The Midnight Mercenary Page 2

  Amelia felt her heart lurch. She knew Krskn only by name – but every time she’d ever heard that name spoken, it was in anxious, fearful tones. Whenever anyone talked about danger coming through the gateway, whenever they talked about absolute, terrifying worst-case scenarios, Krskn was the name that came up.

  ‘He’s here?’ Mum said.

  ‘And he’s cut the power,’ said Tom. ‘Whatever he’s here for, he wants us in the dark.’

  ‘OK,’ said Mum, trying to rally. ‘OK. It’s Krskn, and he’s cut the power. OK. We can deal with that.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Skye. But that’s not all.’

  Amelia bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Even more frightening than the thought of Krskn out there messing with them was the sorrow in Tom’s voice. And then he said it:

  ‘I’m sorry, Skye. He’s already got Scott.’

  Amelia ran out of the hotel and immediately collided with someone. She felt Mum’s hands catch her. ‘Where is he?’ she yelled to Tom. ‘Where’s my dad?’

  ‘Get her inside, Skye!’ Tom bellowed. ‘Now!’

  Amelia shoved at Mum, pushing against her in anger as she was dragged back into the lobby, leaving Tom outside. Mum’s body flickered, disappeared and suddenly it was Charlie grabbing her fists and saying, ‘Shh! Stop it, Amelia, it’s me!’

  ‘I know it’s you, you creep!’ she hissed, grasping for the holo-emitter. ‘How could you do that? Give it to me! I’m going to smash it –’

  ‘What’s going on?’ This time it really was her mum, silhouetted in the library doorway. ‘Amelia! What’s happened?’

  ‘Dad’s gone!’ Amelia cried.

  ‘What? Gone where?’ She hurried over to Amelia.

  ‘Krskn took him! I don’t know where.’

  Mum staggered slightly, but her voice was steady. ‘Krskn? Why do you think that?’

  ‘Tom said!’ Amelia shouted, and then added viciously, ‘Ask Charlie – he’s the one Tom told.’

  ‘Charlie?’ his mum asked, confused but already suspicious. ‘Why would Tom –?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter why,’ Charlie said quickly. ‘Tom told us – told me,’ he admitted, ‘that Krskn was here, that he cut the power, and he took Mr Walker.’

  Mum was silent for several long seconds. In the dim candlelight of the lobby, Amelia could see her pale face frowning in concentration. Then her shoulders squared and she lifted her chin.

  ‘So,’ said Mum. ‘Here’s the situation: in an hour or so, more than twenty aliens, mostly children, will arrive at the hotel. For whatever reason, they gave us no real warning that they were coming. Now we have Krskn somewhere loose on the grounds, cutting our power and leaving us blind – I don’t think it’s too big a leap of logic to assume he’s targeting the kids.’

  ‘Us?’ Charlie gasped.

  ‘No, not you – the alien kids. Which means two things: one, these children need our protection. We must do everything we can to keep them safe.’

  ‘Right,’ said Amelia shakily.

  ‘And two,’ said Mum, ‘doing so is going to put us all in mortal danger.’

  Mum led them back into the library. James was still lounging on the sofa, a little pile of books now gathering on the floor beside him.

  ‘All right, sis?’ he asked lazily. ‘Did you see a ghost?’

  ‘That’s enough, James,’ Mum snapped. ‘We’re in real trouble right now, and whether you like it or not, you’re involved.’

  ‘Me?’ James was indignant. ‘What did I do?’

  ‘It’s not about you, James!’ Amelia yelled. ‘It’s about Dad!’

  ‘What happened to Dad?’

  ‘He’s been kidnapped,’ said Mum, utterly matter-of-fact.

  ‘He’s what? Kidnapped? Oh, come on now –’

  Mum ignored him and went on. ‘The kidnapper’s still out there, which means there’s hope of finding your dad. But it also means that any one of us could be next. All of you need to stay inside the hotel. At all times. Preferably in the library itself, do you understand?’

  Amelia nodded, feeling cold.

  ‘Stay where you’ve got light, and stick together so you can watch out for each other. Mary, go and get the first-aid kit. With so many young guests coming, we should have it near. And when they do arrive, bring them in here, too. I assume they already understand the situation, and they won’t mind bunkering down in here for the night.’

