22
The Creepiest Thing I’ve Seen Today
Fire bolts lanced from the Spell Wizard’s fingers. The children scattered, and the fire bolts struck the BBC instead. The computer exploded, sending shards of metal and charred circuitry flying across the laboratory.
Edwin and Maddy dived behind a workbench as the Spell Wizard dispatched another round of fire blots.
“The Spell Wizard must be stopped,” said Inglenook, as more explosions shook the laboratory. “Its magic is causing great damage to the elemental balance. If this continues, the world will be torn apart within the hour.”
“We’ll be lucky if we don’t get torn apart in five minutes.” Maddy ducked as a smouldering chunk of debris skimmed her head. “So hurry up and do something!”
“She’s right,” said Edwin. “Inglenook, have you got any magic left?”
“The magical signal is fading rapidly.” Inglenook’s voice grew fainter. “I’m afraid I must sleep to conserve what little power is remaining.”
“This is no time for a nap,” cried Bryony, who was sheltering behind another workbench with a dazed Saffy and Jaz. “We need magic to help us.”
“There must be something you can do.” Edwin peered closely at the Key, but Inglenook’s miniature face was now still.
“Great,” sighed Edwin. “Now we’ve no way of stopping the Spell Wizard.”
“It’s not over,” said Maddy. “We might be able to regain the magic signal outside the building.”
“Great idea,” said Bryony, peering cautiously over the workbench. “Does this place have an emergency exit?”
There was another loud explosion, and the laboratory filled with smoke. An alarm started blaring, and through the smoke Edwin saw the words ‘EMERGENCY EXIT’ in flashing green lights.
“Over there,” he shouted. “Quick, everyone out!”
Bryony shepherded Saffy and Jaz towards the exit. Edwin pushed Maddy after them, and then turned back to see what had become of the Professor and Madame Voltaria.
There was too much smoke to see clearly, but he caught a glimpse of the Professor’s chair and noted it was empty.
More fire blots fizzed past him. Then another explosion rocked the laboratory, and lumps of ceiling came crashing down.
Edwin ran through the emergency exit to find Maddy, Bryony and the girls waiting in a cramped elevator.
“I can’t see the Professor,” he gasped. “Or Madame Voltaria.”
“Maybe they got out another way.” Bryony pressed a button marked ‘Ground Floor’. “Let’s hope this thing is still working.”
Bryony breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator lifted. She smiled at Saffy and Jaz, but they still didn’t look like they knew where they were. At least they were calm, unlike Maddy who looked suddenly petrified.
“I’ve never been in one of these before,” said Maddy in response to Bryony’s look. “In my day we used stairs.”
“She’s from medieval times,” said Edwin, remembering that Bryony didn’t know the truth about Maddy. “Eight hundred years ago.”
Bryony would normally have found that hard to accept, but compared to everything else that day it seemed a perfectly reasonable idea.
“Then I’m not surprised you made friends,” she mused. “You must have so much in common, like hygiene standards and taste in pop music.”
“We’re not friends,” said Maddy.
“Good job too,” reflected Bryony. “If you went around together you’d cause chaos at road junctions.”
Maddy looked as though she was about to reply, but the lift stopped and the doors slid open. The children hurried out of the elevator into a familiar looking corridor.
A clap of thunder sounded. The floor shook, and lumps of plaster fell from the ceiling.
“The storm is getting worse,” said Edwin. “I don’t think the building can stand much more of this.”
“The main entrance is down that way.” Maddy pointed to the right. “You’ll be out in thirty seconds.”
Taking hold of her friends’ arms, Bryony led Saffy and Jaz towards the entrance. Edwin followed, and then stopped when he realised Maddy wasn’t with them. He turned to see she was running in the opposite direction.
“The entrance is this way,” he called. “Where are you going?”
“To the main hall,” replied Maddy. “I’m not leaving them.”
Them?
Then Edwin realised. “Your family portraits. I’ll give you a hand.”
“No.” Maddy turned back to glare at Edwin. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need anyone.”
“But you can’t carry them all on your own.” Edwin set off after Maddy, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
“What are you two playing at?” Bryony pulled Edwin back. “We have to get out before this place falls to bits.”
“Maddy’s gone to the hall for her paintings,” said Edwin.
Bryony raised an eyebrow. “Surely this isn’t time to be worrying about her art collection?”
“They’re her family. I mean actually her family. Imprisoned on canvas by magic. Isn’t that right?”
Edwin turned round, but there was no sign of Maddy.
Another boom of thunder made the corridor tremble, and the ceiling started to crack.
Bryony tugged Edwin’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Edwin shook his head. “I’m not leaving Maddy on her own. She’s my friend.”
“She didn’t seem to think so,” said Bryony. “If she wants her paintings that’s up to her. But what if something happens to you?”
“What do you care?” Edwin pulled his arm from Bryony’s grasp. “I’m just a dweep.”
“No you’re not,” said Bryony. “You’re very clever, and hard working, and… I’m coming with you.”
