35
President Pickle looked at them strangely.
‘What is it?’ Cynthia asked anxiously, appearing at his side.
Zack was just about to answer when Jonny placed a hand on his and Sophie’s shoulders, silencing them both. There was something in the way that President Pickle was staring that just didn’t add up; his eyes were roaming around, out of focus.
Oh, Granddad, you haven’t, have you? thought Jonny, feeling like he might be in a dream.
‘Must have come from inside,’ grumbled President Pickle, walking away from the safe, shaking his head.
Jonny looked at Sophie and Zack wide-eyed, a wild grin across his face. They were inside a one-way mirror tunnel!*
‘Ernest must have set this up when we were in the Junior Room,’ whispered Zack.
‘I knew the safe had been moved,’ whispered Sophie, marvelling at the illusion. Jonny tried his luck by pulling a silly face at President Pickle, who went on arguing with Cynthia, oblivious to the Young Magicians on the stage behind him!
Zack smiled, thinking how Alex would have loved seeing an illusion like this in action.
The three reached the gauze curtain at the back of the stage, squeezing underneath, careful not to disturb it and give themselves away.
‘Which way to the roof?’ asked Jonny quietly.
‘This way!’ said Sophie, twinkling and grabbing the rungs at the bottom of the tall, sturdy ladder that stretched above them.
Up they went, high into the flies, climbing stealthily.
They reached the top, turning a sharp left without breaking stride, and paced along the lofty walkway towards the second ladder, pleased to see that it had already been unfurled – Thank you, Alf. Not far to go now!
Sophie pushed on the wooden boards, firmly opening a kind of trapdoor, and swung through out on to the roof.
Wow, they were high!
The three of them stood on the rooftop, surveying the dusky London skyline. Had they really come this far already? Way, way ahead in the distance, Jonny could just about make out the magnificent outline of Buckingham Palace, the tiny flag flapping in the wind. At least the Queen was in. Imagine if they’d got all this way, only to find out she’d stayed at Balmoral tonight. Sorry, come back another day. Off with their heads!
‘What about Alex?’ said Zack thickly, glad to finally speak at full volume.
Jonny and Sophie stared at him, frowning. No, they couldn’t possibly go ahead without him. They’d hatched the plan as a foursome; without Alex they simply weren’t the Young Magicians!
‘I’ll find him,’ came a voice – an adult voice – behind them.
They turned with a start as Alf walked casually towards them, his eyes shining in the dwindling light.
Phew!
‘Will you?’ said Zack passionately, letting out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you! Something must have happened to him – he wouldn’t just leave us in the lurch like this.’
‘Don’t worry. I promise to keep him safe. But he’d want you to keep going – you know he would.’
Zack chewed on his bottom lip; the man was right – Alex would want them to complete what they’d set out to do. More than that, he would hate to think they’d altered their plans because of him.
‘Oh, erm … Hi, I’m Jonny by the way – nice to finally meet you!’ said Jonny, extending his hand. ‘I hear you’ve been a real help today!’
‘And it looks like you’ve been busy too, young lad!’ Alf said with a nod towards the zip-line. ‘But if you’re going, then you must go now,’ he added pressingly, looking over his shoulder. ‘There’s no way Cynthia will let them keep that safe door shut much longer. And once President Pickle sees that you’re not where you’re supposed to be, who knows what he might do?’
Sophie sensed that Zack was struggling with this. But Alf was right: they had to go on! She stared at Zack.
Finally he nodded.
Jonny took a deep breath. ‘OK,’ he said, sounding rather officious all of a sudden. ‘It’s a one-and-a-half-mile trip to BP from here, and there’s an overall descent of about ten metres.’
Zack and Sophie nodded dutifully, as if they were being given a safety briefing before a flight.
‘It might not seem like we’re going very fast at first,’ continued Jonny. ‘But by the end we’ll have picked up quite a pace!’
He handed them each what appeared to be an over-thickened coat hanger (partly because that’s exactly what they were). ‘OK, so this end goes over the wire like this …’ He hooked them over the fine wire and squeezed the tops round into a continuous loop so that they couldn’t come off. ‘And then the only rule is … hang on tight!’
‘Great. Now go!’ Alf encouraged. ‘And look after yourselves.’
Sophie frowned as he headed back towards the attic, her heart and head suddenly a strange mix of emotions. ‘Wait!’ She ran over, whispering something before backing away, biting her lip. Alf gave her a quick smile before vanishing down into the attic.
