THE LIGHT IN THE NORTH

CHAPTER 5 - At the Floodgates

March turned to April with none of the signs of spring that were cheering more southerly lands. Winter was clinging onto Norway with both hands that year, and the temperature was still below freezing. Major Inari, at a hint from Gran, kept a close watch on the message trays in Signals. And Corporal Lavall, whose job it was to assign the second years to their chores, was informed that Ace and Will had been classified as security risks and were to be restricted to working in non-sensitive areas.
He was astonished by this, and asked Sergeant Olt was on earth was going on, but the sergeant laughed it off, saying those two were brilliant but crazy, always getting into trouble, and what did he expect? But Sergeant Kopec had overheard him. He told the corporal all about it, and talked to him for a long time about other things as well.


Ace and Will reacted very differently. They were both glad it was only the officers who knew about it, but beyond that, Ace seemed to shrug it off, blithely confident that it would all work out all right in the end, while Will brooded over it whenever he got the chance, trying to puzzle out a solution. He didn't get many chances though, because they were still working tremendously hard.

Lieutenant Foxfield and his team arrived back on camp, and Gran Herdalen interviewed the whole unit. He praised their courage, and gave every last one of them a medal. He also had a chat with the lieutenant in private, and learned a lot by reading between the lines. The local police hadn't been interested in arresting anyone, with or without evidence. So Special Brigade were continuing their work unchecked, with every chance of success. Any more accidents or illnesses and the site would be abandoned as unhealthy; just what Special Brigade wanted. But none of the other fairies from Intelligence had had any trouble on their stakeouts. Why only Madge and Heather? It was then that he remembered that Madge had made Allies too. He'd been so busy protecting the youngsters he'd almost forgotten about that. He decided not to send Ace's unit back to England.
"I want you to stick around here for a while," the general told him. "I don't know where Major Arley will be sent next, but when I do, it's likely that I'll find that you and your team need to be in the immediate vicinity."
"Understood," said Lieutenant Foxfield. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the rumours, would it, sir?"
"What rumours would those be, Lieutenant?"
"Rumours of new Allies. In England."
"No comment," said Gran. "But it's certainly true that I want to ensure Major Arley's safety."
"How's my young namesake?" the lieutenant asked suddenly.
Gran looked at him sharply.
"What brings him to mind?"
"I can't imagine, sir," said the lieutenant innocently. "But Major Arley did talk a lot about him. The pieces weren't that hard to put together."
"You think he's that crazy, do you?" smiled Gran. "Well, you should know. Actually, he could learn a lot from you. While you're waiting for orders, you could see if Sergeant Olt needs a hand."
"Will do, sir," said the lieutenant, rising to his feet as Gran did.
Gran escorted him to his office door. As the lieutenant stepped out, Gran stopped abruptly and sniffed the air.
"The thaw's coming," he said sadly.
"That's good news, isn't it?"
"Not if you like snow."


Laughing to himself, the lieutenant walked across the dark camp. On the Concourse, someone was playing a harp. The music sounded like running water, like thoughts of spring on the way. Maybe someone Norwegian was playing, someone who could smell the change in the weather like General Herdalen could. It smelled exactly the same as always to the lieutenant. Cold.
He stood at the edge of the Concourse, listening, and letting his eyes scan the crowd. As the music finished, he headed towards the one he was looking for, and moved up behind him unseen.
"You still keeping the flag flying?" he said, and Ace spun round.
"Ace!" he yelled, and hugged him. "Oh, it's good to see you!"
"You too, shrimp," said the lieutenant, hugging him back. "Hello, Will. Hello, everyone. Which one's Clover?"
"I am," said Clover hopefully, knowing the lieutenant had been working with Madge.
"Got a letter for you," he smiled, and handed it over, making Clover shriek. She and Rose tore it open and huddled over it.
"Not enough light to read!" said Clover. "We're going inside… you coming?"
"In a bit," said Ace. "I have to catch Gran first…'scuse me," he said to the lieutenant, and dashed off to say something kind about the harp music.
"Gran?" said the lieutenant.
"Gran Starheim," Will explained, understanding. "He's Norwegian, too. He was just playing, you see."
"Right. Another namesake, then. They don't seem too alike, though," said the lieutenant, looking across to where Gran was accepting everyone's congratulations with a certain aloofness.
"Not much," Will agreed. "Not as much as you and that one."
"I've heard a lot about you two, from Major Arley. I hadn't realised you were twins. Explains a lot. Like why he's so calm and rational - for a sycamore."
Will stared.
"You are joking, aren't you?"
"Only a bit," grinned the lieutenant, as Ace came back.
"You coming in for a drink?"
"Not tonight, thanks. Got to get some quarters sorted for my team. We're sticking around for a while."
"Oh, great!" said Ace. "You going to be helping the sergeant again?"
"Yep. Terrifying prospect. Think I'd rather face Special Brigade."


