Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate (14 page)

‘
Alive?’
bellowed Thomas in a spooky voice.

Alice winced as the
metallic echo tormented her ears. ‘Pack it in! I’ve had
enough, I’m going back down.’

Feeling carefully
for the rungs with her feet, Alice began to reverse down the ladder.
Oddly, the smell of metal seemed to be getting stronger. She
couldn’t wait to get out of there. A shout from Thomas made
her jump.

‘
Hey! The sun
must be out, Hermann’s warming up! My hands feel better
already. Feel the ...’ He stopped as he realised what he was
saying. ‘Oh, no. Do you think ...?’

‘
JUST GET OUT
OF HERE!’ yelled Alice. ‘You’ll never learn, will
you? You just had to climb up here!’

‘
It’s
YOU who never learns! If I’d had my way, Isabella would be
worm food by now. Hurry up!’ he shouted, his feet appearing
just above Alice’s head.

‘
I’m
going as fast as I can! I don’t want to die inside a giant
metal leg!’

‘
If she melts
this thing, no one will know which body part it was. Ow! These
rungs are really hot now.’

As they emerged
through the trapdoor and scrambled down the ladder, it became obvious
that the sun was not to blame. It was snowing heavily now, and when
they looked down from the viewing platform of the plinth, it was
impossible to make out anything on the ground. They turned to run
down the steps but an electronic metal gate slammed shut in front of
them. The indicator light next to it changed from green to red.

‘
Oh, great.
That means Lukas is here as well,’ groaned Alice. ‘Go
on, then. You might as well say ‘I told you so’.’

‘
There’s
no point.’

‘
This is never
going to end, is it? It’s like a nightmare, only I never wake
up.’

‘
They’re
just playing games with us. Lukas could have sent an electric
current through Hermann and killed us instantly. If that’s
what they want, fine. I can play dirty too.’ He focused on
the gate to force it open. Nothing happened. After a couple of
minutes he wiped his brow then tried again. Still nothing.

‘
What’s
wrong with you?’ yelled Alice.

‘
There’s
nothing wrong with me. Look at the gate! It’s beginning to
spark. Lukas is causing a massive power surge. He must have located
the mains cable. I don’t think I can do it.’

‘
Yes, you can.
You must!’ Again Alice looked down at the ground, searching
through the blizzard for Isabella or Lukas. Where were they?

‘
I’m
sorry, Alice. I really can’t open it. I’ll have to
phone Grandma and ask her to send someone up. He took out his phone
and growled in temper. ‘My battery’s dead. Lend me
yours.’

‘
Um, I left it
in the car.’

‘
Unbelievable!
Listen, you’ll have to release your wings and fly down. I
can’t go anywhere.’

‘
You could
hang on to me. I’m not leaving you up here.’

‘
Don’t
be daft! You’re wings aren’t strong enough to carry both
of us. GO! Send someone to open this stupid gate!’

‘
Yes, do as
you’re told,’ said a voice behind her.

Alice jumped and
spun round to see Ralph hovering outside.

‘
What the ...
? What are you doing here?’ she stuttered.

‘
Never mind
that, this snow is not doing my wings any good!’ he replied.
‘Now, release your wings and we’ll carry Thomas down
between us.’

‘
I appreciate
your concern,’ said Thomas curtly. ‘But you needn’t
bother. Just go and tell someone that I’m trapped up here.’

‘
No time,’
insisted Ralph. ‘Hermann is so hot now, there’s steam
rising high in to the air. I think your friend Isabella is trying to
melt him. If she succeeds, you will be engulfed by molten copper.’

‘
And iron,
actually. I’ve just been inside the structure.’

‘
Congratulations.
Now you must swallow your pride and let us give you a lift down.’

Alice’s wings
had erupted as soon as Ralph mentioned the statue melting. She and
Ralph linked arms with Thomas, and with a far-from-dignified jump,
the three of them took off from the top of the plinth.

Their wings aching
with cold, Alice and Ralph flew as well as they could, gripping
Thomas so tightly, he yelped with pain.

‘
Well, that
was embarrassing,’ he complained when they landed. ‘But
thanks.’

Ralph didn’t
hear him. With his running ability, he was already at a safe
distance from Hermann, waiting impatiently for Alice to join him.
But she didn’t.

‘
There’s
Lukas!’ she shouted, flapping her wings above Thomas’s
head. ‘I’m going after him!’

‘
To do what?’
yelled Thomas. ‘Just come with me!’

‘
No. He might
lead me to Isabella. Maybe I can distract her.’

‘
Leave it,
Alice. Put yourself first, for once. Please!’ begged Thomas.
‘Just let the wretched statue melt!’

But it was too late.
Alice was already following Lukas, shaking the snow from her wings
as she swooped after her prey.

‘
Stubborn,
isn’t she?’ remarked Ralph as Thomas ran towards him.

‘
Shut it!
What would you know?’

Ralph paused.
‘Well, I know Alice will not find Isabella by chasing that
man.’

‘
How?’

‘
Because
Isabella is over there, laughing at us.’ He pointed behind
Thomas, back towards the monument. Isabella had just appeared from
behind some bushes, sniggering and flapping her arms in a wing-like
motion.

‘
Well done,
Thomas!’ she called. ‘Such a graceful flight!’

‘
Ugh, I really
wish I’d killed her yesterday,’ snarled Thomas.

Ralph raised an
eyebrow. ‘What is wrong with today?’ He glanced up at
Hermann. ‘He could step on her like an ant – if you
wanted him to.’

Thomas’s face
lit up. ‘I’d like nothing more! But that statue is too
big for me. There’s no way I can make it move.’

