24

Gafferty's Last Chance

They were flung over the gutter into the empty night air. In the split second in which she dared to open her eyes, Gafferty saw trees and shrubs and concrete far beneath her. Please let us land in the trees, she thought as they plummeted earthwards. At least then we might survive this awful mess I’ve caused.

At that moment Gafferty’s harness pulled back against her chest with such force that she would have cried out, had she been able to breathe. She risked a peek, glancing quickly around her. The glider had come to a sudden stop, its torn wing snagged on the hotel’s guttering. They were literally hanging by threads, slung beneath the remains of the glider like a pair of puppets, saved only by their harnesses.

Don’t look down, she thought. Don’t. Look. Down.

Beside her, Will moaned something she couldn’t understand. He appeared unhurt, just stunned.

‘Don’t worry, Will,’ she said softly, though she wasn’t sure he could hear. ‘I’m going to get us out of this.’

Rule Four – we meet again, my old friend, she thought. Gafferty’s Upliner had smashed in the crash, though it had probably saved her from breaking some bones. Will still had his undamaged Upliner fastened to his chest, and a coil of rope attached to his hip. Perhaps if she could fix one of her pin hooks to the rope and throw it on to the roof, she could use the Upliner to drag them to safety. Then they would have to wait for the Roost Smidgens to come and rescue them. She leaned over to grab the rope. There was a sickening tearing sound from above her. The glider was slipping. If she moved again, she could unbalance them completely.

‘We’re trapped!’ she said. ‘What now?’

When she saw the little glider crash-land, Claudia urged her ghosts to carry her back to the hotel.

‘Let us grab them for you, Miss Slymark,’ implored Hinchsniff as they neared the building.

‘No,’ said Claudia coldly. She’d had enough of ghosts and magic for one day. The supernatural couldn’t be trusted: it was time she went back to doing what she knew best.

Her grappling hook was lost so she launched herself from the cloud, even though they were high above the ground, and landed neatly against the hotel’s wall. She gripped the stonework with her fingertips and toes, her highly trained muscles easily supporting her body weight. This was where she belonged. She was a cat burglar at heart, nimbly scaling a building in search of valuables. The damaged glider was a short climb away, and then this sorry episode would be over. Gafferty Sprout would learn just how angry Claudia could be. She now had a spare bottle hanging around her neck. With a bit of squishing, Gafferty might well fit inside it – if she was lucky.

Gafferty reached for the Upliner once more. Slowly this time, trying to keep the glider steady. Will stirred.

‘Gafferty … ?’ he mumbled.

‘Will, keep still! Are you OK?’

‘I’m all right, I think. What’s happened?’ He tried to turn. The glider shuddered ominously.

‘Don’t move!’ Gafferty tried to sound calm but had a suspicion she was practically screeching. ‘Whatever you do, don’t move. We’re hanging from the guttering of the hotel. But only just! We’ve got to get out of here – fast!’

‘What can we do?’ Will looked panicked. ‘If only I was a better pilot. This is the second set of wings I’ve broken in as many days! I’m going to be in so much trouble!’

‘Not if we plunge to our deaths first! Keep still, Will. None of this is your fault. It really isn’t. Give me one end of your rope – slowly – and I’ll throw a line up on to the roof. It’ll be exactly like when we hitched a ride on that Big Folk umbrella.’

Will nodded and gently passed the rope to her. As he carefully threaded the other end into the Upliner, he glanced up suddenly.

‘Gafferty, there’s another glider coming towards us,’ he said, peering into the dark. ‘It’s Wyn!’

‘He shouldn’t have brought Gobkin back here,’ Gafferty said, trying to follow his gaze. ‘It’s too dangerous.’

‘I don’t think that’s Gobkin he’s with.’

The glider was flying unsteadily, as if it were carrying a heavy cargo. Alongside the teenager, another figure was hanging from the wings, someone who looked extremely uncomfortable. There was no mistaking the beetle leather coat.

‘That can’t be …’ said Gafferty, both thrilled and horrified at the same time. ‘It’s not … it’s not Dad, is it? He’s shouting something – what’s he saying?’

‘He says “You’re grounded”, and some other words which aren’t very polite.’

‘That’s definitely Dad!’ Gafferty waved frantically, then immediately wished she hadn’t. The glider lurched, the tear now a nasty scar across the fabric of the wing. If they didn’t do something soon, it wouldn’t be long before the wing gave way completely.

Wyn was also shouting at them, pointing to the wall below. Gafferty looked down and felt her stomach turn over.

