“He’s what you’d call a Tracker. Never fails. Mossad, CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6, you name it, he’s in it. And now, the GOB….yes,” she nodded, “he’s working for Elymas!”
Back in the forest, Gordon found the children and guided them through the trees to where the rest of the tree people were sitting around a crackling fire, nursing their wounds. In spite of their injuries, everyone cheered as the party approached.
“Hiya, folks!” cried Larch. “Welcome back to Planet Earth!”
“How was it up there?” asked Laurel as she handed out the nettle tea.
“Magic!” cried Joe ecstatically.
“Cold!” cried Odi gloomily.
“You enjoyed it, didn’t you Gordon?” Joe insisted. “Wasn’t it the best time ever?”
“Och no! The best time I ever had was pushing a custard pie into the face of the Home Secretary 15 years ago. But……aye! Hang-gliding came a very close second!”
“This is magic!” exclaimed Joe, looking around him. The moon was shining, bathing the woodland in a luminous, silvery glow. “Do you really live here? Like all the time?”
“Yes,” said Laurel. ‘It is magical, isn’t it?”
“We’re in fairyland!” said Odi and immediately wished he hadn’t when Gordon glared down from his gigantic height.
“Say what you like, laddie” warned the Scot, his eyeballs now level with Odi’s. “Just one thing I ask – do NOT call me an elf!”
Alice, her eyes glinting with tears, squeezed Joe so tightly he could hardly breathe.
“Thank goodness you’re safe!” she gasped, “I’ve been so worried about you!”
“So, have I!” said Miles, not to be outdone, but he drew the line at hugging. “Tell us what it was like in that horrible Babel.”
“Yes,” urged Alice, “we want to know everything that happened right from the beginning.”
After a gulp of tea and a huge bite of Marmite sandwich, thoughtfully provided by Laurel, Joe launched into his tale with almost as much gusto. Whenever he paused for another mouthful, Odi would take up the account, adding ever more drama to it and enjoying the effect on their audience. The tree people gasped and tutted and shrieked at every twist and turn of the tale, hardly able to believe their ears. Alice listened quietly.
When Joe got to the bit about the crocodile and how they’d nearly been shredded, you could have heard a pin drop. Then Laurel sighed and drew Joe and Odi close to her. “You poor, poor, poor kids!” she sighed. “How could anybody be so cruel?”
“Well, me and Alice nearly got burned to death!” said Miles, not to be outdone, and nudged his sister sharply. “Didn’t we, Alice?” But Alice was too emotional to speak and moved towards Laurel and the younger boys for a seriously soppy group hug. Too embarrassed to join in himself, yet feeling somewhat out of things, Miles watched enviously.
The grieved look on Odi’s face didn’t help much either. He was obviously milking the situation for all he was worth. “Oh, it was dreadful!” he exclaimed, his voice wavering with contrived distress. “I really thought we’d die!” And Laurel held him ever more tightly, kissing him and Joe on the top of their heads, stroking their cheeks and generally fussing like women do.
Even Beech came over sentimental. “Ahhhhhhh,” he intoned. “They make you all maternal, don’t they?”
“But what about me?” cried Miles, “I’ve not had it easy either, you know!” At once, Laurel left the others and came over to him. “You, Miles, are one of the bravest, cleverest boys I’ve ever met!” she said, and enfolded him in her arms. “Come on, everyone, give Miles a hug!”
“Coochi, coochi, coochi!” teased Odi, while patting him on the head.
“Thank you Miles for helping to save us,” said Joe, which made Miles feel even more embarrassed. Alice hesitated before deciding to add some comfort of her own.
“You are a Silly, Miles!” she tutted and punched him affectionately.
Before he knew it, Miles was surrounded and only rescued from total soppiness by Gordon returning from a comfort break.
“Look what I’ve found!”
Everyone turned to see the Scotsman with something plump and very noisy dangling over his shoulder.
“There I was, taking my after-dinner constitutional when, lo and behold, this little piggy came sneaking up behind me!” He bounced the intruder up and down, making her squeal all the louder.
“Put me down, you monster!” shrieked the intruder, only for her captor to let go. “Sure!” he said and left her sprawling in a heap.
“Hysteria!” gawped Odi. “What’s happened to the origami on your head?” Sure enough, Wisteria no longer wore the elaborate white headdress of her order. Instead, her light brown hair curled prettily round her ears.
