But just as he, Utterly and Arlo were making their way towards the banqueting hall on the twelfth floor, Casper felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around on the landing to see a very tall, very thin figure wearing robes of ancient parchment. Casper blinked. It was Frostbite, and he was looking much better than he had when Casper had left him in the forest!
‘You made it back to the castle!’ Casper cried.
Frostbite nodded. ‘I owe the snow trolls my life.’ The Lofty Husk looked from Casper to Utterly to Arlo. ‘Congratulations, all three of you. What you did out in The Beyond was truly remarkable and Rumblestar will for ever be in your debt. Because of you, Morg can never meddle with our kingdom again; we have had word from the ogres that the opening she forged from Everdark into the Smoking Chimneys is sealed for ever.’
Utterly frowned. ‘But what about the other kingdoms? What about Crackledawn, Jungedrop and Silvercrag? Can Morg still reach them?’
Frostbite’s face turned grave. ‘Yes. Morg may still be able to find a way through to the other kingdoms. And I have no doubt that she will try.’
Utterly and Casper’s faces fell.
‘But the Lofty Husks there will be ready,’ Frostbite added. ‘They will brew stronger spells and bigger protection charms. They will not let the harpy win. Just as you did not.’ He smiled. ‘Your names will go down in legend, like Smudge and Bartholomew’s did all those years ago, and on this day every year Unmappers will remember that you achieved something astonishing.’
Casper blushed, Utterly beamed and Arlo took a little bow from her shoulder.
‘I want to present you all with a token of gratitude for saving the Unmapped Kingdoms and the Faraway.’ Frostbite looked at Utterly first, then he reached into the pockets of his robes and, rather unexpectedly, drew out a walking cane, a tambourine and a signed edition of Digby Blethersecret’s The Castle and Its Quirks.
‘I forgot to tell you this bit about the Lofty Husks,’ Utterly whispered to Casper. ‘They have endless pockets.’
Frostbite continued to rummage in his gown. ‘I would be most obliged if you could hold this for me, Casper. It is ever so valuable.’ He handed Casper a golden chandelier, then reached a little further into his pocket and smiled. ‘Ah, yes, this.’ He drew out a piece of silver in the shape of a star and handed it to Utterly.
‘A Bottler badge . . .’ Utterly shook her head. ‘But only qualified Bottlers get these!’
Frostbite nodded. ‘Which is precisely what you are, Utterly.’
She blinked. ‘But I keep getting chucked out of the classes! I never win any awards – and . . . and I’m only eleven!’
‘Eleven you may be,’ Frostbite replied, ‘but because of you the mills in Dapplemere are still working, even though the sun scamps feared the worst when the Midnights ransacked them, and the marvels there are safe.’ Frostbite opened his palm and there was another, smaller badge inside with the letters RIB inscribed on it, which he pinned onto Arlo’s waistcoat.
The dragon squinted up at Frostbite.
‘Remarkably Intelligent Being,’ the Lofty Husk said. ‘When the drizzle hags delivered their marvels – begrudgingly, it has to be said – they kept asking if they might be able to pickle the dragon who had solved their riddles with ease if he got back to the castle in one piece. I said no, naturally, and decided to promote you instead. Arlo, you will be the Lofty Husks’ first point of call for any mathematical issues and your role will come with a lifetime supply of toffees.’
Arlo ruffled his wings in delight.
Frostbite looked at Casper and the longing inside Casper grew. He wanted to be home with his parents again, to be back in the turret curled up next to them on the sofa, knowing the winds couldn’t harm them any more, and before the Lofty Husk could open his mouth, Casper found himself spilling out a half-formed hope.
‘The portal I came through to Rumblestar has gone,’ he blurted, ‘and I know it might sound mad but if the only link from here to the Faraway is the dragons, maybe you and the other Lofty Husks could at least try and summon just one – preferably a vegetarian one – to take me home?’
Frostbite choked. ‘A dragon, carry a child?! Absolutely not. They are far too wild, dangerous and unreasonable. It would be like riding a volcano. And if you were not thrown off, you would probably be eaten or squashed. No. Riding a dragon would be a terrible idea. But there might be another way.’ He paused. ‘If a certain sun scamp is as efficient as he claims.’
