Silver Hill (21 page)

‘Over there,’ hissed the creature. ‘Go and join the rest so we can get started.’

As Jack turned he saw an amazing sight. In the shadows a group of Hags, of all shapes and sizes, were assembled. Many were jostling to try to get to the front but none of them shouted, they all spoke in whispers. Jack nodded towards the owl-man.

‘What is it?’ he whispered to Camelin.

‘A Draygull. Don’t tell me you don’t know what a Draygull is.’

‘No, I don’t. Whatever it is, it doesn’t look very friendly.’

‘It isn’t.’

‘We need to get out of here.’

‘I know but I think we’re stuck for a bit, we’re not going to be able to just walk out.’

The Draygull produced a long stick and began tapping it noisily on the side of a metal stand. The whole room went quiet.

‘You’d better sing your best. This is our last rehearsal…’

The Draygull suddenly stopped and tapped his stick again.

‘Enough!’ he screeched towards the back row where a scuffle had broken out.

He waited with his stick poised in the air until the Hags were still.

‘That’s better. Now let us begin. Our first song will be
Creatures of the Deep
.’

‘Do you know it?’ Jack asked Camelin.

‘No, don’t you?’

Jack didn’t get chance to answer. The most awful sound he’d ever heard filled the hall and echoed around the room. It went on and on for what seemed like an age. Both Jack and Camelin opened and shut their mouths in what Jack hoped were the right places. The baton tapping the metal stand brought the singing to an end. The smell of barbecued food drifted into the great chamber.

‘Oooh!’ crooned the Draygull, ‘won’t Chief Knuckle be pleased when he hears that. Music to the ears, you may congratulate yourselves. You’ll be singing throughout the feast, which will begin shortly, so go and help yourselves to some food now. You’ll find yours on the tables at the back. Don’t wander off when you’ve eaten, and try to keep yourselves looking tidy, no hair pulling or pushing one another around. We want to look our best for Chief Knuckle, don’t we?’

Jack wanted to laugh. Not one of the Hags, including himself or Camelin looked neat or tidy. There was a great rush for the back of the room. Camelin began to follow. Jack frowned and pulled him back. This wasn’t the time to hang around.

‘We’ve got to go now. We need to get out before the feast begins.’

‘But he said we could eat.’

‘If you go and eat you’ll be trapped in here, besides you haven’t got any hands to pick anything up with, remember. I don’t know how good our disguise will be when the feast starts, look over there.’

Jack nodded towards the far end of the great hall. Candles had been placed in every available space. Two groups of Spriggans had begun to work their way around the room lighting them. Eventually the great hall would be ablaze with light. Jack watched as they went back and forth to the fireplace with tapers. At least it would take them a while to get round them all.

‘We’ve got to go. Can you remember which way we came in?’

Jack turned around. They’d come through one of the tunnels opposite to where the choir had been standing, but which one?

‘Psst!’ said a tiny voice in Jack’s ear. ‘Follow me.’

A small moth, wearing a pair of spectacles fluttered around Jack’s head.

‘Camelin, look! It’s the Dorysk!’

‘What’s he doing here?’

‘Rescuing you two. Come on we haven’t got much time.’

The little moth kept to the shadows. Jack and Camelin did their best not to be seen as they followed the Dorysk. He eventually stopped and fluttered around one of the entrances.

‘This way.’

Jack and Camelin found it hard to keep up with the little moth on their short legs. He led them through a maze of tunnels. A short darkened tunnel led them to a lighted platform alongside which stood the train. The door of the second carriage was open. Jack could see Elan and Nora in the first and a lumpy sack, tied up with a rope, on the seat opposite them. They leapt into the carriage. As soon as Jack closed the door the train lurched forward. They sped up the tunnels. Jack knew the rats were being assisted by Nora’s magic.

‘How did you find us amongst all those Hags?’ Jack asked the Dorysk who’d already changed into his usual prickly self.

‘Easy! I spotted Camelin’s three hair wart straight away. The polite Hag with him had to be you!’

Camelin grumbled something Jack couldn’t hear.

‘We’re very grateful to you. We could have been down there forever trying to find our way out.’

A small brown rat scampered onto the seat opposite Jack.

‘Please, let me introduce myself, Whortle at your service.’

The little rat bowed low to Jack.

‘Pleased to meet you.’

‘I’m a
puller
or I was until one of your Night Guard changed places with me. There’s more hiding in the sacks. I’ve got a message for you from Nora. She wants you to carry one of the sacks when we get off the train. It’s not far now.’

‘But we’re nowhere near the top.’

‘We’re not going to the top. There are platforms all the way along where Spriggans can get off, we’re being dropped off at one of them. I’ll get back in the sack now, we’re nearly there.’

As soon as Whortle was back inside Jack carefully picked it up. He could feel the movement from within as he placed it on the seat opposite. The train began to slow down and soon stopped altogether. They all piled out and shuffled towards a doorway at the end of the platform. The train pulled away and continued its journey to the station at the top. Jack could see Fergus and Berry. They didn’t look too happy. He didn’t think they’d complain in future about being left out of the important jobs. Nora pulled her wand out before swinging the sack she was carrying onto her shoulder. She waited until the train had gone.

‘Everyone alright? Good. Let’s not waste any time, we don’t know how long it will be until they discover their Bogie is missing. This way.’

As they approached the door Nora took out her wand and sent a single bolt of light into the keyhole. The door swung open.

‘Bogie doors are the easiest thing in the world to open,’ she said as she shuffled out into the light.