“Odi Rogers, how many times do I have to tell you? My name’s Wisteria! I’ll thank you to have a little more respect for your elders and betters.”
“Hey, anyone who feeds me to the crocodiles ain’t entitled to respect!” Odi reasoned.
“Is this the woman who threw you down the Pit!” said Laurel.
“No!” cried Wisteria “Tell them, Odi, it wasn’t my idea. I was just following orders, you know that. Well, tell them! You know I never really meant you any harm. I like you, really I do!”
“Oh sure,” huffed Odi, “like ducks like orange sauce with crispy noodles!”
“Didn’t your sisters get enough of a thrashing that you have to come looking for more?” said Beech, conveniently forgetting how, but for the nets, any thrashing had been totally by the nunjas.
“I’m not with them anymore,” replied Wisteria. “I’m a runaway, like you. I’ve escaped!”
“Why?” asked Joe simply.
“Yes, why!” demanded Laurel, with an intimidating glare.
“Because I realised what a nasty woman Prism is and because I didn’t want any more to do with her.”
“Only just?!” Odi couldn’t resist a touch of sarcasm, which, as it happened, was completely wasted on Wisteria.
“You’d think after all my years of loyal service to the Divinity, I’d be entitled to just one teensy little mistake…..”
“Oh, stop your wittering, woman!” snapped Gordon “If you want to escape, don’t let us detain you.”
“You can’t just let her go!” said Larch.
“Why not?” Gordon replied. “We’ll be travelling light, and judging by the state of her, she’ll never be able to keep up.”
Beech frowned. “I think we should tie her up and leave her to the wolves!” Then, realising there were no wolves in Fernilee, corrected himself. “Or some very nasty squirrels!”
“No, please!” cried Wisteria “Don’t leave me here. I want to join you! Can’t you see, I’m on your side now.”
At this, Miles bristled with indignation “And just what makes you think we want you on our side!” he huffed.
“Well….” she began “well, because…… because……. I can tell you all about Prism and the Order and how they operate….”
“We already know how they operate, thanks very much,” said Roots, ” and, frankly, I’d rather not know any more, thank you!”
The whole assembly rumbled in agreement. Of course, it could have been with indigestion, but no matter.
“And I also know who they’ve hired to find the children!” Wisteria added. “Of course, if you’re not interested….”
“Who would that be?” asked Larch.
“Ah, now that would be telling….” Realising she’d got their attention, Wisteria tittered self-consciously. “You see, Joe, you’re not the only one who can be stubborn.”
“Tell us, woman or I’ll shake you up and down so hard your knees will end up as your elbows!” threatened Gordon, his brows knitting together.
“Bevis. His name’s Bevis!” cried Wisteria.
The tree people looked round at each, bewildered. “Anyone here know Bevis?” asked Laurel, but no one did. “Never heard of no Bevis,” said Roots.
“And just who” asked Gordon towering over Wisteria, “is Bevis?”
“Bevis is the Number One. Their top agent. Their main man, as Odi would say. I’ve never met him myself, of course, but he’s what you’d call a Tracker. Never fails. Mossad, CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6, you name it, he’s in it. And now, the GOB….yes,” she nodded, “he’s working for Elymas!”
“Well, I’ve never heard of him,” said Beech.
“Well you wouldn’t, would you, him being a Secret agent and all. If we knew all about him, he wouldn’t be secret, would he…..?” said Wisteria. “But Prism knows him. I heard her talking to the Prime Minister about him…..”
“The Prime Minister!” exclaimed Larch who was obviously impressed. “My, this conspiracy is bigger than I suspected.”
“Oh, Marlowe – he’s just another henchman,” said Wisteria dismissively. “Anyway, I heard them talking about Bevis and how he’d been assigned to the case, so to speak, and I thought I’d better warn you, do my bit to help these dear children!” Her eyes met cynical glares all round. “Yea, right!” snorted Odi “Like you helped us down the pit!”
Wisteria was genuinely offended. “But Odi, I never for a moment thought you’d actually be in danger! Leviathan was hand reared from an egg and he was such a sweet little poppet. The last time I saw him, he was disappearing down the lavatory when I flushed it by mistake. How was I to know he’d grow another 20ft? We were just trying to frighten you, that’s all!”
“Well, that’s okay, then!” Odi cried, “Now I know what a cute little crocodile he was, I don’t mind at all him nearly chewing my head off!”