Once inside, Ace demanded a chance to read Madge's letter, then wished he hadn't bothered. It was all fairy stuff, nothing interesting.
"We'll get more news when she comes," said Will, who'd been reading it with him. "What's the matter?"
"Madge. You don't think she blames me, do you? For her getting hurt?"
Will frowned.
"I don't think so," he said slowly. "Who would have told her? Gran? He doesn't think it was you, Ace. I can't see it."
"It bothers me that Madge might think it was my fault she got hurt. I know I was stupid. But I do miss spending time with Blanche. Being close to her."
"I know," said Will. "You're doing really well. But you don't have to ignore her. Let's go over there and say hello. You can't come to any harm when I'm with you."

Ace's brilliant smile was reward enough for being bored stiff while they chatted, Will supposed. He was half-listening, making sure Blanche didn't start mesmerising his twin, but he wasn't really looking. Blanche's startling beauty didn't appeal to him at all. His eyes were wandering across the crowds of first years. So many fairies, most of them he hadn't even met. He started trying to guess their flowers. Thanks to all the botany they'd learned, he was getting a bit better at it. She was a violet… that one was a primrose…that started him thinking about the Primrose that Phil knew, who'd been transformed into a human and still hadn't been found. Heather had been on that job, until she'd been sent to Preston. Now that was washed-up, maybe she'd go back to the search. But his musing thoughts shuddered to a halt as this Primrose moved aside, and Will caught a glimpse of a fairy who was talking to Gil, the leader of the Scottish team.
Now that's what I'd call beautiful, thought Will. What is she? Harebell? I wonder if she's Scottish, too. They call it bluebell in Scotland.
She looked so delicate, and yet at the same time, as if she was at home with lakes and wild mountain places. She was shaking with laughter at something Gil was saying, and it sounded so musical. Her hair was long and black, and her white wings were streaked with blue, and so was her pale skin. For a moment, she looked straight towards Will, and he looked back into startling dark blue eyes. He swallowed hard, and clenched his suddenly-damp hands.
Then he jumped as Ace tugged his hair.
"I said, 'Are you ready?' " said Ace, as if he'd said it twice already.
Will tore his gaze away.
"Er, sure… if you are?"
"What're you staring at?"
"Nothing," said Will hurriedly. "Come on, then."
Will turned away, and Ace cast a sharp glance in the direction Will had been looking. His eyes widened.
Oh, yeah? He smiled. Must find out who she is.


When they'd helped themselves to mugs of coffee, they wandered back to where their team and Phil's were sitting. Fran and Peter had just arrived, tired after going off camp for milk. Peter grabbed the last chair, and Fran sprawled on the floor, his long legs getting in everyone's way. Helpfully, Dale produced a bit of wood from his pocket and said he'd make another chair. Fran was pleased. He sank down onto it gratefully, only to find it collapsed beneath his weight.
"I'm sorry, Fran!" exclaimed Dale, as howls of laughter erupted around them.
"It's OK," said Fran shortly, through gritted teeth. "You did your best."
"Is that his best?" choked Rob. "Stick to cushions, Dale!"
Suddenly, Will wasn't finding it funny any more. Dale looked so woebegone, even though Betch was patting his shoulder sympathetically. Will got up.
"Why don't you help him, instead of laughing at him?" he muttered. "Come on, Dale, let's have a look where it went wrong. We'll soon fix this."

Will didn't do it for him, he just showed him where an extra strut in the frame would have made it stronger, and stayed with him while he did the repair. Gingerly, Dale sat down himself, and then started bouncing a bit, and smiling delightedly as he realised how strong it was now. He asked Will why it was, and Will explained carefully. As usual when Will was explaining something carefully, it took a long time, and though Dale was listening with rapt attention, by the time he'd finished, everyone else was talking about other things. All except Ace, who was watching Will thoughtfully. He wasn't totally sure why Will had done that. It would be like him to feel sorry for someone who was being laughed at, Will hated that himself, he would sympathise. But Ace had a feeling it had been more to score over Rob, who'd been laughing more than anyone. It worried him that Will seemed to dislike Rob so much. But he wasn't sure what to do about it.
Just before ten, Dale and Betch got up to go, because Dale had to go sweeping snow, and it wasn't long before the others started drifting towards their beds. Most of them had been up since five, and they were tired.


In the middle of the night, Ace stirred in his sleep, then became instantly alert because someone was moving around.
"What's up, Gran?" he asked quietly.
"Got to go," Gran replied, equally quietly. "The thaw's begun. My team are first to man the floodgates, and we have to go at once."
"Need any help?"
"No, I can manage, thanks. Sorry I woke you."
" S'okay," Ace murmured, and fell back to sleep.