Casper heart shook at the possibility.
Frostbite looked at his pocket watch, which, Casper saw, bore words instead of numbers:
Now
In A Short While
Later
Never
Frostbite said the word ‘Casper’ and the hands on the watch swung round to the words: In A Short While.
Casper didn’t dare ask how or exactly when he might be able to go home because he felt any words might break the tiny glimmer of hope he still harboured that at the end of all this, he would see his parents.
Frostbite smiled at the group. ‘Feast,’ he said. ‘Most definitely time for a feast.’
* * *
The banqueting hall blew the oak-panelled dining room back in Little Wallops out of the water. The room was incredibly tall – so tall in fact that there were birds nesting in the uppermost corners – and its walls were covered in enchanted mirrors, which Casper guessed were the message mirrors Bristlebeard had mentioned back in the forest, because when they drew near to one it clouded up, then words appeared, as if someone had breathed on the mirror and written in the fog left on the surface.
Well done, Casper! It’s your old friend Bristlebeard here. Thrilled to learn you found Utterly and you gave those Midnights the beating they deserved. How was Sir Chopalot?
The last sentence was hastily rubbed out, then the following words appeared in their place.
Brushwick sends her love. Keep up the meditation and the tofu.
‘And over here!’ Casper cried as another mirror nearby misted with words.
Chomp xxx.
Casper and Utterly giggled.
‘Another message for you down this way!’ a girl Utterly’s age cried.
Casper and Utterly hurried over.
Matt from Dapplemere here. Fantastic work at the Smoking Chimneys, Utterly, Casper and Arlo. Can’t chat for long though. Got something to do for Frostbite, a new batch of dazzlethread to collect and plans to build an extension on my mill. Cheerio!
The words faded and then, in the mirror next to them, a few more appeared.
Hello, you filthy little ragpots. We hope that you had a truly miserable trip and that you got sunburnt in Dapplemere, trodden on by ogres in the Smoking Chimneys and pecked at by griffins along the way. If any of your limbs have fallen off or are bruised beyond repair, let us know and we’ll get pickling. Yours in mild hatred and disgust, H, G and S (no kisses).
Casper and Utterly burst out laughing then, finally, they sat down at one of the long wooden tables spread with cups of tea that puffed out mist and bowls full of what looked like whipped cream.
Casper eyed the bowl in front of him. ‘What exactly is this?’ he asked.
‘A snow pie,’ Utterly replied, dunking a spoon into the middle of hers and taking an enormous mouthful. ‘Heaps of snow cream balanced on a tower of sun-drenched pancakes and topped with a handful of cloud berries.’ She paused. ‘It’s a dessert, basically.’
‘Which you eat before the main course?’ Casper asked, dipping his own spoon into the snow pie, then letting the soft sugariness dissolve on his tongue.
Utterly nodded. ‘Don’t you?’
But Casper wasn’t able to reply because he and Utterly were bombarded with questions from the boys and girls in Utterly’s class.
‘How big were the storm ogres?’
‘Where exactly do the drizzle hags live?’
‘Are the snow trolls as scary as everyone says?’
‘What does dazzlethread feel like?’
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‘Just how often does it rain in England, Casper?’
Arlo found the whole ordeal so profoundly overwhelming that he curled up in a teacup and went to sleep, but Utterly and Casper chattered away to everyone and Casper noticed that Utterly was a different girl from the one who had left the castle a week before. She laughed easily, scowled less and only shoved someone once (when they asked her if Arlo was in fact the real brains behind the whole operation).
The Lofty Husks ate at a larger, taller table at the far end of the room. Frostbite was amongst them and after the food had been cleared away it was he who stood up and addressed the banqueting hall.
‘I would like to propose three cheers for Casper, Utterly and Arlo – without whom this kingdom would not be standing.’
There were cheers and whoops and stamping feet, and one or two people clapped Utterly and Casper on the back. And then the hearth behind the Lofty Husks’ table – which had been empty when Casper looked before – suddenly burst into bright red flames.
