Alfie Bloom and the Talisman Thief by Gabrielle Kent

Author:Gabrielle Kent
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

Under the Dome

Alfie’s watch told him it was long after midnight. The powerlessness he felt at the situation his talisman had landed them in grew worse as he watched the twins patching up Ashford. The butler looked as though he hadn’t eaten in days. Desperate to feel useful, Alfie headed down to the undercroft pantry with Amy to find some food. Galileo followed to check whether there were any mice hiding down there.

“Ash doesn’t look good,” said Amy as they raided the pantry. It was upside down after being ransacked by the fake Ashford in his search for the lens.

“I know,” said Alfie, digging out cheeses, chutney and pâté from the jumble of food on the shelves. He had been thinking the same. Ashford’s wound had gone so long without treatment that it must be infected. Madeleine was doing her best with the salve Emily had given them, but Ashford needed a real doctor. “We’ve got to find a way out.”

“It would take a while, but what if we dig under the dome?” said Amy. “Artan could fly us down between the courtyard walls and the mist. They wouldn’t see us, and as long as we’re quiet, they’d never know we were digging our way out.”

Alfie stared at her. “You’re right. I don’t know how far the mist extends, but if we all work together we’ll get out eventually. We’ve even got enough shovels for the four of us in…” he paused.

“They’re in the shed, aren’t they?” said Amy. “The one in the courtyard?”

Alfie sighed. “Well, we nearly had a plan.” He passed her a loaf of bread and gathered up the rest of the food.

“Come on, Leo,” he said to the cat as it scratched the door to the cellars. “There’s nothing for you down there.” Galileo obediently bounded up the stairs to the kitchen in anticipation of being fed. As Alfie followed, he was hit with a sudden thought. Perhaps there was another way under the mist after all. He dropped the food back on to the shelf and unlocked the door Galileo had been scratching at.

“Where are we going?” Amy asked.

“Out.”

Alfie grabbed one of the flaming torches from the wall and led the way through the cellars, pausing briefly to grab a very long coil of rope from one of the rooms on the way. Amy hurried after him as he unlocked a large studded door and followed the stairs down into the cellars below.

Their footsteps echoed in the dark labyrinth as Alfie headed for the central chamber and the strange round pool it held. He had leapt into it once to save Robin, and a strong current had dragged them both out into Lake Archelon. They had nearly drowned that night.

“Give me a hand with this,” he said as they reached the pool. His dad had covered it up with a large wooden lid to prevent any further accidents. With Amy’s help, Alfie slid it aside.

“We’re going out through there?” asked Amy, the dark water reflecting the flickering flames of the torch.

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