The Midnight Chimes

by Paula Harrison

  Everyone else seemed to have grown used to the place too. Josh and his little friends became so brave they decided to sneak into one of the rooms marked KEEP OUT. Luckily, Miss Smiting had a knack of knowing exactly when they were going to try. After their fifth attempt, she took them to the bat barn and promised them they’d be cleaning it out if she caught them again. The place was thick with droppings so they gave up after that.

  As she was banned from all the rooms marked KEEP OUT too, Mrs Lovell set up her Headmistress’s office in front of the large wooden chest in the entrance hall. She put out two plastic chairs, a filing cabinet and a desk with a tiny cactus on it. Then she surrounded the whole thing with a blotchy green curtain hung on a metal rail like the kind you get in a hospital. Each time the clock on the tower made a deafening chime, the curtain would shake and she’d jump up in shock saying, “Oh my goodness!”

  On Wednesday after school I crept downstairs by myself, leaving Aiden and Nora up in the north wing. Nora had her head buried in one of Cryptorum’s dusty old books, and Aiden was working on something in one of the empty rooms. He’d been rushing off at breaks and lunchtimes all week. I’d seen him like this before when he was in the middle of making something. Aiden’s dad was an engineer and, though they didn’t see each other much because his parents were separated, he’d taught Aiden all kinds of practical stuff. I knew better than to try and interrupt till he’d got to the end.

  Grimdean felt even creepier now it was almost empty. I pushed aside the tapestry in the ballroom and opened the hidden door. I wanted to see the creatures in the dungeon again. The passage inside the walls was deathly quiet, but when I reached the basement the key I’d borrowed from Cryptorum’s study wouldn’t unlock the door.

  A boggun’s groan echoed inside, making the door rattle. Were there more keys somewhere? In Cryptorum’s desk maybe? If we were going to fight these monsters we had to face them some time.

  “Robyn, dear.” Miss Smiting had glided noiselessly up to me, making me jump. “Come back to the north wing. Mr Cryptorum has some new thingss to tell you.”

  I stifled a sigh. Every time we stayed indoors for Bat Club, Mr Cryptorum would drone on for hours about Chime stuff. Last week he’d gone on and on about how the bats were especially useful for tracking down feeding vampires, except there weren’t any vampires left in Wendleton so the whole thing seemed pointless. The day before that he’d told us how the mirrors in Grimdean House were made from silver so they could trap evil spirits beneath the glass. Now the weird faces in the mirrors seemed even creepier than before.

  The problem with Cryptorum’s Chime lessons was that I’d always start daydreaming and the stuff he was telling us would trickle straight out of my head. I hoped none of it was life-saving information or I might be sorry one day – if we ever got to see a monster.

  I dragged myself back upstairs behind Miss Smiting but when we reached the study no one was there.

  “Robyn, we’re in here.” Aiden leant out of the next door along.

  When I got inside, I understood exactly what Aiden had been up to for the past week. The flowery sofas had been pushed against the walls and three school desks had been put together in the centre of the room to make a workbench. The bench was scattered with tools and pieces of sawn wood, and a metal vice was fixed to the edge. Cryptorum’s pet – the little crab creature with the eye on its shell – was wandering along the table. Every few steps it would stop and tilt its shell, as if peering round the room.

  Nora was perched on the window sill, leafing through a book with a brown leather cover and yellowing pages. Cryptorum was striding up and down the room, muttering darkly.

  “I didn’t want to show you this until I knew it would work.” Aiden picked up a long bow made from dark wood. “I’ve used toughened polymer for the bowstring. It’ll shoot further now. And I’ve changed the shape to make the aim better too.”

  “Wow, you’ve been busy!” I admired the new bow.

  Aiden grinned.

  “Wait till you see the new swords.” Nora closed her book with a snap, sending a tiny cloud of dust into the air. She sneezed, her plaits shaking.

  “What have you done to the ssswords, Aiden?” Miss Smiting asked.

  “I thought we needed a way of disguising them. That way we can carry them around all the time without people getting suspicious.” Aiden picked up a long, metallic torch. “And the blade was so thin that I reckoned it could be folded into two sections. It took me hours to get it right but now it clicks open a bit like an umbrella. I’m calling it a torchblade.”

