The Case of the Wayward Professor (14 page)

One reared up, but a dark metal chain around his neck kept him in place.

‘They're chained down,' Holly whispered in Dirk's ear.

‘It must be to stop them wandering off. Remember, these dragons are so old that they used to keep dinosaurs as pets.'

Dirk circled the island. In front of the enormous councillors were the two Shade-Huggers standing on elevated stone slabs and two yellow-backed Scavenger dragons. Holly recognised them immediately.

‘It's the Kinghorns,' she said, remembering with a cold shiver her encounter with them by the Thames.

‘Yes, the yellow-backed Scavenger brothers, Leon and Mali. It's bad news if these two are in charge,' said Dirk.

Mali, the smaller of the two Scavengers, held a chain between his teeth, the other end of which was wrapped around Karnataka's neck. His brother, Leon, stood by the cone-shaped voice projector. They both scowled at Dirk as he landed at the edge of the island and reared up on to his hind legs with his wings outstretched, giving Holly enough time to jump off and dive to the ground without being seen.

‘My name is Dirk Dilly. I am here to testify in defence of Karnataka …' He paused and smiled at Karny. ‘Cuddlums.'

Leon turned round, snarling angrily, ‘You!'

‘It's that detective,' said Mali, holding the chain with his claws.

‘Arrest him, Captain Leon,' demanded Grendel.

‘Don't order me about, Shade-Hugger,' snarled Leon, turning on Grendel.

‘So you're the Dragnet captain that's been arresting half of the dragon kingdom,' said Dirk.

‘Councillors, this dragon is a traitor,' pronounced Leon.

WE WILL HEAR HIS EVIDENCE
.

Holly heard the words clearly in her head and somehow knew that they had come from the councillors even though none had opened its mouth to speak. ‘Councillors,' pleaded Leon, ‘this Mountain Dragon moves amongst humans. He should stand on trial, not as a witness.'

IS THIS TRUE
? asked the councillors soundlessly.

‘Please hear me, before you judge me,' said Dirk. ‘What I have to say affects every dragon in this great chamber and every dragon in the world.'

‘Yow shouldn't listen to this silly Mountain Dragon,'
said Grendel. ‘I'm the key witness in this trial. I already told yow, Karnataka sold a claw to a human.'

‘Then why are you the one with a missing claw?' said Dirk, leaping on to Grendel's back, grabbing his back left paw and holding it up in the air. ‘And don't call me silly,' he growled in his ear.

The councillors' huge eyes fell on Grendel's damaged foot.

‘You were limping when I saw you back at Karnataka's place,' Dirk said to Grendel.

‘It's not true.' Grendel struggled beneath Dirk's weight. ‘I lost my claw years ago in an accident.'

‘Well, I've good news, then, Cinderella, because I've found it,' said Dirk, pulling out the claw he had tucked behind his wing and holding it up.

‘Where did you get that?' demanded Grendel.

‘I found it in the hands of a human,' replied Dirk, ‘the human you sold it to.'

‘Councillors, don't listen to him. I told yow, it was Karnataka,' protested Grendel. ‘He sold it to the professor.'

‘I never mentioned a professor,' replied Dirk. ‘And I suppose it was you who attacked me back at the old hospital.'

‘Give me that,' exclaimed Grendel, trying to grab the
claw, but unable to escape from Dirk's firm grip.

‘You mutilated yourself for the Kinghorns and then you set up your own cousin, didn't you? What for, Grendel? Surely not just so you could move into his garish bachelor pad?'

‘Watch what you're calling garish,' interrupted Karnataka.

‘Come on, the flaming columns are a bit over the top,' said Dirk. ‘What's Vainclaw got planned, Grendel?'

‘I don't know anything about it,' he screamed.

‘You're another one of Vainclaw's cronies, aren't you?'

‘I'm not.'

‘You're a Kinghorn. Admit it.'

‘I'm not a Kinghorn, I just did it for the gold,' blurted out Grendel. ‘Oops.'

‘Got you,' announced Dirk triumphantly, jumping off Grendel's back. ‘Councillors, you've heard this Shade-Hugger's confession. How do you find Grendel Sheving in the matter of selling his own body parts to humans?'

