Stormdragons

Chapter 24

They landed safely.

'Whoo-hey! We're home,' cried Spud.

Spud and Mac jumped off the rug and gave each other a high five. Clare peered into the darkness. She saw nothing she recognised. There was no lighthouse or cliff in front of them. Nor were the outlines of the houses at all familiar. And what she felt beneath her feet was neither grass nor sand. The ground was dusty and hard.

'Joe, we've gone wrong. The magic carpet has malfunctioned,' she said.

Joe didn't speak. He was stunned by what had happened. They were still in the World of Legends and it was all his fault.

Spud and Mac stopped celebrating.

'What's up?' asked Spud.

Flickering lights appeared in one of two of the houses. Voices called out in alarm. Doors began to open.

'Oh no! Where the hell are we?' cried Spud.

Men with sticks began to emerge from various doorways.

'We'd better run for it,' said Mac.

'No, there's no need to run. We won't be attacked,' said Joe calmly.

'How do you know?' asked Spud.

'Because these people are my friends.'

'What?'

'I'm sorry guys. My mind was confused. I've taken us up into the mountains.'

'You prat. You utter, utter prat,' shouted Spud. 'How could you after all we've been through?'

Anger spread like fire through Spud's body. He threw his sunglasses onto the ground.

'Boy am I gonna give you a hiding,' he cried. He lunged out at Joe, swinging his fists wildly in the darkness.

'Spud, hold it. There's no need for that. Grab him, Mac,' said Clare.

Mac grabbed Spud around the shoulders. Spud shrugged him off. Then he fell to his knees, sobbing with anger and disappointment.

'We could be home by now. We could be out of this place forever.'

Joe felt terrible but he had no time to explain or to apologise.

'Joe is that really you?' asked a familiar voice.

'Yes, it is, Ali. I'm back and this time I've brought some friends.'

Joe and Clare stayed overnight with Ali while Spud and Mac were guests of Ibrahim. This was partly because there was not enough room in one house for all four of them and partly because Spud could not be trusted to keep his hands off Joe's neck.

They met up for breakfast. At first Spud was sulky and withdrawn. He scowled at Joe and muttered under his breath. Luckily, Ali's and Ibrahim's mothers and sisters made such a fuss of him that his mood soon improved. They served up the best food they had from their meagre supplies. Breakfast was oatmeal porridge soaked in goats' milk with figs, dates and apricots by the side. Spud was soon tucking in and licking his lips.

'That one eats like Abdul the merchant,' whispered Ali to Ibrahim.

Mac was his usual quiet, inscrutable self. Joe caught his eye and looked apologetic but Mac just shrugged and carried on chewing. Clare took this as her cue to speak. She put down her spoon and addressed the table. She spoke softly but with that unmistakable tone of resolve that her bother and the two Falscombe boys had come to know all too well.

'Look, I know we've all been through a lot and it's a pity we're not home yet. But I think Joe did the right thing last night and I'm proud of him. Uncle Toby and Mehmed are still in danger. It wouldn't be right to leave them fighting such terrible odds. We should try to help them depose the Caliph and free the people from oppression.'