The Curse of the Ice Serpent (5 page)

‘Follow me,’ Dakkar said, darting into his bedroom and over to the window.

The night was lit up by the blaze above them. Dakkar could see as if it were daylight. Black-clad guards hurried between the outhouses that dotted the tower’s grounds. With a gasp, they noticed three balloons floating, pale and ghostly, in the sky. Something flared in one of the baskets and a streak of sparks shot from it.

‘They’re firing rockets into the tower,’ Dakkar murmured. ‘The castle will be a pile of rubble if we don’t stop them.’ Another blast shook the tower as he spoke. ‘We have to get down!’

‘Do you have any rope?’ Georgia said, gripping his arm.

‘Yes, I always keep a supply of rope hidden in my wardrobe for just such an eventuality,’ Dakkar said, stepping away from the window.

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic,’ Georgia began. ‘I just thought that maybe –’

‘I’m not being sarcastic,’ Dakkar said, grinning despite the chaos that surrounded them. ‘I do have some rope. It’s long enough for us to get out of the window here. I used it all the time when I was younger – I was always running away from Oginski.’

He opened the wooden wardrobe and rummaged in the contents at the bottom, pulling out several boxes and, finally, a rope.

‘There’s ammunition in the small boxes there,’ he said as he uncoiled the rope and tied one end to the bed. ‘And another rifle. You give me covering fire as I descend then I’ll cover you.’

‘All right,’ Georgia said, loading her rifle while Dakkar threw open the little window.

‘It’s a bit of a squeeze,’ he grunted, climbing on to the sill. ‘I’m a bit bigger than when I used to slide out of here in the middle of the night.’

The outhouses were on fire now and dark figures flitted between them. Another explosion lit up the night sky and punctuated the crackling and snapping that came from the blazing roof above.

Georgia passed him the rifle and the powder and shot in a small satchel. Dakkar gave her a grin and, gripping the rope with both hands, began to walk his way backward down the side of the castle. His heart pounded.
Nobody has spotted me yet but it’s only a matter of time!

No sooner had Dakkar thought this than a bullet smacked into the stone next to his shoulder. He looked down to see one of Tomasz’s men reloading his musket. A shot from the window above sent the man slumping to the ground, clutching his arm.

Dakkar half slid and half fell down the remaining distance as a second guard raised his gun. Using his downward momentum, Dakkar released the rope and landed feet first on the guard’s head, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious. He snatched up the man’s rifle and spun round, scanning for any threats.

Georgia inched out of the window and began her descent. A rifle shot cracked beside to her, this time from a hot-air balloon that floated close to the blazing roof.

Raising the rifle to his shoulder, Dakkar aimed at the guard in the balloon’s basket and fired. His shot missed but struck something else inside the basket. A tongue of flame leapt into the air and Dakkar could hear cries of alarm. The balloon began to lose height, drifting towards the roof of the castle.

Dakkar watched in horror as the balloon became engulfed in the inferno of the castle. Men screamed and jumped from the basket only to plummet to the hard ground.

‘I didn’t mean for that –’ he began.

‘No time, Dax,’ Georgia said, landing beside him and grabbing his arm. ‘We can get back into the castle through the kitchen door. Maybe we can sneak into the cave and get to Oginski.’

They hurried around the side of the tower and through the back door. The kitchen lay dark and cool. It was almost as if nothing was happening outside. The thick walls muffled the sounds but the acrid smoke scented the air and the spit and pop of guns and rockets still drifted in through the cracked windows.

‘Quickly!’ Georgia said.

They rushed for the door to Oginski’s workshop and threw themselves inside.

Dakkar scanned the workshop. The familiar clutter of cogs, springs, levers and old plans all remained untouched but the door to the sea cave was open.

‘They must still be down there,’ Dakkar said and hurried off into the gloom.

‘Frank? Is that you?’ Borys stood, waiting by the side of the
Nautilus
.

‘We’re under attack,’ Dakkar said. ‘Where’s Oginski?’