‘This is a sign,’ Frostbite said. ‘A sign that even though Morg still lives in Everdark, there is phoenix magic lingering there and whatever lies in store for the Unmapped Kingdoms, hope will always triumph over darkness.’
There were more cheers, and Arlo fluttered into the air and let out a celebratory snort of fire.
Frostbite smiled. ‘The dragons will come by to collect more marvels soon – after recent events, the Lofty Husks in the other kingdoms have sent word that Crackledawn, Jungledrop and Silvercrag need as many marvels as we can muster to make up for the ones the Midnights ruined. There is much Bottling and Ballooning to be done so I shall not keep you any longer.’ He paused. ‘But because we rulers are known for our terribly amusing jokes, as well as our wisdom and long life expectancy, I will just leave you all with a little jape now.’
‘Give them the one about paper!’ one of the other Lofty Husks remarked.
‘No, no,’ Blustersnap tutted. ‘It’s tearable.’
Frostbite scowled. ‘I have a perfectly good joke up my sleeve, thank you very much.’ He drew himself up. ‘What did the rain cloud wear under his raincoat?’
The Unmappers winced because they knew Frostbite, of all the Lofty Husks, told the very worst jokes.
‘Thunderwear,’ he chortled.
The rest of the Lofty Husks chortled with him until they were laughing so much tears streamed down their wrinkled cheeks, then everybody else in the banqueting hall laughed, too – because that’s what happens with laughing – it’s even more contagious than yawning.
There was a rush of noise as everyone stood up and pushed their chairs in, but Casper didn’t move. Because Frostbite was heading over towards him and he was smiling. The hall emptied until there was just Casper, Utterly, Arlo and Frostbite left behind. Then the Lofty Husk reached into the pockets of his robe again and this time he drew out a small key set with a turquoise gem.
Casper gasped. ‘The key to the grandfather clock!’
Frostbite nodded. ‘The Midnight pretending to be me fled the castle the night Slumbergrot awoke and flew directly to his roost, at Dapplemere, and after a detailed search of the valley, Matt and his friends found the key he took.’ Frostbite handed it to Casper.
‘But there’s no clock any more,’ Casper said quietly. ‘I can’t find my way home that way.’
Frostbite beckoned Casper, Utterly and Arlo out onto the landing, into the bathtub lift then down to the hallway. It was quiet and empty and as Frostbite drew out his pocket watch, Casper saw that the hand on it was pointing at another word: Now. Casper’s skin tingled as the Lofty Husk cast an arm towards the doors of all shapes and sizes that lined the walls.
‘Take a look,’ Frostbite said. ‘A close look.’
Casper’s eyes ran over the little plaques nailed above each door: RIVER IMPS above a door the size of a cushion whose handle was so shiny clean Casper could see his face in it; MARSH GOBLINS above a circular door covered in grime and weeds; SUN SCAMPS above a golden door the size of a cat flap; HIPPOGRIFFS above a door so big it took over an entire wall and was covered in bolts and chains. And then there was another door in the far corner of the hallway, one that Casper could have easily overlooked had it not been for the word on the plaque above it, which simply said: CASPER.
Casper felt his legs sway. ‘I . . . I don’t understand. Was this here before?’
Frostbite shook his head. ‘I know this castle very well but every time I walk through it I notice something new. It changes daily. And shortly after I used a summoning charm to retrieve the key from Dapplemere, I noticed this door. Perhaps Rumblestar wanted to thank you for sacrificing your greatest desire – your way home – for the sake of the Unmapped Kingdoms and the Faraway by opening up another door for you.’ Frostbite paused. ‘That is if the key fits the lock, of course.’
Casper slipped the key into the lock. It fitted perfectly and as he turned it, there was a small click. Casper’s heart quickened. Here it was. A way home, at last. And he would have thundered through this door a week ago – but now he found himself standing surprisingly still.
He glanced at Arlo, who was poking up out of Utterly’s dungaree pocket, the way he had been when Casper first met him inside the grandfather clock, then he looked at Utterly. Her hair was still in desperate need of a brush and her dungarees were smudged with ash and the remains of a snow pie but her eyes no longer held the fury of a long-kept storm.
