‘Why? Where am I going?’ said Trent, backing away from Jack suspiciously.
‘Well,’ said Jack, squatting like a teacher explaining some complex maths to a toddler, ‘I think your time here is done, and you’d be much better off if I passed you through to the Field of Rushes. You can meet all your old family there, and my dad, grandparents, great grandparents and so on, and … you’ll have fun. They love rugby! All sports, actually.’
‘You can do that?’
‘God of death,’ said Jack with a nod. ‘That’s me.’
And so it was decided that Jack and Stein, who wasn’t too freaked out by death either, should take Trent to the rugby pitch on the peripheries of the stadium and usher him through to his final destination, beyond the Field of Rushes.
‘Thanks,’ he said awkwardly to Janey and Tilly. ‘And sorry if I was a bit of a loon.’
‘We completely understand,’ said Janey. ‘Say …’ What was it? Goodbye? ‘Say hello to Gideon for me. Us, I mean. If you see him.’
‘Bye, Trent. I’m going to take up rugby in your honour,’ Tilly announced.
Trent frowned. ‘Girls can’t play rugby.’ Then he met Tilly’s glare. ‘All I mean is that they didn’t in my day. But you … you’ll make an unbelievable prop forward. Good luck!’
‘Thank you,’ said Tilly primly.
They’d left them to it, and then Janey had asked Tilly for a favour. ‘I know you’re not meant to do magic to Normal People,’ she said, walking with Tilly towards the control room, ‘but can you magic them by SPIV? I mean, Skype?’
‘Never tried it,’ said Tilly with a shrug. ‘But I’ll give it a go. Is it the parentals?’
Janey laughed. ‘Yes, my mum and dad. They were expecting me home hours ago, even with the time difference.’
‘Mine too. It’s weird having normal parents when you’re not normal, isn’t it?’
Janey couldn’t help but agree, especially as hers had once been quite extraordinary, really. And they still were, she decided, as their worried pixilated faces swam into view on the large screen before them and she introduced her brand-new homework buddy, Matilda Peppercorn.
‘I’m SO sorry to KEEP Janey all to mySELF,’ crooned Tilly in her mesmeric voice. ‘I’ll have her HOME by TEN, oKAY?’
Boz and Gina stared at her blankly in a way that reminded Janey of the athletes when the wristbands were activated. Then they nodded enthusiastically. ‘Great!’ said her father. ‘You’ll have to come over at the weekend, Matilda.’
Gina beamed into the camera. ‘We’d love to meet your parents. How about a barbecue?’
‘PURRRRfect,’ Tilly sang, turning to Janey as they ended the call. ‘Wow! That was outstanding. If I can do that by Skype I can pretty much magic anyone, anywhere!’ She stroked her chin thoughtfully. ‘Hmm. I should turn that big camera on myself and induce everyone into forgetting about the Games.’
‘Careful. That sounds a bit like HOST.’
But Tilly had just laughed, then called her own parents with Janey peering in from the side of the screen, introduced as Tilly’s new homework buddy …
With all that excitement behind them, Janey had returned home with the distinct feeling that she’d developed a split personality. One half of her was thrilled about having met the others, but the other part simply felt bereft. With Gideon gone, SWAG was no more. Her new adventures had been short-lived, and she felt almost as if she’d failed as they hadn’t brought everyone home, even if they had managed to thwart HOST’s plans.
It was the thought of ‘home’ that gave her the idea, though, and that was how she had found herself crossing Richmond Park in her normal clothes on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Once the trial of the three HOST members was over, Jack had worked his legal ‘I’m going into the House of Lords’ angle and helped Janey out with her own personal mission.
Before going to the house, however, she continued along the path to a triangular piece of parkland. Around it, the horse chestnut trees were turning red and gold, shedding their prickly shells onto the ground to reveal the delicious gleam of the conkers within. How appropriate, thought Janey. It was pretty much what Gideon had done too.