‘What was all that about?’ asked Zack.
‘Never mind.’ Sophie was keen to change the subject and get going. ‘Now, Jonny, are you sure this thing is safe?’
Jonny twanged the fine wire, glad to find that it was still super taut. He looked back at her like this proved it. ‘Oh yes, it’s completely safe!’
Sophie gulped.
‘Ooh, almost forgot!’ said Jonny, grabbing some large black umbrellas he’d stowed under an air vent. ‘These should help break our fall when the time comes to leap off.’
Sophie stared up at him, eyes wide. ‘We leap off?’ she repeated. Surely this was madness!
‘You’ll soon see – don’t worry about it!’ said Jonny, taking up his position on the ledge again and alternating the coat hangers with the umbrellas, hooking them on to the wire like clothes on a washing line. ‘Hmm, that’s odd …’
‘Oh no, what now?’ said Zack, fearful of what Jonny might have forgotten to do, or forgotten to tie up or …
‘No, it’s just … I thought I’d packed four umbrellas, but … Never mind – I must have miscounted!’
Zack rolled his eyes, his heart pounding. Now wasn’t the time to be questioning any of these calculations, Jonny!
‘OK – please make sure that your umbrella stays in front of you at all times!’ said Jonny, mimicking a flight attendant. ‘And please ensure it remains closed and in an upright position until the very end!’
Zack and Sophie looked at each other disbelievingly. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust their friend; they were just nervous about putting Isaac Newton directly in charge. Slowly, cautiously, they stepped up on to the ledge beside Jonny high above Stephenson Way, gripping their coat hangers tightly.
Far below, the rush hour was well underway, commuters fighting past each other, scrabbling about to get the next tube or bus home. Didn’t they know there were quicker, more direct modes of transport?
‘Well … Here goes!’ Jonny hopped off the edge. For a second he just remained there, hanging, the wire humming in the breeze, the darkening sky preventing him from being seen by those below. Well, the wire seemed to be holding at least …
One and a half miles away, the small tree next to the wall of Buckingham Palace gave another reassuring shake.
Slowly, inch by inch, Jonny started to glide away from the roof of the Magic Circle, sliding down the wire with increasing speed as physics started to do its thing.
‘It works, it works!’ he cried.
Zack and Sophie shook their heads disbelievingly … Jonny had only gone and done it! Sophie suddenly pushed herself and Zack off the ledge.
‘Oh great – thanks, Sophie!’ shouted Zack, petrified, as they bounced along the wire towards Jonny.
‘Not a problem!’ said the girl, trying not to look down and keen to get the journey over with.
‘Why, welcome aboard, comrades!’ said Jonny as Zack and Sophie caught up with him. ‘Do hold on tight now!’
It was a beautiful, terrifying journey and without doubt the best of Jonny’s science constructions to date. The zip-line was already head and shoulders above the Rydal Falls project (in that this actually worked, and didn’t make him feel like he’d been attached to the underside of a bull for the whole day).
Zack and Sophie held on tight, trying to ignore the strain in their arms, transfixed now by the buildings below as the lights flickered on and off through the windows, blinking and winking up at them, like they knew something was going on, but keeping shtum.
Surely this was the best way to see London, thought Zack, his confidence growing as he flew past the BT Tower, zipping along at quite a speed now, the wind rushing in his face and causing the tops of his ears to glow.
And so the Young Magicians Minus One continued …
Over the roof of the American church near Goodge Street where a wedding had just taken place, the remnants of some windswept confetti catching in their faces, over the glowing billboards of Piccadilly Circus where they’d first learned of DI Caulfield stealing Zack’s idea, over the Ritz and its dazzling top-floor suites that cost thousands to reserve and even more to clean up afterwards by the look of the military operation currently in progress, and into Green Park – picking up speed all the time as they sank closer and closer towards the tall trees, their feet now beginning to skirt the tops of branches, flicking off leaves like they were verge trimmers.
Jonny looked down at his feet as the ground beneath continued to rush past. He didn’t want to say it out loud just yet, but they were going way too fast. Way, way too fast! Maybe he hadn’t factored in exactly how smooth their journey would be, or perhaps the wind was behind them – but whatever the reason, they were travelling too quickly. And Buckingham Palace was approaching rapidly.
There was no way round it – they’d have to use the umbrellas to slow them down on the wire. Which meant they’d have to travel the last hundred metres one-handed.
Jonny raised his voice. ‘We’ll have to open the umbrellas now to slow us down! But don’t let go of the wire until we reach the end … Obviously.’
