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'Anyone get the feeling we're coming up under a kitchen?' whispered Tristram.
| 17,866 | 35,858,300 |
It would not be long before they found out, for up ahead the way was growing lighter and soon they found themselves standing behind a rickety wooden door. It had so many cracks and knot-holes in it that light from the other side was leaking through like a sieve.
| 17,866 | 35,858,301 |
They bunched up together, each of them keen to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond. Tristram found a convenient knot-hole and carefully appraised the scene, before addressing his two understudies.
| 17,866 | 35,858,302 |
'Okay, right,' he said quietly. 'The coast looks clear. We've got a long corridor with doors leading off to either side. At the far end there's a door similar to this one. Basically we've got to do this the old-fashioned way and search every room until we find your friend. Now, there may be no sign of anyone at the moment, but that rather tantalising smell in the air would suggest otherwise. As I said before; keep your wits about you. You may be required to put some of what you have learned to good use. Are you ready?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,303 |
Ryan and Daisy both nodded. In truth, neither of them was, but the anticipation was too much to bear and they were anxious to see what the dream had in store for them next. Had they known, they might not have been so eager.
| 17,866 | 35,858,304 |
With a grim smile, Tristram reached down and turned the old cast-iron handle. The door swung open to reveal a long, stone corridor. They were clearly still underground, but this time a great deal more effort had been put into their surroundings; the flagstones on the floor were smooth and well fitted, and the brickwork was laid to a similarly high standard. Even the arched ceiling was smooth and devoid of any dampness. At various points along the walls torches were mounted, and the light these gave off was supplemented by that from a number of oil lamps hanging from the ceiling. For a fleeting moment Ryan recalled an earlier dream in which similar lighting had been used at one of his local train stations. How much had come to pass since then!
| 17,866 | 35,858,305 |
The smell in the air was now wholly that of food, with the dampness and cold of the tunnel already a distant memory. The place felt warm and inviting, despite the prevalence of bare stone, and Ryan began to relax into his surroundings. Perhaps things were going to turn out all right after all.
| 17,866 | 35,858,306 |
They walked three abreast down the passage, as there no longer seemed any point in trying to conceal themselves. But as they neared the first door, Tristram held out his hand and indicated that they should hang back while he investigated.
| 17,866 | 35,858,307 |
He reached out for the heavy iron handle and gave it a twist. Ryan's eyes flitted from the door to several points further along the corridor. With Tristram's back turned it was up to him and Daisy to be ready for any eventualities. He was extremely conscious of the fact that he had no stick to hand, nor any other item he could use to morph into something useful. Better still, he could have done with a ready-made weapon.
| 17,866 | 35,858,308 |
He was relieved when Tristram turned back to them and gave a nod.
| 17,866 | 35,858,309 |
'It's all right,' he said quietly. 'It's just a store room.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,310 |
Ryan took the opportunity to double check as they re-joined their tutor. It was a store all right; stacked to the ceiling with all kinds of food. He noticed a basket of assorted breads nearby and pulled out a fresh baguette. As Morphing material went, it was better than nothing. And besides, all the smells were making him hungry.
| 17,866 | 35,858,311 |
'If you're planning to use that in the near future, make sure there's some if it left,' said Tristram, seeing him tear off a piece and stuff it in his mouth.
| 17,866 | 35,858,312 |
Ryan merely shrugged as they made for the next door. This one, on the opposite side of the corridor, had no handle. There was only a brass plate to push against, which was stained with paw-prints. A sudden clatter from the far side told them that the room beyond was definitely occupied.
| 17,866 | 35,858,313 |
As Tristram reached out and pushed the door ajar, Ryan raised his baguette like a baseball bat, ready to swipe at anything that might come charging out. A waft of steam drifted into the passage as the door opened, and Tristram tilted his head sideways to try and see through the gap. He stayed there for several long moments, while the other two waited restlessly behind him.
| 17,866 | 35,858,314 |
'What is it Tristram?' hissed Daisy.
| 17,866 | 35,858,315 |
'Rats,' came the reply.
| 17,866 | 35,858,316 |
'What? In the kitchen?' said Ryan, wrinkling his nose. 'That's gross.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,317 |
'Well, yes,' said their tutor, turning to face them. 'But see for yourself; they're cooking!'