She understood, now, why he’d always stayed in the shadows. He wanted to stay under the trees, soaking up the nature around him. It must have given him some sort of power, some sort of energy. Then he’d discovered spy-buys, giving first his voice and then his whole body a physical presence in the Wower so that he could gather his team, each one of whom had even more ability than the previous one to help him become … what was the word? Whole? Real?
Embodied, Janey decided.
In her case, he needed her spy instincts and SPI gadgetry. Tilly had a magic animal instinct to perceive him wherever he was. Jack saw spirits anyway; that was why he’d checked that she and G-Mamma could also see Gideon and Tilly when they first met, to ensure they weren’t dead – although he must have had his suspicions. And Stein, the little rock, three hundred years old and able to turn base metal into gold. An ancient boy turning gold. But that wasn’t the limit of his talents. She’d looked it up as soon as she got her Gogs back, and alchemists didn’t simply create ingots. They could also create immortality – and life.
Well, he might not have life, but now she was going to honour him by doing something for the people who’d had no control at all over what happened to him.
‘I’m going to see them now,’ she whispered into the air, feeling only a tiny bit foolish. ‘I wish you were here too.’
Then she knocked on the door, finally, and smiled at the elderly couple who opened it.
‘Mr and Mrs Flynn? I’m Janey Brown. I’ve come to return some items to you from the recent trials.’ She handed them the ring and the rifle. ‘I believe they belonged to your … your son? There’s a sitar, as well, but I’m going to need transport for that.’
The woman’s face crumpled for a second, then she gathered herself and nodded. ‘Thank you. It means so much to have his things around. It makes him feel closer, somehow. Even after all this time …’
She wasn’t able to finish, but Janey knew what she’d been going to say. Sometimes, they were able to sense his presence. It wasn’t strange to Janey … because on occasions, she felt his presence around her, too.
‘Would you like to come in, Miss Brown?’ said Mr Flynn suddenly, with the flash of an extraordinary fleeting smile. ‘You’ve been so kind, bringing this to us. We can show you some photos. And the least we can do is offer you a cup of tea.’
‘I’d love to,’ she said. ‘In fact, if you’re willing, I’d love to hear all about him.’
When the time had come to part company after the Games, they’d all found it hard.
‘You could all come and live with me, you know,’ cried Stein. ‘Gadsbudlikins, what fun that would be!’
‘Actually, I’ve been thinking about that,’ said Jack. ‘I’ve got a castle too, you know. It’s big and empty, and…’ He mouthed “with fewer vampires” to the girls, ‘and we could use one or two wings without my mother even knowing. Or caring!’
‘For what?’ said Tilly, always the first to leap on Jack’s suggestions.
‘Well, for SWAG HQ. You’d have to come back to England, Stein, but it might be nice for you to see the old place again.’
‘What about the Spylab? And G-Ma … GM?’ Janey felt disloyal even thinking about setting up headquarters anywhere else, even though it did kind of make sense, and there’d be much more room for every … for everything.
‘We could set a spy depot up at Lowmount, and a posh place with a massive desk for the Big G to vet all our clients. And a … freaky Stein lab, for whatever it is you do behind closed doors, and a cauldron cat room for Tilly, and I’ve already got a museum with all my bits and bobs in it. I’ve been planning to set up a school there anyway – for special people. Like us.’
It was almost an exciting idea - but they were dreaming.
‘You’ve forgotten one thing, though, Jack,’ said
Janey sadly. ‘There is no SWAG. We were set up by Gideon, for Gideon. Without him we’re just like a kids’ club, hanging out in the shed.’
Jack frowned. ‘I … I think we could still do something, couldn’t we? Something useful.’
‘Zooks, I for one would love a kids’ club, hanging out in the shed! I’ll ask Mother and Father if I can come,’ cried Stein.
‘Can I think about it? It is a good idea, but I just need to come to terms with a few things.’
