The Case of the Vanished Sea Dragon (8 page)

Upstairs on the bus home Archie spent the whole journey trying unsuccessfully to blend with the grubby chequered seat.

‘You're not sitting still enough,' said Holly, smiling to herself.

‘The bus is too bumpy,' complained Archie.

‘Try it later, when you're at home.'

The thought of Archie spending hours on end, trying to think like a sofa, without moving a muscle, was sweet revenge for his horrible behaviour.

Holly pressed the bell and stood up. ‘This is my stop,' she said, heading downstairs.

‘Where are you going?' asked Archie, following her.

‘I'm going home,' she replied.

The bus stopped and she got off.

‘Can't I come with you?' pleaded Archie, jumping off after her.

‘No, you can't.' Holly still had Mrs Klingerflim's book in her pocket. She wanted to get home and read it. 'You can come and call for me tomorrow if you want,' she suggested, striding off towards Elliot Drive.

‘Can't I come round now?' asked Archie, catching up with her.

‘What, so you can have some scones and caviar and feed the corgis?' said Holly pointedly.

‘I am sorry about all that,' said Archie.

‘Why were you so mean to me anyway?'

‘You're different, is all. Everything's always the same around here. Nothing ever happens at Gristle Street. Nothing interesting, but you've been to loads of other schools. You've been to William Scrivener's,' Archie said, his eyes wide.

‘You're not missing much, believe me,' replied Holly.

‘Did you meet Petal Moses?'

‘I was put in the same room as her.' Holly had hated every minute of her time incarcerated inside the celebrity school and it was made all the worse by
sharing a room with Petal Moses, the spoilt daughter of an international popstar.

‘What was she like?'

‘Awful.' Holly smiled. ‘Her mum actually paid people to phone her up and tell her how brilliant she was.'

Archie laughed. ‘What about the Prime Minister's son. Did you meet him?'

Holly nodded, but she didn't want to discuss crazy Callum Thackley. She had sent him two letters since she left the school. In his replies he sounded as mad as ever.

Archie had followed her all the way home and didn't look like he would take no for an answer, so Holly relented, saying, ‘You can come in but only for a minute.'

As they approached her front door, she felt nervous. It was the first time in her whole life that she had brought a friend home.

The door swung open and her dad almost walked straight into them both.

He looked down. ‘Oh, hello … er … Holly. You've got a friend,' he said, clearly surprised. He was dressed smartly in a suit and tie, holding a briefcase.

‘Hi, Dad, this is Archie,' she said.

‘Are you a politician?' asked Archie.

‘Was a politician,' Mr Bigsby replied. ‘I lost my seat.'

‘You didn't lose it. It was taken from you,' said his big-haired wife, appearing behind him, brushing nonexistent dust particles from his suit. ‘Anyway, darling, you have a better job now.'

‘What job?' demanded Holly.

Big Hair glanced at her. ‘Your father has accepted a position at Global Sands, so don't delay him.'

‘You've taken the job?' exclaimed Holly, aghast.

She couldn't be sure but she thought she saw guilt in her father's expression as he avoided eye contact with her and mumbled, ‘Needs must, Holly. Needs must.'

‘Are you sure you don't want to take the car?' said Big Hair.

‘The bus is just as quick. And that way I can swot up on the way,' he replied, tapping his briefcase.

‘It would look a lot more professional if you drove.'

‘Stop flapping, Bridget, the bus is fine,' said Mr Bigsby firmly.

Holly could tell that Big Hair was put out by the way he said it but she pecked him on the cheek and said, ‘Well, off you go, then. Knock them dead, darling.'

Holly's dad coughed uncomfortably, awkwardly
patted Holly on the head, and left.

Big Hair's gaze fell upon Archie. ‘I'm Holly's stepmother,' she stated. ‘I'm glad she's finally made a friend. She's such a lonely girl. Would you like to come in? You'll both have to stay out of the way, mind. I've got a man coming in to see about new carpets.'

‘Actually, we're going out,' said Holly, turning around.

‘Suit yourself. Don't be too late,' Big Hair called after her.

Archie caught up with her. ‘Where are we going?' he asked.

‘We're following my dad,' replied Holly.

Once the three dragons reached a safe distance from the cell, Dirk stopped and said to Fairfax Nordstrum, ‘I kept my side of the bargain. Now it's your turn.'

They were standing in the dim orange glow of the lithosphere tunnel.

‘First things first,' said Fairfax, turning to face him. ‘I've been shut up in that cell a long time. I'd like to know what's changed since I've been away.'

‘Listen, Cave Dweller, I'm sorry you've been out of the loop for a while, but all I care about is finding this
Sea Dragon's sister, so I can get back to work.'

‘Your detective work, yes,' said the black and yellow dragon. ‘That does sound fascinating. What sorts of things do you …' He paused to emphasise the word, ‘… detect?'

‘It's none of your business,' Dirk growled, smoke billowing threateningly from both nostrils. ‘We had a deal.'

‘Calm yourself,' replied Fairfax casually. ‘I have no intention of going back on it. I just want to know what's been going on during the last six hundred years.'

‘Nothing's changed. Humans still roam the earth, dragons still hide, fish still swim, birds still fly, rock's still rock and I'm still I,' said Dirk. ‘End of story.'

‘That's rather poetic. And are the Kinghorns really on the rise again as those Drakes said?'

‘I am hearing they are planning to start a war,' said Alba.

‘A war?' replied Fairfax. ‘How terrible. And who is leading them in this war?'

Alba lowered her voice. ‘A Mountain Dragon called Vainclaw Grandin. They call him the first up-airer.'

‘Enough,' said Dirk, whose only encounter with the Kinghorn leader had almost cut short his own life. ‘If
you don't tell us where to find the Sky Dragon, I'll open my mouth and blacken your yellow belly.'