| 17,866 | 35,858,318 |
Ryan crept over and peered inside. Sure enough, several large brown rodents were toiling away over hot stoves. He pulled his head away and looked at Tristram.
| 17,866 | 35,858,319 |
'At least they're not _in_ the food,' he observed.
| 17,866 | 35,858,320 |
'Quite right,' Tristram nodded. 'It's much better that way, I'm sure.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,321 |
At that moment the next door down the corridor flew open, and one of the rats appeared from the far end of the kitchen. There was no time for them to do anything, for it caught sight of them the moment it entered the passageway. Their presence seemed to neither surprise nor alarm it. It merely stood there with its white apron and chequered trousers on and addressed them in a surprisingly courteous manner.
| 17,866 | 35,858,322 |
'My friends, you must be lost,' it said with a slight bow. Its French accent was easily as bad as Captain Nibbles' German one had been. 'Ze banquet is upstairs, and if you are looking for ze lavatories, I'm afraid you've come too far. Would you like me to escort you back up?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,323 |
Ryan looked at Tristram, who was clearly trying to gauge whether or not it would be a wise move.
| 17,866 | 35,858,324 |
'That would be perfect,' he said eventually.
| 17,866 | 35,858,325 |
'Really?' hissed Ryan.
| 17,866 | 35,858,326 |
'Just go with the flow,' said Tristram, leading them towards the giant rat.
| 17,866 | 35,858,327 |
'You are just in time,' it said as they neared. 'We are just about to plate up.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,328 |
'Jolly good,' nodded Tristram. 'Lead the way.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,329 |
The rat bowed again and led them along the corridor and up a flight of stairs to their left.
| 17,866 | 35,858,330 |
Ryan eyed the rat with unwavering suspicion as they went, keeping his baguette gripped tightly in his hand in case they were being led into an ambush. The rat was much larger than the gerbils they had met earlier. It was bigger even than the hamsters they had encountered along the way. Ryan began to wonder whether all the rodents he had encountered were part of some overall hierarchy, and he tried to remember what the largest species of all was. Again he kept to the back of the group, if only to avoid the creature's long, pink tail, which swished back and forth in front of them in a rather irritating manner.
| 17,866 | 35,858,331 |
As they climbed the stairs their surroundings began to grow more and more lavish, with paintings and tapestries covering the walls and a thick carpet under foot. Their footsteps could no longer be heard, leaving an uneasy silence in the air as the stairs doubled back and joined another flight that originated somewhere far below. They arrived in a broad ante-room that was more luxuriously decked out than anything they had seen thus far. There was little furniture other than a couple of small tables with vases and ornaments on them, and several large busts of furry-faced creatures, presumably of some importance in the rodent world. By contrast, each wall was covered from floor to ceiling in hugely elaborate artwork that continued to draw the eye whether the beholder wished to be looking at it or not.
| 17,866 | 35,858,332 |
Ryan noticed doors at each end of the room and a larger set of double doors directly in front of them. What really captured his attention, though, were the enormous rodents flanking them. They were easily a head taller than the rat and were garbed in full military regalia, each with machine gun at its side. They were the Elite Guard from which the castle drew its name. The rat led them across the room and nodded graciously at the two massive guinea pigs. Ryan and the others eyed them warily.
| 17,866 | 35,858,333 |
'Come on in,' said the rat, its paw on the brass knob of one of the double doors. 'Zey're expecting you.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,334 |
That comment made Tristram stop to reconsider, and Ryan nearly walked into the back of him.
| 17,866 | 35,858,335 |
'Everything all right sir?' enquired the rat.
| 17,866 | 35,858,336 |
'One moment please,' said Tristram as he turned to face the others.
| 17,866 | 35,858,337 |
'Admit it, even you are finding this weird,' said Ryan.
| 17,866 | 35,858,338 |
Tristram gave him a slow nod.
| 17,866 | 35,858,339 |
'I'm concerned about whom 'they' might be,' he said. 'Though, having said that, if there was any real danger I'm sure the Academy would have done something about it already.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,340 |
'If you can't send us back then maybe they can't get in,' suggested Daisy.
