The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules by Gerald Killingworth

Author:Gerald Killingworth [Gerald Killingworth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782692379
Publisher: Steerforth Press
Published: 2019-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

11

Strange Meeting

“Where did you see him? What did he say? Can he help us? No, just a minute. Does that mean Auntie Necra’s here too? You said Swarme lives with her. Is he helping her to look after Mandoline? She could be nearby.”

Lanthorne had settled himself comfortably on the edge of the bed, but Edwin’s questions stunned him. For a moment, he couldn’t reply. Then he shook his head as if to free it of the idea that Auntie Necra and Mandoline might be under the same roof.

“Trunke would know if she was here with your sister, Edwin. Everybody at the inne would be talking about it. Babies make a lot of noise, don’t they?”

“So what’s Swarme doing here?”

“I don’t know. We’ve got to find out.”

Edwin breathed in and out noisily, to calm himself. What Lanthorne had said made sense. Trunke would have picked up any talk about Auntie Necra turning up at the inne, especially if she was carrying a baby of any kind. She would have wanted to get home to Morting as soon as she could.

“I agree that we have to find Swarme as soon as we can,” Edwin said. “He’s bound to have important information we can use. Sorry, I interrupted your story.”

Lanthorne made himself comfortable again and began. “I saw Swarme, but he didn’t see me. That’s the first thing. He must be working here. My mother sometimes says, ‘I wonder what job our Swarme is doing.’ Now I can tell her! I followed the passage all the way back to the staircase, and I even went halfway down.”

“That was very daring of you.”

Lanthorne smiled at the praise. “At first there was no one about, because I think they were having dinner somewhere. I could hear kitcheny sorts of sounds. Then I heard someone running towards the stairs and I needed a place to hide. I went down the nearest passage and opened a door that looked like a cupboard.”

Edwin took in a loud breath.

“It was a cupboard.”

Edwin relaxed.

“So I shut myself in. I was really frightened because I thought the footsteps were following me. They stopped right in front of where I was hiding, but then the person making the footsteps knocked on a door and a man answered it. The footsteps person said, ‘It’s ready. If you want some, you need to come right away. We’ve got some serious eaters in tonight.’”

“What was ready?” Edwin asked.

“Their dinner, I expect. They walked back to the staircase together and I opened the door just a little bit, because I knew the footsteps’ voice! When he turned sideways as he was going down the stairs, I could see it really was Swarme. He’s taller and a bit fatter now, but it was definitely him.”

“It was dangerous opening that door before they’d completely gone.”

“I’m glad I did. We’ve got a friend now, Edwin. Someone on our side, not like Jugge and Trunke. I’ve got to talk to Swarme. I’ve just got to.”

“Are you sure we’ll be able to trust him?”

Lanthorne stared at Edwin.

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