodded.
“I’m sorry?” said Bill.
“In my sewer,” explained the old lady in a soft lispy voice. “It must be my dentures.”
“Your dentures?” Bill was a little confused.
“I accidentally dropped them down the toilet,” explained the old lady. “I’m having to use my dearly departed husband’s set.”
Up to now Bill hadn’t noticed the old lady’s teeth, but when he looked he saw they didn’t seem to fit right. There was also a strong fishy smell wafting from the cottage, which Bill assumed was a result of the blocked sewer.
“I apologise.” Bill wiped a raindrop from the end of his nose. “But Gutterly Great Gutters and Drainpipes don’t deal with sewers. We sell and install gutters and drainpipes.”
“Are you certain?” The old lady’s smile flickered as she stared at Bill through her thick glass lenses. “The nice girl on the phone promised you would help.”
Bill was about to tell the old lady that of course he was certain, but then remembered what he’d been told on day one of his Gutterly Great Gutters and Drainpipes Limited Customer Care Course: the customer is always right.
Well, sometimes. Day Two of the Course had gone on to explain how, in certain circumstances, the customer wasn’t always right; which actually seemed to be most of the time, especially where refunds were involved.
Bill shook his head, but as the little old lady stared pleadingly at him, his resolve to follow official company guidelines softened.
“Perhaps I could take a look,” he offered. “Although it doesn’t strictly fall within my job description, I am a bit of a handy man in my spare time.”
“That’s so kind of you.” The old woman’s smile returned. “It’s in the back garden. You can get through via the side gate.”
The cottage door closed. Bill hesitated. He really should be getting home, but if he helped the old lady he might get positive customer feedback, which would be taken into consideration in the event of a tie for the coveted Salesman of the Month plastic pipe shaped trophy.
He hurried through the side gate and into the back garden. It was immaculate, with a beautifully tended lawn and neat flowerbeds. The flowers were all a little bedraggled with the rain, but Bill knew the place would have looked splendid on a bright summer’s day.
The old lady stood waiting at the back door.
“It’s that round thing in the ground over there.” She pointed her wooden walking stick at a rusty metal cover at the back of a flower bed. “Don’t mind the plants, they’ll grow back soon enough. It’s my dentures I’m more worried about.”
Despite the old lady’s words, Bill did his best not to squash too many flowers as he picked his way towards the sewer cover. He put his posh leather company briefcase down before kneeling to inspect the sewer cover. He scraped some mud aside with his fingers to reveal a pair of handles, and after a bit of pulling he managed to lift the cover.
“Don’t worry.” Bill dragged the cover to one side. “You’ll soon have your dentures back.”
He opened his posh leather company briefcase and retrieved a pencil.
“Standard company issue,” he explained to the old lady. “Just the job for probing blocked sewers.”
Pencil poised at the ready, Bill peered into the opened sewer. A pungent whiff rose from the darkness, a noxious combination of rotting vegetables and fish.
“I can’t see anything,” he reported. “There’s not enough light.”
“It might help if you went down,” suggested the old lady. “I’ve got a spare pair of wellies if you need them.”
The opening was certainly wide enough, but Bill knew he’d need more than a pair of wellies to go exploring a sewer. But he couldn’t let the old lady down. Plus, Day Three of the Customer Care Course had told him how important it was to project a positive company image at all times. Unless in the case of refunds where it didn’t matter quite as much.
“I’ll just check how deep it is.” Bill picked up a small stone and dropped it into the sewer. There was a worryingly long delay before he heard a distant splash.
“They’re pink.” The old lady’s lispy voice sounded louder than before.
“Huh?” Bill stared into the sewer, thinking he’d glimpsed movement down there. Maybe it was a rat, but it had looked too large and didn’t have any fur.
“My wellies,” continued the old lady. “They’re pink, but quite a masculine hue if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m sorry.” Bill straightened, keeping his gaze on the sewer. “But I’m not sure…”
Something pointy and stick-like prodded him in the back. It was quite a hard prod, enough to knock him off balance and go sprawling head first into the open sewer.
His startled scream echoed as he plummeted through the darkness, a scream that turned into a gargle as he hit the water.
Bill went under, floundering in the ice-cold blackness. Then he surfaced, gasping and spitting foul tasting liquid.
The water was only knee deep, but luckily he was unhurt. Bill looked up, blinking back rain as he spied the old lady peering down through the circular opening high above.
“I’m sorry about that.” The old lady’s lips peeled back to reveal her ill-fitting dentures. “Just thought you needed a little encouragement.”
“Thanks,” spluttered Bill, clambering to his feet. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine from now on.”
Bill took out his posh company smart phone. Luckily it wasn’t damaged when he fell, and he was able to use it as a makeshift torch. The pale light revealed a tunnel up ahead, its curved walls glistening with slime.
“I’ve found the main outlet pipe,” he announced. “I’ll just see if…”
Bill froze, posh company smart phone held in front of him. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he’d seen movement in the tunnel.
Then he heard a sound. It was difficult to distinguish because of the splattering rain, but it sounded like a belch. A deep, menacing belch.
Bill told himself it was probably just thunder echoing through the sewer pipes. Then he caught more movement in the tunnel, a flash of something scaly in the light of his smart phone…
Bill took a step backwards. “On second thoughts, I think I’m going to need a bigger pencil. Or better still, we could ask the local Water Authority to check it out. They’re the experts, bound to have loads of pencils. So I’m ready to come out now, if you could please fetch a ladder?”
The old lady smiled down at him and removed her tortoise shell glasses. Her eyes seemed to grow in size, and suddenly her face began to change. Thick scales cracked the skin on her cheeks, and bony spikes erupted from the top of her head. Her mouth widened, and she pulled out her dentures to reveal a pair of fleshy green gums.
And those fleshy green gums were the last thing Bill saw before the sewer cover clanged
shut. At the same instant something grabbed his arm. He yelped and dropped his phone, the light fading as it sank into the murky water.
Chapter 2- I Win Again
Wychetts and the Thunderstone Page 1