‘What? What did he say?’ cried out Zack, aware that Jonny was trying to tell them something but only really able to make out the vowels over the noise of the wind: ‘Aaaa eee iii ooouu!’
‘He says,’ shouted Sophie, trying to keep her voice steady, ‘that we’re to open our umbrellas now to help slow us down. But stay on the wire!’
‘You mean we’re supposed to hold on with one hand?’
Neither Sophie nor Jonny answered, which Zack took as a ‘Sadly yes!’ Oh great! He tried to ignore the pain already mounting in his arms.
Jonny freed his right hand and reached forward, carefully unhooking the umbrella trailing just in front of him, his left arm already starting to twinge as it took his full weight. With a flourish he shook open the umbrella, which caught the air in an instant, slowing him down but causing Sophie and Zack to crash into him so strongly that he jerked off to the side.
Instinctively, Jonny let go of the umbrella, needing both hands to resteady himself on the zip-line above. ‘Damn it!’ he said as he watched the umbrella plummet down into Green Park, narrowly missing a jogger, who was convinced she’d just seen a UFO.
‘Let me try!’ said Sophie, opening her umbrella, decelerating immediately and causing Zack to come crashing up against her. But the rushing wind was too much for the brolly, causing it to invert like a cheap cocktail stick. Regretfully, Sophie let go, reaching back up towards the zip-line, spreading her weight evenly across the hanger with both hands – a welcome relief … of sorts! The umbrella flapped to the ground gracelessly, like a blackbird with a broken wing.
‘Let me try and pass you my umbrella!’ screamed Zack as they picked up speed again. ‘It’s no good me trying to slow us down from the back!’
Jonny could see the small tree that marked their end point coming into focus as they rushed towards it at a terrifying speed.
‘Here!’ called Zack as he thrust the umbrella at Sophie.
She twisted round as best she could and in one swift movement took it from Zack and swung it in Jonny’s direction.
He grabbed hold of it carefully. If this brolly failed as well, then there would be no doubt they’d have enough momentum to send them hurtling over the wall of Buckingham Palace – but not in the slow, graceful Mary Poppins-style way Jonny had envisaged. And then what? Crushed bones, twisted necks, sprained hips – hardly the etiquette when presenting oneself in front of Her Majesty! What had he been thinking?
As Green Park sped past beneath his feet, Jonny held the umbrella out in front of him, figuring that it was better to try and open the dreaded thing slowly, rather than catch the breeze in a blast like last time. Gradually it began to unfurl … they were closer to the ground now, like a plane speedily cruising over the start of its landing strip.
But it was impossible to keep the umbrella from catching in the turbulent air, and – like a perfect sail – it dragged Jonny’s right arm behind him, causing the boy to rotate almost 180 degrees so that he was now face to face with Sophie, travelling backwards. Not ideal! But at least it was slowing them down. As before, Zack came crashing into Sophie, who was now sandwiched between the two boys, both of whom screamed a million apologies to her over the billowing wind.
Now that he was the only one who could see where they were going, Zack began the countdown. The tree was approaching at a terrifying speed. He gulped as he spotted the wall beyond it. ‘Let go on three, two … one! LET GO!’
They careened through the air, skimming over the wall of Buckingham Palace wondering – fearfully – what might be on the other side. Concrete? Gravel? Spikes and fireworks? Hydrangeas?
A billion thoughts flashed through Zack’s mind as, out of the corner of his eye, he watched their last brolly flap and crash headlong into the wall. Was this how they met their end? Impaled as a three in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, found dead the next morning by some drippy corgi out for his first poop of the day before duty called?
Jonny didn’t know what to think. Was this all his fault? Should he have tested the contraption first? But they’d simply run out of time. It was amazing that they’d got this far.
Sophie actually stood the best chance of surviving the fall, being presently cushioned between the two boys, but it was hardly an ideal situation.
The three of them closed their eyes as they sensed the ground approaching, the smell of a well-kept garden fast filling their nostrils. Damp mulchy leaves, moss, pine cones and bark, freshly cut grass, twigs, compost … Soft, cushioning compost.
They landed together like they’d just arrived at Sophie’s hotel and were trying out the giant, feathery bed for the first time.
The three cautiously opened their eyes, not believing their luck.
Standing over them, like a tiny urchin chimney sweep, was Alex, his right hand wrapped in a filthy bandage, his left hand holding a garden hoe, panting, sweating, but smiling.
ALEX!