  Mary nodded and rushed out of the room. But Amelia saw a problem. ‘Why are you telling Mary what to do? Why can’t you do it?’

  Mum smiled sadly and Amelia knew what she was about to say. ‘Because I’m going out to find Dad and help Tom.’

  ‘No!’ Amelia was close to panic. ‘Not you, too! You have to stay here with us.’

  ‘Cookie.’ Mum hugged her. ‘Don’t you want me to help Dad?’

  ‘Yes, but –’

  ‘It’s OK, Amelia. I know how to do this. Diplomatic work isn’t all sitting at a desk and going to balls, you know. I’ve done some … fieldwork in my time. And Gateway Control have made sure I’ve got some tools for the job.’

  ‘You mean a gun?’ asked Charlie.

  Mum smiled. ‘Not a gun.’

  ‘You’d be better off with a gun,’ said Amelia.

  ‘A gun?’ James scoffed. ‘What is this, one of those role-playing games? Because I get it now – so, like, Dad’s Professor Mustard in the library, and we’ve got to solve the crime, right?’

  Amelia gritted her teeth. ‘We’re in the library, James. And Dad’s missing. What part of that seems like a game to you?’

  ‘The part where Mum gets a gun and runs off into the night like James Bond.’

  Mum turned to him, took his face in both hands, and kissed him on the forehead. ‘I love you, James. Stay in the library and promise me you’ll try not to get yourself kidnapped before you figure out which one of us here is playing games with himself.’

  James’s mouth dropped open, but he quickly shut it and put on his usual sneer.

  Mum hugged Amelia tightly. ‘Be safe, sweetheart. I’ll be back soon, and with Dad, OK?’

  Amelia nodded, not able to speak, and then Mum was gone – out of the library, and out of the hotel, into the same darkness that was hiding Krskn.

  What if Mum never came back? What if that was the last time Amelia ever saw her? That could have been literally the last second Amelia had parents. For all she knew, she was already an orphan.

  Charlie patted her on the back. ‘At least it’s stopped raining,’ he said kindly. ‘Your mum won’t get too wet.’

  Amelia knew Charlie was trying to make up for his stupid stunts with the holo-emitter, but it was too much for her right now. She was too frightened, and still too angry. Tricking James had been slack and stupid, but pretending to be her mum was just wrong. He’d used Mum’s voice to get information out of Tom, and that had been using Tom, too.

  Charlie hadn’t meant any harm, she knew that. He never did, but that didn’t make his stunts any better. She didn’t even want to look at him right now. Instead, she settled down on the floor and played with Grawk. She made a fist, and Grawk curled himself into a ball, wrapping his tail tightly around his paws and flatting back his ears. Then she opened her hand out like a star, and he leapt into the air with his legs stretched wide and his mouth split into a grin. He landed silently.

  Amelia put two fingers on the ground and walked them around. Grawk stood up on his back paws and toddled a dozen or so steps toward her.

  ‘How do you make him do that?’ Charlie marvelled. Amelia rolled her eyes. Like Charlie was actually suddenly interested in Grawk.

  ‘He’s amazing,’ Charlie went on. ‘You can make him do anything!’

  ‘I don’t make him. I just sort of … suggest things, and see if he agrees.’

  Charlie regarded the creature with cautious respect. Grawk was still standing awkwardly when he suddenly dropped to all fours, spun away from Amelia and raced to the library’s French doors.

  �
��Grawk?’ Amelia scrambled to her feet.

  He flicked one ear back to show he’d heard her, but he didn’t turn from whatever it was he’d seen out there.

  ‘Grawk?’ she said again, the hair prickling on the back of her neck. Was something out there in the dark? It could be Mum. Or Tom. But the way Grawk was behaving …

  He barked sharply. Not once, but over and over.

  ‘Shut up, dog,’ said James, throwing a shoe at him.

  Grawk kept barking.

  ‘Amelia, shut your dog up, will you?’

  Mary stopped and peered at him anxiously. ‘I’ve never heard him bark before.’

  ‘What do you think he means, Amelia?’ said Charlie.

  James snorted. ‘What does it mean? What is it saying? It’s not Lassie, guys – there is no special message. It’s a dog. If it’s saying anything at all, it’s, “Let me out, I’m busting for a wee.”’