When he woke again, it was obvious the Norwegians had been right about the thaw. It was raining hard, and when he looked out of the window, he could see grass already where the rain had washed away the thinner layers of snow. Will joined him at the window.
"That's more like it," he said. "Feels like home."
"Sure does," said Ace quietly, and laid a hand on Will's shoulder. They stood there for a moment, feeling a bit homesick, but they shook the mood away. They had work to do. They started doing press-ups, as it was a bit too wet for the assault course, and they were taking up a lot of room on the floor, forcing Betch and Wayne, who were rushing to get ready for canteen duty, to jump over them every time they wanted to cross the room. Ace was concentrating on what he was doing, and trying to ignore Olm, who was complaining about the noise, and trying to answer Fran who wanted to know where Gran was.
"He went out - in the middle of the night - 'cos he said the thaw had begun," Ace panted, between pushes. "And he was right - that'll be why - his team's first - he'd know the right - time to get started."
"Hey, do all the teams get a turn?" asked Peter. "When's it our turn?"

Ace gave up, and lay on his back, his chest heaving, and Will, who'd kept up with him, was glad to stop too.
"We'll get a turn, don't know when yet," said Ace. "General Vandenesse explained it to the team leaders, how fast that big stream in the Eastern Forest can swell, and how it would flood the camp if it was allowed to, so someone has to control the floodgates every minute till the thaw's over."
"Did he explain how they work?" asked Will, now he'd got his breath back.
"Sort of," said Ace cheerfully. "How hard can it be? But we'd better go and look at the notice board. Remember last year? Lots of classes got cancelled during the thaw, there was a lot of work to do."
When the others had gone, Ace and Will, who weren't on duty till noon, took their turn at tidying up the mess they'd left behind. It had begun to dawn on the second years that untidiness wasn't really very efficient, and they kept their hut in much better order these days. By seven o'clock they were ready, and scampered off to see what was in store for them.
They weren't the only ones. There was quite a crowd around the board, and Ace and Will were so intent on the floodgate schedule that they missed seeing Phil, and missed the notice that caught Phil's eye.


Phil read that one three times before he could believe his eyes, and his heart was thudding in his chest with excitement. His first thought was to rush off and tell Rob, but then he realised that there was something he didn't know. So with calm confidence he took himself off to Signals, where he politely asked if he might speak to Captain Dolfawr.
The captain popped his head enquiringly around a door upon hearing his name, and emerged with both hands full of sheets of paper.
"What can I do for you?" he smiled at the tiny elf, whose tree he couldn't guess at.
"About the music, sir," said Phil. "If you're chosen, who are you allowed to ask to join you? Am I allowed to ask the second years?"
"Oh, yes," smiled the captain. "Anyone you like. You already know some of them, do you?"
"Yes sir, some of them are my dearest friends, who taught me to play my instrument, I'd love to ask them to join me."
"No problem, I like to see the first years and second years working together."
"Thanks a lot, sir," smiled Phil, and dashed off.

Captain Dolfawr turned round to see Major Inari behind him, trying not to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," chortled the major. "Do you know who that was?"
"No, why?"
"His name's Phil Royden. He's the one who caught that gang in Cheshire."
"Cheshire? Know it well," said the captain, who was from Wales. Then it sunk in, as he remembered who else was from Cheshire. "Ach, no," he groaned. "So that's why you're laughing. They're his friends, are they? The Moseleys' heavy metal band?"
" 'Fraid so."
"They're good musicians," said Captain Dolfawr bravely. "Just about a hundred and fifty times louder than sprite ears were designed to stand."
Major Inari patted his shoulder.
"I'll make you some earplugs," he grinned, and went off to his work.