She couldn’t decide which was more terrifying: the sight of the drop, or the sight of Claudia Slymark climbing swiftly towards them.

As gently as she could, she hunted in her scavenger bag for a hook. She took the crooked pin and pushed it through the fibres of the rope until it was fastened in place. Frost began to form on the metal. Gafferty recognised the signs instantly.

‘Miss Slymark has forbidden us from helping,’ said the ghost that filled the air around Gafferty. ‘She must be in an awfully bad mood. It doesn’t bode well for you, I’m afraid.’

‘A shame she wants to spoil our fun,’ snarled the second ghost, its sinewy arms shoving the bulk of the first one aside. ‘Maybe she’ll let us play with the little birdie.’

‘Gafferty!’ There was a roar from the wall below. Claudia was close. ‘Give me the knife, girl!’

‘Go away,’ shouted Gafferty, looking about for a place where the hook might catch.

The first ghost lowered itself near her face. She could feel her hair freezing.

‘Was it true, what you said, about the Mirror?’ it whispered. ‘That if she had it, she wouldn’t need us any more?’

‘Why don’t you go and ask her?’ snapped Gafferty. ‘But think: if my knife can hurt you so much, what will all the pieces of the Mirror do?’

The ghost shivered. The glider shifted again.

‘Throw the rope!’ cried Willoughby. ‘Hurry!’

From above, a tiny bundle plummeted past them, trailing smoke, dropping through the vaporous bodies of the two ghosts. The effect on them was immediate. They recoiled from the bluish haze, choking and spluttering, as if it were poisonous, although it smelt sweet to Gafferty, like flowers.

‘The Roost are in flight!’ cried Will, pointing to the sky. Gafferty looked up and could just make out a glider far above them in the darkness. Then another glider appeared, and another, and another, until there was a whole flock of little Smidgen birds circling the hotel. Each glider’s pilot was throwing the little smoking bundles, which left a fragrant, blue fog in the air. The ghosts were forced to retreat, wheezing horribly.

It didn’t work on Claudia, however. A few of the gliders, including the one carrying Wyn and Dad, buzzed close to her as she climbed, attempting to distract her, but Claudia resolutely carried on, swatting at the little aircraft as if they were flies.

‘This is your last chance, Gafferty,’ the woman called, breathing heavily as she heaved herself up, handhold after handhold. ‘Give me the knife. Or will I have to pick it out from what’s left of your body after it hits the ground?’

It was Gafferty’s last chance. She flung the rope as hard as she could over her head. The hook hit the gutter. She pulled on the line, to check it was secure. It was! And in the nick of time. With an awful shredding noise, the glider began to slide steadily downwards. In a moment there would be no more material left to tear. Gafferty threw her arms around Will’s shoulders, wriggling out of her harness so that she dangled precariously from his back. If she let go of him now it would be the end of her.

‘Unclip your harness,’ she yelled in his ear, as the glider began to drop. ‘And take us out of here!’

Will did as he was told, the harness releasing him just as the broken glider finally fell from the gutter. It tumbled to the ground, so far beneath them the wings appeared as only a small white scrap of cloth. The two of them hung from the rope Gafferty had thrown, swinging dangerously from side to side. Will fumbled for the button on his Upliner.

‘Where is it?’ he muttered.

‘Will! Quickly!’ Gafferty shrieked. It was too late. There was Claudia’s hand, looming up and grasping for them, the woman’s face a mixture of anger and satisfaction.

‘Give in, Gafferty,’ she growled.

‘No! Press the button, Will! Do it NOW!’

Will’s fingers found the button and he hit it with a purposeful thump. The Upliner whirred into life and they soared upwards, the jolt almost shaking Gafferty off from Will’s back. But it wasn’t quick enough: Claudia’s reach was too long, her movements too fast. She clawed the air in front of them and … was still. As the two Smidgens flew to safety, the woman’s hand froze, ice coating her fingers, her skin turning blue. Claudia was as unmoving as a statue, her frosted face permanently fixed in an expression of surprise. She fell away from the wall of the hotel, her limbs stuck in position as if she were climbing an invisible mountain. She toppled backwards and down, and Gafferty was unable to take her eyes off the horrible sight. At the last second, a ghostly cloud rushed to surround the woman, catching her safely in a blanket of mist just before she hit the ground. One of the ghosts looked back up at the Smidgens and, even though it was difficult to tell from that height and in the darkness, Gafferty was sure that it smiled at her.