“What?” Edwin couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
“I said I’m coming with you.”
“No, not that. The bit about me being clever and hard working.”
“Don’t worry about that now,” said Bryony. “We need to find Maddy.”
“But what about Saffy and Jaz?”
“They’ve already made it out. Now let’s get a move on.”
Edwin and Bryony set off down the corridor, struggling to stay on their feet as more booms of thunder shook Maddergrub Manor.
“So who is Maddy?” Bryony guessed there was a lot about the green haired girl that Edwin hadn’t revealed to her. “And how come you were fighting over the Tome?”
Edwin revealed everything he knew about Maddy, even how she’d trapped him and ran off with the spell book.
“And you still want to help her?” Bryony shook her head with disbelief. “After everything she did to you.”
Edwin nodded. “I told you, she’s my friend.”
“Real friends don’t trap you down pits and leave you there to rot,” said Bryony.
“But they rip your wardrobe to shreds and tell you that you’re too fat to be a celebrity?” Edwin glanced back at Bryony as they stumbled along the corridor. “That’s what real friends do, huh?”
“They didn’t say I was fat,” argued Bryony. “Just fat-shaped.”
But despite her outward denial, Bryony knew Edwin was right about Saffy and Jaz. So she decided to change the subject.
“Do you know how to get to the hall?”
“Sure.” Edwin was pretty confident he could remember the way, and remained pretty confident until they reached a junction of corridors.
“Which way now?” Bryony wondered why they’d come to a stop.
“It’s left. No, right.” In truth Edwin didn’t know which corridor to take. “Or maybe…”
“Memory like a goldfish.” A tutting Stubby poked his head out of Edwin’s blazer pocket. “Though I doubt you could even remember your way around a glass bowl.”
“I’ll work it out,” said Edwin. “Give me a second.”
He peered down the left hand corridor. It looked exactly the same as any other corridor in the building, dingy and lined with dark wood panels. Then he inspected the right hand corridor. It looked exactly the same as the left, except for the rusting suits of armour.
The suits of armour! Edwin remembered passing those on his way to the hall with Madame Voltaria.
“This way.” He grabbed Bryony’s hand and dragged her past the suits of armour. “If I remember rightly, it’s just down…”
There was another boom of thunder, followed by a crash as a chunk of ceiling collapsed in front of Bryony and Edwin.
“We’re trapped,” wailed Edwin, surveying the debris that blocked the corridor.
“There might be another way to the hall,” suggested Bryony. “Let’s head back and try that other corridor.”
The children turned, but froze when they saw what blocked their escape route.
“How did that get there?” Edwin pointed at the rusty suit of armour that now stood in the middle of the corridor. “Empty suits of armour can’t move.”
Bryony’s dark eyes swivelled to Edwin. “Maybe it’s not empty.”
Edwin took a cautious step towards the armoured figure.
“Hello,” he murmured. “Is there, um… anyone in?”
The suit of armour didn’t respond.
Edwin took another step, reaching up a shaking hand to the figure’s rusty helmet.
“Be careful,” warned Bryony.
Edwin opened the helmet’s visor, and exhaled a relieved sigh when he saw what was inside.
Nothing.
“Phew!” Edwin turned back to Bryony. “It’s OK. Just an empty suit of…”
There was a loud creak as an iron-clad arm wrapped round Edwin’s waist. Edwin screamed, but the sound became a gasp as the arm squeezed harder.
It took a few seconds before Bryony realised what was happening. The suit of armour was alive, and it was attacking Edwin!
She had to do something, but how to tackle a living suit of armour without a weapon? Then she spied an old tapestry on the wall next to her, hanging from a wooden pole.
Bryony grabbed the pole and pulled it from the wall. The pole came away more easily than she expected, and the tapestry crumbled to dust as she swung her improvised weapon at the armoured figure’s head. There was clang as the pole struck its target, knocking the helmet from the metal body.
The headless suit of armour staggered backwards, releasing its grip on Edwin. Bryony pressed home her advantage, and felled her opponent with a well-aimed thrust to the breastplate.
The suit of armour clattered to the floor, its metal body parts scattering in all directions.
“That was by far the creepiest thing I’ve seen today,” said Edwin, surveying the suit of armour’s dismembered remains.
“I’d agree,” said Bryony. “Only it doesn’t beat the sight of my stepbrother in a bin liner skirt.”
Edwin was thinking up a suitable retort when he heard another creaking noise.
The suit of armour lay broken and still, so it couldn’t be making the noise. But what about all the other suits of armour in the corridor?
Edwin knew the answer before he dared look.
“They’re moving,” cried Bryony. “They’re alive, all of them!”
All the suits of armour were stirring. Metal hands clenched and unclenched. Armoured limbs twitched. Helmeted heads swivelled.
“It’s the Spell Wizard,” said Stubby. “It’s used its power to activate them.”
Ten suits of armour formed a line in the corridor. Then they advanced, clanking and creaking as they marched towards Bryony and Edwin…