That had been a while ago; now here they were together again as G-Mamma threw open the vast creaking door that they’d knocked on to summon Jack, all those months before. She could hardly bear to hear it all, if she was honest. Even as Jack beamed and G-Mamma chattered about the tremendous facilities for witchery, alchemy, Egyptology and spycraft, Janey knew she was going through the motions, peeking through doorways and joining in laughter.
Hardly able to bear Jack’s disappointment that she wasn’t enjoying it wholeheartedly, Janey peeled away from the main group. SWAG had ended so weirdly that she wasn’t sure what she wanted any more. She’d revved up all her spying activities again, and the end of the team felt so anti-climactic that she wasn’t sure she could stand to establish a business headquarters that was also a school for misfits, waiting again for something exciting to happen ...
She found herself beside a laboratory built exactly to Stein’s specifications, and smiled to herself. It really had been quite an adventure. More out of habit than anything else, she fixed her eyes on the doors of each laboratory and instructed her Gogs.
‘Zoom,’ she said in a flat tone of voice, hardly bothering to look into the room.
And then her throat closed over.
This lab was exactly like the one in Transnordia had been, with just a faint sheen edging the tables and shelves. The second one, however, had little bursts of life pulsating from its peripheries. Then, in the middle, standing by the main bench, was a clear outline.
Of something.
Someone.
She pushed the door open slowly.
‘A story once told. As an ancient boy turns gold, the truth emerges,’ said Gideon Flynn, glowing gently with whatever ran across his pink-tinged skin. ‘You were right – it is a haiku. I eavesdropped when you were learning about them at Everdenn. I’m not sure you’ll cover them here at the School of ICE.’
‘ICE?’
The tiny grin flashed across his face. ‘Jack’s idea. Inter-Connecting Energies.’
Hoping she could be heard over the hammering in her chest, Janey nodded slowly. ‘I like it.’
‘It’s very Jack. Very all of you, actually.’
Janey hesitated before asking as she always would, so as not to hurt feelings, jump to conclusions. But then she took a deep breath. ‘You knew such a lot about us. About all of us. How is that possible?’
‘I’ve hung around for a very long time, in the shadows. The half-light, you might say. I’ve met a lot of interesting people, there in the half-light, and they led me to all of you. To special people with their own unique talents and gifts.’ Gideon stared down at his hands – hands that sparkled with life. For the moment, at least. ‘Actually, I was thinking that we should probably put another G on the name of SWAG. Spy, Witch, Alchemist, God, and … Ghost.’
‘Gideon.’
‘Yes?’
‘No.’ Janey laughed, blinking back tears. ‘The G should be for Gideon. Meaning pure positive energy.’
‘Not sure I’m all that positive.’
She moved further into the room. ‘You’re getting there,’ she said, ‘and I’ve learned some more things at Everdenn - something interesting in physics. Energy can’t be destroyed. Especially if it’s inter-connected.’
They both gazed down at his hands. Hoping.
‘I’ve heard that too. Either way,’ Gideon said, his crooked smile flaring suddenly across his thin face, ‘it sounds as if we’re agreed. It will be SWAGG, with two Gs. And we’ll operate from this head office stroke school type thing in Jack’s spare castle wing, and, you know …’ He shrugged. ‘… Fight crime.’
Janey nodded mutely, hardly daring to believe that her friend was here again – dappled through with light and not completely solid throughout, but definitely opaque and visible, and definitely here.
‘This is the most body I’ve had in decades.’ Gideon stared at his hand. ‘Apart from … well, I sort of agreed with an undead person that I could borrow his for a while.’ He grinned in a fangy way.
‘Ambro? You were Ambro?’ No wonder he had gazed at her so intently.
‘Just for a while.’
Janey stared at him, so many feelings zipping around her chest that she couldn’t speak.
‘Oh, hey,’ said Gideon suddenly, holding out his arm. ‘Try this.’
She held her breath, watching what he was doing. What was he trying to give her? Then she realised how unlikely it was that he should pass anything to her, and stared again.
The hands stuffed in pockets were a thing of the past. His condition had been revealed to be a cover story.
And now he was stretching his arm out towards her.