Phil lost no time in getting the good news to Ace when he saw him, though they didn’t have time to do more than make a few garbled arrangements, as Ace was on duty in the canteen at the time.
“We’ll come to you,” Phil had babbled excitedly. “Save moving the drums. What time d’you get off?”
“Six, today,” Ace had told him, and then Phil had had to run to make it to class on time.
But when six o’clock came, and they came out of the well-lit workshop into the driving rain and dark, Ace was astonished that Will didn’t seem very excited.
“I’ll come to the hut,” said Will. “But he won’t need me. He’ll want Rob on bass.”
Well, that explained Will’s mood, Ace thought, but he didn’t see much point standing in the rain to discuss it.
“Come on,” he said, and they jumped off as fast as they could across the soggy ground towards their team hut.
The lamp was lit, and so was the stove. Phil and Rob were there already, playing, and so was Hogweed. Sure enough, Rob was playing his bass.
Hogweed spoke first, while Ace and Will were shaking the rain out of their hair.
“Dan won’t be long,” he said. “She’s just got to find Carda, to swap a duty so she can be here.”
“Great,” said Ace. “So what’re we doing, Phil?”
“I don’t know!” said Phil. “It’s your band. We never had six before.”
“It’s your name that was pulled out,” said Ace, and it was at that point that Phil realised that neither Rob nor Will had said a word, and that they were going to have a problem. He knew Will didn’t play lead, and Rob did, but how could he ask Rob to back down in favour of Will? He didn’t know what to say, so he just stood there helplessly. Into the awkward silence, Dan burst in, grinning.
“What are you all standing there like lemons for?” she demanded.
“We’ve got two bass players,” said Hogweed bluntly. “That’s the problem.”
“So… have a face-off,” Dan suggested. “See who’s best.”
“OK,” said Rob. “If he’s really better, I’d change to lead. But I’d want to hear it for myself.”
“No thanks,” said Will. “I’ve got nothing to prove. It’s Phil’s night, so let Rob play.”
He turned to go, but Ace caught his arm, and by their silence, the others knew they were talking.
Say the word, and I’ll walk out with you.
Don’t be daft! But thanks.
Ace smiled, and Will made an effort and spoke to the others.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ll work the lights. Could be spectacular without having to rely on timers. Anyway, see you later.”
He closed the door behind him quietly, and Phil sighed.
“I didn’t want it to be like this,” he said. “Thought we’d have six, at last.”
Ace was disappointed, too. It wouldn’t be the same without Will, and he thought Rob had been a bit ungracious. But the important thing now was to make the best of it, for Phil’s sake.
“Ach, we will one day,” he said. “Will’s right, this is Rob’s turn. Don’t worry about it. What are we going to play?”


Will wasn’t disappointed, he’d been expecting nothing different. And he hadn’t really wanted it any different, if he was honest with himself. He didn’t want to have to feel grateful to Rob for allowing him to play bass in his own band, and there was something he wanted to do, anyway. He jumped between the lighted buildings until he came to the generals’ offices, and knocked on the door of the one belonging to General Vandenesse. Will asked for permission to go off camp, to see the floodgates and learn how they worked before it was their turn to operate them.
General Vandenesse looked puzzled. Why would anyone want to go up there in the dark and the rain unless he had to? He suspected some mischief.
“You’re not the team leader, are you?” he frowned.
“No,” said Will, “but…”
“Then you don’t need to worry about it,” said the general. “I explained everything to the team leaders. Off you go.”
Terrific, thought Will rebelliously, as he left. He couldn’t say that he didn’t have much confidence that the general’s explanation would have been very good, or that Ace had really understood it.


Next door, Gran Herdalen was coming out when he saw Will leave, looking fed-up. Thoughtfully, he turned aside and went in. He made conversation with General Vandenesse for a while, then asked casually,
“What did Will want?”
“Who?”
“Will Moseley – just came to see you.”
“Oh, him. Wanted to go off camp – to see how the floodgates worked. A likely story!”
Gran looked at him in disbelief.
“Yes. You’re right,” he said shortly. “Nothing more likely. Don’t you think it would help if you got to know the recruits a little better? Will’s a scientist and a craftsman, of course he’d be interested.”
“Well, how was I to know that? But he’s not the team leader, so I don’t see that it matters.”
“No, he’s not the team leader. But Ace is used to relying on him for anything technical. He was shouldering a responsibility he saw as his, which is no less than I’d expect of him.”
But General Vandenesse’s face had frozen at the mention of Ace, and Gran noticed it.
There was something going on there, he was sure of it. And if it had anything to do with that security leak, he wanted to know about it, preferably without alerting General Vandenesse to his suspicions. Fortunately, that wasn’t likely to be difficult. He manufactured a cheerful smile.
“Never mind,” he said. “That’s enough work for one day. Come on, Viorne, let’s go and get a drink.”


With nothing to do, Will went to the Concourse where tonight’s music was starting. He joined Betch and Dale under a huge umbrella to listen to a choir of fairies. It wasn’t the sort of music Will would normally have listened to, but as he concentrated, he found himself being drawn in to the intricate harmonies. The scene was worth looking at, too. The fairies had put a cover over the stage, because of the weather, and filled it with lights in subtle shades. In the dark, it glowed like a vision of spring. The singing was so good, more and more people were stopping to listen. The Concourse was filling up with umbrellas, and Will shifted to get a better view. Just at that moment, the fairies on the stage moved around too. Then he saw her. The fairy he’d seen last night. He didn’t look away again.
When the choir had finished, they were loudly cheered, and everyone hurried indoors. There wasn’t any beer tonight, but there were plenty of kettles, and the young sprites chatted over the music and the thaw as they waited for them to boil.
Will nudged Dale.
“Who is she, Dale? Do you know?”
“Maig? She’s on Gil’s team,” said Dale, not thinking anything of Will’s asking.
So he’d been right, she was Scottish. Will couldn’t look away.
Betch, of course, hadn’t missed a thing, and was highly amused.
“What’re you waiting for? Go and say hello!” he grinned.
“Huh?” said Will. “What? I can’t do that!”
“Ace would.”
“I daresay he would,” Will retorted. “But he can always think of something to say.”
“Where is Ace?” said Dale, as if he’d just noticed that Ace wasn’t there.
“Rehearsing. You know Phil’s doing the music soon?”
“So why aren’t you there?”
“Rob’s playing bass,” said Will shortly.
Betch threw a glance of affectionate exasperation at Dale, and put his arm round Will’s shoulder.
“All you have to do,” he said, “is say you liked the singing, and ask if you can bring her a drink.”
Will gazed uncertainly into Betch’s eyes, but saw no teasing there, just understanding.
“OK,” he grinned.
He took a deep breath and walked off across the room.

