‘My voice was the first heard by all of these pathetic humans, which means that they will do whatever I tell them,’ Vainclaw announced. ‘Mister James Thackley, please stand up.’
A man in the front row, with greying hair and a smart suit, stood up. Dirk recognised him as the Prime Minister of Great Britain. To the left of the hall stood his personal security guard, trained to lay down his own life in the course of duty if necessary, and yet smiling vacantly, as the man he was paid to protect obeyed every command of the deep voice from the speakers.
‘Approach the silver case on the stage, Prime Minister Thackley.’
The Prime Minister stepped forward.
‘Do you recognise this device?’
The Prime Minister gazed uncaringly at the box and said, as though in his sleep, ‘It’s the QC3000. It’s a weapon. I hope I never have to use it.’
A deep thunderous laugh came through the speakers and the Tree Dragons joined in, snapping their jaws together in appreciation.
‘Quiet!’ hollered Vainclaw.
Dirk had to do something to stop the Prime Minister from operating the machine. He could easily snap him out of his stupor with a whack from his tail, but to wake up the most powerful man in Britain in a room full of dragons would be as good as starting the ultimate war himself.
‘Kinghorns, too long has our species hidden from mankind,’ proclaimed Vainclaw. ‘Too long have we cowered in corners, skulked in shadows, waiting for a disease to eradicate this pest from the face of the planet, or for them to blow themselves up with their own bombs. And why did we hide? Because we were too scared to fight. We should have destroyed these hairless apes the moment they climbed down from the trees. We should have killed them when they were still banging rocks together, trying to make fire. We, who breathe fire but are too afraid to use it. Soon, we will not be afraid and I will lead all dragonkind, united as Kinghorns, into war against these soft-skinned mammals.’
Throughout this oration, the soft-skinned mammals in the hall remained seated on their uncomfortable wooden chairs, the words flying past them like paper aeroplanes.
Dirk, meanwhile, had crept silently across the rafters, stopping directly above Holly. He retrieved Grendel’s claw from where it was tucked behind his wing, held it above her head, took aim and, as Vainclaw’s speech finished and the Tree Dragons cheered, he dropped it.
‘Ow!’ A sharp pain in Holly’s skull shook her out of the beautiful trance.
For a moment she felt sad and lost without the music, then a voice, as deep as a well, cried, ‘Silence’. She was disorientated but remained still and took in the scene in front of her. The Prime Minister was standing in front of the silver case on the stage.
By his side, a Tree Dragon looked up and said, ‘What was that?’
‘What?’ replied the deep voice.
‘There was a noisound from the raised ground, Vainclaw, sir.’
Holly froze. The Tree Dragon jumped on to the stage, standing on its back legs. Holly copied the looks on the faces of the other band members, smiling vaguely and staring at nothing, hoping the dragon couldn’t see her shaking hands.
‘Anyone awakious up here?’ asked the dragon.
Holly kept her eyes fixed firmly in one spot.
‘It’s nothing,’ said the Tree Dragon, jumping back down.
Holly breathed a controlled sigh of relief and noticed that lying on her lap next to the trumpet was the dragon claw. Moving her head as little, and as slowly as possible, she looked up and saw in the rafters two yellow eyes. Dirk’s head appeared and then his paw, which he put to his mouth and acted like he was speaking into a microphone. He pointed to the back of the stage and repeated the mime.
‘It’s time for these short-life creatures to do what they do best and die,’ continued Vainclaw’s voice though the speakers.
Holly noticed that Petal’s microphone had gone and realised what Dirk was trying to say. Vainclaw was using it. In order to flush him out, she had to cut the sound.
She gently placed her trumpet on the floor, slipped the claw into her pocket and dropped down to her knees. Being careful not to knock over the music stands, she crawled between the other band members, watching the movements of the Tree Dragons through the forest of legs. The plug socket was along the edge of the stage.
‘Dragons will once again take their rightful place as rulers of the world,’ continued Vainclaw.
Holly waited until the Tree Dragon swung its hideous head the other way, then made her move, lying flat on the stage floor and wriggling forward. The Tree Dragon looked back and she blended to avoid being seen. She felt its eyes on her. She could hear it breathing. She waited a couple of terrified seconds then opened one eye. It had turned away.