“There again, Prism might have known.” Wisteria mused to herself “She wasn’t terribly fond of children….”
“No!” gasped Gordon “Who’d have thought!”
“….or anybody, come to that.”
“Well, at least she doesn’t discriminate,” said Alice, wryly.
The others were more interested in Bevis. “Tell us about this agent.” demanded Beech. “Is he some kind of superman, or what?”
“From what I can gather, he’s pretty much a law unto himself. But that’s what makes him so effective, you see. “Wisteria lowered her voice ominously “Once he accepts an assignment, he won’t be bought, bribed or begged by anyone until he’s completed it. And he always completes it.”
“The assignment being….?” prompted Larch.
“To find the Hadwins, of course. Oh, Odi too….but mainly the Hadwins. In fact, as I left Babel, he had already arrived there, so there’s no time to lose. We’d better get cracking.”
“What do you mean ‘We‘!” said Roots indignantly. ” You surely don’t think we’d trust you after what you did to Odi and Joe!” A chorus of condemnation followed this remark. “Go back where you came from!” “Get lost!”, “Boil your head!”, were some of the milder expressions from the tree people.
“Oh, please let me come!” Wisteria pleaded, “I promise I won’t be in your way. And I know how to use a staff…though not as well as Prism, of course…. and I was in the brownies you know. Dib dib dib, campfires, knots, all that, oh yes, I know how to knot things alright..”
“Well, get knotted then!” said Beech, amused by his pun and the rest of the village resumed their hostilities, thumbs turned down.
“Wait!” Laurel held up her hands, calling for silence. “There are only two people here with the right to decide if she comes with us or not.”
She turned back to Joe and Odi and placed a hand on the shoulder of each boy. “Odi? Joe? What do you think? Can you forgive this woman? Would you mind if she stayed with us?”
Joe stared up at Wisteria who pressed her palms together as if in prayer and mouthed the word “Please. In spite of all he’d suffered, he didn’t hate her. And in her limited way, she had shown some kindness.
“Well, Joe?” prompted Roots. “You just say what you want. Shall we send her away?”
After a moment, and to everyone’s surprise, Joe shook his head.
“Hey, when do I get MY say in all this?” Odi demanded. “I was in that Babel place longer than anybody, and if anybody gets to decide who comes with us or not, it should be me!”
“Go on then, Odi,” said Laurel. “Does Wisteria stay or go?”
Enjoying this brief moment of attention, Odi began to hold forth. “The way I see it, she doesn’t deserve to be with any member of the human race…..”
“You heard the laddie!” said Beech, “I vote we tie her up and….”
“Just a minute!” Odi held up his hand imperiously “I thought it was me who was deciding this.”
“Then get on with it!” snapped Gordon “for such a wee chap you’re an awful windbag!”
Odi shot him a contemptuous look before continuing, “On the other hand, Hysteria….”
“Wisteria!”
The correction came automatically, before she had time to bite her tongue.
“…. Hysteria was one in a 1,000. Of all the women in that place, she was the only one who ever smiled – a pathetic twitch of a smile, admittedly – but she was the only person who never my ear or slapped me round the head. You’ve no idea how, in the face of constant cruelty, how comforting a simple lack of kindness can be………”
“Come on, Odi!” begged Beech, “Does she stay or go?”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Odi replied. “If it’s okay with Joe here, who am I to argue? Let her stay.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you!” cried Wisteria and ran to hug the boy.
“Whoa!” he said, ducking out of the way. “I said you could stay, not be my Valentine!”
The issue settled, Laurel suggested they headed straight back to their base, which lay deeper into the forest.
“Good idea,” said Roots “I feel too exposed here anyway.” As his name implied, he was always at his happiest buried in a cosy burrow somewhere. “Do you think this Bevis might attack tonight?”
“I doubt anyone could find us in the village.” said Larch. Then Horse stood up, his heart beating bravely. “And if he does, we’ll be ready for him. After all, this is OUR territory now!” Everyone cheered. “Come on then, let’s prepare a welcome he’ll never forget!”
Gordon bent down and pointed a stumpy finger in Wisteria’s face. “Just mind there’s no funny business,” he threatened. “Otherwise I might be tempted to give you another shaking, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that, would you!”
“Oh, no!” Wisteria replied, vigorously shaking her head. However, something in her tone suggested that she wouldn’t really mind at all.