‘You’re not a solitary spy any longer, Jane Blonde. You don’t need to go it alone. You’re leading an incredible team.’
‘No, you are.’
Gideon laughed. ‘No, it was always your team, and you stepped up admirably.’
And somehow she felt the truth of that. There she was, the most human, the least amazing, taking charge of this extraordinary mission with these incredible team-mates.
‘Stein has refined the unguent,’ he said. ‘So if you’re willing to have me on board, I’m here and … I’m in.’
She held out her own hand. Just for a moment until his energy dipped, their fingers touched.
Janey caught her breath. He felt whole. Real.
It – the whole of it – was real.
And even as his outline gently faded, Jane Blonde knew that whatever happened next, there was no going back. They all existed, now, in this new form.
From this moment on, they were SWAGG.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Marshall is a proud mum, nana and communications consultant, as well as the author of dozens of books for children, young adults and (old) adults. When she's not doing any of those things, she loves singing, dancing and theatre and going to see other people do singing, dancing and theatre. She divides her time between the UK and New Zealand, and hopes one day to travel between the two by SatiSPI.
Look out for the next in the SWAGG series: School of Ice – coming soon
Want to read more right now? Check out the SWAGG team’s origin series:
Jane Blonde, Sensational Spylet
Jack BC, Doghead
The Legend of Matilda Peppercorn
Stein & Frank
Also by Jill Marshall
The SWAGG origin series
jane blonde, sensational spylet
jane blonde spies trouble
jane blonde, twice the spylet
jane blonde, spylet on ice
jane blonde, goldenspy
jane blonde, spy in the sky
jane blonde, spylets are forever
Jack BC, Doghead
Jack BC, Dogfight
Jack BC, Dogstar
The Legend of Matilda Peppercorn:
Witch-hunter
Toadstone
Questioner
Trinity
Stein & Frank, Battle of the Undead People Eaters
And many more books for kids, young adults and adults at www.jillmarshallbooks.com
SWAGG 2, School of ICE - excerpt
Look out for the next book in the SWAGG series – coming soon! Pre-order now, or sign up for Jill’s newsletter to receive it before release date.
Jack Bootle-Cadogan crept through the halls of his stately home, admiring the handiwork of his leader and mentor, Gideon Flynn. He stuck his canine head through the nearest wall. Spylab – nice.
The kit was lined up along the walls like the armour ranked along the corridor, sparkling and inviting. Jane Blonde and Trouble were doing a double act, checking off inventory. Scenting his presence, Trouble whipped around.
Jack withdrew his head hastily. Wouldn’t do be found peering in on the guests, uninvited.
He passed the next two SWAGG Sector Rooms without investigating. Tilly’s area was a mystery to him, full of witch and warlock training rooms, broomstick stables and, of course, Matilda Peppercorn herself. Whatever she was doing she was building up a sweat – he could see the blue glow through stone walls a metre thick. She scared him a bit at the best of times. Doubting that this was going to be the best of times, he slid past noiselessly.
Stein’s laboratory lay off to the right, down the half-flight of stairs. Through the tiny window, Jack could see that Stein was entertaining Jack’s own sort-of cousins, Joe and Mindy, by animating one of the mummies from the museum. Mummies were a very familiar sight in Jack’s weird life, so he didn’t stop to watch other than to take in the thrilled expression on Stein’s sallow face – thrilled that he had these powers to make new friends. There was another reason he moved on quickly too, though. The mummy reminded him of someone very dear to him. His oldest friend. The whole family’s oldest friend. With a sigh, Jack shook his head and pulled back from the door.
Then he shook it again. What was that?
His canine hearing kicked in. Someone was in his museum. He’d given it over to the School of Inter-Connecting Energies when they were setting it up, but it was still meant to be locked while it was transformed into a centre for learning about Egyptology and all Jack’s background. Jack himself had the only key, and he hadn’t used it as he’d just stuck his head through the plasterwork from time to time to check in.
S*W*A*G*G 1, Spook Page 26
