Midnight Over Sanctaphrax (39 page)
‘And what about you, Twig?’ said Cowlquape.
‘Me?’ said Twig. ‘I must be reunited with my crew -both here and back at Riverrise.’ He sighed. ‘If only Spooler had not died …’
‘Stay here!’ said Cowlquape, gripping Twig by the arms. ‘We'll build the new Sanctaphrax together. You and me …’
‘My place is not here,’ said Twig firmly. ‘It never was. My place is at the helm of a sky ship with my loyal crew by my side.’
Cowlquape screwed up his face. ‘But me?’ he said. ‘What about me? I can't do it all on my own.’
‘Follow your heart, Cowlquape,’ said Twig. ‘Do that, and you won't go far wrong, believe me. Remember, just follow your heart.’ He smiled. ‘And I will follow mine.’
By the time the sky above the Edge began to lighten, the growing rock in the Stone Gardens had been encased in strong netting to which all kinds of heavy weights were being attached by the scurrying academics.
‘Right,’ said Cowlquape, satisfied that, for the time being at least, the rock was secure. ‘I must hurry back to Undertown,’ he said, ‘to discuss the matter of a new Anchor Chain with Silex Makepiece of the League of Forging and Founding. In the meantime, I want you to supervise the rock. Ensure that enough weights are attached to keep it from soaring off.’
‘Certainly, sir,’ Vox, the tall apprentice from the College of Cloud, replied, his voice hushed, oily.
Cowlquape dashed off to the waiting barrow. Vox's eyes narrowed and an unpleasant smirk played on his
lips. ‘You little runt,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘I'll get you one day …’
When he reached the main square of Undertown, Cowlquape noticed a gathering around the dry central fountain. He leant forwards and tapped the barrow-driver on the shoulder.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘If you could let me down for a moment.’
The barrow-driver lowered the shafts of the barrow and Cowlquape jumped out. He ran across to the fountain.
‘What is it?’ he said. ‘What's happening?’
‘Sshhh,
Your Most Highness!’ said a gnokgoblin insistently. ‘Listen.’
Cowlquape cocked his head to one side. From the depths of the fountain echoed a loud gurgling sound. ‘What… ?’ he began.
Then, all at once, as the first rays of the dawn sun fell across the square, there was an ear-splitting roar, and a powerful jet of water gushed up into the air - ten, twenty, thirty strides high - and poured down on everyone standing there.
Cowlquape gasped. ‘It's happened!’ he exclaimed. ‘The Mother Storm has reached Riverrise. She has seeded it with new life. The waters of the Edgewater River are flowing once more. We are saved!’
Forgetting all about their former venerable status, the professors and apprentices leapt for joy with the Undertowners and frolicked in the torrent of water until they were all soaked to the skin. Their doubts were
washed away and, as they opened their mouths and drank the cold, clear water, their bodies were suffused with such energy and optimism, that they cried out in triumph.
‘Long live the Edgewater River!’
‘Long live Undertown!’
‘Long live the new Sanctaphrax!’
And the air trembled with the tumultuous roar that followed,
‘
LONG LIVE THE NEW SANCTAPHRAX
!’
Cowlquape smiled and stepped from the pouring water. The warm sun set his clothes steaming. ‘Cowlquape!’ came a voice. ‘It is time!’
He looked round. There was no-one there, and for the briefest of moments, he wondered whether it wasn't Kobold the Wise speaking to him.
‘Cowlquape! Up here!’
Cowlquape looked up, and shielded his hand against the sun. ‘Twig!’ he cried.
The young captain looked down from the helm of the sky ship, hovering in the sky above. Peering down next to him on one side were Bogwitt, Tarp Hammelherd and Wingnut Sleet. Although they were standing in the dark shadow thrown by the towering aftcastle, neither they nor Twig were glowing: the luminous light had been extinguished with the passing of the Mother Storm. On Twig's other
side were Teasel, Stile, Jervis and, bedecked in feathers and jewels, the brogtroll, Grimlock - most of Thunderbolt Vulpoon's crew. Cowlquape noticed the name of the sky ship, its gold letters gleaming. It was the
Skyraider.
‘I found them waiting for me at the boom-docks!’ Twig shouted down. ‘Now, I will return to Riverrise for the others - Sky willing! For Goom. For Woodfish. For Maugin …’ He smiled. ‘I came to say goodbye.’
Cowlquape's heart sank. Goodbye? ‘So soon! You're going so soon, Twig?’ he shouted.
‘I must. But our paths will cross again,’ Twig called back. ‘For now though, Cowlquape, your place is here.’
The sails of the
Skyraider
billowed. The sky ship lurched forwards.
‘Twig!’ called Cowlquape.
‘Fare you well, Cowlquape!’ Twig cried out, as he turned his attention to the flight-levers.
The sky ship soared off into the sky Cowlquape watched as it grew smaller and smaller, silhouetted against the lemon yellow of the rising sun. It had been wonderful accompanying Twig on his quest - and part of him yearned to be by his side now, on board the
Skyraider
and heading back for Riverrise. In his heart, however, Cowlquape knew that his place was not on board a sky pirate ship. It was indeed here that his duty lay.
Follow your heart, and I will follow mine,
was what Twig had told him. It was all anyone could do. And as Cowlquape took one last, lingering look at the sky ship, he smiled.
Twig was following his heart; now it was time for him, Cowlquape, to follow his.
‘Farewell, Twig, my friend,’ he cried out. ‘And may Sky be with you, wherever you may go!’
For Anna and Katy
A DAVID FICKLING BOOK
Published by David Fickling Books
an imprint of Random House Children's Books
a division of Random House, Inc.
New York
Text and illustrations copyright © 2000 by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
Originally published in Great Britain by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House Children's Books
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stewart, Paul.
Midnight over Sanctaphrax / by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.—
1st American ed.
p. cm.— (The edge chronicles)
SUMMARY: Twig, a young sky pirate captain, is the only one who can save
the floating city of Sanctaphrax from the Mother Storm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-52261-0
[1. Fantasy] I. Riddell, Chris. II. Title.
PZ7.S84975Mid 2004
[Fie]—dc22
2003026539
v3.0