‘Will I –’ Casper looked at his boots, then up at Frostbite ‘– will I ever find a way back to see Utterly and Arlo again?’
‘It is not for me to say whether you will or will not come back to the Unmapped Kingdoms,’ Frostbite replied, ‘but if you did happen to find another phoenix tear – there are seven in the Faraway, after all . . . I do not think you will come back through your grandfather clock. Magic rarely works the same way twice.’ He paused. ‘But friendships are a strange thing. My best friend is a cloud giant who only wakes up every hundred years, so really our time together has been rather short. And if the legends are to be believed then Smudge and Bartholomew only started speaking to one another when the monkey realised he and the girl were not embarking upon a retirement cruise to play golf, as he had thought, but rather a life-threatening mission to steal Morg’s wings. It would be foolish to measure a friendship by its length though. It is the depth that counts. And your friendship with Utterly and Arlo has taken you to the tallest trees in Shiverbark Forest and to the deepest volcanoes in the Smoking Chimneys – just as Smudge and Bartholomew’s took them all the way to Everdark. So when you find yourself back in the Faraway all you really need do to find Utterly and Arlo is look up at your marvellous sky.’
Casper looked at the door in front of him. ‘But how will it work?’ he said, hardly daring to hope that it might. ‘When I close the door behind me, will I be back in Little Wallops right away?’
Frostbite shook his head. ‘As to exactly what you will find behind that door, I am afraid I cannot tell you. Because that is the thing about locked doors, Casper. You never quite know what is on the other side.’
Casper had imagined this scene many times since arriving in Rumblestar, but in all that imagining he hadn’t foreseen how wobbly his legs would feel or how clogged up his throat would be when looking at the girl who had arrested him after two minutes of knowing him when he first set foot in the kingdom.
Casper turned to face Utterly, the sadness of things dawning inside him. ‘Whenever it rains, whenever it snows and whenever the sun is so bright I have to squint to see through it –’ Casper’s voice wavered ‘– I’ll remember our adventure.’
Utterly swallowed, then she swallowed again, and Casper wondered whether she, too, was having trouble with her voice. Friendships really do knock it out of you, he thought.
Eventually Utterly managed to find the words. ‘You turned out to be a brilliant criminal in the end,’ she said. ‘It’s a good thing the Lofty Husks didn’t feed you to a dragon.’
She looked away suddenly, then brushed a sleeve across her eyes and muttered something very unconvincing about a dust allergy. But Casper knew what was really going on because he was finding it hard to see, too. It seemed that friendship had stretched them both, just as Bristlebeard had told Casper it would, and that the shape of their hearts had been changed for ever.
Utterly sniffed and then smiled. ‘I won’t forget you, Casper.’
Casper smiled back through misted eyes. ‘Me neither. I don’t suppose you ever forget your first real friend.’
Utterly reached out and hugged Casper while Arlo clung to his ear and purred inside it. Casper held his friends tight for a while longer, then he took a deep breath. He’d been brave enough to save a kingdom; now he had to be brave enough to leave it.
He drew back and, in a fluttering of nerves and hope, pushed the door in front of him open and stepped inside.
He was in a passageway lit by torches. Casper closed the door behind him and walked slowly over the flagstones as the passageway led right, then left, then doubled back on itself before leading up a flight of stone steps. Casper paused on the steps. Was he back in Little Wallops already, in some overlooked passage of the school that he knew nothing about? He hastened up the steps to find another door in front of him. Spurred on by the thought of seeing his mum and his dad and their cosy little flat, he pushed it open.
And frowned.
He was standing at the top of a turret attached to the furthest corner of Rumblestar Castle, and from where he stood he could see the whole kingdom spread out around him. The sky-tumbling waterfalls glinted in the afternoon sun and the Witch’s Fingers trundled on through the trees toward The Edge. Why had the door with his name on led him here? Casper placed his elbows on the turret wall, sank his chin into his hands and sighed. Home wasn’t any closer, after all.
But as Casper looked out over the kingdom he had the strangest feeling that he wasn’t alone in this turret, and an even stranger feeling that the stone beneath him was moving. Not significantly – more of a slow but steady rise and fall – like someone, or something, breathing.
Rumblestar Page 21