Maig looked as nervous as he felt, he thought, as he managed to stammer out the things Betch had suggested. Maybe she was shy. The thought bolstered his courage, making him want to put her at ease, but even so, his hand was shaking a bit as he passed her a mug and sat down beside her.
He took a sip of his own drink, and scalded his tongue, watching her. How beautiful she was, how enchanting. There was such a depth in those dark blue eyes.
“Dale told me your first name,” he said, “but where are you from?”
The blue depths sparkled a little at the mention of Dale. Seemed like he had quite a reputation among the first years.
“Aberchalder,” she said shyly. “In Scotland.”
“I guessed you must be from Scotland,” Will smiled, “but Aberchalder? Is that the same place that Colonel Aberchalder comes from?”
“Yes! Do you know him?”
This time the blue was excited. Will suddenly realised where he was heading. He didn’t want to explain how he knew the colonel.
“Only met him once,” Will said, “when he visited our colony. But he had a lot to do with our joining the army.”
“He’s a very kind elf,” said Maig. “I know he’s only Third Regiment, and people say he’s not very clever, but I think he’s nice.”
“So do I,” said Will. “He knows a lot about trains. But it wasn’t until we’d met him that we really wanted to join the army. We’d heard about it from Major Arley, and all our fairies wanted to go, but it wasn’t until we’d met an army elf that it all began to seem real, you know?”
“I can imagine,” said Maig. “It’s as if nothing about the army seems real these days, until you actually get here. All the stories were of long ago. But suddenly it seemed as if stories were coming alive. Stories of real live sprites, stories of now. And you were in one of them.”
“I was!” said Will, astounded. “How come? Oh, wait a minute…”
“Exactly. You and your twin are famous, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know,” said Will, but as well as feeling a bit shocked at that news, he was also warming even more to Maig. She’d known what he meant, and assumed he knew what she meant. Only Ace ever did that to him, instead of boring him by having to spell out every word.
“You’re very modest,” she smiled. “It bothers you, doesn’t it, thinking that people are talking about you?”
“It’s all Ace’s fault,” said Will. “Born to attract attention, that one.”
“That’s not how I heard it,” Maig teased him. “But where is he tonight? I’ve never seen you without him before.”
“Oh, he’s helping Phil and Rob with their music. What do you play?” he asked, not much wanting to talk about Rob.
“I can play the bells,” said Maig, “but I prefer singing.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Will. “You’ve got a beautiful voice. I liked the song about the Enlightener’s Downfall. Where does that story come from?”

Maig began to tell the story, and Will listened, enraptured. He raised a hand to wave when Ace came in, but he didn’t look round, and Ace, after one startled glance, grinned and went to carry on an argument he’d been having with Dan about exactly how one of the riffs went.
But after another hour had passed, Ace got up and went over to Will, came up behind him and put his hands on Will’s shoulders. Will turned his head with a warm smile.
“Ace, this is Maig Aberchalder,” he said.
“Really? Wow, that’s a place we’ve heard of,” said Ace. “Nice to meet you.”
Ace chatted to her for a few minutes, wanting both her and Will to know he was happy about them making friends. But then he spoke to Will.
“I’m sorry to drag you away, but you remember we’ve got to be up at the floodgates by six, and that means getting up at four-thirty.”
Will looked at his watch.
“Crumbs,” he said. “I’m sorry, Maig, I’ll have to go now. It was lovely talking to you. I hope it won’t be long before I hear you sing again.”
“Thanks,” said Maig. “I had a lovely evening, Will. The stories are coming alive before my eyes.”
They smiled at each other, and Will got up.