‘He went looking for you when we heard the first explosions!’ Borys said, his eyes wide. ‘Didn’t you see him?’

‘You mean he’s still up there?’ Dakkar said, turning for the stairs.

‘Dakkar, wait!’ Georgia yelled, yanking him backward. ‘You can’t go back up there. It’s too dangerous!’

‘I can’t leave Oginski on his own,’ Dakkar said and shook her off.

A shrill screech brought him to a stop.

A humanoid creature about half Dakkar’s height stood on the tower of the
Nautilus
. Spines covered its blue body and it stared with bulbous, milky eyes. It raised the barbed spear in its fist to hurl the weapon at them but Georgia raised her rifle first and blasted the creature off the craft.

With a scream and a fountain of black blood, it sank into the water.

‘A Qalupalik,’ Borys gasped.

‘Well, whatever it was,’ Georgia said, her voice low, ‘its cousins are here too and they don’t look pleased …’

More blue heads and cloudy eyes popped up from the surface of the pool that filled the cave. Some clambered out, gripping the rock platform with scaly, webbed fingers and blocking the route to the stairs. Others crept on to the front of the
Nautilus
, inching forward, spears at the ready.

‘I fear we are outgunned and outnumbered,’ Borys whispered.

CHAPTER EIGHT

DESPERATE MEASURES

Hissing with menace, the small, spiny Qalupalik edged forward, forcing Borys, Dakkar and Georgia to shuffle closer together. A crowd had emerged from the sea now, almost surrounding them.

‘Our only hope is to get into the
Nautilus
,’ Borys whispered. ‘At least we can lock them out.’

‘But what about Oginski?’ Dakkar said through clenched teeth. ‘He’s trapped up there.’

‘There are more of them blocking the stairs – you’d never cut your way through them,’ Georgia said, holding him back. ‘They may be small but those spears look deadly and there are just too many.’

‘Very well,’ Dakkar grunted. ‘On my word, we make a dash for the
Nautilus
. Here.’ He passed Borys the rifle he had taken from the guard at the foot of the tower. ‘It’s loaded. Choose your target carefully and make your shot count.’

‘I will, my friend. I will,’ Borys said, a tremor in his voice.

‘Ready?’ Dakkar said.

They all nodded.

‘Now!’

Leaping back, Dakkar fired his rifle over the heads of the Qalupalik, winging one individual who stood on a higher outcrop of rock. Swinging his rifle like a scythe, he cleared a path to the submarine.

Borys fired, sending one of the nearest creatures tumbling back into the others. Several fell into the water. Georgia ran across the gangplank, clearing the bow of the
Nautilus
with her shot. The Qalupalik not caught by the bullets leapt back into the pool for safety.

Borys slipped a knife from the top of his boot and slashed at the mooring rope as he crossed the gangplank.

The deafening screech from the Qalupalik intensified and they rushed forward, a tide of spiky arms and legs. Dakkar swept at them from the gangplank as Borys and Georgia scrambled up the tower of the sub. But more came, grabbing at his ankles and pulling at his clothes. He began to overbalance.

Then the whole cavern shook. Rocks and stalactites tumbled from the ceiling, smashing into the water and sending the creatures scattering. A huge chunk of stone crashed down only inches from Dakkar, crushing one of the Qalupalik who held him. He turned away from the sickening pool of blood that seeped from under it. More rock rained down now, fists of stone punching at Dakkar’s back and shoulders as he climbed up into the sub. Slamming the hatch behind him, he slid down into the tower and groaned in pain.

It was like being inside a drum. Stones hammered on the hollow craft. Georgia had already started the engine and steered away from the platform. Slowly they sank as she blew the air from the hollow hull of the
Nautilus
. Through the window, the water boiled and black blood fogged the view. Qalupalik pounded on the window, faces fixed in toothy scowls.

Borys grabbed the wheel on the wall in front of him and spun it round twenty times. This friction wheel generated an electric charge and had proved a powerful weapon in the past.

‘Twenty turns, was it?’ he snarled. ‘I’ll teach these little monsters to threaten us!’