  “Let me show them!” Nora picked up a second torch and pressed a button on the handle. The metal casing clicked open and the sword sprang upwards, the silver blade gleaming.

  “Awesome!” I stared at the sword. I could see a faint line halfway along where one part of the blade slipped inside the other like a telescope. “It’s a genius idea. Does the torch bit light up as well?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it.” Aiden put down the torchblade and dusted off his hands. The huge smile on his face showed how pleased he was with what he’d made.

  Cryptorum stopped pacing. “It’s a ridiculous invention! Chime weapons have always been wood and silver – completely simple and straightforward. There’s no need to try and modernize things. I didn’t need a sword that disappeared inside a torch when I started fighting monsters!”

  Aiden’s face dropped. “I know it’s not perfect yet but we need a way to disguise the blades when we go out.”

  Cryptorum waved his hand. “I suppose that part makes sense . . . but the ultrasonic blades and the subthermal scanners! There’s a reason I never went in for any of that. It dulls all the instincts a Chime should be developing.”

  Subthermal what? I had no idea what Cryptorum was talking about but I was pretty mad at him for being mean after Aiden had worked so hard. “What’s wrong with making something better? The monsters won’t care what the weapons look like.”

  Miss Smiting hissed. “Robyn! Remember your mannerss.”

  Nora glanced worriedly from me to Cryptorum.

  “Do you realize how little you know about being a Chime, young lady?” Cryptorum thundered. “There are creatures out there that can freeze your blood, but you can hardly concentrate long enough for me to tell you about them.” Eye jumped, scuttled down the nearest table leg and hid under a sofa.

  “Erasmusss, do be calm!” Miss Smiting urged.

  I flushed. So he’d noticed my daydreaming. Aiden was giving me a shut up look, but I still couldn’t stop myself saying, “Maybe we’d learn faster if you actually let us meet some monsters.”

  There was a long silence.

  Cryptorum stomped over to the window. Darkness was gathering and an icy half-moon was rising over the trees at the end of the garden. “The bats have left.” He turned to us, his eyes in shadow. “And I know exactly where they’ll be. There’s been trouble on Blagdurn Heath all week. Pick up your fancy torches and we’ll go.”

  “Are you really letting us fight the creatures?” Nora went pale.

  “Only if you want to.” Cryptorum stomped to the door. “But she’s right.” He glared at me. “You won’t learn to be a Chime by staying inside.”

  My eyes widened. Had he just admitted I was right? Was this some weird kind of test? I didn’t care – I just wanted to get outside and fight something for real.

  I grabbed a torchblade. Aiden picked up another and shoved it in his pocket. Then he slung his new bow over his shoulder and took a quiver of arrows. Nora picked up a torchblade too, and we followed Cryptorum to the front of Grimdean House where the shiny black limousine was parked.

  Miss Smiting slid into the driver’s seat while Cryptorum took the passenger’s side and me, Aiden and Nora got into the back.

  “Great – a Bat Club trip!” Aiden muttered.

  I caught the sarcasm and noticed Nora’s face looked even paler than usual. What had I got us into? Was this a really, REALLY bad idea? I was a
bout to suggest going back inside when Miss Smiting stamped on the accelerator and the car jumped forward.

  “Wait!” Nora gasped. “My mum will expect me home soon.”

  “I will ring your parents and tell them not to worry,” Miss Smiting said. “I’ll explain it’s jussst a little field trip to study the nocturnal wildlife.”

  The limo zoomed up the street. I glimpsed the town square and then Ashbrook School with three huge tree trunks lying in the playground. Masses of scaffolding had gone up and there was a pile of bricks and roof tiles there too. I guessed the builders must be pretty busy. I remembered Aiden’s doubts about the fallen trees. His suspicions didn’t seem so weird any more.

  “You don’t know why those trees suddenly fell down on our school, do you?” I asked Cryptorum and Miss Smiting.

  A slight smile curved Miss Smiting’s lips as she glanced at me in the driving mirror.

