Adventure 2016

Chapter 17: information gathering.

While James was recruiting more members of the Green Hands Gang, Jenny and Elf were planning their after-school activities. They had realised that if they could shift Archduke Crackwing from the pier themselves, then the pigeons would not need to burn it down.

"Do you think we'll be able to move the seagulls?" Elf asked Jenny. It was lunchtime, and they were sitting together on a large tree stump in the middle of the playground.

"I saw Crackwing a week ago. He was huge. And he had soldiers." Jenny didn't make moving him sound very likely. "But we have to try. And we have to find out what King Pigeon's got planned."

Whatever else they were going to do, they wanted to speak to Claudia first. When school finished they went straight to Elf's house. They walked quickly down Balfour Road and onto Beaconsfield.

When Elf's house came into sight, they could see something was wrong. The door was open; it had been hit with something that had smashed the lock.

"Claudia?" Elf called, running through the door. She took the stairs and Jenny followed.

The cat was downstairs, dipping her tongue into a bowl of wine. There were signs of a struggle around her. An overturned chair. Peanut butter splattered on the fridge door. A dead rat soldier under the table.

"What happened?" Elf asked.

"And I thought I was safe from assassination attacks," Claudia said, lazily. "The pigeons think I'm dead, but it seems that now the rats want to kill me. Can't think why?"

The cat raised its eyebrows and looked at Elf. The girl blushed.

"Could I have my collar back?" Claudia asked. "Along with an explanation please."

Elf put the collar back on Claudia's neck. And then told her the story of what happened in the sewers.

"You mean that you went right into Lord Ratzenberg's hall and threatened him?" Claudia stopped lapping the wine. "After I told you not to?"

"I'm sorry," Elf said, starting to cry. "And I'm sorry that the rats are after you now."

"Oh, don't worry about the rats," Claudia said, in a more cheerful voice. "They're even stupider that the pigeons. Most of them. And Lord Ratzenberg wouldn't be able to afford to hire a grey assassin. Actually, I was pleased that they tried to kill me. I needed the practice."

Jenny looked at Claudia drinking from her bowl of wine. She showed no emotions at all, while a rat guard was dead on the floor. That's cats for you, stone cold killers.

"So," Claudia said. "I was right, and the rat won't help?"

The girls nodded, and Jenny mentioned the deal with Zen.

"That's the problem with mercenaries, they can be bought. If I were you, I wouldn't expect much help from a rat."

As likely as it was that Claudia was right, Jenny thought Zen seemed different from the other rats. She hoped that he would earn his money and fight for them.

The three of them talked for a few more minutes. Although the rats were after Claudia, the pigeons and the Empress thought she was dead. That meant that she could move around Brighton safely. For now at least. She agreed to go and look for information.

"I think a few pigeons will speak their minds," Claudia said, inspecting the back of one of her razor sharp claws. "But you must be careful. Stick under cover, or near crowds or busy places."

Neither girl asked any questions about exactly how the cat would get the birds to talk. They all left the house together. Elf and Jenny managed to wedge the front door closed with a chair, and then went out through the garden. Elf said her parents would work it out when they got home.

It was after four, and the streets were dark. En route to the pier, the girls kept their eyes out for any suspicious bird activity. Elf thought she saw a pigeon squeezing through the letterbox of a restaurant on London Road. Jenny was sure that a movement above the rooftops was a dozen birds dragging something large through the air near Jubilee Square.

The schools had finished for the holidays now, and all through town groups of children were gathered, some with parents, some without. Playing games or running around. On their phones with power cables feeding the batteries so they could play the latest game. Jenny and Elf hurried past.

The pier was busier than ever. Packed with people, tourists mostly. The air was filled with the smell of sugary doughnuts and chips with vinegar. The girls agreed to check the top side of the pier first. It was impossible to walk along the decking next to each other. They switched to single file, Elf in the lead, ducking and squeezing around adults in winter coats and groups of teenagers with rucksacks.

It turned out that they couldn't get more than halfway along. Not because of the people, but the far half of the pier, after the restaurant, was cordoned off. There were a couple of large men in dark trousers and black coats and hats turning people back. Jenny pushed her way through to one of them.

"Excuse me," she asked. "Can we get through?"

"'Fraid not miss," the man said. "It's all closed. Gettin' ready for the mega grotto tomorrow. Celebrities need special treatment."

Disappointed, the girls spent time looking around as best they could, at the bins, the roofs and anywhere else they thought the pigeons could use for their plan. There were too many people around, and the place they thought was the best bet, the roof, was impossible to check without getting caught.

"Let's go and check Crackwing's scaffolding," Jenny said when it was clear they weren't getting anywhere.

They fought their way through the crowds and round to the stairs that led to the beach. There were crowds of people on the pebbles. All around, and under the pier. Lot's were sitting in circles and drinking. Some had music playing. Jenny took Elf to where she'd been cornered by the seagull sentry, but the scaffolding was gone.

"It was right here," Jenny said. "Right where we're standing. He must have moved on. Maybe out to the marina, to that Wetherspoons."

"I don't think so," Elf said. She wasn't looking at Jenny, but out to sea, to the far end of the pier. She pointed at something. "Look at that."

There were a flock of seagulls swooping and diving to the right of the pier. That was not unusual if there were fishing boats or possible food around. They were only visible because of some large spotlights that had been set up to draw attention to the mega grotto. Every now and then, one of the gulls would dive under the pier, and not come back out.

"I know," Jenny said. "Come with me."

She led them back to the bottom of the stairs they'd come down, and then out along the groyne to the west of the pier. It was a big groyne, a tall, wide stone jetty with a promenade on top. It was only about 50 yards long, compared the the near 600 yard pier next to it. Still, that was enough to get a better view of the seagulls.

Unlike the pier, the groyne was deserted. The two girls walked to the low wall at the end. From there they stood and watched. The birds were definitely doing something strange. Then all at once they stopped swooping and diving and lined up in mid air. It was like an aeroplane display, or skydivers making an pattern. Only they were hovering, each gull beating its wings in time with the rest.

The reason came into view. A huge bird, that dwarfed the others appeared at the far end of the seagull line. It's huge wings were outstretched and it drifted past the display and disappeared under the furthest out to sea part of the pier.

"Archduke Crackwing," Jenny said. "He's still here."

"And King Pigeon will be here tomorrow too," Elf said. "To burn the pier down."

They turned to head back to Elf's house and talk to Claudia. But the way was blocked. In front of them was a line of pigeons, three birds deep. They were soldiers. In front of the line was a large bird with a bronze coloured helmet. Or perhaps it was made of bronze.

"I have orders to take you to King Pigeon," it said. "He requests your presence and will not take no for an answer."