The councillors shut their enormous eyelids, remaining utterly still for a moment. The white smoke from their nostrils turned black and their eyes opened again.

WE FIND GRENDEL SHEVING GUILTY OF BREACHING THE FORBIDDEN DIVIDE
.

‘No,' screamed Grendel angrily, flapping his wings trying to escape. But the stone beneath his feet had already formed over his claws and was dragging him down into the ground. ‘Please, Dirk. Have mercy. I spared your life back at the hospital. I could have killed you but I didn't.'

‘We were in the middle of London. Even if you'd had the guts to kill me, you'd never have been able to dispose of my body without being seen.'

The stone speedily pulled Grendel down.

‘Please, have pity. I can't be banished,' he pleaded, his head now level with the ground. ‘I've got sensitive skin. I'll get a rash.'

‘For the last time, what's Vainclaw plotting?' insisted Dirk.

‘I don't know. I don't know anything.'

‘Then send me a postcard. I hear the Inner Core is nice and toasty this time of year.'

Grendel screamed and wriggled to get free but there was no stopping the rock as it formed over his head, silencing his desperate cries.

Leon turned and addressed the councillors.

‘Councillors, please,' he begged, ‘the fact that this Mountain Dragon has the claw is enough to convict him.'

The councillors looked at Dirk.

WHAT DO YOU SAY, MOUNTAIN DRAGON?

‘If I hadn't retrieved the claw it would have led to the exposure of our kind. This is what your captain wants. He works for Vainclaw Grandin. He and his brother are Kinghorns.'

‘Lies,' barked Leon, sending a line of fire at Dirk.

Dirk dodged the flames, but Leon jumped forward and swiped at him with his outstretched claws. Dirk
ducked then leapt into the air, spinning round and whacking Leon with his tail.

Leon rolled over and shouted, ‘I could do with some help, ar' kid.'

Mali let go of the chain holding Karnataka and dived at Dirk, but Dirk jumped out of the way.

‘Don't worry, councillors,' said Leon. ‘Me and ar' kid will have this one locked up in no time.'

The councillors remained still and silent.

Holly watched helplessly as the two Scavengers surrounded Dirk, circling menacingly, sending sporadic bursts of fire at him.

In a sudden movement, they both pounced forward. Dirk tried to bat them off, but they were too quick for him. Mali landed on his back and pinned him down with a claw to his mouth, to stop him breathing fire.

‘Councillors, I am going to burn this traitor's eyes out as an example to all Kinghorn spies,' Leon roared, sending fire from his mouth, and walked slowly towards Dirk.

Holly wished there was something she could do but to reappear would be death to them both. Then she noticed Karnataka, slowly backing away towards the edge of the island.

Dirk could feel the heat on his face from Leon's fire.
It wasn't dying that he minded. It was leaving Holly alone in this place. He struggled, desperate to get free, but Mali held him down firmly.

Then he felt the weight lift from his back and he sprang up on to all fours to see Karnataka wrestling Mali to the ground.

Dirk leapt into the air and came down hard on Leon's back, taking him by surprise, getting him in a firm headlock and hauling him back across the island, thrashing wildly. He held him from behind, flattening his pointy yellow ears against his head and digging his claws into his chin.

‘Still fighting Vainclaw's fights for him?' said Dirk.

Swiping his tail and struggling to get free, Leon replied, speaking in a low whisper, ‘The Kinghorns' time is near, Mr Detective. Soon Vainclaw will lead us to victory.'

‘These dragons in the cells are all innocent, aren't they, Leon?'

‘Of course,' hissed Leon. ‘You think we'd arrest our own kind? It doesn't take much to accuse an innocent dragon. How do you think I got rid of my predecessor as captain?'

‘And you're not worried about being found out?' replied Dirk.

‘The Drakes follow my orders and these senile councillors wouldn't know a real Kinghorn if he smacked them in their big stupid faces,' replied Leon triumphantly.