‘And I, Vainclaw Grandin, the first up-airer, will …’
Holly reached forward over the side of the stage and flicked the socket off.
The voice cut out.
‘What’s happened?’ shouted one of the Tree Dragons.
‘I don’t know,’ said another.
Holly remained hidden as the backstage door was pushed open. Heavy grey smoke billowed out, as though the whole building was on fire. The smoke thinned a little as it filled the hall and Holly could see a Tree Dragon cowering fearfully in the corner. In the doorway, a shape shifted inside the smoke and two yellow eyes opened. Head first, a dragon stepped into the hall. It was a Mountain Dragon, like Dirk, but its underside was a deeper green, almost the colour of Dirk’s blood, and its back was crimson red. It was larger than Dirk too and, as it passed, its tail seemed to go on for ever, snaking behind its body, swinging from side to side.
The Tree Dragons bowed their heads low and whispered reverently, ‘Vainclaw Grandin … Master.’
‘Get up, you fools,’ snarled the dark Mountain Dragon. His head swung round and Holly could see his face, lean and angular, his eyes, sharp and predatory, grey smoke billowing uncontrollably from his flared nostrils. ‘Boy, why does this voice projector device no longer work?’
The door opened again and a small dark figure stepped out of the backstage room, shaking with fear, smoothing down his greasy black hair. It was Callum. ‘I …I…I… don’t know,’ he stammered. ‘It could be a fuse or a …’
They were using Callum. Holly realised they must have forced him to switch Petal’s backing track with the Dragonsong. He must have done it when Miss Gilfeather handed him the CD.
‘Never mind,’ snapped Vainclaw. ‘I will finish this face to face. Come, boy, and watch your father at work.’
The Tree Dragons snapped their teeth at Callum, and he whimpered quietly, muttering, ‘They’re in my head …I can control them …’
He followed Vainclaw fearfully to the stage, where the Mountain Dragon lifted his head level with the Prime Minister’s, inspecting him like a waxwork in a museum.
‘Prime Minister Thackley,’ he said. ‘Open the QC3000.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
All five Tree Dragons had gathered around the silver case, their pale green eyes focused on the Prime Minister, fumbling to open it. Above them, Dirk watched from the rafters as Holly snuck back to her seat on stage, unseen.
‘Finally, we will clasp mankind’s precious technology in our claws and turn it against them,’ said Vainclaw.
‘How does it work, boss?’ enquired Betula.
‘Is it a bomb?’ asked Tilia from the other side of the stage.
‘Or a missile?’ added Acer enthusiastically.
Vainclaw looked at the Tree Dragons disdainfully and growled, ‘Just keep watch and stay quiet, Bark-backs. You’ll know soon enough.’
The Prime Minister must have found the switch because the case opened, its lid lifting automatically and words appearing on the screen, illuminating his blank, expressionless face. The machine spoke in a flat electronic voice:
‘Prime Minister Thackley, please raise your right hand,’ said Vainclaw.
The Prime Minister obeyed.
‘Boy, stand close and wa
tch your father initiate the dawn of a new era.’
The Tree Dragons grunted approvingly, nudging the terrified-looking boy forward with their jagged noses. Dirk shifted in the rafters so that he was directly above and prepared to swipe the Prime Minister’s hand away with his tail, but before he could act, Holly jumped up and ran to the front of the stage. She reached out her hand to stop the Prime Minister, only to find her way blocked by Callum.
‘Callum,’ she said, ‘get out of the way.’
But Callum grabbed both her wrists and clamped her down against the stage floor.
‘Do it,’ he snarled, turning to Vainclaw. ‘Make him do it.’
‘Prime Minister,’ said Vainclaw. ‘Place your hand on the screen.’
The emotionless voice continued to count down:
The Prime Minister reached his hand towards the screen. Dirk swung his tail, knocking it away. The Kinghorns looked up in confusion as Dirk swiped his tail again, whacking Betula on the side of the head, sending her flying across the hall.
He dropped to the floor, and reared up on to his hind legs, claws drawn, ready to fight.
‘Who is this? Get him, kill him,’ ordered Vainclaw.