| 17,866 | 35,858,341 |
Tristram frowned.
| 17,866 | 35,858,342 |
'You may be right. Still, we've come this far. We might as well see what the end has in store, eh?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,343 |
'As long as it doesn't involve you driving,' muttered Ryan, as Tristram turned back to the rat.
| 17,866 | 35,858,344 |
'Everything in order?' it enquired.
| 17,866 | 35,858,345 |
'Absolutely,' beamed Tristram. 'Lead on, friend.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,346 |
The rat twisted a knob on the large, wooden door and pulled it open, ushering the three of them into the room beyond.
| 17,866 | 35,858,347 |
If Ryan had thought the previous room to be lavishly appointed – in a quaint, old-fashioned way – then he could not summon the words to describe the hall he now found himself in.
| 17,866 | 35,858,348 |
A huge, vaulted ceiling stretched out high above them, supported by enormous pillars set into the walls on either side. Each pillar was bedecked with an intricately carved capital and fluted shaft, while the ceiling itself was handsomely decorated, not with religious imagery – the likes of which Ryan had seen on several rather boring school trips to ancient cathedrals – but a massive painting that appeared to depict the entire history of rodent evolution, right up to a rather bloody war that the hamsters and guinea pigs seemed to do quite well out of. Further down, the walls were richly coloured and mounted with ornate candelabras, which just added to the magnificent aura within the room. At the far end was an enormous stained-glass window, again depicting the tumultuous history of the rodent world.
| 17,866 | 35,858,349 |
It was a truly awe-inspiring sight, and that was without mention of the beautiful mosaic floor, the statues lining the walls and the gargantuan table dominating the centre of the room. It was easily the biggest single piece of furniture Ryan had ever seen, stretching for nearly one hundred feet and flanked by dozens of straight-backed wooden chairs. It was set for dinner, with countless pieces of cutlery and crockery glittering in the multi-faceted light shining through the window.
| 17,866 | 35,858,350 |
'Whoa,' was all he could manage as he struggled to take it all in. The baguette dropped from his limp grasp and hit the floor in a scatter of crumbs.
| 17,866 | 35,858,351 |
'Whoa indeed,' said Tristram, who also looked impressed.
| 17,866 | 35,858,352 |
'Ryan! Tristram!' came a cry from the far end of the room. It was such a distance that Ryan struggled to make out the voice's owner until she got to her feet. Her slender form and long blonde hair were then unmistakable. He breathed a sigh of relief; glad to see that Sophie was there and seemingly unharmed.
| 17,866 | 35,858,353 |
'They said there would be more people joining us, and I hoped it would be you guys,' she called, as she skipped up the room towards them.
| 17,866 | 35,858,354 |
When she reached them she gave Tristram and Ryan a quick hug, and even spared Daisy a smile of acknowledgement.
| 17,866 | 35,858,355 |
'I'm so glad to see you safe and sound,' smiled Tristram. 'We've been terribly worried about you.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,356 |
'Really?' said Sophie, pulling an odd face. 'No, I've been well looked after. As you can see, we're about to sit down to dinner.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,357 |
'Who's we?' asked Tristram abruptly, the smile dissolving from his face.
| 17,866 | 35,858,358 |
'Oh sorry, I didn't say,' she replied, turning to Ryan. 'Jack's here. Isn't that great?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,359 |
Ryan screwed up his face in puzzlement.
| 17,866 | 35,858,360 |
'Jack?' he said bemusedly.
| 17,866 | 35,858,361 |
'Yes. You know; your best friend?' she elaborated, looking at him as if he was a bit thick.
| 17,866 | 35,858,362 |
Ryan heard an intake of breath from Daisy, but he managed to open his mouth first.
| 17,866 | 35,858,363 |
'What's Jack doing here?' he blurted.
| 17,866 | 35,858,364 |
'The same thing we are; dreaming.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,365 |
'Whoa, whoa, hang on,' said Tristram. 'You're saying that _another_ of your friends is here with us?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,366 |
'Yes, he's over there. Jack!' called Sophie.
| 17,866 | 35,858,367 |
The familiar shape of Jack Thomas rose out of a chair at the far end of the table, and she beckoned for him to join them. But Tristram grabbed her hand mid-wave.