‘No need for threats. I said I would tell you and I will,' said Fairfax. ‘As you know, all dragons get energy from the earthlight that emanates from the Inner Core.'

Dirk nodded. It was the earthlight which lit these tunnels far beneath the surface of the earth. It was as important to dragons as sunlight was to humans.

‘Sky Dragons need it as much as we do,' continued Fairfax. ‘But when they have spent a long time as gas, floating high, far from the source of their power, they are considerably weakened. After materialising they are exhausted. A small dose of sugar will revive them temporarily but what they really need is to recharge with earthlight energy.'

‘So they come underground?' asked Dirk.

‘Not just underground. When they materialise they need to build up their strength, so they go to the banks of the Outer Core, where they bathe in the liquid fire. It's painful but effective. A Sky Dragon at full strength is a powerful dragon indeed.'

‘How do you know all this?' asked Dirk.

Fairfax's mouth curled into a smile. ‘I have been around a long time. I've seen a lot of things. I
remember a time when Sky Dragons roamed free, rather than hiding amongst the clouds. I've never heard of one kidnapping a Sea Dragon though.'

Dirk considered whether he had been rash in freeing Fairfax Nordstrum. There was something he didn't trust about the Cave Dweller.

‘Where will you go now, Nordstrum?' he asked.

‘I'll probably just go and find some quiet corner of the world to curl up in. I've been living on dirt for the last six hundred years. My needs aren't great. I just want somewhere quiet with fresh vegetation. The Andes, perhaps, or one of those little deserted islands off Scotland.'

‘Good luck with that,' said Dirk.

Then, speaking in the ancient language of Dragonspeak, he asked the rock beneath his feet to take Alba and him down to the banks of the Outer Core. The rock, being rock, obliged unquestioningly and lowered the two dragons into the ground.

‘And good luck with your detecting,' said Fairfax as they disappeared.

Archie and Holly hid behind a wall, watching Mr Bigsby wait at the bus stop. ‘I can't believe you're following your dad now?' said Archie.

‘You can leave any time you want,' replied Holly curtly.

‘Do you always spend your Saturdays like this or is it because it's the holidays?' Archie chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

‘Shh,' hushed Holly. ‘He might hear us.'

The bus arrived and Mr Bigsby waved wildly at it, as though worried it might not stop. As he got on he looked uncertain how to pay.

‘I'm not sure he's ever been on a bus before,' said Holly.

‘I knew you were posh.' Archie grinned, his hair falling over his brow.

‘Come on,' she said.

They jumped over the wall and ran to the bus before the doors closed. Archie got on after her. Her dad had gone up to the top deck. They sat downstairs at the back.

‘So, are you going to tell me why we're following your dad?' asked Archie.

‘I don't trust the man he works for.'

‘Why? Who's he work for?'

‘Brant Buchanan. He's a billionaire. Dad only took the job because Big Hair kept going on at him.'

‘You don't like your stepmum, do you?'

‘She's not any kind of mum. She's just his big-haired wife,' replied Holly.

Archie grinned. ‘She has got big hair. It's like a bird's nest.'

‘A big bird's nest,' agreed Holly.

‘Yeah, an ostrich's or an emu's. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an egg in there.'

Holly laughed and they spent the rest of the journey joking about what other wonders might lurk
inside Big Hair's big hair. They were on the same bus that Holly and Archie took to school. When it passed Gristle Street Comp the empty school looked drabber and more rundown than ever. It felt strange not to get off at the usual stop. A few stops later Holly suddenly went quiet and ducked, dragging Archie behind the seat as well.

‘He's getting off,' she whispered.

‘Shouldn't we follow him?' he asked.

‘Not yet. We need to keep our distance,' she said, waiting until the driver was shutting the doors before jumping up and shouting, ‘Hold on, we're getting off.'

Waiting to cross the road, Mr Bigsby didn't notice his daughter and her friend dive behind the bus shelter. Instead, his attention was drawn by a small crowd of protesters standing on the opposite side, outside two large silver gates. The twenty or so protesters held placards with slogans that read:

ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS TOO!

DUMB ANIMALS WORK FOR GLOBAL SANDS!

EXPERIMENT ON BRANT BUCHANAN
INSTEAD!

A couple of sturdy-looking policemen stood between them and the gates.

‘This must be the lab I read about,' said Holly.

Her dad crossed the road at a zebra crossing. She waited until he was all the way across before following. He didn't go through the crowd, towards the silver gates, but walked straight past them instead. He stopped and looked around. Holly and Archie dived into the crowd to avoid being seen. One of the protestors had a loudhailer and was making a speech.

‘… Brant Buchanan sits up there in his ivory tower. Well, I've got news for you, Mr Buchanan. Ivory is illegal in this country and when we knock down your tower you'll come tumbling down to earth.'

To Archie this sounded like a load of clever words that didn't really mean anything, but the other protestors seemed to enjoy it and cheered loudly, waving their placards in the air.

‘Come on,' said Holly. ‘He's gone round the side.'

At the corner she stopped and poked her head around.

‘What's going on?' asked Archie. ‘He's going through a back door,' she replied.

Holly turned the corner into a narrow alleyway. Set in the right side wall was a door. Archie moved to take
a closer look, but Holly stopped him.

‘There's a camera,' she said, pointing. ‘They check who you are before opening it.'

Archie saw on the side of the door a panel with an intercom camera. ‘So that's it. We can't go any further,' he said.

‘I can,' replied Holly. ‘But I need your help.'

Archie looked at her disbelievingly. ‘Look, following people is one thing but breaking into a building is illegal.'

‘But this is important,' replied Holly stubbornly.

‘Why? Because you don't trust this billionaire bloke?'