Adventure 2016

Chapter 3: The ambush.

James met Jenny at the cycle track in Preston Park on Sunday morning. The sun was out, bright and cold. They walked by a green fence, half a dozen cyclists were doing laps on the other side.

Jenny told James about the events under the pier the night before. And about being late back to the ice rink.

"Did you get into trouble?" James asked.

"None," Jenny sounded a little disappointed. "Grandma was more worried about being late for the restaurant reservation."

"So we've got a battle between the seagulls and the pigeons," James said. "And Archduke Crackwing is the reason that the starlings have left the pier. Maybe this King Pigeon beat him last night and the starlings can go back."

"It sounded like Crackwing was helping his nephew out," Jenny said. "We don't know who he is. And we don't know that we want King Pigeon to win -- he might be worse than the Archduke."

"There's another name too," James had just remembered. "Countess Madeira. I heard it at Balfour after the starlings arrived."

"I wonder if Elf managed to get any information out of her cat," Jenny said. "Perhaps Claudia knows more about what is going on."

"She didn't respond to my message yesterday," James stopped and turned around. He was about to say something else when there was a movement in the bushes behind Jenny. Something small and grey. And tail-less. It was looking at him. This time he didn't look away. The squirrel cocked its head to the side and then raised its eyebrows and walked backwards into the bush, still looking right at him.

"Let's go," James said and hopped up over a small wall and into the bushes. Jenny didn't catch on immediately, but was soon right behind him.

The squirrel moved fast and didn't look back. But it didn't climb any trees and kept to paths that James and Jenny were comfortable on. It led them out of the park, across a road and up the driveway of a house which had been converted into flats. At the back of the driveway it continued through a gap in a fence and through into a large garden. And then it disappeared up a tree.

James was about to start climbing when Jenny pulled his sleeve and he turned to look at the back of the house. It had a large area of decking, and on the decking sat Elf. She didn't look surprised to see them and waved them over. She was drinking something brown and steaming from a large mug resting between her crossed legs.

"Morning!" Elf said brightly.

"Er, hi," Jenny said. "Is this where you live?" She gestured to the well kept white-painted four story Victorian house behind Elf. It was pretty posh, even by Balfour-parent standards.

"Oh yes. My bedroom's in the roof," Elf said pointing upwards. "Have you seen Claudia?" she asked.

"No, we just followed the squirrel with no tail. It went up that tree at the bottom of your garden." James pointed it out. Nobody mentioned what little effect the dagger wound had caused. Nor how the squirrel knew where to take them.

"I haven't seen her either," Elf said. "But she does spend time on the roof of those flats over there." She pointed across to a low-rise block, yellow bricked with a flat roof.

Elf led them inside. James and Jenny followed her up through the house. The decoration and furniture was strange and diverse. Some things looked like they belonged in a museum, and others on a scrap heap. James caught sight of a large black grand piano gleaming near the window in one of the rooms. By the front door was a small suit of armour being used to hold umbrellas, the wearer could have been no taller than a five year old.

They finally ascended a tiny narrow staircase, almost a ladder, and came up through a trapdoor into the loft. Apart from the entryway, Elf's room turned out to be quite normal. Bed, drawers, desk and chair, all purchased flat-packed from a catalogue and assembled in the room.