‘They’re coming for us,’ Hattie ran to where Arthur was beckoning the first of the Hundredth Children through the gate of the compound.
‘We may have a little while before they realise what’s happening,’ he said.
‘They know already, a cockatoo told me.’
Arthur’s features hardened. ‘Hurry,’ he yelled at the children crowding to get out of the gate. ‘You’ve got to go faster.’
But the Hundredth Children’s pace didn’t change. They shuffled out of the gates, taking tiny, pained steps.
‘They’re not used to moving any more,’ Sir Gideon screamed. ‘It’s like they’ve forgotten how to run.’
Hattie tugged the arm of one of the girls at the front. She had to go faster. ‘Move, just move,’ she cried. But it was like dragging someone through sand.
‘How long do we have?’ she asked Sir Gideon.
‘Not long. The cockatoo has to do what it’s told. It’ll have gone to Lord Mortimer. The guards will be alerted, then they’ll come immediately.’
‘What if the guards aren’t there?’
‘Of course they’ll be there.’
‘What if Victor told them that the Lost Seal is buried at the caves, and they’ve all gone to look for it? I heard him say it just after he left the Guild.’
Sir Gideon’s eyes sparkled as he took in what he was hearing. ‘That crafty elephant. And Lord Mortimer won’t have time to get the guards who are garrisoned outside the city.’ He almost smiled. ‘Then, Hattie Brown, we’d better make the most of the time Victor’s bought us. I’ll take the first of the children to the entrance of the underground stream and get them to the Time Worm. You speed up the rest.’ He flew to the front of the Hundredth Children who’d already left the compound. ‘Follow me if you want to go home,’ he yelled. ‘And hurry.’
The rags had unravelled on the feet of one of the girls, and she bent down to bind them again. ‘No time!’ Sir Gideon screamed. ‘Do that when we’re underground.’
Hattie gripped the bars of the compound. ‘The guards are coming,’ she yelled at the Hundredth Children still inside. ‘You’ve got to go faster.’
The boy closest to her sobbed.
‘They’re trying as hard as they can,’ Arthur said.
‘It isn’t enough.’
‘Come on, come on.’ Arthur dragged another child through. ‘Go to the underground stream. Follow everyone else and don’t stop.’
The girl walked away, trailing her feet heavily as she went. ‘It’s no good,’ Arthur called to Hattie. ‘They’re still going at exactly the same speed.’
‘Can I help?’ Hattie swung round to see where the voice was coming from. Lady Violet was hovering behind them. Seeing her, Hattie felt the same calm that came over her when Victor was close by.
‘You’ve come back.’
‘It seemed wrong to be flying away from where we’re needed. That isn’t what Knight Dragons do.’
‘But I heard the dragons say we shouldn’t free the Hundredth Children because there’d be no rain.’
‘Not every dragon thinks alike. And Victor must have thought of that. The reservoirs will see us through for a while.’ Lady Violet looked at the children coming through the gate. ‘I’ll go inside and get them moving. As they get further away from the compound, the pollen will wear off and they’ll begin to go faster.’
‘I’m going to the Keep,’ Hattie said.
‘We need you here,’ Arthur told her.
‘There’s something I have to do.’ He had to trust her and understand that she wouldn’t do it unless it was important. ‘Lady Violet will help you get them out,’ she said. ‘I don’t have time to explain.’
And before Arthur could try to stop her, she’d started to run. She ran away from the main gate. She ran down the side of the compound. She ran past the gazes of the Hundredth Children, who were patiently waiting to leave their prison. And as she ran, she shouted at their passive bodies. ‘When you get to the gate, don’t stop. Get to the underground stream as fast as you can.’
She sprinted the last few yards to the Keep. The door gave easily when she pushed it, and inside she found a dark corridor leading to a stone spiral staircase. Hattie closed the door carefully behind her, trying not to make any sound, and crept along the corridor and up the stairs. It was time to make a difference to all the inhabitants of Somewhere-Nowhere, not just the Hundredth Children.
After the third twist of the spiral, she saw an open door. She tiptoed the last few steps, hating how her slowness ate into the precious seconds. Her heart slammed against her chest as she hunched, peeping round the side of the door frame. The Cloud Keeper stood inside the room. His back was turned away as he looked out of the window to the Hundredth Children escaping from the compound. He was muttering something to himself, but Hattie couldn’t tell what he was saying, and she didn’t wait to find out.
She slunk past the door and sneaked up the staircase until she came across another door. This one was closed. As she inched it open, a blast of fresh air hit her. She’d come outside, to the foot of the stairs that snaked around the outside of the tower. She, Lord Mortimer, and Arthur had watched the Cloud Keeper puff his way up these stairs to get to the roof. It was exactly where she needed to be. Smiling, she set off, climbing two steps at a time until she reached the roof.
In front of her, a large wheel lay on its side. Four wooden spokes jutted out from its rim. This must be what she’d seen the Cloud Keeper pushing when she’d watched from below.
She tested one of the spokes. It would need every bit of her strength if she was going to get the clouds out. But a bit of hard work wasn’t going to stop her now. Hattie planted her feet and braced her shoulders, forcing her weight against the spoke as she pushed. The wheel gave a few centimetres, then stopped.
Hattie braced herself again. She could feel her teeth grinding together. The wheel gave a few more centimetres before stopping.
‘We don’t have time for this.’ She slammed her feet back into position.
The wheel moved another few centimetres. But this time Hattie could see that part of the roof had eased back. It was just a small opening, but it was something.
‘Don’t stop, Hattie, don’t stop,’ she told herself.
She curled her fingers even tighter around the spoke. This time the wheel gave more easily. The roof opened half a metre before stopping.
Hattie glanced down. In the distance, she could see that the first of the Hundredth Children were underground. She imagined them with Sir Gideon, listening as he told them where they needed to go. The thought spurred her on as she pushed. The opening was a metre wide now. She pushed some more. Two metres. She pushed again. Three metres, four metres, five. She pushed again. Six metres, seven metres, eight. She pushed again. Nine metres, ten metres, eleven.
She could see the wispy edges of a cloud.
But then there was a sickening crack. The wheel squealed. This couldn’t be happening. The Cloud Keeper would hear. But even so, she had to keep on pushing. She forced her weight against the spoke.
Twelve metres, thirteen metres, fourteen.
The cloud started to emerge as she heard the door below her burst open.