Acer flew at Dirk, but he ducked, whacked the back of her head and sent her crashing into the front row of the audience. Principal Palmer, Petal’s mother, Holly’s dad and his wife instantly awoke from their trances to find themselves underneath what seemed to be a rather angry tree with sharp teeth and claws. They screamed and it jumped off.
‘The trees are attacking,’ yelled Principal Palmer hysterically. ‘Run for the door.’
Acer flew over their heads and landed in front of the door, snapping her teeth and hissing, ‘Stay where you are, manumans.’
‘Prime Minister, touch the screen!’ said Vainclaw firmly.
Ducking an aerial assault from Tilia, Dirk succeeded in knocking the Prime Minister’s hand away again, but this time Betula and Buxus came at him from behind and sunk their teeth into his tail and legs, dragging him to the floor.
‘Prime Minister, are you all right?’ shouted Holly’s dad, clutching his wife protectively. ‘What are these things?’
‘They’re d … dragons,’ stammered his wife.
‘Impossible,’ said Principal Palmer. ‘Dragons don’t exist.’
‘What would you call them? Kittens?’ replied Petal’s mum hysterically.
‘Strush up, manumans,’ snapped Acer. ‘Or I’ll flame-grill your faces.’
‘Leave them, alone,’ screamed Holly.
‘Holly? Is that you?’ barked her dad, unable to get past Salix and Tilia, who were now penning all four of them in.
‘Stop wriggling,’ spat Callum, his sweaty hands holding Holly down.
‘Don’t you understand, they want to kill us all,’ she said desperately.
‘They’re in my head,’ said Callum. ‘They do what I say.’
‘Petal was right in the first place. You are crazy,’ said Holly, wrestling an arm free and sending her elbow hard into his face, pushing him off. Grabbing the silver case, she twisted it round so that the Prime Minister’s hand hit the back of the lid.
Holly placed her palm on the screen.
‘You stupid little girl,’ snarled Vainclaw, swiping at her angrily and catching her leg with his razor-sharp claw.
Holly fell to the floor, screaming, clutching her leg, blood oozing through the gaps in her fingers.
‘Holly,’ yelled Dirk, but he was silenced by Betula’s claw digging into his jaw.
‘You filthy beast, that’s my daughter,’ shouted Holly’s dad.
‘Leave her alone,’ screamed his wife, but Salix snapped wildly, preventing them from moving.
The lid began to close automatically.
‘No!’ shouted Callum, trying to stop it and receiving an electric shock.
Holly crawled over to Dirk, her leg throbbing in agony with every movement. Buxus and Betula stood on top of him, their claws and teeth digging into his skin. ‘Get off him, you vile creatures,’ she said.
‘Do you know this girl?’ demanded Vainclaw.
Callum wiped his bloody nose with his sleeve and smoothed down his dishevelled hair. ‘Yes, Mr Grandin, sir,’ he said. ‘The girl said she knew about those monsters …’
‘We’re Tree Dragons, manuman. Don’t forget it,’ growled Acer, approaching Callum threateningly.
‘Leave him alone,’ snapped Vainclaw. ‘Don’t worry, boy, they won’t harm you while I’m here.’
‘But how could she know? The monsters are in my head, not hers.’
‘That’s right, Callum,’ purred Vainclaw. ‘It’s all in your head. Now, what’s wrong with this machine?’
‘The details I read in Father’s folder said it takes an hour to reset if the wrong hand touches the screen.’
‘Then we will wait,’ announced Vainclaw. ‘Your father is still in the trance.’
Callum turned to his father, who still had that distant look in his eyes, his right palm raised.
‘Not so important now, are you, Father?’ he spat, walking around him. ‘Not too busy to ignore Callum.’
He turned to Vainclaw and said, ‘Make him bow.’
‘Bow down to your son, Prime Minister Thackley,’ said Vainclaw. ‘Kneel before your new master.’
Unquestioningly, the Prime Minister got down on to one knee.
‘Callum Thackley, what are you doing?’ demanded the principal.
‘What have you done to my daughter?’ shouted Holly’s dad.
Petal’s mother cried out, ‘Please don’t touch my precious Petal!’
‘Your precious what?’ snarled Vainclaw.