  Without waiting for a response, he got off the sofa, pushed past Charlie and Amelia, and opened the French doors. Grawk stopped barking and sped out into the night. Being entirely black, he disappeared almost instantly.

  ‘You … you … moron!’ Amelia screeched. ‘Why did you do that?’

  And to her total embarrassment, she burst into tears.

  ‘Oh, grow up, Amelia,’ said James. ‘Not everyone around here wants to keep indulging you in your stupid make-believe. It’s about time you started living in the real –’

  But Amelia had had more than enough of James’s stupidity. She’d already lost two parents tonight – she wasn’t about to lose Grawk as well. Without another thought, Amelia ran through the open door and into the dark.

  ‘Amelia, wait!’ Charlie yelled from close behind. He must have run into the garden after her.

  ‘Go back!’ she shouted. ‘I don’t want you to get caught too!’

  ‘Too late,’ said Charlie, zeroing in on the sound of her voice. ‘Anyway, I owe you.’

  ‘For what?’ Amelia was impatient, but couldn’t deny it felt better to have Charlie out here with her.

  ‘For being kind of a massive suck-head before. You know, with the holo-emitter and stuff.’

  ‘And stuff,’ Amelia repeated. ‘That covers a lot.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  There was a silence, and then Charlie said, ‘Well?’

  ‘Well what?’

  ‘Do you forgive me? Can we get on with being friends, or what?’

  Amelia laughed bitterly. ‘That was an apology?’

  Charlie sighed. ‘Look, Amelia, I’m only going to say this once, and I’m only saying it at all because we’re totally in the dark and I can’t see you and we’re probably both going to die any minute anyway, but –’ He drew in a deep breath. ‘The fact is, you’re my best friend, and you would be even if I had other friends. Your family is practically the only good thing that has happened to me since I was three years old and my dad took me to Uluru, and I never, ever want to do anything to make any of you hate me and not want me around. Ever.’

  Amelia felt very quiet. ‘Oh.’

  ‘Right,’ said Charlie. ‘So can we get a move on and find Grawk before Krskn catches us?’

  That was a terrific idea, but Amelia hadn’t a clue where to start. Now the rain had stopped, the clouds were thinning and there was the slightest haze of moonlight in the air. It wasn’t nearly enough to see by, but Amelia could just make out the rough shape of the grounds around her. She looked back at the hotel, at the light gleaming through the library’s French doors, and tried to figure out the rough direction Grawk had been staring in before James let him out. Amelia turned to get her bearings.

  ‘This way,’ she said.

  They bumped along through the sodden grass, and Amelia stumbled on the edge of a garden bed.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Charlie whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered back, wondering if Krskn were sitting in the bushes beside them right that very moment. How did he do it? The kidnapping or murdering or whatever it was he did? Would he hit them over the head and shove them into a bag, or did he have spring-loaded traps hidden under leaves? Or perhaps he had a ray gun and would freeze them before they even knew he was there. She hoped it was the ray gun.

  ‘Where to now?’ asked Charlie.

  Amelia hesitated. Ahead of them and off a bit to one side, she saw something. It was faintly yellow, and coming closer. She clutched Charlie’s arm. ‘Look!’

  It was Grawk, silent and nearly invisible except for those luminous eyes.

  Amelia bent down to him. ‘Where did you go?’ She scratched behind his ears. ‘I was so worried. Well, come on. We’re going to get in huge trouble with Charlie’s mum because of you.’

  But Grawk had other ideas. Standing on his back legs, he delicately nipped her fingers and pulled her forward – away from the hotel.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Charlie hissed.

  ‘I think … he wants us to follow him.’

  Charlie grunted. ‘He’d better be on our side. I’ll feel pretty stupid if he just invited us to go and meet his old pal, Krskn.’

  But Amelia trusted Grawk fully. She bent over to hold his tail, and took Charlie’s hand. They followed the alien dog in an awkward line through the dark. He took them around the edge of the rose gardens, down a side path to the back of the hotel, and through some very closely grown, scratchy bushes. Just as Amelia started to wonder if he was chasing random smells in the grass, he stopped. The moon had come out enough now for her to see they were standing in front of a small brick building with a wooden door.

  ‘Go on,’ Charlie whispered.

  She pulled the door open, wincing as the hinges squealed, shockingly loud in the night. To her surprise, Dad’s torch was lying on the floor in front of her, its electric beam starting to fade and pointing uselessly at the wall.