He stabbed the red button next to the wheel and the water outside suddenly lit blue.

Dakkar peered out at the small, now limp forms that floated by and shuddered.

More rock from above punched down into the water, clipping the sub.

‘The whole cave is collapsing,’ Georgia yelled above the clatter. ‘We have to get out into the open sea.’

‘But Oginski is still in the castle,’ Dakkar shouted, grabbing hold of her arm.

‘We’ll be buried alive if we stay here,’ Borys said, dragging Dakkar back. ‘We can help Frank once we’re free of this rockfall!’

The
Nautilus
pitched and tossed as bigger pieces of rock tumbled down into the water. Georgia steered the submarine for the exit cave, veering to port or starboard as necessary to dodge debris that plummeted into the depths.

Scraping the sides against the walls of the exit, Georgia wrestled with the wheel as she fought the surge of water caused by falling stone. Dakkar flinched at the bumps and crashes that shook the craft. Stirred by the current, the glowing blue seaweed slapped at the sub’s portholes. Slight figures flashed by them as some of the Qalupalik that had survived the electric shock tried to escape the rockfall.

A sudden burst from behind them washed the craft forward, making Dakkar’s stomach lurch and knocking everyone off their feet. The cave had completely collapsed. Fragments of rock and strands of weed hurtled past them as they began to lose momentum. Georgia kept steering ahead until the water calmed.

‘Turn around quickly!’ Dakkar said, climbing to his feet. ‘Let’s find Oginski!’

‘I fear we still have company,’ Borys said ominously.

More of the Qalupalik floated in a line ahead of them, spears at the ready, but they held back.

‘They’re right to be wary,’ Georgia said, narrowing her eyes. ‘We’ll run them down.’

‘No – look,’ Dakkar said, pointing outside.

Another group swam down into the murky depths and wrestled something open. Amid the silt, Dakkar glimpsed what looked like a cage door being opened. A large cage door.

Something sinewy and snake-like swam out of the cage, ignoring the creatures.

‘The eel,’ Georgia hissed. ‘The Qalupalik were controlling it!’

They could see it clearly now – longer than the
Nautilus
, with green, mottled skin. Dakkar recognised those wild, staring eyes and the rows of razor teeth.

‘Never in my life have I seen such a monster,’ Borys said, grimacing. ‘A truly horrible specimen.’

‘I hate eels,’ Dakkar said, slumping his shoulders. ‘I hate big eels even more. Good job we’d loaded the Sea Arrows.’

‘I’ll keep dodging the darned thing until you’re ready,’ Georgia said, ramming the
Nautilus
to
Full Ahead
.

Dakkar and Borys hurried down the steps into the heart of the
Nautilus
and the forward cabin that housed the Sea Arrows and the firing devices.

‘We haven’t got time to waste with this eel,’ Dakkar spat. ‘Oginski is up in that castle on his own.’

‘Then let’s get this right first time,’ Borys said grimly.

They ran to the boxes that contained the Sea Arrows and pulled out a missile each. Opening the chambers in either side of the craft, they slid the Sea Arrows in and pulled back the catches that loaded the powerful springs that would fire them.

‘We’re loaded, Georgia,’ Dakkar said into the speaking tube. ‘Don’t waste these shots!’

‘I can’t see it! Where’s it … Oh no!’

The sub shook and Dakkar felt weightless for a second. The floor rose up and he hit the ceiling, jarring his back. Then the floor came up to meet him. Pain seared through his cheek as he fell flat on to the hard planks. Then the breath was forced from his lungs as Borys landed on top of him.

‘Georgia, what happened?’ he said, gripping the speaking tube tightly.

‘It’s on our tail,’ Georgia groaned. The craft shuddered again. ‘It’s ripping into the outer hull.’

‘If it gets through we won’t be able to surface!’ Dakkar said, jumping to his feet. Another tremor shook the submarine. ‘The friction wheel, Georgia!’

The blue flash of electricity outside the porthole told Dakkar that she had anticipated his idea. Dakkar held his breath.
Did it work?