‘I think they might now,' said Dirk, releasing him and allowing him to see that he had dragged him all the way across the island to the voice projector, holding his mouth by the thin end of the cone, broadcasting every word around the hall.

Dirk tapped the device and then spoke into it. ‘Did everyone get that?'

Leon glanced back at the Drakes, who were waving their chains in the air and shouting, ‘Traitor … King-horn scum … Arrest the scavengers … Betrayal …'

‘You just said that to the whole cave, bro,' said Mali.

‘I think it may be time to go, ar' kid,' he replied.

Mali, who had wrestled himself free from Karnataka, nodded. ‘Last one out is a pot-bellied cave dweller.'

WE HAVE BEEN TRICKED. THIS CAPTAIN IS A TRAITOR
.

The six councillors reared up and tried to snatch the Scavengers out of the air, but the chains that held them were too tight.

‘You'll get what's coming to you soon enough, councillors. The time of the Kinghorns is near,' goaded
Leon. The Scavengers disappeared through the waterfall, pursued on foot by a squadron of angry Dragnet officers.

Dirk edged his way to where Holly was hiding and spread his wings again, giving her enough time to scramble back on and vanish from sight. He approached Karnataka and said, ‘Thanks for your help.'

‘Don't thank me. Thank your friend,' replied the Shade-Hugger, looking at Dirk's back, where Holly was hiding.

‘Whatever you say, cuddly-tums.' Dirk grinned.

‘This is why I don't tell anyone my surname,' sighed Karnataka.

‘No, I think it's nice,' Dirk chuckled. ‘Cuddle-bum-bums.'

Holly stifled a giggle.

‘All right, very funny.' Karny sounded annoyed. ‘Just don't spread it around, OK? I've got a reputation to think about.'

Dirk addressed the councillors. ‘Councillors, as you now know, the Kinghorns have returned. You must release all these prisoners. The only real Kinghorns just flew through that waterfall.'

The councillors gazed at Dirk with huge sad eyes.

WE ALLOWED THE CAPTAIN TO CHAIN US
HERE FOR THE TRIALS, BUT NOW WE ARE TRAPPED. YOU MUST HELP RELEASE US
.

‘I have to return above ground,' said Dirk. ‘I believe the Kinghorns are planning an attack on humans. I'm sure Karnataka will be more than happy to lend a claw to your predicament.'

THE KINGHORNS SHOULD BE STOPPED. THE SHADE-HUGGER WILL HELP US
.

‘Me?' said Karnataka, backing away. ‘Thanks, guys, but I've got to get back to my pad.'

THE COUNCIL ELECTS KARNATAKA ACTING CAPTAIN OF DRAGNET
.

‘Seriously, no …I … ‘Karnataka stopped mid-flow. ‘Captain? Captain Karnataka. Yes, I like the sound of that. All right. It's a deal. Does it come with a pension and health benefits?'

RELEASE THE PRISONERS, CAPTAIN, AND FIND A WAY OUT OF THESE CHAINS
.

‘Sure thing, see you around, Dirk. Make sure she makes good on her promise. The size of a torpedo, OK?' said Karnataka, taking to the air and flying over the lake to bark orders at the Drakes.

The councillors turned to Dirk.

THE WATER WILL TAKE YOU BACK
.

‘Hold tight,' muttered Dirk under his breath, taking
flight towards the enormous waterfall.

Holly felt fine spray dampen her face. ‘What did they mean, “the water will take you back”?' she asked. ‘Water flows down, not up.'

‘Not when it's asked nicely it doesn't,' replied Dirk.

Holly saw the plummeting water pull away, like curtains being drawn, and Dirk flew into the gap, folding his wings and settling on a bed of water that formed beneath him, mid-air.

Holly couldn't believe her eyes.

She looked around, confused by what was happening, and saw that the water was circling them, swirling above her head. They were in the middle of a giant air bubble.

GOOD LUCK, MOUNTAIN DRAGON
, thought the councillors.

Holly's stomach lurched as she and Dirk rose against the flow of the waterfall. The bubble took them to the top of the waterfall, then along an underground river.

‘What's happening?' she said.

‘The councillors have asked the water to take us up.'