  Coming from inside the room, she heard a scuffle – feet scraping on dusty concrete and kicking at bricks. Without thinking, she snatched the torch and shone it into the room. If they were about to be attacked by Krskn, at least they would see him coming.

  The beam flashed over a wall of different dials and meters, as well as a ruined fuse box, but what grabbed Amelia’s attention were the legs in the far corner of the room. Dad’s legs. His feet were tapping the ground to make sure she found him – but where was Dad’s body? Above his waist was nothing but blackness and shadows.

  For one horrifying second, Amelia thought her father had been sliced in half, and Krskn had left only the legs behind, somehow still nightmarishly alive. But then she realised that Dad’s body had been glued to the wall by an enormous band of what looked like tar. It bound his arms to his sides and pressed him hard into the corner, holding him flat against the bricks, and covering him right up to his nose. He could still breathe, hear and see, but apart from tapping his feet he was helpless.

  ‘Dad!’ Amelia cried, and started toward him, but before she could touch him, he kicked the wall violently and glared.

  Amelia stopped short and stared at him, confused. He started tapping on the floor again. ‘Dad?’

  He kept tapping.

  ‘He’s doing morse code!’ said Charlie. ‘The tapping!’

  Now Amelia listened properly, she could hear the repeating rhythm too. ‘What’s he saying?’

  ‘GO,’ said Charlie. ‘Just: GO, GO, GO.’

  ‘No.’ Amelia looked at Dad. ‘Grawk brought us here to save you. We’re not leaving you.’

  Her dad tapped again, slowly and clearly so Charlie could follow. ‘GO … NOW… KRSKN … HERE … DANGER … no, wait, DANGEROUS… FOR … YOU.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ said Amelia.

  Dad tapped.

  ‘What?’ said Amelia, as Charlie paused and grimaced.

  ‘PLEASE, COOKIE.’

  Amelia couldn’t move. She had found her dad – how could she just walk away and leave him to Krskn? It wasn’t possible.

  She was still standing there, wondering what to do, when she heard branches snapping outside a
nd the heavy thud of boots. She lurched around, the torch flashing over Charlie’s horrified face before dazzling the burly figure pushing through the bushes to reach them.

  ‘Put that down,’ the figure said gruffly. ‘Want to blind me?’

  ‘Tom?’ Amelia dropped the light from Tom’s face and waited for her heart to restart in her chest. Grawk, she noticed, was sitting calmly beside her. Obviously Tom hadn’t taken him by surprise.

  ‘What are you two doing out of the hotel?’ Tom hissed. ‘I know you heard me, Amelia – Krskn’s here somewhere.’

  ‘And now I know where my dad is!’ she hissed back.

  ‘So what? You can’t undo the binding tar, so you’re no use to your dad. All you’re doing is handing yourselves to Krskn for free, and what good is that going to do anyone?’

  Brutal as ever. Amelia couldn’t argue with Tom, though. As usual he was right, but she refused to leave just yet. She turned to Dad. ‘Does it hurt?’

  He tapped.

  ‘NO,’ said Charlie. ‘NOT … AT … ALL.’ And then, as Dad kept tapping, he went on, ‘BUT … I … HAVE … A … TERRIBLE … ITCH … ON … MY … NOSE.’

  Amelia tried to smile as she stepped forward to scratch the end of Dad’s long nose. It was hardly a hug or a kiss or even a proper goodbye, but it was all she could do right now.

  He tapped again.

  ‘GO,’ said Charlie. ‘GO … NOW. QUICKLY.’

  ‘Come on,’ said Tom. ‘This door made enough noise to wake the dead when you opened it. It got my attention anyway, and I was halfway down the hill. It’s almost certain Krskn knows we’re all here.’

  That got Amelia moving. She didn’t feel any better about leaving Dad, but she couldn’t stand it if Charlie was kidnapped because of her. She set the torch on the floor so that it pointed at the roof, lighting up the whole meter room with an electric glow that was getting fainter by the minute, but was hopefully better than nothing.

  She followed Charlie and Tom back into the gardens. The moon was still trying to shine through the clouds, but thunder was starting to rumble again in the distance. Every now and then a cloud flicked on like a giant lamp as lightning sparked inside it.