He and Ace didn’t speak until they were outside, alone. It was still pouring down, but they didn’t dash off. They simply turned their collars up against the rain, and strolled along peacefully.
“How did it go?” said Will.
“Huh?”
“The rehearsal.”
“Oh, right. Was OK. He’s not as good as you, though.”
“Loyalty?” laughed Will.
“No, honesty. The notes are there, but he’s not got the attack. Still, at least you weren’t bored,” he added, teasing.
“You didn’t seem very surprised.”
“Saw you watching her last night.”
“Oh,” said Will. “Ace, I’m sorry, for not understanding about you and Blanche. I shouldn’t have teased you so much.”
“Hey, that’s OK. I’m just glad you know the feeling now… isn’t it good, talking to a fairy who thinks you’re wonderful, and doesn’t tell you off all the time?”
They looked at each other, then both burst out laughing, and carried on strolling, side by side.


“Clover! Come on, dear, wake up!” said Rose patiently. It was four-thirty in the morning, and although the rain seemed to have stopped at last, the night was black and cold, and the little lamp in the fairies’ hut only made it look darker and colder outside.
Clover screwed her eyes tighter shut, but then opened them, and looked sadly at Rose.
“An eight-hour stint up a mountain is bad enough without drawing the early one,” she moaned, as she swung her feet out of bed.
“It’s really boring, too,” called Holzia sleepily. “Ross and the other elves did all the work, and there was nothing for us to do but sit by the fire and make tea.”
Clover had a feeling that Ace wouldn’t organise things like that.
“I wish I was on your team,” she groaned, and got dressed in as many layers as she could fit on.
She and Rose, Bella, Stella and Dan left their hut quietly, and found Hogweed outside waiting for them, carrying a lantern. In its pool of light, they were very visible, and the six elves came jumping across to join them.
Clover glared at Ace, daring him to start saying anything bright and cheerful. It must have worked, because all he said was,
“Well, at least it’s stopped raining.”

She hadn’t noticed that, and felt a bit happier. With a bit of luck, the thaw would be nearly over, and they wouldn’t have much to do. She wasn’t the only one thinking that, which only showed how little they knew. Then Ace said they could fly if they wanted to, so long as they didn’t get out of sight, and that the elves would keep Hogweed company. That cheered her even more, and all the fairies except Dan flew off slowly, stopping every now and then for the others to catch up. They followed the stream bed up through the steepest section of forest, until they came out from among the trees and saw the glow of a fire ahead.
“Am I glad to see you!” said Lauro. “It’s been a long night.”
”I’ll bet,” said Ace. “Have you had to do much?”
“No, it’s been easy. The stream’s been running really slowly since the rain stopped. We’ve built the fire up for you, though the wood stash is a bit low.”
“We’ll gather some more,” said Ace. “You get off to your beds, you’ve earned it.”
“Everyone ready?” Lauro called to his team. “Right, back to camp it is. All the best, England! See you later!”
When they’d gone, Ace said,
“First things first. Let’s have a look at these gates.”

They were standing on a flat ledge, nicely sheltered from the wind – though not the rain – by a rocky outcrop, a good place to have a fire. From here, a narrow path led around a deep, natural rock pool, where in summer the water fell gently from above, then tippled down through a natural cleft, to fall further down the mountain towards the camp. In this cleft, the floodgates had been constructed. They were closed now, to stop the heavy water flow from pouring down the mountain and flooding the camp. Opposite the floodgates, there was a sluice gate.
When the rock pool became full, you could empty it by raising the sluice gate, forcing the water to run away inside the mountain, because opposite the sluice gate was the mouth of a cavern.
“Clever,” said Will. “Using the natural features, I like that.”
“So we don’t have to open the floodgates?” asked Hogweed. “They stay closed? We just have to raise the sluice gate when the pool fills up?”
“So far as I could make out,” said Ace. “Seems simple enough. There’s not much water in the pool now, is there? But let’s have a go at raising it, anyway.”
They all had a good look at it, then Clover said,
“Oh! I get it! Two people turn those handles, and the chains wind, and the gate goes up!”
“Right, then away goes the water, down that big hole!” said Rose.
“Very good!” said Ace. “Off you go, then! Give us a demo!”
“What, us?” said Rose.
“Why not?” said Ace.

Rose and Clover looked at each other, then started turning the heavy iron handles. To their delight, the chains rattled and started winding, and the big gate began to move upwards.
“I can see why the floodgate’s there,” said Dan, “but why the sluice gate? It’s a bit lower this side, once the pool was full the water would just trickle away over this ledge, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s why,” said Will. “It would trickle. So it would soon turn into another stream, that would flow across camp just the same. But this way, you let it build up, then release it all at once, and the pressure forces it up and over into the cavern, instead of down the mountain.”
As Rose and Clover finished raising the gate, they all saw what he meant. There wasn’t much water, so there was only a small whoosh, but most of it went into the hole, and only a bit went down the mountain.
“That was good,” said Clover, feeling very pleased with herself. “But can we have breakfast now?”
“Sure,” said Ace. “I’ll make the tea myself.”
“I think we ought to let the pool get really full before we open the gate again,” said Peter.
“You want to see it in full pelt, do you?” laughed Ace. “I don’t see why not. It’ll probably take all day to fill, though. I’d swear that stream’s running even more slowly than when we arrived.”

