Adventure 2016

Chapter 14: the rats.

"What are you guys doing here?" James asked. "I thought you were checking on Claudia."

"We were," Jenny said. "She's awake now, and talking."

"Not fully better," Elf added. "But she is back at home now. And we were going to ask you what you were doing here."

Notail jumped from Jenny's arm to James' shoulder and gave his ear a squeeze. He suddenly felt bad about sneaking off with the key. Then he remembered the mega grotto.

"I was just investigating this place," he tried to sound confident. "Seems quite safe."

"Then why were you running away from us?" Jenny asked. "And why did you leave the key in the door of the clock tower?"

James couldn't think of an answer to that, so he tried a question instead, "How did you find me?"

"We took Claudia back to Elf's and when we got there Notail was waiting. He seemed worried, in a squirrelly way," Jenny looked at James. "I think he was worried about you. He took us straight to the clock tower, and then through the tunnels to here."

"I'm fine," James said quickly. "We should probably get back above ground. It's nearly dinner time."

To James' relief they all agreed with him. Notail led them back the way they had come which was the opposite way to where James thought they should go. The girls told him that when Claudia woke up she warned them against dealing with Lord Ratzenberg.

"She said he was evil, and that you couldn't trust him at all. And that he doesn't just hate pigeons, seagulls and cats, but humans too." Jenny went on, "And that the sewers are more dangerous than just Lord Ratzenberg. You can get lost and trapped down here, and there's other creatures that would not be friendly if they saw us walking around."

James thought about the Hollingbury raiders. They must be fearsome creatures. He picked up the pace a little, though it was difficult on the narrow wooden walkways.

Notail seemed to know exactly where to go. Each time they passed a tunnel it would sniff and either choose it or shake his head. They walked past one of the locked iron gates.

"Shall we see if the key unlocks this one?" James asked. "It's got a Squidducken on it."

All three of the others looked at him blankly.

"You know," he said nonchalantly. "One of those."

He pointed at the Squidducken on the gate. This one was formed around the lock, with the keyhole as its mouth.

"Is that what they're called?" Elf asked. "I didn't know."

"It's the same as on the key, take a look."

Jenny took the key out and compared. She nodded in affirmation. Then she swapped the brass key to the other hand and pushed it into the keyhole to unlock the gate. Or tried to. Notail sprang from James' shoulder and performed a perfect flying kick on Jenny's hand before she could turn the key.

"Okay!" she said. "I won't unlock it."

She took out the key and put it back in her pocket.

"So, how did you find this place," she asked James. "And how do you know that thing is a Skidoken."

"Squidducken," James sighed. "All right. Wilf and Abie gave me the idea this morning. I would have told you but..." He looked at Elf.

"You didn't want me around?" Elf said. "Because of the mega grotto?"

James said nothing. But it was true. He just walked on in silence. He felt tired again and wished he was back home.

After a few more minutes Notail started acting strangely. It pulled on his ear, then danced on his shoulder, then pulled his ear again. Then it jumped down onto the walkway and ran off ahead, disappearing into the blackness of the sewer.