  “I hope you’re not talking to me,” Cryptorum growled. “My life was quiet and simple before you lot came along. Once in a while I’d get throttled by a scree sag or a kobold would bite me. But apart from all that, it was nice.”

  Nora gulped.

  I tried to catch Miss Smiting’s eye again but she wasn’t looking. Surely she couldn’t have knocked those trees down. She wouldn’t be strong enough. Would she?

  “I don’t know how she did it but I bet those trees didn’t fall down by themselves,” Aiden whispered.

  Orange street lamps whizzed past the car window. Then the streets turned to fields and we headed uphill. The limo banked sharply as we rounded a corner, throwing all of us to one side of the seat. A wilderness of bracken, muddy pools and stunted trees came into view, lit only by the half-moon. This was Blagdurn Heath, right on the edge of town. It was the nearest thing Wendleton had to a wasteland. I’d only come here once before – when Dad decided we should learn to put up a tent and cook on an open fire. We’d lasted half an hour. Annie had burnt her finger, I’d got a splinter and we’d driven back home buying burgers at the drive-through on the way.

  Miss Smiting came to a halt beside a ditch. “Out you go!”

  We sidled out. I looked round, trying to let my eyes get used to the dark.

  Cryptorum popped the boot open and got out some ropes and a small metal cage. Miss Smiting handed us a toughened leather jacket each. This time they were more or less the right size. “I got these for you in town. They will protect you from the worssst bites and cuts. Have fun, darlings!” She turned the limo round and screeched down the hill.

  With ropes in one hand and the cage in the other, Cryptorum led us across the rough heath. The moon blinked out as a bank of dark clouds rolled across the sky and a freezing wind whistled through the bushes. The orange lights of Wendleton at the bottom of the hill seemed very far away.

  A cluster of bats swooped in, filling the air with flapping sounds. Cryptorum waved them away and they clustered together and swarmed back towards town.

  “Don’t we need the bats to help us find things?” I asked.

  “No, you should be more concerned with creatures finding you.” Cryptorum sat on a large boulder and took a sandwich out of his pocket. “Go on then! I’ll be over here if you need me.”

  “Huh?” I thought I’d heard him wrong.

  “Like you said, you’ll learn faster if you meet some monsters.” He waved a hand to dismiss us. “So go – meet them! Take some rope if you like. Then you can bring back any creatures you catch. Don’t fall off the cliff on the far side of the marsh. It’s often hard to spot in the dark.”

  “Aren’t you going to help us?” Nora asked.

  “I’ve taught you a lot of the basics already. Miss Smiting will be back in an hour with the car. Try to return by then – and try not to get killed.” He took a bite of his sandwich.

  My face flamed. I was sure this was a trap. It was a way to scare us and make us admit we should do what he wanted – stay at Grimdean House and listen to him droning on the whole time. Or maybe he wanted to prove to Miss Smiting that he shouldn’t train us at all. “Come on, guys,” I said to Aiden and Nora. “Let’s go.”

  Aiden picked up some rope and they followed me reluctantly. I found a sort-of path through the bracken. We passed the fallen tree trunk where my dad had tried to teach us how to light a fire and cook on it. My family would never believe what I was up to right now. I fiddled with my torch but instead of a beam of light the casing opened and the frostblade shot upwards. I’d forgotten that Aiden hadn’t managed to get the light working yet.

  We pushed our way through a tangle of bushes into a clearing. The half-moon came out, casting pale light across the heath. Leaves rustled. Branches cracked. Behind a stunted tree, something was moving. . .

  Blagdurn Heath is Full of Nasty Surprises

  id you see that?” Nora whispered.

  “Behind that tree.”

  “I saw it!” I pointed my blade at the tree. “Get your weapon out.

  We’ve got to be ready.”

  “No, just there!” Nora tugged my arm, nearly pulling me over.

  She was right. There was something moving on the other side of the clearing. Surely they couldn’t both be monsters – we couldn’t be that unlucky. One of them had to be a squirrel or something.

  “I’ll take this one.” Aiden dropped the rope and raised his bow, nocking an arrow into his bowstring. “Wait till they make a move.”