When they’d all gone through the door Nora pointed her wand at the keyhole.

‘
Obfirmo
,’ she commanded.

The door slammed shut.

‘That’ll slow anyone down who tries to follow us,’ explained Elan. ‘They’ll need an axe to open it. No key will ever work in that lock again.’

Jack looked up. He was surprised but relieved to see they were at the bottom of Stonytop Ridge. Tall bushes hid them from sight. He could see Nora’s car through a gap in the leaves. Nora and Elan put down their sacks and raised their arms in the air. They spiralled upwards and soon shape-shifted back to normal.

‘I suppose we have to wait ’til we get home to get rid of all this lot,’ grumbled Camelin.

‘You will,’ agreed Nora. ‘Your spell won’t wear off for a while but we can at least get rid of the smell.’

Elan passed a small bottle to Jack.

‘A couple of dabs behind your ears should help.’

Jack was amazed. Within seconds the revolting Hag smell had disappeared. Elan did her own ears and gave Camelin a good rub under his chin before passing the bottle to Nora.

‘Shall we go? I’ve got a lot of questions to ask our visitor before bedtime.’

There was a muffled protest from the sack that lay on the grass and a lot of wriggling. Nora ignored the complaints as she stood Pyecroft up on his feet and led him to the car.

‘So what exactly were you doing here?’ Camelin asked the Dorysk.

‘An important job for Nora,’ he replied before following Elan.

Camelin shuffled ahead. Jack wondered if he was going to try to get more information from the Dorysk but he wasn’t sure he’d learn much. Jack and Elan walked back to the car together.

‘We were worried about you,’ said Elan.

‘
I
was worried about us! I didn’t like the look of the Draygull, he frightened me.’

‘It’s a good job we used the Hag smell, Draygulls have an amazing sense of smell and they don’t like humans.’

‘They can’t have very good hearing. You should have heard the Hag choir! I’ve never heard such a dreadful sound.’

‘I’m sure Chief Knuckle will enjoy it, but it might spoil his fun if he finds out they’ve had uninvited guests tonight.’

‘There’s something I don’t understand; when we were in the great hall the whole cavern was filled with candles. Everyone’s been calling it the
Candleless Feast
. It doesn’t make sense.’

‘Norris and Snook told us all about that. Tonight, the Spriggans are celebrating their new light source. They’re burning every candle they have. The feast won’t end until the last flame goes out.’

‘I see; they’ll be
candleless
once they’ve all gone.’

Nora took the sack from Jack and opened it so the rats could jump out.

‘Ready everyone?’ she asked.

It wasn’t long before the car was on its way back to Glasruhen.

Nora turned into the garage as the last light from the sinking sun disappeared below Glasruhen Hill.

‘We’d better transform you so you can get off home,’ said Nora.

‘Me first,’ croaked Camelin as he pushed in front of Jack.

‘It’s alright,’ said Jack, ‘do Camelin first.’

‘I can’t, he’s got a temporary disguise spell, which is different to yours. It’ll wear off soon enough.’

Camelin humphed loudly before shuffling off, with his shoulders hunched, towards the house.

‘He’ll be fine in the morning,’ said Elan. ‘We’ll see you tomorrow after school and hopefully by then we’ll know exactly what’s been going on. I’ll take Pyecroft in while Nora transforms you.’

Jack watched as Elan marched Pyecroft into the kitchen. Eight rats scurried around Nora’s feet. Jack recognised Whortle as he stood on his hind legs.

‘How can we ever thank you? We are very grateful.’

Nora smiled.

‘When Motley gets back he’ll sort you all out. If you’ve got families to go back to we’ll get you there, if not, you’re welcome to live here.’

Whortle wiped a tear from his eye.

‘I thought we’d end our days in those tunnels, many have before us.’

‘You’re safe now, make yourselves at home,’ Nora told the rats before turning to Jack.

‘Ready?’

‘Ready.’

Although he was prepared, the jolt to his body made him jump. He began to stretch and grow while his nose shrank back to normal. He watched as the long claw-like fingers and long nails receded. Finally his spine straightened and he was back to his own body shape again.

‘I’m not sure I ever want to be a Hag again.’

‘I don’t think any of us do. Now, remove your wart and then you can be off, it’s getting late. If there’s any news I’ll send you a message.’

Jack had to squint to see the long hair sticking out from the end of his nose.

‘Why didn’t it disappear in the transformation?’ he asked Nora.

‘It was your spell so you need to remove it,’ she explained.

Jack took his wand and closed his eyes. He thought hard about the wart no longer being on the end of his nose. A small popping sound told him it was gone.

‘Well done,’ said Nora. ‘Soon you won’t need a wand for that kind of magic.’

Jack didn’t really understand, he thought he needed his wand for every kind of magic. He wanted to ask Nora what she meant but it was getting late and he really ought to go home.

Jack ran all the way back to Grandad’s. It felt good to be a boy again. He wished he could have stayed to listen to the information the Bogie had about the Caves of Eternal Rest and the stolen crystals but he knew he’d have to wait. He was happy Nora and Elan were back, even if it was only for a short time. He knew they’d have to go back to Annwn to save the Druids. He was glad he wasn’t going to have to go back to Silver Hill again in a hurry. As Jack reached the bottom of Grandad’s garden he stopped in his tracks. There’d been so much going on he’d forgotten all about the other dragon in Silver Hill,
the big one
, and the Night Guard were inside there now. If he wanted to help rescue them he’d have to go back again, and soon.