Ace was right, Will thought, as they all turned and jumped or flitted back to the fire. He glanced over his shoulder uneasily, looking back up the mountain. Surely there should be more water coming down than that? He was a bit quiet as he perched on a rock, and drank the tea that Ace gave him. Betch noticed, and thought he knew why. When they’d finished, and were just enjoying a little sunshine that was poking its way through the clouds, he stretched out a leg and kicked Will lightly.
“Hey, Will, come back,” he laughed. “You’re miles away. Where are you, Scotland?”
“Huh?” said Will, completely missing the point that Betch was teasing him. “Sorry, I was miles away. Suppose it’s blocked?”
“Suppose what’s blocked?” said Betch, just as completely baffled.
But Ace was onto that like a knife.
“That’s a point,” he said. “Would explain a lot. And if it was… and then it gave way…”
“Exactly,” said Will.
The others had caught on now, and were looking uneasy in their turn. The mountainside seemed ominously quiet.
“Shall we fly up and have a look?” said Dan.
“Yes,” said Ace. “I think you’d better. All of you go, and keep together. But if you find anything, don’t try to move it, just message me, OK?”
As one, the fairies got to their feet, and at a nod from Clover, soared into the air, then flew in formation up the mountainside. The elves watched them go, until they disappeared against the sunlight.
“There’s still a lot of snow up there,” said Fran uneasily. “It’ll be melting fast, now the sun’s out.”
“Cheer us up, Fran, why don’t you?” said Betch.
One minute passed, two minutes, and the elves waited in silence.
Then Ace jerked his head and looked up, alert and concentrating. Will could see by his face that it wasn’t good news.


Ace, it’s awful!
He could hear Clover’s voice in his head, loud and clear.
It’s on a flat bit, there’s this huge log stuck in the stream, and all rocks and stones have piled up around it! The water can’t get past it, it’s all behind it, like a little lake. Wait a minute… Dan’s trying to tell me something…
While he waited, Ace told the other elves what Clover had said, then held his hand up for silence as they all spoke at once. Clover was back…
Dan says the water’s going to push one end of the log past this rock that’s holding it there. She thinks it could happen in a few minutes, and when it does, all this water’s going to pour down all at once. Ace, what on earth shall we do?
Ace spoke his thoughts aloud, so the other elves could hear him, as well as Clover. It would save time.
Don’t panic! he said. Keep calm, keep cool. Tell Dan to message Will direct, he can help her work out what to move. We have to relieve the pressure without letting it all loose at once.
He waited while she did that, and saw Will focus on receiving Dan’s message, before he spoke again.
Clover, how far up are you? D’you think there’s any chance we can get up there in time to help?
It’s only about a mile, but it’s so steep, Ace. You’d be climbing as much as jumping, I don’t think there’s going to be enough time… oh, Dan’s moving stones from around the log, some water’s getting through. It’s not too bad, not too fast, but it’s coming.
OK, Clover, you’re doing fine. Hang on for me, I’ll be back.
“The water’s on its way,” he said to the other elves, “and we won’t see it until it clears those trees above us. Wayne, get onto Bella, tell her to leave the others. Tell her to fly down until you can see her, and work out a signal.”
Wayne at once moved across to the rim of the rock pool, where he had a good view, and started to concentrate.
“We need to be ready to raise and lower this gate as fast as we can,” said Ace. “Fran and Peter take one side, Betch and Hogweed the other. Will and I will relieve you when we can, but for now we need to stay in touch with what’s happening up there, so get in position and be ready, it could be fast.”

It didn’t feel fast. To the elves waiting, it felt as if nothing was ever going to happen. But then, very slowly, the trickle of water in the stream grew faster and stronger. In a minute, it doubled in size. Will broke off from talking to Dan, just as Wayne called out,
“Bella’s waving! There’s a lot coming through now!”
The rate of flow was still doubling every minute. The water in the rock pool was grey and churning now, splashing up and wetting the elves’ feet as they waited.
“Go for it,” said Ace, as it reached the top of the gate. They turned the handles as fast as they could, and the gate slowly rose, sending a torrent of water rushing through. The speed of it as it raced away over the smooth rocks was a bit daunting.
“Mind you don’t slip,” said Ace. “Lower it again, fast as you can, we’re filling up again already.”
“So much for a boring day!” laughed Peter. “It’s a good job you worked out what was happening up there!”
“Yeah, we might be OK,” said Will. “If they can just let it through slowly enough… so long as that log holds…”
Bella was waving again.
“Another rush coming!” called Wayne.
Ace and Will went to help turn the massive handles as soon as the pool was full. But this time they had a struggle to lower the gate again, it was filling up too fast. Then Will stopped, listening.
“The log’s slipped! They can’t hold it, they’re getting swamped!”
Clover! Soar, soar, all of you! Ace yelled in his mind. You can’t do any more, you’re too light, you’ll get swept away.
He swallowed, hard.
“OK, the whole lot’s coming through!” he yelled to Wayne. “Warn us – and watch your footing!”
“OK, Ace!” Wayne shouted back.
They managed to raise and lower the gate one more time before Wayne got Bella’s signal. But it was hardly necessary. They stood aghast as they heard a deep rumbling, as the stream, full of rocks and debris, came hurtling down the mountainside. It cleared the patch of trees, and then they could see it. A vertical river, rushing down towards them, faster than a train, filling the air with its noise and speed. The power of it was awesome.
“Steady,” said Ace. “Hold your ground.”
Five of them knew in their hearts that that was the daftest order they’d ever heard. But every one of them obeyed.