  I tried to keep my eyes fixed on the first creature but I could see Nora struggling with the button on her torch. “Press it really hard and it’ll open,” I told her.

  Clouds hid the moon and the clearing darkened. The rustling in the bushes grew louder. I strained my eyes, trying to see the creature.

  “I just can’t. . .” Nora pushed the button with both thumbs.

  “Nora, come on!” I hissed.

  “I’m trying. I think it’s stuck.”

  I turned to help her just as she finally managed to release the button. Her torchblade sprang to life, knocking mine out of my hands. A sudden growling erupted on both sides of the clearing and a mass of creatures burst out of the bushes, slamming into Aiden and knocking his legs from under him. There were four of them, all half our size and covered in brown spines.

  “Kobolds!” shouted Nora.

  “I know! Get your sword!” I grabbed my blade and swung it like a baseball bat, forgetting every move Cryptorum had ever taught us. I wanted to catch one, take it back to Cryptorum and prove him wrong about everything, but I couldn’t see the rope under the mass of spiny bodies. My heart thumped like crazy.

  “Gah! Hit them, Rob!” Aiden said before getting buried below a sea of grunting spines.

  I swung the sword again, striking one of the kobolds this time, but its hide was so tough that the blade just bounced off. I tried again but Nora got in the way and I missed. The little monsters growled and disappeared into the bushes. Aiden struggled up, grabbing his bow. “Let’s get out of here.”

  We legged it, pushing through the trees and stumbling across an open stretch of heath dotted with watery ditches.

  “Are you sure you’re OK?” I said to Aiden.

  “I’m fine. Mean little things, aren’t they?” He rubbed his hair and loads of leaves fell out. His face was covered in scratches. “This was a bad idea, though. If you think about it we’ve only been training for a few days. We’re just not good enough to be out here on our own.” He glanced at Nora who was trying to pull off some ivy that’d got tangled round her sword.

  “It’s my fault Cryptorum brought us. I’m really sorry!” I pulled a face. “I reckon he’s expecting us to run back to him and beg to be taken home. Let’s at least hang around here for a while or he’ll think we’re useless.”

  “All right, but I’m seriously wondering if Bat Club is turning out to be a big pain,” Aiden frowned. “Making these weapons was fun, but Cryptorum didn’t even like them. It’s not like he wanted to share all this in the first place. He still wishes he was the only Chime in Wendleton.�
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  Sometimes Aiden says wise stuff like that. I hoped he wouldn’t give up on being a Chime though. I wasn’t ready to quit and it would be WAY less fun without him.

  “It’s not working because of me,” Nora said miserably. “I’m no good at this.”

  “Don’t be silly – you’re great,” I said, nudging Aiden. I just hoped Nora wouldn’t get in the way the next time a creature appeared.

  “Yeah, you’re fine,” Aiden said, not very convincingly. “Maybe it would be better if you took the bow and arrows instead of that sword?”

  Nora looked a bit downcast, but she swapped weapons with Aiden without complaining.

  I suddenly wondered why I hadn’t shivered when the monsters appeared. “I always used to shiver when there was a creature around but I don’t any more,” I told the others. “Did you guys have that?”

  “Yeah.” Aiden said.

  “The Journal of an Eighteenth Century Chime by Edwin Crunstall says that shivering or trembling in the presence of a monster occurs when a person’s Chime abilities have recently manifested. But the shivering generally only lasts for a short time,” Nora told me. “Crunstall writes that he only noticed it for two weeks.”

  “Oh!” I said.

  We trudged on, keeping to open areas and avoiding patches of trees and brambles where more kobolds might be hiding. The muddy pools scattered over this part of the heath became wider and deeper. In some places we had to jump to get across. Nora wobbled as she leapt over a pool and for a second I thought she was going to fall in head first.

  “At least the kobolds can’t follow us here,” I said. “I don’t think they’d get over these ditches with their short legs. What other monsters can we look for?”

  “We’re far away from people so probably vodanoys and grodders,” Nora told me. “We might see an etting or a scree sag but bogguns mostly prefer staying in towns. I think we’re too far south for a draka demon—”

  “Hold it!” I jumped another ditch. “What are those creatures you said first?”