| 17,866 | 35,858,368 |
'Wait, wait. He's not a Dreamweaver, is he?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,369 |
'I don't think so,' said Sophie.
| 17,866 | 35,858,370 |
'Christ!' exclaimed Tristram, running his hands through his hair and looking around the room in exasperation. 'How much have you told him?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,371 |
'About what?' asked Sophie, taken aback by his curt manner.
| 17,866 | 35,858,372 |
'About Dreamweaving, of course! About us and the Academy.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,373 |
'Nothing at all. At least, I don't think so. What's the matter? Is there a problem?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,374 |
Tristram sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
| 17,866 | 35,858,375 |
'Everything has just got ten times more complicated,' he said. 'But at least we've found you. Now I can start thinking about how to get us all out of here.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,376 |
'Why? What's wrong with this place? I like it.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,377 |
'Butler! What are you doing here?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,378 |
Jack had just realised whom Sophie was standing with and came galloping over to give his friend a dead-arm.
| 17,866 | 35,858,379 |
'Ow!' cried Ryan, recoiling from the punch. He threw Tristram a questioning look, for at that moment he had no idea how he should react to his friend's presence. He didn't get a lot in return.
| 17,866 | 35,858,380 |
'You big wuss,' grinned Jack. 'Hey, I see you brought your other half along.' He nodded at Daisy.
| 17,866 | 35,858,381 |
'Yeah, yeah,' shrugged Ryan before she could say anything.
| 17,866 | 35,858,382 |
'So, what's going on here? Some kind of school reunion?' Jack asked. 'Can I expect anyone else along? You didn't invite your buddy Harry, did you?'
| 17,866 | 35,858,383 |
Ryan gave him a sardonic smile.
| 17,866 | 35,858,384 |
'Ha ha,' he said flatly. 'You're barely funny at school, and even less so in my dreams.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,385 |
'Okay, okay, hang on a minute,' interrupted Tristram, making a late bid to steer Ryan's conversation away from dangerous issues. 'Why don't we go and sit down? I hear food is on the way.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,386 |
'Who is this?' asked Jack, pointing at him.
| 17,866 | 35,858,387 |
'Just a friend,' Tristram replied, ushering them down the room. When they were all on their way he took Ryan by the arm and pulled him to one side.
| 17,866 | 35,858,388 |
'What?' asked the boy, getting slightly annoyed by Tristram's erratic behaviour.
| 17,866 | 35,858,389 |
'Okay Ryan, here's the deal: interaction between Dreamweavers and their real world acquaintances is strictly controlled. The Academy prefers to keep a low profile, for fear of being seen as having too much of an influence over international law and order. Careless talk about dreams and suchlike with a non-'weaver present is not good. The only way I see of resolving this is to get you all out of here. And by that, I mean waking you up.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,390 |
'You want to mess around with my head again, don't you?' said Ryan, sagging.
| 17,866 | 35,858,391 |
'I'm afraid so. It's just to see whether it's possible to expel you now that we've found Sophie. I'd rather not do it in front of your friend. Things are already weird enough as it is.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,392 |
Ryan rolled his eyes and spread his arms wide, as if he was about to be subjected to a body search.
| 17,866 | 35,858,393 |
'Go on then,' he sighed.
| 17,866 | 35,858,394 |
As he had done in the cable car, Tristram reached out and placed a hand on Ryan's head. There came the same massaging sensation in his mind, which grew to be more and more forceful until he was certain it couldn't be doing him any good. He stepped to one side and cast the hand away.
| 17,866 | 35,858,395 |
'All right, that's your lot,' he scowled, rubbing his forehead tentatively. 'It's not a stress-ball, you know.'
| 17,866 | 35,858,396 |
'Sorry Ryan,' said Tristram, looking agitatedly back at the huge doors through which they had entered.
| 17,866 | 35,858,397 |
Ryan followed his gaze, and he noticed for the first time that the two guinea pigs that had been flanking the door on the way in were now guarding the entrance from the inside.
| 17,866 | 35,858,398 |
'What do you suppose that means?' he frowned.
| 17,866 | 35,858,399 |
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