Nessie frowned as Prince Kalman made no attempt to stop them.
Now Nessie had her moods and although she was quick to lose her temper she was equally quick in making up — but Neil and Clara, she suddenly realized, weren’t to know this and now that they’d run off into the tunnels, she looked after them apprehensively, wishing that she hadn’t been quite so dramatic.
“Leave them,” Kalman shrugged, his voice casual. “With any luck they’ll get lost in the tunnels and we’ll never hear of them again.” He bowed mockingly to Nessie. “If they do turn up, you can give them to Grechan. If they don’t … well, give him my regards, anyway. Tell him I’ll be back soon!”
And with that, Kalman muttered a hex and promptly disappeared.
29. Kabad to the Rescue
“Stop, Clara,” Neil gasped, his lungs bursting. “Stop! We’ve run far enough and nobody’s chasing us.”
Clara leant against the wall of the tunnel, clutching her side. She had a stitch and her breath was coming in great gasps. Never in her life had she felt so scared.
“Where are you, Neil?” she panted. “I can’t see you. It’s so dark and …” she shivered, “I’m freezing cold.”
Neil walked towards the sound of her voice. “I can’t help it,” she said, her teeth chattering. “It’s just fright that’s making me all shivery.”
What they needed, Neil thought, was some warmer clothes for the thin, silky stuff of their pantomime costume was no protection whatsoever against the freezing draught that edged sharply along the tunnel.
“I think we should go back,” Neil said, “while we remember the way.”
“No! How can you even think about it? Nessie’s horrible!!”
“She can’t be all that bad if Arthur likes her. And he does, you know.”
“Well …” she sounded doubtful.
“We’ll freeze if we don’t keep moving,” Neil insisted, “and if we go any further, we might get lost.” So, arms outstretched, they made their way back the way they had come. At least they thought they did. It was only much later when they’d stumbled along for a good half hour that Neil called a halt. “We must have missed a turning,” he admitted, anxiously. “We didn’t run from Nessie for more than a few minutes. We’re lost, Clara!”
“Shhhh!” Clara grabbed Neil’s arm. “I can hear something! Listen …”
It was a strange flapping noise and it was coming closer. Clara stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
“Are you there?” a voice whispered. They heard it in their heads, in much the same way as they heard Kitor and Amgarad.
Neil relaxed thankfully for it didn’t sound like a terribly fierce voice. “Yes, we’re here,” he answered, guessing that the flapping noise was the sound of webbed feet. “Who are you? Are you a water goblin?”
“Yes, my name is Kabad. I … I thought you might be lost.”
“We are,” Neil answered. “Thank goodness you came to look for us! Was it Nessie that sent you? Or the prince?”
“No, I came on my own. I was Arthur’s friend when he was here, you see. I liked him and he told me lots of stories about the MacArthurs and Archie and Arthur’s Seat.”
Knowing that Arthur would never have chatted about Archie and the MacArthurs to anyone he didn’t like, reassured Clara. “I think he really wants to help us, Neil,” she whispered.
Neil nodded and although Clara couldn’t see him, she sensed that he agreed with her. “Kabad, we want to speak to Nessie about Arthur but she was so angry with us that we’re a bit afraid.”
Kabad sounded doubtful. “She’ll probably be all right when she calms down.”
“You see, Nessie doesn’t really understand why Arthur left. He was homesick for the hill, worried about his treasure and … oh, lots of other things. I’m sure he wants to come back and see her but I think he’s afraid she might be angry. Could you tell her that?”
There was a silence. “Nessie sometimes eats goblins when she is hungry, or if they make her angry,” Kabad said fearfully.
“Kabad,” Clara said, remembering the goblins’ fascination for their clothes, “if you do what Neil asks then I’ll … I’ll give you my shiny clothes.”
Kabad hissed as he thought of the clothes. Never, in his whole life, had he seen such wonderful things and his heart swelled at the thought of owning them. Of course, he told himself, he would never be able to wear them except in secret, for the other goblins would be jealous and take them from him but … but perhaps he could hide them somewhere safe and take them out to look at from time to time …