When the water pressure finally forced the log past the rock that was holding it, Dan had dived into the water to try to push it back, but she had no chance. The rush of water knocked her right into the air, but not before she’d put her shoulder out, trying. She could hardly move her wings, she was in such pain, but the other fairies, who’d all taken to the air, swooped down to help her. Rose and Stella caught her between them, and the fairies stared in horror as the lake turned into a fierce torrent, tossing branches and stones out of its way, and pouring off the plateau’s edge. It hardly bothered touching the ground, it bounced from rock to rock like a waterfall, angry at being kept pent up so long.
“Leave me,” said Dan. “I can manage, slowly. Go and help the elves!”
“She’s right,” said Clover, taking up position to dive. “We have to beat this water down the mountain.”
Rose and Stella took a moment to make sure Dan was steady before they left her, then they followed a few beats behind Clover as she streaked down the mountain, trying to race the foaming cataract that was heading straight for their elves. Bella saw them coming, and joined the formation.
“The idiots are trying to stand their ground!” she yelled. “They don’t stand a chance, this isn’t going to fill that pool, it’s going to swamp it!”
“We have to lift them to safety before they get swept away!” gasped Rose, though Clover didn’t spare a word, saving every ounce of energy for speed. But however fast she flew, she couldn’t catch up with that roaring monster. She saw it tossing branches up into the air as it emerged from the trees, watched as it crashed into the pool, and saw the elves steadying one another on the rim.
But as the water hit the bottom of the pool, it didn’t stay there, it leapt up again in its speed, and poured out over every part of the rim. She heard the elves yell as the icy water drenched them, saw Hogweed desperately trying to hold on to all of them. As Clover reached the pool, the water rose to a great crest. She flew right over it, trying to get to them from behind. But before her eyes, the sluice gate itself was torn away, tearing rocks with it. The elves fell into the torrent and were swept away, disappearing down inside the mountain, along with rocks, and broken metal, and hundreds and hundreds of gallons of icy cold water.

“No!” screamed Clover. She looked into Rose’s stricken eyes, and they clung to each other, hovering above the destruction. Bella and Stella did the same. Then, with a hideous screech, the floodgate itself gave way, and the torrent turned, following the line of least resistance, heading straight for the camp. Sternly, Clover told herself not to panic, and tried to think what to do. Something deep inside was telling her the elves couldn’t possibly have survived, but she refused to listen to it.
“We have to look for them!” she almost sobbed. “And Dan, we have to help Dan, where is she? And we have to warn them on camp, that they’re going to get flooded!”
“They’ll be flooded before we get there,” said Bella. “They’ll know something’s wrong. We’ll find Dan – you look around, maybe they weren’t all washed away!”
That made sense, Clover thought. She and Rose flew a short way down into the cavern, but there was nothing but a narrow channel, completely full of water. Wherever they were, it wasn’t there. Disheartened, they turned back, but then Rose clutched Clover’s arm.
“Over there! It’s Hogweed! Come on!”

When the pool’s rim had given way, Hogweed had sunk more rapidly than the elves, and hadn’t been tossed down the cavern. Instead, the water had rolled him away, until he came to rest against a rock. But the water was now rushing away on the other side of the pool, and Hogweed was lying in a puddle with a nasty gash right down his jaw.
Clover rushed to him, while Rose soared and whistled. Bella and Stella had found Dan, and they came over as fast as they could. Clover was bandaging Hogweed’s face.
“I just want to stop the bleeding,” she said. “He’s breathing, but he’s unconscious. Banged his head on a rock, for sure.”
“I’m not leaving him,” said Dan. “Don’t waste your breath.”
Clover didn’t.
“We’ve got to start searching,” she said. “But you and Hogweed need help!”
“I’ll message the sergeant,” said Dan. “You go!”
Without another word, Rose, Clover, Bella and Stella spread out across the mountain, flying low, searching, searching, for any place where that stream might emerge, and cast their elves back to them.