‘
Yes, there
is. I am Kat, remember? Just do whatever you normally do, and I
will help you.’

Somewhat taken aback
by Ralph’s offer, Thomas nodded. He began to concentrate on
Hermann, though it wasn’t easy with snow falling in to his
eyes. He willed every bolt and metal plate to move, remembering in
detail what he had seen inside. But the great Hermann was just as
stubborn as Alice.

Strangely, instead
of focussing on the statue, Ralph’s attention was directed at
Thomas. Holding his fingers to his temples, Ralph stared at Thomas’s
head, as if trying to penetrate his mind. Whatever he was doing, it
was starting to work.

*

Lukas had been
leading Alice on a pointless chase, running around in circles amongst
the trees as though stalling for time. Furious, Alice had grabbed a
loose branch to sweep him out of the wood, thwacking him repeatedly
from above. He had no time to pause and use his ability to fight
back. As they emerged from the forest, Lukas gasping for breath,
there was a haunting metallic groan in the distance. Hermann was on
the move.

Alice’s heart
nearly stopped. No! Surely Thomas wouldn’t! He couldn’t.
Not on this scale. With an ear-splitting creak that reverberated
around the forest, Herman waved his sword and leaped down from his
plinth. When he landed the ground shook so violently, Lukas fell to
his knees. Alice was glad to be in the air – not least because
she could fly away from those enormous metal feet. Terrified, she
watched as Hermann appeared to survey the landscape. Those dead,
copper plate eyes were now very much alive – aware of
everything around him. A true warrior, he identified his target
quickly and with a menacing frown began his pursuit. With every
thunderous step this giant soldier took, the earth trembled beneath
his metal sandal. Alice was trembling too. Since her metamorphosis
she’d had some disturbing, experiences. But this was the most
frightening thing she had ever seen. She flew higher, determined to
keep her distance from the enraged Hermann. At least Thomas would be
safe; he must be controlling him somehow.

From her vantage
point high above the forest she caught sight of Isabella. It was a
gratifying feeling, watching her enemy being terrorized, cowering on
the ground in the snow. For the first time, here was an opponent she
could not fight with threats or lies. Isabella was a pathetic sight.
Each time she attempted to stand up and run, Hermann’s next
step threw her to the ground. Lukas had already given up trying to
walk and was crawling away on his hands and knees. Alice felt no
pity for either of them this time. Enough was enough. For the past
few months, constant worry and being on the defensive must have
changed her, made her stronger. Or was it harder and crueller?
Either way, Alice didn’t care any more. She spotted Thomas and
Ralph crouching a short distance away from Isabella, transfixed by
this monstrous and yet awe-inspiring sight.

Although his arms
and legs were bare, Hermann paid no attention to the snow. With
determination in his eyes, he stormed across the clearing until he
reached Isabella and stared down at her. Paralysed by fear, she was
on her knees. She glanced at Ralph in desperation but he didn’t
respond.

Alice held her
breath as she waited for Hermann to raise his seven-metre-long sword.
But instead of impaling his victim, he cast his weapon aside and
raised his left foot. He was going to step on her! Alice let out a
gasp and turned away. Her stomach wasn’t as strong as she had
thought. She anticipated a scream followed by a forceful thud. But
what followed were shouts of terror from Thomas and Ralph.

In a last-minute
attempt to save herself, Isabella had turned her attention to
Hermann’s right leg. Alice could see that his metal knee was
glowing red and could give way at any second. Hermann roared in
agony and lost his balance. As his iron joints grated and screeched,
fear was plain to see in his face. Mortified at his undignified
demise, he began to topple over in the direction of Thomas and Ralph.

Chapter 12

Nightmare
Awakening

Alice screamed and
swooped down towards them. She had to save Thomas – he
couldn’t move as swiftly as Ralph. But her efforts were in
vain. As Hermann fell, the draft
created
by his plummeting body blasted Alice backwards through the icy air.
She crashed through the branches of a fir tree and fell to the ground
in the forest. Her torn and battered wings retracted instantly.

When she regained
consciousness Alice was lying exactly where she had fallen. Without
opening her eyes she knew where she was; the smell of the damp earth
and the conifers around her was unmistakable. She could feel warm
blood trickling down her forehead. In spite of her aching body and
pounding head, she felt strangely relaxed. Someone was stroking her
hair gently. The same someone who had just wiped her face and
covered her with a coat to keep her warm. Ralph! With a feeble
smile, Alice decided to keep her eyes closed and just enjoy the
moment. Then she remembered Thomas. She opened her eyes instantly
and turned rigid with shock.

Those concerned
green eyes just inches away from her face did not belong to Ralph –
yet they were strangely familiar. Hugh! Repulsed, Alice pushed him
away and struggled to sit up, clasping her head in pain.

‘
YOU!’
she croaked. ‘What the ... ?’ Overcome with dizziness,
she closed her eyes again. Hugh held her up, his arm around her
shoulders.

‘
Shh,’
he said softly. ‘Stay still. Your brother will come and heal
you in a minute.’

‘
He’s
OK?’

‘
Of course.
Can’t you hear him calling you? He’s worried sick. He
can’t find you.’

‘
Show him
where I am, then! You’re just being cruel as usual.’

‘
I am not.
Just give me a moment, please. I need to think. He’ll have a
fit when he sees me here.’

‘
Can’t
say I’m delighted. What are you doing here? And what ON EARTH
did you think you were doing, touching my hair? Ugh!’

‘
Sorry,’
mumbled Hugh. ‘I just ...’

‘
Anyway,’
continued Alice, ‘tell me why you’re here. How did you
know where we were?’