Part 27 (1/2)

'Two.'

'One would have been better for a hostage.'

'I'm terribly sorry. Did you manage to do anything with-'

'Too dangerous. I think we managed to put those wonderful tools of yours to good use, though. Now, off to the flint pit with you two. I'll wait here.' He took his pistol back from Bernice with a wry little smile.

Alexander and Benny dashed down the hillside behind the monument. Ancient flint diggings provided useful cover there. The two of them leapt in, to find the boys lying there, an a.s.sortment of rocks and rough wooden stakes in their hands.

'Oh, Bernice!' said Anand. 'Merryweather here has been fretting terribly about you.'

Merryweather glared at him.

'Maybe we could have dinner when this is all over?' Bernice winked at the embarra.s.sed boy.

'I, ah, beg your pardon?' Merryweather squeaked. Alexander patted him on the head. 'I do believe she's teasing you.'

Greeneye and Serif ran out on to the light slope where the monument stood and looked around. 'Where is she?' Greeneye muttered, pulling both his swords from his harness.

They split up, fanning out in different directions. Rocastle peered out from behind Old Meg and winced. They were supposed to a.s.sume that the statue was the obvious cover and run straight for it.

Greeneye indeed was wandering towards him, but Serif was some distance away, slowly turning as if smelling the air.

Rocastle took a deep breath, poked his head out again and shouted. 'Oh my G.o.d, they're here!'

Greeneye spun. He ran at the monument.

And fell straight through the ground.

Before she'd left, Bernice had shown the boys how to use her excavation probe, a gravitic device that could, at its highest setting, create a large pit. Over that pit, they'd put a film of resin created by her ion bonder. Then they'd just thrown a light covering of the soil and gra.s.s from the pit back over it.

Greeneye dropped straight through the resin, bellowing as he went. His swords had gone flying as he tripped over the edge.

But Serif stopped just short of the pit's edge, his arms spiralling. He balanced himself and stepped back. 'You did this?' he hissed at Rocastle, who stepped out from behind the monument.

'I did,' Rocastle said. 'And my lads killed your girl.' He jumped back behind the monument as an energy bolt hissed past his head.

Serif glanced down at the pit beneath his feet. Greeneye was staring up at him angrily from about twenty feet below, his face a ma.s.s of blood, one eye caked shut.

'Throw both of them down here,' he bellowed, 'and I'll toss you the sc.r.a.ps!'

Serif nodded and stalked towards the monument, firing energy bolts at intervals into the ground in front of him.

Hutchinson scrambled to climb over the edge of the flint workings, but Alexander grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

'Not yet!' Benny whispered. 'If I let any of you get into danger, Rocastle will kill me.'

'But he's - 'He's armed. We're not.'

Serif had reached Old Meg. He stepped slowly around it, antic.i.p.ating an attack at any second.

Rocastle stepped out behind him and raised his gun. 'Now-'

Serif spun and knocked the gun from his hand. 'You should not have warned me.'

He swung his own pistol up.

Rocastle lunged forward and slammed the alien against the stone. 'You destroyed all my dreams, you know,' he told him as they struggled, almost conversationally.

'But, strangely, I feel almost as if I ought to say - '

Serif spun him round, smas.h.i.+ng the human against the base of the statue. Rocastle fell, winded, and looked up as Serif aimed his pistol at his head.

'Thank you.'

The force of the explosion threw Hutchinson and Alexander back off the edge of the flint diggings. The others threw their hands over their heads as debris rained down, small lumps of the stone that had made up Old Meg.

Benny peered up over the edge. The monument was a crater in the ground, at its centre a ma.s.s of flaming debris that was sparking up into the sky, small detonations still going off.

She climbed out and walked over to the flaming pyre, Alexander and the boys following her.

'He knew that it would explode,' Hutchinson said. 'It was the only way.'

'No it b.l.o.o.d.y wasn't,' Benny whispered.

There might have been an argument then, but Merryweather had turned to look in the direction of the pit. 'Look!' he yelled.

A hand had gripped the rim of the pit, and was scrambling against the crumbling earth, trying for a solid hold. As they watched, Greeneye slapped another hand after the first and began to haul himself over the edge, his face a mask of rage and sorrow. 'Serif!' he was bellowing. 'You animals! I'll cover this hill with your blood!'

Hutchinson started to say something, but it came out as a roar. He sprinted towards the pit and the other boys followed, yelling shrill cries.

Hutchinson grabbed one of Greeneye's swords from the ground where it lay and Merryweather grabbed another. The rest of the boys formed a rough circle around the pit as the alien climbed out of it, clutching their rocks and clubs.

Only Anand stayed back, beside Alexander. 'Are you going to help them?' he asked Bernice.

Benny realized that she'd just been staring at the scene, absolutely useless to everybody. She was feeling sick inside. It took her a moment to realise why.

She'd seen this before.

She started forward. 'Wait - '

Greeneye was now fully emerged from the pit. 'Well then?' he shouted. 'Who's first!' He grabbed for his gun.

Hutchinson lashed out and Greeneye clutched at his upper arm, the gun tumbling from his numbed fingers.

Merryweather ran in and struck him across the leg, the ultrasharp blade bursting a line of blood from Greeneye's thigh. He roared and lashed out, knocking Merryweather to the ground. He stumbled forward, felling boys to the left and right with his fists. Hutchinson went flying too, dropping his sword.