The Borribles Across the Dark Metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti

Author:Michael de Larrabeiti
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic
ISBN: 9781466821026
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2012-04-25T22:00:00+00:00

9

It was past midnight when Knocker and Napoleon and their two Conker companions arrived at the rough plank hoarding that surrounded the Caledonian tower block. Two guards let them in with hardly a word, and they crossed the lightless yard and climbed silently to the third floor and entered the flat, where the Adventurers waited for them, their faces anxious. Chalotte smiled with relief as the four scouts came into the room; she lost that smile when she saw Knocker’s expression. He walked to the table, took his hand from his pocket and threw down two plastic ears. There was a gasp of astonishment from everyone in the room. Swish and Treld threw their plastic ears on the table too and then went into the kitchen to help themselves to some bread. Napoleon closed the front door behind him and leant against it with folded arms. No one was going out that way without his say-so. There was silence. The Adventurers got to their feet and stared.

‘Ears,’ said Bingo. ‘What poor blighter are they off?’

Knocker pointed at them, his face grim. ‘They aren’t off anyone,’ he said, ‘but they look real, don’t they? It’s Sussworth’s latest little trick and we’ve all been fooled by it. Right along the line. It’s a wonder we’re still alive.’

‘That’s right,’ said Napoleon. ‘Sussworth’s got these midgets and dwarfs all over London with ears like that stuck on ’em, pretending to be Borribles … and what’s worse we’ve had two of ’em with us, all the way, and we risked our necks for ’em.’

Chalotte picked up one of the ears. ‘Ninch and Scooter,’ she said.

‘That’s right,’ said Napoleon. ‘And as far as I’m concerned they’re going out that window and down to the ground so fast they’ll think they’re brick pigeons. Where are they?’

‘Gone,’ said Stonks. ‘One minute they were here, the next gone.’

‘We thought they’d just nipped out to get some food,’ said Sydney.

Napoleon swore and shook his fist at everyone in the room. ‘You idiots,’ he shouted. ‘And what about the Aristotle Rule, eh? Them dwarfs weren’t s’posed to go out on their own … Now we’re in trouble, you bloody imbeciles.’

‘How could we be suspicious when they’d been through all that with Madge?’ said Twilight.

‘Yes,’ said Torreycanyon. ‘They followed us after the escape from Clapham South; they came on the river with us even though they were scared.’

‘That was their bleedin’ job,’ screamed Napoleon. ‘All they had to do was stay with us and tell Sussworth where we were and what we were doing.’

There was another silence for a while. Vulge went into the kitchen to make some tea and Orococco said, ‘What happened with you lot? How did you get on?’

Knocker fell on to a chair with a sigh. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘We found the slaughterhouse and we’re pretty sure Sam’s in there, but he’s guarded by about twenty coppers with fifty in reserve. We’ll have to get past them.’

‘And what about Sussworth,’ asked Chalotte, ‘where’s he?’

Knocker looked at her and smiled.

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