‘This one,’ said Callum, pointing at Petal.
‘Well, that’s one way to pass the time while we’re waiting,’ said Vainclaw, ‘killing humans.’
‘Let me do it,’ said Acer.
‘No, she’s only a little girl,’ screamed Petal’s mother.
‘Stay where you are, Acer,’ ordered Vainclaw. He turned to address Petal’s mother. ‘I could kill your daughter the same way you could squash a fly.’
‘Do it,’ urged Callum. ‘Kill her.’
‘No,’ shouted Holly, staggering up and limping between Vainclaw and Petal, feeling weak and dizzy from the loss of blood.
‘Get out of the way,’ said Callum. ‘It’s the way things work. Superior animals kill inferior ones. Just like Petal killed your mouse, my dragon will kill her, if I tell him to.’
‘She doesn’t deserve it.’ Holly collapsed to the floor.
‘Kill them both,’ said Callum.
‘The great Vainclaw Grandin takes orders from a human, does he?’ muttered Dirk through his teeth, feeling Betula’s claws dig further into his face.
‘I follow no one’s orders,’ growled Vainclaw, whacking Callum over his head with his long serpentine tail. ‘Never tell me what to do again, boy.’
Callum giggled nervously and smoothed down his ruffled hair.
Vainclaw looked at Dirk. ‘I suppose you’re the detective that the Scavengers told me of? Dirk Dilly, I believe? You do seem to like sticking your nose in other people’s business.’
‘I thought it was his nephew,’ said Salix.
‘Strush up,’ replied Betula.
‘As long your business involves trying to kill innocent humans, I’ll be there to stop you,’ said Dirk, Betula’s claw piercing his skin with every syllable.
‘Or at least here to watch me. The machine will be working again in one hour.’
‘Where are you planning to attack this time, Vainclaw? London, again? New York? You’d better choose carefully. As soon as the machine is used, they’ll shut it down. You’ll only have one shot and it will take more than one earthquake to destroy mankind.’
‘Destroy mankind?’ Vainclaw said mockingly. ‘What an outdated notion. I did used to believe that we should destroy mankind, but not now. Humans have proved themselves far too useful.’ Vainclaw stroked the silver case and received an elect
ric shock. He pulled his claw away quickly. ‘Every human that survives the war will be put to work in weapons factories, gold mines and farms, to work for their masters. I’m not going to destroy mankind. I’m going to enslave it.’
‘And what’s your role in this, Callum?’ said Holly, crawling across the floor to Dirk, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
‘Humans will be slaves and Callum will be the slave master,’ said Callum. ‘Callum will be more important than Dad or Principal Palmer or Petal or you or anyone. It’s all in my head. I control it.’
‘No, it’s not, Callum. This is real and you’re helping them kill.’
‘Enough,’ said Vainclaw. ‘Enough of this futile chitchat.’
‘Holly Bigsby! Callum Thackley! I demand to know what’s going on?’ shouted Principal Palmer from across the hall.
‘Silence,’ shouted Vainclaw. ‘Everyone waits in silence until I say so. Bark-backs, watch the humans and the detective. Don’t worry about the girl. She’ll be dead soon.’
‘Holly, are you OK?’ called her father.
‘No, Dad, I’m not.’ She tried to shout but the words came out as a breathless whisper.
‘Can’t we schmunch one of them while we’re waiting? Just a little one?’ begged Acer.
‘After we have activated the weapon you can have your fun, Acer,’ replied Vainclaw, ‘when you burn this building to the ground and everyone in it.’
Holly, close your eyes and sleep.
The words appeared in Holly’s head. She felt tired and confused, but she knew by looking into his big yellow eyes that they came from Dirk.
Sleep, Holly, close your eyes and sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
For Principal Palmer, Petal’s mother, Holly’s dad and his wife, it had been like waking from a wonderful dream to find themselves trapped in a terrible nightmare. They sat huddled together, in the middle of the hall, holding hands in a circle, while the Tree Dragons watched them, their sharp teeth snapping every time they spoke or sobbed or tried to move.
For Principal Palmer, it was some consolation that one of the hands gripping his so tightly belonged to Petal Moses’ extremely famous American mother.
The Case of the Wayward Professor Page 12
